Thinking about the day Jaleel Passed Away......

Subject : Thinking about the day Jaleel Passed Away

Posted Date: : Jul 6, 2006 8:10 AM

Today has been another rough day. I miss my baby so much.  I am still so angry that he is gone and left me to mourn him.  I don't want to mourn him, I don't want to be a survivor of my son's death.  I want to hold and love him.  I want him to be okay and smiling at me. I want him to be growing and learning all these new things that all my BC girls babies are learning and doing. Our children are not suppose to die before us, ecspecially not a baby.  Usually every Tuesday I am haunted with remembering the day Jaleel died.  In my mind I can see so clearly the way he looked when I found him.  He was on his stomach.  Why did I find him on his stomach when I placed him on his back to sleep?  His body was cool but not cold, like they say it should be.  His fists were clenched.  I remember trying to unclench his tiny little hand, but I really couldn't.  Were his fists clenched because he suffered?  His mouth was open a little bit.  He had two marks on his face.  One above his top lip and the other was below his bottom lip on his chin. They were light I think maybe like a light purple.  Why did he have these marks? His color was still good.  His lips weren't purple but discolored a little. I noticed a very light pink bodily fluid left on the sheet. So I did some research on google I wanted to know if these symptoms were common in SIDS babies.  I still don't have the autopsy back so am doing my own research until I find out what the toxicoligists findings were.  I found an article describing the typical death scene findings with a baby that died of SIDS.  It says their is often a frothy white or blood tinged  discharge around the baby's mouth and nose, and can also be found on the baby's clothes or bedding.  This is something that happens after the baby dies not during.  So this is one thing that I found that morning when I found Jaleel.   The baby may be found face down or in a strange position.  The baby may have seemed to scoot in a corner,  be covered with bedding, and have clenched fists.   I remember when I found Jaleel a pillow was next to his face but not on him.   Pressure marks maybe found on the head and body.  This can happen if an object like toys or a folds of a blanket. Rigor mortis ( the stiffness of the body) happens more quickly with infants than older children or adults. Livor mortis (lividity) results from pooling of blood after death.  It's also possible to find the baby faced down even though the baby was placed on his back to sleep.  After death gravity and the pool of blood can cause the baby to collapse into a face down position.  So it makes me feel better that these things are found in SIDS babies because these are signs when I found my poor baby.  All day and night I have been thinking it wasn't SIDS it was suffocation and that would be my fault. It's hard enough to live without his presence every second of the day, but to know if it wasn't for me he'd still be here, that I don't know how to cope with. It's hard not to think about his death and what his cause of death was.  My mind thinks about it, I can't help it.  I wish I could never think about that day if it were up to me, but it's beyond my control.  It makes me feel so sad and sick to think about that horrible fateful day.  I keep playing that day in my head which is very normal  when your baby dies suddenly without warning.  I remember waking up and knowing something was wrong because Jaleel would cry and I'd wake up I would offer him my breast but he'd still cry.  It's like he was saying" Okay Mommy, we've been in bed long enough time to get up!" So I knew when I woke up and he didn't wake me up something was wrong, and my shirt was drenched and my breasts were over flowing of milk, because he hadn't nursed for nearly 12 hours.  I found him on his stomach and flipped him over on his back.  I ran into the kitchen grabbed the cordless phone and dialed 9-1-1.  Why didn't I use the phone in the bedroom?  Why didn't I pick him up when I went to call 9-1-1.  I never picked him up.  I went back into the bedroom where Jaleel was lifelessly lying and told the operator where we lived so they could send an ambulance.  It seemed to take them forever to get there.  I am CPR certified for infants, children, and adults.  So why didn't I start CPR until the operator told me.  That's the first thing I should have done!  Why didn't I pick him up?  When I heard the ambulance I left Jaleel there (again why) ran to the door and rushed them in and pointed to the bedroom where he was.  As they worked I was in the hallway. Why?  Why didn't I watch them to make sure they did everything possible to save my son?  It seems like they didn't do anything, they weren't in there for very long.  I'm sure they tried but realized he was already gone, but still!!!  When the EMT told me he was gone(I think he shook his head no, like sorry we couldn't save him) why didn't I scream for them to keep trying?  Why did I let go of my son so easily?  I think when they told me I said okay and went outside to call Allen.  When I called him I was so calm, how could I be calm when my baby was dead?   Allen broke down when I told him but why didn't I?  I was his mother I'm the one that bonded with him the most. I remember Allen's mother rushing over when she saw the ambulance and asked what  happened, and I told her Jaleel wasn't breathing, she started to cry.  Which is weird cuz she's such a tough and strong women.  I remember Allen telling me he never saw his Mom cry when his Dad died from cancer.  Why was everyone crying but not me?  Why didn't I hold him one last time?  I was told I had to leave until the coroner came which took like almost an hour for him to get here.  And then another hour for him to do his investagation.  They wouldn't even let me get my shoes that were in the bedroom, and it was raining that day.  I remember Allen's daughter Anitra coming down along with Sadarea( Brandon's girlfriend) So did Allen's sister Rose and Wendy his neice.  They stayed with me until Allen got home that night. As I type this I get this errie feeling just thinking about that day.  When the coroner was finally done he came over and talked to me about what had happened. He actually asked me if I rolled over on Jaleel.  I NEVER DID!  I always knew he was there.  When I was allowed to go back into the house before I did I knew Jaleel was already in the coroner's car.  I asked if I could see my baby one last time and he told me no, that I didn't want to see him like that I should remember him the last time I saw him alive.  I should have argued and said NO, I want to see my baby, but I didn't, I agreed with him.  It should not have been up to him, it should have been up to me!!! Rose asked if she could see the baby but he told her no also.  She asked Jaleel's time of death they said 6am but I knew that was wrong, because he would have woken up to eat at some point during the night. We later found out he died around 2am which makes more sense.  He would wake up to be fed between 2-3am.  But see that makes me wonder too.  If he died at 2am around the time for his next feeeding, maybe he woke up but couldn't breathe and died, but then I think but his eyes were closed, and then I think well sometimes he cried with his eyes closed.  I did end up crying a lot that day.  Rose said I could go take a nap, but how could I sleep when my baby just died not to mention I wasn't about to sleep where my son had died. I remember coming back in the house and on the kitchen table was the package from the sheet they covered Jaleel in.  How insensitive of them, they couldn't throw it away or take it with them.  I was so worried about Jaleel being in the backseat of the coroner's car.  Wouldn't he fall or be pushed around from the movement of the car or when the coroner turned?  I so wanted them to put him in his carseat but I never said that, I guess fear they'd think I was crazy, but the coroner reassured me that Jaleel would be fine.  He told me he'd take good care of Jaleel and that he has 5 kids of us own and I could entrust my son in his care.  And then the coroner was gone and with him my poor precious baby boy Jaleel.  Jaleel was gone forever just like that. 

Allen's family went into town and got something to eat and picked me up something, but I couldn't eat.  I think four days later I  finally threw away that calzone they got me.  I didn't really eat for the first week and a half.  And took me three days just to eat at all.

That day was so unreal, it hadn't sunk in that Jaleel was gone. Even now I still can't believe it sometimes.  These last three weeks have been such a blur.  I remember those first few days time just flew by.  I don't know how I have gotten through these weeks without my son.  The son I carried inside of me, I felt him kick and his hiccups all the time.  The son I endure so much pain while in labor and recovering from the c/s, but I knew for him every second of the pain was worth it.  Why would God let me carry him to term and have a healthy baby just to take him away oh too soon?  I miss him more than anyone even knows.Sometimes I think I wish I never got pregnant because then I wouldn't miss what I didn't know, but I think that when I am in so much pain from  losing my precious Jaleel, but even though my life is forever changed and am in more pain that I have ever experienced. I am glad I knew Jaleel I'm glad to call him my son, and am deeply touched by how many lives and hearts he has forever touched, and because of us and all of you I know he will forever live on. 

Everyone is always telling me how strong I am.  I'm not strong at all.  So many times my heart aches for him, my arms ache to hold him, I am so bitter, jealous, and angry.  I'm bitter and angry that he's gone and that I have to survive in this world without him.  I am jealous that my friends have there babies to hold and to watch grow, and I can't have that with Jaleel.  I have pleaded to God so many times to bring him back, but he never does.  I even said if he brought him back I could lose everyone of my friends, because they would never believe he really died if he came back to me, but I wouldn't care, not if it meant I had Jaleel.  I just go in his room when I get sad and cry over his crib.  I feel like I am unable to go on but somehow I manage day by day, even when I just want to die.  I check several times a day for him in his crib but he's never there and I know that but I think maybe he's there so I look.  Every night and every time I go into his room before I leave I kiss my hand and place my hand on his mattress.  That's me kising him good night.  I touch that one strand of hair of his I found because it's the only thing left I have of him.  When my arms ache to hold him I either hug a pillow or his teddy bear, because I can't stand the pain of having my arms empty with no baby to hold in my arms.  I don't cry anymore before I fall asleep but I still cradle his teddy bear and pretend it's Jaleel that I am falling asleep with.  I don't sleep with his picture anymore, but still sleep with his outfit.  And I finally washed the last outfit he wore and the hat that smelled like him( the scent of him is long gone) and I put it in his crib.  See I'm not strong at all I am so weak without Jaleel but it's just a front I put on.  If you only knew how many times I sit at the computer talking to my friends and crying and I don't let on that I'm sad.  I have not been talking to hardly anyone and if I do talk to you consider your self privledged.  If I talk to you it's either because I need a laugh or because I know right now you are going through your own hardship and trying so hard to still be there for my friends. But right now I can't sit at the computer and put on a happy face and pretend everything is ok, because it never will be again.  If I say I'm okay trust me I'm not but what am I gonna say no I'm not okay and have my friends feel bad, no not about to do that. Today one of my friends showed me all the pictures she has of her baby boy, and I thought why didn't I take more pictures of Jaleel? It mad me so sad and I cried thinking how she had her baby and mine is gone.  It's not fair that everyone has a baby to cherish and hold and mine is forever gone.  You have no fucking idea how much I want to go to the grave site and bury him up and bring him home where he belongs.   I was talking to one of my very close friends and she did a myspace survey and one of the questions was do you want to tell me something you didn't before.  She said she feels bad talking about her baby so she tells another one of our close friends, because she doesn't want to upset me, that made me feel so sad, because her baby is a part of her and by concealing that part of her life she's concealing a part of herself.  I understand she's trying to protect me and not make me any sadder than I already am, but it sucks.  And for that friend that's reading this you know who you are, I miss the old me as much as you do, and I am sorry what burden I am putting on all of you. Ok I think we can all agree this is my longest blog ever; a new record for me.  I need to stop. It's almost 6 am and been tired since 2:30am so bed time for me. If you guys read this blog from beginning to finish then you are a true friend, and a bored friend,lol.  I've said it before and I'll say it again I love you all more than you'll ever know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight I wanna cry...

Subject : Tonight I wanna cry.....

Posted Date: : Jul 3, 2006 9:41 PM

So I have been doing so well these last two days,  but you know what they say one step forward two steps back, that pretty much sums it up.  I am missing Jaleel and missing all that I will never see him do.  I miss never knowing what his voice will sound like, hearing his first laugh, or seeing what he would grow up to look like, and never knowing if he'll grow up to be a good man like his father.  I'll never know if he was gonna be funny and sarcastic like me, or calm and collected like his Dad.  What would he have grown up to be. Would he have changed the world? What would his interests have been.  I know he'll never feel pain, hurt, or disappointment.  But at the same time he'll never get to walk, run, never swim, he'll never get in trouble and drive me crazy,lol.  There are so many things he'll never have the joy and sorrow of experiencing.  Would he have been a momma's boy or a kiss-up like his brother Nicholas,lol!  Would he have compassion for others like his big sister Michaela. I found this song on Myspace music and put it on my page.  Here are the lyrics to how I am feeling.  It's hard for me to show my feelings(like the song says)  must get that from my mom, thanks Mom,lol!

 Tonight I wanna cry:          

~ {verse 1} ~
Alone in this house again tonight
I got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine
There's pictures of you and I on the walls around me
The way that it was and could have been surrounds me
I'll never get over you walkin' away

~ {chorus} ~
I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To Hell with my pride let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry

~ {verse 2} ~
Would it help if i turned a sad song on
"All By Myself" would sure hit me hard now that you're gone
Or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters
It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better
But I'll never get over you by hidin' this way

~ {chorus} ~
I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To Hell with my pride let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry!!!!

~ {chorus} ~
I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To Hell with this pride let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry!

Naylen

Okay one more thing and I am done for today. Daddy and I went to the cemetary after each of us had a very rough day. Your candle was flickering and we left the snowmen lighting up for you. While I was there we were talking about we would meet you in Heaven. Then it occured to me that time probably does not exist there so it might really be that when you blink we are there. The idea that you would never actually be without us is something to really think about. If time stands still then I can imagine what it will be. Tim said that you would grow up in Heaven but when we got there it would be like we had never missed a thing. Maybe that is what he meant. Also your Daddy is the wisest man I know. Incredible since he is also the youngest . I was telling him how I felt like me being so closeminded to God might be why you died. Like it was the only way he could get me. But he told me that you were just as important to God as I am. That you were not merely a means to an end (the end being me) or an extension of me. Just like I am not that to my Mother. In God's eyes you are uniquely you and He wouldn't take you to save me. I am not sure if I feel more relief at being let off the hook guiltwise or at knowing that God saw you for you and not merely just my child. Because I guess really you are His child too. So anyway a lot running around in my brain right now. I am trying to process it all. I had an awful day and missed you so much. But I find that spending time with just your Daddy helps me be peaceful. It makes me feel closer to you and in this moment right now I am okay. And right now that is enough. I love you Baby Girl. I will meet you there. Love, Mommy

Missing My Baby...

Okay I just took a sleeping pill, and it's starting to kick in so bare with me.  So Wendy came over today with her big pregnant belly, and I want to see her when her daughter is born. (Jaleel's cousin) She's being induced on July 17th, 2006 ( in about 2 weeks)   I wanna see her for a selfish reason.  I want to hold her baby because I don't have mine to hold anymore.  but on the other hand she did come see me when Jaleel was born.  I gave her Jaleel's playtex nurser bottles.  I had boiled his nipples so they are sterile. 

So I have read up on SIDS and they say breastfeeding, babies who use pacifers, and not smoking in the house all decrease and help a baby so they don't get SIDS and I did all of these things.  They even say co-sleeping helps and bonds a mother and baby.  Something to do with the breathing pattern of the mother and baby when they sleep together.  So why is it I did all these things to reduce his risks and he ended up dying anyway.  I try not to dwell and think about the day he died but it's so hard to think that Jaleel was lying their dead for like 7 hours next to me and I didn't wake up.  My poor baby.  I know I probably couldn't have saved him, but I feel jipped I didn't even get the chance to try. 

Right now all Jaleel has it a graver marker with his name and says 2006-2006 and I told allen I want to get him a stone I don't care how much it costs.

I still miss Jaleel so damn much but each day seems to get easier, and some days it gets harder, but I know although I will never forget him and he'll always be in my heart I have two other kids that need their Mommy, and I need to focus my energy and time on them.  I also need to get back to work, I know it's not healthy being here all day thinking about how Jaleel is no longer here.  I don't ever want to get rid of his crib I know sometime I will have too, but I don't want to because it's like once his crib is gone so is his memory of ever being in this house.  I go in his room and kiss my hand & place my hand where he use to sleep and say good night to him.  You know how sometimes when babies sleep they will shed hair, well I looked to see if I could find even one strand of Jaleel's hair and I did!  I kept it in his crib, that way a part of him is still here.

I want to thank everyone who has checked out Jaleel's memorial page and those who lit a candle in his memory it means so much to me!!!  I love you all.  I was thinking about all of you that prayed to give me strength in this time it must have worked because somehow each day I find strength to get through each day.  Once I thought about killing myself but I realize Michaela and Nicholas still need their Mommy, and you don't go to Heaven if you take your own life.  I wanna see Jaleel again someday, so until it is my time, I will try to live my life the best I can without Jaleel.  The past two nights I haven't cried when I went to bed so thats good.  I have been focusing on the happy times we had with Jaleel instead of him not being here anymore.  I still feel his presense though.  I do believe that Jaleel is with me while I sleep.  Well I'm off to bed.

Please Don't Tell Me How Strong I Am

Please don't tell me how well I am doing. Please don't tell how strong I am or how you would go crazy if you were me. I don't want to hear that I am functional or that you couldn't bear it.
Don't try to make me feel as though I am not grieving enough or the right way. I don't have a choice. I am not trying to be strong or be brave or functional. I am simply here. Don't try to comfort to me that way. It is not comforting, it is only frustrating. Do I have a choice in this? Could I act weaker, would that make more sense to you?
I get up, I go to work, I dress my kids, I pick them up. I eat, I drink, I smoke way to much. I do everything I am supposed to and lots of stuff I am not.
I function because I have to. I do not want to be complemented for that. Don't you understand I wish I could't function.

16 Days Without Jaleel...

So it has been 16 days since Jaleel passed away. Can't you believe it's been over two weeks because I can't. Yesterday was hard.  It seemed like a normal day, a normal day with him here. It just felt like he was here although I know he wasn't. As I was vaccuming yesterday I was thinking how I would always check on him when I finished to make sure the vaccum didn't wake him, which it never did.  My kids can sleep through a lot,lol.  And when I finished although I knew he wasn't there I still had to check. I must have checked to see if he was in his crib yesterday over a dozen times.  I knew he wouldn't be there but I still had to check.  I guess I'm hoping one day when I check he'll be there playing happily in his crib waiting for me to pick him up, although I knnow that will never happen. At least now I only check his room, I use to check the whole house for him, looking for him, but once again he was never there.  It stills eems so unreal even now him being gone, but at the same time I am starting to accept it, not like I have a choice in the matter. I still think about him all the time, and I still cry about him at night. I just wish I could look at him one more time and hold him one more time. I wish I could feel the palms of his hands and the bottom of his feet they were so soft. I think how I should be sitting at this computer holding him not mourning him.  I had a dream about him the other night I don't remember the dream just remembered he was in it, and for once I felt peace.  I miss nursing Jaleel and just watching him as he eats and just feeling close to him.  I miss everything about him, but I remembering more of the good memories than the ones of the last day I saw him so that's good.  Thinking of all the memories he gave us just makes me smile, and those are memories I will never forget.  So still not sleeping well but I guess that is to be expected.  I have been reading and posting on grief and loss on the babycenter boards, and reading all these women who lost their babies makes me so sad.  Some lost them before they were born, others only days after they were born.  When I read stories like these it makes me so thankful that at least I got almost a month with Jaleel, some don't even get that long.  I hope Jaleel is watching over a baby so that baby & that family don't have to deal with the heart break and sorrow of losing a child. If that is his purpose then it's worth it for a child's life to be saved. I don't want anyone to have to go through this.  I am thankful my firneds still let me talk about him if it's memories or me missing him that helps me and means a lot to me so thank you.
For those who read my last blog and wondered was I talking about you, did you totally disregard my feelings and only take about you.  It wasn't any of you.  The person who is was knew it was them it was Proud and she replied about how she is the center of her world and she hs every right to be,hahaha.  Well to people like that I hope if a tradegy ever hits them I hope they have beetr friends than people like that have been to me, not many but a few.  I also realized that we think life is over if we don't get that job or our marriage is crumbling and although I realize that these things are horrible I would give any one of those things plus more take place in my life if it meant i could have Jaleel back in my arms safe and happy.

Nay,

My baby girl. I miss you so much. You seem less real to me today. As though you were never really here at all. I look around and try to see you in everything that I do. I am consumed by this and yet it all seems to far away.
The days keep rolling by. I accept that you are gone but I have no peace about it. Does that peace ever come? I cannot change it, I cannot undo it. I just don't know how to live with it.
Christmas is coming, our first with you and our first without you. I don't know how to celebrate although I plan on celebrating it as Jesus'  birthday. I plan on using it to honor where you are. I sponsored a baby on the angel tree at Walmart. A little girl. I bought her things I can't buy you. I gave her a toy you would have loved.
Kirsten's puppy died last night at her Dad's. He called me and asked me to help him find a new one. How simple that must be, to just go buy a new puppy. I will pick her up from school today and have to help her grieve that dog as though it even matters. How am I supposed to pretend I care about a puppy dying. I know that for her it must be so much more than that. It must be another death so quickly on the heels of yours. But I am resentful that I even have to pretend it matters.
Nothing seems to matter but the fact that you are gone. It even seems to outweight the fact that you were here. How unfair that your death should seem more important than your life. That the pain seems stronger than the joy.
When will that change. When can I honor your memory by remembering the pure joy you brought to me? I love you baby Nay. I lost a piece of me. The part that matters I think. The one that loves and cares. Now I just walk around going through the motions.
You are my baby girl, now and always.
Love, Mommy

Naylen,

Hey Good Lookin,
It has been a long day. I have had a really rough time. Cried most of the day off an on. Daddy and I went to Wiseman's Peak. He thought if we went there he would see God and then he would see you too. He did. He knew that you were all around us. It really helped him so thank you baby girl.
I stood on the mountain top and felt a warm breeze in the middle of December. I stood there and knew you were there too.  I stood on the edge of gorge and imagined myself jumping, knowing that it would bring me to you. Then I came back and we walked down to the Falls. I listened to them roar and just cried and cried. We went there this past July. Two months before you were born. It was hot and we walked forever. I felt so connected to you then. When we went today I felt so far away. I knew that you were with me last time I was there and this time I was going to remember you in a place you had never seen.  My memory of you there was me practically crawling back up the mountain trail with my huge stomach in the way. It was a good memory though. Then everything was still ahead of us. You didn't even have a name yet. We called you Bob, short for Baby on Board. I was still nervous that something might be wrong with you. But I knew even then that you would live. It never occured to me that you would die. I thought you might have special needs but I never thought I would be without you. Now five months later, you are gone. I had you and  I lost you.
That was so real to me today. All the tears I have been unable to cry came today. But I don't feel soothed by it, I just feel drained and empty. I feel so broken.
Last night I went to the cemetery and I didn't cry. I was solid as a rock. Kinsley cried that she missed you. Two years old and she cried for you, spontaneously. Everybody said she wouldn't remember you. But I know she does and she will. She tells me everyday that you are in Heaven with Jesus. She also knew today on the mountain that we were there for you. She said that you were there. Maybe she just picks up on us but I believe that she really does know what has happened and is mourning it.
I miss you baby girl. I heard the song, All I Want For Christmas Is You. We all cried when we heard it. I don't know to celebrate this year. You never even had a Christmas. You will never sit in Santa's lap. You will not have that early morning joy and excitement. We will never sit out cookies with you or attend church. I never even took you in a church. That day I picked up your sisters from the Halloween carnival I just ran in and left you in the car for a minute.
I feel like I made so many mistakes with you. Like I didn't do what I should have. I lost you. I wish I could at least say to myself that I was a great Mom but instead I feel like I failed you. In every way. I couldn't even protect you.
I just miss you so much. I love you and...........well I guess there is nothing more to say than that. Please know baby what you mean to me. Please know how sorry I am. Please baby know how loved you are and very much we miss you.
I will meet you there Naylen. I will hold you in my arms again.

First day all alone...

Posted Date:  Jun 21, 2006 2:57 AM

*IF YOU GET OFFENDED EASILY YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS BLOG*

Since this happened me losing Jaleel, I have tried not to talk all about losing him, or about him becasue I didn't want to upset people, and have them be like oh great Stacey's on & talking about Jaleel & his death again, but today I realized I am in mourning and I'm allowed to talk about him & his death, and if people have a problem with that too bad.  I'm allowed to be selfish and to play the what if game, and to cry about him, & to miss him. I am entitled to that.  If people are sick of reading my blogs only talking about Jaleel too bad, but I doubt any of you are thinking this, but if you are I am sorry you can't understand how my life as I knew it is no longer mine.  It has been filled with emptiness, sorrow, despair, and so many unanswered questions. But if you think about it if he was still alive I would still be blogging about him.  I understand these blogs in the last week are hard to read because you care about me & can understand and feel my pain on some level.

I have to be honest here.  It has been a week today since Jaleel left us and I am still very much in mourning which is expected I was his Mommy.  But it seems as though everyone has moved on.  Yes you still ask me how I am, because you are worried about me, but for the most part it seems as though what happpened to Jaleel has been forgotten.  I know you haven't forgotten, but it seems as a week has passed and most people have stopped talking about him, and expect me to be all better, maybe I am wrong but I am emotional right now & not myself.  I don't know how and if I will ever be the same.  That's why I was so glad that Blair blogged about Jaleel, it made me feel like I'm not the only one missing and thinking about him.  I'm not the only one who remembers too well that fateful day.  Thank you Blair.  I love you!!!  If you have a chance read her blog about Jaleel.

Today has been a very weird day.  Allen went back to work today and as most of you know he does long distance driving.  So he will not be back home until Friday sometime.  It's so hard without Allen here. I miss him so much!!!  I was getting use to and enjoying him being here when I woke up and holding me when I go to bed, and we have gotten closer.  He has been great through this whole thing.  It's so weird all day it felt like Jaleel was here, just in the other room sleeping.  Even though every time I went into his bedroom his crib was empty.  Maybe it felt that way because I was use to Jaleel and I being here while Allen was on the road.  So now that it's night time it's eerie and weird being all alone without Allen or Jaleel.  I don't want to sleep in the bed w/o either of them, so I am sure will just sleep on the couch.  I hate being alone which is ironic because loved being alone when I was pregnant.  I was like see ya bye Allen,lol!

So I took a walk today and had a little talk with god.  I realized there was a reason I believed in him in the first place.  But God has tested me, but I guess he does test us to make sure we believe and still believe in him.  I told him if Jaleel was taken to serve a higher purpose to please send me a sign.  Like having his "ghost" or "spirit"(if there is such a thing) visit me or have me dream about him, or whatever sign he feels fit to give me.  I told him if there is a heaven he better be taking very good care of my little boy, but I can't believe that he loves Jaleel more than me, because who loved him more than his Mommy no one besides his Daddy!!!  I also told him to tell Jaleel to take good care of his friend Londyn because I don't want anyone to go through what I am, especially my friends.  As I am writing this blog I got up to get a drink and although I know Jaleel isn't here I can't but help to look back, hoping I'll see him there, but he never is there.   Even though it's been a week it still seems so unreal.  I'm waiting to wake up from this horrific nightmare, but I never do.

All day I have had his last outfit he wore the one my mom got him and his hat with me the whole time.  I am kind of upset Allen hasn't called to check up on me.  Allen and I had a good talk yesterday. We were talking about Jaleel. Ok I take that back Allen just called me. So Allen & I were talking about did we do something in our own lives and he(God) punished us by taking Jaleel away, I know that's silly, but makes you wonder why this happens, and why it has happened to us. I could write more but I am tired and am sick of thinking about today. Now it's time to go and think and cry about Jaleel until I fall asleep.  I love you all!!!!

P.S. Thank You all for the comments of memories you have had of Jaleel.

Baby Nay,

Okay another day. Another morning. And this one is hard. I am going to write you this letter and then I am going to get some work done. I have been slack and things are falling behind.
I love you so much. Today I can cry. It is all I  can do today. You should be here with me. In my arms. I should be complaining that you won't go to sleep. I should be walking around jiggling you. You should be smiliing all the time now. We should have already had your portrait done now. Instead I took the girls last Saturday to have theirs made and held up a picture of you in it. That is the only way you will be in our family portraits. The girls will get older. We will all age and you will be Forever Baby Nay in the picture.
We joked that that would be your nickname always. You would be thirty years old and we would call you Baby Nay. But you won't ever be thirty. You will now always be Baby Nay.
Forever my angel. I am so lonely today. The void is so large. I need to kiss you again and smell you. I need you to spit up on me. You were a champion spitter upper.
Christmas is coming. Without you. I sponsored a baby on the angel tree. A little girl. It is not the same.
I want to take your picture with Santa Claus. I want to see you stare at the lights. Instead I put off putting up the tree. I am going to do it this weekend though. The girls need that. I probably do too.
My angel Baby Nay. I will hold you close today. A little too close. I love you always. I miss you.
Please know Baby girl how I feel. Daddy said last night he can see a supreme being holding your hands while you take your first steps. I have been closing my eyes and picturing that every since.
I wish I could dream about you. I wish I would have one of those dreams where you come to me and tell me it is all going to be okay.
I wish I could hold you in my dreams and not just my daydreams. I wish I had that sign. See I need a big obvious sign though, not a little one. I need something to literally whack me in the head and say hey, I am with you. At least today I do.
But I do know that I am with you. A huge part of me went to Heaven with you. Somewhere out there a part of me is holding you close.
For now I guess that will have to be comfort enough.

Love Always,
Mommy

Jaleel would have been one month old today

Posted Date: Jun 18, 2006 3:30 PM

Today is June 18, 2006 a month ago today Jaleel was born @ 8:08 in the morning.  If he was still here he would have been one month old :(  He almost made it to a month.  So today has been hard but I don't have easy days anymore.

Yesterday Allen got me out of the house; he thought I needed to get out for a while.  At first I was sad.  We went to our friend's Melissa & Avis's house and had a cookout.  Her friends Holly (who's due in August) & Robin were there too.  Robin has a 5 year old son & a daughter 7 months old.  It was sad watching her daughter crawling ,smiling ,stand up, wave bye-bye, because it just reminded me of all the things Jaleel will never get to do.  So I went to the car & just thought about him & cried.  Allen came to see if I was okay, but how can I be okay?  It feels like I never will be okay without Jaleel!  But when I was there I couldn't help but feel that Jaleel's supposed to be here with us.  I'm supposed to be holding him, or feeding him, or looking at him.  But Then I was fine.  The girls and I had fun and I even drank and ended up drunk,lol!  I'm such a light weight & the last time I drank was last July, so been awhile,lol!  I did really need to get out for awhile, & we had a good time.  I know I am allowed to be happy and have good times even though he's gone, but I feel bad when I'm happy when Jaleel is gone forever.  Allen & my mom have been bugging on me to eat, but eating wasn't a big priority anymore.  But yesterday I figured eating isn't going to bring him back, so I am eating again. 

The last two nights I haven't cried about Jaleel before I fell asleep, and that makes me feel bad. I feel like I should be, but I still sleep with something of his every night.  It comforts me like although he isn't here & isn't in bed with me at least I have something of his to sleep with so part of him is still with me.  I was talking to my sister the other night and we were talking about Jaleel, and I realized that you don't have to lose a child to understand on some level what I'm going through, you just have to be a mother.  She didn't understand why I don't want to give anyway any of his clothes so explained to her that it's all I have of him as far as physical things go, I might someday but him dying is still so new and fresh, so that's how I feel right now, but I made a box of things I will always keep, like his first outfit, a pamper, stuff like that.

So you all know about Jaleel's thrush and his dr prescribed him oral Nystatin.  I gave it to him twice Monday once a 6pm and one at 10pm before I nursed him, and the next day he was gone.  So I went online reading side effects of Nystatin.  It said:  

Stop taking nystatin and seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives).

Side effects are not likely to occur with nystatin. Continue to take nystatin and talk to your doctor if you experience

                nausea or stomach upset,

                vomiting, 

diarrhea.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome

So I am wondering if maybe he had an allergic reaction and couldn't breathe or throat closed up, it's possible, but we won't know until we get the autopsy back.  But like I said to Allen he was doing fine and then takes Nystatin and when I wake up the next morning he was gone.  Just a thought.  But it's a guessing game right now of how he died.

Today has been really rough for me.  All day I have been thinking about isTuesday morning when I found him, and the way he was the last time I saw him on that Tuesday morning.  Thinking about it makes me feel so sick, But I can't seem to get it off my mind regardless of what I do.

I have been listening to this song by Avril Lavine that explains how I feel right now it's called "Nobody's Home"

I couldn't tell you

Why she felt that way

She felt it everyday

And I couldn't help her

I just watched her make

The same mistakes again

What's wrong, what’s wrong now?

Too many, too many problems

Don't know where she belongs

Where she belongs

Chorus:

She wants to go home

But nobody's home

It's where she lies

Broken inside

With no place to go

No place to go

To dry her eyes

Broken inside

Open your eyes

And look outside

Find the reasons why

You've been rejected, and

Now you can't find

What you've left behind

Be strong, be strong now

Too many, too many problems

Don't know where she belongs

Where she belongs

Chorus

She wants to go home

But nobody's home

That's where she lies

Broken inside

With no place to go

No place to go

To dry her eyes

Broken inside

Her feelings she hides

Her dreams she can't find

She's losing her mind

She's falling behind

She can't find her place

She's losing her faith

She's falling from grace

She's all over the place, yeah

Chorus

She wants to go home

But nobody's home

It's where she lies

Broken inside

With no place to go

No place to go

To dry her eyes

Broken inside

she's lost inside, lost inside

oh oh

she's lost inside, lost inside

oh oh oh

I found a card from my Grandpa's funeral and wanted to share the poem with you.

"I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one, I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when the day is done. I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways of happy times and laughing times, and bright sunny days. I'd like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun, of happy memories that I leave behind when the day is gone."  I know this is what Jaleel would want, but it's hard not to be sad.  It's easy to say remember all the good memories of him, but not easy to do when I am constantly remind of all the memories and milestones he will never have.

Jaleel's Funeral June 16, 2006

Subject : Jaleel's funeral... He's gone forever!!!!

Posted Date: : Jun 16, 2006 7:17 PM

So as most of you know we had Jaleel's funeral at 11am this morning.  We had a service at the cemetary.  He was there with the casket closed. As the Rev was talking about god and Jaleel being in a better place it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying, because as I stared at his little coffin I couldn't stop my mind from racing.  Thinking of how I'd never seen him grow bigger.  How I'll never see his face in the flesh again, never get to hold him again, never know if his hair would have been curly like his daddy's.  I’ve never know what he would have looked like at 6 months, 1 year, a teenager, an adult.  The only way I can visit him now is to go to his grave, but I'll never see him again.  I wasn't able to see him one more time, but maybe it's better that way.  It was so hard to have to say good-bye.  Anytime I have ever gone to a funeral and gone to the cemetery afterwards they would wait for the family to leave to bury the person, but today they put Jaleel in the ground & buried him while we were all still there.  It was so incredibly hard to watch that, but I couldn't bring myself to walk away and not look.  They put him in the ground gently and put him & the coffin in a box that fit the coffin, maybe so nothing can get in his coffin, and the coffin had a cover on it.  As they started putting dirt on his coffin I was thinking do it gently even though they were.  I was thinking he can hear  that and must be loud even though I know he's not alive anymore, but I'm still his mommy and still want to protect him, and I know I will always be his mommy.  One of Allen's family members made a laminated card of Jaleel.  Had his pic on the front & on the back it had his name spelled out.  Like J is for A is for etc....  I took that laminated picture and put it in my wallet right next to Michaela and Nicholas's picture.  I was telling Allen I never had a picture of all three of my kids together.  So what I am going to do it take a picture of Michaela & Nicholas and then a separate picture of Jaleel and take it to the jeweler and get a heart shape necklace and have him put the pics together to make it look like it's one of all three of them.  I did that one year for Nicholas's grandmother.  Took two separate pictures of Jamie (Nick's half-brother from his dad) & Nicholas & put it on a heart necklace.  So I know it can be done.  Speaking of pictures...  Allen & his sister Rose took pictures of Jaleel at the wake in his coffin.  We don't do that in my family, but I know Allen does.  I mean Jaleel did look good, Tara (the embalmer) did a very good job, but still why do people want pictures of someone dead in their coffin?  Why would you want to be reminded of that can someone explain it to me?  I mean I can understand a little more for someone who lost her baby & even though he wasn't alive when he was born she still wanted a picture of him.  That happened to one of my friends, so I can understand that.  But we have many pics of Jaleel so why do we need any of him when he died?  I remember saying damn I took so many pics of Jaleel you'd think I was a 1st time mother, because you always know when you can spot a 1st time mother by all the pictures she takes of her child,lol.  But now I am so glad I took so many.  I wish I had one of Allen, Jaleel, & I together.

I think if I have learned anything from losing Jaleel it is don't take things for granted because there is no guarantee that person or the thing you put off will be there tomorrow.  Monday I had said to Allen's mother" I was going bring Jaleel over Sunday to meet His Uncle Lewis and Perrie, and her his Aunt Diane to meet him.  I told her oh well there's always another Sunday, but there isn't now.  Or how I was going to take a pic of Anitra (Jaleel's sister) holding him, but I said to myself I'll just take it some other day.  Or how many times I broke a promise to my kids cuz I didn't feel like going to the park  So don't take life or your children for granted.

Two of Allen's nieces are due to have babies.  One in July & One due in August.  Allen told his niece Wendy she could have Jaleel's crib.  I know I won't have another child but I like going in his room seeing his crib there and crying and thinking about the memories I have of him.  I know I will never forget my precious little angel, but if his crib is gone it's like he never existed, and his presence was never felt in this house.  I'm not ready to let go so quickly.  I am going to save all of his clothes and his bedding, and his pacifiers.  I will never give that stuff away, and I will never forget him.

Last night I cried.  I do every night when I go to bed since he's be gone.  I think of how he's supposed to be in the bed with me.  I wanted to just have him be there last night so I could hold him in my arms while I watched him sleep until I fell asleep.  I slept with his hat again and teddy bear.  Allen asked me if I was okay but he knew i wasn't so he held me, I needed that.  And when I woke up this morning I still had his little hat in my hand.  I felt like if I let go of it in my sleep, Jaleel put it back in my hand.  I don't know if there is a God or a heaven, or if his spirit is up there now, or if he ends where his life ended, but I think when something like this happens we all need to believe there is a place called heaven where Jaleel is giving people love and joy with that happy and content personality and bring joy with those beautiful dark eyes of his and his cute grin.  I don't even have a picture of him smiling...  I'll never know if he was a laid back happy go lucky kind of person like his dad, would he of had a short temper like his mommy?  I am sure when I see a baby his age or a child that should be his age, I will think of him.  But I am so afraid we only had a short time with him and so afraid I will forget those precious memories of him.  I know I'll never forget him, but I always want to remember everything about him.  Sometimes I feel so bad laughing I feel like I shouldn't be laughing or be happy I'm supposed to be mourning my baby boy.  It seems like everyone else it going on with their life including Allen and I'm her stuck in time.  I know life goes on but seems to be going on too quickly.  How long before people forget him?  How long before people stop talking about him?  I always want to talk to him to keep his memory alive in ours and my own heart and life.

This poem is from one of my BC girls thank you it makes me feel a little better reading it:

What Makes A Mother?

I thought of you and closed my eyes

And prayed to God today

I asked "What makes a Mother?"

And I know I heard Him say

"A Mother has a baby"

This we know is true

"But, God, can you be a Mother

When your baby's not with you?"

"Yes, you can" He replied

With confidence in His voice

"I give many women babies

When they leave is not their choice

Some I send for a lifetime

And others for a day

And some I send to feel your womb

But there's no need to stay"

"I just don't understand this, God

I want my baby here"

He took a breath and cleared His throat

And then I saw a tear

"I wish that I could show you

What your child is doing today

If you could see your child smile

With other children and say

'We go to Earth to learn our lessons

Of love and life and fear

My Mommy loved me oh so much

I got to come straight here.

I feel so lucky to have a Mom

Who had so much love for me

I learned my lesson very quickly

My Mommy set me free

I miss my Mommy oh so much

But I visit her each day

When she goes to sleep

On her pillow's where I lay

I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek

And whisper in her ear

Mommy, don't be sad today

I'm your baby and I'm here'

"So you see my dear sweet one

Your children are okay

Your babies are in my home

And this is where they'll stay

They'll wait for you with me

Until our lesson is through

And on the day that you come home

They'll be at the gates for you

So now you see what makes a Mother

It's the feeling in your heart

It's the love you had so much of

Right from the very start

Though some on Earth may not realize

You are a Mother

Until their time is done

They'll be up here with me one day

And know you're the best one!"

What You Don't Say to Grieving Parents.

Okay I have a list of don'ts. I also have a list of Do's. Maybe this is my angry stage but it is also a genuine attempt to get people to understand what we are going through.

1. Don't ask us when or if we are going to have more children. Naylen was not a puppy. She is not replaceable. That question has no place in our grief process.
2.Don't say, "Enough about that" when we try to talk about her. Each of us needs support. Being a father does not mean that it does not hurt.
3.Don't repeat or makeup disgusting stories about how our baby died in order to justify it. There is no justification. Nothing makes it make sense. She is gone, that is enough.
4.If you hear someone say something negative about us or Nay's death don't tell us. We do not need the added hurt.
5.Don't not say her name. Talk about her. We love to talk about Naylen. Sure we might cry but not because you mentioned her, because we are hurting. Nothing anyone can say to me can hurt me anymore than I am already hurting so please quite tip-toeing around me.
6. Don't wait for us to call you. Reach out to us. We will probably not call you. We are a little wrapped up in ourselves and we are hurting. We feel like it is unfair to share that with you. So if you want to help us and be part of this process then call us, check on us, come by, see us, Don't wait for the right time. There is never a wrong time for friendship.
7.Do not expect us to be over this. If we act okay it does not mean we are not still hurting. This hurt will never go away. Understand that years from we will still suffer from this loss. You can't ignore it forever.
8. Don't forget that our children are suffering too. Kirsten is nine and she is old enough to truly feel this loss. Kinsley while young, is old enough to know that our entire household has turned upside down.
9. Don't be afraid to talk to me about other things. I still care about everything and everyone I cared about before. Still come to me with your own problems and news. I am lonely enough now without also being left out of your lives.
10.Don't act like we are contagious. I know that Naylen dying forces people to face their own mortality and the mortality of their children. But SIDS and infant death is not contagious. Sharing our grief does not mean it will become yours.
11. Do not offer to buy my bed. Do not offer me a new one. I will deal with that issue when I am ready.
12.Don't be afraid to ask us questions. Bascially don't  be afraid of us. We are different people now. I am not sure who we will be or who we are but we still love you.

If you have done any of these things we forgive you. We understand that this is unchartered territory for all of us. We know that Naylen's life is so much bigger than any of this. Don't let any of that stop you from talking to us. We have lost Naylen, we do not want to lose you too.

List of Do's

1.DO TALK ABOUT NAYLEN. WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL OUR DAUGHTER WAS AND IS. WE LOVE TO SHARE STORIES ABOUT HER AND REMEMBER EVERY LITTLE COO.
2.Do stop by the house, call us, ask us to go out, make plans. We still like you all.
3.Do show me your pictures of Nay. Looking at my baby never hurts.
4.Do light a candle for Nay everytime you visit this site. I love to know that people are thinking about her. It gives me great comfort.
5.Do visit Nay's grave. Leave her trinkets. Again we like to know that she is also on your mind.

Naylen is always going to be my baby. I loved her from the moment I knew she was coming. She was only here two months but that does not diminish how I feel about her or her death. She was a part of us and we have lost her. Our family will always be lacking now. We no longer have the luxury of ignorance. Please remember that. You cannot put yourselves in our place. Thank God for that. I hope you never can. But at least attempt to imagine what this must feel like. Think about what you would want to hear and what you wouldn't.