2016 Book & Blanket Drive Update

You guys! The Book & Blanket Drive is in full swing. We have already collected 179 blankets and 118 books! Amazing! All you amazon primers, thank you! There haven't been names of buyers in most of the boxes, so I can't thank you individually, but just know that all of your donations are going to make so many families happy. Aaden + Anaias donated blankets again this year which is so wonderful. Just another reason to love their company. And to all of the etsy shop owners who have sent and continue to send blankets, we love them all and appreciate your generosity. We will start the process of getting the gift bags together soon! If you haven't donated and want to, we will continue to collect items for three more weeks. February 17th is the cut off in order to get everything packaged up in time and off to Atlanta. If more trickle in after that day, they will be saved for next year. 

Another great way to contribute is through Usborne Books! A friend of mine sells books through Usborne, and has created a fundraiser to raise money that will go toward the purchase of more books. Usborne will match 50% of your contribution (so if you donate $20, it will be a $30 contribution). You can also buy books through them and they will be shipped directly to us. Click here if you'd like to make a contribution! 

I love walking into my dining room and seeing this. 

Checking the mail each day has been so much fun. So much love is put into every box.

Every time Hazel and I read stories together, I remember my special times reading to Owen. It is such a gift to make memories with her like I did with him. Hazel is just as engaged and focused while reading as Owen was. 

Know that your contributions will be a huge blessing to parents and children during such a difficult time. It will mean so much to them just to know they are thought of and remembered. It means so much to me that you guys are so supportive in making this a huge success again this year! Thank you!

Hazel's newborn shoot

These photos. I am in love. Our incredibly talented photographer friend, Rebecca Necessary photographed our wedding six years ago, and it was a dream come true for her to capture these sweet moments of our girl when she was two weeks old. Hazel was still in a really sleepy stage, but quickly woke up and was quite alert during the shoot! These are some of my favorites. 

              

                  

              

                 

                  

               

book & blanket drive 2016

Next month, we will celebrate Owen's second birthday. I can hardly believe he would be turning two-years-old. Last year we hosted a book & blanket drive for the babies and children in the CICU at Egleston in Atlanta, and it was a huge success. This year we plan to do the same thing. I don't expect it to be as huge as it was last year, but even if we have ten gift bags, it would be special. 

If you are new to our journey, Owen was our first baby who was born with a severe heart defect called Shone's Complex. He lived for 43 days and was the sweetest and strongest little baby. Books and blankets were two of his most favorite things. He loved being read to, and we loved reading to him. It created memories I will never forget. Having our own personal blankets in the hospital instead of the hospital blankets they provided made the unit feel more like home (which is usually the case for a lot of these families- living in the hospital every waking hour).

We invite you to join us again this year in gifting books and blankets to families in the CICU. I loved hearing updates last year when packages were delivered to families.We had enough to last several months! 

We will accept any new or gently used blankets and books. Thicker blankets are great to put under the babies as a "bottom sheet" and thinner muslin or receiving blankets are great to cover them. Larger blankets are great for older children. Everything will be washed and cleaned before packaging in gift bags for each family.

All donations need to be made by February 17th, and will be delivered to the hospital on Owen's birthday, February 23rd. Email us at brianandallisonparker[at]gmail.com if you would like to mail or ship items to our address. If you're shopping online, Amazon Prime is a really easy option! If you're local in Charlotte, I am more than happy to pick up items from you myself. Atlanta friends, I have people who are willing to collect donations. Let me know if you're interested, and I will get you in touch with them. 

As a former parent of a child in the CICU, I can honestly say that any act of kindness, especially from strangers, means the world when you are in such a state of crisis. I felt so much love from people I may never meet face to face, and it's an honor to do the same for others who are now in the same situation. Thanks for joining us! 

To read about last year's drive, click here! 

He makes all things new

Today is a very tender day. Hazel is six weeks and one day old. The exact same age that Owen was when he went to heaven. I find myself reliving Owen's last moments and remembering what it was like to hold his lifeless body. The final days and hours of his life were traumatic. I wish I could erase the memories from my mind. I have been anticipating this day from the day Hazel was born. Part of me is still in disbelief that his body went through so much and at the young age of six weeks and one day, his life on earth ended. 

I miss my boy. I miss him for Hazel. I hate that she doesn't have an older brother here to grow up with. I imagine all of the big brother, little sister pictures I would be taking and how fun it would be to watch them interact. I wanted that for her.  As I sit here and type, I have my sweet little girl on my chest asleep. I feel the warmth of her body and hear the little whistle in her breath. She is showered in my tears, but she doesn't seem to mind. It feels good to let myself grieve.

In the last days of my pregnancy with Hazel, my emotions were all over the place. I felt so anxious about her birth. I felt anxiety about all of the triggers I would experience from being back in a delivery room again. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy Hazel's newborn days because they would remind me of what I never had with Owen. The opposite happened, and I am so thankful.

Hazel is the biggest comfort and brings me so much joy. Already this morning she has brought so many smiles to my face. She woke up this morning with an enormous poopy diaper that required a complete wardrobe change. While changing her, she gave us the biggest and sweetest smiles. I heard her laugh out loud for the first time today. She was half asleep while it happened, but it still gave me a glimpse of the real laughs that are to come. On her 43rd day, I am going to hold her a little longer, let her nap in my arms, take even more pictures of her than I do on a typical day, and read all of Owen's favorite books to her in his memory.

A dear friend recently gave me a necklace with these words written on it: "He makes all things new." This is true for both of my children. Hazel is a new little life on earth an Owen was given a new life in heaven. I love these verses in Isaiah about the new heaven and the new earth.

"And there will no longer be heard in her days the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days; or an old man who does not live out his days." (Isaiah 65: 19b-20a). 

Welcome to the family, sweet Hazel!

Almost six weeks ago, we welcomed the sweetest little girl into our family. Hazel Kathryn Parker was born on November 9th, 2015 at 7:51 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces (the same as Owen!), and was 21.5 inches long. We fell in love with her instantly.

Before her birth, Brian and I were looking forward to new firsts and "normal" newborn experiences we didn't have with Owen. We certainly got them with Hazel. She has brought more joy into our lives than I knew was possible after such a loss. What a gift.

I have my baby in my arms. I can't even describe the feeling. 

Proud daddy and his little Hazel nut, as he lovingly calls her. He hadn't held another baby since he held Owen. The most precious moment. 

She wore these little pink and white stripe kissy kissy pajamas for her going home outfit. It was the pink version of what we had picked out for Owen to wear going home. There are so many little touches of him in her. 

The most exciting moment for us after she was born was taking her HOME! It almost felt like we were doing something wrong, leaving the hospital with a baby in our arms... I look exhausted in this picture, but I love it. It was the most amazing feeling even just standing outside of the hospital with our healthy little girl in our arms!

Even though Owen isn't here with us, I hope she will always feel a bond with him as her brother. We will continue to incorporate little bits of him into her life. She will always know he is her big brother. Heaven will be a very real place for her from a young age because he is there. My prayer for her is that she will always know how much Jesus loves her and that she will grow to love him with her whole heart. I can't wait to tell her one day how God has used her in my life to provide healing and redemption. My heart is fuller than it was before she was here. It won't be completely full until heaven, but I am so thankful for these moments of joy. We love you little Hazel and are loving the adventure of being your parents!