My Story ...Continued

Nevaeh had been doing very well, Daddy had returned to work part time, Desiree and Dylan were starting to get back on a normal routine.   Before we knew it June and July had come and gone.  During that time we had a lot of fun with Nevaeh.  She was able to meet so many more people than we ever expected her to meet.  The hospice nurses would come one a week to give her a little check up and weigh her.   Since we switched her to hi-calorie formula, she would just keep putting on a few ounces here and there.  Everyone was so proud of her.  They would always call to see how much she had gained each week.  She was eating 2 ounces every 3-4 hours,  "what a big girl".  She would still need to have the oxygen on her, but that is expected with her heart conditions.

Wearing her special "I'm a Little Angel" outfit.

August 12, 2003 is Nevaeh's 2 month birthday.  The day started out normal.  She woke up and had a bottle like usual, and then we started getting ready for her doctor's appointment.  It is her two month check up.  She weighed in at 4lbs 10oz.  a whole pound more than what she weighed at her one month check up.  She grew two inches, now at 19in. long.  We had discussed starting her immunizations, but we all changed our minds at the last minute.  We were going to come back in two weeks and hopefully she would gain a few more ounces by then.

At the beach with Mommy

After Nevaeh's doctor's appointment, we went to pick up some luch.  We stopped at a little Cafe called "Dawn's", what a nice name for a resteraunt (hee hee).  The rest of the day, we just took it easy at home.  Then Daddy and Dylan left to pick up some dinner, and that's when the day turned upside down.  I had just finished a phone conversation talking about how well Nevaeh was doing.  Nevaeh was sleeping peacfully on my chest, she was due to eat so I was waiting for her to wake up.  Then all of a sudden she stiffened up, made a grunting noise and went limp.  This is what she does when she is having an apnea spell.  I had checked her breathing, nothing.  I listened for a heartbeat, it was there.  So I just sat and held her, rubbing her chest a little and telling her how much I love her.  (This is what we would always do).  After about five minutes of not breathing, I had checked her heart again.  It was beating very slow, but it was still there and she was gasping for air every few minutes.  I just kept saying to myself that she has done this before and been fine, so I am not going to call Augie on his phone and alarm him, she will be fine by the time he get back.  Well he got home and she still was not breathing.  We all sat around her telling her we loved her and just cried.  There was nothing we could do.  At about 6:20pm, I listened for a heartbeat, and nothing.  I checked again five minutes later, still nothing.  SHE WAS GONE.  Just 15 minutes to the exact time she was born two months before.

Last picture taken before Nevaeh passed away