Remembering Emily – 2 Years

Today is my precious daughter Emily’s 2nd birthday. This post is dedicated to the ways I have chosen to honor her and celebrate her life on the 2nd anniversary of the day she was born still at 25 1/2 weeks gestation.

It is my intention that for each of her future birthday anniversaries I will have a new “Remembering Emily” post with the specific ways I am honoring her memory that year.

New Header Image

For over 2 1/2 years the header image for this website was a picture of a beautiful rainbow over a scenic mountain landscape. While I will always love that photo, it was time for an update, and I wanted the new image to be reflective of my Emily, specifically the love God told me she has of the color purple.

I searched iStock Photo for purple roses and found the photo that now appears at the top of the page (and is included as the featured image of this post for future readers who may see a different header image), a deep purple rose with a red heart piece at the bottom right. This one stood out because not only does it have the shade of purple I was seeking in the rose, but the red heart that is attached to the rose represents the piece of my heart that will always be with her until we meet again in heaven.

Planting Purple-and-White Rose Seeds

In November of 2020 I received a package of seeds for purple-and-white roses I purchased on Etsy, which I had intended to plant for Emily’s due date on November 26. This morning I finally planted some of them for her 2nd birthday. I pray that God will cause them to grow to be just as beautiful as the picture that attracted me to them, for Emily’s sake.

Custom Purple Rose Cookies

For my son’s 3rd birthday party, I purchased custom cookies with a photo of him from a bakery called Pretty Sweet. This year I wanted to have custom cookies for Emily’s birthday, so I ordered 2 dozen cookies using the photo of the purple-and-white roses as the edible image, with the message “2 Sweet Emily”. We will enjoy the cookies in loving memory of her for several days to come.

Two Purple Balloons

For every birthday of Emily’s from now until she is 16 years old, I want to take to her gravesite the number of purple balloons that corresponds to her age. Today that means I need 2 purple balloons, and when I set them at her grave marker I will sing “Happy Birthday” to her.

Mending the Purple Flower Wreath

Last year for Emily’s 1st birthday, I made a wreath of artificial purple flowers and laid it at her grave during my visit. Sadly, a month or so ago, I accidentally broke it off the place in our entryway where it hung for all in the house to see. The rapid arm stretch I performed nearby was too much for its foam base to withstand.

So, as if I were comforting her after she slipped and bruised her head while running around the house, I will attempt tenderly to glue the wreath’s foam base back together. Then if I still have enough time later in the day, I will add flowers to the white spots I have been meaning to cover with purple.

Happy birthday, my sweet Emily. You are loved and missed by so many. Love, Mommy <3