There are things that will happen in all of our lives that will change us in one way or another. At times, they change for the better and at other times, they may leave us with scars that will last for a lifetime. There are also times when we may have events that are a combination of the two, which is the experience of newly expected parents from Ohio. Their names are Lyndsay and Matthew Brentlinger and they welcomed a set of twins who were absolutely perfect looking into the world. It seemed like a miracle when it happened.
When the Brentlingers were expecting the children, the doctors told them that their son, who is named William, would likely be stillborn due to some heart abnormalities that he had. It was a difficult pregnancy, to say the least, but they were beyond thrilled when both their new son and daughter were born on December 17, 2016. The children looked absolutely perfect and beautiful and they were happy to see that William was wide-eyed and was the perfect match to the twin daughter, his sister, Reagan.
The happiness that Lyndsay and Matthew felt to be new parents was beyond measure. They also realized, however, that William would not live very long because he had heart issues.
Lyndsay spoke to HuffPost:
“I was so happy they were finally here and that Will was stable. But I was also scared of when I would lose him.”
One of the friends of the Brentlingers gave them a suggestion that they should capture the moment together in time using a photographer. They recommended Lindsey Brown in the hopes that she would do a photoshoot at the last minute.
Lindsey Brown is the owner and operator of Lindsey Brown Photography and the request came in around Christmas. She was busy, but she knew that she had to help when she heard why.
Brown also spoke with HuffPost:
“I knew immediately I had to do this for them. How could anyone with a heart say no to that?”
Brown took the pictures on December 20 and created a photoshoot of the entire family.
The twins were wrapped up next to each other and they looked absolutely adorable. Even Baby William seemed to be wide awake in some of the pictures.
Lindsey Brown told CNN:
“I could not believe how perfect they both looked … William was extremely alert, as if he was trying to take it all in, while little Reagan slept and barely opened her eyes. It was extremely bittersweet the entire time I was there.”
Along with the pictures of the babies, the parents also posed with them on the couch. Separate photos were also taken and each is a memory that will last forever.
Lyndsay and Matthew had an opportunity to hold their son and to enjoy the moment as a family of four.
Unfortunately, baby William died when he was only 11 days old on December 28.
Although the time was short, Matthew told ABC13 that, “They were the happiest 11 days of my life.”
Lyndsay spoke about the photographs, saying:
“I cried the first time I looked at them. I still cry sometimes They are beautiful and he is beautiful. In some of them, you can see he is wide awake with his big beautiful eyes. It’s something we will definitely cherish.”
Brown is happy in her heart that the family will have the pictures to look back on and to show to their daughter, Reagan.
Losing a child is something that no parent should have to go through but the Brentlingers tried to do what they could with the time they had.
Lyndsay told TODAY:
“The days with both of our babies at home together were amazing. We tried our best to focus on enjoying the time together and creating memories. We were able to do this and felt like God blessed us with the time to get to know our son.”
Source: Parenting Isn’t Easy