Happy Birthday Andrew

[A diversion from my previous posts.]

Five years ago today our son Andrew Wayne was born at Columbia Regional Hospital at 24 weeks gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was absolutely perfect, just too soon and too small. My father, a Catholic Deacon, baptized Andrew as soon as he was born, and he was whisked away to the NICU.

St. Joseph

Twenty four days, multiple surgeries and many complications later, Baby Andrew died peacefully in our arms, on April 12, 2006.

I miss Andrew every single day. Loss does get easier over time, the pain slackens, but it never entirely goes away. Andrew is with us in our hearts always, and I take comfort in knowing this, though I do wish he could be here with us physically. The hardest thing for me this particular year is that Andrew would starting kindergarten. We would be registering him at school and buying supplies, getting him his first backpack and lunchbox.

Andrew was born on the Feast of St. Joseph. I take comfort in this, and every time I look at the image of St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus, I imagine that it is baby Andrew that St. Joseph is holding. St. Joseph was a loving father to Jesus, and I know that St. Joseph is taking care of our Andrew and being a loving father to him as well.

Happy Fifth Birthday Andrew.