A new picture of Hailey's tree

I wanted to place an updated picture of Hailey's Angel Tree on here so you can see how beautiful it is. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice. We love it looking at it. I really brings me peace and comfort. We have tried to count the ornaments -which I have to add is nearly impossible- but we know that we have over 100 and are so grateful to everyone who has sent us an angel.

These last couple of days have been good. I had a hard day on Monday. I kept coming across things like receipts for baby items, Hailey's card that the hospital placed on her bed and other misc items that had been so exciting and brought so much joy and anticipation. Looking at them makes me remember all those wonderful feelings and now to have sadness and pain in place of them - well, it just made for a bad day.

I am grateful that I don't have those days everyday. I am grateful that most of the time I feel fairly strong. I don't remember if I posted this before, but Aaron and I were talking about the fact that we have physically felt the prayers that have been said on our behalf. We know that most of our strength at this time has come from the prayers of our family and friends. Thank you! We could not be making it through this time without all of you. Thanks to all of you who call to check in on us and for those of you who have helped keep us busy so that we have less "quiet time". We love you all!

A child's grief

Since Aaron and I have never had to deal with this kind of tragedy in our lives the grieving process is completely new to us. It has done really weird things to us that we never expected. We would have thought that one who was grieving would be extremely sad and possibly depressed. That might cause us to feel like staying in bed all day or just not motivated to do things. Gratefully I haven't had the desire to stay in bed all day and I don't think that Aaron has either. It does help to have two children who need us and require for us to be up and functioning.


The thing that has really caught me of guard about grief is the way that it has totally destroyed my mind. I'm not sure it is something that I can explain well enough for anyone who hasn't gone through it to truly understand it. There is a blanket of fog over my brain like I have never experienced before. Most women have experienced the pregnancy or "mom" fog that comes with having kids - you just can't remember things or feel very "spacey". The fog Aaron and I have now is 10 times as bad. I know there is something in there that I am suppose to be thinking, but for the life of me I can't find it. I have always been a math person - call me a dork, but I love figuring out problems. I made a large batch of hot chocolate the other day and was dividing it up so the kids could take it to their teachers. I needed more hot chocolate and wanted to make sure that one more batch would be enough. I sat in the kitchen completely perplexed and for the life of me could not figure out mathematically if the batch would divide into what I needed. What is that????


Things at the office that I would normally handle with no problems, like the need for flood insurance make me freeze because I don't know where to start. I sit there completely overwhelmed by this simple task. I wanted to cook roast the other night and was at the grocery store. I was able to buy the roast, but couldn't come up with anything else that I needed. By the grace of Heaven I had the other ingredients at home, but hadn't even thought of anything else to go with the dish like rolls or a salad so we just ate roast. Actually I discovered some rolls in the freezer from when my mother-in-law was here so we did have rolls too, but not because I planned for them.

This post doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the title "A child's grief". We as adults are able to sit and analyze the way we are feeling. I know my brain is in a complete nonfunctional fog. My poor children though don't have the ability to figure out why they feel different. Nathan has always been my sensitive boy. He has always reacted to my emotions. Since Hailey passed away we have been struggling with some serious attitude and emotional issues. There were so many changes that happened in such a short time - grandparents in town and in charge, then a new baby at home, then no more baby, and a mom and dad who are sad and crying. I can't imagine how that has turned Lexy and Nathan's world upside down. Aaron and I have struggled with how to handle these melt downs that Nathan has been having. He almost throws a tantrum like a 2 year old. Do we give time-out? Do we sit and cuddle? We met with a counselor last week and she suggested that if he is doing something that under "normal" circumstances would have resulted in a time-out, then we should continue to give the time-out and follow it up with extra hugs and reassurance and maybe even some discussion about Hailey.


I have still been struggling with how Nathan reacts to things. He just falls apart and starts screaming and crying about things that seem so silly. It must have been my own brain fog that kept me wondering why he was reacting this way -- duh! Thankfully I had a moment the other day where my fog temporarily cleared and I began to understand his grief. The kitchen counters were a mess - Christmas cards, my purse, the car keys, my phone, baskets, kids cups and a glass of water. I don't remember what I was doing, but I knocked over the glass of water which drenched everything in it's path. Normally this would have been inconvenient, but at that moment my first reaction was to completely fall apart and sit on the floor and cry. I held it together, but as I glanced over at my sweet boy, who was at that moment sitting in time-out for hitting, I understood. Things are just the same for him as they are for me. He is overwhelmed by things that normally are no big deal. He just doesn't have the ability to analyze his feelings or express them in any other way. I am so grateful for this insight I was given. I feel I can be a little more patient with him because he lost his baby too and he is just as sad as I am. And on top of the fog that has covered his brain the poor child only has the ability to comprehend all this on like an eighth of the ability that I do. How hard this must be for him. How confused he must be.


We still have a lot to learn and a lot more grief to pass through before this fog begins to clear. I hope that everyone can be patient with us as we try to be patient with ourselves and each other. I would like to think that with each new day the grief, the fog, the confusion will lessen and it will over time, but at this point each new day can still bring new emotions, new forms of grief, and I think that if we just focus on the day we are in we will have the strength to make it through. Today I feel strong so far. I was able to get out of bed with only a few small tears. So I will make it through today and tomorrow I will deal with tomorrow.

Aaron's Talk from Hailey's Service

I have been wanting to put Aaron's talk on here, but didn't want to do it without asking him first. I finally remembered and with his permission I put his talk below.

Remembering Hailey Elizabeth

November 29, 2009

As I look out among you today I see many faces of loved ones, friends and family. I am so thankful that you all have come to support our family. I speak for all of us when we say thank you for all the loving support you have shown to our family.

We have experienced inexplicable joy and the deepest of sorrow in the last nine days. We welcomed one of God's choicest spirits into our family. The love and beauty and joy that Hailey brought into our lives was intense, immediate and all encompassing. I am so sorry that most of you never got to know her. I only hope that I can paint a picture for you of the amazing person that she was.

I was so proud of this little girl. We were all so excited to meet her and get to know her personality. I was blessed to hold her after she was born and bring her to meet her mommy for the first time. I was able to welcome her into this world and show her only love and kindness. I got to carry Hailey into the recovery room and place her on her little warming table and look on as the nurses gave her a sponge bath. I touched her skin and talked to her. I studied every little feature of her angelic face and tiny hands and feet. She was a little unsettled with this new experience outside of the womb. She needed the comfort only her mommy could provide. She did stop fussing the moment Melica was brought into the recovery room.

I was amazed at how serene and regal Hailey was. She never really cried much after that moment in the recovery room with her mommy. I was amazed at the intense gaze that she had into the eyes of her family. She was a sleepy baby for the most part, but when she opened her eyes and looked into yours, you connected with her deeply. She wanted me to know that she loved me and was thankful for helping her on her journey.

I was able to spend three days with her in the hospital just getting to know her. When she had trouble falling asleep, I would swaddle her in a blanket and lay her on my chest. Yes, I did become an expert swaddler! She was so content and I loved her with my whole being as she rested there. When we brought her home we all got to care for her. Lexy and Nathan were such big helpers and were so gentle with her. Hailey gazed into their eyes just as she did Melica's and mine as to say "I love you brother and sister". I changed lots of diapers it seemed in those six days. This is certainly not a task I cherished in the past, but I considered it an honor to serve Hailey. The nurses even commented on how good I was at it. I don't mean to brag on myself but Hailey had the best diaper changer and swaddler.

I would wake up each morning and thank the Lord for my little sweet angel. I was excited to hold her and kiss her. It was tough to go to work each day and I counted down the hours until I could go home for lunch and be with my family. I don't normally go home for lunch, but I did every day that week. I was there for her first sponge bath and was able to take pictures. I took the one of her on her blue towel that you see down in front on Wednesday.

Hailey was a big fan of the pacifier from day one. This was a blessing for her and for us. When we had to rush Hailey to the hospital on Thanksgiving the nurses had to take blood for tests. I was able to dip her little pacifier in sugar water and hold it for her. This helps babies to endure pain. I was honored to serve her and be there for her in her darkest hours. We held her and comforted her as long as we could. After doing all that the doctors could do they informed us that little Hailey's body could no longer endure. Melica and I then knew that she had to go back home. We were able to go to her side and kiss her face and tell her we loved her and that we would be reunited with her one day. Melica gave her permission to go.

I want to publicly thank my wife for the amazing woman that she is. I stand in awe of her strength and courage. Mothers are in partnership with God and they serve as vessels for the purest of spirits. Mothers perform a sacred duty and they do it with no thought of themselves. I can only strive to be a father equal to that of my children's mother. I want Alexys and Nathan to know how much we love them. I want to be the kind of father that my children deserve to have.

I believe that parenthood is an awesome responsibility. We believe that we lived with our Father in Heaven as spirit children of his before we came to this earth. Our mission is to come to this earth and gain a physical body and live our lives in such a way that would allow us to return home to live with our Father in Heaven again. God planned for us to be born into a family and that parents are responsible for providing physical and spiritual nourishment for each child.

I have felt that the veil between this life and the next has been very thin this last week. The Lord has provided comfort to our family in many ways. The promise of being able to have Hailey with us again is comforting. It was only moments after Hailey passed that I told Melica of the dream I had the night Hailey was born. I was sleeping there on the hospital room couch when I had a dream that Hailey had passed away. The dream was subtle in that Hailey was not herself, but a little teddy bear. It seemed silly that my child was a teddy bear and not a real baby, but sometimes dreams don't make sense. I remember feeling an intense sense of loss and sadness in that dream. I woke up and thought about it, but I dismissed it and put it out of my mind. It was not until Hailey was gone that I realized why I had the dream. The Lord has prepared us for this event in subtle ways and I can now see his tender mercy at work.

I know that our Heavenly Father knows me as an individual. He is aware of our little family and what our needs are, even before we ask. I have learned in my life up to this point that Heavenly Father blesses me with understanding after passing through trials. I have really been blessed in my life and have not had to endure many trials. I was raised in a wonderful family and was shown a lot of love and support. I have not had to struggle with many of life's tragedies because I was raised to obey the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel principles are not given to restrict us, but to provide us with a road map for making correct choices that will afford us the blessings that naturally come from obedience. I don't mean to say that if you do everything right, you will be spared from grief or pain. I only know that when tragedy does come you may be given the strength to endure your trials. The scriptures are full of examples of overcoming trials through your faith. The Lord has told us that he will not give us any trials that we are not able to bare, if we put our trust in him. We have choices to make in this life. We cannot choose what happens to us, we may only choose how we will react. We will choose to live better and love deeper so that we may be worthy to live as an eternal family with Hailey.

I would like to encourage you all to go home today and hug your babies. Love people more freely and look for the good in others. Hailey's life has impacted not only our family, but hopefully all of yours after today. We will not be the same family now. We will live with more purpose and intensity. I believe we are all here to complete our life's mission until we are all one day called back home to our Father in Heaven.

Hailey Elizabeth was too perfect for this earth. She was not required to go through the process of refinement as a result of trials. She will never have to endure the hardships we have to face. All she ever knew was the loving touch of those who cared for her. I cannot think of a better life than that. I am honored to call Hailey daughter and will cherish her all the days of my life until I can hold her in my arms once again.

(I just have to note that I am very aggravated with blogger right now because no matter how many spaces I put between the paragraphs it randomly decided which ones it was going to space and the others it just smashed them together. If anyone has any advice on how to make this dumb program do what I want I will gladly take it!)

The doctor's explanation

The dress that we buried Hailey in.

My only picture of Hailey's feet... all dress in white.

We received Hailey's death certificate a few days after her funeral. On it the cause of death stated the following: Septic shock, Sepsis, Meningitis, Bacteremia, Staphylococcus Aureus. Obviously that is a lot more than we expected to see on there and although we felt like we knew what those things were we felt like we needed a little more explanation.

Last Thursday we were able to sit down with the doctor that treated Hailey in the emergency room and the Children's ICU and ask him some questions. We were a little nervous about this meeting, hoping that it wouldn't just bring more pain. We also worried that the doctor would feel like we were there to find fault and would be hesitant to talk to us. We said a prayer before we went in asking that the doctor would say things that would help us feel peace about Hailey's cause of death.

The doctor was very kind. He told us that he was so sorry and that although he only knew Hailey for a few hours he had become invested in her life and he could only imagine the pain we were experiencing. He explained that some how Hailey had been infected with Staph Aureus. There is no way for us to know where it came from. It is a very common bacteria found on all of our bodies and in our mucus membranes. She was only at the hospital and at home. We didn't take her out anywhere and no one held her but hospital staff and our families. She could have gotten it at the hospital or picked it up from one of us - we will never know. He also said that because babies have no immune system she could have been infected for a few days or only a few hours before we saw any signs.

We wanted to know if we missed signs that she was sick. Because babies don't have immune systems they do not get fevers - this is something I did not know. Their bodies don't have the ability to fight infections like ours, where we would normally get a fever. Somehow the Staph Aureus made it into Hailey's blood stream. That is when it became fatal. Once it was in her blood it spread through her entire body - into every organ and tissue. This caused her body to start to shut down and get cold. The one and only sign we saw was her blue lips, hands, and feet - her temperature was 94.9. The doctor informed us that by the time we saw this it was her bodies way of coping - she was in shock. Her liver and kidneys had already been destroyed and her body was starting to shut down - she was in septic shock.

During our conversation he said, "I don't know if you believe in a higher power, but with Hailey's case I just have to think that someone up there had a different plan for her". This brought us the comfort that we needed. To hear a medical doctor, not of our religion, state that she had somewhere else she was suppose to be, reconfirmed our feelings. Even though we know this already we still need that reassurance.

Grief is a funny thing. Sometimes I feel really strong and know that Hailey fulfilled her mission on earth and feel peace with where she is. Other times I am not so strong and I think of the few hours before she turned blue - what did I miss? What should I have seen? There must have been something I could have done to save her life! In those dark times I have to some how bring myself back to the peace that I know must be deep down inside. Sometimes I just need that reassurance that she is were she is suppose to be and that as the doctor said "someone up there had a different plan for her".

We are grateful that we were able to meet with the doctor. He reassured us that we did everything right. There was nothing else we could have done differently. Once babies get an infection they can pass away within a few hours. She was suppose to go back home. That knowledge brings peace, but unfortunately it doesn't always take away the pain.

What we need...

I know that friends want to know what they can do for us at this time. I have been trying to figure out what I need so that I can let you know. All I know right now is that silence is really hard to deal with. If I am not busy and distracted then grief usually takes over. Even when I am busy, random thoughts like "I should be pushing my baby in a stroller with me as I walk around this mall" pop into my head. If I am not thinking about something specific then I am usually thinking about Hailey. Depending on the day, and more specifically the moment, this does not always mean tears. Sometimes I am strong and feel peace. Other times the sorrow is too much and I can't hold the tears back.

I have been following a blog of a mother that lost her little girl in a drowning accident. I accidentally found it about a year and a half ago and have followed it ever since. I am taking one of her posts and adding it to the bottom of this post. Her name is Stephanie and she created this post about six weeks after she lost her little girl. It was helpful for me as I had a friend lose her little boy just a few weeks later. I thought I would post it for a lack of knowing what else to say about this subject. I feel that most of this post is pretty accurate. I thought about adding my comments to it, but I think I will just leave it as she wrote it for now. I hope this is helpful.

I do want to say THANK YOU for everything that everyone has done so far -- the flowers, the dinners, the cards, the angel ornaments (I will need to post a new picture as I think we have received close to 80 ornaments so far), and the books. (Stephanie comments on books -- I have received a couple and they have been helpful for me, so thank you for the books, too). We have felt so loved by so many thus far and it really has helped us. We cannot express the gratitude that we have enough. THANK YOU!


How to Treat a Friend Who Has Suffered a Loss
by Stephanie
To all those who have done things for and communicated with me. THANK YOU. I know anything you have done or said was an expression of your love and concern for me. I have not been offended by anything anyone has said to me and I appreciate everything people have done for me and given to me. I hope nothing I write will offend any of you or make you think I didn't appreciate something you said or did for me.

Why am I writing this guide? I grew up surrounded by brothers. I often got my feelings hurt by them. My mother taught me early in my life, "Men are obtuse. If you want them to say something or do something, you have to tell them exactly what you want them to say or do." That helped immensely in my family life, dating life, and married life. The same principal applies now. Fortunately, few have been in these terribly painful shoes. At the same time, few know what to do or say.

Luckily, my bishop visited with us in the hospital and on the Sunday Camille died. He took some time informing our church congregation of the news and relaying instructions on how I wanted people to treat me -- what not to say or do and how I would like people to treat me. For all the others out there who do not have this kind of preparation given, I write this guide.

So, someone you know has suffered a great loss. What should you do? What can you say?
I haven't suffered every kind of loss, but I think some of the things in the following guideline will apply to most kinds of loss and for most people. Those of you who have suffered similar loss, feel free to add your opinion in the comments. Those whose loved ones are suffering loss, if I do not address one of your questions of concerns, ask me in a comment and I will see what I can do about that.

1) Acknowledge the Loss. -- Don't let your fear of doing or saying the wrong thing keep you from doing or saying anything. It is important that your friend know you care. How you acknowledge the loss depends on your relationship with the person.

For a stranger - a blog comment, or if you have their address a note telling them how their loss has made you or the world better in some way. My sister in law was deeply affected by a tragedy last year in her neighborhood. A family in a minivan was hit from behind by a semi and their 3 children were all killed. Since this accident a year ago, every time my sister in law passes that exit on the freeway she tells her 3 kids that she loves them. That type of thing is great to relay to the grieving parents.

For a friend or acquaintance - Send a card, an email, flowers, a text message, a voice message, a contribution to a charity. Let them know you are thinking of them and praying for them. If you want to send a gift -- see my notes on the best gifts below.
When you see them for the first time after -- It is best to just give them a quick tight hug and tell them "I love you." Saying you are so sorry for their loss, crying, or talking in depth about the loss just brings up the feelings of pain we are trying so hard to work through. Also, be careful about the look in your eyes. Try to give a look of tender love and confidence. I know it is hard to control things like crying and the look of pity because seeing us makes you think of the loss and it saddens you. But what we need is love, not pity.

For a close friend - This is where things get tricky. We need different things at different times depending on the stage of grief we are in and how we are feeling that hour. When in doubt, ask your friend "What do you need right now? Space, a shoulder, a distraction, a joke, cookies, chocolate, Wii time?" Give them what they need at the time and don't expect the answer will be the same the next day or even the next hour. My friend Kathryn sent me my favorite Sprinkles cupcakes mix!The Red Velvet Chocotherapy was delicious! Thanks Kathryn!

Serve your friend. Most people will not tell you when they really need something. I highly recommend insisting on serving. Don't ask if they need help cleaning. Just show up with your gloves on a cleaner in your hand and ask to see their bathroom. After my first miscarriage, a friend of mine called to see if she could come clean my house. I was hesitant. I couldn't do it but my mom was coming and she could. My friend insisted. "I will clean your place so your mom can spend time tending you," she said. She came over and got on her hands and knees and scrubbed my gross bathroom and cleaned my whole apartment. I will admit, I was a little embarrassed at first, but that act of service forged a bond of love for this friend that is unbreakable. I love Daleen and 8 years later we still are great friends even though we have lived in different cities for the last 6 years. She will be in town visiting me next week. Yeah!

I had so many old friends who came to the funeral. That is another thing a close friend should do if it is possible. Go to the funeral. If it is long distance, your friend will likely not expect you to come. But if you do make that extraordinary effort, your friend will appreciate it.

Family - Come. If it is at all possible, come as soon as you can to surround your family member in unconditional, nonjudgemental love and support. Then do anything you can to help them. Do all the things I wrote in the close friend section. But most importantly just be with them. Even if you don't talk. Just be near them.

2) Want to send a gift?
For Children -- When there is a child involved, sending a fun surprise really can take their mind off of their sorrow for a while. I think "doing types" of gifts are wonderful. My children loved the crafts people sent. My kids happen to really love stuffed animals, I know not all kids do, but mine do and they received several that they treasure. Happy mail from other kids is also a great treat for kids.

For Men: My husband tells me guys don't want stuff. They want distraction -- escapism. They want a guy friend to call them up and invite them out for a guy movie or a game of baseball or whatever else they are into. I have said this before but I also think the Wii or those kinds of distractions are good.

For Women: Sentimental gifts probably top my list. Photos, songs, DVDs, poems, the locket I got, the scrapbook, the magic blanket, tulips. Every gift says "I love you" and so every gift is wonderful.

Books:
Most people who experience a loss also receive a number of grief books. I am no exception. The only problem with grief books is that it is VERY difficult to read anything of any length when you are submerged in grief. Your brain just cannot focus on something other than that which is lost for more than a few moments. So reading ... well ... I managed to skim one or two books on helping children through their grief because I felt it was necessary for me to know this as a mother. That was so hard to do though. I am an avid reader and I have only managed to read one light historical fiction book. It was a bit of escapism for me but even then I was not as into it as I would normally have been. It took weeks before I could even watch TV (well except for SYTYCD). Reading takes so much more concentration than that. I am getting to the point where I think I could read more now, but I am still not up for any book about sad things.
I am sure there is great information in the books that I have. I am not saying no one should send grief books. But I think it would be more helpful if you took the time to read the book before you sent it and pick a few quotes that you think will be the most helpful to the person. Then type those quotes up and insert them in the book with a card. Inspiring and comforting quotes can be uplifting and strengthening. A few salient quotes are about the amount your brain can focus on when drowning in grief. Then later when the brain is more stable, the person can read the book for themselves.

3) Long term care:
Time is a strange thing. I see the date on my calendar is late July but to me it still seems like June. The last 6 weeks have been a blur. The world is moving on, moving forward, but for me, it is strange to think it isn't still June. If someone close to you has lost someone in their immediate family, you should assume that this will be a sorrow to them the rest of their mortal lives. They may not always talk about it. They may not always think about it. But it will never completely go away. I think it is great to "check up on" a friend a couple months after the loss again just to let them know you haven't forgotten their pain. I may write another post on this down the road when I have more experience with the long term end of it.

4) Remembering: You should not be afraid to mention those who have died. We who miss them most enjoy remembering them. We want others to remember them too. They are part of our family whether they are on earth or in heaven. But here I must add a caution. We want to remember our little one but we DO NOT want to remember the circumstances surrounding their death. For most of us, the day our child died or the day they were in the accident that would take their life was the WORST day of our lives. Personally, it is something I want to forever blot out of my memory. So, while it is natural to wonder about the details surrounding how a child died, DO NOT ask this of the grieving parent. If they want to tell you they will do it of their own accord. In the case of accidents, they have already had to relive the experience by telling it to the cops, CPS, and the coroner. Every time I have to tell someone about this day I am immediately taken right back there to all the horrid emotions and crippling questions that surround those events. "How" is just not that important. If you have to ask someone, ask a friend of the family, not the family itself.

5) How are you?: This is an unavoidable question in human society. We answer it everyday several times from loved ones and strangers. It becomes a dreaded question when you are dying inside and don't want to share that with the asker. For those of you grieving, I have found that "I am doing well right now" to be a good answer. If I am not doing well, I stay silent and nod my head. Or I say "good days and bad days." I am sure you have found your own strategies for answering this question as well.

For the askers, if you are really close to the person, I think it is okay to ask. Personally, I am not bothered by this question, but I know many others are. But for most friends, it is better if you just skip that question and say, "Hi. It is great to see you/hear your voice ..." then go onto the business of your call or visit.

I hope this helps some of you know how to deal with those who have experienced loss. I may have another installment later if I think of more things or if there are enough questions that need answering. Till then I will answer one of your burning questions. "How am I?"
"Today I am doing very well."

Message from Santa for Alexys

Click on the title above to see a special message that Santa sent to Lexy.

Message from Santa for Nathan

Click on the title above to see the special message that Santa sent to Nathan.

Hailey's Angel Tree

We were able to decorate Hailey's Angel tree tonight. We had my parents, Aaron's parents, Julia and Sterling and Aaron, Lexy, Nathan and I here. We started by watching Hailey's video and then we all took a minute to say something about her. The spirit was strong here. I'm sure that Hailey was with us as we could all feel of her love and her sweet spirit. We have been given so many beautiful gifts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed an angel for her tree. Each family member took a turn adding an angel ornament to the tree until it had been fully decorated. It looks beautiful. I just love it!

Hailey's Tree

Despite how hard yesterday was, or maybe because of it, last night before I went to bed was the first time, for me, that I really feel like I felt Hailey's presence. I felt like she was there giving me a hug and finally felt some peace. I was so grateful for that and hoped that it could carry me through the night and into the next day.

I really wanted to have a happier day today. When I woke up this morning I didn't get out of bed right away because the house was quiet. If the kids were up they were playing nicely. This is normally a time when I would have loved to close my eyes again and try to go back to sleep, taking full advantage of the quiet. It is different now. Quiet is not good. I immediately began to think of Hailey and how if she were here I would most likely be awake feeding her or would have finished and snuck her into bed with me. But I did not have a baby to feed or to snuggle with. I realized that if I continued to lay still my day would not be any better than yesterday, so I grabbed my scriptures and read them for a while. Then I grabbed my journal. I am behind in recording all that has happened over the past two weeks. I wrote in that for a while and then Nathan appeared. My saving grace. I no longer had to find something to fill the quiet. Before I got out of bed I thought about the peace I felt last night and decided that I would work really hard to keep that peace with me today.

Our friends the Montierths offered to come get the kids and take them to their house to play for the day. I don't feel like I need a break from the kids, but I think that it is a much needed distraction for the kids to go play with friends. They had a great time. Thank you Montierths.

While the kids were gone Aaron and I drove all over Ft. Myers looking for Hailey's tree. We have been given so many beautiful angel ornaments from friends to decorate Hailey's Angel tree with. We can't wait to get them on the tree. It took us most of the day, but we finally found a tree that we felt was Hailey worthy. We put it up tonight, but didn't have time to decorate it with the ornaments so hopefully we will do that within the next couple of days.

Overall I stayed fairly happy today. The problem I think is that I just didn't allow myself to feel today. Anytime I felt the sadness coming I immediately changed thoughts and pushed the sadness out of my mind. I'm not sure that is a very healthy way to deal with the grief. I don't think that suppressing it all the time is going to make things better. However, for today it allowed us to have a day that somewhat resembled our old "normal" life. For today it was nice.

Waves of Grief

Today has been a particularly hard day. I feel like the first few days of this week weren't that bad. I think because things were still kind of busy. We had Aaron's parents staying with us to help out when Hailey arrived. It was great to have them here - we really could not have made it without them. They helped so much with Lexy and Nathan - taking them to school and picking them up, taking them to the park, playing with them, distracting them and keeping them busy. Nathan has had a hard time adjusting to all of the change. I think just having Grandma and Grandpa in charge has been challenging for him - he likes to push the limits and he definitely tried and tested his grandparents. We thank Wes and Elaine for their patience with that. Then the arrival of a new baby is always an adjustment for the older siblings and to have her leave just as quickly as she came has been hard for the kids. Nathan has expressed more emotion about it than Lexy has. He constantly says that he misses her. We talk about how she is in heaven and we will see her again some day. Then he asks when she is going to come home. We've explained it every way we can. I think he will just have to get older before he can truly understand.

Some of the hardest moments for me over the last couple of days have been thinking at different moments that I should have a baby with me. I had a doctors appointment this morning and I told Aaron that I just wished that I had a baby screaming in the back seat because she was hungry and we were late for her feeding. As a new mom you never wish for those moments, but I would take anything that meant my baby was still here with me. I'm suppose to have her in my arms when we are reading scriptures and saying prayers with the kids at night. I should have her in the baby sling while making hot chocolate with the kids. I should be taking her for her two week check-up. I could go on and on....

There are so many people that are expecting to meet Hailey and when they see us they say with a huge smile, "How's the baby?" We have to tell them that she has passed away, which is the last thing they are expecting to hear, then I almost feel like I have to comfort them because they are so shocked they don't know what to say. Those are some of the hardest moments we are having to deal with now. I just wish there was a set time and once we reached that point the grief would be gone. Then I could look forward to that moment. Unfortunately life will never be the same for our family and we have to accept that.

Hailey's Memorial Service

Hailey Elizabeth Leishman

November 20, 2009-November 26, 2009

Memorial Service held November 29, 2009 @ 1:30 pm

I thought that I would put my talk on here that I gave at Hailey's memorial service on Sunday.

I didn't have my sweet baby girl long enough to:

• take pictures of her hands and feet.
• to get her dressed up in a cute outfit with a bow in her hair.
• to hear her babble or coo.
• to see as many of her "firsts" as I would have liked.
• or to watch her grow and develop into the beautiful woman I know she was to become.

But, I had her for six amazing days and in those six days I spent time with the most amazing baby girl. She came out crying the biggest crocodile tears you've ever seen. Even the nurses were amazed. Aaron and I feel very strongly that she knew her mission here on earth would be a short one. Heavenly Father also knew her mission would be short and blessed us with many special and sacred experiences to help prepare us for what was to come. I would like to share something that I wrote in my journal on September 26th of this year.

The main reason I picked up my journal this morning was to write about my feelings about this pregnancy. We are having a baby girl and have decided to name her Hailey Elizabeth. I don't know why but I feel a really strong connection with this sweet spirit within me. Her spirit is so strong and my love for her is stronger than I have felt with my other pregnancies at this point. I always instantly love and bond with my babies when they are born, but I feel like I already know Hailey. The analytical part of me wonders why this baby is different. Is there something physically wrong with her? Will something happen and I won't be able to raise her? Or will she have disabilities? The spiritual side of me wants to think that she is just one of those amazing spirits that shines and glows of strength and sweetness. Either way, she and I already have a strong, beautiful connection and I am grateful for that. I am excited and anxious to hold her in my arms!

I have to note that both of my hunches were correct. I was blessed with a baby who had one of those amazing spirits that did shine and glow of strength and sweetness. She and I had a bond that we shared long before I could actually touch her cheeks or kiss her nose. I will always cherish that.

We have shared with the kids that because her spirit was so beautiful and strong that she didn't have to come to earth like the rest of us to be tried and tested. She only had to come to gain her body and she could go home to our Heavenly Father. With that perspective I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing her to be a part of our family for six amazing days so that we did have the time to...

• look deep into her eyes and feel of the love she had for us. She looked into every one of our eyes with intensity as if to say, "Please know how much I love you!"
• to fall in love with her beautiful face and features and her "little man" hair - long on the sides and back and practically bald on top.
• to have her grip tightly to each one of our fingers as to give us a hug to let us know she will miss us and love us forever.
• to marvel at the size of her feet - we were sure that she would become a basketball player one day.
• to snuggle with her and feel the softness of her skin against our cheeks.
• to give her lots and lots of kisses - even Eskimo and butterfly kisses.
• to learn that her personality was one of love, sunshine, sweetness and purity.
• and to fall madly and deeply in love with her.

My tears have not been tears of anger or hate. They are tears of missing and heartache for the loss of the things I listed in the beginning that I will not be able to do with my sweet angel on this earth. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that she and our family will be reunited again some day. It will make the days on this earth seem longer than they use to be, but I am a fighter. I will work hard to live the best life I can live for her and for the two beautiful children that I still have here. I know a few "Angel mom's" and they are some of the strongest, amazing and most spiritual women you will ever meet. It is my turn to become one of those women.

I love my Heavenly Father. I am forever grateful for the time he allowed us to be with Hailey and for all of the sacred moments we shared with her and for the ways that he prepared us for what was to come. Aaron and I were both at peace with the situation when she passed, knowing deep down inside our broken hearts that she was not suppose to stay with us any longer. It was time for her to return home. I know that she is safe and happy there and I look forward to the day that we can wrap our arms around each other and be an eternal family.

Hailey Elizabeth Leishman

I am not sure if this video is going to work. I hope it does. This is our sweet Hailey Elizabeth. I believe that most of you know by now, but our sweet angel was called home unexpectedly to be with her Heavenly Father on Thanksgiving Day. We thought that she was a healthy baby girl, but when I went to change her diaper at about noon on Thanksgiving I noticed that her lips, hands and mouth were blue. We took her to the emergency room where they worked on her tirelessly for hours. Her little body could take no more and she left us at about 8:30 that evening. We are heartbroken that we do not have our sweet Hailey with us physically anymore, but we are comforted to know that she is with our Heavenly Father. We are also grateful that her time in the hospital hooked up to so many tubes and IV's was but a few short hours. Her mission on this earth was meant to be a short one and we are at peace with that. We have had many special spiritual experiences that have given us comfort over the last week and a half. We love our sweet angel baby and miss her dearly!

We have a new baby!

Announcing Hailey Elizabeth Leishman - born Friday, November 20th at 10:32 am. She weighed 7lbs. 4oz. and is 19.75 in. long. I have to thank Julia and Sterling for these pictures. We thought we were coming all prepared with the camera, video camera and laptop so that we could put pictures up immediately. The only thing we forgot was the card reader for the camera, so we can't get any of our pictures on the blog yet. So, we will have to post more later.


Hailey is doing well. She is a typical newborn - very sleepy and not very interested in eating. We are having a bit of a problem with her latching on, but we are not giving up. I am recovering fairly well from my c-section and look forward to getting rid of the pain.


The kids have been really good with Hailey so far. Lexy is a natural mommy and is already telling Nathan to be careful. Nathan had been very gentle and also loves to hold Hailey. We will keep our fingers crossed that they continue with such loving behavior and jealousy doesn't take over. I will put some more pictures on when we get home and I have my card reader.

Belly Pictures

I have not been a good picture taker during this pregnancy. I feel like my life is so crazy that taking belly pictures just has not been a priority. I know that later I will wish I had some, especially since I have been in probably the best shape of any of my pregnancies. So, I finally took one. I'm going to spare everyone the bare belly shot on the blog. I have a couple other pictures that I have taken while pregnant, although they weren't specifically "belly" shots. I will post them just for my sake.

This picture is from our disney cruise over the 4th of July. I was approximately 20 weeks.

This picture is from our trip to Gainesville for the Gator game. I was bummed that I didn't get a picture of Aaron and I at the game so we took one with the family in the hotel the next day.

Here I am this past week - four weeks away from delivery.

Aint it great to be a Florida Gator!

So.....not to make all you Gators too jealous, but Aaron and I had the opportunity to go to a Gator game a couple of weeks ago against Arkansas. It was so much fun! We haven't been back for a game since we left over 7 years ago. The opportunity to get the tickets came a week before the game so we worked quickly to figure out what to do with the kids. Without going into all of the details I just want to give a HUGE thanks to the Haddocks - both families. We couldn't have gone without you!

We hadn't really looked too closely at the tickets prior to the game. We we got there we found out that we were in the first row of the end zone! It was so much fun to be that close to the players and all the action.

Here you can see Albert and Alberta coming to join us for some cheering.

Here the Gators were right in front of us. You can see Tebow (#15)!
The little dot in the sky is a ball coming through for a field goal. When the Gators had been practicing their kicks before half time ended I realized that when they kicked the 50-yarders the ball came in really low and barely missed us. At one point during the second half the Gators had to kick a field goal from around the 40 yard line. I turned to Aaron and said, "You are going to catch this one". They kicked it and he jumped for it and barely missed it. It bounced off of someone behind us and came up and hit my arm. It was soooo close! What a blast!

The other fabulous thing was the weather. I had been concerned about being outside standing or sitting for 3-4 hours in 90 degree weather. It has been so hot down here despite that fact that it is October and being 8 months pregnant in that kind of heat is not kind to the body. However, on Friday while we were driving up an amazing cold front rolled into town and we sat through that game in the 60's! It was so beautiful. It was great to be outside and it even allowed me to make a 45-minute hike up to the stadium without swelling beyond repair!

It was just a great trip - a wonderful, relaxing, get-a-way that helped relieve all the stress that I have been feeling lately. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to go. (Thanks again Haddocks, we are sooooo grateful to you!)

Sleepless nights......already?

It is currently 3:55 am. I have been awake since 2-ish. This has been the story of this pregnancy. This has been the strangest, worst, yet best pregnancy I have had. I was soooo sick in the beginning. The entire time I have not slept well. It usually starts with having to go to the bathroom and then....I am wide awake, usually for a few hours. My luck is to fall back asleep about 45 minutes before the alarm goes off so that I have that "felt like I've been hit by a mack truck" feeling. Most times I just toss and turn trying my hardest to go back to sleep. Tonight is actually the first night I decided to get on the computer and catch up on all my blog reading - it's been a while. I think that being so sick in the beginning really helped with the weight gain. With Nathan I put on about 45 pounds. This go round I am seven months along and have only put on 16 pounds --nice! I am hoping that I will keep it under 30 total this time - you never know about those last two months and well...my appetite has arrived! Also with Nathan I had placenta previa and was not allowed any exercise after week 20. This time I have been able to keep up with the exercise and I think that has really helped keep the weight off and I don't have anywhere near the aches and pains I had last time. So aside from the exhaustion, which I am still plagued by, I actually feel really good and can't complain at this point. Yay!

I was contemplating a "natural" delivery with this baby since the only reason I had a c-section with Nathan was because of the placenta previa, so I sought out the only Dr. in Lee county that will do a v-back and am currently driving 45 minutes to Cape Coral to see him. However with lots of thought and discussions with the Dr. we have decided that with my history of complications (which I won't go into now) it is safer to have another c-section. At this point I don't know if the date is officially scheduled because they were having a hard time getting through to the hospital, but hopefully we are going to have this baby on Nov. 20th. I am due the day after Thanksgiving, but since we have the opportunity to schedule this I thought it would be nice to have a few days to recover before I host Thanksgiving at my house.

So..... I'm sure that you are all on pins and needles wondering what this baby is going to be.... Well, thanks to I kind post and gentle nudge from my friend Stacey I decided that I should go ahead and take this time to finally get a post on here and spill the beans....Thanks Stacey:)

We are going to have a baby girl! Her name is going to be Hailey Elizabeth. Lexy is very excited. Nathan and Aaron were rooting for a boy, but the girls won - in fact we won ice cream because we "knew" it was a girl and had had a little contest going with the boys who just "knew" it was going to be a boy. --There's no messing with a mama's intuition!

We have started the preparations - Lexy and Nathan moved into the same room and got bunk beds a few weeks ago. They have adjusted well. We are having to sell Lexy's bedroom furniture because we realize that she will probably never use it again since the girls will most likely room together later and we are hoping we can get more for it if we sell it as a set. Until the furniture is gone we can't really set up the baby's room, which is killing me because I have really been hit by the "nesting bug"! I am ready to go through and re-organize my entire house and would do it too if I only had more time and energy :0). I have had so many projects that I wanted to get done over the summer that never were accomplished. We finally just finished one and that was getting our food storage put away. I went to Time Out for Women back in March and purchased a TON of food storage because there was a '20% off and free shipping' deal. It has been stacked against the wall in our entry since then. It has definitely been a conversation piece when people come over and see 25 boxes stacked in our house. Anyway we discovered unused space at the top of our bedroom closet and finally got some extra shelving put up and the food storage is no longer in our entry- Yay! Now I have the itch to go through everything else in the closet and reorganize it so it looks as good as the nicely stacked food storage. :0)

Well, I think it is time for me to try to go back to sleep so I am going to sign off for now -- Good night all.

Way Overdue

I know that this post is WAY OVERDUE, but I am going to give an excuse...Now,whether it is truly valid or not......I don't know, but it is still my excuse. :o) As you can plainly see by the picture below I am pregnant with baby #3. This has been my hardest pregnancy yet. I felt ill from the time I ate breakfast until I went to bed up until about a couple of weeks ago. I still have my moments, but it is definitely getting better. My other issue has been exhaustion. I have been soooo tired. I can get 8 hours at night, a 2 hour nap in the day and still feel like I haven't slept for a month. It has been really hard. I am trying to patiently await the point when I have lots of energy....it hasn't happened yet. I don't know that I am going to be able to catch up on all the posts I haven't done, but hopefully I will at least be able to keep up from here on out.

This is my ultrasound done at 12 weeks. I am 18 weeks today. I will hopefully have another ultrasound in the next few weeks that will give us a little hint as to whether this little "peanut" is a boy or girl. We will keep you posted!

Time Out For Women

I need to do something about my current blog situation. It is getting to the point where I feel I am so far behind it is overwhelming and I am trying to ignore it. That is never a good thing, I know! It is kind of like the pile of papers in the kitchen that will soon be larger than the counter. I just keep thinking that if I ignore it long enough it will go away! I know better than that, but I just haven't pulled myself out of that funk yet. So, I thought I would start with the blog. I know deep down that if I just devoted 10 minutes a day to this (and the pile of papers or whatever other disaster is waiting for me) that I could catch up and all would be good. So here is my attempt at that.


I was blessed this weekend to be able to go to Time Out For Women. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a weekend away from kids and husbands (not that we don't miss them the whole time). It is a weekend of fabulous spiritual enrichment and enjoyment. I came home this weekend just feeling so full -spiritually and mentally. We actually had a group of about 10 go from our ward. I drove a few of us up. We left early Friday morning and went to the Temple before our classes started that night. Then we went all day on Saturday and drove home that evening. I wanted to write a couple of things that I know were meant for me.

Cheiko Okazaki spoke first. She talked about how she taught school for 20-something years. One of the things that she said that really hit me was that after you teach a correct principal to your child you must then let them govern themselves. I know that I spend too much time "helping" my children and not enough time letting them solve their own problems. Sometimes it is because I can "get it done so much faster", or because I want to show them how to "do it right". I am pretty sure that I hated that as a child. So, I have vowed to let my children make their own decisions (within reason) and do things for themselves. One thing we always struggle with is Lexy getting ready for school in the morning. We probably tell her 20 times to get dressed and 20 times to eat faster because she is running out of time. So Monday came and I told her that I know that she is old enough and responsible enough to get all ready for school without me telling her what to do. She did really good except for brushing her hair. It was really hard for me not to tell her to brush her hair. I did suggest that she look in the mirror and see if there is anything else that she needed to do to be ready for school - she got it and brushed her hair (phew). This morning she wanted to iron her shirt. She has ironed a couple of times with my supervision. I know she can do it, but I am just too afraid of what could happen. So this morning I decided to let her do it by herself. I even walked out of the room. I am making progress!

Emily Watts was the next speaker. She had two things that were really good for me to hear. 1. She posed the question, "What if the fruits of my parenting has less to do with how my children turn out than how I become as a parent?" She said when we view it this way, it doesn't matter what mistakes our children make, what matters is how we deal with it. 2. She also said, "The fruit of your life is You - not your children, your job, or your accomplishments. What matters is who we serve and who we become". I hope that I can keep this close to my heart and think about it the next time I am about to lose it with my children.

The following are a few simple statements that I liked by the other speakers...

**Don't be consumed with the Gotta-do's and the Oughta-be's - just focus on Christ.

**When we strive to walk on water by ourselves we will sink, but when we allow the Lord to hold our hand we can walk on water.

**Even when life is hard, God is good to us.

**Ingratitude is like a carnival mirror that distorts our reality.

**Gratitude opens the windows of heaven....it is a saving principle because is saves us from ourselves and our negativity.

I have a new niece!

I have a lot to catch up on, but I couldn't wait to put up some pictures of my brand new niece, Ella Madison Davis. She was born on February 24th, weighing 7 pounds, 10 oz. She and Valerie are both doing fine and hopefully they will get to go home this morning. I wish we weren't so far away so that I could love on her, but I guess I will just have to wait. :o(