May's Grief Project Overview - Our Family Story In Pictures

This month's theme is "Family That Grieves Together, Heals Together." For the month of May I will be focusing on relationships and roles in the family during the grief process. I will talk about how different family members grieve differently, remembering forgotten grievers like grandparents, aunts and uncles, as well as how redefining your role as a bereaved parent is important part of healing.

Today to understand more about my family and me I will share a picture story of our journey into coupledom and parenthood. Enjoy!   


Our Family Story
 
Nick and I met through the online dating sight Yahoo Personals in 2008. Below are our pictures that we both used in our profiles along with our tag lines.  (Please don't judge...you can laugh though.)  I can't believe Nick and I found each other after looking back on these silly pics.

Looking for an Adventure?

Spicy and a Little Sweet... 

We got engaged at the Space Needle in Seattle on May 19th, 2010.

 
Nick and I tied the knot on May 21st, 2011, Nick's 34th birthday.

In January of 2012 we rented out our Condo in downtown Minneapolis and bought our family home in the burbs of the Twin Cities.  We moved in on April 19, 2012 of last year. 

The day before we moved in, I found out I was pregnant with our first child!  

Nick and I were so excited, but we didn’t tell our family until almost 12 weeks into the pregnancy.  We called our parents from Hawaii where we were on vacation for our 1st year anniversary and said to each of our parents, “What would you like for Christmas?” Confused by the question Nick and I interrupted before they could answer and said, “How about being grandparents?” as we were due at the end of December 2012. 

 

  

We found out we were having a girl in August and at first Nick and I were disappointed as we wanted a boy, however over time we came to love the idea of having a girl.  We secretly named her Nora and kept the name a surprise until her she was born. We had an uneventful pregnancy and did all the normal baby prep that happily expectant parents do.

Then four days after her due date we went into the hospital at 3 a.m. expecting to greet our little girl, as I had felt her kick the night before, only to be told by the doctor those heart wrenching words, “There is not heartbeat."

Now Nick and I, along with little G-man, are trying to find our "New Normal."