ABORTION RIGHTS: WHO CHOOSES?

I have received an outpour of support for my letter to pro-life activists, so I first want to thank you all for reading and sharing my story. It's been extremely difficult reliving the loss of my daughter, but I firmly believe there needs to be a change. And for that reason, I will press on.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS

Dear Pro-lifer,

I've quietly stood by listening to your opinions. I feel every painful assumption you make about me. You draw a line between right and wrong without hesitation, as if you know exactly what it feels like to be faced with a life-changing decision. The problem is, the picture you paint doesn't look anything like me.

YOU ARE A WARRIOR

Remind yourself to just keep breathing. 

Lay in bed and count your breaths.
-- in 3, out 3, in 3, out 3 --

Clear your mind. Focus on the positive. 

BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS

On January 5th 2016, James and I sat in a cold hospital room with both hands on my belly and said goodbye to our daughter, Grace. It was the most painful moment of my entire life. Sometimes it all feels like a horrible dream and I will wake up to find my belly full again. 

1 IN 900

I used to find comfort in numbers. That is, until I was "the 1." 

There are new DNA tests called non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) that can detect chromosome abnormalities through a simple blood test from the mother. They have been around for a few years but were mostly used for high-risk women over 35. Now, doctors seem to be offering them up to everyone. The benefit? Finding out your baby's gender as early as 12 weeks. 

PREGNANCY AFTER MISCARRIAGE

On January 5th, 2016, we said goodbye to another baby -- our 3rd child. It's been a complete nightmare these past few weeks.

I wrote this blog post on December 14th, 2015, the night before my world was turned completely upside down. I was waiting for my NIPT results (non-invasive prenatal test) to reveal the gender so I could include it in the blog post and share it with my personal Facebook announcement. I was not anticipating the results to be the beginning of the end of our daughter's precious life.

11.11

Our baby's remembrance tree has turned a vibrant yellow and has officially started losing it's leaves this week. And as each one falls to the ground, I think my heart breaks a little more.

11.11.

My baby's due date.

JURASSIC PARK FAMILY HALLOWEEN COSTUME

In an effort to keep busy this week, I wanted to share some pictures from our Halloween. This year's theme: Jurassic Park. How many more years until Joe refuses family-themed costumes?

6 MONTHS, BUT WHO'S COUNTING

I asked James yesterday, "Can you believe it's been 6 months already?" His answer reflected my exact thoughts. "No! Well, yeah. Actually, no..."

SEA MONSTER BATHROOM

Joe's bathroom was in desperate need of a change. And well, I just needed a distraction. (The perfect combination!) He's been really into cars, trucks, and boats lately...pretty much anything that moves. I was thinking maybe a boat or pirate themed bathroom, so I started searching for shower curtains first. I came across an adorable whale shower curtain on Society6, and it instantly became the inspiration for Joe's new sea monster bathroom!