Happy 2nd Birthday Chelsea!

~When we were told that our Chelsea's heart had stopped beating, something I knew I wanted and needed to do while I had her in my arms was to take photos, lots of them. I took photos from every angle, focussing in on her every tiny detail.

After she was delivered our midwife told us about a company called 'Heartfelt' that would come to the hospital the next day to take photos for us and with us. This was an incredible experience. A professional photographer came to our room (fit with lighting and all) and began taking the most beautiful photos of our girl. She spoke to her and treated her with the utmost respect. We were able to have family photos when Jarrod came in and individual photos with her too. The lady spent almost 2 hours with us. When we went home from the hospital a few days later with empty arms, we received an email from Heartfelt with an online gallery of all of the photos. Tears streamed down our face as we looked through them all. A couple of weeks later a package arrived in the mail with a USB and hardcopies of the photos. These photos are some of my most cherished possessions now.

You would think that a photography package like that would cost a couple of hundred dollars, however this service was entirely free. Yes, free! It's a volunteer based organisation who gift these photos to grieving families. What a gift. Seriously.

So this year I've decided to do something different to honour Chelsea's second birthday. These photography sessions cost the organisation $65 and Heartfelt rely on the generous donations of others to cover these costs so grieving families don't have to. I would absolutely love if we could raise the money to cover 50 of these sessions (I'm aiming big!). It's a horrible thought that there will even be a need to do these sessions, but sadly there will be (six babies a day are stillborn in Australia) and those families, just like ours, will appreciate every moment that is photographed with their little loved one.

If you would've bought us a 'Congratulations it's a Girl!' present in 2016 or a first birthday gift for Chelsea last year, then please think about giving her a present for her second birthday by donating money towards a Heartfelt session or even cover an entire session in her name.

Trust me when I say, these photos will be looked at thousands upon thousands of times. ~