A bittersweet holiday. Bode Miller’s wife, Morgan, penned an emotional tribute to the couple’s late daughter, Emeline Grier Miller, on their first Christmas since her tragic death.
“Merry Christmas to our baby girl in heaven. We miss you so much!” the volleyball player, 31, wrote on Instagram along with several pictures on Tuesday, December 25. One showed the 41-year-old Olympic skier’s 10-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Neesyn, holding a white rose in honor of her little sister. Another depicted the family — including Samuel, 5, whom Bode shares with ex Sara McKenna, Nash, 3 and Easton, almost 3 months — standing around a framed photo of the child, who died in June at 19 months old.
“2018 has been a year full of overwhelming sadness and overwhelming joy,” Morgan continued. “We have spent half of the year mourning and attempting to heal the loss of our angel which feels like an impossible battle all while celebrating the birth of our son.”
The couple’s youngest child, Easton, was born in October, nearly four months after Emeline drowned at a neighbor’s house in Orange County, California. The midwife who delivered the baby, Lindsey Meehleis, told the Today show at the time, “An overwhelming feeling of joy started to fill a valley of deep grief and sadness. While nothing will ever replace the feeling of aching arms to hold Emmy again, this baby provided something new this day: joy, inspiration and hope.”
Morgan concluded her Instagram tribute by speaking about creating a new normal for her kids and wishing for everyone’s good health in 2019.
“Seeking normalcy for our children has been our driving force forward. Normally I would be looking forward to a ‘fresh beginning’ in 2019 but there is no more starting fresh after the loss of a child,” she wrote. “So here’s to a healthy 2019 full of personal growth and creating many memories with my babies, full of smiles and laughs. Wishing everyone a special holiday season surrounded by loved ones.”
