I need your opinion please!

I have been searching high and low for the perfect dress to wear to my husbands Marine Corps. Ball coming up on the 14th. I think I found it, but I'm having some reservations about it being strapless. My husband loves it, but I would like to get your points of view on the dress. My hair is about the same length/color as hers and I plan on doing my hair the way she has hers in the picture.

So now that you've seen the dress, here's my questions for you:

Do you think it will compliment Joseph in his dress blues, or will it pull away from him? This is HIS night, not mine.

The BIG ONE: Is it too revealing up top? I don't think my chest will "pop" like hers... I'm just not blessed in that department.

It does come with attachable spaghetti straps... should I add those to cover more skin? Or should I get a jacket or shaw to wear with it to cover even more skin?

I simply want to look nice for Joseph. We've been looking forward to this night by ourselves for a while now. I don't want to embarrass him or myself and ruin the night. So PLEASE, I need your honest opinions!

I'd really appreciate your input before I commit to buying this dress. Your opinions mean so much to me :)

Work of Heart

I found something I enjoy doing. I'm not very good at it, but it keeps my hands busy and for that I'm thankful.

I told you yesterday that I'm not doing so great lately. I was actually doing a lot worse before I started doing this...

I found a way to use my fingers to turn the pain and frustration I feel over missing Wyatt into something productive. I used to like baking, but I've been feeling so low lately I don't even want to do that.

So what is it I've been doing, you may ask.

Here's your answer.

I got some molding clay and just started letting my heart do the work. Of course you know I had to make some elephants!

Then I got some paint and tried to add some life to my creations. (Some worked out better than others)

This elephant isn't actually shiny like the picture portrays... I just took a picture while it was still wet :)

I tried to do an "Angel Wyatt" but in the end the nose ended up too large and so did his mouth... In reality, Wyatt had a little button nose and tiny lips that curled up into an "Elvis snarl" on the right side. And Yes, his arms and legs are supposed to be that short. I know they say you have a perfect body in heaven, so I didn't make his arms and legs longer because I think Wyatt was absolutely perfect the way God gave him to me... No changes necessary.

A family sculpture that includes every member of our family!

I think I want to name this particular one, but not sure what to name it. Any suggestions? I'm going to tie a string through the hole in the heart and use it as a christmas ornament.

They may not be the prettiest things in the world, but each and every thing I've made reminds me of my baby boy... And you know what? When I sit down and make these things, I feel like I'm just a little bit closer to him. It may not be a work of art, but it's a work of heart.

Wishing for the Impossible

Joseph and I went shopping yesterday for Eli's 2nd Birthday coming up on Halloween (That's right, he's our little Boo Baby), as well as Christmas for the both of the children. We figured we would just get it all out of the way and be done with it. It was really depressing not being able to pick out toys FOR Wyatt too. It really hit home that we should have a 6 1/2 month old chewing on wrapping paper and being more interested in the boxes the toys came in than the actual toys.

Instead we'll be picking out age appropriate gifts that we would have bought for Wyatt and give them to another baby boy in memory of him. I like the idea of another baby boy benefiting from the love we have for Wyatt... but... I would much rather buy Wyatt gifts and actually be able to see his face light up as he rips into the wrapping paper.

I vividly remember last Christmas sitting on the couch while I watched the children open their gifts with Joseph (I was video taping and taking pictures). I sat there holding my belly filled with joy as I said to Joseph, "Just think, this time next year we'll be watching three little Finchums tear into their gifts... " Oh how I wish I could just go back in time and live in that moment forever...

The moment before I knew my sweet baby boy wouldn't actually be here physically this Christmas.

The moment before my joy was ripped out of me through the huge hole in my heart that I live with daily.

I'll admit, I'm not doing so great lately. I feel like I'm doing worse NOW, than I was a couple of months ago. I just miss Wyatt so much. I can barely say his name anymore without tearing up. As a matter of fact, I'm tearing up right now just typing about him. I'm guessing it's the time of year? Or maybe because I know this time last year Wyatt was already conceived and we'd be finding out on the 5th that I was indeed pregnant with him?

I guess I'm just sitting here wishing I could have figured out a way to make time stand still... I don't wish for the impossible, do I?!

Can I have the Drum Roll Please?

Thanks to all who participated in Wednesdays for Wyatt this week.

Once again I had my husband randomly select a number. He just so happened to pick #9...

Congratulations to Mary (Aimee's Mommy) on winning this week! Please get me you address so I can mail out your goodies.

And don't fret if you didn't win this week, next Wednesday will be here again before you know it!

Wednesdays for Wyatt- Week Two!

Here we go! Our second Wednesday for Wyatt! It’s quite simple to participate. All you have to do is copy and paste this post on your blog, and come back here to link up with MckLinky! Once you do that, your all set to win a great giveaway. Kristi, on of the dear women who follow my family's story has generously donated some handmade buckeye's jewelry. Thank you Kristi!

Over the last week we have gotten 123 new signatures! Over 100 of those we got last Wednesday alone. And we had 34 wonderful bloggers link up... I can't wait to see how much Wednesdays for Wyatt will grow this week!

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

This contest will be open today only. I will close MckLinky down sometime before midnight, so make sure you get linked up ASAP to make sure you are entered to win this giveaway! Thanks for helping everyone, and good luck.

Cruise Anyone?

Just an idea I've been tossing around for a while now...

Just putting out some feelers...

But I have to know...

Who would be interested in taking a cruise and blocking off a part of the ship for a 3-5 day cruise this summer?

I'm talking SERIOUSLY interested.

Meeting up with everyone was so wonderful on Saturday, I'm ready to meet ALL OF YOU!

Maybe if we had this long to plan something out and save up some money, we could have a huge turn out.

My next question is:

Would you just want it to be just us girls? Us girls with hubby's? Or families? I personally have never been on a cruise before and would love to include my husband. After all, he lost a son too...

Let me know what you guys think! I can't imagine how great it would be for tons of us to get together and be able to talk about our babies for days while we relax and make new friends!

To Answer some Questions

I've had a lot of people ask me how/when/where we organized meeting up as a group the other day...

First of all, I get none of the credit for putting this together. All credit goes to Holly (Carleigh's Mommy). She set up the tour of the museum, made dinner and hotel reservations, and so on. I simply showed up when I was told (Well, 15 minutes late if we're being honest).

Here's how it started.

Holly sent me an e-mail asking me how far away I lived from Chattanooga because she was going to be down this way visiting the National Museum of the Unborn. I only lived about two hours away, so I told her I would most certainly meet up with her!

Then, I mentioned it to Celia (Noah's Mommy) and asked her if she though she could drive over to meet us. Of course, she was thrilled and mentioned it to someone else who mentioned it to someone else...

We had such a positive response from people who were wanting to meet up, Holly did an "open invitation" of sorts on Facebook for anyone who might want to drive out and join in. We were actually going to have a much larger group, but you know how life is,... things came up and some people weren't able to make it.

Still, 16 people (kids included) wasn't too shabby of a turn out.

So that's how it happened. If you live around the area and were left out, I'm very sorry and that wasn't the intent. Next time something like this gets planned I'll make it a point to post on here as well :) And if anyone is ever in the Pigeon Forge area shoot me an e-mail and we will definitely get together! I'd love to meet each and every one of you.

A Gift from Our Babies

Yesterday was a great day (and that's an understatement).

I had the opportunity to turn some dear blog friends into something a little more...

I got to hug necks (finally), enjoy great food and conversation, and turn a handful of wonderful people into REAL LIFE FRIENDS!

(Creamy Potato Soup)

(My Southwest Black Bean Burger)

(Eli enjoying his food)

(Ansley eating LEMONS!)

I'll admit I wouldn't have had the courage to walk through the restaurant doors to meet everyone if my husband hadn't spent the entire two hour drive assuring me everything was going to be alright. I'm so thankful Joseph came with me for support and encouragement. I was so nervous. Going to meet everyone was a HUGE leap for me.

I expected awkward silences, personality clashes, and me ending up feeling pretty silly by the end of our lunch...

MAN WAS I WAY OFF BASE!

I guess when you join the "baby loss" club, it doesn't matter what you do or don't have in common... What is important, is that the man or woman you are sitting next to misses their baby just as much as you miss yours.

I can't tell you how nice it was for all of us to not only sit around and get to know each other, but to be able to spend hours sitting around talking about our sweet babies. For those couple of hours, I didn't feel so alone in this scary new world.

Pictures were passed around (I wish I had remembered to get a picture of Holly's scrapbooks. They were amazing!)...

Special animals and mementos were shared...

I even managed to get Celia on the phone so she could talk to everyone! (We missed you Celia)

It was a really great day.

Bittersweet, but great.

A thought kept resounding in my head as I was surrounded by all these wonderful people.

"None of us would be here today, or even know each other, if our babies hadn't died." Instead of letting that thought rob me from my joy, I chose to look at it as a gift from our babies because they couldn't be here...

Thank you Wyatt, Carleigh, Kaden, Amiee, Logan, and Grace for brining all of your mommy's and daddy's together. You may not have been there physically, but you were there in every other way.

And to Mary, Nicole, Holly, Mary Ellen, Jenny and family... Thanks for such a terrific day!

First Winner of Wednesdays for Wyatt

Wednesdays for Wyatt is now closed for entries to the giveaway.

We had 34 people link up today! Thank you so much. You once again surpassed my expectations! I can't wait to see how this grows weekly.

I will be making my way through the list of women who linked up over the next couple of days. I promise I'll come by and visit each of you! I have been swamped with photo shoots over the last couple of days, and things should slow down a little for the rest of the week...

And don't we have a winner I should be announcing?

I thought so!

Can I have the drum roll please?

Congratulations to Kristy at I love you to the moon and back. You were entry #16, and that just happened to be the number my husband randomly pulled from his handsome little head! Please e-mail me your address so I can send you all your goodies!

Thanks again to all who participated today. Our very first Wednesday's for Wyatt was a huge success because of you.

Wednesdays for Wyatt

It’s official... Today is our very first post for Wednesdays for Wyatt! Thank you for coming over and participating.

It’s quite simple to participate. All you have to do is copy and paste this post on your blog, and come back here to link up with MckLinky! Once you do that, your all set to win this first ever Wednesday’s for Wyatt giveaway. Let make this a huge success, shall we?

Really quickly... (I haven't had a chance to correct my button yet. My editing program is on my OTHER computer, Wednesday's should be Wendsdays with out the ', because as I understand it, it makes it possessive. OOPS!)

Now, back to the good stuff!

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

We are currently up to 1,253 signatures. Hurray! We’ve made it over my initial goal of 1,000 signatures, and now I’m dreaming big! You think you can help me get 5,000 signatures by Thanksgiving? I bet you could, and I hope this Wednesdays for Wyatt helps out tremendously. Post this to your blogs, facebook, myspace... wherever you can think of. I can’t wait to see how many more signatures we receive from this. I have a great feeling!

The contest will only be open today. You have until 11:59 pm to post this on your blog and come back here to link up with MckLinky in order to qualify for this Wednesdays for Wyatt giveaway. Good luck everybody and thanks for participating.

Harvest of Friends Blog Party

It's another blog hop created my the ever interesting Lynette Craft from Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground. Lets have some fun getting to know each other!

20 Weird Questions That Will Give a Little Insight Into Who I Am

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging?

I just plain LOVE food. I guess if I had to pick ONE certain food,I couldn't. Let's do a top three, shall we? First of all, I have a weakness for chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk...

I'm also known to indulge in Ben & Jerry's as well. However I only buy it when it's on sale (or when I'm EXTREMELY depressed) because it's SSSOOOO EXPENSIVE! Not to mention my waistline doesn't care for it too well either.

Last but not least (this one is probably really weird), I love to settle down with a spoonful of this...

Yup, a spoonful of good 'ol creamy peanut butter!

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?

My camera! I take it everywhere. I love always having it with me so I (almost) never miss a cute picture of the kids. I have a Nikon D80 and it's an amazing little camera. I have 3 different lenses, but I stick to my Nikkor 50 mm 1.4G lens.

3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

I've lives near the beach most of my life. I currently live in the Smoky Mountains, and I have NO DESIRE to live on a farm (no offense if you happen to live on one, they just aren't for me as a permanent residence). Although the mountains are beautiful, I would be blissfully happy if I could be a beach bum forever!

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?

I have a two way tie here. I abhor doing dishes and laundry. The world would be a better place if neither existed!

5. Who do people say you remind them of?

We don't look so much alike any more, but my dad actually mistook C for me on time. I was still in middle school, while C was a freshman at the high school... My father works for the school maintenance and thought I was skipping school! Here's a picture of her, what do you think? I think there's a resemblance, but I don't see how my own father could mistake us!

As far as celebrities go, I've been told I look like Claire Forlani, although I don't see it... For those of you who are wondering, she played in "Meet Joe Black".

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the fam?

I have always been a home hermit. Since Wyatt's diagnosis and passing, I have become even worse. I don't even like talking on the phone!

7. What's your all time favorite movie?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I swear I know every word of that silly little movie!

8. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night?

This ones hit and miss. Honestly, most of the time (when I actually do put make up on) it ends up being rubbed off on my pillow as I sleep.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

I want to learn new languages. French first, Spanish second, Italian Third, German fourth...

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?

I am double jointed in my arms and fingers... I can touch my fingers to my wrist, and turn my arm around over 360 degrees clockwise. Don't ask, I have no idea how I figured out I could do that!

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?

His chivalry. He called my grandfather and asked him for permission to ask me out on a date. How could I resist after that?

12. What is something you love to smell?

Wyatt's blanket. I keep it wrapped up because in the very center of it, I can still smell where his head was after his bath. It makes me feel close to him when I smell him on his blanket.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

I'm extremely indecisive. I like for people to make plans and just tell me when and where I need to be.

14. When you have extra money (HA!) what's the first thing you think to do with it?

Joseph and I are saving for building a house. We want to actually own our home when we turn the key to the front door to move in... So extra money goes into savings, a CD, or a pretty safe investment.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?

It takes a lot to make me genuinely laugh out loud, but I definitely prefer to laugh so hard I can't breathe! It's no fun if you keep it bottled up inside.

As far as what makes me laugh... I love seeing other laughing uncontrollably. And the TV show Friends always has me in stitches!

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Book stores, ebay, etsy, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Kirklands, TJ MAXX, Bed Bath & Beyond, and does Starbucks count?

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?

I'd go back to making all our meals from scratch. I used to do that all the time. I even made our own butter. I'd also like to start my own garden, however, all I have to do to kill a plant is look at it.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

I'm pretty frugal. My husband and I have a budget we like to stick to, and (most of the time) we stay pretty close to what we budget out.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time (from a movie or book)? (Can't be real)

Don't laugh at me, but I used to have a huge crush on Prince Eric for The Little Mermaid WHEN I WAS A CHILD! Seriously, I had a crush on a cartoon!

20. Would you want to be famous?

Nope, I'm happy with my cozy little unfamous life :)

And the Winner Is...

It's that time.

Time to announce the winner of this beautiful photo album. There were so many great ideas, most of which I'm working on currently. Thank you so much to every person who left an idea for me to consider. I'm blessed to have such wonderful bloggy friends!

So without further delay...

Congratulations to entry #19. Jennifer from The Blue Sparrow. She said:

"Where I live we have a local tv channel dedicated to 24 hrs of local news and events. They also do things like advertisments and bday announcements. If you have one in your area you could run an add."

Please e-mail me with your information so I can get your gift mailed out to you. Again, blame my husband if you were not the winner (he's the bad guy, not me)... I like making him be the bad guy so I don't have to be!