Day 11 & 12: Support and Scents

Day 11: Supportive Friends & Family

First off I'd have to say my husband and kids have been so very supportive. They are the only ones who also truly feel the depth of my pain in missing Noah.

Us gazing at sweet Noah before his burial. Our last time as a complete family this side of Heaven.

My dad, stepmom & grandma are also some of the other family who stood by us the last 2 years, calling to check on us, having us over for meals as well as remembering & including Noah. My homeschool co-op has also been a rock for our family. Many of those precious friends don't hesitate to ask me how I am truly doing and aren't afraid of my tears. They remember me on the harder days with notes or emails and have even given us gifts that have reminded them of Noah.

Our church family was also there for us in the early days by providing meals, helping out around the house and taking the kids out to do some special activities.

I've met many dear women both in real life as well as online who have been a wonderful network of support. Most of them have lost a child themselves. There are also some who haven't walked this path but have such compassion and understanding and have been very supportive to me as well. I have several dear friends that I email with fairly regularly and one recently reminded me of Galatians 6:2 in that we are to bear one another's burdens and that's how I'd describe what this circle of friends does as well as those others who have supported us.

I know I didn't cover each & every person or act of kindness that has been done for us but please know each & every thing that has been done for us has not gone unnoticed and has been very much treasured & appreciated!!!

Day 12: Scents that remind us of our baby

I wish I could say I had a specific scent that reminds me of Noah. As I read some of the other baby loss moms answers on this topic, I wish I had done what some of them had. You just don't think of all these things when you are trying to prepare for a birth & death of your baby. Some of them picked out a special lotion before their child was born, maybe even using it on their belly before they had their child. Then after their baby was born, they caressed that lotion onto their sweet baby. And to this day, they have that to smell and remember them by.

The only scent I have of Noah's was the sweet scent he had after he was born. It remained on his hat so much so when we came home from the hospital, I put it in a ziploc bag to try and contain the scent as long as possible. I could pull it out and smell him on his hat for quite sometime. Eventually though, his scent began to fade and sadly I can no longer smell it on his hat. I wish there was a way to preserve things like that.

There was one time earlier this year I got to smell Noah again, but more on that in the next topic.