Our angels on earth, celebrating the miracle that is little Isaiah at Seasons 52 on Sunday night. From L-R: Back Row: Wanda, Cheetah Bonnie, Liz, Ann, Michelle, Meg, Cheetah Jen, Ashley Front Row: Shelly, Laura & Ashlene Have more love for these ladies than we could ever possibly put into words.
Last night, Paul and I set up dinner for 11 at Seasons 52 in Jacksonville. It was me and 10 of the ladies God placed in our paths to help us with the arrival our incredible gift, Isaiah. We’d like to tell you a tiny bit out these ladies, so buckle up. We want you to know how amazing they are, and how incredible great God has been to us by putting these angels in lives.
Wanda is on the far left. When Paul and I found out we were pregnant, one of Paul’s concerns was that he tends to get a little lightheaded at hospitals. Wanda was the person God revealed to us would be perfect to have in the delivery room with us. We asked her, she accepted, and there isn’t anyone in the world we would have preferred to have with us for the 30+ hours we were in active labor. I think that choice alone reveals how amazing we think Wanda is.
Bonnie (Cheetah B), has been our muse and our dear friend for nearly 5 years. In an effort to keep Paul busy, rather, distracted, during labor, in an effort to keep him vertical and engaged in the actual birthing process, Bonnie provided Paul with a label maker and gave him 30 items he had to label while we were in labor. With 80% success, he earned himself a Subway dinner. With 100% success AND bonus points (labeling the placenta, the doctor, the epidural tubes, etc.), Paul earned himself sushi dinner at his favorite sushi restaurant. You’ve never seen a group of people (Paul, me, Wanda, nurses, Dr. Austin, etc) more entertained and busy during labor than our “team”. This is a post for a whole ‘nother day cuz it’s a story in and of itself. Oh, and the game? Aptly named “Label & Delivery”. We love you Cheetah B. It should not surprise you that two one liners that have earned their way to “title” of this post came out of Cheetah B’s mouth. The first, when Seasons 52 Chef Ben came to tell us how a particular dish was gluten-free and we collectively talked about whether anyone at the table was gluten-free, Bonnie chimed in “Oh, I’m ALLLLLLL gluten!”. Followed by the presentation of dessert with like 15 sugary treats and then two fruit-only desserts. Needless to say, the sugary goodness desserts made their way around the table, and no one touched the fruit, to which Cheetah B yelled “as always, and as it should be, the FRUIT STANDS ALONE!” Love. Her.
Our next two angels are truly the two most responsible for bringing Isaiah into the world safely – Liz and Shelly were the two nurses at Baptist South assigned specifically to me and Paul for our delivery. I will never truly be able to share with you the “Jesus hugs” (more on these when we get to Ann!) these two spectacular women (and mothers themselves) brought to the delivery room. The people we know in common, the life experiences we’ve shared, I cannot begin to explain to you how incredible these two women are. Shelly will always be the angel God placed in our path to be the gentle voice that shared with me, Paul (and Wanda) that something was wrong with our son. We will always share that moment, and rather than having that life-changing moment be terrifying, Shelly created an environment of hope and calm that allowed us to begin this process with Isaiah in truly a God-focused way.
Ann has been a shining example to us of how to allow God to take control in situations that can be scary. Ann and her husband Jack have been mentors and dear friends of ours for year. Jack happens to the pastor of our church and God placed him in our lives to save our relationship and get it back on track years ago when we forgot to keep Jesus-centered and were convinced we had it “all figured out”. It was nearly 3 years to the DAY from the first time we went to Jack with anger and confusion in our hearts about our relationship that we were married by Jack at the Serenata Beach Club in front of our close friends and family. This past summer, Jack fell ill with a bacterial infection / virus that doctors can’t explain to this day. He spent several weeks in a coma, and even had a little code-blue scare that’ll knock the socks of anyone. We had a front row seat to witness Ann, in all her strength and grace, giving Jack to God for His care. We know this wasn’t an accident, and it was truly a path for us to follow. God healed Jack, miraculously, and we’ve been witness to a recovery process that defies all odds. Ann has been a mentor, a friend, an errand-runner, a confidant, a prayer warrior, a shoulder and an angel.
The next two ladies… Ashlene and Laura. Where to begin. Within minutes of Isaiah’s birth, we knew something was wrong at Baptist South. Not long after that, we were informed that for the best possible care, Isaiah was being transferred to another local children’s hospital with a more extensive NICU, Wolfson Children’s Hospital. He was transported by ambulance (the helicopter would have actually taken longer), by even more angels, the medics/drivers who was entrusted by God to transport him safely. And when he arrived, he had several nurses who took care of him that first night. The next morning, when we were released not even 18 hours after birth from Baptist South, we had the pleasure of meeting Ashlene who had been assigned to Isaiah for his first day shift at Wolfson. Between Ashlene and Laura, who both ended up requesting to be his “primary” nurses which means he is their patient on all shifts that they work, and the night nurses whom we did not get the opportunity to spend as much time with, Isaiah was in the best possible round-the-clock care in the world. We truly believe these ladies loved on and cared for Isaiah as if he were their own child. Laura cried with us every single time a test came back in the “normal” range. Tears of joy. Her children, Jillian and Jordan have sent videos praying for our son. Our world-traveler, Ashlene, was put on a path in the womb to be here for our son and trust me when I tell you, she took quite the journey to get here, to be in Jacksonville, to be on shift when Isaiah came in. Her gentle, friendly, happy spirit kept our “rooms” at Wolfson positive and happy and encouraged and hopeful. God couldn’t have given us two NICU nurses more perfectly suited in His image to be the angels responsible for working with Dr. Driscoll and Dr. Perszyk and their God-given medical abilities to take perfect care of our son.
Next, Meg. My closest friend here in Jacksonville. We’ve spent the last several years basically inseparable here in the ‘hood in Nocatee. She and her husband Wes have been on this walk with Christ right alongside us. I could spend months telling you all about how amazing she is. There aren’t enough blogs in the world to tell you. Meg is one of the most caring, soft-spoken, gentle-hearted people on this planet. She is filled with love and compassion. She shares her love with us and with our son. A new mother herself to sweet baby boy Eli, she and I walked through this pregnancy journey together. We prayed for our babies together. We get to raise them together. Hysterically nicknamed by Wanda, “Tiny” (Eli, on the left) and “Bruiser” (Isaiah, right) be best buddies for life and there isn’t anyone we would want around our son more than one of the greatest women either of us have ever known.
Wanda is on the far left. When Paul and I found out we were pregnant, one of Paul’s concerns was that he tends to get a little lightheaded at hospitals. Wanda was the person God revealed to us would be perfect to have in the delivery room with us. We asked her, she accepted, and there isn’t anyone in the world we would have preferred to have with us for the 30+ hours we were in active labor. I think that choice alone reveals how amazing we think Wanda is.
Bonnie (Cheetah B), has been our muse and our dear friend for nearly 5 years. In an effort to keep Paul busy, rather, distracted, during labor, in an effort to keep him vertical and engaged in the actual birthing process, Bonnie provided Paul with a label maker and gave him 30 items he had to label while we were in labor. With 80% success, he earned himself a Subway dinner. With 100% success AND bonus points (labeling the placenta, the doctor, the epidural tubes, etc.), Paul earned himself sushi dinner at his favorite sushi restaurant. You’ve never seen a group of people (Paul, me, Wanda, nurses, Dr. Austin, etc) more entertained and busy during labor than our “team”. This is a post for a whole ‘nother day cuz it’s a story in and of itself. Oh, and the game? Aptly named “Label & Delivery”. We love you Cheetah B. It should not surprise you that two one liners that have earned their way to “title” of this post came out of Cheetah B’s mouth. The first, when Seasons 52 Chef Ben came to tell us how a particular dish was gluten-free and we collectively talked about whether anyone at the table was gluten-free, Bonnie chimed in “Oh, I’m ALLLLLLL gluten!”. Followed by the presentation of dessert with like 15 sugary treats and then two fruit-only desserts. Needless to say, the sugary goodness desserts made their way around the table, and no one touched the fruit, to which Cheetah B yelled “as always, and as it should be, the FRUIT STANDS ALONE!” Love. Her.
Our next two angels are truly the two most responsible for bringing Isaiah into the world safely – Liz and Shelly were the two nurses at Baptist South assigned specifically to me and Paul for our delivery. I will never truly be able to share with you the “Jesus hugs” (more on these when we get to Ann!) these two spectacular women (and mothers themselves) brought to the delivery room. The people we know in common, the life experiences we’ve shared, I cannot begin to explain to you how incredible these two women are. Shelly will always be the angel God placed in our path to be the gentle voice that shared with me, Paul (and Wanda) that something was wrong with our son. We will always share that moment, and rather than having that life-changing moment be terrifying, Shelly created an environment of hope and calm that allowed us to begin this process with Isaiah in truly a God-focused way.
Ann has been a shining example to us of how to allow God to take control in situations that can be scary. Ann and her husband Jack have been mentors and dear friends of ours for year. Jack happens to the pastor of our church and God placed him in our lives to save our relationship and get it back on track years ago when we forgot to keep Jesus-centered and were convinced we had it “all figured out”. It was nearly 3 years to the DAY from the first time we went to Jack with anger and confusion in our hearts about our relationship that we were married by Jack at the Serenata Beach Club in front of our close friends and family. This past summer, Jack fell ill with a bacterial infection / virus that doctors can’t explain to this day. He spent several weeks in a coma, and even had a little code-blue scare that’ll knock the socks of anyone. We had a front row seat to witness Ann, in all her strength and grace, giving Jack to God for His care. We know this wasn’t an accident, and it was truly a path for us to follow. God healed Jack, miraculously, and we’ve been witness to a recovery process that defies all odds. Ann has been a mentor, a friend, an errand-runner, a confidant, a prayer warrior, a shoulder and an angel.
The next two ladies… Ashlene and Laura. Where to begin. Within minutes of Isaiah’s birth, we knew something was wrong at Baptist South. Not long after that, we were informed that for the best possible care, Isaiah was being transferred to another local children’s hospital with a more extensive NICU, Wolfson Children’s Hospital. He was transported by ambulance (the helicopter would have actually taken longer), by even more angels, the medics/drivers who was entrusted by God to transport him safely. And when he arrived, he had several nurses who took care of him that first night. The next morning, when we were released not even 18 hours after birth from Baptist South, we had the pleasure of meeting Ashlene who had been assigned to Isaiah for his first day shift at Wolfson. Between Ashlene and Laura, who both ended up requesting to be his “primary” nurses which means he is their patient on all shifts that they work, and the night nurses whom we did not get the opportunity to spend as much time with, Isaiah was in the best possible round-the-clock care in the world. We truly believe these ladies loved on and cared for Isaiah as if he were their own child. Laura cried with us every single time a test came back in the “normal” range. Tears of joy. Her children, Jillian and Jordan have sent videos praying for our son. Our world-traveler, Ashlene, was put on a path in the womb to be here for our son and trust me when I tell you, she took quite the journey to get here, to be in Jacksonville, to be on shift when Isaiah came in. Her gentle, friendly, happy spirit kept our “rooms” at Wolfson positive and happy and encouraged and hopeful. God couldn’t have given us two NICU nurses more perfectly suited in His image to be the angels responsible for working with Dr. Driscoll and Dr. Perszyk and their God-given medical abilities to take perfect care of our son.
Next, Meg. My closest friend here in Jacksonville. We’ve spent the last several years basically inseparable here in the ‘hood in Nocatee. She and her husband Wes have been on this walk with Christ right alongside us. I could spend months telling you all about how amazing she is. There aren’t enough blogs in the world to tell you. Meg is one of the most caring, soft-spoken, gentle-hearted people on this planet. She is filled with love and compassion. She shares her love with us and with our son. A new mother herself to sweet baby boy Eli, she and I walked through this pregnancy journey together. We prayed for our babies together. We get to raise them together. Hysterically nicknamed by Wanda, “Tiny” (Eli, on the left) and “Bruiser” (Isaiah, right) be best buddies for life and there isn’t anyone we would want around our son more than one of the greatest women either of us have ever known.
Tiny and Bruiser out for their first walk! January 12, 2014.
Just when you think you’re done with the Cheetahs, there’s Cheetah Jen, who more than ANYTHING in the world, wanted to be in town for the birth of this sweet child. But then, the ‘Noles happened. With a husband who is a Seminole, Cheetah Jen was literally as far away from us as she could be in this country, 3,000 miles away, gearing up for the BCS National Championship game. Following along every detail, minute by minute courtesy of texts from Cheetah B, one of the women who has prayed by our side this entire pregnancy, one who is sole responsible for taking a workload of sometimes 100+hours a week off my plate so I could have a restful pregnancy, a woman who knows the Lord and openly shared with us about her walk, a woman who started joining us for church (and since Isaiah’s birth, has joined our church family with her husband, Scott), Jen was never even 1 mile away in heart and spirit and in love for Isaiah’s birth. She has been engaged in his life and his heart since we found out we were expecting this little miracle, and Aunt Cheetah Jen will forever be one of Isaiah’s favorites.
Last but certainly not least, our dear friend Ashley. Perhaps one of the most selfless people we’ve ever known, and maybe the best chocolate-chip cookie maker on the planet (just ask my husband!), Ashley has been available to us at all hours of the day and night. She helps take care of our four-legged baby, Hitch, when we can’t or Meg and Wes can’t. She makes the best meatballs you’ve ever had. She will move heaven and earth to help with errands, shopping, cleaning, picking up friends at the airport, etc., all while expecting a brand new baby boy herself, little Easton, with her husband Scott. Paul and I could not be more blessed to be surrounded by selfless people, and Ashely is the epotime of selfless. We don’t deserve that kind of love, the kind that Jesus showed, but He has revealed it to us on earth with friends like Ashley.
I tell you all about these ladies so that you understand this… before ANY of these women were formed in their mother’s wombs, GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THEM. He tells us so in Jeremiah 29:11. He knew they’d be the angels he was preparing their whole lives to take care of our son, to take care of us, during this period of learning and hope and love. They truly are our angels. And we love each of you more than words could ever say. God has angels in your life, too. Perhaps when you least expect it, He will reveal them to you.
Last but certainly not least, our dear friend Ashley. Perhaps one of the most selfless people we’ve ever known, and maybe the best chocolate-chip cookie maker on the planet (just ask my husband!), Ashley has been available to us at all hours of the day and night. She helps take care of our four-legged baby, Hitch, when we can’t or Meg and Wes can’t. She makes the best meatballs you’ve ever had. She will move heaven and earth to help with errands, shopping, cleaning, picking up friends at the airport, etc., all while expecting a brand new baby boy herself, little Easton, with her husband Scott. Paul and I could not be more blessed to be surrounded by selfless people, and Ashely is the epotime of selfless. We don’t deserve that kind of love, the kind that Jesus showed, but He has revealed it to us on earth with friends like Ashley.
I tell you all about these ladies so that you understand this… before ANY of these women were formed in their mother’s wombs, GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THEM. He tells us so in Jeremiah 29:11. He knew they’d be the angels he was preparing their whole lives to take care of our son, to take care of us, during this period of learning and hope and love. They truly are our angels. And we love each of you more than words could ever say. God has angels in your life, too. Perhaps when you least expect it, He will reveal them to you.
