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Five months ago today I was 2 days into my 2 week hospitalization. Five months ago today Marco was swimming his little heart out in the large amount of amniotic fluid I had. Five months ago today I was hospitalized and confused. Every morning just after my shower and breakfast, I would have my non-stress test. It was always so nice to hear his wonderful heartbeat. It was always a little on the slower side, but it was strong – they always told us that his heart was strong. The doctors were trying to scare us with their versions of what they thought Marco’s life would be like should he survive. There were so many questions. Would he survive? If so, what challenges/disabilities would he face? How severe would those disabilities be? Would we be able to handle it? Of course we knew that we loved him no matter what – no matter what disabilities he would have had. We talked about how having a child with a disability would enrich our lives. We knew that living in the nation’s capital was something we had on our side in this situation since there are so many resources here. Little Marco – he shocked us all though – after all the speculation from the doctor’s – the visit from the geneticist – no one ever predicted what would prevent him from living – his locked jaw. Five months ago today, I was fighting for my baby – I had a huge sense of purpose – to protect my unborn baby and to do everything possible to give him a life of love. I remember rubbing my belly and telling Marco the week after we found out about all the abnormalities, that I was going to protect him no matter what – that I wasn’t going to let anyone take him away from me or hurt him. In the end, even though his life was gone just hours after it started, Bruno and I still got to show him the love that we had for him. I realize now that we were able to give him a life of love. It was a very short life, but it was full of love. Marco - I hope you always feel our unending love.