Happy 14th Birthday, Lilly!

Happy Independence Day/4th of July and Happy Birthday, Lilly!  She would have turned 14 years old today if she were still alive.  I'm so curious what she would have looked like and acted like at 14.  I miss her.  💕😇

I still make a cake in memory of Lilly's birthday every year:

I recently planted fresh flowers in Lilly's memorial garden, so everything is bright and cheerful.  My Mom gave me the patriotic butterflies:

My Dad and Stepmom sent lilies.  They're still slowly opening:

💖🤍💙

Happy 1st birthday Solomon!

One year ago today, our rainbow baby Solomon was born.  One year and nine months ago, our sweet Lilly passed away.  What a gift Solomon has been in bringing healing to our broken hearts.  To filling our arms back up.  To bringing more amazement back into our lives.  I thank the Lord for him every day, as I do for our other children.  Believe me, I do not take any child for granted.

I've purposely delayed giving Solomon grains of any kind, so when it came time to think "birthday cake" I wasn't sure what to do.  Hunter pointed out that Solomon's favorite food is bananas so he suggested a banana cake.  So that's what I made.  I had no idea if he would eat it, but figured we needed a photo if nothing else!:

Solomon wasn't sure what to do with it:

But he found he enjoyed hitting the cake with his spoon and then throwing bits onto the floor:

Solomon thought eating wrapping paper was much more tasty:

Yesterday I made Solomon his birthday t-shirt.  Of course it was huge on him today, but I know it will fit a bit better each birthday to come:

After supper, I gave Solomon a piece of "Lilly chocolate" to try.  He decided that was a birthday treat much more to his liking:

(You can see Lilly eating her chocolate here. )

"O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples!"  - 1 Chronicles 16:8

Funny animals are "good medicine" AND more on July 4th

I was fighting depression off and on last week.  I know it was simply that "anniversary depression" because of Miss Lilly's birthday.  Yesterday something highly amusing to me happened, and that seemed to "bring me back" and I've been feeling OK since.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22

What happened was that yesterday morning, the boys and I walked the perimeter of the goat area, to be sure the fence was OK and all looked well.  One of our dogs, Dixie, came along with us as usual.  But then we were joined by an unlikely companion - our rooster Chanticleer.  As we entered the path into the woods, I figured the rooster would turn around in a minute or so.  But he did not!  That rooster proceeded to follow us the entire route, which took a good 10 minutes since we stopped to look at things a couple times.  Chanticleer even kept up a quick pace, following us at a jog.  It just struck me as something so hilarious since I've only taken dogs for walks.  A rooster going for a walk?  Chanticleer did stop once and when he went off the path, Dixie took it upon herself to quickly bark at him and herd him back to the path.  Hunter and I were cracking up.  :)

We are enjoying all the goats, though sadly one had to be put down last week.  Topaz had a messed up leg and it wasn't getting any better.  So the L family came and got her.  Another nanny goat - Nausette - is still quite sick.  I've been using some of Lilly's syringes to squirt water mixed with probiotics into her throat, and also giving her a really strong dewormer.  Since the antibiotic we gave her recently didn't help, we've ruled out pneumonia, and think it's bad parasites in her lungs.  The kids have been praying faithfully for Nausette's healing so that she doesn't have to be put down too.  I learned so much medically in caring for Lilly and honestly am enjoying this "outlet" in caring for this sick goat.  I am sure that sounds weird, but that's how I feel.  Though I do hope she gets better quickly of course!

Tabby is such a mama to our chickens still.  I often glance out the window and see her micro-managing them.  I most enjoy seeing her chase them!  She loves holding them.  You can see how big they've gotten in this picture.

Well that's our "farm update."  I thought I'd share a little more about our celebration of Independence Day / Lilly's birthday.

The day before the 4th, we stopped at the dollar store and bought birthday balloons.  Both Tabby and Hunter each picked out three, to release later at Lilly's grave.  While in line to pay, this elderly woman was talking to another woman in line about the birthday balloons that person was buying.  They were for a girl's birthday.  The elderly woman was very upbeat and turned to Tabby and said something to her about her balloons.  I heard Tabby respond "They are for my little sister."  The woman asked her how old her sister was turning.  Tabby told her that her sister would have been 3, but she was dead, and were taking them to her grave.  I glanced at the woman and our eyes locked.  I suddenly wanted to burst into tears so I was only about to smile a little.  The woman just got the most crestfallen look on her face.  She said quietly "That is a very sweet gesture" then stepped back in line and just stared at the floor. 

Later that day, one of the balloons Hunter had chosen blew right out the door of our vehicle.  I was so disappointed but Hunter cheerfully said "Lilly is getting a birthday balloon a day early!  See that balloon is going right up to her in heaven!"  Love his attitude.

On the morning of the 4th, I decorated the angel food cake I made for Lilly's birthday:

I dressed Solomon in his Lilly-colored outfit:

 Then we headed to the town of Belhaven for their parade.  While waiting we got to first hang out in my sister-in-law's bakery - Gingerbread Bakery.  YUM!!  Hunter and I both enjoyed Lilly-colored gingerbread men:

LillyBear was with us to watch the parade:

My mother-in-law was in the parade representing the Pantego Academy Historical Museum, this year dressed as an Indian:

After the parade we had lunch, sang happy birthday to Lilly, and enjoyed her cake.  My previous post has pictures of our balloon release at Lilly's grave.

When we got home that evening, I had a special surprise in Lilly's garden.  Some red lily flowers had opened up that day.  A "hello I'm doing great!" from Lilly maybe?

Happy 3rd birthday Lilly

Happy 3rd birthday, Little Firecracker!  You are greatly missed but I know heaven is perfect.

Lilly's above photo is featured on the homepage of SOFT today. 

We took Lilly balloons to her grave today and prayed as a family, thanking God for her.

 

Grief is tiring.  I will share more about today later.

In the meantime, if you care to, read my special guest post on Cindy-the-soap-nuts-lady's blog.  It is titled "Lessons I Have Learned from my Children."   Thanks Cindy for the opportunity!

Christmas in July

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Friends are amazing.  We have been so touched by friends and family, both the ones that we know in person and those online.  We received such an outpouring of e-mails, phone calls, letters, gifts, prayers, and hugs last week, as we celebrated Lilly's 2nd birthday without her in our arms.  She of course had the ultimate party in heaven!  Through the tears and smiles of remembering Lilly, we were certainly held up by friends and family.

I wanted to post pictures of all the gifts here, mainly as a journal for my family.  But I thought my readers might enjoy seeing them too.

First is the gift I bought Lilly.  (Last year I bought her this one, and thought I'd add to the collection each year.  We buy our other children birthday gifts, it only seems right to with Lilly too.) 

From Ann Barnes, the author of The Care of the Infant and Child with Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 13, (the most helpful Trisomy 18 book out there!) we received this wonderful frame with hooks (perfect for hanging some of Lilly's b'day dresses on):

The Barnes family had a daughter, Megan, that lived almost 20 years with Trisomy 18.  How amazing is that??!!  (Today, July 8, is Megan's birthday.  I wonder if she's having a party in heaven!)

From C.N-R, the mom of angel Darian, a baby girl that lived one day with Trisomy 18, we received these beautiful pictures and the card that is in the pictures:

C. took the photos of the Lilly card she made on what she had dubbed "Darian's Beach."  It is in Canada and certainly looks like an amazingly beautiful place!

From C.C., mama of angel Jordan, a baby girl that lived three days with Trisomy 18, we received a sweet book entitled To Let You Know I Care and an angel ornament:

Look at Jordan's precious tiny footprints on the front of the card!  C. wrote that an older woman in her community made the angel to share with another angel mom.  C. added the "Lilly colored" ribbon.

From my friend H.B., H. received a "Lilly colored" necktie (his first tie and he is SO excited about it) and T. a red hairbow with a flag on it.  (T. always has a hairbow or flower in her hair.)  I received the doily:

H. wrote in a letter that her great-grandmother made the doily.  It's not easy to see in the picture, but wow - what amazing work she did!  H. said she was the wife of a railroad man and farmer and a faithful and godly woman.  And that she had 8 children.  One son died of pneumonia at about a year old.  Like Lilly, he died at home in his sleep.

From A.S. we received the most remarkable Christmas stockings I have ever seen:

A's friend hand made these.  Every stitch, bead and sequince was hand-sewn.  It takes about 40 hours to do one stocking!  Wow!  A. wrote that all the stockings, except my husband's, were finished when Lilly passed away last December.  She couldn't bring herself to send them at that time though, but decided that now was the right time.  A. has even already had a stocking for our Rainbow Baby made, and all that is left to do is to add his name to it, when he is born.  I love Holly Hobbie and A. knew that.  Look at this close-up of Lilly's beautiful stocking:

From J.C., the mom of Julia, a little girl that lived for a bit over a year with Trisomy 18 (and who went to heaven the day after Lilly), we received "lilly colored" hand towels, a b'day flag, and an adorable card that J. made:

My friend K.L. dropped off a gift box with the most amazing paper lilies on it. Inside was a beautiful ruby (the July birthstone) beaded angel:

My brother P. and his wife K. had these beautiful flowers sitting on our kitchen counter when we got back from our trip Thursday.  The lilies smell sooooo good!

My mom left a gift "from Lilly" to us, a crystal angel ornament for Lilly's tree and a Willow Tree figurine:

H.A. and her family send a tree!  A European Cypress tree:

It's way to hot to plant the tree, so we will enjoy it inside until fall at least. 

The L. family, that lives very close to us, thoughtfully sent both T. and H. a book.  For T. was two books in one:  Time at the Top and All in Good Time, books which M.L. said she enjoyed as a child.  H. was excited about the Diggers and Dumpers sticker book.  Oh yeah - heavy equipment - he loves it!

From Emily's big sisters S. and L. (Emily is 6 years old with Trisomy 18!) we received ornaments for Lilly's memorial tree.  Both girls made a wooden ornament.  S. took one of her own bears and made clothes for it.  I have it sitting under the tree.

Finally, I appreciate the mom's that mentioned Lilly on their blogs last week.  (These are all mom's of children with Trisomy 18.  Two are still living.)

Aaron's blog:  http://compatiblewithjoy-trisomy18.blogspot.com/2012/07/time-of-reflection.html
"The Other Lily's" blog:  http://iseeloveblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-camp-2012-and-happy-4th.html

Julia's blog:  http://jennychildress.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-4th.html     (Check out little angel Julia in her red white and blue bathing suit!)

Thank you EVERYONE for your prayers and for caring.  You inspire us to do better at reaching out to others.

How we spent Lilly's birthday

First, here are a few pictures from Lilly's 1st birthday, July 4, 2011.  I'm not sure what she looked like in heaven this past July 4, but I'm sure she was even more beautiful!

We were blessed to spend this past Monday through yesterday afternoon at my mother-in-law's home.  She lives less than 30 minutes from where Lilly is buried.  (We live over 2 hours away.)  We stayed very busy - and hot! (it's something being pregnant in temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s!) - helping her do things.  It worked well - we were able to help her out and it helped us to stay busy and distracted.

On Wednesday morning, we went to the 4th of July parade in Belhaven, North Carolina.  T. and H. had never been to a parade before and were very excited.  We were blessed to have access to my sister-in-law's bakery, so we could stay cool until it started.  If you're ever in Belhaven, it is THE BEST place to eat.  It's called Gingerbread Bakery and is on Main Street:

Here is my husband and H. enjoying a drink and snack before the parade:

T. in her favorite place - by the cookies, cakes, and donuts:

The best float in the parade was the one my mother-in-law rode on, in her colonial dress.  The float was for the Pantego Academy Historical Museum. 

After the parade, I made our angel girl Lilly and angel food cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.  And of course she got two candles:

After supper that evening, we went to Lilly's grave.  We took her some new flowers.  They were to share with my husband's father and sister, who are buried where Lilly is.  The flowers looked beautiful.  (They were done by the same woman, at Flowers on Broad Street, that did the spray for Lilly's casket and flowers for her grave after.)  LillyBear and crazy sock monkey (who was celebrating his 1st birthday) came with us:

We brought Lilly three pinwheels, in red, white, and blue:

We had a balloon release for Lilly.  T. and H. both had a birthday balloon and a "Lilly colored" balloon.  H. loved the idea of sending balloons "up to heaven."  But after awhile he wanted them back to play with.

We spent some time praying and thanking God for giving us Lilly.

Soon it was time to leave.

We then stayed in town (Washington) and watched the fireworks.  Seems like the whole country was celebrating Lilly's birthday!