Are You On Facebook??

If you are on Facebook, I hope you have taken the time to "Like" us on the Teeny Tears official FB page.

However, if you are interested in participating in the Teeny Tears project, I invite you to also join the Teeny Tears Diaper Exchange group! If you want to help make diapers to donate for angel families in your local community or anywhere else, it's a great place to get started, ask questions, post pictures, discuss your "flannel habit", and share your progress with others involved in the project!

For more information, go to the group link and click on "about".  If it sounds like something you'd like to join, please do!

Note:  you do NOT have to be able to sew to participate!  There are many ways to join our project!

Sawyer's Heart

Sawyer's Heart Project provides immediate support and comfort to bereaved parents who have experienced a pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or the loss of an infant through distribution of hospital memory boxes in the Chicago area.

We are honored to provide Sawyer's Heart with 96 diapers for their memory boxes! These diapers were handcrafted by our very own Vanessa and have been donated in memory of Sawyer Erik Williams.

"Sawyer's spirit lives on in the hearts of many who he touched so deeply in his brief life."

To find out more about Sawyer and the legacy of love and service he leaves behind, please visit:
The Sawyer's Heart Blog
Angels of Hope and Sawyer's Heart Website/Donate
Sawyer's Heart on Facebook

Avi's Embrace

Avi's Embrace is a division of Project Sweet Peas that is dedicated to providing comfort to the families of Indiana by donating packages for those with a child in the ICU as well as to families suffering the loss of their baby.

We at Teeny Tears are honored to provide Avi's Embrace with 50 diapers for their bereavement donations -- handcrafted by our very own Jana, Carol, and friends! These diapers have been donated in memory of Charles Avi Edward.

Learn more about Avi's story and see how Avi's Embrace is making a difference by visiting their website or by finding them on Facebook.

For Love of Carter, Round 2

Teeny Tears enthusiast Jana has been up to her diapering adventures again! Jana invited friends and family to participate in a diaper night; a great time was had by all!

While participating in a March for Dimes event, Jana delivered a donation of diapers to the Labor and Delivery unit at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Surviving twin and miracle micro-preemie Cohen spent long months in the University of Washingon NICU.

These 80 diapers (40 sets) were donated in memory of Cohen's twin brother, Carter Garen Kimmel.  Another 20 diapers were donated to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep of Everson, WA.  She packaged them in a creative way, pinning the sets together with a straight pin and slipping the distribution cards inside the diapers.

Mommy, Daddy, and baby Cohen!

You can read more about Carter and Cohen here.  You can see slide shows of these special brothers by clicking here.

Jana's mom Carol has joined the Teeny Tears team behind the scenes as our sewing resource expert and dedicated diaper cheerleader.  She has a lot of experience with fabrics, machines, and stitchery and has boundless enthusiasm and love for the tiny angels we serve.  We are very grateful to have her years of sewing experience and mama-wisdom to rely upon for our project!

I think this picture of Carol on a recent cabin vacation really illustrates her energy and personality!

Carol also makes beautiful, tiny angel wraps to go along with the diaper deliveries.  Instructions to be posted soon!

Jana's family and friends love the angel families of the Great Northwest!

Blankets

Hospitals are always in need of appropriately-sized blankets for their tiny angels. I am often asked what those "appropriate sizes" are.

 Some Popular Sizes Are:
12 x 12 inches
18 x 18 inches
For the very VERY tiny angel babies, some hospitals appreciate blankets as small as 9 x 9 or 10 x 10 inches.

What Materials Should I Use?
All materials are welcome for bereavement blankets. Flannel, cotton, quilted, fleece, crocheted, knitted, knits. Whatever your skills and resources are, blankets bless families!

For Love of Nicholas, Comforting Hearts

Sara from Comforting Hearts has embarked on a journey to serve the grieving families of Southeastern Idaho.  She recently held an event to gather and create supplies for Mountain View Hospital of Idaho Falls.  She was able to make her first of what promises to be many donations to local hospitals!  Sara and her team of volunteers provided tiny bears and stuffed animals, crocheted hats, blankets, mother-daughter bracelets, memory boxes, and 66 teeny little diapers.

These diapers and all other items were donated to Mountain View hospital in memory of her angel son, Nicholas Garner Storms.  To see more of the wonderful work that is being done in Southeastern Idaho and to learn more about the Comforting Hearts project, visit the Comforting Hearts blog!

Do You Shop Online?

Do you make any purchases online?  Chances are that your favorite stores are members of iGive.com and they will donate a portion of your online purchase to your favorite diapering cause, Teeny Tears!

Thousands of stores are giving back to their communities by participating in iGive.com:

Amazon donates .8% of your purchase
Carter's donates 1.2%
Hancock Fabrics donates 1.6%
Joann.com donates 3.2% (including gift cards!)
Old Navy donates 1.6% (including gift cards!)

And so. many. more!

Does this cost me anything?
NO!  Registration is FREE.  There are no fees at any time for your participation.  No cost to you, nice donations for Teeny Tears!

How does it work?  Do I have to know which stores are participating?
You do not have to know which stores are participating.  When you register for iGive.com and choose "Teeny Tears" as your cause, you will download the icon to your toolbar.  Whenever you purchase through a participating store, the purchases and donations will be automatically calculated!  There is nothing for you to do except shop as normal!  (And you have to keep the button installed for at least 90 days or it will reverse the bonus!)

How much will this benefit Teeny Tears directly?
When you sign up for iGive.com and choose Teeny Tears as your cause, iGive.com will give a $5 bonus to Teeny Tears just because you registered!  If you make an online purchase within 45 days of signing up, Teeny Tears will receive ANOTHER $5 bonus!  Beyond that, any purchases you make through participating stores will donate a small portion of your order directly to Teeny Tears.

What if I never shop online?  Would this still help?  What can $5 do for Teeny Tears?
$5 for Teeny Tears will purchase enough flannel, safety pins, and thread to soften the road of approximately TEN grieving families.  We are passionate about providing modesty and dignity to the worlds tiniest angels.  We shop sales and rely upon the generosity of others.  We appreciate every scrap of fabric that is dropped on our doorsteps, each stack of diapers that arrives in the mail, and every dime that is contributed for shipping expenses and diaper-crafting materials.  $5 would indeed be a meaningful contribution to our project.

Register for iGive today!  Click here!

For Love of Alyssa

Angel mama Sarah is very grateful for the tender care she received at Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during her complicated TTTS pregnancy with her identical twin daughters.  Alyssa Lorelei Moyta is their angel daughter, having lost the battle to TTTS. These diapers were made by the loving hands of her mother, Sarah, to be donated in her memory to the hospital that fought to save her.

Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC is a high-risk facility and one of the largest Labor and Delivery units on the East Coast.  Sarah has embarked on an ambitious journey to try her very best to fulfill the daunting bereavement diaper needs for Magee Women's Hospital for one full year.  These 72 beautiful little diapers will be followed by about 530 additional diapers in the coming weeks and months. (!!!)  There are many angel families at Magee that will benefit from Sarah's love. (And if there is anyone that would like to donate flannel or contribute diapers for Magee in memory of Alyssa, I can put you in contact with this wonderful angel mama.)

Milestone

Teeny Tears diapers has crossed a milestone.  Less than a year ago I sat nervously in front of my sewing machine at the kitchen table, wondering whether I would ever be able to convince anyone to use teeny little diapers for their bereavement needs.

My fears were unfounded and our Teeny Tears family has grown by leaps and bounds since then.  Today, I can announce that there have been 1520 diapers donated (that we know about), with more than 2000 diapers currently under active construction in communities around the world.

We are blessed.

Angel Babies

The very very very first diapers that I donated last autumn went to a volunteer photographer for NILMDTS named Heidi whom I am now fortunate enough to call "my friend Heidi".  Heidi is a registered nurse, angel mama, volunteer bereavement photographer, and the mastermind behind Angel Babies.  After losing her beloved Elizabeth Jane, she started Angel Babies to provide brochures, links, personal stories, patterns, and other practical resources to better help parents coping with late pregnancy and infant loss.  She also gathers and creates precious burial clothing and other remembrance items for angels of all sizes and gestations.

Hosting a monthly sewing event in her home is one of the many wonderful things that Heidi does to support the angel families in her local community.  Heidi and her dedicated team of crafters spend their time creating items that will bring comfort to grieving families: blankets, gowns, kimonos, hats, bunting, memory boxes, tiny bracelets, headbands, and diapers.

This photo represents a few of the approximately 72 diapers that the Angel Babies team created at their most recent sewing event!

Find out more about Angel Babies by visiting their website.

For Love of Alyson, From Lompoc to Fargo

I received a beautiful stack of diaper pieces from Lompoc, California. They were made with love by the Mia Maids and Laurels (Young Women ages 14-17) from the Lompoc Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- near Santa Barbara, California.  To the young ladies and their leaders who took the time and effort to create and send these diaper cut outs, thank you so much for your service.  These diapers will be given to angel babies and to their families who are hurting over their loss.

I transformed them into dainty little diapers fit for an angel princess.  These tiny diapers are bound for Essentia Health in Fargo, North Dakota in memory of Alyson Paige Smeby.  Alyson came into the world at 24.5 weeks gestation and bravely fought her battle for 44 days in the NICU before passing away on February 11th of this year.  This special angel is much beloved by the family she leaves behind.

These diapers below will also be sent to Essentia Health in Fargo, North Dakota in memory of Alyson.

Sending our love to the Smeby family as they continue on their tender journey.

Running for Angels 5k

If you are one of the 1100 runners/walkers expected to participate in the Running for Angels 5k next month, be on the lookout for a Teeny Tears flyer in your gift bag!

Thank You 1100 times to Historical Arts and Casting for sponsoring our flyers to the event!

For over thirty years, Historical Arts and Casting has been actively involved in the design, manufacturing and installation of ornamental metalwork in the United States and abroad.

Visit their website or find them on Facebook!

For Love of Daniel

My sweet friend Lisa is very involved in her local NICU Family Support program.  One of the many ways she shows her love for the NICU families in her community is to donate micropreemie angel clothing and remembrance tokens to those who have lost their valiant battle.  This year, she added Teeny Tears diapers to her donation. These clothing items may look big, but they are actually very very tiny -- for angels under two pounds.

All of these items have been donated to Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia in loving memory of her beloved angel son, Daniel Carl Hutchings.

"Softly the leaves of the memories fall,
Gently I gather and treasure them all.
Unseen, unheard you are always near,
So missed, so loved, and so very dear.
No longer in our lives to share,
But in our hearts you're always there."
~ Author Unknown

Eastern Idaho Event!

Sara from Comforting Hearts will be hosting an event in Idaho Falls on May 5th from 12:30 to 2:30!

They will be making diapers, memory boxes, and miniature stuffed animals for the bereavement needs at Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls.  All items will be donated in memory of her angel son, Nicholas.

If you are interested in attending and/or otherwise contributing to this special event, please find more information by clicking here and here.

Nappies Across the Pond

The volunteer teams for Upon Butterfly Wings and Little Baby and Co have been making nappies for the angel babies in the United Kingdom.

These wonderful women do so much for grieving families across the pond in providing burial clothing, blankets, memory boxes, handcrafted remembrance items, and other expressions of love for angel families. 

Visit their websites or find them on Facebook!

Upon Butterfly Wings
Website
Facebook

Little Baby and Co
Website
Facebook

Desert Sage Young Women

The wonderful Young Women of the Desert Sage Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent an evening tracing, cutting, and ironing diapers. These lovely young ladies have great compassion for the angel families that receive these little tokens of love; they are always eager to pitch in for diaper service.

I took the diaper pieces home to sew up and they are ready for delivery! These 40 little treasures will be donated to LDS Hospital of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Love you, ladies!! Thank you! ♥

In The Beginning, Arah's Story

Many of you have read how the Teeny Tears project came to be. My sister Heather sent me a link to a friend's blog with itty bitty diapers for preemie and micropreemie angels that had been created by one very special and inspired angel mama named Arah.  One look at those diapers and my whole world changed.  I have been very thankful for her love and support of Teeny Tears and our mission to spread her special brand of love across the world.  I do believe that Dex, Olivia, and all of the other Teeny Tears angels are watching over us, very amused.

Today we are honored to share Arah and Olivia's story:

"In November of 2007, our daughter Olivia was born. Weighing 3lbs. 9oz. and a length of 16 inches, she was tiny for 37 weeks. She had Polycystic Kidney Disease and lived a short 1 hour and 53 minutes, which was more than we could have hoped for when we were told the diagnosis at 19 weeks pregnant.

Throughout my pregnancy, while others would have been buying things for a nursery, we were preparing for her funeral. My dad built her casket and my mom had a burial dress made. I remember the day we picked out her plot at the cemetery while she kicked around inside me, it broke my heart.

My doctor had referred me to a program at the hospital called Forget Me Not, which gives supportive care for families with unborn infants diagnosed with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions. We were able to plan our birth and ask questions and just felt like we weren’t going to be abandoned.

During our time in the hospital, we were able to bathe, dress and photograph her. Her big sister, Brinley, was able to meet her as well as many friends and family. We had molds of her hands, feet and face made (some of my most favorite possessions). The hardest thing was handing our sweet baby girl over to the chaplain before we left the hospital, empty handed.

Three months after Olivia’s death, I was asked to consider doing photography for the same program that I had just gone through. I had wanted to give back to the program and this was perfect for me. I said yes. Four+ years and well over 100 babies photographed later, I am now on the Forget Me Not board and am the photography coordinator.

After a particular session, a mom, who had known her daughter would not live, had made her a small diaper, knowing that she wouldn’t be big enough to wear the preemie diaper the hospital would provide. The idea came to me, "Make tiny diapers." My first set of diapers were donated in honor of my daughter, Olivia. I had so many nurses and others asking about a pattern, that I posted it on my blog. My goal was to give families one more thing that they could take home. I had no idea how big a reaction my little diaper patterns would make.

Megan has kindly kept me informed of all the places the diapers are being sent. I get super emotional every time I get a new email telling me that more families are able to cover their little baby’s bum. I am so very happy that so many people see the need for them and it seems they are spreading like wildfire!

Megan is just amazing. She has done so much to help families through Teeny Tears. We have never
met in person, but I do know her sister.

I would also like to personally thank all of you who have helped make diapers. It may have made the loss just a little more bearable by knowing that their tiny baby meant something to someone else too.

And to leave you on a happier note, just three days before Olivia’s 1st birthday, we welcomed her little sister, Sarah, into our family."

For Love of the Pollard, Marsh, and Cowart Angels

As passionate diaper activists in their own right, Jana and Vanessa have officially joined the Teeny Tears team as my partners in crime behind the scenes.  We are on an ambitious quest to Diaper the World.

Meet Vanessa!

Vanessa is an amazing mom to three special little angels: Adam, Cayla, and Marley. She had been looking for an economical and unique project to do in honor of her babies when she stumbled across our project through Utah Share and loved it.  She immediately organized a sewing event and posted it on FB, inviting friends, family, and fellow angel mamas. They answered the call, packing along sewing machines, scissors, safety pins, and all the flannel they could carry!

These super sewers labored to create 412 diapers.  160 have been donated to photographers of NILMDTS of SLC and are not pictured.  These diapers below (all 252 of them) have been donated to Jordan Valley Hospital, Pioneer Valley Hospital, Tooele Hospital, and the University of Utah Hospital.  Some have been donated in memory of Adam, Cayla, and Marley Pollard. Some have been donated in memory of Evan and Isaac Marsh.  Some have been donated in memory of MaRee Cowart.  All beloved angels, gone too soon.

The 412 count does NOT include this exciting stack of leftover unsewn pieces!

Vanessa invited me via email to attend her grand sewing event and I was thrilled to go.  It was a fantastic experience. (Some of the following photos were taken by me; the better ones were taken by Vanessa's talented photographer friend, Lara.)

Vanessa posted many wonderful things on the wall, including WHY she was doing the project (click to enlarge and read their beautiful story).  Elsewhere she posted full sewing instructions for the crafting teams.

Great event, great people, great food, great feeling.

For the generous group of families that contributed in so many ways to the creation of these diapers, I post a thank you message from the bereavement coordinator for three of the hospitals that received these diapers:

"I am in receipt of the beautiful hand made colorful cloth diapers that were so lovingly made for our tiny patients.

I first want to express the gratitude of our families at receiving such a lovely handcrafted item. Please understand that they want to keep everything that their baby has worn, including the diaper. Suffering heartbreak and loss of such a tiny innocent baby is tragic but thoughtful little items like these help them understand that people care about them, their baby and what they are going through.

All of the items have been appreciated and I am overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of this gift. Each and every diaper will be lovingly given to and used on an angel baby.

Giving to others is tremendously healing and brings a sense of comfort in knowing that we are serving humanity. As the chaplain at our facilities, I send thank-you’s from everyone as they marvel at the beautiful work. Again, thank you from the families who so appreciate what you are doing."

My Unsung Hero

On Halloween night in 2003, I dashed to my front door with a candy-filled mixing bowl, ready to greet my first trick or treaters! I met instead my lovely new neighbor, Shannan, who had just moved in across the street, but didn't yet have hot water (and needed some). I foisted some candy into her pockets anyway.  She was my only trick or treater that year.

In the nine ensuing years, we have each had our share of triumphs and heartbreaks, blessings and challenges.  No matter how crazy life gets, I know that my tears and laughter are always welcome on her couch. We share a morbid sense of humor and she is my safe, beloved friend.

Shannan fills a unique and important role for Teeny Tears. She has been behind the scenes for months, quietly shipping all of our diapers for us. She suspected the need and generously offered her resources to The Cause. It has really allowed our project to expand to help many more families. I quite truly could not do this without her and am extremely grateful for her sacrifice.

Shannan is passion, grace, strength, determination, and dignity. For so many reasons, she is my unsung hero.

Shannan is the proud owner and operator of Jo-Sha Wipes.

"Originally developed as a natural way to clean yoga mats, Jo-Sha Wipes have gained popularity in hotels, spas, and with anyone looking for a quick and soothing way to freshen up. From cleaning hands and feet to fitness equipment, they cleanse and naturally disinfect while the subtle aromatherapy soothes the senses."

They. are. awesome.  You should get some.  For real.

So, I guess you could say that not only are these wipes deliciously, naturally, soothingly cleansing, but they are also proud sponsors of the cutest little bereavement diapers you ever did see.

For Love of Carter, Sleepless in Seattle

When my friend Jana emailed me for the first time about making diapers, I learned that she was raising a TTTS single surviving former micropreemie.  Naturally, I assumed that she had crossed paths with me in the TTTS Facebook groups. Not so! She found me on Pinterest and the rest of our commonalities are mere "happenstance". If I believed in "happenstance". And I don't really.

Last Christmas Jana donated stockings and gift bags to her local NICU.  Teeny little diapers were right up her alley.  Jana is actually combining two of her projects into one at the moment (and writes about it in a way that cracks me up).  Check it out!

Jana and I have spent many (many) wee hours of the night online together brainstorming, obsessing over our mutual "flannel habit", and having grand diapering fantasies.  I actually call their home the Teeny Tears Seattle Office.  She has great visions for Washington!  (Consider this a shameless call for volunteers and donors in the Great Northwest.  She can use any and all donated flannel, tracing, cutting, or sewing assistance that she can get to take Washington by storm!  For real!)

Jana is donating her very first set of 60 diapers to the angels born at St. Joseph's of Bellingham, Washington. They have been created in memory of Jana's son, Carter Garen Kimmel.

This is Carter's twin brother, Cohen.  He and Carter would have fit in that teeny little diaper when they were born.  He's Jana's right-hand baby in the project (as you can read on their blog).

 All packed up and ready to go!