Losing your partner is one of the hardest things to emotionally handle. But it's even more distressing when you're 39 weeks pregnant.
Grace Sotolongo-Alvarez had a planned Cesarean section for her second biological child that was in the books for some time. She had no clue she'd end up losing her husband, Gabriel "Gabe" Alvarez, just days beforehand.
Gabe worked in construction and was involved in an on-site accident on October 25 that took his life. He and Grace were already parents to a 5-year old daughter, and Gabe had a 12-year-old daughter from previous marriage who was also a key part of their family together.
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In his memory, Grace named the baby Gabriel Tomas Alvarez. But it's still been difficult to deal with the amount of change and emotion.
As Grace told People, her son took his first breath at 1:05 p.m. That was approximately the same time her husband took his last breath just a week prior. That sort of coincidence can be incredibly symbolic, especially for a newly widowed mom.
Gabe and Grace were married on March 28, 2015, and were soul mates. He was working on site at the Biscayne Bay Campus entrance at Florida International University at the time of his death. Heavy equipment fell on both him and a colleague — while his colleague was rushed to the hospital, Gabe was dead at the scene. It's a phone call that no wife ever wants to face, especially while getting ready to embrace a new stage in life.
Since his untimely death, Grace has created several tributes to her lost love. In one photo shoot with their new son, Grace admits that she thought this moment would look much different. One of Gabe's favorite movies was The Lion King, so Grace found ways to incorporate that theme into the newborn photos.
"When we got pregnant with Gracie, before we knew she was a girl, we went to buybuy baby and walked around and found a the mock up of a nursery that was decorated with the Lion King and we agreed if Gracie was a boy that would be the theme," she shared. "I took a stupid picture of you and we moved on. Of course she wasn't and my favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, won for nursery decor."
"A few years ago I surprised you with tickets to see the Lion King off Broadway and you were as happy as a little kid going to see Disney on Ice," she continued. "Two weeks ago I surprised you with this shirt for you and onsie for our son, our little Simba, and you beamed. We laughed at how we would take the pic of you wearing the shirt by the hospital window holding him up for the world to see."
"These photos were supposed to be so different," she admitted. "Every time I walk out of the room to another area of the hospital for the baby to be checked, I get the urge to take a pic so I can text you and update you at work and you can text me 'awesome'. I think forever I will feel the urge to text you because forever you will be at work, and we will see each other at home. I miss you. I need you. I love you but rest assure that I got this."
But Grace didn't necessarily do things alone. She had a picture of Gabe in scrubs, cheering her on, upon the arrival of baby Gabriel. "The image was for me to be able to look up and see the face I adore, who has always been my ride or die," she told People. "He would've been there if he hadn't been taken from us, so I had to make sure I could 'see him.'"
While she has a lot to process, Grace's big goal right now is to be there for all three of her kids. "It's been two weeks and it all seems surreal. I have moments where I feel I have to be strong and accept it because I am a mother and can't fall apart," she noted.
"I know he's been with me the entire time," Grace noted. "Gabriel looks just like him. I will make sure he knows what an incredible husband, father, brother, son and friend he was, and I will do my best to raise him in the manner Gabe would have wanted." Surely, baby Gabriel will always know how much he's loved and how wonderful his father was.
Even in these challenging moments, Grace has stepped up and proven how strong she is. "Those who knew him will attest: he was a kind, fun, loving man," she told People. "He was an incredible father. He was a person who would do anything for anyone that needed him."
It's a reminder to really enjoy every moment you have, since the world can throw plenty of unpredictable curveballs your way.
