Even before he was conceived this little boy was desperately wanted and yearned for. When he first came to be, one day in April 2010, in Fornalutx, Mallorca, he created a wonderful journey for his Mummy and Daddy, who were absolutely over the moon to be bringing him into our world.He was so healthy and grew safely inside his Mummy's tummy, where he felt the waves of love from his parents who talked and sang to him, played him beautiful music, and massaged him through her growing belly. He grew and grew and his Mummy's clever body craved yogurt to provide the calcium for his long limbs, for he was going to be just like his Daddy, 6ft 5"or perhaps even taller!
When the magical time came for Laurence to meet his doting parents, they were filled with eager anticipation to be finally meeting the little being that they had created and were desperate to see and hold. Would this baby be a girl or a boy? What would the baby look like? How full of love would they feel the moment they saw him, when all their dreams of being a family came true. Ahead of them lay a life time of happy moments, filled with laughter and pride and sheer wonder.
Laurence was born on the 25th January at fifty minutes past midnight. His father declared excitedly that he was a boy as he slithered into the world. He took no breath; there was only silence, and his mother's gentle crooning as he was placed on her chest, hot and bloody, for only 3 seconds before the midwives reacted to his still body and took him from her arms. Minutes before Laurence was born his little heart stopped beating for no known reason. The medical team were unable to get it started again, and after attempting for an hour and a half to bring Laurence into the world, he was handed back to his shell shocked parents.
The next few hours they pored over their son in wonder at his perfectness, his softness, his delicate triangular shaped nostrils, his perfect little pouty lips, his mass of hair, brown, not ginger as they had half expected, his long fingers and those beautiful big feet with a wonky little left toe. They drank him in, every inch, every curve, every crease. They spoke to him about how much they loved him, and how special he was to them. They tried to fill him with a life time of love and memories and adoration. It will never be long enough.
Later that day as the sun came up, they shared him with his grandparents, his uncles and close friends, desperately wanting everyone to see and touch this beautiful little miracle, this bundle of beauty and sadness.
The next day, Laurence's parents walked out of the hospital with empty arms and their hearts over flowing with pure love for him. They are forever changed, immensely proud of the beautiful little boy that they will never witness growing up and hugely grateful that they got to meet their most precious gift.
