September 11, 2001 will always be an emotional day for much of our country. It was devastating and awful and unreal. For my husband and me it has an additional horrible memory of losing our first child to stillbirth.
It was my first pregnancy and we were all super excited.
Fourteen years ago, my heart was broken. Our first child, a baby girl we named Grace, was born still on a rainy morning in May. My wife, Kerry and I were thrilled to be expecting. We kept a journal; we played our favorite music and read to her. We were excited, yet naïve that anything bad would happen.
Like most people who live in the Midwest, the green of spring makes me excited to finally say goodbye to winter and hello to some color and fresh air. But spring also brings painful memories, memories that always lie just below the surface, into sharper focus.
Eleven years ago my husband and I were expecting our first child.