Immediately after Ellie was born, Greg and I thought about the many ways we could keep Ellie with us even after she passed. We have taken 1000s of photos (both professional and our own), have keepsake boxes (one for each of the girls and myself), saved some of her outfits and blankets among other things.
To add to this Greg thought we should have a DNA portrait made for her (it's a completed by a method called gel electrophoresis for you nerdy folks out there--it's commonly used in crime dramas to identify criminals). A Canadian company, DNA 11, offers this service. And so I ordered the kit.
All I needed to do was collect some of Ellie's DNA from her cheeks (the swab was WAY too big for her, but I cut it down to size and was able to get enough cells for the portrait). And viola. I dropped it into the mail and three months later her canvas arrived.
We love it. We chose bright colors that emulate sunlight. Throughout the pregnancy and still I sing to her "You are my sunshine." It was only after she arrived I realized how true and painful this children's song is for me, particularly the second verse:
"You are my sunshine
my only sunshine
you make me happy
when skies are grey
you'll never know dear
how much I love you
please don't take my sunshine away."
"The other night dear
while I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
when I awoke dear
I was mistaken
so I hung my head and cried."
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