Last April, this 38-year-old man tragically lost his Wife during labor. She was only 35-years-old.

Apparently, his wife had delivered their baby prematurely, which led to some complications. Afterward, she ultimately passed away just one hour after their newborn– a baby girl– was brought into the world.

At the same time, his Daughter also suffered from resulting complications– meaning that she was kept in the NICU for two months.

So, this whole situation was obviously extremely difficult for him and his family– particularly his mother-in-law, who was a single mother to his wife.

Thankfully, though, his daughter did get better after spending the first two months of her life in the NICU. And now, he claimed she is just as joyful and lively as most other 1-year-olds.

In fact, it was his daughter’s first birthday just a few days ago. And understandably, the milestone was quite bittersweet.

“I wished my wife could have been here to see our baby girl on her first milestone,” he recalled.

Since he couldn’t have his wife with him for the special day, though, he decided to honor her memory while trying to help his daughter feel his wife’s presence, too.

He drew inspiration from one of his wife’s old talents: stitching. In the past, she even taught him a lot about stitching as well.

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So, he remembered how his wife had worn a gorgeous dark green gown during her maternity photo shoots. And while she reportedly looked radiant in the dress, she never got the chance to wear it again afterward.

“The gown was left forgotten there with her entire pile of clothes after her death. I didn’t want to go through her stuff since it would have been too much for me,” he explained.

But his wife did tell him that she wanted their daughter to wear it one day. So, that statement was what motivated him to go through his wife’s closet before his daughter’s first birthday.

Then, he decided to cut up the green maternity gown to make a little frock for his daughter.

“And my daughter looked absolutely adorable in it. That color suits my daughter just as it did my wife,” he said.

That’s why he opted to dress his daughter in the gown for her birthday party. But, after his mother-in-law saw his daughter, she immediately realized the dress was his wife’s.

Then, his mother-in-law burst into tears, pulled him aside, and asked why he “destroyed” his wife’s dress.

He tried to explain what his wife had said about wanting their daughter to wear the gown one day, too. However, his mother-in-law believed he interpreted the situation wrong.

More specifically, his mother-in-law pointed out how his wife meant that his daughter would wear the dress once she was old enough to fit into the unaltered gown.

On top of that, his mother-in-law claimed his wife likely said that while assuming she would still be alive to see her daughter in the dress.

But, since his wife passed, his mother-in-law said that negated everything that was said. Finally, her mother-in-law told him that the dress held a special memory of his wife, which no longer exists anymore because of what he did.

He still did not understand that, though, and detailed how the dress had just been forgotten about and lying in his wife’s closet. Plus, all of his wife’s other special dresses– like her wedding gown and baby shower dress– were still intact and preserved.

So, he really thought he was just honoring his wife’s wishes– even if it was a bit earlier than originally intended.

His mother-in-law just did not agree with his intentions, though, and the argument soon escalated. Eventually, other birthday guests got involved, and they even started taking sides.

In the end, his mother-in-law ultimately left the party, too, and she brought most of the attendees with her. Since then, she has also refused to answer any of his phone calls.

“And I am devastated,” he vented. “All I wanted to do was make this birthday extra special for my daughter. Instead, her entire day ended in tears.”

Plus, with his mother-in-law and other relatives now upset with him, he’s been left wondering whether repurposing his late wife’s maternity gown for his daughter was the wrong thing to do.

Does it seem like he had ill intentions? Do you think his mother-in-law’s upset is really about the dress, or might her behavior have been exacerbated by grief on the anniversary of her daughter’s passing? Either way, was he in the wrong in trying to honor his late wife’s wishes? 

You can read the original post on Reddit here.

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