Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

There is a wonderful foundation called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. It's a group of photographers across the world who come to hospitals to take beautiful photos of terminally ill (or passed, depending on the situation) children and their families. I had heard of this foundation during my pregnancy, it was recommended to me on a parenting forum, but I never did more than look at the website.

One of our amazing UVA NICU nurses, Deana, arranged them to take photos of our Angelina and Chucky-Sue. The photographer was so nice and willing to take photos of pretty much anything we wanted. I was adamant to get a full family photo that did not have me on an operating table half naked. (That's not something you want framed in your living room.) She got some amazing shots of our girls. I'm only disappointed that there is no just Jake and Angelina photo, though we did get a lot of the three of us ( Chucky-Sue had to warm up in her box half-way through the shoot.)

I love how Angelina's little personality shines through all the photos we have of her. She liked her opinion to be known, just like her diva of a sister Chucky-Sue. But Angelina also looked so peaceful in our family photos (Except one, but she had just be yanked out of her warm bed, you'd be fussy too!)

These photos are incredibly important to me, not just to remember Angelina though that is a big part of them. But to show Chucky-Sue that her sister existed, that she IS a twin. That we were all together at one time, no matter how short a time that was. My favorite photos from the shoot were ones of just the girls together, it reminds me of how much I needed them to be together those last few days. Yes, Chucky-Sue will have no memory of it, but them being together helped to heal me. Knowing that Chucky-Sue has such a strong relationship with Angelina makes me feel as if I still have a part of Angelina with me through her.