5 kids

Rebekah Hope Clements was born March 26th, 2014. She shares a birthday with my mom and my cousin Kelsey who I was a second mom to when we were younger (I'm 8 years older than Kelsey). She was also born a week before Hannah's 1 year anniversary. I am so thankful that there is space between those two dates. The way Rachel treats Rebekah, with love and always a willingness to hold her, is just like the way Hannah treated Rachel when she was born.

 Rachel with Rebekah

Hannah with Rachel

I love that we have a new baby and that my family can grow and continue. It is what God wanted us to do. However, I see the gap in our family that Hannah left even more now. 

People have come to me a lot to check out the new baby. Since it is just Rachel, Rebekah and I, strangers assume that I have only two kids. They are blown away when I tell them that I have 5 children. I am so proud to claim all five. I've always wanted to be a mother. It is a little confusing to them go and list my children's ages. To me Hannah is 4 years old and will continue to increase as we celebrate each birthday but she died when she was 3. I don't want to announce her age at 3 because soon Rachel will be three. Sometimes I feel like I'm misleading people or just pretending when I don't mention that my Hannah passed away.  Most of the time I would rather focus on how we are a forever family and that Nathan and I will have the chance to be parents to her again then on the permanent separation that we feel now. I am so thankful for the gospel and the understanding that death is not the end.