Tuesday, March 8, 2011

5 Generations

We took Karter to meet my Great Grandma and his Great Great Grandma
5 Generations.
My Grandma is 96 years old and only within the past year has been living in an assisted living home.  She is healthy as can be and still knows how to hold precious Karter.  She was so excited to meet him and even more amazed at his "Levi's."  She could not believe they made them so small!  This is my dad's dad's mother.  How neat is that!  We had one of these pictures taken with Kaden too! She has two Great Great Grandchildren! Imagine what she must feel like to see her family grow like this!

Karter is getting more and more alert these days:
-He weighs approximately 11 and a half pounds (stepping on the scale with and without him)
-He has now smiled at me, Rusty, and Grandma Addington
-He loves to look at faces and stare at them
-He loves to look at lights/fans
-He is such a little snuggler!
-He now wears 0-3 month and 3 month outfits (yes he is only 6 weeks!)

6 weeks

I have been thinking alot about these next few weeks.  Kaden was 177 days old when he passed away.  If he were to have been born on his original due date September 23rd he would have only been 68 days old.  That would have made him a corrected age of approximately 9 weeks.  Karter is a little over 6 weeks old right now and ddevelopmentally he was about where Kaden was (minus the head control.)  They both have now smiled at me.  A time with Kaden that will be treasured forever and moments with Karter that will never be taken for granite
Karter has been able to do things I did not do with Kaden.  I took Kaden to Yogurt Land and Jersey Mikes only one time for Rusty and I to go on a date.  I also took him to Hobby Lobby once.  The only places Kaden was able to go was our house and my moms and he went to Rusty's parents once or twice I can't remember exactly.  We were not able to take him around little kids at all.  He was not able to meet all his cousins nor my cousins for that matter.  It makes me sad.  I wish they were able to have bonded with him and got to know him. 

Karter has been able to meet all his cousins and mine.  All of his Aunts and Uncles have held him.  He has gone out with us to restaurants and on errands with me.  To pack him up in the car is quick and easy.  Kaden took a little more time and effort but we did not care! 

I have not took Karter to church with us yet.  It makes me so nervous. People sometimes bring their kids to church sick (I hate it but it's true)  and I think I still have that paranoidness from Kaden lingering within me.  I fear Karter will somehow get sick and wind up in the hospital and die.  There I said it.  When one of your children dies you are not protected from having another die too.  Makes me sick to my stomach! 

Pretty soon it will feel like Kaden is not the "oldest" sibling because Karter will surpass him Developmentally even though Kaden was just shy of 6 months old when he died.  That makes me sad.  I have been thinking about this alot. 

But one thing that is neat to me is that one day Karter will ask me to tell him stories about his older brother.  And he will get to know him through my memories.  I am so grateful for the memories......

It is weird for me to think I have been a mother for over 15 months but my babies are all about 2ish months in "age."  Not too sure how fair that is....to them or for me...

Holding Karter....Missing Him....

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Lunch

This thing we call grieving.  Mourning for the loss of a loved one.  It is interesting.  I went to lunch with the girls today.  We are all apart of the "club."  We have all had children.  All of them had died after either a couple hours or around the age of 2.  There was 12 of us and not everyone was there.  We are all in different stages and it made me ponder today.... 

We all get together for lunch and sometimes we talk about our little angels but sometimes it is just normal conversation and sometimes we do both.  Today I have been thinking alot about where I am at in my grief.  I am in a better place than when I first went to these "club" lunches. 

The first one I came home to my mom and cried my eyes out realizing why I was in this "club" and how it was just oh so unfair (and it is).  I was almost angry at anyone who had brought another one of their children.  I never admitted that out loud to anyone but I definitely thought it- like how dare you bring your child...I lost my only child!! HELLO! (even though they all had lost at least one child....I had this thought about everyone....like how DARE you) I was consumed with thoughts about wishing I did not loss my Kaden.  Thoughts about him and how unfair and how NO one understood my pain consumed my EVERY waking thought.

The second lunch I went to....I had healed enough to a place that I was not consumed with so much anger.  I never used to think it was an anger stage until I really took a look back at it.  It is still there to a degree and sometimes worse than others but just different now.  I was pregnant with Karter last lunch.  We talked about me finding out what I was having and I was just on edge about knowing how the next couple months would pan out. 

The lunch I went to today was much different.  I can't even believe it has been 15 months.  I still remember my friend telling me one day at her house before I was pregnant and even thinking about being pregnant that I could have a baby in 15 months (enough time for it to have been a year since Kaden was born and for a 9 month pregnancy.)  Here I am 15 months later....and I have another baby. 

Karter has helped me feel like a mom again.  I always knew I was a mother and I am still and forever will be Kaden's mother but for me it was so hard to become a mother and then BAMB one day not get to do motherly things for Kaden.  That was so hard for me. I grieved for that and of course still do.  That is why I would get so upset in my mind at people who complained about HAVING to do motherly things....I love being able to do motherly things for Karter.  Am I tired? yes.  Is it repetitive? yes.  do I love it? yes.  My husband said the sweetest thing to me the other day....he said "You still light up around Karter even at the end of the day when you have been home all day and I LOVE it." 

Grieving is like a wave.  It comes and goes.  Sometimes I wish for it to come so I can cry and remember Kaden but oh how it hurts....so so very. very. badly.  I am grateful for how far I have come and for the women that have loved me on my journey.

Kaden and Karter again....


Monday, February 14, 2011

Family

This is my family
Rusty, Jacquie, Kaden, and Karter
Karter was not very happy to be out in the sun so this was the best picture we got!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Kaden and Karter


My two boys at grandma's house.  We took this picture of Karter so we could have similar pictures of the boys.  It amazes me how different they look from each other.  Kaden is about 5 months in this picture and Karter is 1 day shy of 3 weeks.  They probably were similar weight.  They are 20 months apart.


Friday, February 4, 2011

2 weeks




Karter is 2 weeks old today! He is so precious and seriously spoiled! We just adore him.  Yesterday at his Dr. appointment he weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long.  He is now back to birth weight plus an ounce.  All this feeding is deffinately paying off!! 

I can't help but think about Kaden while I am with Karter.  They are so similar yet have their deffinate differences.  I am so grateful for this sweet spirit who has come to our home.