Second Garage Sale Fundraiser

A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law took some blankets she had made for me to include in the memory boxes to the Fr. Mike at our church for him to bless. He then suggested the Ladies Auxiliary of the church to try to help me out with the memory boxes. And so after talking with the ladies one night at their meeting, they jumped in full force to help me get things together for a second garage sale. We got TONS of donations! I never would have been able to pull it off without all of their help. They helped with getting the donations, setting up, pricing, selling, and clean up! What an amazing group of women. Some have experienced losing a child and others just empathised with it, but all came together to help. And it turned out to be very successful. We raised about $1,150! So great...now I feel I can have boxes ready to go if and when they are needed and not have to worry about that when Lillian gets here. Plus friends and family are still continuing to support us/boxes both financially and emotionally. We have great people in our lives. I know first hand some people don't have this amazing support when they lose a child. We are definitely blessed in the sense that if it had to happen to us, we had and still have the support we need to move foward and remember and honor Dillon in a positive light.

As for Lillian, she is still as active as ever. God took me very literally when I said I would need the next baby after Dillon to move a lot so I could feel reassured that everything was alright. But the pain in my ribs and back are better than the fear that something could be wrong if she didn't move as much. I'm 34 weeks with 6 weeks left and it can't come soon enough...even if her room is not ready : ) The boys are very excited too and growing a little impatient that the last weeks seem to be dragging by : ) They are going to be great big brothers!

Busy, Busy

It feels like crunch time. Eight weeks until baby Lillian is expected to arrive! However, many, including myself and Kelly, think she'll be here a bit earlier than that. According to our last ultrasound, she gained almost 2 lbs in 3 weeks! After our last pregnancy with Dillon and always hearing bad news about him not growing and things not going well, we are so happy to hear about growth spurts! Even if it does mean I gain more weight and get a little more uncomfortable each day : ) She is doing great and moving constantly which is so much reassurance for me and Kelly. Many times it feels like she's boxing with my organs but I don't think I'd have it any other way. Her delivery will be bitter sweet for me, I think. I will be so happy she has arrived safe and healthy but so sad that Dillon didn't. It will be difficult to be back in the same delivery area. Thank God for a wonderful family and husband!

In addition to trying to get things organized for Lillian's arrival, Memory Box Garage Sale fundraiser #2 is in the works for the end of the month. Sacred Heart Parish's Ladies Auxiliary has adopted my project and run full force. They are so involved it's amazing. The next garage sale is going to be in the cafeteria at the elementary school and we've gotten a lot more great donations! The caferteria is filling up! Yay for the school letting us use the air conditioned cafeteteria!! Hope this one is successful too. Some of the ladies are even trying to open up the sale for Friday morning while I'm at work. It's nice to have the extra help and support. I'd love to get some memory box things in stock before Lillian gets here so I don't have to worry about not having things when people need them. These boxes are extra work for us, but so worth it to help other families!

A lot going on in the Cumbest house lately, but it's all for good things : )

Anniversary

Today Kelly and I get the opportunity to celebrate 10 years of marriage with an additional 5 years we spent dating. The years have given us high and low times, but I know we managed to survive because of eachother. I hope we continue to get many more years together and continue to grow in our marriage. I love you, Kelly!

Tiny Footprints, Everlasting Memories

So excited I had to share. I had inquired a few days ago about buying in bulk discounts to a company where I order pins and poem cards for the memory boxes. The owner emailed me back with the information and said she would like to donate 10 pins to the memory boxes and wanted my program name and shipping info! Program name? Hmmm...hadn't thought of one yet. But in an effort to receive a donation for the boxes, I decided on "Tiny Footprints, Everlasting Memories" and I really like it. I think it sums everything up. My tiny little angel that left us way too soon will ALWAYS be an everlasting memory. And these boxes are made to store and cherish these memories for years and years. Things are really starting to happen! Although I wish there wasn't a need for these, the fact is that not every family gets to bring their baby home with them from the hospital and sometimes we just get memories of a short time together. I am beyond happy that my family can do this for other families with the support and encouragement we get from friends, family, God's help, and Dillon watching over us.

turning misfortune into memories

I think I need to start off this entry with thank yous to all the people who donated items for the garage sale and all those who've been supporting and believing in these memory boxes. A HUGE thanks to Christen and Bradley for helping us set up last night, sell today, and clean up!! Yep, we could have done it without you but it would have been a heck of a lot harder and not as much fun : ) The sale was a great success! We were exhausted at 5:45 this morning after setting up all last night but we were also full of excitement as to what the day could hold for us. Overall, we raised about $500 (and raised awareness about miscarriage and stillbirth) which included the money from the sale and three different donations (thank you Wendi and Ben, Mary, and Dr. Koch!!!). I've already been online ordering things to put together more boxes.

A little over a year ago, we were forced to deal the fact that we wouldn't bring our baby home with us from the hospital. We left the hospital completely empty handed, devestated, and confused as to where to go from there. After a couple of weeks of doing online research, I told Kelly that I wanted to put some kind of comfort kit together for parents like us so they wouldn't have to feel so completely empty. We also wanted to find a way to honor our baby boy. Between the two us, we came up with the memory box and what we thought would help parents in that same situation. Initially my goal was to just complete 5 boxes. Since then, those five boxes have been sent out. The response we've received from those parents or the family/friends that gave those boxes has been nothing but positive. How could we stop at only 5 boxes? We can't and will work as hard as we can to keep it going.

At times the support is overwhelming, but in an awesome way. I am beyond appreciative of how many different ways people support us...through prayers, monetary donations, donations of time and effort, and coming up with new fundraising ideas. I love that our boys wanted to sell drinks to try to raise some money and learn how important it is to help others in need. This day was successful on so many levels!

Getting Started

I thought I'd start a blog to keep friends and family (who may be interested) updated on what's going on with us. Plus, we've had a great response from friends and family in helping us put together Memory Boxes for parents of stillborn children and thought this would be a good way to keep everyone updated on the progress of the boxes.

After recently receiving a very generous $500 donation from the Junior Auxiliary of Pascagoula, I've ordered more things for the memory boxes. It couldn't have come at a better time because I sent my last box out on Friday! I can't imagine someone asking for a box and not having one to give. The garage sell donations are coming in steady. Thanks to everyone who has donated!! If I only make a $100 I'll still be able to put together 3 boxes and help 3 families. Every little bit helps and counts.

Kelly was speaking to a nurse on the Labor and Delivery floor last week and she said they need some boxes on the floor. She gave Kelly the name of someone to contact to get that started. Yay!! That nurse also mentioned a need for micropreemie (preemies weighting 1-3 pounds) gowns. Yes, my next project will be making preemie gowns with my mother-in-law's help. It's taken a little over a year, but I'm reaching my goal of helping other parents in Dillon's name. And I know the only way I have the strength to do this is because Dillon keeps close watch over our family.

In addition to all that, baby girl Cumbest is doing great! She moves around all the time (I may be in trouble if she's even more active than these boys : ). All doctors visits have been great and we've gotten to see her on the ultrasound every 2 weeks. All tests have come back good too. Thank goodness. We're taking this one day at a time, trying not to worry, and thoroughly enjoying this pregnancy with her. Thanks for all your prayers during this pregnancy!