This is the story of our precious baby boy, who was diagnosed prenatally at
17 weeks with a fatal chromosome disorder called Trisomy 13. Although
Jonathan's condition is considered "not compatible with life", we desired to give
him every chance at life. Our prayer is that those who are touched by our story
are drawn to God, who is Life Himself. John 14:6

To start at the beginning of our story, click here.

1.27.2010

let me introduce myself...

i know that i blog about some serious, heavy stuff most of the time. that's just where the majority of my heart is. i don't know, maybe i'm just having an exceptionally good week or something but after having been told for months that "with time it will get better"...i think it has gotten a lot better. i've been able to let myself get back to enjoying life again and having fun, all without feeling guilty about it. but of course i miss jonathan and i think about him everyday. as always, thanks for your prayers.

so in the interest of having fun, i decided to lighten things up a bit and follow the lead of another blog i read by posting some random facts about myself and answers to questions we get frequently.  you all know some of my deepest thoughts and struggles by reading this blog but you don't really know me that well.  so let me introduce myself...
  • i have lived my whole life in florida except during college. i spent a year in colorado and 3 1/2 years in alabama.
  • i have a younger sister who just moved from st. louis to atlanta. she's pregnant with her second baby, due in march. we're so glad to have her closer to us! and no, her pregnancy does not bother me, just like none of my friends' pregnancies bother me. (i get asked this often.)
  • i love my husband.  you are probably thinking that this should be a given, but it's not always, for everyone.  greg and i have been married almost 7 years after meeting at church about 8 years ago.  he graduated from auburn and is an engineer.  he is a wonderful father to both kate and jonathan.
  • i graduated with my undergrad and graduate degree from troy university in alabama. go trojans! actually, i am even more of an FSU fan. even with bad football seasons like they are having currently.
  • in college, i spent a year playing basketball and three years competing on the cross-coutry and track teams.  i have participated in sports my whole life and i love to run.  i haven't run a race in 3 years for obvious reasons, the last race being the 2007 disney marathon. i miss it so much that i even dream about running.  i plan to get back out there one day.  i would love to try competing in a triathlon sometime.
  • i grew up going to church but didn't truly understand the saving grace of Christ until i was halfway through college.  you know, college is where you're supposed to "find yourself."  well, the first half of my college experience was spent with discontentedness, low self-esteem, and wondering what my purpose in life was.  it's kind of a cliche, but there was a God-shaped hole in my heart that i tried to fill with all sorts of things:  partying, relationships, trying to attain the "perfect body", etc....  only once the hole was filled with God have i been able to experience complete freedom from the bondages that tied me down to unfulfillment.  so in the course of "finding myself", i found God.  or should i say, He found me. :)  and i am so incredibly thankful.
  • right now i am a stay-at-home-mom with a very small side business of sewing/embroidery. before i had kate, i worked with the sheriff's office here for five years as a crime intelligence analyst. it was a wonderful job and i really enjoyed the people i worked with.
  • in case you're wondering, i type in all lower case because i'm super-spiritual and only God gets an upper case  a lazy typist. (the super-spiritual part is totally facetious, of course.) and because when i first started this blog, i didn't know so many people would read it. i might have typed properly if i had known that in advance. so i apologize to those it bothers, but i can't change it now because then it would bother me that it wasn't uniform for every post.
  • kate does exist. but we don't post pictures of her here because we are over-protective parents. it's nothing personal against anyone except the people who said ugly things about us after the newspaper articles.  i really do hate to not share things about her here.  instead we have a private blog and i post all things kate-related there. 
  • we get asked all the time if we are going to have another baby. i understand that it is a natural thing for people to wonder about. the short answer is, yes, hopefully in the next year or so.
  • i think my 30's have been better than my 20's so far.  that should give my younger friends hope.  from my older friends, can i get an amen?
  • i love mexican food, specifically chicken fajitas and chips and salsa with lots of cilantro.  cliantro is the most important ingredient. 
  • i love to shop.  my husband hates to shop.  so since i love my husband, i try not to shop too much.
  • i don't believe in cheese as part of a dessert.  as in, cheesecakes, cream cheese icing, etc.  it's just not right.
  • i'm a dog person, but i have two cats.
  • i don't have any cavities.  really, it's the only thing about myself i can brag about.
  • i prefer diet sunkist in the morning over coffee.  i consider it my "orange juice."
  • i'm a collector/slight hoarder of fun fabrics and sewing accessories, as well as with a certain brand of clothing.  i just can't pass up a deal or a good sale on these things.
  • did i mention i love to shop? 
*****

i'd love for those of you who read this to "introduce yourself" too, either by way of a comment or a re-post of this blog in your own words. (leave a comment with your blogsite so i'll know and be able to read it.)  for my friends who are currently failing at their vow to blog once a day, (you know who you are) this should give you something to post about!  :)

10 comments:

  1. Love this Lauren! Thanks for sharing fun and random tidbits! I am so sorry to hear about the negative comments you received and your need to keep kate off limits on here. Not good. I did wonder about the lower case thing...I think I would have to focuse really hard NOT to use upper and lower case when typing! This is my lazy version of typing! I have hardly blogged at all lately, but am trying to get back into it...now that we've had Lilly almost a year, I think I need to change my title!

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  2. Amen! That was from one of your older friends for the loving your 30's comment!

    Such a great post, Lauren! You are such a special person and I am so lucky to call you my friend! You truly are incredible! Love you!

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  3. I enjoy getting to know you better Lauren ! You are certainly very encouraging to me and I am 47 years old and delight in being an older woman <>< I love your willingness to share how you live and how you think and must say it is sweet and glorifies God; especially when you write about your attitude towards God and your husband and also your precious daughter and son <>< I believe that you are a Titus/Proverbs 31 woman in great and loving progress <>< with joy in Christ :-)

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  4. Amen to the 30s being awesome--absolute best time of my life! I love my husband very much and am blessed to have him. I also love to shop for the same certain brand of clothing and we need to get there together. I am a dog person, too! I loved your post because it reminded me how much we have in common and why I like spending time with you. Wish we had more time. Also hope to be able to have your great attitude and spritual knowledge some day! hope to see you soon.

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  5. thank you for sharing your story with us. (for the sake of sharing your laziness...i'll forgo caps as well :) not so much your story about jonathan - although it has been tremendously interesting and enlightening - but more your story about your walk with the Lord. I am a nurse who had never heard of trisomy 13 before seeing the article about you and your family in the newspaper (which i rarely read but i don't believe in accidents or coincidences - i know it was Gods' way of bringing me closer to Him). i read it and was mesmerized. first thinking how i couldn't imagine spending most of a pregnancy knowing that you would not have the opportunity to raise your baby and then wanting to know more about trisomy 13. i am the mother of 2 teenagers who are healthy and (as much as teenagers can be) happy. i don't feel guilty about this even as i write to a mother who has a child in heaven (i rarely use the term "lost". i certainly know he's not lost. you know exactly where he is :) i know that this was God's plan for my life with my children just as trisomy 13 was His plan for your life with jonathan. i have followed yours (and other blogs about families who have babies in heaven due to a variety of ailments) and most of them talk about the faith they have in the Lord and the plan He has for them despite the plans they had. it has been a wonderful inspiration and a blessing in my life to see how others find strength and grace in what we see as tragedy but what God sees as a piece of the larger puzzle. i try and remind myself that my plans are not always God's plans and i need to surrender myself and my plans to He who knows all. your story has been a wonderful testimony to the saving grace and mercy of the Lord. thank you and God bless you, Greg and Kate.

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  6. I love this post...but seriously? How can you not like cream cheese icing?

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  7. love it!!!! thanks for sharing :-)
    ps - i am NOT a fan of cheese cake either!! lol

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  8. Since you chastised me for not posting in the 'correct' place- here you go! ;)

    I'm seriously looking forward to 30. It irritates me a little when people make cracks about 'ooooo....you're turning 30!' Right. And the alternative is..... I'm excited about 30 and won't let the ribbing take away my excitement! :) I still think you're a weirdo for disliking cheesecake though.

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  9. Lauren,
    Thanks for sharing some fun facts. I have to say I am totally disapointed/shocked that you are an FSU fan! I guess it really is true we are all sinners and in need of God's grace, but definitely some of us more than others! :-) Totally joking of course. -Katie (Gator fan)

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  10. Yes, Go Trojans! Really cool for us to find out you went there. Our son (you may see him playing trombone in church occasionally) is a freshman in the Sound of the South. So now I'm a college football fan, and went to Troy's home games this year. He's also in Campus Outreach there, which you are probably familiar with. I'll have to speak with you folks about it all sometime. (Also, my buddy at work is an engineer from Auburn too, but a bit older than Greg!)

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