Letter By Tim Plunkett

Lillian Alyse Plunkett

Lillian was born on the 12th of May 2013, after a very long and anxious 37 weeks. Everyone knew we were trying, and when we finally learened we were expecting her, we knew our family was finally going to be complete. I can't tell you how happy we were.

As pregnancies go, it wasn't too bad for us - no morning sickness, no weird cravings. Towards the end it did become hard to get around, but we'd go through those 37 weeks again and again for our little girl. I hope that while she was living and growing inside she felt safe, warm, and loved. I hope she knows we looked after her as best we could while she was growing. We just wanted her happy, healthy, loved and cherished. I'm sure she heard us speak to her.

Lillian's birth was the most beautiful event of our lives. Despite knowing the outcome, we pushed on with strong will and support for our little girl. We were told it could take days for her to be born, but somehow we knew it would be that day... That day to celebrate the most important person in all our lives... Mothers Day
Once we started the labor process, we knew that together with Lillian we'd have to embrace the challenge of birth and death on the same day, at the very same moment, and we did. Our daughter was born asleep at 2pm, and we held her immediatly. She was perfect. Perfect, beautiful and peaceful. It was incrediably natural to lay there with our newborn child. I'm sure her spirit was still with us, and she didn't leave until we'd been given the chance to meet face to face. Until she got to have a cuddle and a talk with her mommy and daddy. Until we had finished marveling at our beautiful creation.

Lillian will always be our first child. If we add to our family, the next child will be our second child. Our other children will be told about Lillian. Her birthday will be celebrated every year. We'll honor her at Christmas. Even now, we speak to her like she's here. We say goodnight to her and tell her we love her. We sleep with her blanket that she was wrapped in after birth, every night.

Despite the pain and heartache that we feel, we think we're lucky. Lillian chose to come to us. She'll always be part of our family and we're privleged to be her parents. We're honored to have created Lillian, carried her, felt her move, birthed her, held her.

Lillian Alyse Plunkett, at zero days old, has taught us more about life, love, serenity, and peace than we've learned in our entire lives so far. She had a purpose, and she'll be preserved as a perfect, innocent heart forever. Lillian won't grow up like other children. She won't face the hardships of this world. She won't experience dissapointment or sadness, nor will she ever cause us dissapointment or sadness. Lillian is a special soul, and her little life will be a memory of nothing but love, innocence, and purity. For someone who never took a breath, the number of lives she's touched is remarkable.

Lillian may have been stillborn... but she was STILL born, and we see her now with butterfiles.

We love you Lillian. We always did... and we always will.