A Preemie Poem

Inspired by my sweet Jaxon Jeremiah. Born 13 weeks sooner than planned, but exactly on time.

Dedicated to every preemie NICU baby. The moment you were born, the entire world got a little bit better.

What a joy it was when we found
That Heaven was blessing this earth
With a bundle of joy, be it girl? Be it boy?

We anxiously awaited your birth.

But all would not come as expected
For destiny had her own plan
First grief and the tears, troubled news bringing fears
This is where your long journey began

There was nothing that really prepared us
For what we soon would see
Clinging to hope, really trying to cope
With not knowing for sure what would be

Much too soon your day came
For the world to look on your sweet face
Many tears shed, for the rough days ahead
All the stars falling out of their place

Your voice, your melodious cry
(Though my world all around full of fear)
So fully consumed every thought where it loomed
For t'was all that I wanted to hear

When first my gaze rested upon you
Passed the tubes and the wires I could see
The Lord, so intently, a fighter He sent me
A miracle I knew you would be

Were it hours or days, weeks or months
Uncountable times that I cried.
Clinging and praying, my hope often swaying
But always right there by your side.

Your strength every day so astounding

Through the darkness we always saw

Your eyes full of light and shining so bright

Fill the world with wonder and awe!

Poem For My Jaxon Jeremiah

I wrote this about halfway through his NICU stay one day when I was sitting next to him in his isolette. He was not having a great day so I could not hold him that day so instead I started writing out my thoughts. This is what came out. It actually was incomplete for a long time. The last few verses were actually written weeks later.


My faith never wavered
Though hope had grown thin
As I sat and I waited
From the bed I was in

Seven long weeks
With the pain of not knowing
What the outcome would be
With your lungs now not growing

The numbers, the stats
The odds fully against you
In the chance I could help,
Many things that I went through

But the plans for your life
Far more than I'd known
The Creator of all things
Had chosen you, son.

He'd planned every moment
The joys and the grief
He held me to hope
Turned doubt to belief

My heart fully melted
When I first saw your face
I didn't see problems
I only saw Grace!

The pictures may tell
Of your struggle, your fight
But my witness accounts
Of the glorious might

Of a God who fights for you
And stands at your side
Every moment a whisper,
His voice as your guide.

I stood with you as you battled
But it was only yours to fight
Although you seemed so little
You were full of such might!

For 3 endless months
You overcame
Every obstacle you faced
And held true to your name

Jaxon- it means,
"Our God shows us grace"
And it's evident in
Your sweet smiling face

Jeremiah you are.
As the Lord gave to me
Jeremiah 1:5
A promise you would be!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."- Jeremiah 1:5

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

1John 4:4
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Poem is a Poem

This was the first poem I ever published. I wrote it my freshman year in high school for a poetry project for my english class. I had to make a poetry notebook with like 10 of them written by myself and of course I procrastinated so the day before it was due, I hit the paper hard to throw together some poems. As I got towards the end, I couldn't think of anything anymore and then I started playing with the idea that I couldn't write a poem. That is how I came up with it so I wrote it, turned it in and it ended up being the winning poem for the class. My teacher selected it to represent our class in the school's freshman poetry contest. (I don't remember if it won or not) Soon after that, I submitted it to a national poetry contest and won an honorable mention and a request to publish in a poetry text. I was given the opportunity to present it at a national poetry convention where the winner would win a $25,000 scholarship. Unfortunately, the convention was in a different state so I was not able to attend it but I did approve it to be published. Somewhere, perhaps lost in all my old packed away items, is the volume information for the book it is published in and the certificate of publication but as I was only 14 years old, I never took great care of anything like that so it could just as well have been thrown in the trash years ago. :( I took a lot of pride in this poem though because I have also used it to win 2 other contests over the years as well. It is also the only one of my published poems that I still have and that is only because it was short enough that I managed to memorize it. Most of my poems are stories, some over a page long so this is the only one I have ever memorized. I have 4 others that have also been published but they are long lost and never to be remembered. Hopefully one day I will come across the notebook with the paperwork for them in it so I can find them once again.

But for now, here is "Poem is a Poem"

I know not what to write of,
I know not what to feel
For all the things I think of
Seem to be unreal.

To write a silly poem
About a breezy beach,
Flowers in a meadow,
Or stars out of my reach...

When I think of all these things
Not one provokes a thought.
So I will not write a poem
Though I know I really ought.

Where An Angel Be

[This is actually a segment of a longer story poem I am currently working on- it makes me smile so thought I'd share a small piece of it]

Tinker here, me little fairy, tell me what you see.
Aye, it is, a pair of eyes gazing back at me
With rosy cheeks and puckered lips, from where they came know thee?
And tiny hands, so plump and fine. Do say, how can this be?


A kiss from Heaven fell below. The clouds, they did not see.
And in thine arms the kiss now rests, 'tis where an angel be.

My Summer Angel

My babies are just so inspiring to me! So now, it's Annabelle's turn!

(Annabelle at 1 day old on her way home from the hospital)

 Really though, how can you not be inspired by this little face? Annabelle was born in August making her my summer baby. She's such a sweet little one bubbling over with enthusiasm!

( Annabelle at 6 months)                                                               (Annabelle at 4 months)

Behind this one I wrote for her (Some of my favorite things about my Belle):
-Annabelle LOVES LOVES stuffed animals! She calls them her "babies".
-She does the hand motions to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" but says, "Ginkle Ginkle lala STARRR!"
-When I ask BelleBelle for a kiss, she does a fishy mouth, so I always tell her she's a fishy kisser

(Annabelle's first Easter- 8 months)                    (Annabelle at about 7 or 8 months)

So this was rwitten for My Love, My Belle!



My Summer Angel

I have a summer angel
And she's with me all year long.
She loves her little teddy
And that "Twinkle, Twinkle" song.

I love her fishy kisses
And her pretty eyes of gray.
Her laugh is one I know that I
Could listen to all day!

My delightful little sweetheart
Is a feisty one and, well,
She's my summer angel.
She's my little Annabelle.

Oh My Crazy Little Aubree

Just posted twice so be sure to check out the post below this one too! (Goin a little blogger-happy tonight! WOO-HOO!) :)

Oh my crazy Aubree!

(Aubree Faith at 14 months)

So, most 3 year olds are still learning how to play hide and seek and my little 3 year olds are no exception. Some at this age can hide but like to jump out laughing before they are found while others just don't understand the point in hiding in the first place. After all, if you are wanting to play a game with your friends, why would you run away and hide from them, right? :) Well, Nicholas is pretty typical. He will hide and jump out before it's time. Aubree on the other hand is just simply fun to watch. She is pretty good at the quiet part and even the staying hidden part...well, kind of. She will find a great hiding place, but she changes it a million times before the counter is done couting (and yes, as long as it takes Nicholas to count to 10---somehow the numbers 14, 20 and 23 get in there before he reaches 10 even though he can count to 20 just fine. I guess he just never likes to leave those numbers out no matter how low he is counting---she is able to change locations that many times) and then, when he finds her, rather than it being HIS turn to hide, she runs off to one of her other hiding places she's found until he finds her again then she continues until she's gone through all the good spots she found and he fnds her in all of them.  Then finally once she's out of spots, she gives in and becomes the counter. It's like she can't decide which spot was best so she wants to use them all in the same round. (funny thing, Nicholas just goes along with it like it's just how the game goes--I don't let the little squirt get away with it, I find her, it's MY turn to hide!) :)

(Aubree Faith at 4 months)

So, I wrote this...well, I actually was playing around with her when she was going through all her spots one day while we played and started saying these words to her then thought I would write it down.


My Hiding Aubree

Aubree, oh Aubree, where will you be hiding?
Outside? Inside? Are you still deciding?
Under the table? Behind the door?
In the closet on the floor?
Beneath the blankets atop the bed?
In daddy's recliner covering your head?
One, Two, Three, now here I come
If you're still not hiding then you'd better run!

(Aubree Faith at 3 years)

When The Stars Come Out To Play- Poem I wrote for Nicholas

I wrote this for my dear Nicholas. He has had an OBSSESSION with the moon since about the time he started saying his first words! In fact, I believe he said "dada" then "mama" then "moon" and he always gets so excited to see the moon.

Soon after he turned 2 years old, I was driving him, Aubree and Belle home one late evening and Nicholas saw the moon out his car window! He started shouting excitedly, "mommy! the moon! I see the moon!". After talking about how beautiful the moon was for a minute or two, he got quiet then said, "I wanna give BelleBelle the moon!" I smiled at this bc I knew how important the moon was to him and what that meant that he wanted to give it to his baby sister. He may not even have fully understood what he had just said himself, but I did. Now over the past year, several times when he has gotten really happy about the moon, he will say it again, "I wanna give BelleBelle the moon!"

A few weeks ago, while driving home with the three of them once again, it was getting dark outside and both Nicholas and Aubree were getting concerned that they were going to have to go "night night" when we got home. They kept saying, "I don't wanna go night night. It's not night night time". So then I told them, "when the sun goes to sleep and the moon wakes up, then the stars come out, that's when it's night night time." I didn't expect them to remember this. I honestly was just coming up with a sweet and easy way to break the news to them that, "ummm...yes, actually you ARE going to go night night" but then a couple of days later at the house, it was getting dark again and Nicholas came up to me and said, "it's dark" and I said, "yes it is dark" then he said, "did the sun go night night?" I smiled and said, "yes the sun went night night". Then he said, "when the sun goes night night and the moon wakes up, it's night night time?" I just loved that he remembered that!

This love for the moon (which has grown into a love and fascination with the stars as well---but the moon will still always be his) is what made me want to write this. I have written and even published several poems since I was in high school but none of my own writing has ever TRULY moved me as much as writing things for my babies. Hopefully I will "man up" and post more in the future but hope this one at least makes you smile for now:

"When the sun goes to sleep and the moon wakes up, that's when the stars will come out to play!"
But Nicholas only went out in the day
"How then shall I with the moon and stars play?
And what if the clouds make the night dark and gray?
Keeping the light of the stars at bay
How then shall I with the moon and stars play?
When the sun goes to sleep then awake may I stay?
That then I may with the moon and stars play?"


While the sun is awake, then play you may
But only as long as the sun does stay
For its goodnight kiss sends its last blinking ray
then off to bed but first to pray
Thanking God for a wonderful day
Full of sunlight, fun and play
Then sleep does come whilst troubles allay
In dreams, so sweet. Then you truly may
Be blessed to see a splendid display
Of the glorious stars and wondrous array
of the moon in her striking and marvelous way
(aglow just for you, dear Nicholas) will say,
"Do, please, with me and the stars come and play!"