The Anderson Family: 2015

Monday, December 7, 2015

Blake's 1st Visit with Santa & St. Nick

Saturday, December 5th, 2015

My work had a Santa come to the office, so we figured this would be the best way to visit Santa for the first time. He held on to me for dear life while I put him down, but then did ok while he was on his lap. A little unsure at first.

A little unsure of Santa at first.

Then had to check him out.

Then, we got a partial smile. No tears, so we were happy with that! :)

Blake with Santa - 2015

Sunday, December 6th

Macy was not so excited about sitting next her little brother for the picture, but she was excited about her stocking treats.

Blake was unsure of what we were doing too at first, but loved the snacks and toys he got from St. Nick. Blake got some plates, snacks, a book, and some trucks (he's not so sure of the trucks).

St. Nick spoiled the kids

Blake & Macy with their stockings

He preferred the snacks to the toys :)

Watching Macy chew one of her new bones.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Blake's First Halloween

We dressed Blake up as a little spider for his 1st Halloween. I don't usually like spiders, but he was pretty cute.

With our carved pumpkins

At grandma and grandpa's Trick or Treating

Shopping at Fleet Farm - he was quite the treat :)

Morning smiles with dad

He wasn't a huge fan of the pumpkin at first, so he cried....

Then he was ok, so he smiled....

Then, it must have smelled good because he decided to eat it!

Been a while...

It's been a while since my last post but we are still here! We've had lots going on - mom and dad both work full time so it's difficult to keep up to date. I've been so busy trying to stay present with my family and Blake that this is what gets left. Not a bad thing, just our reality.

As Blake's first Halloween approaches, I can't help but wonder what Thomas would be up to you this year and what we would have dressed him up as. And I have been needing to focus on me a lot lately and dealing with my grief which has not been an easy process. I recently read an article on a site I follow called Still Standing, that has helped me remember that it's ok to keep Thomas alive in my heart and my world, as I would any other living child.

So, here it is --

"7 Things I've Learned Since the Loss of My Child", by Angela Miller.

Child loss is a loss like no other. One often misunderstood by many. If you love a bereaved parent or know someone who does, remember that even his or her “good” days are harder than you could ever imagine. Compassion and love, not advice, are what’s needed. If you’d like an inside look into why the loss of a child is a grief that lasts forever, here is what I’ve learned in my seven years of trekking through the unimaginable.

1). Love never dies.

There will never come a day, hour, minute or second I stop loving or thinking about my son. Just as parents of living children unconditionally love their children always and forever, so do bereaved parents. I want to say and hear his name just the same as non-bereaved parents do. I want to speak about my deceased child as normally and naturally as you speak of your living ones.

I love my child just as much as you love yours– the only difference is mine lives in heaven and talking about him is unfortunately quite taboo in our culture. I hope to change that. Our culture isn’t so great about hearing about children gone too soon, but that doesn’t stop me from saying my son’s name and sharing his love and light everywhere I go. Just because it might make you uncomfortable, doesn’t make him matter any less. My son’s life was cut irreversibly short, but his love lives on forever. And ever.

2). Bereaved parents share an unspeakable bond.

In my seven years navigating the world as a bereaved parent, I am continually struck by the power of the bond between bereaved parents. Strangers become kindreds in mere seconds– a look, a glance, a knowing of the heart connects us, even if we’ve never met before. No matter our circumstances, who we are, or how different we are, there is no greater bond than the connection between parents who understand the agony of enduring the death of a child. It’s a pain we suffer for a lifetime, and unfortunately only those who have walked the path of child loss understand the depth and breadth of both the pain and the love we carry.

3). I will grieve for a lifetime.

Period. The end. There is no “moving on,” or “getting over it.” There is no bow, no fix, no solution to my heartache. There is no end to the ways I will grieve and for how long I will grieve. There is no glue for my broken heart, no exilir for my pain, no going back in time. For as long as I breathe, I will grieve and ache and love my son with all my heart and soul. There will never come a time when I won’t think about who my son would be, what he would look like, and how he would be woven perfectly into the tapestry of my family. I wish people could understand that grief lasts forever because love lasts forever; that the loss of a child is not one finite event, it is a continuous loss that unfolds minute by minute over the course of a lifetime. Every missed birthday, holiday, milestone; should-be back-to-school years and graduations; weddings that will never be, grandchildren that should have been but will never be born– an entire generation of people are irrevocably altered forever.

This is why grief lasts forever. The ripple effect lasts forever. The bleeding never stops.

4). It’s a club I can never leave, but is full of the most shining souls I’ve ever known.

This crappy club called child loss is a club I never wanted to join, and one I can never leave, yet is filled with some of the best people I’ve ever known. And yet we all wish we could jump ship– that we could have met another way– any other way but this. Alas, these shining souls are the most beautiful, compassionate, grounded, loving, movers, shakers and healers I have ever had the honor of knowing. They are life-changers, game-changers, relentless survivors. Warrior moms and dads who redefine the word brave.
Every day loss parents move mountains in honor of their children gone too soon. They start movements, change laws, spearhead crusades of tireless activism. Why? In the hope that even just one parent could be spared from joining the club. If you’ve ever wondered who some of the greatest world changers are, hang out with a few bereaved parents and watch how they live, see what they do in a day, a week, a lifetime. Watch how they alchemize their grief into a force to be reckoned with, watch how they turn tragedy into transformation, loss into legacy.
Love is the most powerful force on earth, and the love between a bereaved parent and his/her child is a lifeforce to behold. Get to know a bereaved parent. You’ll be thankful you did.

5). The empty chair/room/space never becomes less empty.

Empty chair, empty room, empty space in every family picture. Empty, vacant, forever gone. Empty spaces that should be full, everywhere we go. There is and will always be a missing space in our lives, our families, a forever-hole-in-our-hearts. Time does not make the space less empty. Neither do platitudes, clichés or well-wishes for us to “move on,” or “stop dwelling,” from well-intentioned friends or family. Nothing does. No matter how you look at it, empty is still empty. Missing is still missing. The problem is nothing can fill it. Minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, month after month, year after heartbreaking year the empty space remains. No matter how much time has passed.
The empty space of our missing child(ren) lasts a lifetime. And so we rightfully miss them forever. Help us by holding the space of that truth for us.

6). No matter how long it’s been, holidays never become easier without my son.

Never, ever. Have you ever wondered why every holiday season is like torture for a bereaved parent? Even if it’s been 5, 10, or 25 years later? It’s because they really, truly are horrific. Imagine if you had to live every holiday without one or more of your precious children. Imagine how that might feel for you. It would be easier to lose an arm, a leg or two– anything— than to live without your flesh and blood, without the beat of your heart. Almost anything would be easier than living without one of more of your precious children. That is why holidays are always and forever hard for bereaved parents. Don’t wonder why or even try to understand. Know you don’t have to understand in order to be a supportive presence. Consider supporting and loving some bereaved parents this holiday season. It will be the best gift you could ever give them.

7). Because I know deep sorrow, I also know unspeakable joy.

Though I will grieve the death of my son forever and then some, it does not mean my life is lacking happiness and joy. Quite the contrary, in fact. It is not either/or, it’s both/and. Grief and joy can and do coexist. My life is more rich now. I live from a deeper place. I love deeper still. Because I grieve, I also know a joy like no other. The joy I experience now is far deeper and more intense than the joy I experienced before my loss. Such is the alchemy of grief.
Because I’ve clawed my way from the depths of unimaginable pain, suffering and sorrow, again and again– when the joy comes, however and whenever it does– it is a joy that reverberates through every pore of my skin and every bone in my body. I feel all of it, deeply. I embrace and thank every blessed morsel of it. My life now is more rich and vibrant and full, not despite my loss, but because of it. In grief there are gifts, sometimes many. These gifts don’t in any way make it all “worth” it, but I am grateful beyond words for each and every gift that comes my way. I bow my head to each one and say thank you, thank you, thank you. Because there is nothing– and I mean absolutely nothing– I take for granted. Living life in this way gives me greater joy than I’ve ever known possible.
I have my son to thank for that. Being his mom is the best gift I’ve ever been given.
Even death can’t take that away.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Lifecake

Hi everyone...while I don't get to post on here as much as I'd like to I'm glad I have something to document our family journey. For those of you going through Blake withdrawals or want to see more up to date pictures you can join us on Lifecake!

Lifecake is available through an app on your phone (it's free) or the website www.lifecake.com. Either way you can view photos and videos that we have uploaded of Blake - or add some of your own if you have them. You can also be notified as soon as we upload new ones! You can also download, save, and print right from the app/website as well!

Please let me know if you'd like an invitation and I can send you a request -- all I need is your email address!

Friday, July 17, 2015

My favorite what if....

I don't know where to start today, but feel I need to get some things off my chest. I've been feeling something lately and I haven't been able to quite put my finger on the feeling. It's a combination of overwhelming sadness, disappointment, grief, and unhappiness. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying....I'm so happy with my life, my husband, my living son, my family. It's this pulling at my heart that I'm dealing with and the constant feeling that something, well, someone is missing. I look at the incredible pictures of our family and always think, there's something missing.

This journey through grief and life is an incredible rollercoaster of emotions, and while I feel so much lately I can't really explain today. Somewhere around this time last year (July 17th, 2014 was my original due date) I should've had a baby, a little boy. His name is Thomas, but I often ask myself if that would've been his name had he lived. Or would it have been something else we had picked out while I was pregnant and planning to meet that growing baby in my belly. I hadn't planned on using the name Thomas. For a little history, Thomas was my uncle's name, and he passed away from cancer at much too young of an age....and while I always liked the name I never thought it would something would use for a first name. The name came to me one day after we received the awful news that our little baby was never going to make it. I thought to myself, what a nice way to honor another great man that was taken far too soon.

While I didn't do a lot of research behind the meanings of names, I found this recently about Thomas the Apostle and it has me intrigued. Thomas the Apostle speaks in John 14:5 after Jesus had just explained that he was going away to prepare a heavenly home for his followers, and that one day they would join him there. Thomas reacted by saying, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" I find that intriguing that I named my child after not only this apostle, but that I trust he found his way to his heavenly home and I will one day get to be with him again. Because Jesus also said to Thomas the Apostle, "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

There are so many things I wonder about....what would he be like at different stages. I'm fortunate (if that's the right way to phrase it) to see 2 other little boys grow, mostly through Facebook, that were born around the same time that Thomas should have been. And while I will always think, "what would Thomas have been like" when I see these other boys celebrating birthdays and milestones that he will never achieve, I can be happy that my little boy is at peace and in good hands.

Some days are harder than others to accept that as fact, but it's my life or my new normal. I am forever changed by a very special little boy, he made me a mom and I am so grateful for that. He made me a mom, even though it wasn't in the traditional sense. I'm so proud to be his mom. And he will always be my favorite what if...

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Blake - Week by Week

March 3, 2015

March 10. 2015

March 17, 2015

March 24, 2015

March 31, 2015

April 7, 2015

April 14, 2015

April 21, 2015

April 28, 2015

May 5, 2015

May 12, 2015

May 19, 2015

May 26, 2015

June 2, 2015

June 9, 2015

June 16, 2015

June 23, 2015

June 30, 2015

July 7, 2015

July, 14, 2015

20 weeks in vs. 20 weeks out

Baptism

We got our little Blake baptized the end of May. We had a great little gathering after church and then to our house to celebrate. We had a house full of love and we couldn't be happier everyone could make it and we are glad Blake has his aunts and uncles as his godparents, so lucky to be surrounded by so much love!

Grandma & Grandpa Anderson

The Anderson Family

Add caption

Blake's Godparents

Great Grandma Anderson

Great Grandma Skubal

Jenny & Brian

Jeremy & Paula

Our little family

The Skubal Familiy - it's a blooper version, but I just love this picture - my grandma's big smile, Lyla watching Johanna, just love everything about it!

The Skubal Family

Grandma & Grandpa Skubal