Megan

This child had to be one of the most wanted children in my extended family. Jon and I got married in the beginning of august and by the end of august we were pregnant. I remember how excited my mother in law was. She would jump up and down and was so happy to see her 2nd son becoming a father. Now don't get me wrong, he became a father the day we got married, through McKenna of course, but this was his first child and our first child together. Being pregnant with her was so much fun. I felt from day one that she was going to be a girl and by the time I was only 6 weeks into my pregnancy we both had agreed on her name. That time flew by and yet it seems like yesterday.

She came into the world somewhat big...the biggest even to today. She was 8 pounds and 6 ounces and I thought she was just beautiful. From day one this sweet child has had medical problems, kind of like Skyler. I can only assume that both of these children have had issues that somehow link to the diabetes. She had to be in the nicu the first few days of her life because she wasn't breathing right. It was kind of funny to look at her in the little bed, so big and so pink and yet no doing so well. The little baby in the bed next to her was so tiny, she looked like she should have been walking and talking. But after a few days she got better and we took her home, but it didn't end there. She had constant yeast infections that went from her bum to her mouth and back to her bum again. Then at 6 months she got the croup and ended up in the hospital for a couple more days. At 7 months she got it again, and this time we avoided the hospital but I ended up on the couch for 10 days with this sick little person in my lap with the humidifier running constantly right next to us. Then it was back to the yeast infections...and by 11 months it was the diabetes.

Megan is what they call a "brittle diabetic". You can look at her sideways and her blood sugars spike or drop. From the time she was diagnosed she has had at least 3 massive seizures a year, mostly at night, from low sugars. Her body doesn't bounce back like others do either. Skyler can be fine just an hour after a seizure, but Megan will end up on the couch sleeping most the day with intermittent spurts of vomiting. She has suffered through kidney infections, ear infections and infections on her toes that had to be drained. I am not sure she knows what "good" truly feels like and yet....she has to be one of the strongest people I know.

Strong can mean a couple of things. Pig headed and stubborn, or determined and motivated. She is both. She is an amazing artist and has a deep love of animals. When she gets to drawing an animal she will sit for hours and keep at it till it's done to her satisfaction. If her health holds up I know she will have a ranch, with horses, dogs, cats, chickens and all manner of animal life. She loves it that much. I respect her for her strength and I truly believe that the Lord gave her some of these qualities so that she could overcome her massive health issues.

She is beautiful, forgiving and has a bright future ahead of her, as long as we as parents can help direct her path. I feel an awesome responsibility with all my children, but more so with the children that have disabilities and hardships. They need me and I need to be there for them. She will probably always be one of my best friends and my worst enemies....but in a good way. We tend to challenge each other. All my kids are strong, they have to be to live in today's time, but she is stronger than most of them. She gets up everyday, takes care of her diabetes (with some help), and marches on through her day not letting her health stop her. She will be a source of inspriation for my other children as they get older and become adults, when they can recognize what she goes through on a daily basis just to stay alive. Have a sit down chat with her just once and you will fall in love with her, the way I did the day she was born.