A picture is worth a thousand words...and then some.

     This morning as I sat watching the faintest light beginning to peek through the windows, I remembered. I remembered these beautiful moments, when we laughed through the pain, and embraced every moment of our pregnancy with Caroline. In our heads, in our hearts, we knew that our time with her was going to be short, and there was so much uncertainty facing us ahead. Yet I remember feeling the upmost joy in those moments. Those moments when we could just stop, and take the time to cherish every second of her beautiful life. We knew, then and there, that she was a fighter. Continuing to face the odds, and growing bigger each and every day. We had so much love for our little baby, even though we had yet to meet face to face. Our hearts were so full for the baby who continued to fight each day, to meet us.
 These pictures were taken by my amazing cousin, at 33 weeks into our pregnancy with Caroline. Little did we know in those moments, that in just two weeks, we would be meeting her and then saying goodbye. This morning as I cried over each one, I sat in complete thankfulness. What a gift to have these beautiful pictures to remember. To remember the moments when everything just felt right. When everything felt normal. Never once at the beginning of my pregnancy did I dream that our pregnancy would be different than any other normal couple experiencing pregnancy. I envisioned us having maternity pictures, but only to celebrate a happy healthy pregnancy. But as I have learned, over and over again, our plans do not always go as expected. Instead, these pictures became a symbol, a symbol of Caroline's beautiful, but short life. I do not have the opportunity to fill up my phone, multiple times a month!, with pictures of Caroline. But I do have a few, very cherished, very special, very important pictures, that will forever help me remember her life. They will be pictures that I hold close to my heart forever. They hold a lifetime of memories for us. And this morning, I am so thankful to be able to hold them in my lap, and just allow myself to remember.