Katie & Brian

I met Brian through my fire department job. He always said he waited so long to get married because he was only going to do it once. So, I couldn’t wait to meet the person that he waited so long for. When I met Katie, it made perfect sense. She balances Brian. They balance each other. Brian can make her laugh forever. Bob and I had the pleasure of attending their wedding, being present for Beau and now, for Braxton.

One day, I was chatting with Katie and she told me that she and Brian were having some struggles getting pregnant. I was familiar to this as I went through a year of IVF treatments and a miscarriage before become pregnant and delivering my twins, Madelyn & Grayson.

Katie would text me regularly with questions “is this normal”. I would assure her that it was and try to keep her off of the internet to find answers. Finally, one day, I received a text with a picture of a pregnancy test and it was positive. I think she needed reassurance that there was in fact 2 pink lines on the stick. I was elated and Katie was relieved! Baby Beau Christopher grew normal and healthy. He was passing all of his check ups with flying colors. Then, one day, in November 2017 when she was 28 weeks pregnant, Katie called me. She said that she hadn’t felt Beau move for a few hours. I again tried to reassure her that it was okay. I rationalized with “after 12 weeks and hearing a strong heartbeat, the chances of miscarriage are so slim.”  She followed her gut, she called Brian and to the hospital they went. They searched for Baby Beau’s heartbeat and couldn’t find it. Brian called me next. I was in utter disbelief. He was so healthy and everything was going well! Brian told me that Katie would need to deliver Beau and so, the process began. When he was delivered, Brian and Katie got to spend precious time with their son. They got to love him and hold him.  They learned that the cause of this was due to the cord wrapping around Beau’s neck more than once. “A freak accident” the doctor said.  Katie and Brian honored beau. They have his urn, his foot print and hand print. They have his legacy. So, to get through the pain of losing their child, they created Beau’s Bundles. Through Scott’s Legacy, they were able to distribute over 660 diapers, 320 comfort dolls, 350 onesies, 230 bottles and 310 blankets along with other baby supplies to areas of extreme poverty.  Recently, they were able to raise funds to donate a “caring cradle” to a local hospital for still born babies. Beau lives on through them.

After a while, Katie and Brian decided they would try again. Katie was tested and told that she wouldn’t be able to carry a child with her eggs. She wouldn’t accept this. They waited some time, switched clinics and found doctors that supported their dreams and worked with them to get them their rainbow baby.  So, here we are again….the testing…the waiting… the let down. Finally, I received a text from Katie. A picture of a faint positive line for a pregnancy test. I received a picture a day for a week (or more!). The lines kept getting darker and darker. The day had come for the official blood test and it confirmed what we suspected, she was pregnant. Early on, they had some scares with a little bleeding, but kept being reassured by the doctor that it would be okay. I can’t imagine how you can be reassured after all that Katie and Brian have been through, but I would send messages to Katie asking how she was and she would reply “today we are blessed”. She is taking this one day at a time and being thankful for everything that God has given to her, both the triumphs and tragedies. Katie is one of the strongest women I know.

So here we are! 32 weeks and a baby boy to be named Braxton Cain.  Still cautiously optimistic, we decided to honor Beau and celebrate Braxton.  I asked Katie before we posted the preview if they were ready to tell the world. She said “well, it’s kind of hard to keep it a secret now” (as she pointed to her growing belly).  I have known Brian and Katie now for almost 4 years. They always had a strong relationship, but watching them interact for this session was amazing. They laughed, and took deep breaths, they loved, they honored… they celebrated.  They weren’t able to do this with Beau, so this session was even more bitter sweet.

Below shows how they both honored and celebrated their boys Beau and Braxton. We are excited to meet Braxton and I can’t wait to see Katie and Brian hold this bundle of joy in November.

*PS I kept one of the pictures of Katie on the rocks by the water unedited so you can see Brian throwing the sash. It’s pretty funny! He said I made him disappear like magic LOL!

Katie and Brian’s Story