4 years ago today we said goodbye to our sweet Cooper

Cooper passed away on April 5th, 2007. The day before he passed his big brothers were allowed to go into the NICU to say their hellos and goodbyes to their baby brother. They were able to touch him and Laun held Clayton and Porter up so that they could give Coop a kiss. Porter touched Cooper’s tiny toes and sang him-This Little Piggy went to Market. It was a tender yet sad time for our family. It was the only day since Cooper had been born that we were all together as a family. Late that evening I received a phone call from the NICU, a call you never want to receive. We were told to get there as soon as possible because it probably wouldn’t be long before before he passed away. My mom and sister Rachel were at home with our boys and Laun and I rushed over to UMC. For the first time we were able to hold him in our arms without any tubes in his mouth. They took everything out except for one IV in his leg-they left it in so that he would feel no pain. Laun and I held him as his heart stopped beating. He passed away in the early morning. It is very strange to me that one minute someone can be alive and that the next minute they are gone. It also amazes me that the spirit can not dwell in a body that has stopped working. We held him for some time and then headed home, empty handed. It was surreal then and sometimes it still feels unreal. How did we manage? How did we breathe? How did we survive? It was all because we had the sure knowledge that we would hold him again someday and had the support from loved ones. We love you Cooper and are thankful that you are part of our eternal family.