Surprises and Happenings

So there are a few ramblings to put in this post...

The idea of the parent dinner meet-up has gone over tremendously well! There are over 14 people signed up to go to our first parent dinner meeting next Thursday, and I could not be more thrilled. The idea of gathering in an informal setting to talk about anything on our minds... it just suits the whole idea of grieving. We don't always have to have structure, and so it seems fitting to do this kind of meeting at a restaurant. I am so thrilled about it. If you live in the Huntsville, AL area and have suffered a pregnancy or baby loss, you can let me know if you'd like to attend on Thursday, January 27 at 7:00 PM at Lone Star steakhouse in front of Madison Square Mall. =)

We are kicking off the March of Dimes 2011 March for Babies with a family team kick-off celebration on February 8 at 6:00 PM at the Marriott by the Space and Rocket Center. I, along with Anna Claire Vollers, are the volunteers heading up the family teams, so I'm really excited about this new role within the MOD organization. I am really excited to get to know the other family team captains and form a dialogue with them, and to get them pumped up about the walk. They have a lot to compete with, though; I plan on passing our $8,000 fundraising we did last year!

Also, I have a meeting that is being scheduled with the Huntsville Hospital Foundation to start the fund for parent bereavement resources. I want all parents who leave HH without their child to be given a copy of the book: Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby, and for moms to be given a mother/baby necklace set like the one my sweet cousin Donna brought me from her social worker at her hospital in Georgia. These resources will be provided to all parents who leave Huntsville Hospital without their baby due to miscarriage, NICU loss, stillbirth, or other early infancy loss. I am excited about the possibilities.

Yesterday, my story was posted on the site Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope. It has already connected me to several remarkable women who sadly understand the pain and suffering I experience every single day. It feels good to see my story in yet another publication, and especially one where I can connect with others who have experienced similar losses. Tiffany, a beautiful, kind soul I have met through our losses, is creating a Face2Face group here in Huntsville, through this website, so I am excited to see what this will bring to our area. That means three meet-ups for parents who have suffered a loss. In a year's time, we've gone from 1 to 3. What a huge step for bereaved parents in North Alabama!

Okay- now to my big rant. The other day, Chris stopped by to see Kylie. Last night, he told me what he found. A headstone was installed for the lady buried one row below our row. The people who installed the headstone left trash and coke bottles ON MY BABY'S HEADSTONE!!!!!!!!!! Who the heck does disrespectful crap like that? You shouldn't do that to any headstone, but ESPECIALLY not to MY KYLIE, to a BABY, especially a RECENT loss such as hers. How dare you leave trash on her headstone and treat it like it is insignificant and not worth your time to even clean up after yourself. HOW DARE YOU disrespect my baby girl. HOW FREAKING DARE YOU! I am so livid... Chris called the guy in charge of the cemetery, who went off, because the headstone wasn't even approved!!!!! So he will be finding out who put it in, and then WE will be calling, writing, and perhaps even paying a visit to the people responsible. Now, they have to deal with one irate, over-protective Mommy, and I don't think there's ANYTHING Chris can do that would come close to being as bad as what I will do when I get to them.

So, there's the rant... someone seriously will pay for this, and they will apologize, and by God, they will meet me at the cemetery and apologize to my daughter for their blatant act of ignorance and disrespect.

Sorry to end on a bad note... but I am just furious!!!!!