Dear Calvin // Eight Months

Dear Calvin,

It's true what they say... things really do keep getting better with each month!

First, you now have two teeth!!  The day after you turned seven months, the first popped through and about a week later the second followed.  You are a much happier baby with those first teeth through, but I know it's just a matter of time before we are in the thick of teething again.

Not much new to report on the food front, however. You like to sit at the table with us, but when we stick some food in front of you, you tend to just push it around. If any thing does make it to your mouth, you are the king of funny faces, which definitely entices me to keep putting food in front of you.

You aren't crawling on your hands & knees yet, but you do have the army crawl down. Especially when you can see someone's iPhone, your dad's camera, or if I walk into the room. I'm sure you'll be crawling any day now...

Besides the developmental milestones, you also celebrated your first Thanksgiving! Although you weren't able to eat anything, you still enjoyed the company. We also honored your sister's second birthday this month.

We love you Calvin and are so thankful you are in our lives!

love,

mama

[one month]

[two months]
[three months]
[four months]
[five months]

[six months] 

[seven months]

Two Years #babycharlotterene

Just as Charlotte's birthday holds a special place in my heart, so does the day she went to Heaven.

While we were in her room saying our goodbyes, our family was in the Randall Children's Hospital NICU waiting room praying for her to meet Jesus.  The image above is one I look back on with a grateful heart because these same people (+ more) have continued to love on us, cry with us, and lift us up in prayer over the last two years. I pray that everyone has this kind of support system when they need it most.

Hands down, December 21, 2012 was the hardest day of my life, but knowing our baby girl is now healthy & perfect with our Savior makes things a littler easier.

In Memory Of

The first year after Charlotte's death was all about survival. We were navigating unknown situations & questions that made some days more difficult than others. Honestly, simply learning to share a part of our story that either pushed people away or brought them closer was really hard at times.

The second year, the last twelve months, have felt different. We still receive questions that are difficult to answer without making someone feel bad, but more times than not, I've found myself thanking God for His little gifts to us: Charlotte's big brown eyes, the nine days we had to spend with her, a beautiful community that has continued to surround us with love + prayer, the opportunities to talk about her, and a healthy baby boy. And because of these gifts & more, I felt called to find something we could do as a family in memory of our baby girl's birthday this year.

Enter: A Giving Tree

Under normal circumstances, we would have been (birthday AND Christmas) shopping for our two year old little girl. Instead of passing it by all together, I thought it'd be nice to find a child in need who was around the same age as Charlotte would be and shop for them.

This year we chose a name off the local Salvation Army 'Tree of Giving', but my hope is that in the years to come, we can continue to find a child in need to help in Charlotte's name.  Calvin is still too young to understand what was going on, but in the future, his participation will help teach him about giving + his sister. 

While it's not nearly enough in my opinion, this small act has helped me to know Charlotte's (small) legacy is not forgotten. And there is a lot of comfort in that.