Dear Rich,

I don't tell you enough how remarkable you are.  You are the best husband I could imagine - you know when to push me and when to let me be.  You surprise me with little gifts now and then (and it's not about the gifts, it's the fact that you were thinking of me), you make me laugh, and you have this soft side that I love, yet you can be the biggest pain in the ass (which challenges me and pushes me to be patient).  Overall, you are the best thing that ever happened to me because together, we have built something special.

You love our daughters in a way only a daddy could.  They will always have a strong father figure in their lives, and for that, I am so, so thankful.  You are amazed by Annessa and you love watching her grow.  One of my favorite parts of the day is at night, in bed when we re-hash that funny/smart/crazy things she said or did that day.  You are meant to be the dad of daughters.

What is even more remarkable to me is that you do all of this without your own legs.  I watch you struggle day after day with the changes this has brought.  Each day I think about how faithful you are.  You could give up but you don't.  I know we are a big reason that you push on, and I can't tell you how loved that makes me feel.  If I had one wish, I wish "that day" two years ago never happened.  I wish you could run (not that you liked to....).  I wish you could walk through the woods instead of ride your 4-wheeler.  I wish we could go on a walk.  I wish we could walk on the beach and play in the ocean.  I wish you didn't have to think "is it worth it" before you climb up the stairs or go to a new restaurant.  I wish you could run beside Annessa as she tries to ride without training wheels.  I wish you could dunk a basketball like you used to (because I have a feeling you still could).  The list goes on.  I know you wish these things too.

But I can't end this letter on such a sad note, can I?  Today you beat the odds.  You are out bow hunting again.  Is it different?  Yes.  But are you doing it?  Yes.  And the truth is, even though I wish "that day" never happened, I would not chose a different path.  My life is good - it's full of love and I have you and God to thank for it.

I will never forget the phone call.  The helicopter.  Pam.  The wall I kicked.  The family that surrounded us and the friends that comforted us.  I will never forget.  But I will never stay there either.  We have great things in store for us.  I'm not sure what, but there is no one else I would rather be with as I find out.

Thank you for holding on- that day and every day.

I love you ,
Autumn

Magnents

This summer Annessa and I were partners in crime.  We went everywhere together (okay, so most of the time we were at the pool - but it was a hot July, right?).  Anyway, whenever we would walk from the parking lot to the destination, her little hand would find mine, just like staples find a magnet in my junk drawer.  Her little hand fits perfectly in mine. 

So, that got me thinking.  I certainly don't hold my mom's hand anymore, but I'm sure at one time, I did.  When did I stop?  Did it break her heart a tiny bit when I become "too grownup" to hold my mom's hand?

I am fearing the day when Annessa declares she can manage the walk from the car to the store without holding my hand.  I'm sure that day is coming soon as she has already declared herself fit to pick out her own clothes (thus the overly-accessorized ensembles she struts her stuff in), and buckle her own seat belt (which, actually I don't mind at all, especially since in three months I will be starting the car seat process all over again...). 

I guess my point is that I've seen my baby grow into a toddler, then a preschooler, and it has all gone by way too fast.  But, the flip side is that the more she grows up, the more I see who God has made her to be.  She is intelligent, talkative...., friendly and STUBBORN.  She is beautiful in every way. 

So for now, I will savor the fact that our hands are like magnets that always find their way to each other. And when the time comes that she is old enough to walk across a parking lot without holding my hand, I will try to smile and realize that as she grows, more good things are coming.   

Dear Baby No-Name,

As of right now, you don't have a name.  Oh, we've got lots of ideas, but no one can agree.  Your sister....well her names for you are very interesting: Sunshine Rose, Delancy Devon (a character in a Barbie movie I think??), and whatever crazy string of letters she thinks of on a daily basis.  Your dad's picks: very, very normal, common, popular picks.  Not that I don't like them, but I don't think we can have an "Annessa" and a "Jane" for instance (don't worry, Jane wasn't one of his picks, I'm just sayin'...)

And mine?  Well Dad hasn't like any of them.  And I haven't been thrilled about any of my picks either.  The problem is that I want your name to be meaningful because you are so meaningful to us.  I am just hoping a name will drop from the sky or we might just have to call you Sunshine after all.

Right now we are toying around with a name from a character on the "Vampire Diaries" that Dad has been watching.  It's not a bad name, and it means light - so that fits since you are a light in a time of darkness for us, but I am still unsure....I mean, I never thought I would name my daughter after a Vampire lover...

Good news is you have a middle and an last name!  No worries though we'll figure something out sooner or later - hopefully by the time we take you home. 

Dear Baby Girl,

This is the first of many times I will write to you.  I hope that someday, you will treasure these writings as documents of your youth (although I'm fairly confident that at some point, say when you are a teenager, you will roll your eyes at my need to excessively document your life, but I am also fairly confident that you'll get over it). I must admit, it is strange writing to someone other than your daddy or your sister.  You and I will develop our own bond and very soon, I will struggle to remember I time when you weren't with us.

I am so curious about your personality.  I can feel your gentle kicks inside me and they remind me that you are your own person - God created you to be someone absolutely unique.  I can't wait to watch you grow into the woman God intends you to be.

I want you to know right off the bat that you are so loved.  I can't even find the words to quantify the excitement and love surrounding your arrival.  Annessa has been praying for a little sister for over a year now and your dad and I have spent the last 3 years yearning for you to complete our family.  And now you are here and your timing is perfect! 

For us, you are a gift.  A true gift.  Someday you will know the hell that we lived through the last two years and I hope you will realize that to us, your arrival means a new beginning.  I have come to understand that God had you in mind before the accident, and He held onto you until He knew we were ready to live in the here and now.

Love Always,

Mom

This is the moment we found out you were a girl - we were all soooo happy!

  

valleys and mountains

Life -- there are moments when nothing seems to make sense.  When the world we are living in feels foreign Unfamiliar.  It is scary, to say the least.  And the pain....Well the pain of loneliness can be unbearable. The valley is deep and we are standing in the middle of it, questioning every decision, every stroke of fate, every relationship, and most of all, questioning ourselves. 

But, then there are moments (like now for me) when we are standing at the top of the metaphoric mountain.  The clouds have parted and the sun is shining again.  We breath in and it hit us: it all makes sense!  We turn around and look at the person in the middle of the valley, replaying that time in our lives, and we feel a proud sense of satisfaction.  We crawled out.  We made it to the top again and we are wrapped in a blanket of clarity. We stand here in this moment, and we are surprised by the sting of tears that build up in our eyes.  Tears of joy. 

Yet, when we look ahead, our valley-voice whispers a sweet warning: "enjoy the mountain while you can."  It knows that as beautiful things are now, life is fluid and ever-changing (despite our immature attempts to force everything and everyone to stay the same).  Our children get older.  Our parents get older.  The days and nights cycle through.  It is inevitable - we will find ourselves in the valley again.  Some of us sooner, some of us later. 

But, remember, when we are in the valley we can turn around, look up at the hill behind us and smile knowing someday that mountain will be ours again.  We will gather up the strength and courage to crawl back out because we refuse to stay in the valley. 

Two weeks before I found out I was pregnant, I took a test. 

"Mama - what's this?" Annessa asked while waving the home pregnancy test around like a magic wand.
 "Don't, don't, don't!  Put it down!  That's a test to see if there is a baby in Mama's belly."
"Well, what does it say?"

I looked at the test for the fourth time - hey, maybe if I stared hard enough I could see that vertical line faintly appearing over the horizontal one....No such luck.

"It says, 'Not this time'" I saw the disappointment in her eyes.  The same disappointment I would see in Rich's eyes a few minutes later. 

"Well, then we have to pray," she said matter-of-factly as she knelt down and assumed the position. "God, the next time my mom takes a test, PLEASE let it say there is a baby in her belly.  Amen."

 I was ashamed and proud all at the same time.  Why wasn't my first response when I saw that the test was negative to pray?  Instead, my first response was, "Didn't think so - figures..." 

"Mom, why isn't God giving us our baby?"
"He will - He just needs to make sure it's the right time."
"I know!  Maybe He is making our baby right now!  Or maybe he is busy making babies for other people."

Brilliant.  Perfect.  Absolutely.  She just knows God's heart...

The next test I took was positive.

(P.S. I am due November 24th - we certainly will have a lot to be thankful for!)

Arm's Length

So - I'll just say it - I'm pregnant.  Pregnant! Pregnant? Pregnant.  At some point I will write all about Annessa predicting it, the crazy way I found out, and what I REALLY think about this baby.  But right now, all I can say is that I'm holding it at arm's length.  Which is so unlike me. 

I was talking to my mom about this yesterday (about the whole, "Yes, I'm pregnant, but let's just stop ourselves from talking names and nursery colors).  This whole attitude of caution is SOOO different than with Annessa.  With her, the thought of miscarriage never even crossed my mind.  Never.  But now....I am all too aware of bad things happening to good people. 

When I was explaining this fear to my mom, she said something that made total sense (as usual...).  "Maybe you're just protecting yourself.  Like you had to do when you didn't know if Rich was going to live or die." 
Yep - that's it.  That's exactly how I feel.  Cautious.  Unsure.  Preparing (for either possibility). 

The truth of the matter is that The Accident changed me.  It's made me aware that no one is immune to the evils that this world brings.  There is a part of me that is just waiting for the other shoe to drop because that would just be par for the course.  Maybe that sounds negative, but don't judge until you've been there.  That's totally how it feels. 

So, for now, I will hold onto that heartbeat that Rich and I heard, and try to get through the next two weeks until we can hear the heartbeat again.  I really am excited.  Just not naive.