Stolen Baby Books Update | Toddling Through the Silicon Valley | Cheryl Bac | Palo Alto Online |

Local Blogs

Toddling Through the Silicon Valley

By Cheryl Bac

E-mail Cheryl Bac

About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...  (More)

View all posts from Cheryl Bac

Stolen Baby Books Update

Uploaded: Feb 14, 2015
Last week the mother of the stolen baby books updated me on her story.

Amazingly, after five days of searching, she located her family's car. It was parked just a few miles from their home. Sadly it was stripped of parts and smelt of fast food and cigarettes.

She said it was heart wrenching to see all of her belongings gone- a bugaboo stroller that she pieced together off of craigslist, a sibling gift that her son had given to his sister when he was born, the kids' car seats and, of course, their baby books.

Although devastated, Erin didn't give up hope. She noticed that the garbage bins in the area were full and contacted the local recycling center. She actually raked through a week's worth of garbage from that neighborhood searching for her books.

Her story continues, "After hours of searching I gave up in tears. Then the floor manager stopped me and said one of his sorters spotted one of my books! It must have come in on a different load from a different neighborhood and by some miracle made it to the sorters hands. He then unknowingly threw it into another pile of trash. The supervisor and I dug through three huge piles of the trash but never found the books. So I let them go.

I found my closure. I was brushed by a miracle that the books made themselves known that they were there. And I know what happened to them. They were thrown away and not kept for some other crime against my family. They will 'return to the earth' or be recycled into a new baby book for another family to create. I have since ordered new baby books and they will have a wonderful prologue to put in them. Our family will rebuild... If there is anything positive to come out of this its that it has reminded me to be thankful of all that I have and I am everyday."


Thank you, Erin, for sharing your story with all of us. Your kids will definitely have an amazing story to share when they tell others about their baby books.
Local Journalism.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Sparty, a resident of another community,
on Feb 17, 2015 at 4:22 pm

Sparty is a registered user.

Baby books? Store bought I assume? Every month Friends of PA library give away literally thousands of books..including kids and baby books. Probably won't find all or maybe even any of the same ones...but it's a start.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Feb 18, 2015 at 10:44 am

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Sparty - Thank you for commenting. You are right, the library booksales can have a great selection of baby and children's books. Sadly, these books were homemade baby books with her kids' hospital bracelets, etc.


Posted by Sad, a resident of another community,
on Feb 19, 2015 at 6:42 pm

Sparty - the books sounded more like homemade scrapbooks with photos, baby footprints, and other irreplaceable keepsakes, like the hospital bracelets Cheryl mentionned. It's a sickening and sad loss. Right after our wedding, house burglars stole our new wedding videotapes which included one-of-a-kind footage of family and friends who have since passed away. My heart goes out to the Mom who never recovered the baby books.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Feb 20, 2015 at 5:00 pm

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Sad - Thank you for commenting. You are right, it is a terrible loss. So sorry to hear about your wedding videos. It's heartbreaking to hear about these sentimental and irreplaceable items being stolen.


Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Backhaus in Burlingame finally opens for the holiday rush
By The Peninsula Foodist | 0 comments | 2,406 views

Fun Things to Do Around the Bay This Holiday – Peninsula Edition
By Laura Stec | 8 comments | 1,991 views

Burning just one "old style" light bulb can cost $150 or more per year
By Sherry Listgarten | 1 comment | 1,458 views

Banning the public from PA City Hall
By Diana Diamond | 13 comments | 1,261 views