Three Generations

This beautiful family, of three generations, had a windy & cold day, but they still had fantastic smiles!

Denver, Shannon, & Declan

Declan was so fun to hang around with at our session this past Sunday.  I really liked watching him play and interact with the surrounds at Inniswood Gardens in Westerville.  I definitely got a work-out in chasing him around and running ahead of him to capture his smiles.  He was such a ham too!  At one point he was doing push-ups!  He also has a great imagination!  He invited me to take a ride on the elevator with him... in the treehouse :)

Push-ups!

Spelling his name, but he was not impressed with using an upside down U as the N.

What a handsome guy!

 I don't remember what they were looking at, but it must have been pretty interesting!

MORE TO COME!!

Shannon, infertility, loss & appreciation

     When my husband, Denver, and I decided we were ready for a family, we never

realized what a journey it would be, filled with so many layers of emotional highs and

lows. After about a year of trying with no success, we embarked into a dark world. One

full of medical tests, questions from well-meaning family and friends, and mostly anxiety-

“Would this dream that I’d always had of being a mother ever come true?” During this

time, I did an online search and found our local Resolve infertility support group. We

met friends through this group, and some would become lasting relationships. There is

something cathartic about being with those who have a similar story. Through this

group, we also found a local doctor that found the medical problem that kept us from

conceiving. I was diagnosed with endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes, also

known as tubal factor infertility. After years of surgeries and medication without

success, my doctor suggested In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). In June 2009, we started our

In Vitro cycle, and on June 27, 2009, my reproductive endocrinologist called me at

approximately 2:00 p.m., and said the words I longed to hear- “You are pregnant.” I

remember sitting in disbelief. On July 14, 2009, our first ultrasound revealed triplets. We

were in shock, but felt grateful that not only had God blessed us, but that he was giving

us three children. Unfortunately, two weeks later, our triplet stopped developing but I

carried our remaining two, a boy and a girl. My pregnancy was difficult. Soon after, we

learned that our daughter most likely had a chromosomal abnormality, and most of our

pregnancy was consumed with testing and morose looks from doctors. After a

particularly discouraging doctor’s appointment, Denver brought me an encouraging card

depicting a picture of a tree. The card’s message was to portray the symbol of the

resilience of a tree that’s still standing after years of being knocked around. Denver and

I both saw “Willow” in a baby book, and liked it, but after that card, we knew her name.

On December 27, 2009, my dream of becoming a mother came true- Declan Aaron and

Willow Bridget were born. They were premature, so both were in the NICU. Declan

stayed at the St. Ann’s NICU where he was born, but Willow was transferred to

Children’s Hospital as she had many complicated medical issues related to her

chromosomal abnormality. The next 11 days were truly a whirlwind as we spent every

minute of our days going back and forth between hospitals visiting the babies. It was an

emotional rollercoaster, because when we visited Declan, we heard how well he was

doing, but when we visited Willow, she struggled and it was grim. On January 7, 2010,

our little girl gained angel wings. That night, our hearts broke and a piece of us died with

her. Yet another piece of our hearts were filled with pride- we were told most babies

with this condition are never even born, and the ones who are, only live hours. Willow

lived for 11 days! She FOUGHT. She knew how much she was wanted. She knew we

believed in her. We had very little time with her on earth, but we had her for a few days.

Those days we cherish. It was a challenging time for us after her passing, because

while we grieved for Willow, we had to nurture our surviving child who was thriving

despite his prematurity. One of his nurses who had a particular attachment to him was

tucking his tiny little legs into the blanket in the isolette. He very aggressively kicked his

leg out of the blanket. Every time she would put his leg in, he would kick it out. She

laughed and told me that she had no doubt he was going to be feisty. He showed us

even in those early days that he would “march to the beat of his own drum.” His current

age is three and a half, and this rings true! Declan is my reason for waking up in the

morning. I still revel in joy and disbelief when he calls me mommy. There were so many

days when I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear those words. Despite our struggle and loss, we

look at our feisty, smart, sensitive, creative, funny red-haired boy, and I am amazed at

the gift we’ve been given. He is our joy. He is our life. He made it all worth it. He is our

happy ending.