Four Months

Mabel would be four months old today. I haven't had much to say lately, so it didn't seem necessary to force writing a post. We are mostly just sad and miss our baby.

I had a moment last week where I realized that everything that has happened was truly real. We are no longer anticipating Mabel's arrival. It sounds crazy, but we had planned for her for so long and then she came and went so quickly that it is difficult to fully comprehend that we aren't just still waiting for her. We had been coping with the situation leading up to Mabel's birth, during her life, and now, grieving.

On top of grieving and allowing God to heal our hearts, we are figuring out how to move forward. We are pretty much back into our old routines now since I went back to work a few weeks ago. It is nice to feel productive, but at the same time I hate that we are back to our old routine since we should be adjusting to a new one with our sweet girl. And yet, each day I am thankful that God gives us the strength and grace to get through another day and that we got to spend those five weeks with Mabel.

Pictures of Mabel

In preparing for Mabel's memorial, Joe and I realized that between the two of us we had at least one picture of Mabel from every day of her life, so we got them all printed and displayed them at the church. I spend a lot of time scanning through these pictures and reliving those 37 days that we had with Mabel and thought those of you that couldn't make it might like to see them.

One thing I don't think I have ever mentioned on here is that we were able to have Mabel baptized on Christmas Day by the wonderful Reverend that married Joe and I. The hospital even had a beautiful gown to put her in that was made by a group of hospital volunteers. It was very special and will always make the holidays even more meaningful for us.

Memorial for Mabel

We are having a memorial service for Mabel this Friday, January 22nd, at 4 pm at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Decatur, GA. We are inviting you, our friends, to join our family to celebrate sweet Mabel.

Additionally, we have heard from many of you regarding sending flowers. In lieu of flowers, we have made it possible for donations to Dekalb Medical to go to the NICU in honor of Mabel. One day soon I will write about the amazing men and women that cared for our baby and us, they will forever hold a special place in my heart and I plan to visit them often.

To make a donation online, you can go here and designate the NICU Fund. Then under Tribute Information, you can enter Mabel Sommers under name and "in memory of" under the type. Donations can also be mailed to Dekalb Medical Foundation, 2701 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30033. Include memo line "NICU Fund - Mabel Sommers."