Category Archives: Holidays without our baby

Blue Christmas

My dear sweet Lucy,

Hi little one. It’s another Christmas without you, and not much has changed since last year. Truthfully, I didn’t want to get out of bed today because all I could think about was that I didn’t get to get up, give you a good morning kiss, and show you all of the magic that Christmas holds for little tykes like you (should have been).  I’m sure you’d have been noticing so much this year. Not being able to experience it with you is torture.

Your mommy is pretty blue this morning. My heart is not quiet- it’s tempest-tossed and turbulent. There’s not a damn thing that’s fair about today, and I’m having a hard time being happy about anything today has to offer. Seems like everyone else we know is probably getting up to a happy, content Christmas morning, all on their best behaviors all day, appreciating the special moments they’ll share with their loved ones. It’s days like these I just wish I could press the fast-forward button on. Days like this make it hard for me to keep my promise to you that I’ll live well everyday. I’m working on it, but all I can think about is all the memories we’ll never get to make together.

No matter what, and especially today, you are always alive in my heart. You are loved beyond measure, and you will always be our precious child. I miss you with all of my being, baby girl, I just miss you so much.

Merry Christmas, Lucy. I love you.

Always,

Mommy

It’s Not Easy Right Now

I’ve been having a hard time lately. We’ve been having a hard time lately. Coping with grief and dealing with disappointment on top of grief is so difficult. It’s hard for Chris and I to keep our chins up… we haven’t been dealing well with getting bad news each month. “More of the same” is a common phrase in our house, one we used to say in conjunction with the long winter parts of the school year (sort of like a “Groundhog’s Day” film reference, you know, the same day repeating over and over again…), but now, it’s used to describe our lives entirely. Only it isn’t funny anymore.

I’m starting to worry that there’s something wrong, starting to wonder if we’re not meant to have another pregnancy. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be thinking so “irrationally”, but the hope is running out. We’ve become conditioned to accept disappointment, and let’s face it, to expect the worst. It feels like I am completely out of control of everything in my life. I’m tired of feeling like I’m just a passenger on a runaway bus. From my job to my fertility (or lack thereof) to my sleeping habits to my entire life in general, I feel completely out of control. I don’t know how to feel better about any of it right now. I hate this existence. Grief touches all corners of my life, and it’s killed my motivation, my drive, my give-a-damn. I feel like a prisoner in my own life.

I miss Lucy, and lately, I feel so far away from her and that scares me. It’s hard to articulate how I’m feeling– I’ve had a serious case of writer’s block. I just don’t know how to say what I need to say. I barely made my deadline for writing my Still Standing article due out on the 12th, and even after finishing it, I am intensely self-conscious about it. I’ve been doubting myself, and I don’t know how to regain trust in myself. I am a lost soul these days.

I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning; my first thought was, “My life is legitimately a living hell”. I feel guilty for saying that, I do, but I just don’t know when it’s supposed to get better. I am so blessed in so many ways- I know this- but I am barely getting by. I thank my lucky stars daily for my husband… without him, I wouldn’t have survived this grief, no way. He’s been picking me up and pushing me through, loving me when I cannot love myself. I can’t imagine my life without him. I just wish I could be stronger for him so he wouldn’t have to carry so much of this burden. I keep trying to center my thoughts on how much I love Chris and Lucy, and it’s what makes me capable of surviving each day.

The holiday season is making things much more difficult… I can’t stand the idea of another Christmas without Lucy, but I have no choice but to deal with it. We did get a tree for her again; I love sitting in the glow of the tree lights, thinking of her. Mostly, I try to imagine all of the memories we should be making now.

But mostly, I’m just sad.

Happy Thanksgiving, Or Something Like That…

It’s not that I’m not thankful. I am thankful for so many things. I could list the many things I’m grateful for, but there’s one thing missing from that list: I am thankful for my happy, thriving, beautiful living daughter. I don’t get to put that one on my list, and honestly, it’s still hard to see past that.

I don’t mean to seem bitter or unappreciative, but I simply can’t help but feel surly and grouchy now that the holidays have arrived. I have been dreading this time of year, and honestly can’t wait for it to be over with. The biggest perk for me is the time off work. There won’t be any happy, holly jolly merriment for me. I realize it’s been a long while since Lucy died, and that the vast majority might wonder why I can’t just set my grief aside and be present in all things wonderful, but I just can’t.

I made a big mistake around this time last year. I dared to imagine things would be different this year for the holiday season. I thought for sure that by now we’d be pregnant again, looking toward the future with hope and optimism. I was wrong. I don’t say things like that anymore, either aloud or to myself. Things are exactly the same, and the disappointment is tangible. The longing, sadness, and depression is still as real now as it was a year ago. I miss Lucy as much now as I ever have. It’s too painful to even try imagining what this day should be like with her here; but, I suppose it’s no different than any other day. And I’ve survived all of those days, just as I will today.

I miss my Lucy. And, even though I’m sad, I’ll always be thankful that she is ours and we are hers.