Pink and Blue. You see these colors most often associated with the birth of a new baby. Adorable, pink, frills and bows for a sweet girl, blue hats and onesies for a bouncing baby boy. These colors also adorn the awareness ribbon for Pregnancy and Infant Loss.
My name is Michelle Moskiewicz and I was brought into the world of infant loss on August 7, 2013. Chance, my sweet boy Chance was a wonderful, beautiful, healthy 
baby boy who was taken by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at two months and twenty-six days old. I guess it’s best to start from the beginning and work my way into that night and how we went about forming Hope For Chance, our non profit organization, that helps with families who have suffered from pregnancy and infant loss.
I found out I was pregnant with Chance about one month into my first deployment. According to the Air Force docs, I was just a little over two months pregnant. So, the Marine Corps sent me home.
Our pregnancy had a few complications, but Chance made his debut at thirty-seven weeks on the dot. He was a handsome chubby-cheeked boy who liked watching his dog and listening to “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Band (he wasn’t very fond of the Darius Rucker version). He was the piece of our family puzzle that my husband and I didn’t realize we were missing. With him, everything was as it should be. His blue eyes, blonde hair, and widow’s peak made him the spitting image of his father- which after being in active labor for sixteen hours I didn’t find fair, but he was perfect.
It was that night, no, early morning when our lives changed forever. My husband had woken up to go to the restroom and had stopped by Chance’s crib to check on him. I only remember his screaming for me to wake up and call 911. For the next five or twenty minutes (it felt like forever) I gave my little boy CPR while simultaneously praying to God that this was a nightmare. To this day, I can still remember the chill on his skin against mine. We followed the paramedics to the hospital and were told there was nothing that they could do, my baby was gone. We were able to hold him for awhile. We were able to kiss his tiny head, to smell his scent, to hold him in our arms. My heart and muscles still ache for that weight, for that smell, to look down and see him.
Almost immediately we were pushed into the Loss World. We were still driving home when we got a call from the hospital asking permission to use Chance’s heart valves. We went through an interview with the police, after they’d gone through our home, Chance’s things. They took samples of his formula, of our water, dirty diapers, his crib sheet. They were looking for a reason, a cause. I am so happy they did now that I look back. For an infant to be classified as SIDS there has to be no other cause of death plausible. Chance had been in his crib, on his back, with nothing else. They had no idea what killed my baby boy.
Immediately I began researching SIDS and getting into contact with all of the major researchers in the United States and joining all of the support groups Facebook had to offer. It was there that I read the story of a family who, after buying all the things a baby needed, still owing the hospital for birthing because insurance didn’t cover it all, after only having her baby girl home for three days, lost her to SIDS. She couldn’t afford a service, a burial, or an urn. She got her daughter’s ashes back in a plastic bag. I said no. I told myself I would never allow that to happen to another family if I could help it. 
That is the moment that Hope For Chance was born in my mind. Within four months, Hope For Chance was a 501(c)3 non profit whose goal was to assist families who had lost a baby (does not have to be SIDS) with the costs of services, burials, and cremation. We also donate funds to research for Dr. Hannah Kinney at the Boston Children’s Hospital, and every year we host the Run For Hope, an annual 5k awareness run to bring more awareness and education to what SIDS is, what it isn’t, and how families can keep their babies safe during sleep. Hope For Chance, in our short four years has been able to help several families across the United States give their babies a sweet goodbye.
While every late night phone call and e-mail from a family in need or a funeral home does remind me of our own loss, it also reminds me that though he is not here in our arms, he is alive in our hearts and in the hearts of everyone that knows our
story and those we have helped. We will be remembering Chance’s fourth Angelversary this year in just under a month.
I would like to thank Kirstyn for allowing me to guest post here on BurritoBuzz. She and I were brought together by happenstance, through our losses. I hope that any mothers or fathers out there who have suffered the loss of a child, whether miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss through adult loss, know that you are not alone. One in four women suffer with you. We are the guardians of our children’s memories. Whether that memory be a positive test, an ultrasound, a first smile, the first day of kindergarten, or graduation. You are not alone.
-Michelle
If you’re a new or expecting parent, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
snack, it’s one less thing that I have to do. So I jumped at the opportunity to review 
o put together, the instructions are very easy to read, and it was put together rather quickly (my husband builds furniture for a living so he may have had an advantage). Once built, I noticed the amazing quality. It’s sturdy and looks very classy in our hallway, it’s a piece of furniture you can be happy to put on display. After a quick screw in the wall for the tether to prevent it from falling, it was ready to go!
It is no secret that BurritoBuzz moms are always on the lookout for new sippy cups. We generally don’t like them. They are always leaking, or molding, or even better yet breaking. Its so annoying! I really wish companies made made baby products better, but alas they are made to last for a short time. I have been introduced to my new favorite sippy cups and I am already throwing out others to replace them with the NEW Sassy Baby Grow Up Cups! Sassy Baby has a whole new line of products and I am excited to share some of my favorites with you!
Here in Ohio its winter. Well, I think? It’s currently 50 and raining, so not the normal -15 F and a snowstorm, but still pretty gross. My kids are bouncing off the walls lately and I have been searching for something new for them to do! I know not everyone is close to Akron, Ohio, but if you are or ever find yourself near here, this place is the solution! 
always wanted a minivan someday, because I grew up with my parents always having one, and it always just seemed like the most practical with kiddos. What I didn’t know is how much I would not miss my old car and absolutely love this van! 
of you are thinking about taking a weekend to the beach, I want to introduce you to some butter soft kids’ clothes! 
have washed them multiple times and they don’t shrink or lose their shape in any way!
about is 
everything down for my girls so they know everything from when they were little in case anything happens to me. My mom passed away when I was 23, before I ever got pregnant, and I don’t have her here to ask when I got my first tooth or what day I started walking (my dad doesn’t have any idea). So when I find a company and products that make it easier for me to keep track of things for my kids (I love organization) and make it more convenient for me to write down the memories, I have to share it!
world. Milestone offers several different cards, Baby’s First Year – 
little babies and need documented and celebrated! Download and print yours 
st keep her box on her top shelf in her closet and anytime she says something funny or something I want to remember, I just grab a card, jot it down, and I’m done. These cards are a game changer for me. I just wish I found them sooner! Check out all of the Milestone products to document your little one growing up 
When
Canals
my youngest happens to find a tube of diaper rash cream and empties the entire thing on it. Is there any better way to wash something? Just roll it up and toss it in the washer! Easy peasy. 
check out all of the gorgeous Lorena Canals rugs and purchase 
decided to find something so don’t have to keep picking her cup and pieces of food up and constantly cleaning the floor. I stumbled upon 
seen on the market for children. Manhattan Toy Co.’s toys are all so fun, colorful, and engaging. The 
digging around the internet for a toy that was both intriguing and priced in my frugal price range, I elected to buy the 
The fountain is battery operated. The button in the center turns it on and off, and is large enough that toddlers can turn it on and off all on their own.
for fine-tuning my son’s motor skills. He is obsessed with the endless fountain of water and all of the things he can do to interact with this toy.
boxes from several different companies. They all had different kinds of products and I liked each for different reasons. But I just received a complimentary subscription box from 
paints to their safe to play with and for little ones put them in their mouths (which we all know will happen).
raven and sleeping animal tiles are so you know not to pick the raven. It also helps with recognizing and naming the colors of the flowers and it’s a game that everyone fries to find the cherries together, so it helps foster the “we” concept. It’s for children ages 3-8 and can be played with 1 to 4 players. It’s one of our favorite games to play together! 
box. It’s adorable and comes with little felt envelopes that can actually fit little letters or objects in and close with Velcro. The letter and envelopes even have a “stamp” sewn in the top right hand corner. She loves walking around and giving us our mail! Check it out the mailbag 
bag, backpack, or a stroller so they can be taken anywhere. We like to use them when we’re waiting a the doctors or in line at the store, they make a good distraction for my 4 year old. Be sure to check out all of their amazing Wallet Cards (they have bundles, too) and products 
I desperately wanted to try a Milk Snob cover and was so excited when they offered to send one for me to review. The one I used with my oldest daughter is a very popular “free” car seat cover that is thick, doesn’t circulate air at all, and you can’t see baby unless you flip open the front. The Milk Snob cover is pretty much the best cover I’ve ever seen on the market. It’s made form a thin, breathable stretchy fabric that’s also modern and gorgeous. It fits on any infant car seat and I love that I can peek in on my little one from the top and that she can see me. It also protects baby from unwelcome touching and staring while o
ut in public as we all know that strangers seem to think it’s okay to touch a random baby. 
When you are a new mom, there are a lot of facts and products being shoved in your face. You really don’t even know where to begin, what advice is legit, and what products you actually need v. the products that people just loved but would be useless to you. When my doctor prescribed vitamin D drops and suggested probiotic drops (I was EBF my daughter), I followed her advice. But I quickly learned that there are so many options, not only that, but there are so many opinions on your options.
was created to help replenish beneficial bacteria and may help with occasional diarrhea. Antibiotic use may cause occasional diarrhea* and digestive upset.*
o bring a cold home. My family of four all got runny noses, we were sneezing like crazy, had awful sinus pressure, coughing, and had watery eyes, including my poor 6 month old. She got hit the worst and is starting to feel better minus the never ending runny nose. Over the weekend she had a pretty high fever and was overall 
easy and I love not having to think twice about using it around my kids. No gloves needed and you don’t have to have a crazy ventilation system (or open all the windows/doors in your house to air it out). It’s perfect to use with teething babies and after sick kids. 
ing code “burritobuzz10” courtesy of our pals at Freemie!
When my daughter was two, she slipped in our bathtub and chipped her front tooth. It was terrifying! I reached out to an amazing company, 
inse with water and allow the bathtub to dry completely. Once it’s dry, apply the self adhesive treads and allow 24 hours before using the tub. The good thing is they’re easy to remove and don’t leave any residue or damage!
s in four colors: gray, white, kiwi (yellow) and aqua. It allows access to the shower diverter and because it’s flexible, it can fit on almost any spout. Simple and easy but makes a big difference during bath time.
This is a pretty typical cream. I felt it was more of a lotion than a cream. It is pretty thin and absorbs fairly quickly. As all of the calendula products do, this smells amazing! It’s the perfect amount moisture to keep your little one’s skin nourished daily, but is rich enough that it soothes dry and irritated skin. I have really sensitive, dry, and eczema prone skin, so I was slathering it on and I really like it!
The face cream was just a little thicker than the body cream and it smelled exactly the same. My littles don’t really get dry skin on their face, but they had awful baby acne and flakey faces as infants so I am sure this would have a God send when they were tiny. There aren’t many lotions specifically for a baby’s face.
before offering it to my little guy and was surprised at the amount of flavor – it was delicious! My little one ate nearly the entire amount prepared. I was thrilled because I knew he was getting a ton of nutrients.
