The first anniversary came and went with me laying on my side on hospital bedrest with Alice. We got lots of sweet texts, emails, messages, and phone calls from you but that was about all I could manage. Last year I was emerging from the fog of post partum depression and trying to get my balance with an 11 month old. Plus we were on vacation in Utah. Brent's sister planned a lovely family day for us, starting with a trip to Henry's grave.
Both anniversaries have been nice and there is no one right way to grieve or celebrate the life of a child. Some people send off balloons, some donate money to charities, some make blankets for NICUs and some just quietly reflect. All of those ways--and more--are beautiful and good but nothing has hit the spot yet.
I've spent a lot of time searching for the perfect idea because of this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. Do something important for Henry. Well, folks, I found it. Rather, a childhood friend found it. A couple of weeks ago my dear Meredith posted a link to a news article and since watching the clip, I can't get it off of my mind. As in, stayed up til almost 2am one night working out logistics in my head.
Here it is:
I want to assist the Texas-based charity called NICU Helping Hands by spreading the word to all of you and specifically focusing my time and skills on sewing Angel Gowns.
To explain it better, here is the news clip.
Angel Gowns are only a small part of what Helping Hands is doing. They also provide parent support, parent education, sibling support, antenatal support for women on bedrest, mentoring, financial assistance, memory archiving (scrap booking classes), bereavement support, hospital-to-home assistance, and more. www.nicuhelpinghands.org
I'm focusing on Angel Gowns because I have a wedding dress just sitting in storage, I'm pretty ok at sewing and most importantly, we have been in this position of specific need. We needed something to dress our baby in and the only outfit the NICU had that even came close to fitting Henry's tiny body was a newborn sized, crocheted, blue outfit. I did not like it one bit. I never said anything to anyone because it's the best they had and I was in no place to criticize or find something myself.
This feels important to me. As in, way down deep in my heart I know I need to be doing this, important. I'm going to do it. I will sew gowns year-round when I can but each year as we gear up for Henry Day (July 5th) I will invite you all to join me in giving to NICU Helping Hands.
Ways you can help:
-Send me your wedding dress. I know this is huge, I don't expect this level of commitment. But IF you have a wedding dress or formal dress in a suitable neutral color and you'd like to donate it, let me know. I can return to you an heirloom piece to use for a future baptism or wedding dress for a daughter, or just to have as a keepsake. I'm saving enough of my dress to make the bodice for Alice's baptism dress. If you would prefer your donation to be tax deductible, send your dress directly to Helping Hands. They are able to give you a receipt.
-Help me sew. I already have the patterns and the go-ahead from the charity organizers to be a volunteer seamstress. The pattern is simple and each dress can make 10-12 gowns. There is no quota to fill, they are happy to get gowns from anyone on any time schedule. Each year for Henry Day I'd like to have several but there's really no solid expectation.
-Donate money or JoAnn's gift cards to the seamstresses. We will need to buy thread, ribbon and other basic notions and need postage to send the dresses to Texas.
-Donate directly to Helping Hands. On the website there is a link to "Lend a Hand" that lists all the ways you can donate. I'm pretty sure they will give you a receipt if you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation. There are monetary needs, supplies, time. I'm sure you can find a way to help, if you'd like.
-Spread the word. It's simple. Share the links I posted. This charity is blessing the lives of so many families that are going through the NICU experience, whether they are bringing a baby home or leaving broken hearted.
If you would like to help or have questions, please email me.
Oh, one more thing, please take pictures or at least leave me a note to let me know what you decide do. I'd like to make a little something special to commemorate this first year of our project.
My dear friends and family, we love you. Your love and support are what carried us through the dark days of summer 2011. It's time for us to give back and since I can't hug you all personally and tell you how you made a difference to my family, I choose to pay it forward.
