First Funeral

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Hi Gang!

I’m sorry it’s been a little while since I posted on HamannEggs. We had one of those crushing episodes in our family that makes it hard to write silly stories about the comings and goings of poop and pee.

My nephew passed away.

Yeah, that’s hard to read. Even harder to type. He was a beautiful little guy who had one of those smiles that occupied his entire face. He was the kind of baby who could be passed from loud relative to loud relative without breaking his adorable disposition. There was only one thing he loved more than being chased by his brother, and that was being held by his mom.

You can imagine the giant crater left behind by his loss.

Diana told the boys and they were able to process the information. They tended to look on the bright side, hoping Grandpa Ed would finally have something to do up in Heaven.

We wanted the boys to attend the funeral, but I got some nosy advice discouraging us from bringing them to something so sad. Children shouldn’t have to experience death. Children shouldn’t have to see people they love cry. Children might make an inappropriate noise during the service.

Luckily, Diana has never taken nosy advice about Elijah and Luca, so we drive to Iowa with clip on ties and the world’s wrinklest white dress shirts.

They did great at the service. They designated themselves official babysitters of their other cousin and added much needed levity. Elijah was really concerned about Diana and patted her arm when things got emotional.

Towards the end of the service, I noticed Luca was sitting a row behind us, intensely listening to the priest. He had the same look on his face when he’s trying to figure out what 7 times 3 equals. Luca loves rules and Catholicism could keep him occupied for years.

After the service, everyone stood on the front of the steps and released balloons into the air. Eli and Luca’s cousin said, “How will the balloons know how to get to Heaven?”

Here’s hoping my dad remembers how to change diapers up there.