Gabriel, tiny superhero
This is another piece that serves as a gratitude keepsake. I am loving these. They are the perfect way to remember a challenging and bitter part of your life, but with a heart bursting with gratitude for what that phase has brought to you.
Gabriel is truly a tiny super hero, and so are his parents. His mom shared their journey with me; here are her exact words:
"I want women to know that miscarriages aren’t shameful or an indication of what we did wrong... they are more common than we know, and if we talk more openly, more women will know they are going to be ok.
Gabriel was my fifth pregnancy. I remember my first pregnancy and how excited we were. I was two months in and just had my first ultrasound (you had to really look hard to see that tiny heartbeat!). Because I was in my late 30s, I was referred to a specialist. The appointment was two weeks later. I had another ultrasound and then I remember waiting a long time for the doctor to come in... The delay (I suspect) was because they had to tell me that that tiny heart wasn’t beating anymore. I then started fertility treatments. Three IUIs and two failed pregnancies later, I received a promotion that required a move out of state and therefore I had to stop fertility treatments. After the move, I was excited to find out I was pregnant again, naturally. I scrambled to find a new doctor, and after a few appointments, I miscarried again, and my heart broke a little more. I sought out a new fertility doctor, and was given information on how to find a suitable donor egg. I registered on the site and picked out the donor. Before I started down that path, I had a girls trip... and I started to do some math... and thought I might be pregnant again. I felt both elated and deflated at the same time, wondering how this would end. Through all of this, my husband gave me unconditional love and support and encouragement. ⠀
Gabriel James Gutierrez was born in June, 2017. He is truly our super hero and I’ll be forever grateful to him for being strong and a perfect blend of my husband and me. ⠀ ⠀
Thank you for what you do."
Thank *you* for sharing this with me. Your stories are the best part of my job ❤️⠀
Gabriel's mom loved her keepsake and she will cherish it forever! She asked me to frame this photo of Gabriel in a smaller, matching frame so she could display it alongside the keepsake. The result is so beautiful, she sent me a photo of it:
