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There are certain things that no parent should ever have to do, yet here I am, having done them. The one thing, above all else, is that no parent should ever have to outlive their own child. Before December 2006, that concept was, to me, not much more than a plot point in one of my favorite movies. Sure, I'd known a parent or two who'd lost children, but it never occurred to me that I'd someday be one myself. In 1994, when "Stargate" was released, outliving ones own child was just part of the story arc to me, but little did I know that I would be living those words some twelve years later. Jen and I outlived our own child...our first child.

Our daughter, Ceilidh Anna Giove (pronounced Kay-lee, a Gaelic word meaning, in general, "celebration"), came into this world on Saturday, December 9, 2006, at 11:50 AM. Sadly, Ceilidh died in utero sometime overnight (we think) several days before, between the 4th and 5th. She died of a somewhat rare chromosomal disorder known as Trisomy 18 (you can learn about it by visiting my links page).

I'd been sitting on the name "Ceilidh" for some 20 years (there's a story behind it), knowing that my first daughter would have that name. When we first got the news that we were pregnant we couldn't have been happier, because we'd been together six years at that point, and still no baby...not for a lack of effort, though. From day one we hoped for a girl (I'd always wanted a daughter anyway), because most of our generation on both sides was made up of boys.

In one sense, Ceilidh was, and is, a dream come true, because she was the daughter we wanted. We learned that she was a girl first, but we learned about her terrible condition only a few minutes later. It didn't take much research for us to learn that she had almost no hope of survival...almost. We made the decision to give her every chance we could, and in the end it was Ceilidh herself who decided that she couldn't stay in our world, for whatever reason.

We believe she chose her own path, and that it was planned out well in advance. As devastating as it was to come so close to meeting her face to face and ultimately not have the chance, we know we made the right decision in letting her try, because there are no "what-if"s, and no guilt or regrets over what we should've or could've done for her. Even though she never lived in this world, we believe that she knows us and that she pops in to visit every so often...she knows where home is, and she knows who mommy and daddy are.

Digit, our beloved dog, died a few weeks later, but we take great comfort in the belief that she went to protect Ceilidh and keep her out of trouble. If Ceilidh is anything like her father, she needs the guidance. Digit was always very protective of children, and somehow she knew she was needed wherever Ceilidh might be.

This page is our memorial for her. Here you'll find, among other things, thoughts, memories, and photos. When you view the photos, please keep one very important thought in mind. These are bereavement photos, taken by the wonderful Stefanie Kimball of Stefanie Lynn Photography. Remember that Ceilidh had died in the womb several days before her birth (which was the day these were taken), so please try to view them through my eyes. These photos are not easy to look at, and are not for everyone. Medically speaking, she looks like she had a hard road (let's face it...she did), but to me and Jen, she was, is, and always will be one of the most beautiful babies ever to grace this or any other world.