Welcome MJ

“I think i’m pregnant” Allison said to me one April evening worry and dread on her face. 

That thought had been eating away at her for  a few weeks now. It was entirely possible that less than a year after Olivia’s birth we could be pregnant again.

Two kids back to back can be a daunting task even if you have lots of help and the financial resources to handle another mouth to feed. But when you’re struggling on two incomes to make it paycheck to paycheck and living 300 miles from your closest relatives, two kids back to back seems straight up impossible. Like a rabbit climbing Mt. Everest in a single day impossible.

“You’re not pregnant babe,” I said in a hopeful, positive tone. “I’ll go get a pregnancy test and we’ll put this all behind us.”

I drove to the store, praying, pleading to be right.

I get home, Allison does the deed, we don’t even have to wait 2 minutes. 

PREGNANT 

Instantly on the screen in black and white on the digital screen, PREGNANT. 

“Maybe its a bad test, lets do the other one in the pack, same thing. Instant plus sign.

“Crap”

What are we going to do, we’re barely making it as it is, how are we going to afford child care for two kids. How is Allison’s work going to react to her going on maternity leave yet again. 

Our lives are going to completely change yet again, right after we’ve just settled into our new normal.

Then we called our parents with the shocking news, you’re getting another grandchild. During those calls something my mom said to me cut through the fog of fear and doubt. 

“A baby is always good news, a baby is always good news.”

A baby is always good news, this new child wasn’t some life ending financial destabilizing event to be feared. 

This child was a blessing, regardless of whether we could see it in that moment.

Fast forward to after God had called us home to Sacramento, Allison and I were walking through target getting diapers or something (hey it’s target, you don’t need a reason to go to target) and we were discussing the name for baby #2.

Now if you’ve been round with me long enough, you know the intense thought we put into naming Olivia Jo (which means “may God add anointing”) so this was a bit of a process deciding for baby #2.

As we walked and talked about names we wanted to have a “thing” that tied the two daughters together. We loved that we call Olivia OJ and wanted a similar nickname for this new baby.  We landed on MJ, which most of you already knew. 

As we looked through meanings of names we picked her middle name first. “Joy” that’s what she brings to us when we think about her. And it reminds us that “A baby is always good news” and she will continuously bring us great joy.

 Then when looking for a name that paired with Joy, we found one that has a few meanings depending on the origin you look at, one means Strong and capable, and the other roots mean Pearl. So looking at her name we chose it to mean a pearl capable of bringing strong joy. 

Which is what she is, she is precious and has in the last 24 hours brought us strong joy. Not simple happiness, but true joy. She is a reminder of God’s unending faithfulness and trustworthiness. 

So it is my great pleasure to introduce you to:

Meghan Joy Clements

Born 2:58pm

8 Pounds, 5 Ounces

20 something inches long.

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