Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to all!! I know it has been a while since I have updated this blog but after the holidays I will be collecting items for boxes to be donated in March. There are only 5 Jeremiah's boxes left since the last set of donations which is very bittersweet. If you would like to donate anything please feel free to contact me-Jeremiahsboxes@gmail.com

Hugs to all!

Jeremiah's Boxes Now on Facebook

I went ahead and reactivated the Jeremiah's boxes page on facebook.

You can link to it here

Getting Close and a Huge Thank You

So Jeremiah's Angel day is 12 days away. I will be taking the boxes to be donated on Monday July 11th. His birthday is July 13th. I am very excited but also sad-I miss Jeremiah so much. It is hard to believe that it has been a year already. I hope he is happy that in his memory people are being helped. Here are some updates:

The PICU boxes are done. They do not have as many items in them as the Labor and Delivery/ NICU boxes but thought they would bring just as much comfort.

Each box has a journal, a wind chime, a Laken Bear, a heart tile, tissues, a candle, Forget me not seeds, and a memory butterfly.

Deanna, River's wonderful mommy sent me 4 amazing blankets to add to the boxes. Thank you Deanna. She also sent me Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope post cards to include in the boxes.She is the postcard coordinator. You can click the link to order your own for your boxes.

Thank you Deanna!!

Here are two pictures of both a boy box and a girl box. They are almost done they are missing the footdie cast and others are missing a hospital outfit or camera.

I am still waiting for a couple of very generous mommies to send me the items that are missing or that they wanted to include. I will make sure to post pictures when they are completely done. I will also updated the sponsor page sometime this week.

Hugs!!

Box Making Continues

We are a month away from Jeremiah's first Angelday. I am excited for all the things that have gotten done with the boxes this last weekend. I found a website that sells imprint kits in bulk, but better yet at a reasonable price. Karen, my contact at AMEND here in Tampa as well as the person who personally takes the boxes to the families, received a donation and luckally she was able to purchase those for this round of boxes. You can find the link to that company here.

Mikayla's mommy Melissa also donated two blankets for the boxes they are absolutely beautiful. I am so excited to include them. I wish I knew how to sew. It's such a great talent.

I also painted more windchimes that will go in the boxes as well.

Aiden's mommy Natasha also offered to make dragonfly cards for the boxes. For more information about her project you can go here.

I am so excited!! So far I am so thankful for all the support and also to be able to include so many families in the project to help those who need it most in such a horrible time. It is definately overwhelming, scary, and devastaing to go from planning a nursery and home coming to planning a funeral and memorial service.

Hugs to all!

Giving Back

I have added a new page to Jeremiah's Boxes page. The page has to do with giving back. I want to help other families with their box project. If you want to learn more go here.

I also have more awesome information to share so check back for updates soon.

Let the Box Making Begin

So on Memorial Day I worked on 20 boxes ready for July- My Jeremiah's First Angel Day. Fifteen boxes will be for the NICU and Labor and Delivery Floors at 3 different Tampa area hospitals. I do have some things I still need to go out and get and have had some wonderful mommies who have offered to make and send blankets in memory of their little ones. This time I decided to work alone, instead of having a pow-wow. I invited 12 people to come over last time, got snacks, etc. and only 3 people showed up. Everyone had some excuse. It was very disappointing, so this time, I worked on it myself. It was easier and went by quicker even though I still have more work to do. Here are some pictures, I took.

 

Blankets pretty please!!

As I have been getting the newest inventory for the next round of boxes, I noticed I have very few (actually 3) blankets to place in 20 boxes. I was going to go to the store and just buy them but since I know how important it is for families to know that they are not alone on this journey- I would like to extend this plea to you. If you would like to send me blankets in memory of your baby, I would love to add them to the boxes with a tag attached to them that states "Donated in memory of ______".

After losing Jeremiah, I noticed that I had received a pack of six blankets for him at my baby shower. I will honestly tell you that til this day I snuggle with at least one of those blankets. It brings me comfort. It makes me feel close to something that was his- meant for him. I know that when the funeral home got Jeremiah he only had a hat on his head. No blanket. I asked where the blanket had gone and was told it was thrown away. That broke my heart. That was the blanket the was on his body. I want families who lose their baby to be able to chose what they want to do with the blanket that snuggled thier baby in the hospital. That's why I am so determined to make sure that each box has a blanket in it. Many families don't know that and in a moment of complete sorrow you don't know to ask for the items your baby had on until it is too late. At least this way the blanket belongs to the family already and not the hospital.

The plan is to have 20 boxes for the hospitals in the Tampa Bay area donated by the first week of July for  Jeremiah's birthday. If this is something you would like to help with please contact me and I will send you the address to where the blankets could be mailed.

Thank you again!! Hugs to all!

Jeremiah's Boxes

If you hopped over from Hopping to a New Normal welcome! If you just happened to find yourself here...welcome. Thank you for coming over to my new blog.

Many of you know, my Jeremiah's Boxes project is in memory of my sleeping son Jeremiah born on July 13, 2010. In his memory I have been working on helping other families deal with the loss of their baby. When I first thought about making the boxes it was going to be a once a year project in memory of Jeremiah on his birthday. As the project has taken off, I have decided to make it a non- for profit organization that will supply boxes to several hospitals in the Tampa area through out the year. 

Please take a look around. I will be updating this page when new developments have happen in the creation of the next set of boxes. Thirteen boxes were donated in March of 2011 and I am currently working on a 20 box donation to the labor and delivery floors, NICU, and PICU's in the area. 

If you would like to donate any items or money in memory of your little one, please do so. There is a donate button on the left hand side of the toolbar. I can also receive items through the mail. One of the things I have been told by the people who work with the families receiving the boxes is that they like to know they are not alone. Any amount helps! Thank you so much. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me jeremiahsboxes@gmail.com. 

Thank you! Hugs to all!!!