Broken, But God is Still Good

I've tried to write many times since my last post, but I never want to force it. I want it to come naturally but I often feel like my thoughts are jumbled and come out making no sense. Today marks 6 months since Wyatt was born and died and I just felt the need to write. So I apologize in advance if this makes no sense. Grief has done a number on my brain which I'll maybe make time for on another post.

This life is so hard. Unbelievably hard. If I'm being completely honest, for the most part I turn the part of my brain that remembers everything that happened off so that I don't turn into a complete mess, can still live life and take care of Flynn. I miss my boys. Deklyn would have been either in grade 1 or 2 this year... seeing as he was a December baby we would have been able to pick which year he would have started. Seeing all the photos of kids off to school is hard. I can't help but think that his class is really missing out. I wish his teacher knew she/he was missing out on an amazing kid being in their class. Wyatt... I can only imagine how cute and cuddly he'd be right now. I'm sure I'd be exhausted and a complete mess but unreal happy. Sometimes I just picture myself holding him, playing with his beautiful curls but that dream is always rudely awakened with a picture of his grave. Flynn turned 3 this past weekend and it just breaks my heart that he doesn't truly know what its like to have a brother. He talks about his brothers, that he loves them and that when he's bigger he'll get to give them a kiss. I'm so sorry that he'll have to explain that he has brother's but they aren't here. The looks and comments he might have to deal with, I'm so sorry and I pray that he'll have so much grace for those that don't understand and that he won't be afraid to talk about them.

Oh how I miss my boys. I wish I could take my whole pregnancy with Wyatt back. I'd do it all over again, just to feel him and spend that time with him. Make sure he felt as loved as he was. It's not fair. This life is not fair. But God didn't promise us fair. We actually have been promised that this life will be hard, and to count it all joy when we face trials. I pray that God can and will use my story, I pray that God will set my eyes on things above and that I would not focus on gathering up earthly treasures. I pray that he will guide my steps and show me where he wants our family to go. I pray that he holds my broken heart while it feels to heavy to carry. I thank him, for I know he is good. I know that he cares for me and I know I can trust him. In spite of all this, my heart is still shattered. My life is in pieces. But as I kneel before him and show him each piece I know he will slowly show me how to put them back together. 

I will never be the same, and that's ok. I will always miss my boys and I want to. Thank you to the people in our lives who continue to show they care with words and action. You have no idea how much those words and actions have meant to us. We need them. Even now, 5.5 years after Deklyn's death and 6 months since Wyatt's. I'm great at looking like I've got this all figured out, but I promise you I don't. I don't think it would be possible for someone to have life figured out, no matter what it is you are facing. 

Something that I have found super helpful is connecting with other mom's who have lost. If you don't have someone in your corner who you feel you can talk to about your babies I promise you I will. I would love to. If you've lost a baby, feel free to leave their name and any other information you'd like about them in comments here. Our babies deserve to remembered and I'd love to remember them with you.

Wyatt - Brave in War

It's crazy to think I should have a baby in my arms right now.

Our sweet baby boy was born March 7th at 11:41am weighing 4 pounds 11 oz and 13" long. His name is Wyatt Timothy Cooper Sawatzky.

He is so perfect and so beautiful. He has the best hair out of all my kids and the cutest little nose and lips. When ever I think about him the word "sweet" always comes to mind. I feel like I hardly got a chance to know him but I know that he is so very sweet. I think if I had the chance to watch him grow up, sweetness would have been a big part of his personality.

We chose the name Wyatt, one because we liked it and two because the meaning Brave in War seemed so fitting for him and what he was going through. He is our brave little fighter... so very brave.

I had no idea my heart could make room for so much more love until I saw him. We honestly had the most amazing team with us that day and I am so thankful for each and every person that was put in that room with us. Before the surgery was to start I sat on the table with my legs shaking and tears streaming down my face, everyone in the room took the time to assure me that they were all going to do there very best and a few of them took the time to tell me they were praying. They all showed me that they cared deeply for us and this boy that we were all about to meet. Our focus that day was time as a family and although I will always wish that that time could have been longer, I am so thankful for what we got. 

I am not fully ready to share the whole story of that day on here, but I did want to share that he was born and is now home with his brother Deklyn. 

We got to hold him, kiss him and watch Flynn love on him before we said see you later which I am so grateful for. I can only describe this time as what feels like having the wind knocked out of you. We believed things would be different and it feels horribly confusing when we know we did what God asked us to do. But we continue to believe, trust, love and hold onto God. He's the only one who I know can get us through this and even if its with the last bit of strength I have I will hold on to him for dear life.

Thank you to all of you who have been supporting us. We are so very grateful and we need it so much.
If any of you want to make a donation in Deklyn & Wyatt's name to Deklyn's fund (all proceeds go to continued research for HPP) follow the link at the top right hand corner of this blog and select donate now.

Hope

This pregnancy has been unreal tough. After Deklyn I never thought I could be stretched in such a way again but here I am being stretched like never before.

After finding out this baby wasn't well I backed down, I hid and prepared myself for the worst. People around me were trying to be optimistic and hopeful but I just couldn't see it. I've been down this road before and it didn't end well. I believed with all my heart that things would change, our Deklyn would be healed and he'd have the most amazing beautiful story to share with the world. Granted he still does, I just get to share it for him. I think any person can see and understand why I felt the way I did. 

After awhile I decided I didn't want to just be sad all the time, I wanted to enjoy this pregnancy no matter the outcome. So I did a big thing for me. I moved the change table to our room and prepared it with baby #3's things. I filled it with newborn clothes and the blankets that I had specially sewed for him. All the while I was telling myself that this is something I should do, not really believing that our baby would ever get to lay on that table, wear those clothes or use those blankets. 

In the past week I've really taken time to learn and grow in the areas that I am struggling with. Prayer time has always turned into tears and me telling God what I know the bible says and how I need him to help me believe that we can get our miracle. Begging God to show me some hope that life might turn out better than what we see right now. I'd flip through my bible hoping to land on that perfect verse and know God is telling me our baby will live and be well. I hated that every time I prayed looked like this and ended with me trying to see how I would make it with two children not alive.

Here is what has been sticking out to me this past week.

1) Although it can feel silly we need to keep asking! 

Matthew 7:7-8 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

God will ALWAYS answer. Sometimes we need to keep asking, sometimes the answer doesn't look the way we expect but he will always answer us. The rest of that verse talks about how if we know how to give good gifts to our kids how much better God's gifts will be to those who ask him. We need to ask! Along with this, I learnt a lot about the story of Elijah and how he had prayed for rain, God told him rain was coming. Most of us I think would go "Awesome! Lets see it!", Elijah went to the mountain and prayed and prayed until he saw the faintest hint of rain coming. This really shifted my perspective on prayer as well. Even though rain was promised, Elijah still prayed.

2) Jesus is our High Priest

This isn't something I ever thought about much or probably even cared about... but it's a pretty big deal! In the old testament the high priest was the one who could enter The Most Holy Place and stand before God to make atonement for himself and the people for all their sins. Jesus is our high priest. He stands before God and pleads for us!

Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Knowing this we can confidently pray knowing Jesus has mercy and grace for us and fights for us.

3) I have so much more but I'll leave it with this last one. We need to have faith like Jesus did. If we truly believe what the bible says, that we will do greater things than Jesus we need to have faith like him. Jesus healed diseases and he raised people from the dead! He truly believed that his father was more capable than the darkness that surrounded the situation. 

Now please as you read this, don't think I have it all together or that I'm not still sad or upset about all this. Honestly, it's a lot easier for me to have doubt and prepare for the worst. Every movement I feel from this baby is a reminder that things aren't quite as they should be. Every ultrasound is a reminder that we are up against something really tough. Every week that goes by brings more anxiety about whats to come and a fear of what life might look like. This is all stuff that is still very hard for me. But what I am trying to do is continually bring these to God, he's big enough, he is greater and I'm asking him to turn my fears into joy as I look to him and believe he's greater than this disease. 

This isn't something I feel super comfortable sharing, I always feel like I'm not great with words but this morning I just had it on my heart to write this out. So hopefully someone feels encouraged by this to continue praying for their own situation. As always thank you to all of you who have been supporting us and praying for us!

One more thing, the week of Deklyn's birthday we received a gift from a stranger. A beautiful sign and ornament. Please, if you are reading this know that gift was so perfectly timed and we love it so much. We are so grateful for you and your obedience to do what you felt you should do. We felt loved and joy in a very hard time. 

I'll leave you with this beautiful 3D Ultrasound photo of our 3rd baby boy.