Hello and welcome! When my husband and I found out that we were pregnant with our first child in November of 2013, we were thrilled! It was an adventure that we had planned for and were excited to finally start. After an extremely uneventful pregnancy, we were shocked and deeply saddened when our daughter, Isabelle, passed away just one day after she was born. Our hearts were completely broken. To read more about our daughter’s story, click here. Isabelle’s short life affected our family in ways that we never expected. She has changed how we view the world around us – for the better.
Shortly after Isabelle’s death, I made the decision to return to work. I have always loved teaching middle school. Working in a field in which I am passionate about has been a source of strength for me (and a source of many humorous stories). It allowed me to establish a daily routine and helped me to move forward. After teaching for that unexpected seventh year, we got some exciting news, and I decided to stay home once again when the school year was over.
We welcomed our second child, Mark, into the world in October 2015. He is now a talkative and energetic 1st grader who loves building things, reading books, math, and riding his bike. Our third child, Arthur, was born in June 2018. His hobbies include playing with friends at preschool, pretending to be a chef, and antagonizing his big brother. Our fourth child, Blaise, joined us in October 2020 and has been a beautiful addition to our loud little family. He loves practicing his talking skills, making pretend pizzas, and following his big brothers around. Pregnancy and parenting after loss is a difficult and emotional journey filled with constant reminders of our daughter, but also the joy that comes with bringing new life into this world. I pray that this blog can be a source of hope for parents who have lost a child, as well as a glimpse into the realities of dealing with grief while also raising children.
If there is one thing that my husband and I have learned through all of this, it is that life is one big confusing puzzle. This blog follows our journey to figure out how all of the pieces fit together as we move forward with our new unexpected “normal.”
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