A call for justice in the murder of a child

On August 20, 2009 my friend Molly gave birth to a little boy.  On September 8, 2010 she said goodbye to him.  After days of watching her little bug suffer through a stroke and major brain damage her son, Cory Francis Sechtin, left her life.  He was barely a year old.  As my little boy approaches a year old I look at him and think of Molly and Cory. 

I think of how Molly must have felt when she got the phone call that Cory was injured.  I think of those days that she spent by his side wanting what could only be considered a miracle.  I think of all the things that she will miss with him because he is gone.  She will never see him run or hit a baseball.  She will never get to hold his hand (or be told not to hold his hand) on the way to his first day of school.  She will never find out if he is a dunker or a twister of Oreos.  She will never have the opportunity to love or hate his first girlfriend.  She will never cheer him on at a ball game or a concert.  She will never help him with his homework.  She will miss kindergarten, middle school, high school and college graduations.  She will never know what kind of big brother he would be.  She will never have grand kids that look exactly him.  She will never embarrass him by taking 6 million pictures of him with his prom date.  She will never teach him to ride a bike or a skateboard.  She will never hear him sing or say, "I love you so much Mom!"  She will miss so many large moments and a million little moments.  She has been robbed of her little boy.

There is only moment left for her to have with Cory.  That moment is the arrest of his murderer.  Yes, I said murderer. There have more days since Cory's death than Cory had in life.  What a sad thought.  Molly has had to wait 18 months for the prosecutor to hold Cory's murderer responsible.  She has waited over a year for the world to hear about how the husband of her child's daycare provider/babysitter shook her baby to death.

I am amazed that no one has taken note of Cory's life, and death.  Where are the million binky marches for Cory?  Where are the groups putting up pictures of Cory's killer and demanding justice?  Where are the phone calls to the prosecutors office demanding he open the case file and get things moving?  Where are the celebrities and sports teams crying out for Cory?

Well, I am crying out for Cory and for Molly.  Won't you join me?  You can start by clicking here and liking her page.  From there Molly will keep you updated on the status of the case and what you can do to help demand justice for a little boy whose future was stolen from him.

*Edit* At the same time that I was writing this post another friend of Molly's wrote up a petition on Change.org to go to the office of the prosecutor responsible for the delay in prosecution.  If you would like to go straight to the petition from here click here.  Thanks!

Now it's time to say goodbye...

to breastfeeding the baby :(

A few weeks ago I had my first prenatal appointment for the new baby.  Everything went great.  They did an ultrasound so we got the baby's first picture.  Everything seems to be progressing nicely.  The doctor did make my due date October 30 because the baby measured in at only 7 weeks gestational but other than that little shocker things went almost exactly as we expected.  I should add about the date change that the doctor said that is entirely normal for breastfeeding mommas of young kids.  Since that makes menstruation and ovulation sporadic sometimes counting from the last normal period doesn't work so great. 

And then he told me to wean.  He said that he doesn't want the breastfeeding to cause uterine contractions once I am in to my second trimester.  By the time he sees me again Will needs to be completely weaned.  Now, Will was 11 months at the time.  Honestly, we were coming up to the time when I was considering weaning anyway.  At his 9 month check up his pediatrician said he could start drinking cow's milk when I was ready to give it to him.  And, considering I have never before been able to breastfeed one of my babies, I am pleased as punch that I had this experience with him.  BUT somehow I am still sad to think of forcing him to stop.  I expected him to say, "No thanks Mom, I think I'll have an apple juice instead."

That has yet to happen.  I am diligently cutting down on the breast milk availability.  He is down to twice a day.  He can have it once during the day and once near bedtime.  He doesn't nurse himself to sleep but he does fill up on it a little before he gets ready for bed to help him sleep well.  And every time I give him access to them he looks like he just found his lost best friend.  It is so sweet and bittersweet.  I love how happy something I alone can do for him makes him but I hate that soon that will be gone for him.  Soon his daytime feeding will go away.  And then his night feeding. 

I feel so blessed to be pregnant again.  And I am going to do, as always, everything I can to keep this little one inside me growing and developing well.  This time it just kind of makes me sad as well.  But hey, maybe for a few months my boobs will belong to me again! 

By the numbers

I don't know about anyone else but my brain often thinks in numbers and adding a new baby has really got me thinking numbers!

4: the number of kids I will have
6: the number of people in my family
5: the number of people my car holds
8: the number of months til my car is paid off
7: the number of months til the baby is due
4: the number of bedrooms in my house
4: the number of people that can sit at my kitchen table
2: the number of chairs I could add to my dining room table
9: the number of months old Will was when I got pregnant with the new baby
12 yrs, 7 yrs, 18 mos: the ages of my children when the new baby comes
3: the number of guys in my house (ahhh the testosterone)
65: the average number of hours a week that hubby works
5: the average number of hours of sleep I get at night
100: the approximate number of pictures I already have on display in my house
5: the number of years behind I am in my scrapbooking


Some of those are rather overwhelming until the second half of the thought enters my mind.
4: the number of kids I will have, and that makes me so happy!
6: the number of people in my family.  Who would have thought an only child would get to have such a large family!
5: the number of people my car holds, but it's only an issue a few days a month and I have wanted a larger vehicle for a while anyway
8: the number of months til my car is paid off, and really, how fortuitous is that?  It is so great that we are so close!
7: the number of months til the baby is due and most everything we would need to do is still one from Will!
4: the number of bedrooms in my house, but the idea of kids having their own rooms is a 21st century thought.  Growing up with a roommate will really help the kids learn to deal with other people.
4: the number of people that can sit at my kitchen table but since hubby never gets to eat breakfast or lunch with us and kiddo is rarely here most of the time we'll be fine.  And that will just encourage us to use the dining room!
2: the number of chairs I could add to my dining table, and that would be perfect!  And maybe getting those chairs will mean I get to finish the dining room!
9: the number of months old Will was when I got pregnant with the new baby and it's nice to think how close they will be.
12 yrs, 7 yrs, 18 mos: how old my kids will be when the new baby is born.  How amazing is that?
3: the number of guys in my house.  And I have survived so surely I will survive if this baby is also a boy!
65: the average number of hours hubby works per week.  It's hard to be upbeat with this one, but I guess at least he is employed?
5: the average number of hours of sleep I get per night.  Usually I really don't mind that because Will is so cute when I go in to put hum back to sleep.  Additionally, Justin and my body have both been trying to increase that number.
100: the approximate number of pictures I already have on display in my house.  That's right- I have had that many cute pictures or great memories made. 
5: the number of years behind I am in my scrapbooking, but that just means that for 5 years I have made more great memories than I have had down time to put on paper.

When I look at everything that way I have to add one more number.
0: the number of times I have wanted to change the timing of this baby.