Madeline

Here is Madeline, "Maddie", just seconds old.





Maddie was the 4th born of my quads. Weighing in at just 2 pounds 1 ounce and 13.5 inches in length. She was just a fiesty little thing.





Here is Maddie the morning after she was born, just 14 hours old, the nurses took this with a polaroid camera. Cute little button nose just like Samantha.



Look how blond she was. Just like Alexis. She is showing off her Ventilator used for breathing that first day. (Teddy and Bridgette would be on and off that ventilator for weeks)

Look at my sweet Maddie at just 2 days old. Showing her spunky personality and on the CPAP for breathing assistance. The next step up from the vent.

here is Maddie snuggled so sweetly in my arms. She is just 3 days old here.

She is looking at me like she knows something, I think she knew that her time here was short and she was telling me. She was so content in my arms. Oh if I only knew what was to come I would have held her all week, and not let her go.

Look at Maddie at just 4 days old, she was showing off that she had moved to high flow for breathing. WOW almost all the way to no breathing assistance. What a little fighter. This is my most favorite picture of her.

On day 8, September 13, 2008 at 12:00AM the phone rang. I started saying, "please let it be Don's work", I could not move to grab the phone, Don answered it. It was the NICU Maddie had some blood in her stool she was immediately started on atibiotics. I rolled over and thought, it's Maddie, she is doing awesome, she'll be OK. I was not prepared for what I saw when we got there that morning.

Day 9, September 14, 2008, the worst day of my life. They took a peek inside to see what turned her so criticle on day 8, why her stomac was so enlarged. Only to find out that half of her stomac had died and all of her intestines had died. This can't be she was so fiesty, so full of life, how can this be, please God please no.

We asked to have her Baptised as quickly as possible. They dressed her in a tiny little gown. So pretty.

Daddy's holding her timy little arm. I can see the love in his grip.

The Chaplain at the hospital is Baptising her.

I am still holding out for a miracle. God can do anything.

Oh baby girl, how I love you so much. You will be the most beautiful Angel in Heaven.

Daddy holding Maddie for the very first/last time. Sweet baby girl Daddy loves you so much, he can not find the words to tell you how much. Soon very soon you will find out.

We LOVE you!!

Mom is never going to let you go, I want to hold your sweet body forever. The Dr. is carefully removing the breathing assistance so Maddie can finish her earthly journey as quickly and peacefully as possible.

I know your spirit has left your body but I feel you all around me. "I just can't believe you are gone baby girl. Mom will see you each night in my dreams." You are free, you are running with Jesus and all of the Angels. September 14, 2008 at 12:21 PM the Dr. says the words no parent should hear in reference to thier child "Time of death.....". I could not breath, I felt like someone had sucked the breath out of me when he said those words, even though I knew you had left, I could not take hearing the words.

Monday September 22, 2008. We said goodbye to your physical body one last time. We celebrated being chosen to be your parents. It was a beautiful day, and the service was beautiful. You laid in the bassinet that your big sisters slept in as babies.

I made a slide show and Alexis and Olivia watched it over and over again, once in a while they aske to watch it now. you can view slideshow here.

We would later find out that Maddie's cause of death was NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis), she had the most severe form and had less than a 10% chance to get it because she was getting my milk, and an even smaller chance of having it so severe. I hope that one day with research they find a way to prevent this 100% so no parent has to go through what we went through.

And here is Maddie today. The silver urn holds her ashes and one day she will be burried with Don or I.

We will be walking today, Sunday April 25th, for the March of Dimes to help raise funds and awareness about prematurity.

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this.

Please consider walking with us or making a small tax deductable donation: Click here to learn more or donate

Funds raised in March for Babies support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And they will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.