Noah News

    

Today is a very special day for our little Noah! Today Noah is 38 weeks, 5 days old. This may seem like an odd number to some, but it is a big milestone for our little guy! Noah has officially been here with us, for as long as he was growing in my tummy. Noah was born at 38 weeks, 5 days. He entered this world on a Monday night, at 5:00pm. What a joy filled, tear filled, beautiful and amazing moment that was, when we first saw our son! He was 6lbs. 2oz. 18.5 inches. He is a growing boy and now weighs 16lbs, and is 25 inches long. His smile is endless, and he is very noisy! He loves to make sure his voice is heard. Noah loves to crawl everywhere, climb up on everything, play in the water, watch other kids, and listen to music. Each day has been such a gift. A precious gift.
     Each week I just stand amazed at how much Noah has learned and accomplished. He continues to impress us with all his new skills! What a joy to be able to watch him grow and develop right before our very eyes!  
     Thank you to everyone who continues to follow our journey. We are so thankful for all the love and support. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, it brings me so much encouragement. Each day as I watch Noah grow, I continue to just stand in awe at what an amazing God we serve. Because through the pain, God was able to shine a light of hope back into our hearts. I know that our story is far from over, and we never know what path God might have for our future. But I do know that when we trust in Him, He will make beauty from the ashes. It is not always the way we would like, or the way we would have planned. The story that God chose to write for me, is never one I could have expected or planned, or one I would have even chosen for myself. Yet there is such beauty in the promise of God's great plan for our lives. I continue to cling to that promise each and every day. He will bring light into the darkness. It might not happen when we expect it to, nor in the way we would anticipate, but we can find hope in His promises. Because He who has promised IS faithful!
Here are a few pictures of our little rainbow baby, William Noah.


   

 
  In honor of Noah's special milestone day, I also wanted to share some pictures that we took before Noah was born. A special thank you to my cousin (In His Image Photography) for once again capturing precious memories for us.
   We are so blessed by our precious rainbow baby. He has brought so much laughter, hope, smiles, and excitement into our hearts and home. There is not a day that goes by where we don't stop to thank God for allowing us the privilege of being his parents. We just love him so much! Enjoy!

Caroline's Butterflies

    
    Yesterday we celebrated Caroline's second birthday. It was a day filled with so much emotion, lots of healing tears, and many laughs and smiles. I am so thankful that it turned out to be a day of remembering her life, and all the joy that she brought into my life. It was a day to miss her more than ever before. It was a day to cry, because sometimes there just aren't the right words. It was a day to talk about her, and to think about what could have been. It was a day to celebrate her beauty, and the impact her life has made on so many. It was a day of sadness, and a day of joy. It was a day to hug Noah just a little bit tighter, and whisper "I love you" just a million times more. It was a day to spend with family, and to remember with them. It was a day to feel blessed, oh so incredibly blessed, by the outpouring of love and prayers.
     From the very bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you. My phone was filled with texts and phone calls, sharing so much love and encouragement! We received beautiful flowers, which brightened up the day! Thank you for all the kind Facebook messages, and for taking the time to read my blog posts. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me yesterday, to everyone who spoke her name, took the time to pray for us, and to offer us words of love and support. I cannot even begin to say how much it all meant. Thank you to each of you! It was yesterday when I realized, that Caroline will not be forgotten. There are so many beautiful people who love her so much, and who are willing to help us remember her in the most beautiful of ways. Thank you for helping us to remember her! Losing a baby is so incredibly painful, difficult, and life changing, but from a mommy's heart who knows and understands, I can tell you that just helping to share her story, and to speak her name, makes all the difference in the world. Thank you for helping to making yesterday so special. Thank you for remembering our sweet Caroline Joy!

    Last night, as the sun started to set, Josh and I and Noah had a picnic by Caroline's special place. It was a beautiful summer night, one that makes you thankful to live in Michigan! As we sat there talking, and enjoying being together, I saw a beautiful butterfly fluttering nearby. Ever since we lost Caroline, I have always had a special appreciation for butterflies. They make me think of her, fluttering around in Heaven. I think about her every time I see a white butterfly flying around. I am so thankful that God sends those perfect little reminders to me, which always bring a smile to my face.
     In honor of Caroline, and her second birthday, we had a special plan for the night. Butterflies. Beautiful Butterflies. Lots of Beautiful Butterflies. 
One of the greatest fears with losing Caroline, is that she will be forgotten. I never want people to forget her life. That she did exist. That she did live, and that she did fight. That her life was valuable, precious. I want her story, and her life to be remembered, and honored. I know that when we first learned of her diagnosis, that she was not going to live for long,  we had to make the difficult visit to the cemetery. As I held my stomach tighter, where my sweet baby was safe inside, I remember walking through the cemetery, looking at the headstones. Such a cruel cruel moment, to feel my living baby moving inside, and yet be planning ahead for her death. It seemed terrible, like I was being tortured. But as we walked around the headstones, we noticed many small graves, with precious writing etched carefully into the stone. Babies. Children. All young. Different dates. Different stories. But precious, precious lives. Lost too soon. So last night, we placed butterflies on the headstones of those babies, and of those children. So many. It was so eye opening, to think of all the babies who never got to experience their first birthday. Josh and I, and our wonderful parents, wondered together at each of their stories. We looked at the dates, and said their sweet names. In my heart, I wondered, about their parents. They too had to face the unimaginable, burying a child, a baby, before they were buried themselves.
     Last night was tough, to think about all the sadness in this world. About all of the hurt, and of the pain and sadness. Of how unfair it all seems to be. Yet in the midst of it all, those brightly colored butterflies stood out. They stood as a symbol of hope, of love, and of peace. It felt right to honor those babies, those children, by placing a butterfly near their precious names. It felt right to think about them, to say their names, and to talk about it. It felt right to honor Caroline on her birthday, by honoring other babies who are also in Heaven.
     My hope is that if a mom, or a dad comes to visit the special place, where their baby or child is buried, that they will see that brightly colored butterfly. I hope they will realize that their baby is not forgotten, but so so loved. That they will be remembered!
     It was a perfect way to end such a special day. The day that our baby girl turned 2 years old. We pray that she had a very special celebration in Heaven, and that she knows that we had a special celebration for her here on earth as well. My heart is full, knowing that my Caroline is so loved, and so thought of, by so many. And my hope is that we can countinue the butterfly tradition, to spread some hope, the hope that we have through our Heavenly Father. Happy second Birthday Caroline Joy! We love you!

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

                                                                     Blessings
                                               By Laura Story

Two Years- Happy Birthday Caroline

June 17, 2014     

The day our family went from two to three!

     Happy 2nd Birthday to my beautiful daughter, Caroline Joy!

     This morning I woke up feeling sorry for myself. Sorry that I could not cover my daughter's bedroom door with pink balloons, frost a pink cake with sprinkles, and slip her into a special birthday dress. This morning I felt sad that I couldn't watch her face light up as she tore through the wrapping paper on her presents, or watch her dance around the room with a shine in her blue eyes. I felt sorry that I couldn't watch her kiss her little brothers'cheek as he woke up, and see them play with the birthday balloons together. I was sad that I couldn't hear her precious little voice, and laugh at her squeals of joy. I felt sad. I felt sorry. It hurts at how much we miss.

     But this morning, in the twinkling light of her pink candle, I remembered her life. Her most precious life. When I brushed the tears away, and allowed myself to smile, I felt that joy. The joy that she has and continues to bring into my life. The joy that I have felt ever since that first moment I discovered I was pregnant. The joy that I still feel, two years later, every time I think of my Caroline.

     She had a special way of turning my sadness into joy. There were so many days, when I was heading home from work, when I was just a crying mess. I was so sad, so angry, so confused, and so hurt. I could barely see through my tears. But it was in those moments, that she would choose to move her little body! Her kicks were few, but they always came at just the perfect moments. There was nothing else I could do but break into a huge smile. She just knew how to make her mommy smile and laugh. I still remember the moment when I felt her first kick, it was about a week after we learned that she had Limb Body Wall Complex. I was sitting at the table, working on student evaluations, the sun was streaming into our dining room window. I had just turned on my Pandora station of children's music, which I played to her often. Suddenly, I felt the most gentle, tickling movement. At first it didn't fully register to me. But then it happened again. I knew it was her, and that she was finally big enough for me to feel her move! It was a very special moment, because just days before, the doctor had explained  to us, that because of the way her body was formed, I likely wouldn't feel much movement at all. But there it was, those first butterfly flutters in my tummy! It was the best! Let me just tell you, I did not stop smiling for the rest of the day. My whole pregnancy was like that, filled with so many ups and downs, but anytime I got down, there was always something that would happen to make me smile.

     I learned during that time, just what it meant to experience joy. Real joy. Now joy is different than happiness. Because sometimes I just did not feel happy at all, usually the complete opposite.  Happiness is an outward expression or an inward feeling when something is good or pleasurable to you, it is usually temporary, and based on your circumstance or situation. But I discovered that joy comes outside of your circumstances. I did not always feel happy, but yet my heart felt like it was smiling when I thought of my daughter. Our situation, what we knew was coming, was just pain awful. Every single part of it felt cruel, harsh, and unnatural. We were walking down such a painful road, one that I wish no one would ever have to experience. But through that journey, and even now today, I have learned that joy dances right alongside of grief. I struggle with finding the words to explain how it all works, and I think that is okay. Because it is only in those deepest, darkest moments, when it completely makes sense. How you can feel so sad, so empty, so hurt, and yet in your heart there is joy?  I can not explain it, but I do know that it must come from God! Today, as I remember those precious moments that Caroline and I shared together, I think about God's blessing on me in those moments. I am so thankful that He was able to fill my heart with that joy, because otherwise the grief and the sadness would have been too much to bear.

     Two years ago my Caroline entered into this world, at 5:16am. She came into this world silently, but made a big impact on those who know her story. I remember gazing at her perfect face, and stroking her dark hair (I am still amazed at how much dark curly hair she had). The moment they laid her on my chest, I wanted to protect her. I wanted to hold her and never let go. I think that is a mommy's instinct, the need, the desire to protect her children. But as the doctor  gently placed the stethoscope on her tiny chest, and gave us a solemn nod, I knew that my time to protect her was limited. I knew that I would only be able to hold her for so long. Yet I clung to her, and held her just a little tighter. I started memorizing her face, every perfect detail. No matter the chaos going on around us in that operating room, hearing them call out her time of death, I was her mommy, and she was my baby. I was going to protect her forever, even if I had to let her go.

     Now here I am, two years later, looking at pictures of that special day. The day that my daughter was born. I look at pictures that a nurse so graciously took for us, of the first moments we shared with her. I am so thankful for all of the emotions and feelings that come to my mind as I remember her and remember that day. After two years, I have learned that emotions and feelings are good. It is how our body processes and heals. It is not easy, in fact, I still believe that grieving is a full time job. But it is so necessary. There are days when I go about my life, feeling like I have completely adjusted to this "new normal". Days when I feel genuinely happy, and smiling and laughing are so natural and easy. There are days when I just do not feel much of anything, and that is a nice relief. But there are days when the grief is still so close, I can feel it like a knot in my throat. It is so real. The difficult part is not knowing when those days will happen. Not knowing when that next trigger is going to push that knot right down to my heart. But I have come to learn that it is all part of the journey, the journey of grief and of loss. There will be good days, and thankfully there are more and more of them as time goes on. But you also never know when something will cause you to take a step backward again, and to feel those tears just begging to be released.

    But when I think about my daughter, and her precious life, I know that she is worth it all. I would not trade my life, as difficult as it can be, for anything. Because being her mommy is the greatest gift in the world. I am so blessed to be able to love her, to celebrate her, and to share her story. I know that every single tear I have cried, is only because of the depth of love that I have for her. I know that when I get angry, or jealous, it is only because of how much I wish she could be here in my arms right now. I know that the strength that I have to continue moving forward, one step at a time, is because she fought to meet me. I know that the hope that I feel, is because of the promise that I will one day see her again!

     So today we celebrate our sweet Caroline Joy! Today we celebrate her life, and all  of the many ways she has taught us about love, joy, and strength. Today we thank God for giving her to us, and for allowing us to be her parents. Today we thank God for being such a good and faithful Father, who never leaves our side. Today am thankful for all the people who support us, love us, and help us celebrate our daughters life. Today I am thankful for all the prayers! Today I am thankful that in a world that WILL fail us, we have a God who will NEVER fail us. Today I am thankful for Caroline's little brother Noah, who even in this moment is making me laugh and smile. Today I am thankful that I can tell Noah all about his big sister, and that we can celebrate her birthday together. Today I am thankful for the 56,064 people who have visisted this blog site and read about Caroline's story (what an impact her life has made on so many people). What a blessing! I am so beyond blessed!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my beautiful daughter! You are so loved and so missed my sweet girl. We are sending up lots of big birthday hugs to you today, as we know you are having a special celebration up in Heaven today! We love you Caroline Joy!  Until we meet again...

I want to be close,close to Your side
So Heaven is real and death is, a lie
I want to hear voices of angels above
Singing as one

Hallelujah, holy, holy
God Almighty, the great I am
Who is worthy, none beside Thee
God Almighty, the great I am

-The Great I Am

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.

Dear Caroline,

Dear Caroline,

     Today I wanted to use pink, just to see it. The color that reminds me of you. That will always remind me of you. The color that I wish I could see around our house, and dress you in. The color that I always dreamed of using for my daughter. You see sweet girl, your mommy still has a difficult time looking at little girl clothes in the store. It is a very painful reminder of what I never was able to buy for you. I have looked a million times, and even allowed myself a few glances, dreaming of what could have been. Yet each time I am stopped by the pain that hits my heart. The reality of losing you. Oh how I wanted to buy you those precious little dresses and bows. I wish I could buy fancy shoes for you, and watch your eyes sparkle as you tried them on. I wish that I could watch your silky dark hair flow behind you as you danced around. Because now, you would almost be two. I cannot believe that I would be a mother to a two year old.  A toddler. Oh what fun we would be having right now, watching you grow up. Watching you love on your little brother. We would know your little personality. The things that you liked. The things that you didn't like. How much you loved us. We would be hearing your sweet little voice singing and talking. We would be watching you grow up and learn so many new things. It is so hard to understand why we will never experience these moments with you here on earth. Why we never had the chance to get to know you. Your mommy will forever wonder about you, and who you would become. Your mommy will always have to turn her head when she looks at those precious pink dresses, because it hurts my heart too much. Your mommy will always wish she could have just one more kiss, and one more chance to run my hands through your silky dark hair. I will always wish for what will never be.

     Today I am thinking of you precious girl, even more than I always do. Today is the day that you would turn 23 months old. Only one more month until your second birthday. I wish that we could be planning for a special birthday party, and getting excited for you to turn a whole year older. I wish we could celebrate all of your big milestones, accomplishments, and the special gift that you are to us. But instead your mommy is feeling sad, knowing that it is another year away from you. Another year of being apart. Another year where the memories that I hold so deeply in my heart, seem to fade just a little bit more. Another year of missing you with every breath I take.

     It scares me sweet girl, to think that you are being forgotten. I hear your name less and less. Sometimes I just sit with your blanket in my arms, looking through your pictures, saying your name out loud. So that I can hear it. So that I can remember. So that I can continue to imprint each memory back into my heart. I just want you to know precious girl, that I will never forget you. You will always be our first baby, my first daughter, and a member of our family. We will always be a family of four, even though on earth it seems as though we are only three. I will continue to work each day of my life to keep your memory alive, and to celebrate your life. I will continue to share your story, and do my best to reach out to those who are hurting. I will continue to speak your name, your beautiful name, because you did exist. I will continue to be so proud of you, and thank God each day for the honor of being your mommy.

     Today I also rejoice Caroline, at the celebration you must be having every day in Heaven. I rejoice in knowing that you are safe in the arms of Jesus, and that there He has made you whole, and perfect through His great love and sacrifice. I rejoice in knowing that you are constantly feeling the greatest of love, and that you are experiencing it with every breath that you take. I rejoice in knowing that you are never alone. I rejoice in knowing that you know nothing of pain, suffering, and sadness. I rejoice in knowing that one day, we will all be together again. A day that your mommy longs for with every breath I take.

      Caroline Joy, your mommy also wants you to know what a difference your life continues to make, even though you are no longer here with us. Even for the short 35 weeks that you were here, your life made more of an impact that I could have ever dreamed. I am so proud of you my sweet girl. I know that God had a plan for your life. He had a beautiful plan for your life. He continues to use your story to touch other people. It doesn't make it any easier, and your mommy wishes it were different, and yet I am so thankful. I am thankful that God is making beauty out of pain. I am glad that God is using the hurt, and sadness, and grief, to touch hearts. I am glad that your life has inspired me to be a better person, one who desires to serve others. I am thankful that my heart is forever changed, because of you. I am thankful that God continues to place opportunities in my life where I can minister to others. I never feel adequate, and yet God continues to fill me with exactly what I need to accomplish what He has called me to do. I know that God had a plan for your life, right from the first moment that you were formed. What a beautiful calling my daughter, to know that He can continue to use your life to reach out to others.

     The last few days I have been listening over and over to a song that has spoken right to my heart. A song that not only acknowledges the pain, the hurt, the sadness, and the forever grief, but also a song that shows redemption and the promise of hope.

You're shattered
Like you've never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you're never gonna get back
To the you that used to be

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

Beginning
Just let that word wash over you
It's alright now
Love's healing hands have pulled you through
So get back up, take step one
Leave the darkness, feel the sun
Cause your story's far from over
And your journey's just begun

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
'Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven's working
Everything for your good

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again
Your heart to beat again
Beat again

Oh, so tell your heart to beat again

     I could write a million thoughts that come to mind when your mommy hears this song, but then this letter would never end! Your mommy loves to talk! But when I hear this song I think so much of the journey that God has brought us through. From those first moments of hearing your perfect heart beating, to hearing those painful words spoken by a doctor telling us you would never survive outside of my body. From all the tears I cried in helpless frustration, knowing it was a ticking time clock with nothing I could do to fix the terrible "diagnosis", to that night filled with incredible peace, when I knew it was time to meet you. Oh how much we went through together sweet girl. Riding in that car at 1am that early Tuesday morning, so unsure of what the next hours held. To that moment, that precious, life changing moment, when I held you for the first time. How those moments changed me forever. They are forever etched in my heart. You were such a miracle, always my miracle. I would do anything to change what has happened, and I will never stop missing you, but I am so thankful that my heart is beginning to beat again. I may not be at the place where this song describes yet, I know that I still have days when my heart just does not want to beat, because it still hurts. Yet somehow I know that every heartbreak, and every scar, is truly a picture that reminds me of the One who has carried me this far. Because I know that love sees farther than I ever can, and that God continues to work everything for my good. So Caroline, your mommy promises that through God's strength, I will continue to tell my heart to beat again. I will take each step forward with hope, knowing that God will continue to hold me close. I will continue to let the shadows fall away, and step into the light of grace. I will continue to hope for the future, and walk toward the sun. Because as the song says, "your story is far from over, and your journey has just begun." Your mommy looks forward to what God has in store for the future. I know that He is working things out for our good. I know that He has a plan, a beautiful plan. Your mommy stands here, with a broken heart, that misses her little girl, but with an open heart, that is hopeful for tomorrow.

Happy 23 months in Heaven to my beautiful girl. You are loved and missed more than you will ever know. Your mommy loves you with all of her heart.

Until we meet again my Caroline Joy,

Mommy