18 Months

It's been exactly 18 months since I held my boy. 1 and 1/2 years...it seems absolutely unbelievable to look at those numbers. How is it even possible that I have lived that long without him????


Some people still ask once in a while how we are doing. Other's have stopped asking altogether...assuming I guess that we must be "over it" by now. Although we will never, ever be "over it", in many ways we are doing "ok". Somehow life does go on...


Brad no longer has to play "Mr Mom" at home and keep the household running. This has given him much more time to devote to his business, which in turn has helped it grow tremendously. Although he misses Noah so much, he loves to share Noah's story with everyone he meets.


Kailyn has struggled with sleep issues since Noah's death. She was spending every night in our room during the first few months. Gradually the nights have improved, and she is able to sleep through the night in her own room. She did decide to claim the room on the main floor that was meant to be Noah's room. It is still decorated with many "Noah" touches and she is much happier there. She still has some pretty emotional days where she falls apart, but for the most part she has adjusted well.


Joshua has never shown much outward emotion or grief. But I know he processes things in his own way and every so often out of the blue, he'll sigh and say "I miss Noah." He still prays faithfully each and every night that Noah will have a good time in heaven.


As for myself...my life has completely changed. I have been back at work for about a year now. I did take a different nursing position with home care as I really needed a fresh start and my job is really a perfect fit for me right now. I have time that I never had before....time to take care of myself, to exercise, to eat right, to spend time with friends, to enjoy my other kids, to travel, to sleep through the night. It has taken me a long time to figure out how to live a "normal" life. As strange as that may sound, I really had forgotten how to do that. I am still in the process of learning how to live this new life. It's one day at a time.

Slowly, I have sorted through Noah's things, giving some away and storing or displaying the most treasured ones. We sent boxes of medical supplies to Romania to be used by a missionary couple. My mom made a beautiful quilt with some of our favorite items of clothing that we snuggle up with on the couch. But the crib still remains in our room. I don't know why that is the one thing I have been unable to tackle, but there is a comfort in having it there. There have been many days where I have felt ready to take it down, but both Brad & I just never seem to be able to get around to doing it. Perhaps it is the huge gaping space it will leave there, or perhaps it is just one last reminder that our lives are completely changed. And so for now it will continue to sit there for as long as we need it to.


The waves of grief still hit me...some days just as intense as if I was back in that ICU room...some days it still takes all my willpower to get out of bed. All I can do is ride them out, knowing that when the wave subsides, I will be able to laugh and enjoy myself...until the next one hits. I long for my old life back. I long to be eating crappy hospital food...to wake up with an aching back from sleeping yet another night on those hospital chairs...to be stuck in that hospital room thinking I just might go crazy watching baby einstein for the millionth time...to be woken multiple times a night from beeping pumps...to fall asleep to the gentle rise and fall of the oxygen concentrator. I miss planning my day around Noah's TPN schedule and meds. I miss the people who loved and cared for my son. I miss the craziness of our life with Noah. I just really, really miss my son.


A year and a half without my sunny boy.


A year and a half closer to seeing him again...