Kalaea Christopher was born on April 23, 2008 and left our world on September 8, 2008. Kalaea was our angel on earth. His life was short, but the joy he left behind will endure for all time. Kalaea Christopher was a happy and beautiful baby from the start. He always did things so quickly, laughing for minutes at a time, gazing in his mommy's eyes, watching his sisters play and fight from the comfort of his baby swing, and taking long naps on his daddy's chest. He was easily entertained, hardly cried and always smiled. And boy, what an eater, never far from his mommy, constantly eating and gaining weight. His nickname in our family was Fat-boy. He loved his bath time and being on the go; he just soaked everything in and went along for the ride. He had just started playing with his toys and would pick them up with extreme concentration and would stick everything straight in his mouth.What a wonderful baby Kalaea was in those short months, leaving so many wonderful memories. Kalaea passed away from SIDS. SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death of an infant that remains unexplained after all known and possible causes have been ruled out. It is the number one cause of death for infants one month to one year of age, claiming 2,500 babies in the United States each year. Historically, SIDS has been a mystery, leaving behind devastated families and bewildered physicians. But today, they are beginning to find some answers—such as factors that increase the risks for SIDS and actions that parents can take to reduce those risks.
Here are a few simple steps you can take to help reduce those risks: Place your baby on his or her back while sleeping, give your baby a pacifier at nap and bedtime, keep your baby out of your bed, remove all toys and stuffed animals from the crib, don't smoke around your baby, keep your baby from being overheated and breastfeed your baby as often as possible. The death of Kalaea has been a devastating loss, one our family continues to struggle with. In an effort to help us deal with Kalaea’s death, our family has decided to take a proactive step towards ensuring that all infants in our community and beyond survive and thrive. On April 20, 2008 at Wilson Park (Torrance) in honor of what would have been Kalaea’s 1st birthday, we are hosting the First Annual Kalaea Christopher Jennings Memorial co-ed Softball tournament to raise funds for SIDS and First Candle, a non-profit organization. Please take a look at their site www.firstcandle.org
