Happy Birthday, Skylar!

October 21st ~ Happy 1st birthday in Heaven to Skylar Jean - a dear, sweet, beautiful baby girl who I imagine must be one of Lily's best friends. What a loved baby girl she is, by her parents Shannon and Tracy, and by many others. I wish she were here to celebrate with her family. They've been on my heart and in my thoughts all day and I hope it's been a gentle day of remembrance and celebration. Skylar was unexpectedly lost at full-term.

Skylar's mommy and Lily's mommy

As Skylar has been on my heart, another one of my friend's son who is turning 1 today has been as well. The irony and differences of what the days hold for these two families makes my heart ache in disbelief. I actually know multiple people whose babies share birthdays, with one having been stillborn and one being born healthy. It is a huge glaring reminder of everything that is lost for those of us who have buried our babies.

While Skylar's family was visiting her stone at the cemetery and having a balloon release in her honor, my other friend's family was having a birthday celebration with the birthday boy holding his own balloons and eating his smash cake. While Skylar's family was imagining who she'd be today, what all this year might have held, and wondering how she'd look beyond the sweet newborn she was, my other friend's family was reflecting on the past year with smiles, marveling over how much their big 1-year-old has changed in the past year, and oohing and aahing over how tiny and cute he used to be as a newborn.

Multiple days throughout the year my heart is torn in two, celebrating over lives that are here on the same days that I'm grieving over lives lost. Babies born on the same day, yet the birth experience and every day since having been radically different. ❤️  

You can follow along with the impact of Skylar's life and legacy on the Facebook page Shannon has created ~ In Memory of Skylar Jean Armes.

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