Admittedly, this post has been the hardest to draft. My mom’s relationship with our youngest brother, Daniel, had so much tenderness.  It breaks my heart that my 9 year old brother doesn’t have his mommy anymore. I feel a deep sense of duty in carrying forward the love she had for him, through my own love for him. She and I were both in the room when Daniel was born, and seeing how confidently she coached my sister through labor and how natural she was at caring for him as a vulnerable baby are things that will always stick with me.

 Daniel would have technically been my mom’s first grandchild (when she was just 38!) but she  soon took on the role of being his mommy when he needed her.My mom had only had girls prior to having Daniel, and I know finally having a little boy was extra special to her. When he was very little, he needed extra help in the form of physical therapy and extra nurturing, and my mom doted on him tirelessly. They had an idyllic routine together when he was at his littlest.  They loved to take selfies together, cuddle, watch movies, and just hang out like real couch potatoes! They skyped all the time when they weren’t together. She always thought for months about what his Christmas gifts would be, or what new clothes he would need for school. She had a hilariously hard time telling him “no” for anything. She knew his needs, physical and emotional, and she cherished who he is as a boy–sweet, silly, cuddly, and just up for hanging out! There is nothing quite like the special bond between my mom and Daniel.

As the last two photos were being taken at my mom and Karl’s wedding, I was sobbing. The bond my mom and Daniel share, and how much they love each other, is so apparent and so poignant.