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Lifespan of Carey Smith
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Conception
A baby is conceived by Mr. and Mrs. Smith in June of 1995. It seems to be a flawless conception without any complications. -
First ultrasound
The baby's parents have the first ultrasound of the pregnancy. Everything seems to be going smoothly and the baby is regarded as healthy by the doctors. -
Week 20 Ultrasound
Today, the baby's parents visit the doctor for another ultrasound. It is here that they are told that they will be expecting a girl around the last week in February in 1996. The baby's parents are so excited and cannot wait to open up their baby name books when they get home to start brainstorming. -
Mother goes into Labor
The baby's mother goes into labor 4 weeks prior to her schueduled due date at approximately 6pm on February 29, 1996. She is in labor for around 2 hours when the baby decides to turn sideways and the delivery team is forced to perform an emergency Ceasarian section. At 10:44pm on February 29, Mr. and Mrs. Smith welcome their baby girl into the world and name her Carey. She is 7lbs, 7oz. -
First responsive smile!
Carey has been keeping her parents up for about two months. She has not been able to get a full night's sleep and neither have her parents. After a little, they are rewarded with Carey's first smile in response to her parents. It gives them great joy to see her developing well. -
Carey sits up!
The morning of August 2 was very eventful for Baby Carey. By this time, she giggles when she finds something funny or is tickled and is sleeping through the night, for the most part. But this morning, Carey sat up and was able to stay seated without help from her parents. -
Carey begins to walk
After weeks of practice with both her mother and father, Carey takes her first steps on her own. They are a little wobbly at first, but over time, she is able to walk with more confidence and strength. -
Carey's first birthday!!
Carey turns 1 on February 28, 1997. Since she was born on Leap Year, the 29th does not come this year. Her cousins and family show up to celebrate, as well as families from the neighborhood. Her parents help her open her presents and there is little crying, mostly smiling and laughing from Carey. -
Carey kicks a ball!
During the first week of Spring in 1997, the weather is nice enough to play outside. Carey's parents take her into the yard with her sister, Frances, who is almost 3 years old. Frances plays with a ball, and soon enough, Carey is also playing with the ball, kicking and running after it. This coordination is a big milestone for Carey, as well as realizing that when she kicks the ball it will roll or bounce. -
Carey scribbles
On yet another rainy day in April, Carey is inside with crayons and paper. Her parents begin to notice that she has been coloring more and more, especially with her left hand. Does this mean she will be a lefty??? -
Carey says her first words
Carey's parents were getting worried because she had not started speaking as they had hoped she would by this time. Her older sister did a lot of the talking for her, so Carey did not really feel the need to. Right around the time she turned 18 months, Carey started speaking--and it surprised her parents because she was speaking in full sentences! -
Carey starts daycare!
Carey will be turning 2 in February and her parents think it is time for her to start daycare. She starts at Countryside in Portsmouth, RI in September of 1997. The first month is difficult for her parents and for Carey as they begin to spend more time apart while Carey is at Countryside and her parents are working. -
Carey is potty trained
After a month of preschool, Carey has taught herself how to use the potty. Her parents were very surprised, but after a little over 4 weeks of going to daycare, she is able to go to the bathroom on her own and no longer wants to wear a diaper -- just a pullup at night, to be careful. -
Carey walks down the stairs
Carey and her older sister Frances share a room. On Christmas morning, Frances jumps out of bed, eager to see what Santa had placed under the tree. Carey, always quick to follow her older sister, runs out of bed behind her, climbing down the stairs to the family room where the tree is. Carey's parents are happy to see the girls together, and they are excited to know they no longer have to climb up and down the stairs, holding Carey--she can now do it on her own! -
Carey picks out her first outfit
Before Countryside a week before Carey's 2nd birthday, she gets up on her own and picks out her own outfit and is able to dress herself. With Carey's growing independence, her parents are so proud--and now they do not have to do as much to help her out throughout the day. -
Brushes teeth
One night, Carey and Frances' parents tell them to get washed up for bed. They both go to their room, put on their pajamas, and then Frances goes into the bathroom. Carey follows and watches as Frances puts toothpaste on her toothbrush and then brush her teeth. Carey does just as Frances had, and is now able to brush her teeth on her own. -
Carey starts school
On the first day of September in 1998, Carey starts preschool at the Pennfield School in Portsmouth, RI. This is a big day for her, because she will be going to school with her big sister and she will no longer be in daycare. -
Carey goes to ballet
Since Carey has now started school, her parents enroll her in ballet classes. She takes a creative movement class every week to help get her creative energy out and start making even more friends, outside of school. -
Can count to 20
With Carey going to daycare before she started at Pennfield, she is able to count to 20 while the rest of her class is learning to count to 10. She is learning at a fast pace and her teacher and parents are very proud. -
Learns to ride a tricycle
On a particularly warm day, Carey and Frances' dad takes the girls to the neighborhood play-yard with their bikes. Frances has already learned how to ride a bicycle, but it is now Carey's turn to learn how to ride a tricycle--and she succeeds after a little bit of coaching from her dad. -
Carey needs glasses
Carey an Fraces have to go to the eye doctor for their annual check up. They are both diagnosed with Amblyopia, meaning one eye is stronger than the other. They get glasses and have to wear an eye patch on the stronger eye in order to make the weaker eye stronger. -
Carey learns to read
After receiving tons of books from family members and Santa Claus this past Christmas, Carey spends time diligently trying to learn how to read. Finally, Carey is able to show her Kindergarten teacher how she can read and her parents are pleasantly surprised with how well she is developing. -
Carey has a rough first grade year
Carey is having a hard time in first grade. There are only 5 other girls in her class, and 3 of them spend recesses and free times bullying Carey. Her parents make a decision to pull her from Pennfield and put her in the town's public school at the beginning of her 2nd grade year. -
Carey sees a therapist
For a first grader, Carey seems surprisingly sad. Her parents start having her go to the school's psychologist 2 times every month to check in on her and see if she is okay, despite all of the negative energy she endures at school. -
Carey starts her new school
Carey starts school at Elmhurst Elementary. She is nervous and excited about her new school; hopefully she will have a good year! -
Carey gets detention
During third grade, Carey is still being bullied by a boy on the playground. After silently dealing with his torment, she decides to take things into her own hands. One day at recess, Carey tells the boy to stick around after the final call to go inside. She punches him in the stomach and is sent to the principal's office, where she tells her she has to spend lunch and recess in her office for a week. -
Carey's last day of 4th grade!
Carey spent 3 years at Elmhurst Elementary. She dealt with playground bullies but also made friends that she will continue to see throughout her lifetime. Next year, she will return to Pennfield, where she will be in 5th grade and her sister, Frances, will be in 7th grade. -
Carey's first day of 5th grade
Carey starts fifth grade. Her 2 best friends from Pennfield in first grade are still students, and welcome her back with open arms. There are a few new girls in her grade which make Carey very nervous. The new girls are friends with the girls who used to be mean to her. -
Carey faces bullying (again)
Bullying takes new forms in 5th grade. All of the girls seem to have email addresses, so Carey asks her parents for one, saying she will use it to talk to friends and get help with homework. Unfortunately, mean girls get ahold of her email account and start sending her mean messages. Carey keeps this all to herself. -
Carey's grandmother is diagnosed
Carey's grandmother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This is a very difficult time for everyone in her family. -
Carey is on stage!
Carey is in the Middle School Play at Pennfield. She gets a supporting role, but begins to overcome her fears of speaking in front of loud audiences. -
Carey goes to sleepaway camp
Carey goes to upstate NY for 4 weeks to summer camp. Frances has been going to sleepaway camp since she was in 5th grade, so their parents decide it is Carey's turn. She has an amazing summer and meets so many new friends. Carey cannot wait to return the following year! -
Carey gets involved in school
Carey joins the cross country team at Pennfield and the upper school chorus. She is hoping that she will meet more people and be more focused on other things that she will forget about the girls bullying her relentlessly. -
Carey is in another play
Pennfield's Upper School chorus puts on a Christmas musical. Carey gets to be a part of it and has a larger role than the year before. -
Carey receives threatening messages
Carey is in the the 7th grade and a new social media platform is introduced. It is a website where people can ask and post anonymously. Carey receives several threatening messages and shows them to her parents. She spends the next couple of days in the Headmaster's office trying to figure out who sent the posts. -
Carey applies for high school
Carey starts applying to boarding schools. She takes the Secondary School Admission Test and scores very well. -
Carey is accepted!
Carey is accepted into Portsmouth Abbey School, a boarding school in her town where her mom works! Her sister is also a sophomore, and she is very excited to be going there the following year. -
Carey's mom loses her job
About a month after Carey received her acceptance package, her mother loses her job in the development office at the Abbey. Due to this, her family cannot afford to send the girls to the school. Quickly, they must find a school that will accept them for the coming school year. -
The girls find a high school!
After an interview process, both girls are accepted to La Salle Academy in Providence, RI. Their mom is still looking for a job, but the school is affordable for the family and the girls are very excited. -
Carey graduates!
Carey graduates from 8th grade! Many of her extended family members came in for the exciting event, and her parents have a graduation party in the yard the following day. It is a really exciting and happy time for Carey. -
Carey goes to camp for the last time
Before starting high school, Carey wanted to spend one more summer at Adironadack Camp. She spends 4 weeks again with some of her best friends that she has spent summers with for the past 4 years. Its sad to leave, but she is excited to start her next chapter. -
Carey joins the high school track team
Carey begins to run again and she meets a lot of amazing friends during it. She is a distance runner and really enjoys being a part of a team. -
Carey starts seeing a new therapist
Carey starts to see a new therapist in Providence. She sees her once a month and is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and prescribed to take Zoloft. -
Frances graduates
Carey's older sister graduates from LaSalle! Carey decides she wants to go to the public school in her town. -
Frances goes to college
Frances moves out of the family's house and moves into her freshman dorm at University of Connecticut. Carey is very nervous about her sister moving out; they do not spend much time apart from one another. -
Carey starts school at PHS
Carey's parents, after a lot of convincing, allow Carey to transfer to the town's high school, Portsmouth High. She immediately joins the cross country team and is happy being back with kids she went to elementary school with and also meeting a lot of new people through her team. -
Carey gets her drivers' license
Carey passes her driving test and is awarded with a license. Her parents are very proud and allow her to drive the car that her sister, Frances, has driven for the past 2 years. This is a big step in her maturity and independence. -
Carey gets her first boyfriend
Carey starts to date Chris. She has her first kiss and after a few months, she and Chris decide that they are ready for sex. It is consensual. Her boyfriend is a year older than her. -
Chris graduates!
Chris graduates from high school. This is a big deal for Carey because Chris has become her closest friend at her school. -
Carey's family gets an exchange student
Carey's family decides that they will house an exchange student from Slovakia named Denise during Carey's senior year. It is going to be a big adjustment for the family, and especially Carey. -
Carey is injured
Carey is told by her coach that she has stress fractures in both of her shins and she has to sit out most of the cross country season. Running has become such a huge part of her life that it is very difficult news to comprehend. -
Carey applies to college
Carey takes the SAT and scores well on it after a few tries...she gets a 1900. She then begins the application process and applies to 14 schools in all. . -
Carey is accepted into her first school!
Carey hears back from one of the schools she applied to--Loyola NO--and finds out that she was accepted with a scholarship! -
Carey hears back from all schools
Carey is accepted into 8/14 schools that she applied to. She has yet to make a decision on where she will go the following year. -
Carey breaks up with Chris
After over a year of dating, Carey decides to break up with her boyfriend, Chris. It is a difficult time and Carey is often very sad, but she decides this is the best for her. -
Carey decides on a college
Carey decides that she is going to attend Loyola University NO the following fall. -
Carey graduates high school
Carey graduates from Portsmouth High with 6 AP courses completed and having been on the honor roll for her entire high school career. -
Carey as a nanny
Carey is a nanny for 5 weeks for a family that she has babysat throughout high school. She drives from RI to the Florida Keys with 3 children under 10 years old and their parents. It is a difficult job, but Carey learns a lot and decides that she wants to be an elementary school teacher. -
Carey moves into college
Carey moves into Biever Hall at Loyola. Her roommate is from CT and she is excited about her freshman year. Unfortunately, she is very far from her parents and everything she has ever known. She is also far from her therapist, whom she has become very acquainted with. She is still taking the Zoloft she was prescribed in high school. -
Carey has a hard night
Around the second week of her freshman year, Carey drinks too much alcohol. She cannot remember anything but wakes up the next morning in a stranger's bed. She does not tell anyone about this situation for a long time. -
Carey and her roommate fight
Carey and her roommate get into a huge argument during the week of their fall semester finals. They both cannot stand to be around each other, which adds even more stress to Carey's already anxious and stressful life. -
Carey becomes very antisocial
After keeping the incidences of September bottled up, Carey spends less time with the friends she made during her first semester. She sleeps a lot and rarely goes out on the weekends. She spends a lot of time in the library, but does not ever get a ton of work done. She feels very alone. -
Carey goes home for the summer
Carey flies back to RI for the summer. -
Carey struggles
Carey struggles with her new diagnosis. She switches medication to better control what is going on in her life. She tells her therapist and parents and sister about the event that happened almost a year ago. It is still hard to talk about, but she is working through it. -
Carey is diagnosed
Carey is diagnosed with depression. Upon hearing this news, she becomes very anxious about going back to college in the fall. -
Carey feels better
Carey's psychiatrist in New Orleans and therapist in RI both pronounce Carey as in remission from her diagnosis of depression. She is no longer experiencing the symptoms she had previously (severe anxiety, lack of sleep, lack of eating, suicidal thoughts). -
Carey graduates college!
Carey graduates Loyola with a degree in psychology and a teacher certification from Tulane in early childhood education. -
Carey starts her first teaching job
Carey starts her first teaching job as a first grade teacher at Pennfield, in Portsmouth, RI. -
Carey reconnects with a man
Carey reconnects with a man from her childhood, Will. They begin seeing each other and eventually start dating and to fall in love. -
Carey moves out
Carey moves out of her childhod room in her parents house and moves into an apartment in the next town over with her boyfriend, Will. -
Carey is the maid of honor
Frances is married to her high-school sweetheart, Aidan. Carey is her big sister's Maid of Honor and it is a really big day for the whole family! -
Carey is engaged
Will proposes to Carey and she accepts! What an exciting time! -
Carey and Will marry
Carey and Will get married in Newport, RI a year to the day after they became engaged. -
Carey and Will buy a house
Carey and Will decide that it is time for them to move out of the small one bedroom apartment in Newport and into a little bit bigger house in Portsmouth, so they have room to start a family. -
Carey and Will welcome their first child
On Feb. 7, 2022 Carey goes into labor and delivers a perfectly healthy little girl. They name their daughter Jessica, after one of Carey's childhood friends who was born on February 7, 1996. -
Will starts working at Boston Children's Hospital
Will is offered a job as the head anesthesiologist at Boston Children's. He accepts the job, and the family begins to search for a place to live closer to Will's work. Carey has been feeling blue for a couple of months. -
Carey is diagnosed
After weekly visits with her therapist, Carey is diagnosed with postpartum depression. She has become extremely irritable and anxious since Jessica was born and has lost the dedication she once had to her first grade classroom. With the summer quickly approaching, Carey takes the rest of the year off in order to focus on her health, finding a new job closer to Will's, and a new house for the family to live in. -
Carey, Will, and Jessica move!
Carey, Will, and Jessica move to a 4 bedroom apartment in Boston. They wanted a larger apartment in case their parents came to visit and if they had more children. Carey's depression is once again in remission. -
Carey starts her new job!
Carey starts a teaching job at Eliot Elementary School in Boston. She is the new first grade teacher there. -
Carey and Will have their second child
Carey, Will, and Jessica add a baby boy to the family. They name him Christopher, after Will's older brother. Jessica is so excited to have a brother to play with. Carey is able to avoid a second battle with postpartum depression now that she knows how pregnancy, labor, and birth affect her. She is happy to have added another one to the bunch. -
Carey and Will's third child!
Carey and Will have their third child and name her Lillian. -
Will is promoted at the hospital
After many consecutive long nights at the hospital, a new position opened up. Will is promoted in the hospital. This is a very exciting time for the family, but at the same time, Carey feels as if she is stalemated and her husband is much more successful than she is. -
Carey joins Teach for America
Carey decides that she wants to join Teach for America and give back to her community. Since she has a family, she is given a privelege and does not have to be relocated across the country. She is excited to start this new chapter in her life and no longer feels less than her husband. -
Carey is promoted
After a year of being a part of Teach for America, Carey returns to her elementary school in Boston. She is asked to leave her first grade classroom and become the principal of the school. Her career is soaring and so is her husband's. -
Carey's mother is diagnosed
Carey's mother is diagnosed at 62 with Alzheimer's. It is a disease that runs on her mother's side of the family. Carey once again battles with depression. -
Carey has depression
Since her mother's diagnosis in November, Carey has been struggling with her depression again. Her medication does not seem to be stabliizing her mood and her father and husband are concerned about her health. She goes to work, but is not as passionate and excited as she once was. She spends a lot of time in bed and leavesd the care for the children in her husband's hands. -
Carey is hospitalized
Carey's depression has not gotten any better and is hospitalized for a week during her school's February break. Her husband thinks that this is the best for her mental health because he wants her to be on the road to recovery very soon. -
Carey returns to work
Carey feels well enough and stable enough to return to her position as principal of the elementary school in Boston. -
Carey and WIll move
Carey and Will buy a house right outside of Boston. It has a big yard for the kids to run around, and Carey and Will decide that they should get a dog to play with the children. -
Carey and Will buy a dog
Carey and Will buy a cockapoo for the family and name it Theo. -
Jessica is named student of the year
Jessica, Carey and Will's first child, is named student of the year at her elementary school. Her parents couldnt be more proud. -
Carey's family takes a vacation
Carey's family, including her parents, sister, and sister's husband and children, take a trip to Ireland. With all that has been going on in their lives, they think it is a good idea to share happy memories. Carey's mother's condition is worsening and she will be entering a nursing home this coming year. -
Carey's mother enters a nursing home
Carey's mother is enrolled in a nursing home in Bristol, RI. With her in the home, Carey and Will and the children will be making more visits to RI to visit Carey's parents. -
Carey and Will purchase a second home
Carey and Will decide that it will be beneficial for them to purchase a second home in Portsmouth, RI. They are in RI almost every weekend to spend time with Carey's parents. They get a house with enough room for the kids and spend school breaks, summer, and almost every weekend in Portsmouth. -
Carey's mother's condition declines
Carey's mother's condition declines and Carey decides to stay in Portsmouth for the remainder of the summer to spend time with her mom. -
Carey's mother passes
Carey's mother passes on the morning of Aug. 26, 2032. -
Carey takes a leave of absence
Carey is unable to perform well as a principal in Boston. She moves back to the summer home in Portsmouth to take time to herself to stablize her mood. The passing of her mother has taken an extreme emotional toll on her. -
Carey is MIA
No one has heard from Carey in a week. Her husband takes a trip to Portsmouth, dropping the children off at their grandparents' house before he went to visit the Portsmouth home. -
Will finds Carey
Carey has been couped up in the summer home for a week. She is once again severely depressed. -
Carey is admitted
Carey is admitted to Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. -
Carey goes home
Carey moves back to Boston with her family. She seems to be doing a lot better, but is still unable to return to work. -
Carey's father moves in
Carey's father moves in with Carey, Will and the kids. He wants to be closer to them after his wife's passing and thinks Carey could use some help with the children as she is still recovering. -
Will goes on a business trip
Will goes on a week-long business trip. Carey is still not working, and her father went home for the week to tie up some things at the Portsmouth house. Carey dropped the kids off at school and then went on a long drive. -
Carey is missing
Will returned early from his business trip after receiving a phone call from the kids' school that his wife was not there to pick the children up from school and she could not be reached on her cell phone. She was missing for 2 days. -
Carey's body is found
Carey had committed suicide on the 4th of May. Her body was found 2 days later in the Boston Harbor.
