January 18th, 2022

Introducing: Avery Alina Donelson 🍼

Our sweet, beautiful Avery Alina was taken from us far too soon.

We were devastated to learn last Tuesday morning that our little princess had most likely passed the night before due to umbilical cord prolapse. It’s very rare, and it has no real cause or any type of prevention, which is why our scan just days before on Friday looked perfect.

I’ve tried again and again to find the right words to say, but every time I try to type a sentence I either can’t seem to put a coherent thought together, or I can’t bring myself to finish it, or it just feels wrong somehow. So needless to say, there’s so, so much more to say, so much more that I just can’t right now.

All I know is that I love our daughter so much. I loved her from the very moment I saw that positive digital test. And I will love her until the end of forever. And I miss her—so, so much. It’s not fair, that she had to leave that day with wings instead of in our arms. But we will continue to carry her with us every single day, always and forever, in our hearts. She will always be our blessing, our angel, our little girl. She is so missed and so loved by so many.

Our angel’s middle name is special, because it comes from the amazing nurse who was there for us throughout the entire process—from the news to the delivery to the recovery. We are forever grateful for her compassion and warmth, for her genuine smile, for her patience and care. Without her we surely would not have been able to get through that day as we did. We could think of no name more suitable for our precious girl than hers.

There’s been an overflowing amount of love showered over us already, and we cannot begin to express how grateful we are for all of you. If our replies are delayed, brief, or not given at all, please know that we truly are so very thankful for every word, for every gesture, for every single bit of love. It’s just a lot right now. But despite what we say or don’t say, please know that we appreciate everything.

A huge piece of our hearts has wings now. God has her in His hands, and we have her in our hearts. And we’ll hold her in our hearts until we can hold her in heaven. Through her we have learned that there are some that bring a light so great to this world that even after they have gone, the light remains.