Howie died. So now we have Winnie.

It was difficult to know what/how much to tell Joel about Howie. The morning after we put Howie down, I probably did everything child psychologists tell you NOT to do as it relates to explaining death to kids… I first didn’t say anything at all. Then, when Joel, with a confused look on his face, went to go feed Howie, I explained, “Howie took a vacation.” He seemed to accept this much to my relief. Continue reading

“It’s like this.” Maybe. (A book review. Sort of.)

I recently read a book for book club called Tell Me More: Stories About The 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say, by Kelly Corrigan. It’s been one of the most helpful books I’ve read as it relates to grief and life, and I think it should be required reading for all of humanity. I don’t know that it’s really considered a “grief book.” But it is about how tough life can be in general and thus tackles a lot of rough stuff, so, needless to say, I could relate to it. I should also mention that Kelly Corrigan has a sense of humor, so although this is a heavy read, there are lighter parts, maybe even a few laughs, in here as well. Continue reading

Howie

I posted about this on Instagram, but I figured I’d elaborate here… We recently had to say goodbye to our sweet fur baby, Howie. We had Howie for about ten years – he was our first “child” before we had real children, and he was with us through a crap ton of both good and bad times. For some reason the bad times are sticking out in my mind more, particularly job loss and moving and home building (which wasn’t all bad but was pretty awful before I knew what truly awful felt like) and obviously Matthew’s death. Continue reading

I’mmmm baaack, b!tches! (summer update, part 1)

I haven’t posted since Matthew’s birthday. It’s been almost two months. I intend to start posting more regularly again as well as become more engaged with my blog in general now that I’m no longer attempting to work a full-time accounting job in the evenings, so first thing’s first – a quick update on the remainder of the summer – just the things that stand out in my mind.

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Mother nature is cruel

We don’t give Joel much screen time; however, on Super Bowl Sunday we made an exception and turned on the television. Prior to the Super Bowl we caught part of the Puppy Bowl, or I guess a story about the origins of it (on Animal Planet?), which was wonderful, because Joel LOVES puppies. So it was a great opportunity for us as a family to zone out together in front of the TV, and Mark and I could still feel good about ourselves, because we reasoned that Joel was getting extra time with his favorite animal, at least virtually. Continue reading

Finch is here!

Our sweet Fredrik Christopher arrived safe and screaming at 8:26am at 37+0 yesterday, Christmas Eve morning. He weighed in at 9 pounds, so a whole 12 ounces heavier than Joel. He is so precious and looks more like Matthew and Mark than he does Joel and me. He is doing really well and hasn’t needed any help breathing or NICU intervention. He had some initial problems with blood sugar levels, but these have since resolved. Continue reading