BODEY'S 1st CHRISTMAS
This was the first Christmas that either Heath or I had ever spent without extended family. The reasoning for this started with an after hours visit to Urgent Care on 12/21 because Bodey was developing a rising temperature. The doctor at urgent care was about Heath's age and was giving him a joking hard time about Bodey getting sick because of 'new dad syndrome'. When the doctor diagnosed Bodey with RSV our fears were elevated since we were familiar with the dangers of RSV after having spent time in the CHOA NICU with Millie 2 winters ago. The doctor joked a few more times trying to keep things light-hearted sensing new parent anxieties but I felt the need to explain to him that we were particularly fearful because we had lost our infant daughter. This genuinely caring doctor then shifted his attitude stating that he understood but we sort of shrugged off his platitude. Sensing this he then forced Heath to make eye contact with him, and he spoke clearly and directly stating that he understood because he and his wife recently lost their baby when his wife was 38 weeks pregnant. He reassured Heath and I that "Bodey will not die." He also spent time asking how else he could help us. While it's bittersweet to have a doctor with personal experience in our tragedy it was also very comforting. We were instructed to keep Bodey out of daycare for 2 weeks because of the highly contagious nature of this respiratory virus.
So we made plans with Heath's dad and step-mom to spend Christmas together (as well as help us with babysitting) but then realized that they simply could NOT come be with us for the holiday. The reason they couldn't come spend time with us was because we could NOT risk the chance of them becoming carriers of Bodey's respiratory virus. Heath's parents needed to travel back to Florida to help care for Heath's aunt Wanda who was in a very serious health crisis in the ICU at Tampa general following complications associated with a tear in her esophagus. We could NOT risk them carrying a respiratory virus to aunt Wanda when her greatest chance of survival meant avoiding all infections.
We were invited to spend Christmas with other family and friends but we couldn't bring Bodey around their children since he was still so very contagious so we just spent his 1st Christmas together in the comfort of our home as our little family. We opened gifts together with our Wiedmeyer family Friday night via video chatting which was really nice. Then we opened gifts together as a little family Christmas morning. All were very spoiled but most especially baby Bodey. We then ended the afternoon by reading Christmas stories to Millie at her resting place.
There is a beautiful red dress that hangs in my closet that Millie was meant to wear for her first Christmas. It is still so bittersweet to celebrate with joy our son's 1st Christmas while also feeling sadness over never having gotten that same experience with Millie. Our hearts were again comforted this Christmas by the many letters and pictures sent to us showing the ways in which family and friends again performed Random Acts of Christmas Kindness in honor of Millie. Heath and I honored a little girl in need by purchasing a baby doll I know I would have enjoyed gifting Millie for her second Christmas.
