Isla Rose Henning was born on the 21st of June and took her first breath at 11:08pm. She held on for as long as she could.

She was so strong.

We had her for what felt like only a few moments, but they were the most beautiful moments we could have asked for. She went to sleep peacefully as she laid in her mother's arms, surrounded by her grandparents and the most unrelenting love that anybody could ever possibly give.

We wrapped her in the soft flower-covered swaddle that we picked out months ago. She wore her little pink hat that her Nana made. On Isla's heart, we pinned on the luckenbooth that her Nan and Papa gave us on our wedding day. We bathed her. We took castings of her feet and hand. We made ink stamps that capture all of the beautiful details of her skin.

We filled out her birth certificate - officially making her our little Texas girl.

We stared at her tiny face for what seemed like forever, etching into our memories her beautiful details; her mother's nose, her father's lips. Her blonde eyelashes and wispy light brown hair. Her tiny ears. She was perfect. So pure. So beautiful. So peaceful. Just perfect.

She will forever stay a perfect little newborn, waiting for us to join her again one day.

Isla had her own schedule. She just didn't want to wait two more weeks for our induction date that was scheduled for July 7th. She chose to meet us on June 21st: Father's Day and her Nana's birthday. Coincidentally, the longest day of the year.

She has been so deeply loved from the moment we saw that first flicker of her heartbeat on the sonogram. She was loved for the 36 weeks and 4 days that she grew into the beautiful little girl she was. She was loved every single second of her existence, and will always be loved. Always.

Her story doesn't stop now. In many ways, we feel like a new chapter has just started. We will continue telling her story because she will live on through us.

We will see her in our dreams. We will hear her when the wind blows. We will feel her in our hearts, illuminating our souls every time we think of her. She will continue to be the most precious light, guiding us through wherever life takes us.

It's impossible to put words to the emotions that we're feeling right now. There's so much joy woven into all of the pain we are feeling. But we can't always feel sad about the incredible gift that she is to us. She wouldn't want us to be sad. She would want us to be happy. All of us, near and far, who have been impacted by her beautiful life. We are so thankful for the days we got to keep her safe with us.

We will celebrate her for the rest of our lives.

We love you so much Isla Rose Henning, with every single beat of our hearts. Thank you for being the precious soul that you are. Thank you for everything you have taught us about cherishing time. Thank you for letting us love you so deeply, powerfully, and endlessly. Thank you for choosing us to be your mom and dad.

Thank you for being our gift of time.

Please Share Our Story:

We are so grateful for everybody who has taken the time to read our story, Your support lets us know that Isla is impacting people, far and wide.

Our Pregnancy Story