Bronx’s Birthday Parade

When Jake and I first had kids 10 years ago, we had said that on their 10th birthday we would take them on some very special trip. But as the years went on and life happened, we realized that wasn’t going to happen this birthday. Plus, we wanted it to be something they would really appreciate (maybe it’ll be something we do for their 15th birthday). But as Bronx’s 10th birthday was approaching, I asked him how he wanted to celebrate. I told him he could do ANYTHING we could plan, any kind of party that he wanted! To my surprise he said, “I want another parade!” He was referencing the one that we threw during Covid when nobody was allowed to gather. That was my best effort as a mom to still celebrate him during such a rare time. People drove by, handed him a few gifts, and we came inside to open them in the privacy of her home. It was ideal for a high sensory kiddo! 

But this year, when he told me that he wanted to have a parade I knew I had to step it up a notch. I posted it on our local Facebook page for our town and people started responding like crazy. Who would’ve thought so many people would want to celebrate a kid they probably didn’t even know. I had people volunteering left and right to come and support and say happy birthday to our son. I had no clue what the turnout truly was going to be. 

As the morning approached, my family was scurrying around the house as they were designated to certain areas within the parade as well. My mom was Mrs. Claus, my dad was a driving reindeer, and our other son was a busy elf. The other grandparents were driving their truck with a special banner, and my husband was out putting signs to help direct traffic. As Bronx and I sat inside our home waiting for the “OK” to go outside. I could hear commotion in the distance. My sister called me from the lineup spot to tell me how insane it was outside. The cars just kept on lining up. Once I heard the marching band outside practicing, and my sister sent me a photo of the Tennessee Titans mascot hyping people up outside, it all began to sink in. 

I began to tear up as I thought of all the people outside, waiting to celebrate our little man. Our friend was taking some video and told us that they were ready for us to go. We went outside and as I looked across to our local pool where only the walkers were lined up, I was so overwhelmed. They were probably 100 people, none of who I knew, waiting to come walk in front of our home for our “parade” The firetruck started off with a loud roar of sirens and their grand entrance. Followed by many friends, families and other businesses, driving by honking horns with decorated cars, bursting confetti cannons and shouting, “happy birthday Bronx!” and playing loud music. It was exactly what he was hoping for and more! He stood there in shock and with a huge smile on his face, waving and cheering. 

And then came the walkers! Batman, (who used to be his favorite superhero of all time.) came, gave hugs, then along came 15 other volunteered superheroes and Disney princesses, each one of them taking the time to hug Bronx and say happy birthday, and even carry on a little bit of conversation with him. He was an absolute shock! Then Santa Claus came on his grand float, wishing him a happy birthday with a very ecstatic Buddy the Elf introducing him. At the very end, the local high school marching band came and played not only happy birthday, but two other songs right in our front yard! It was so unreal. Everyone hung out for a little to celebrate, say happy birthday, dance with Bronx and then they went along their way. I can’t thank everyone enough for the incredible support that they showed to our very special guy. Who would have thought that a 10-year-old’s birthday party would be an example of the goodness inside of people still. 

We love you all

Happy Birthday Bronx!

P.S. Check out all the amazing photos below captured by the incredible photographer, Sarah! @oakhoneyco https://oakhoney.co/

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Vision Boards + Going on Tour

It’s December 2, 2022 and the 2nd day of Jake’s tour with Point of Grace and Mark Schultz. If you would’ve asked us five years ago or even last year if he would be going on tour he would simply have said “gosh I hope so, that would be a dream.” And to see it a reality is really something special. 

God‘s timing is so funny. 

Last night Shai climbed into the back of our closet and pulled out our vision board from the beginning of this year. This board (see picture) is filled with the sticky notes from January of 2022.  We propped it up in our bathroom, and sat and read every single note. 

The board is filled with 2 different colors notes. 1 color represents things we were thankful for and things we had accomplished. Things we saw God do in our life whether it be big moves or small wins. Things like build our family or move to Tennessee. Things like help Bronx learn to walk or have X amount of money in our savings. And the other color are things we’re praying and hoping for. We allowed our self to dream and make big plans, we worked hard at our goals but a lot of them were things that were completely out of our control and seemed somewhat impossible and had to be doors opened by God. One of the things we saw on the board was “go on tour with a known artist.”

The funny thing about it is Jake didn’t grow up singing Christian songs when he was a young kid so to be honest he didn’t know who Point of Grace was at first. But I did!!!

Who remembers their jam 🎶Keep the candle burnin’ keep the candle buuuuurnin’🎶 ?!?!?!

So when I found out who he was going to be touring with I was thrilled! Just another little encouragement to my own heart because when Jake hits the road it’s not the easiest on our family but it sure is the most rewarding to see God take dreams we’ve  written down on sticky notes and make them a reality. Sometimes it’s hard to even recognize that you’ve hit these milestones because the journey along the way can often feel bigger than that one thing you wrote down.

We hope this isn’t the end but just the beginning of a big chapter for our family. I hope that Jake absorbs it all as he’s on that tour bus. I hope he truly sees it as a blessing from God and that God opened the right doors at the right time. 

My favorite part of the evening before we said our goodbyes was when we sat and read all the notes and Shai said “ I never saw this board, I didn’t  know that we were hoping and dreaming for some of those things and I can’t wait to see them happen.” 

I hope that we can teach our children that when you have a dream, pray about it, work hard towards it and fully trust it into Gods hands it’ll be an amazing journey. 

World Book Day

No Such Thing As Normal

Being in the world of content creation I have to be more aware of calendar holidays such as “national donut day” or “pet appreciation day”. It is a part of my job to know and be prepared for all of the upcoming world renowned days on the calendar. I often look for advocacy days or certain awareness days but this year, I noticed World Book Day. As the day approached, I really didn’t think much of it, until I remembered,  “WAIT, I’m a flipping author and I wrote a book!!” So you better believe I was about to celebrate this special day!

If you would’ve asked me 10 years ago “Megan, would you ever be an author?” I probably would’ve answered, “No way! Writing is a lot of work and reading is hard. Plus, I’d much rather talk!” (Still all very true) However, over the past few years I have found a new appreciation for books. 

I wrote my first children’s book just a few years ago called “No Such Thing As Normal”.  I saw a need for educating children about interacting with people with disabilities and differences in our everyday world, so in turn, I wrote about it. I evolved from being the reader of a story to the author and I have to say, when you’re writing with purpose,it isn’t that bad! 

As much as I love talking with people and advocating for people with disabilities, I knew that one on one conversations with every person on the planet wasn’t quite feasible. So, I decided to write a book to share with the world! 

I didn’t know how, I didn’t know when, I had no idea what the steps were for writing a children’s book but I simply took a step forward. Today, “No Such Thing As Normal” is on the shelves of over 2,000 families and is being sold across the country. 

I believe that books are important. I believe that they can translate a message to all types of age groups over a vast period of time. I believe that books can be read over and over and over and with each read, something new can be revealed. I also believe that reading creates a certain discipline in us. To be able to sit down in our busy world, stop what we’re doing, and simply read and absorb, learn and dream and take in those words that are on the page. 

Now I may be acting extreme for a children’s book, but there’s probably a book that you can remember that your mom or dad or teacher read to you as a young child that made a really big impact on you. My hope is for “No Such Thing As Normal” to be that book for your little one to remember.

Lastly, I especially want to encourage you that if you feel like you have a book within you JUST START the process. I know it’s hard, believe me. I decided to write a children’s book because I wanted to start simple. However, I’ve always known I’ve had a “big girl book” inside of me. And again the task seems daunting but I’ve decided to commit to writing a little bit every week towards my “big girl book”. I truly believe that I have something to share with the world and I hope I can get it all out onto pages that can be read for years and years to come. As for now, on World Book Day, I hope that you have the chance to read and share my book “No Such Thing As Normal” with your little ones and your friends!

Have you ever had a dream of writing a book? What is holding you back from doing it?

Cheers to doing hard things, reading amazing books and chasing your goals! Happy Reading!

What’s The Word For 2022?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I cannot believe it’s 2022. I know that we have all have been in quite a funk since the beginning of 2020; but if I’m being honest, 2020 allowed for me to set out and accomplish a lot of major goals. One primarily being the launch of my business No Such Thing Co and to sell of over 3000 copies of my first self published children’s book, No Such Thing as Normal. Though it’s not all about goals, it felt really great to accomplish these things during such a funky year. Along with the launch of my business and the release of my children book; I also just felt like it was a year of closeness for our family as we spent many days inside the walls of our home. 

Then came 2021. I believe we all thought it was going to be the year that redeemed 2020, but again, if I’m being honest, I actually feel like it was a harder year than the first. I dealt with a lot of stress, anxiety, fear and worst of all, I felt as though the year was a giant waste. Am I the only one?

So as 2022 approached I was excited for a fresh start. I was very much anticipating a new year of regimens and strict goals. Dreaming and laying it all out once again to see what God was going to do. I was a little frustrated though because I wanted to hit the ground running with goal setting and planning, but I still didn’t have my word for the year. Every year, I kick January off with a “word for the year” and when 2022 had begun, I still didn’t have “my word”. I was reading my Bible every day, praying and asking God for it, but I still didn’t have it. One day around the third of January I felt it in my Spirit. I finally knew what I was going to be focusing on for the year; patience, preparation and precision.

When I looked at the words as a whole I didn’t feel like they went together. How do I sit patiently (waiting) while I actively preparing, and do things with precision… ??

I sat with these words for a few days and I felt that the Lord was showing me exactly what that meant.

Patience

Ever since our kids were little we would say “Have patience. And what does patience mean?… “ We would try to get them to repeat “ Patience is waiting without whining.” I see now that in this year, I will need to hold steadfast to this. As an adult, I want to go go go and when I don’t see what I want to see, I complain. The beauty with patience is knowing that it’s God timing and not mine. His timing is always better than mine; better than any goal I could ever set. He knows when things should be released and put out into the world. Most importantly, patience is all about trust. 

Preparation

I read a quote the other day that said “preparation precedes opportunity.” There are things that I’ve been waiting for in my business, things I’ve been asking and praying but they are completely out of my control. I feel that God is saying, I’ll take care of the opportunities, you just be prepared. So in this season, I am being patient and preparing; just waiting for an open door opportunity. With that, comes  the peace knowing that this is going to be a year where we prepare a lot of things so that when the floodgates open we can handle it.

I had somebody ask me last year “if someone were to order 5000 copies of your book would you be prepared to fill that?” The answer was no, but the thought of that excited me. I’m not saying I’m going to have 10,000 copies of my book sitting in my bedroom (I do have 2000 copies though ha!) but I’m saying there are many things I’m preparing in my heart, in my finances and in my ways of thinking. I know God is going to use me and my family to reach a lot of people and I want to be prepared for those moments. I cannot wait to see what open doors God brings our way.

Precision

I put so much pressure on doing things perfectly. Thankfully, that was not one of my words for the year! ha

But sometimes I wait for perfection before I make a move. I felt that with this word God is showing me how precise HE is. He pays attention to quality and accuracy.

As I was reading through the Bible I was realizing how much precision God took into His creativity and into all His plans.

He will give me precise plans, for my health, for my family, for my marriage, for my business.

I know He will still speak more to me about these three words but I’m excited to focus on them this year and watch what He does.

If you haven’t ever had a “Word for the year” I’d encourage you to seek one out.

So what’s to come… ??

I’m sharing some of these as a seed of faith.

  • Turning No Such Thing into a nonprofit.

We have some big plans for this business of mine and I’m excited to see it’s expansion not only financially but across the globe. We believe one way we are going to make a bigger impact is actually by becoming a nonprofit (this is actually a really scary step for me because I have zero idea no the finances to pay a lawyer currently so if you know anyone who has experience in creating nonprofits, please let me know!)

  • The DeJarnett Diaries YouTube channel.

Yikes! Another scary one!!

Well you’re reading it here first! We decided we will be starting a YouTube channel. I can’t tell you when it will be launched but I know we have some fun things we are preparing for it!

  • The launch of our new No Such Thing Line –

Lovely As Can Be is our new line that we will be releasing. There will be everything from clothes, to toddler gifts, including the release of my new children’s book series. This has been in the works for over a year now and I’m so excited that it will be coming out to the public here in the next few months.

  • A physical shop location!

(Another scary one)

Again I’m not sure that this will be completed within 2022 but we have big dreams of opening up an actual brick and mortar shop. This will be in partnership with another couple who has some awesome dreams as well. I’m sure we will be releasing this on social and The DeJarnett Diaries here soon.

  • Full-time social media and contact creator

I was blessed this year with an incredible job that provided a lot of freedom for our family. But I’ve been feeling this tug for the last few months and now it’s time for me to step away. I will be going into full-time contact creation and social media partnerships. (Again another crazy step for us as we will be letting go of our steady income.) This is very much unknown territory for me but I’m excited to see everything unfold

I wanted to share some exciting new goals that I do feel like God has placed on our heart and has been stirring with us for quite some time.

Looking at all these things that I just released, it appears that I really am jumping into some deep waters. Am I crazy??!

I’m a big believer in “if you don’t take big risks you’ll never see big reward” but I also know God will hold us up through it all.  Patience, Preparation and Precision is what I will be holding onto this year. What is your word for the year?

If you read this far, thanks for your patience. First blog of the year and I had lots to say. Thank you so much for following along our journey. If you want to read more and stay up-to-date with what’s coming be sure to subscribe to our website!

Love you all!

Meg

“What’s wrong with your mom?”

Summer break started and we decided to take the boys to the public pool for the first time this season. Almost all the chairs are filled and you see the excitement of all the kids in the pool. As we approach some lounge chairs, Shai immediately noticed a friend from his bus. 

(I’ll share more about sending your kids to public school at five and six-years old later, but man does it hurt the mom-heart sometimes. I remember putting him on that bus for the first time terrified but again just trusting he would be OK and sure enough we made it through kindergarten just fine.)

As we set stuff down, Shai’s little friend hollers from across the entire pool “Hey Shai, what’s wrong with your mom?” Shai instantly looks at me with a mixture of fear and ‘what the heck?‘ in his big eyes.

In a split second I realize something deep in my heart – This is it! The moment I’ve been waiting for. The moment I NEVER wanted my children to experience, but also the moment I wanted them to be PREPARED for. The moment I pictured in my head happening and the reason I started No Such Thing.

I could have bailed him out and explained to the kid that his question was slightly inappropriate.  I could have walked over to his uncomfortable mother and shared with her too, but I looked at Shai gave him a smile and immediately responded “go ahead and answer him.”

Shai is an extremely exquisite little boy with a large vocabulary and even larger personality and I honestly didn’t know what was about to come out of his mouth. 

He screams across the entire pool “Nothings wrong with her. She just can’t walk”. The best answer I could have ever heard. Simple and true. 

The boy then says “why does she have legs then?”

You could feel the awkwardness for the parents surrounding the pool but I still didn’t want to intervene. Shai then walks over and explains what my wheelchair is and that I use it to get around and that my legs just aren’t strong enough to walk but just because I can’t use them like he does doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have them. 

The mom then walks over and apologizes for her son but I tell her “it’s ok, Shai handled it” Did I mentioned this boy was probably 2 or 3 grades older than Shai?

I’m sure she was embarrassed that the entire pool heard her son scream such intense questions, but honestly I couldn’t have been more proud of the way Shai replied. I felt so much pride in my heart. He wasn’t ashamed that his mom was different. I think if anything he felt bad the child didn’t know the simple answer of what a wheelchair was used for. 

As a mother our natural instinct is to protect. To prevent harm, shame or even uncomfortable situations for our babies. I believe we are called to equip them. To teach them to stand up for love and truth.  I never wanted my child to have to answer this question, but I also knew it was inevitable. 

Do you relate to the mom whose child is asking the “awkward” question? Or do you relate to living with a unique situation that the world is hungry for knowledge or insight about? 

Either way I hope to be a resource for you. Through my book No Such Thing As Normal or  through my blogs, vlogs and social media accounts where I’m sharing what I’ve learned as I continue to navigate the question “what’s wrong with your mom”, not only for my boys but for myself. 

New Home

Well a new chapter of our life has begun! We got the keys to our new home yesterday. It’s a pretty surreal feeling. I don’t think I’ve stopped to just soak it in yet because there so much to do, so much change, so much to coordinate with help and handymen and painting but as jake and I and the boys walked into the new house today I’m just in awe of God’s goodness.

Here’s a little bit of back story just to be open and honest with all you who want to follow along our story. Jake and I moved to Nashville 2 years ago. We felt God calling us here and we also were just ready for something new. The first year was crazy hard. Our family has lots of different needs so moving across the country from all our friends and family made it extremely challenging but let me tell ya, God provided everything we ever needed along the way My parents knew they’d be moving to Tennessee eventually but was never set on an exact date. They still felt called to be in Arizona.

Fast forward to March of this year and my amazing brother Austin who lived at home in Phoenix with my parents went to be with Jesus. If you don’t know that story go read my blog The Saturday Shock. A shock for everyone. Something we are all still navigating through. Shortly after his passing my parents felt the release to move to Tennessee. Here’s what I AM saying, God knows everything. More than us. So all we can do is trust him. His timing. His plans.

My parents bought a beautiful house here in Spring Hill Tennessee and we will be living together. They have the cutest loft/living space upstairs in our new house. I’m excited for this new adventure for all of us. For mine and Jakes family, for my parents, and for us as a family as a whole. It’s a new season so pray for us as we navigate how this is all going to work lol

So excited for this new season. I’ve never been in a house we own. One that we can do whatever we want to. So believe me, my creative mind is having a blast with this! I’ll keep you all posted!

Meg

 
   

What do I have to give?

What do I have to share?? A question I woke up asking myself.

A few months ago a mother contacted me and asked if I would be open to talking with her 14 year old daughter about life. Sharing some of my story with her to encourage her and mentor her. What do I have to share??? At first I didn’t think I had much to give but, I know God has used my life story to share his goodness before, so I said yes. 

Today I had the privilege of opening my home to a few young girls, 14 and younger. All four of us girls were very different. Different personalities, different families, different dreams and goals but we did have one thing in common. All 4 of us girls have spinal muscular atrophy. A disease that many people say we “suffer” from but my hearts desire was to share with these girls that I don’t suffer but I thrive. As a woman. Not as a disabled person. 

I don’t usually identify myself as “handicap” or “disabled” but yes, I’m not ignorant to the fact that I am those things however, I’ve never let them define who I am. As I sat and listened to these girls, they talked about the normal things; shopping, boys, over protective parents, but we also talked about things most 14 year olds don’t talk about like the new treatment for SMA, toileting techniques and even fears about the future with this disease we have. 

I realized I did have something to share. As we sat for a few hours without their parents and then later with their moms and siblings I realized what it was. 

ANYTHING is possible, it may just need to be done a little different for us. 
be YOU, even if it doesn’t please everyone 
don’t be SCARED of the future, just take one day at a time 
&
ALWAYS be willing to share your life story, it could change someone else’s perspective on life. 

Bronxton Alexander • Heart Stealer

Bronxton Alexander, A Mighty Man of God, entered this world on November 22nd 2013. He was more than anticipated by not only Jake and I but really our whole family and church family. Before Bronx was even born we all knew he was a miracle.

When I was a little girl (like 5 or 6) I used to pretend that I was pregnant. I remember telling people to put there hand on my belly to feel it “kick”. It was just part of being a girl and desiring to be a mommy some day. As I got older I hadn’t put much real thought into all the logistics of me having a baby, but as Jake and I were approaching marriage the question became real, Can I have a baby? I never knew anyone with SMA II that carried their own child. I remember the day Jake and I met with an OB Specialist, she saw our desires but said she would have to do her research. She had us come back into the office a few weeks later and told us she found a few cases and didn’t think it would be dangerous for me to get pregnant. Sure, there were some things we had to take into consideration but I had the green light to get pregnant and for me that was an answer to some of my biggest dreams.

Approaching our 2nd wedding anniversary, I started to feel pretty lethargic and EXTREMELY hungry (I now know that is a huge tell that I’ve got a mini growing in me) I took the test and before I could even finish peeing on it that test was screaming PREGNANT! Lol and Jake said, I knew it! Haha so I kept it from my family (which if you know my family that was extremely hard to do) we announced it by surprise at a big gathering at my parents and let’s just say everyone was beyond shock and excited.

My pregnancy with Bronx was amazing! Didn’t throw up once, never any signs of preterm labor (which is the biggest concern we had) and we planned to take Mr. Bronx out of my tummy at 35 and 5 weeks. As my tummy grew bigger and bigger and I could feel and see him grow and kick and flip in there I was so amazed at the goodness of God. I can really say it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.

As we were making our lists of names we liked we came across Bronx (yes, like The Bronx) and Jake and I loved it. We loved how strong it sounded! Since I found out I was pregnant I always spoke Strength and Joy over my growing nugget. (I later see why God had me speak that over him) HOWEVER, my mother, who is from back east, didn’t like the sound of just Bronx for her first grandson haha. She would say “Do you know any CEO’s named Bronx?” (I don’t know any CEO’s but I understood her point lol) so we made up the name Bronxton.

The day came fast and it was time to bring Bronx into this world. I remember that morning like it was yesterday. I woke up at 4 am, curled my hair with my sister and best friend Bree. Then Jake and my mom and I headed to the hospital. We checked in, got me all hooked up and ready for my C-section. I couldn’t wait for them to get that baby out and neither could the 25 people waiting in the waiting room. I had an amazing doula who was there to capture all the pictures of my baby entering the world, of daddy getting to do skin-to-skin with him first, then of me meeting and kissing and holding my miracle for the first time. At 7:44 am I went under and woke up to a very different picture than I had expected. I was very drugged up but I remember waking and my friends Ashleigh and Alissa showing me pictures of my baby and some cute videos of him grunting (which we later found out was because he couldn’t breathe) They were being sweet and positive but I was so confused why my baby wasn’t in the room with me. Then they asked if I wanted to go see my him. That right there was a strange thing to hear. They wheeled me into the NICU. A place I ended up spending more time in than I ever wanted to. They wheeled me in on my bed and I saw a tiny 5lb 2oz baby lying on his tummy hooked up to machines that seemed bigger than a house. The nurses lifted him up so carefully so I could kiss him. But that was it. I went back to my room and waited for the doctor to come talk with us. Jake seemed positive and happy so I was just trying to understand what was going on. They then began to explain that Bronx’s lungs simply weren’t ready for outside of the womb. They tried their normal protocol with babies who have issues with lungs but it wasn’t working on Bronx. The next 48 hours were some of the hardest times we had ever experienced. Bronx ended up tearing 3 holes in his lungs because they were like paper. He had to have 3 surgeries to release the air that was filling his chest cavity. Our little 5 pound baby was struggling and there was nothing we could do.

Jake would go back to the NICU to see Bronx, talk with the doctors and keep tabs on everything so he could report back to me. I had to give myself a little more time before I could get back in my chair and go see him. But he was nowhere near stable enough to leave the NICU. I remember a very pivotal point in this whole thing, one of the doctors (not my favorite one might I add) came in and so simply said (to these first time parents) “I’m just not sure what’s going to happen to your baby” …. Like a knife in my stomach. What the heck does that mean??

At this point our friends Alissa and Eli had come back to the hospital just to be of support for us. This one time Jake came back from seeing Bronx and he lost it. Broke down in tears and that was it for me. I couldn’t keep it in anymore and I was so sad to know there was nothing I could do to help him. My world felt like it was literally falling apart, but one thing I remember SO clearly is what Alissa and Eli told us ” This is going to feel like it’s  lasting forever, but he WILL be ok and in a year you’ll look back and be amazed at the goodness of God and that you THREE got through it.” That was the only bit of hope we had for Bronx at the time.

I remember one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt was leaving the hospital without my baby. The diaper bag packed, car seat installed but no baby. No baby to wear the tiny thanksgiving outfit I bought. That’s not the way we planned it. That’s not the way it was supposed to be.

The next month Jake and I spent every morning driving 45 minutes, often in silence with just worship music on, to get to the hospital, then driving home every night still empty handed. Some days we would get there and the doctors would tell us he was making progress and some days seemed to be stagnant. But all his nurses and doctors would tell us “you have an amazingly strong boy”. That’s right! We prayed strength and joy over him since day one. They actually had to sedate him even more because he would try and breathe over the machines and they needed him to relax and heal. Bronx had to be sedated for more than 2 weeks and to watch a 2 week old then have withdrawals from these strong medications was so terrible to watch. His little 2 week old body would shake and sneeze and have different side effects but of course our little man was a champ.

4 weeks later and Bronx was finally ready to come home. It was like Christmas!! I remember the excitement inside that this was finally the day. See I didn’t get to hold my baby for the first time until he was 2 weeks old, but the amazing part of the whole process is that the staff of the NICU taught us everything we needed to know. They taught us how to change his diapers, bathe him, feed him and they answered any other questions we would have. They even had us practice putting him in his car seat. It was like hands on training before we had to go home and do it ourself. Bronx came home and it was like a breath of fresh air

As an infant they don’t do much so we couldn’t tell if he was developing at the normal rate or not. But as 3 months rolled around we noticed some things just weren’t coming natural for him. Holding his head, swallowing properly and just many “normal” milestone weren’t being met at the typical time. With all of Bronx’s complications from birth it did cause some developmental setbacks that again we were not prepared for. Bronx did not crawl until he was almost two, had and still has physical, occupational and speech and feeding therapy throughout the week. Bronx still doesn’t sit or walk on his own but let me tell you some of his wins. He is Brilliant! He just started preschool and according to his teachers he has won everybody’s hearts. This boy sings, prays, dances and laughs everyday. He is sensitive and he is silly. He has to work so hard for everything but that just makes me even more proud. The doctors, his therapists and Jake and I all believe he will walk and function just like any other kid but has to work a little extra harder for those things.

This obviously will not be the last post about our Bronx because come on, he’s so darn adorable, but I just wanted to share again that my life and even my children’s lives are different but perfectly placed in the hand of God. Bronx you are my miracle. I’m proud of you and I love you. The joy that you bring this world is life changing and you will always be a light for Jesus

Love you Bubba

He told me I looked beautiful

Driving in the car and he said “Wow, you look beautiful today.” How did I get so lucky? Some of us hear this a lot and some of us don’t. 

Jake I wrote you something below ????

Jake-I wrote a blog a month ago about the story of “Jegan” (Jake+Megan) but I never posted it. I had such a hard time capturing US in a short blog. I honestly think I could write a book about us, how we met, fell in love, got married, had kids, the good times and the hard times and how we continue to grow more and more in love every day. So, I decided to write you a letter, or even letters, just to express a bit of my heart for you. Again, it’s so hard to put it into words, but I love you. I love how you love me, how you love the boys, how you love our friends and even strangers. I know you feel like God sent me to you, but you have taught me more about life than you realize.

You’re a wonderful creation 

You’re Generous:
I know you don’t want the world to know, but I’ve seen you give the jacket off your back for a homeless man. I’ve seen you secretly give someone all your money to help them pay rent. I’ve seen you give your guitars away without people knowing who or why. You’ve taught me to never hold on to things, to give if you have it and to trust that God will “feed the birds” 🙂 thank you for teaching me generosity.

Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

You’re Humble:
As we like to say “the big dog doesn’t have to bark.”

Babe you’re hot! You’re big and strong and tattooed and I love every bit of you, but your heart is the sweetest part. You always stand up for the under dog. You make the shy feel confident and the weak feel strong. You NEVER toot your own horn, even when you have every right to. You are CRAZY gifted and you wouldn’t tell a soul and all you want to do is play music for God. Wow, that still amazes me. I know life can be hard babe, but your heart is pleasing to the Lord. Thank you for teaching me humility

Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble His ways.

You’re Selfless: Jake, the way you love me and lay your life down to care for me is really an amazing thing. I know you don’t think twice about it because you love me, but it really is special. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found a man like you. You care for me, do things most guys don’t do for their wives, you go above and beyond for me and you do it with joy. Thank you for showing me selflessness.

Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave up His life for her.

Babe these are just a few of your amazing qualities that I LOVE. I love that you dream about our future with me, I love that you cook sushi for me, I love that you believe in me and my gifts, I love your heart for people, I love the way you teach the boys about Jesus, I love our deep conversations in the shower, I love that you can make anyone laugh. I just love the poop out of you 🙂 I’m so honored you love me back. You’re an amazing man and I adore you. Life is so fun with you. I’ll be writing love notes to you forever

-Me

I deserve babies too

Hanging out in the café Sunday morning before church, a lady about 10 years older than me walked up to me and said she just dropped her baby off in the nursery and was admiring my little ones. She commented on how much they had grown and how different they looked. We began talking about the miracle of our babies and although this woman was just an acquaintance, she said some things to me that almost brought me to tears. I know this woman very little, but what I do know about her is that she suffers from a sickness where she is often very sick and is even hospitalized frequently. The doctors told her eight years ago that she could try having kids, but it most likely would never happen. She said she so desperately wanted a baby and that when she saw me get pregnant with my first son Bronx, she was so encouraged for her own success. She thought I was extremely brave, but also just hopeful that maybe it could happen for her. Sure enough, a miracle ended up happening to her too. 

As we stood in the lobby talking and rejoicing about our beautiful miracle babies, what she said next really struck me. She said that she gets so much crap from other people for having a baby. They don’t understand why she would choose to have a baby, she needs so much help from her parents, her in-law and especially her husband because of how sick she is. Mind you, she is a beautiful woman who walks around, fully functional, you wouldn’t even know she was sick. And here I am, I had two kids, in a wheelchair and Jake and I still want more. Most people know my limitations, at least the people in my circle. They know that I can’t cook my own dinners, can’t shower myself or even take myself to the bathroom. We began to have a discussion about how awful it is to hear those words. Why would anyone else think these things. She said “I finally said to someone ‘why do other people get the joys of having a kid, but I don’t?'” This really stirred something in me because it’s something I struggle with. In an ideal world I can do everything I wanted to do around my home, for my husband, for my kids. I would make them dinner, give them baths, hold them when they cry and rock them when they’re sick. But the reality is I can’t. I have days where I feel extremely discouraged, I wonder why God would have given me these babies if I can’t take care of them. People want to know how it’s done. how the boys are properly taken care of. how we remain happy and how we function. Well it’s through the help of everyone around me, my parents, my in-laws, my friends, my husband, my two incredible nanny/caregivers. You see, I couldn’t do it without them and most people realize that. And as grateful and thankful as I am for all these people it’s also a very hard thing to come to terms with. These people become my hands on a daily basis. They do everything I wish I could do for my own babies, feed them, wipe their poopy butts, everything. I’ve had people look at me weird and even had people say they think I take advantage of the people around me, but let’s face it, if these people didn’t want to be in my life then they wouldn’t offer to help. And the feisty women in me says I don’t want to use a helping hand that doesn’t really want to help anyways, but I know that these people I have, love these two babies of mine so incredibly much. They see it as a honor to help me raise my boys. 

As a mom and a very strong person it’s a very hard feeling to feel like you’re not capable of doing anything, but God reminds me I’m capable of loving my babies and praying for them and showing them what life is about. It’s also hard to feel like you rely on so many other people all the time. Somtimes it sucks asking for help but my kids need it, so that’s what I have to do. God continually reminds me that these are my babies, that I know what’s right for them, but I just have to use other people to get it done and that’s OK. My babies will never feel unloved or unwanted. My “Mom Life” is different than others. My kids are strapped to my wheelchair, kissed and held by everyone in town and it’s a wonderful thing. I’m in a crazy season of life, having two kids two and under, but God is with me in every season. I’ve decided my blog will not only show the fun parts of my life, but also the struggles and just the daily things that it takes to raise the boys being in a wheelchair. I hope it speaks to you and encourages you because I deserve to have kids and so does any other woman out there who has that desire in their heart.