On Miscarriages and Moving

We were expecting to tell people around this time that I was expecting our first child, due in July.  We checked in with the U of M Fertility Clinic several times along the way.  The first ultra sound showed a small baby with a slow heartbeat.  The second ultra sound showed a baby that was not measuring much larger and had a slower heartbeat.  The third ultra sound showed a baby with no more heartbeat.  Of course, in the middle of all this, we were trying to book plane tickets, drive to Grand Rapids to get biometric testing done in order to obtain work visas, and find a place in Belfast to live which allowed dogs.  All of that was stressful enough without adding into it the unimaginable grief of losing our baby at 9 weeks.
Having a miscarriage is akin to having a million shards of glass impale into your skin at once.  At first your body numbs your skin to protect you from the pain.  Then the glass gets absorbed into your circulatory system and you feel these constant pricks reminding you of the initial shock.
We're trying to focus on waiting for our passports to arrive back from the UK consulate so we can be documented workers in the UK.  We're trying to put our energy into packing the needed things into boxes.  We're trying to keep busy with all of this, but right now we are low on energy during a time when we need to be functioning on high.  I read that when a couple experiences a miscarriage, its like two people who become blind at the same time trying to teach each other Braille.   So, we're doing the best we can as we stumble through this together.
Our plane tickets are booked for January 11th, arriving January 12th.  Toby will get checked as manifest cargo and fly underneath us in the plane's belly.  At this point, we may be checking into a hotel for a few weeks when we arrive and then taking it from there.  As more events unfold, we'll update this to let you know.

What's In a Name?

I spent some time thinking about what to call our blog.  After trying out several different titles, "Highlights" seemed to fit.  I borrowed the reason behind our title from a friend.  She titled her blog based on the song to which she and her husband first danced at their wedding.  The song to which Dave & I first danced at our wedding was "Highlight" by Storyhill.  Here is a sample of the lyrics:

Highlight of my life
Dreamer in my dreams
Everything is not
Only as it seems

Wade in the water

Hold on to my hand
The current can be strong here
But no stronger than I am

And if we slip or falter
We'll stumble together

Using this song as our guide, we look forward to updating you about the highlights of our life in Northern Ireland.  We should be arriving in Belfast sometime in mid-January, between the 10th and the 15th.  We don't know if we'll have internet right away (or even where we'll be living), but we'll do our best to keep this current.  Until next time...