Aidens Scar

Our amazing and beautiful Vice President Erin bravely shared the very special story of the the birth of her son, Aiden and the story of her caesarean scar.

 

 

The Story of My Scar - The Sunday Telegraph Body+Soul Magazine - March 18, 2012 Page 10 bodyandsoul.com.au

 

Beverley Hadgraft meets four women whose scars have become an integral part of their life experience.
 

 "My Scar is how the son I lost was born"

Nineteen weeks into my pregnancy, a scan picked up an abnormality in our son's kidneys. A day later, we were given a terminal diagnosis but were determined to continue with the pregnancy. We wanted to give Aiden every chance.

Fortnightly check-ups revealed his amniotic fluids were low, which meant his lung development was also affected. But I still wanted the doctors to try everything to help him. We booked a caesarean to make his birth as stress-free as possible.

Aiden was born on December 21, 2010. We could hear him trying desperately to cry and he was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. Twenty-five hours later, after receiving the results of Aiden's numerous tests, we decided to stop medical intervention. He was placed in our arms and we spent 15 minutes together before he passed away.

The recovery from my caesarean was painless compared to the emotional pain. Today, I am pregnant with a daughter. She is healthy and will be born in the same hospital as her brother. When I see my scar now I am proud. It is how my beautiful boy came into the world. I call it my Aiden scar.

Erin is vice-president of Yasminah's Gift Of Hope, an organisation that offers support to families who lose a baby

I'm a strong person but...

As we approach Yasminah's 3rd Birthday ~26 March~ I am feeling the weight and pain of her loss but also the beauty and gift of her incredibly brief but precious life. The memories, the joy, the happiness she has brought us and how much her little Gift Of Hope has helped others.

Im a strong person, but I feel the sadness creeping in, as I try to hold everything together in what is going to be a very busy and emotional week ahead. Im eternally thankful for the beautiful people who surround me with their love, friendship and support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Big Beautiful Belly

Today with the help of a volunteer we took photos of items that have been kindly donated towards our upcoming fundraising auction in April. So tonight once the kids were all in bed and I had some time chilling out watching TV I decided it was finally time to get the photos up on our facebook page. But then I saw there were 3 folders - from each of the 3 digital camera's I have owned.

The first camera folder was empty, the third had the photos we took this afternoon, but the second album caught me off guard! Staring back at me was the words Yasminah and time stamped 24/02/2009 They were photos that I had obviously forgot I had taken and misplaced, until tonight.

15 photos of my big beautiful pregnant belly! Pregnancy photos from Yasminah's pregnancy. 5 photos taken on the 3rd February 2009 when I was 30 weeks pregnant and 10 photos taken 3 weeks later on the 24th February at 33 weeks pregnant.

3rd February 2009 ~ 30 weeks pregnant

I don't remember my hair being that short, but I kinda like it and I loved those pants. They were my comfie, fat belly, pregnancy pants. They were light, stretchy and I lived in them, well at night anyway as they were my PJ pants.

24th February 2009 ~ 33 weeks pregnant

I love looking back at photos when I was happy like I was in this moment. Oblivious to the pain and heartache that lay ahead. Not knowing that exactly one month from the date this photo was taken our little girl would give up her fight for life. Her little heart would stop beating. My smile was broken and heart shattered into a million pieces that I'm still putting back together.

I can see how deliriously happy I was! The anticipation and excitement of growing my second child, holding my big beautiful belly safe in my arms. I remember feeling Yasminah kick me and wiggle and squirm around. She was really active, especially at night. I'm so thankful for photos of my big beautiful belly. They are memories of a time when my daughter was alive.

No one knows.......

No one really knows exactly how I truly feel. How much I still miss you and ache from your absence in our family. There are simply no amount of words, or the 'right' words I can express to say how I truly feel, not even to those closest to me. I think about you every day, I still cry tears out of happiness of how much I love you and how blessed I am to be your mummy. You have changed me incredibly. My beautiful, beautiful little girl you are a true gift.

Tears stream down my face. I don't know if I will publish this post, but it's here to help me when and If I decide to. I wonder if anyone will mention your name, if your sweet name will pass through people's lips, if you will be thought of on your birthday. I just miss you so much. I am so grateful to have your baby sisters and older brother to love, care and cherish each day. At the same time I feel your absence and wonder about what you would be like.

I was asked recently 'Are you OK now?' by a newly bereaved family. The questioned stumped me as I wanted to answer and say yes, I am OK, but I was honest. It gets easier.....sometimes and other times I think it gets harder. Milestones, anniversaries, birthday's, holidays, at each moment in time you wish they were there a part of your life. There are days when it can be like yesterday that I held Yasminah in my arms and all the pain and heartache resurfaces like an old wound aching in the winter.

But there is also hope, hope that a new child can bring. I briefly shared my story of our rainbow girls and how they have helped bring joy and happiness back into our lives. The tears ease as the days pass. You slowly venture back out into the world of doing the mundane tasks like cleaning, shopping and socialising with friends and family. Bravely holding in your sadness as you pass a pregnant woman or a family cooing over a newborn baby. It's hard when friends announce they are pregnant. You wish them nothing but happiness and pray that everything will be OK, but you wish you had your child in your arms, or if you have started the road of trying to conceive you wish to be pregnant too. Not to fill a gap, as nothing can or ever will replace the child you lost. But to once again have joy in your life, to nurture a baby, to watch them grow. Once you are pregnant you vow never to take for a granted a restless nights sleep, a dirty nappy or having the last feed splatted all over you, the lounge and the floor. You wish so much to be able to do those things.

When your pregnant friend goes into labour, it feels like a knife going deep into your chest. You hope and pray that everything is going to be OK and that they will get to take home their baby, that the labour will go smoothly. That their child will be born healthy. Then the baby is born and you know you will have to visit them and hold them in your arms. You brave the shops buying newborn clothes and hold back your tears when asked by a passer by when are you due? As you still have a 'baby' belly and look pregnant. You walk into the maternity ward, remembering the last time you were there. You then realise the last baby you held in your arms was your own and that soon another sacred moment will be gone. You feel like a thousand eyes are watching you hold that baby, too scared to say something wrong that might upset you. It feels strange to have a warm, moving, breathing baby in your arms, but comforting at the same time.

Friends status updates wishing that their child would 'go to sleep' have a different meaning. You would do anything to be kept awake by a restless baby, because at least they would be alive and you would be holding them safe in your arms. For weeks after losing Yasminah, because everyone kept referring to her as 'born sleeping' I used to freak out about my son dying in his sleep. I was a member of an online forum where mothers who had lost babies and children to SIDS shared their stories. Because my eldest was only 20 months old, I feared that God had already taken away one of my children, what was to stop him from taking away my son! I checked on him every night to make sure he was still breathing, still moving, still alive. It might sound crazy but it's true and completely normal to feel this way. If you have other children, I think you smother them with love and affection and maybe spoil them a little too much. But you do what you need to do, to get through each day. Life is short, our children we have lost have taught us this. Take each day as a gift, hold your loved ones, tell them how much you love them.

No one really knows what this is like, and even then each person's journey is so different and unique to that family and their special child.

No one knows.......and I wish no one ever had to know what this truly feels like.

IWD ~ For their future

International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day, is marked on March 8 every year across the world.

A day to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing strength and power of women in our society. The  economic, political and social achievements of women. The difference women have made to our history and are still making each and every day. A day to reflect on women's talents, passion, drive, the love, the hope, the embodiment of what it means to be a woman. Also a day to spread awareness, inspire young women, advocate for change and development for women's rights.

There are so many things I want for my daughters future. My wish is for them to value themselves, be proud of who they are as a person inside and out. Love their bodies. To live their life to the fullest. To hope, dream, inspire, change, and have faith that as a woman they can do anything they put their minds towards. They are only limited by their imagination.

I hope that they will feel safe, appreciated, and valued in society. Fight for equal rights in the workplace, if you have the talent and the drive for the corporate world go for it! Today our Prime Minister and Governor General are both women! Women in authoritative positions directing the future of our country.

I hope that my daughters find true love in someone who will unconditionally love, cherish, encourage and support them as equal human beings. I hope that they won't have to chose between having a career or having a family, that they can do both. That they won't have to hide their pregnancy, and will be able to tell their employer they are expecting a child without fear of losing a promotion or their entitlements.

The most important thing in life is to just be yourself. Be kind to others, if someone is in need lend them a helping hand. Choose your words wisely as after they are spoken, it's hard to take them back. Work hard and play hard too. Reach for the stars but don't forget to take time out to marvel at their beauty. Don't feel ashamed to cry, tears speak volumes, words cannot say. Hug daily, love deeply and don't sweat the small stuff. This is all I want for their future.

Happy International Women's Day

Harrisons Little Wings

Melanie is a mother of 4 beautiful boys, one who is an Angel. Her son Harrison Alexandar McKenzie was born on the 14th of September 2010 and passed away on the 15th of September 2010. In Harrisons memory she started Harrisons Little Wings.

Harrison lived for only a short 28 hours due to an incurable condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. His 28 hours of life was 28 hours of pure fight and courage from him. Melanie watched her baby boy fight so hard, struggle to live, and then watched as he lost that battle.

Instead of taking Harrison home from the hospital, she took a box of memories that the Mater Mothers Hospital in Queensland had kindly made up. This contained Harrisons monitor wiring, foot prints, sunnies and ear muffs, amongst other treasured items.


As an avid scrapbooker, Melanie found scrapbooking Harrisons photos a form of therapy, and a wonderful way to preserve their very special photos and memories of their time together. Harrisons Little Wings is a registered non profit charity that create special photo frames and 6 x 6 scrapbook albums for families that suffer the loss of their baby through perinatal death. They currently service the Mater Mothers Brisbane, Logan, Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals in Queensland and hope to service all hospitals across Australia in the future.



Harrisons 'Gift Of Hope Journal'

 I first met Mel online around April last year. We have formed a wonderful friendship, even though we have never met in person. We talk on the phone a lot, we have cried together and laughed too. Mel is an amazing woman and I'm very lucky to call her a friend. Mel has similar values and beliefs  to me. We know that together we are going to make a difference to newly bereaved families journey and help them capture their precious memories. Melanie is strongly advocating to change and educate the support midwives provide following the loss of a child in Queensland Hospitals. I admire her courage and strength, through what has been a very difficult time for her family.

On Yasminah's second birthday, Mel made the most gorgeous scrapbook for me to put Yasminah's photos and keepsakes into. It is something I treasure. I placed all her special photos and memento's into the album from the original purple book the hospital placed Yasminah's things into.

I will share the layouts inside Yasminah's Scrapbook another time. Later this month Yasminah would of turned 3 and to mark her birthday I'm giving back where I can and sharing other organisations that have helped me, in her memory. I have been fortunate enough to have a little bit of spare time to create a few layouts for Harrisons Little Wings. Mel doesn't know about these yet and I have a few more that I am working on. I have to say that it is quite a challenge to create 6 x 6 layouts without having a photo to work around, also doing a similar style. Decorating a journal is challenging but I take my hat off to Mel and her volunteers for the beauty in each of their pages.

 

If you can scrap and would like to help Mel with Harrisons Little Wings contact her via email  

A love like ours....

We met thirteen years ago and fell in love!

Soulmates...
Two halves of the same soul
joining together in lifes journey

My first glance fell on your heart

This day eleven years ago I married my best friend.
The one I laugh with,
Live for,
Dream with,
Love,

Always and Forever.

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides

If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile,
the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.

Happy Anniversary to my darling husband Mohammed. It has been an incredible eleven years and the best is still to come.

Lots of Love Always your Angelface x x

Strike a pose

Aisha and Aaliyah are featured in Issue 10, March 7, 2012 of That's Life Magazine, Page 56.

I originally submitted their photo in early January, along with a multitude of others! I was surprised to find out through a friend who happened to be reading it this week, that Aisha and Aaliyah's photo was selected for print. They were actually 4 weeks old when this photo was taken. It was the first week they were home from the NICU. It was summer in Australia and HOT!

They often strike the same pose

Or pull the same facial expression

They learnt to crawl and stand the same way....

Say cheeeeeese!!!! They even smile for the camera with the same cheesy grins :)

They have an amazing bond, are absolutely beautiful girls and I'm so lucky to be their mummy x x

Guest Post ~ Children Having Infant Limb Deficiency ~ CHILD ~ Katherine Moffett

This is my very first guest blog, of what I hope will be many more. My dear friend Katherine Moffett. I will always remember when we first found each other online, I was about 25 weeks pregnant with Yasminah. It was so wonderful to find someone who also had a child with a congenital limb difference. It gave me hope that everything would be OK and it didn't matter that Yasminah had a limb difference, she would still be able to do amazing things and would always have the support and strength of her family and friends. I still remember when I had to tell Kath she had passed away :( It was heartbreaking as she had offered to pass along some of Sienna's clothes. I knew even before I had Yasminah that I wanted to help other families in some way. Katherine was the person that helped me get all the paperwork and charity started as she had only recently done it for CHILD. Thank you Kath for being the most amazing, supportive friend a girl could ever hope for. I will continue to help with CHILD wherever I can as it will always have a place close to my heart and all the amazing friendships with the many different CHILD families I have made along the way. Don't forget that you are amazing and the person who inspired me to start something in Yasminah's memory, for that I will always be grateful ♥ Bec x x


This was Katherine's post on our Facebook page last week

Katherine

I was sitting here thinking about the past three and a half years for me. All the amazing people who have touched my life thus far. Rebecca and I met after she found out about Yasminah's differences as I run Children Having Infant Limb Deficiency - CHILD. We spoke here and there, I would try and shed light on the situation because I don't like parents thinking their alone when something like this i...s diagnosed. I remember when I found out about Yasminahs passing. I was sitting in my loungeroom in Prestons, Sydney. And I read a message Rebecca had sent me. I started to cry. She was the first little baby Id had the honour of being involved with who had lost her life. So when time went on and Rebecca said she wanted to start Yasminahs Gift of Hope, I was more than happy to help with whatever I could and I'm sure you remember Rebecca, the paperwork was a nightmere LOL....But Id just like to express my absolute love and admiration for one of my closest friends Rebecca Aziz. I have the utmost respect for her and all the work she puts in. Literally! Blood sweat and tears!! She is why I still do what I do, she is my inspiration. When my ex husband left me because we had a child born with disabilities it was my friends who picked me up and who encouraged me. In the last week alone, Rebecca has helped me so much, twitter, the blog, I just cant express how important you are to all of us Bec and I pray that a big tycoon with millions of dollars comes up and says "Here love, $1,000,000 to make a difference"! Love you xxx

Pregnancy can best be described as riding a very intense rollercoaster of emotions. Some days your up, others your way down. Other times you feel like your going around in circles and the weeks and months will never end.

But once labour is over, or the caesarean section is complete and your holding your newborn for the very first time, touching her soft skin, adoring her face, it all seems worth it. Picturesque isn’t it? Sounds perfect. Well the fact of the matter is, it’s not always like this.

This is her story, it is one of extreme lows, mounting highs and all the in-between.

Siennas pregnancy seemed normal. Besides some crazy dreams about her being born with dwarfism, a reoccurring dream I had at least five times and some bouts of anxiety my pregnancy was what I would call perfect.

Ultrasounds out of the way, we were told the baby was healthy, ten fingers, ten toes, I was content and anxious to meet my little bundle. When she was born though she was whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital. I saw her for one minute after she was born and she was tightly wrapped, so tight in fact I could not unwrap her blankets and any attempts to do so were squashed.

Three hours after her birth, the news was broken to me that my perfect little girl, with ten fingers, ten toes and a button nose, wasn’t in fact what I'd expected. I was confronted with a very little baby, her arms were significantly different lengths, her shoulder on the right was smaller than the left, her right elbow was fused and could not be bend and the biggest shock of all, she had no thumbs. Eight little fingers is all she had. She had major upper limb issues, a heart condition and scoliosis of the hips.
The weeks and months that followed were tough, trying to adjust to life with a child with such different needs to what I would have called back then a normal baby.

My marriage broke down. The stress was all too much and I found myself attending the hospital appointments alone, dragging a three year old with one hand while trying to push a pram with the other.

Over the past three and a half years, I’ve tried to make Siennas life as normal as possible. She never misses out. She is always involved. Never left behind is my family motto. We have all pitched in to make sure my children’s lives are as unaffected by all of this as possible.

But what do you do when a child, who is around seven years old, decides to point out that he thinks your pride and joy, your little princess, is a “freak” and is “scary”. How would you deal with this? It’s so easy to dish out advice to other parents about how to handle things like this but when it actually happens to you, it hits you like a ton of bricks.

My answer, educate the community. Teach your child that staring at someone who has a disability, or any difference is not polite. Calling someone a freak, scary, ugly, fat, four eyes, none of it is right. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I’m telling you words do hurt. How can I protect my daughter from the big bad world when all I want to do is hide her away and protect her? I’m asking parents all over the world, to do what’s right and educate your children. Teach them what is right from wrong. My daughter didn’t ask for this. She didn’t ask to be born like this. Lately she has been asking me why she can't have ten fingers like mummy. And also why she has to keep going back to the hospital.

I am now the sole parent to three amazing children. All of whom adore and love each other unconditionally. They are all protective and respectful of each other.
Please, help me make the world an easier place for children like my daughter to feel safe and not judged because of their physical appearance. Bullying is wrong! Teasing is wrong! Poking, prodding and pushing are wrong whether the person is disabled or not!

I'm doing my best to educate the world. I started a charity in 2009 called CHILD. Children Having Infant Limb Deficiency. To date I have made contact with over 500 families from all over the world whose child has either been born with a limb difference or has an acquired limb difference (amputee). Our children are all amazing human beings. And I am trying to help them get the confidence they need to face the world loud and proud!


I’m normally a very calm and placid woman but I need to stand up and fight for the rights of my daughter now and those of other children with any type of disability. Bullying is wrong; educate yourselves and your loved ones. Bullying is ignorance and I for one will not tolerate it anymore.

Katherine Moffett

To learn more about CHILD and support Katherine's work please visit www.childorg.net.au and follow them on Facebook

My Happy List

Mamarazzi's from Our Dandelion Wishes hosts 'My Happy List' every Tuesday

  My Happy List :)    

This week Im happy I'm pain free, after being in absolute agony with impacted and infected Wisdom teeth last week ouch! Im happy I'm able to open my mouth to eat food, happy I can chew said food with all my teeth and happy I can talk without having shooting back going through my teeth and into my jaw. I cant express how happy I am that Im finally going to get my front tooth also fixed when my wisdom teeth are removed. It has really affected my life and overall self confidence and I feel it's time I do something about it. Im not sure I'll ever have the same pearly white smile I had before the accident but Im happy that I've made the first step to doing something about it. Certainly something to smile about :)

Im happy we have so many wonderful new volunteers coming on board to help with Yasminah's Gift Of Hope. It allows me and the other committee members and volunteers to spend more time with our families and not feel so overwhelmed with our intense workload. This makes me sooo incredible happy!!! It's also heartwarming to know that somewhere Yasminah is happy and hopefully proud of all the work we do in her memory.

Zach is really loving preschool and so are his younger sisters Aisha and Aaliyah. Zach is going 4 days a week and Aisha and Aaliyah go 2 days a week. It makes me so happy to see them developing their social, language, gross motor skills and reaching more milestones. They actually run away from us when we go to pick them up!

 



The Power of Love

There are days when it can all get too much.

Days you just want to throw your hands up in the air!

But a great BIG squishy hug! (excuse the picture quality)



 

A cheeky grin from the ones you ~ LOVE ~

 

Can be all you need to make it through the day

 

~ That is the Power of Love ~

TLC

Everyone needs a bit of tender loving care and after the last couple of weeks I've had, I know I definetely need to give myself a bit of TLC.

Breast cancer affects women of all ages, so being breast aware should be very important to all women, including young women. Regular self-examination is an important part of your health checks.

Last week at the age of 31 I had a breast ultrascan done after discovering a change in my breasts. Most changes in the breast are not related to breast cancer, however my Doctor felt that my changes warranted further investigation. Thankfully I was given the all clear after returning the scan results to my Doctor, but not before a million and one thoughts running through my head about the 'what if's'.

Please be breast aware, if you know how your breasts normally look and feel you should be easily able to notice any changes to the shape and appearance of your breasts and nipples.

And here is a little something to make you rethink your breasts and give yourself some TLC ;-)

Vanilla Kisses

I miss her today. I miss her so much that today I cant hide the pain. I have let the tears flow. I wish I could hold her and kiss her just one more time. Just one more kiss. One more touch.

Recently I heard someone explain the pain after losing a child like a contraction during labour. You know it's going to come and it hits you of out nowhere. You can't stop it from coming. You can only hope that it is over quickly. That the pain will subside. That you will have someone beside you to hold your hand and tell you it's going to be OK. That you will have time to prepare for the next contraction to hit. The rise and fall of emotions. The intensity of the pain to lessen. You can't do anything to stop the pain. You can only learn ways to manage it and learn to live with it.

I feel like Im right in the middle of one. It has come from nowhere. I cant function. I dont want to do anything. I just want to be. Be still. I just want to let the world go by and sit and dream of a time when she kicked in my belly when her big brother would wrap his little arms around me. The moments I held her close after she was born. When I kissed her nose. When I whispered in her ear.

I just miss her. I really miss her.

Ive learned to realize that this is grief. This isnt depression. Im not depressed. Im just a mum who misses her child and is grieving. This is grief.

We released our very special lip balms today that will be added to each of our Gift Of Hope Support Packs. It is something sacred to my memories and time with Yasminah. During Yasminah's labour I got very dry cracked lips. I still have the tube of lip balm given to me by my midwife that I used on my own lips. I applied it over and over again in an effort to soothe the visible cracks that were showing the pain I was feeling on the inside. One thing I always wanted to include in our Gift Of Hope Packs was lib balm - the very first few did include them but we now have our very own YGOH Lip Balm that will be included in every GOHP. I hope a simple little gesture can soothe their lips to give gentle kisses to their beautiful babies and the vanilla scent will make them think of the time they kissed an angel.

Birth day

Today is my birthday. A day that should be happy and filled with joy, love from those around me and cake! Yet I sit here and all I can think about is it is another birthday without Yasminah here with me.

I've been doing OK lately......it's been a while since I have felt the immense pain and weight of intense grief and heartache that losing a child brings. It comes and goes. The birthdays and anniversaries after you have lost a child can feel very isolating and each time another birthday or anniversary passes, you feel another piece of you breaking away.  

I was very lucky that I got to celebrate one of my birthday's when I was pregnant with Yasminah. I remember really wanting to do something special that day. Something we would remember, my last birthday as a mum of one. It was a really beautiful summer day. We drove to the historic Blue Mountains to visit the Three Sisters, have some lunch and then some desert.

27 weeks and 5 days pregnant with my second child ~ Yasminah ~

The Three Sisters ~ Blue Mountains ~ Australia

Zach had so much fun running around exploring his surroundings. Such an inquisitive young man. 

We then ended our visit at the famous Chocolate Shop where we each had a piece of cake and some ice cream for desert. It was a wonderful day, filled with many special moments and memories.

When I look at photos of myself when I was still pregnant with Yasminah, before I lost her I see a totally different person. I see the innocence, the hope, the excitement about our growing family, the anticipation of having a daughter to love.

I loved being pregnant and watching my belly grow. Yasminah was our miracle baby and we were so incredibly excited that we were only weeks away from meeting her. Our son was going to have a little sister to fuss over and probably fight with. Life was perfect.

I'm extremely lucky and blessed that my first birthday without Yasminah the following year, was also my first birthday with my twin girls Aisha and Aaliyah and also the day they both came home from the NICU. It also happened to be my 30th birthday. What an incredible birthday gift! For the first time in a long time, I finally felt the joy return to my life. Despite their premature birth, the long days and nights in NICU, the bumps in the road along the way, Aisha and Aaliyah were here and brought me so much love and happiness. I had two beautiful baby girls to care for and hold in my arms to watch and grow. Nothing will ever fill the gap that Yasminah left, but having something to hold onto, a small glimmer of hope that things would be ok was all I needed.

Zach returned to preschool this year and Aisha and Aaliyah started one day a week. So because my birthday falls on a Monday, my babies are all at preschool today. It kinda makes me sad that I won't be sharing the whole day with them, but we had breakfast together, and my son has requested his favourite dinner(and also mine) butter chicken. I'm really looking forward to them coming home, sharing dinner, blowing out the candles on my cake that my husband is bringing home hint, hint ;-) and the bedtime. More special memories.

Birthday's aren't about how many presents you receive, or what you did on the day. It's about the special gifts your already have in your life, the moments and memories that can't be bought or sold. The love of your family, your friends and people who care about you. Living each moment with them and celebrating the day your own mother brought you into the world - your birth day. Motherhood is an incredible gift. I am so very thankful for all 4 of my children and to my own mum who brought me into this world - Mum Happy Birthing Day!

Butterfly Blue

There is something majestic about the butterfly.

Whisper a wish to a butterfly and it will fly up to heaven and make it come true...

A few weeks ago a friend posted a link to a mutual friends blog. Art finds Kate, is Kate's visual journey through her discovery of everything artistic and experimenting in different mediums and styles of expression. I think you will agree that Kate is a very talented artist, and although she will disagree I think she is naturally gifted!

One of her recent paintings named Esmeralda featured here in Delighting in the Beauty is of a stunning light blue butterfly. The moment I saw this painting I thought of my little girl. It looked so much like the tiny blue butterfly hand painted on her memory box, the butterfly that is a part of Yasminah and everything behind Yasminah's Gift Of Hope.

I think you will agree.......

Well today I received a mystery envelope in the mail from an unfamiliar address. When I opened it there was a lovely parcel wrapped in pretty paper and after carefully removing the wrapping paper and the plastic the following painting was revealed! My very own original butterfly. Kate I am absolutely blown away!!! I smiled and a tear escaped my eye knowing instantly it was from you, even without a note inside. I still can't believe you sent it to me, and I have no words to say how thankful I am to have my very own butterfly painting. It is so beautiful, much like my precious daughter. Thank you so much for your beautiful gift. I secretly think it's Yasminah's way of sending me an early birthday wish to let me know she is always near.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. Maya Angelou

Aisha and Aaliyah ~ Our Rainbows

Two years ago today at this very moment our twins, Yasminahs little sisters Aisha Ann and Aaliyah Ann were born premature at only 31+5 weeks old

Aisha ~ 16/12/09 ~ 11:53pm~ 1554g ~ 41cms ~
Aaliyah ~ 16/12/09 ~ 11:55pm ~ 1730g ~ 41.5cms ~

Happy Birthday to our beautiful little princesses. You healed our hearts, gave us a reason to smile and filled our lives with hope, light, love and happiness. We are thankful for every moment with you and are so proud of how far you have come. Lots of love Mummy, Daddy, Zachariah and I'm sure Yasminah is with us x x x x x x

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