We are looking forward to our second year of celebrating our sweet Laken at the Angels in the Outfield game on May 4th!
We attended our first AITO game last year, just two months after losing Laken. Since that day, NFTS has become such a huge part of our grief and healing journey and we’ve met some of the very best people, who are walking this same path.
Here is a bit of our story:
We found out we were expecting our second baby when Lindy was eight months old. We were so excited for a baby boy and for Lindy to be so close in age to her little brother. For the next several months, we watched our perfectly healthy boy grow and grow, and at our thirty-six week appointment, we found out that although Laken was totally healthy, he would be arriving in just five days, due to me having preeclampsia.
With so much excitement, we finished the last touches on Laken’s room. We had just moved into a new house in the same neighborhood as our family, and right next door to Lindy and Laken’s cousins, including Baby Henry, who would be arriving just a month after Laken. We knew the boys would be best friends and loved the idea of them growing up together.
On February 26th, around 11:30 pm, I took one last bump photo and went into Laken’s room to make sure everything was ready to bring him home. “You’ll see this room soon,” I said while rubbing my belly. That door remained shut for the next eight months.
The car seat base was installed. The nursery was ready. The bassinet was set up next to our bed. The cupboard was full of bottles and other necessities. We were ready.
Labor was normal. Hearing Laken’s heart beat and constant movement on the monitors was music to my ears. On February 28th, at 2:48 am, Laken was born.
We have chosen to keep a lot of the details surrounding the trauma of Laken’s birth private; sharing only with close family and friends, including my No Foot Too Small mommas, but what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives turned into one of the absolute darkest in a matter of seconds.
Laken truly is the most beautiful baby boy we have ever held, with his sweet round cheeks, feet, and belly, his dark hair, and darling little face. I still am in awe of God’s masterpiece each time I look at Laken’s photos. What a perfect boy!
Shortly after our first Angels in the Outfield game, I became pregnant with Logan Elise. Elise means God’s promise, which is exactly who Logan is. God never once left our side, and from a devastating tragedy that was not from Him, He chose to bless us with Laken’s baby sister on New Year’s Eve.
We still miss Laken every single day, but we are so honored to be his mommy and daddy. He is part of our family and will always be talked about and celebrated. No Foot too Small has provided us so much comfort, love, and support while on our grief and healing journey (even providing us with a little birthday party for Laken), and for that reason, we are hoping to raise as much money as possible for NFTS’s mission of celebrating angels + uniting families while raising critical funds to build birthing + bereavement suites nationwide.
Please join our team! You can share our page, come to the game on May 4th, buy a T-shirt, or make a donation to Laken’s Lineup, knowing that you are helping a community of parents who are currently walking- and unfortunately will be starting out- on their own grief and healing journey.
-Laken’s #1 fans,
Daddy, Mommy, Lindy, and LoLo