Where do I pick this up...
It's been nearly 18 months since our last post and as many of you know the catch-up from then to now is a hard one to tell. We lost a brother, an uncle, a musician, an artist, a pillar, and a contagious laugh that has no equal. Drew Benjamin Dwyer was an individual, a unique soul, a true friend and he is dearly missed by many. We take comfort in knowing we will see him again when we are reunited in Heaven, but it doesn't take the pain away of the "what ifs," the life we thought we'd have... with him.
But GOD is good and the story doesn't end there. Lutrosis... which is Greek for redemption or deliverance. And that's where HE has us now. We've been reminded that GOD is present and that HE cares. Shortly after the loss of Drew, with the tears still fresh on our faces, Jenny and I found out we were pregnant. Something we had just considered a couple weeks earlier, but definitely weren't quite planning for so quickly. Of course, as any new mother does, Jenny did the math and determined that she would probably be due sometime in late March... huh, Drew's birthday is March 19th. Wouldn't it be crazy if we had a boy on Drew's birthday? Was it possible GOD would grant us such a bold gift and blessing?
Over the next nine months we would go back and forth on what we thought GOD's plan was for this little baby. Mentally preparing ourselves for a girl, who would not be born on March 19th. I mean, we already had two boys, statistically there was only about a 12.5% chance of the baby being a boy and Jenny's due date ended up being March 23rd, not the 19th.
Fast forward to near the end of March and it was a surprisingly warm morning given the weather that had become common for us this time of year... and Jenny was starting to feel last night's contractions coming on quite a bit stronger. No.... could it be, let me check my phone again, yup, March 19th. Ok GOD, this is YOUR show, but I'll keep my expectations in check for now. Even if this baby comes today, I'm still sure it's a girl - that's just logical math!
Now it's 3pm and Jenny is on the verge of pushing.... minutes feel like hours for her and same for me really, because all I want to do is turn on the TV and get caught up on March Madness... I mean I'm so excited to meet this little girl that will rock our world.
3:04... ok, Jenny, start pushing... 3:05... KEEP PUSHING.... 3:06 - ONE MORE PUSH! 3:07...
THE BABY IS HERE AND THE JENNY NOT ONLY PULLS THE BABY OUT HERSELF BUT IS ABLE TO ANNOUNCE TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM - IT'S A BOY!!!! WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! GOD - YOU'VE HAD THIS SINCE BEFORE YOU PLACED THE STARS IN THE SKY... WOW. Thank YOU.
And just to sweeten the moment, in the delivery room, was our beautiful friend and sister (from another mister) Brittany... who lost her loving husband just four months before we lost Drew. Jenny and her had made a pact to be present at at least one of each other's children's births. It just wouldn't have been the redemptive moment that it was without her there... GOD, YOU are good.
So, welcome Atticus Drew Jones to the chaos that is our life! You have no idea what you just got yourself into little man!
This is the first time Levi and Tigue are meeting Atticus... a moment I will never forget. Levi's hysterical giggle, Tigue's endless questions, their faces, the instant attachment, unconditional love. Simply precious - we were made to have siblings, we were made for community.
The next day was a bittersweet introduction to his Uncle Johnny....
And his Nani and Papa... This little grandbaby would never replace their Drewber, but we could see GOD's heart for us in this new life.
Back home... Atticus was a breath of fresh air. We needed that little man and as you can see Levi is a loving parent in the making.
By now you should be familiar with this tradition - theJonesPod sunglasses pic!
Well, soon after the welcoming of Atticus, weather was back to normal for March - snowy and cold, so we made do.
And then you blink and it's like this...
Despite the fact that I was in busy season, I was able to take about a week and a half off... now before you keel over in shock; it's because I took a new job with real life expectations. More on that later, but back to the cute boys! Here Tigue and I are taking Levi to school. He's hanging with his buddies.
Here's that 5 year old fill-in parent we hired again.
Not a fill-in parent yet - he's just loving childhood.
But, he's working on parenting too :)
My little city living, train taking, public school attending chic kindergartner
They found Mama's and Uncle Johnny's glasses AND they are the best brothers EVER!
#workingdad
Yeah... we clean up pretty well for EASTER
Thanks Nani for coming and sleeping with Atticus
Just an early evening at TheJonesPod
FIRST BATH!!!!
OVER and cozy.
I think they call this a family bed or something
Still silly bath buddies!
More family snuggles
SHOW ME THOSE WOLVERINE FACES
Free Comic Book Day 2015
(Sadly that is not me in the Boba Fett outfit)
A job well done gentlemen!
WHAT?! FINALLY THE COUSINS ARE MEETING!!!
Make-up Easter at Goggy and Bompa's
New haircut - Mini-Papa
Grandma Lucy knit Atticus an epic carrot outfit - it is super cozy!
Happy Boy!
So, there you have it - a look at the last two months through the pictures of our little men. Yes, this does mean we are officially back. The first one back is always the hardest and now it's behind us. I'll give you little glimpses into the last 18 months, but mostly we're going to more forward and document the first year of this new little man's life. Thanks for jumping back into this with us. I'm excited to get back to it and share with you all that GOD is doing through and around us!
"Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you." ~ John 16:22
