One Month Ago

One month ago, we were sitting in a hospital room waiting to meet you.

One month ago, we were holding our breath as we were waiting to see if you'd take one yourself.

One month ago, we never knew how much we would love you until the moment we saw you.

And looking back, even though things didn't go as we had prayed for, I hope you always know how much of an impact you have made on our lives.

We love & miss you Charlotte and we always will!

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Once we knew Charlotte's days were numbered, the most important thing for us was to spend as much time with our little girl as we could.  Thankfully Sam's sister stepped up and helped us take care of a lot of the details we couldn't handle, including lining up a photographer from Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep to come take family pictures of the three of us before it was too late.

I'm not sure how many people are aware of this non-profit, but NILMDTS "trains, educates, and mobilizes professional quality photographers to provide beautiful heirloom portraits to families facing the untimely death of an infant."  I recall hearing about them when Megan of In This Wonderful Life mentioned having them done when her son passed away, but I didn't think I would ever need their services.  However, I am so thankful someone else thought of them for us.

 On Friday, December 21st, our NILMDTS photographer, Jamie Forsythe, came in quietly and left us alone to cherish our last moments with Charlotte and although we were in the worst situation of our lives, Jamie was able to snap some beautiful pictures that we'll now cherish forever.

I sincerely pray that no one is ever faced with being in a situation like ours, but if someday someone you know is facing their last days with their precious baby, please remember NILMDTS for them because they will thank you later.


I was not compensated for my thoughts, just wanted to share some of the beautiful pictures we have to remember our beautiful Charlotte.

New Year

With a week of 2013 already behind us, I thought I'd better share a couple of my goals for the year (for accountability sake) before the newness wears off.

Last year, I created a Leap List with ten goals that I wanted to complete before our next big life change (starting a family). This year, I decided to try to shorten my list and focus on fewer things in hopes that I might accomplish more.

So in 2013, I'd like to:

*Read through the Bible at least once
*Pay off my student loans
*Run a 5K

None of these goals have a specific deadline, but I think that's what I like most about them. With just getting through the most emotional & trying year of my life, I'm hoping to not put too much expectation on this upcoming year (easier said than done, right?) and instead focus on myself and putting my trust in what God has already planned for us.


Do you have goals or resolutions for this year?