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New Nephew

Today Braden Isaac arrived via c-section. My niece Amber (the mom) was quite relieved, because her first baby was over 10 lbs and late. The OB Gyn was letting her get past her due date again, and all she could think of was the two weeks spent in the nicu last time. I am so greatful for them that this time all is well.

My mom called to let us know. Braden's middle name (Isaac) was the name of our son, whom we lost at 10 months of age due to heart problems. I was 18 finishing my senior year of highschool; Mike was 21 dropping college and welding for a living. You can imagine when two kids who have the world ahead of them end up with a baby with serious health issues. There wasn't a lot of help from either of our parents. The irony in that was it drove us closer together and made us grow up fast.

Isaac had an easy disposition and smiled easily when he felt up to it, and lit up the room. His eyes were blue like Mike's, but he had light yellow hair that stood up like sunshine. I somehow managed to graduate, meanwhile Isaac got sicker. Bit by bit he slipped away from us. Finally, we had to let him go. I was holding him when he died, and we buried him next to my dad in a family plot in Polar, WI. I felt like the world was a huge weight so heavy upon me that day, I was sure I would sink clear into the ground. Mike was there beside me, and he was the only one who had a clue how it felt. It is a sorrow so deep, only another parent or a sibling who has had to say good bye too soon can understand. This was 1989.

It is strange how we manage to put this all away and go about our lives, many days as if he never happened. Amber knew of him because over the years, there were no more cousins on this side of the family until she was 7 years old. I was shocked to hear she used his name, like I couldn't breathe for a second. After all these years, someone else still thinks about him, too. I guess she wants to make a point to remember him, which is something I can appreciate.

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