Hi guys!
When I began blogging February 28th of 2017, I really had no idea what a vital part writing would become to my healing process but here we are with no foreseeable end in sight. I want to extend a thank you for those of you who began this blogging journey with me from the start and have remained avid readers.
For those of you newly joining. Here, in short, is my story. My husband and I had finally decided to start a family late in 2015. 11 months later we saw those two wonderful pink lines. 6 weeks later our “Little Bear” didn’t make it. Fast forward 3 months and we were pregnant again! This time it stuck! We were over the moon during our 20 week appointment to discover we were expecting a boy. Jackie’s due date was expected for January 6th, however he had other plans and was born December 21, 2016. He passed away December 30th in the comfort of my arms surrounded by his Daddy and Grandparents in the NICU at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Fast forward to December 6, 2017 and we were blessed with two pink lines once more only to miscarry once again “Peanut”. After that miscarriage we decided we wanted assistance and began treatment with Vios Fertility Clinic. After a successful IUI with Vios Fertility Clinic we welcomed Elizabeth into this world on January 24th 2019!
Our Jack of Hearts is my creative space where I can share my bereaved journey with you.
You will find the following collection of posts:
A Lifetime in the NICU This collection shares with you our precious time with our son.
Bereaved and Trying to Conceive This collection will include my posts related to our “trying” journey after the loss of our son and our second miscarriage, “Peanut”.
Hearts As you browse the collections you may notice photos of hearts being used. Our sweet Jackie sends us, friends, and family hearts. I also started a small but hopefully mighty tradition of rock painting to celebrate Jackie’s Birthday and to share the joy of finding hearts with the world. Find our Facebook page @ourjackofhearts
Jackie’s Updates Includes all updates concerning Jackie’s conditions including his autopsy and genetic results. He is continuously surprising us with his presence in this world.
May We All Heal 2017 and 2018 These collections include my posts related to the 2017 and 2018 May We All Heal – Creative Healing after loss. Find more information at grievingparents.net
My Grief Journey This collection includes my day-to-day thoughts, inspiration, and struggles as a bereaved parent.
Our Journey to Jackie This collections includes all of my journal entries that I had written while we were “trying” to get pregnant as well as my entries that I had written during our high-risk pregnancy with Jackie leading up to his birth.
Bereaved and Pregnant This collection showcases my posts related to being pregnant after the loss of our angel babies.
Bereaved Motherhood This collection is a work in progress…bear with me as I have found it difficult to find time to write after Lizzy’s arrival.
Bereaved Miscarriage This is the newest addition to the blog. We discovered July 22, 2020 that we were expecting again…only to miscarry for the third time, “Covid.”
Thank you in advance for visiting. I hope that my story in some way will touch, heal, or help you to understand the roller coaster of “trying”, high-risk pregnancies, NICU experiences, miscarriages, and bereaved parenthood.
We love you Bear, Jackie, Peanut, Lizzy, and Covid.
#thisoneisforJackie #ourjackofhearts #angelmommy #ourkidsarewatching