I love that my first post of 2013 is news that I think all of you are going to be happy to hear, even if you had nothing to do with this giveaway.
Elfie Picks a Winner (ba dump dump)
Last night, after midnight, I had Elfie pull a number out of a bucket to choose a winner for the Find Me If You Can children’s book (yes, we’re super high tech around here — number generators be damned). The lucky winner was 6, which corresponded with Sheila Ritter*. I asked people to tell us why their kids were special (since this book was all about finding your little one among the masses), and here’s what Sheila wrote:
My 4-year-old daughter is special because she has dealt with the death of her sister more amazingly than I could have imagined. She talks about Mikaela often (Mikaela passed away at birth from congenital defects). Even throughout the pregnancy, she would talk about “Squishy” and how she was very very sick, so we had to talk really softly to her (in my belly) and let her know we loved her all the time. She still talks about Mikaela as if she had met her, and tells me she wants to meet her baby sister, but she’s not ready to go to Heaven just yet, so she’ll have to wait. I can’t imagine a child handling this situation any better than she has. Even when she gets overwhelmed by the loss, she hugs me tight and cries and says “I’m sad Mommy, I know you’re sad too, but Mikaela is happy and safe in Heaven. She’s waiting for us”. Lord, this child is so amazing… I am so blessed!!!
I couldn’t be happier that Elfie pulled Sheila’s tile. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no one who deserves this more.
You can read more about Mikaela and her short but incredible time on earth at Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Crazy People. Sheila writes beautifully and candidly about the whole experience and how it’s affecting her family.
Thanks to everybody who entered the giveaway and supported it. The next one’s going to be fun…
*Before anyone gets bent about the numbering, please note that “Jeanne” didn’t enter the contest. She just left a comment, so she didn’t count.
Tammy Soong is a writer, wife, and mom from Reno, Nevada. She takes an absurd amount of pain medication, but not enough to have actually named her children "Newt" and "Elfie." She spends most days stressing out over clutter, writing stuff for this place, and working on podcasts with her gal pals, the Blogging Betties.