shadow box and photo collage

[MDJmommy]

When my three year old son Joey was born I saved his hospital bracelet, tshirt, shoes, hospital pacifier and some other things and made a shadow box. I intend to do the same thing with Dylan's things...Matthew (our angel) is going to get a hand made shadow box, made by daddy and his friend, they are actually going to build the frame. the backdrop will be his blue star blanket. The day Matthew died the medical examiner's office said they had to take his blanket and everything in or on the crib, his last bottle and pacifier and they said we can't guarantee getting these items back. I told them I didn't care about anything, but I had to have that blanket back, I could not do without it. So, they ended up getting everything back to us. I didn't want to wash the blanket but there was something on it from the me's office that I had to, but it was ok because I washed it in the baby detergent and it smelled like he did. I still have the last outfit that he wore stuffed in my sock drawer. Anyway, the memory box will either be displayed in a main room in the house or Dylan's room. Just a reminder, Dylan is Matt's twin brother.

I also have a huge collage frame with 48 spaces filled with pictures of Matt. We decided to have a closed casket viewing, my husband and I saw matt before it started and then closed it. Two of my friends and I put this collage together the night before and set it out for people to look at...happy memories. I will try to take a picture of it and upload it...we haven't hung it up yet, but it will be in a spot that it will be the first thing we see when we walk in the house!

[Kerry]

I think your doing a good thing for your family. My daughter Sarah lost her twin at birth and she is 2 1/2 now but we have pictures of her sister Mallory in 4 rooms in the house and I think she knows about her in her own way. I cant wait tell she is old enough to tell her about her special twin sister. I have a big rubbermaid bin of all of Mallory's things. The hospital gave me a shadown box but my best friend gave me a beautiful beeded bracelet for Mallory with a charm and for my other daughter Sarah at her baptism the same bracelet but with a heart charm for memory of Mallory. That gift felt so good to me. I kept blankets and baby book foot prints and hand prints. Now I would like to take them out of the box and take pictures to make a book. Another lady on the forum did a slideshow of her daughter and the funeral and it took my breath away watching it I could barely breath. So I am in the works of it hope to get done before x-mas to make one for my mom.
I cant wait to see the pictures of Matt's collage, keep us posted!
Kerry
mother to Olivia,Sarah,Lane and Heavenly Angel Mallory