GIVING JULIA BACK – Week 21 (Part one) Dedicated to my wife, who amazes me everyday with her bravery, integrity, and faith…and to the little girl who has changed my world with no words at all.
OUR BEAUTIFUL ANGEL
October 10th was one of the most bittersweet blessed days of my life. After a long and emotional pregnancy, my wife delivered our 4th child, precious Julia Grace at 33 weeks. Julia came into this world with the sweetest little cry that I have ever heard, and then just like that she was gone. She was beautiful and elegant and I am so grateful for the little time we got to spend with her. Like an angel returning home, she left us gently and gracefully without any real pain or suffering. I haven’t posted any blogs since we found out about Julia’s fatal condition over three months ago but I have documented every week of Kimberly’s pregnancy. All the highs and the lows, the tears, and the fears. We buried our little baby girl this week and we are heartbroken. We are heartbroken, yet hopeful. We are hopeful because we have Jesus. Through our pain and suffering I now have a better understanding of the magnitude and true significance of the sacrifice that He made upon that cross. I am a better husband because of my Julia Grace. I am a better daddy because of my Julia Grace. Things have been put into perspective and because of that I am a better man because of my Julia Grace. She is all that has been on my heart and mind. I have nothing else to write about except for her. I would be honored to share Julia’s story with you. Let me start from the beginning. Here are my words from back in July.
Jolee Kate, Jack, Jake
My name is Aaron Watson. Although a lot of people know me as “The Honky Tonk Kid,” a Texas Music Singer/Songwriter, that is really only a small fraction of who I really am. I definitely have a passion for my music but my true love is my family. I often say that I am a part-time country singer and a full-time husband and daddy. I’m the proud father to three healthy, beautiful babies: Jake (5), Jack (3 1/2), and Jolee Kate (19 months). I am well aware that I’m truly blessed beyond what I deserve! Every morning when I wake up next to my beautiful bride, the first thing that crosses my mind is, “What was she thinking saying yes to me!” Ha ha! I know it sounds cliche but I am married to my best friend and the girl of my dreams! It seems we only met yesterday so it’s kind of hard to believe that she is pregnant with our fourth baby. But like they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun” or perhaps, in our case, it should be time flies when you’re in love!
GLOWING, RADIANT & PREGO
My wife Kimberly has always wanted a big family so when we found out we were pregnant with number four she was ecstatic! Laughing, crying, and literally jumping with joy. I swear, the only thing that girl loves more than shopping and chocolate is being pregnant! She has pretty much been pregnant our entire marriage or at least that’s the way it feels. I can’t even remember what she looks like without her cute little basketball-shaped belly. I have truly enjoyed watching her over the years evolve from my girlfriend, to my fiance, to my wife and now the mother of my children. She has come a long way! For crying out loud, she couldn’t even make a PB & J (peanut butter and jelly) when we first met and now she is my top chef, second to none. She constantly amazes me with the affection and patience she shows our children. I am honored to call her mine; she means the world to me.
During the first 21 weeks of this pregnancy we had placed dibs on whether it was going to be a pink party or a blue party. Kimberly went with “girl” so obviously I had to go with “boy” to make things a little more interesting. But something inside me kept saying it’s a little girl. I already have my two boys so I would be thrilled for Jolee Kate to have a little sister of her own to play with. Not to mention, I wouldn’t mind having another little daddy’s girl at the house to hug and kiss on. Jolee Kate is infatuated or perhaps obsessed with babies so I can’t imagine how she would flip out to have a real life baby of her own. Around the Watson house you could feel the excitement in the air and for the first 21 weeks I spent a lot of time praying, thanking the Lord for this blessing, asking only for a healthy pregnancy for both mother and child. We naively schemed and dreamed about our fourth baby, unaware of what the future had in store. We were all smiles right up until the moment when we were blind sided by bad news. Just as the mood has changed around our house, so have my prayers. We still thank God for this blessing because despite our baby’s diagnosis, she is still a blessing. We now pray for a miracle, we pray for understanding, strength and comfort. Seeing your baby move inside your wife’s belly is something that is supposed to bring joy, not pain and fear for what is yet to come. I’d be lying if I acted like everything was just fine because it isn’t. We’re having some hard times at the Watson house, but in our greatest moments of anguish, we find courage knowing that there is so much more beyond this fragile life on Earth. This world is not my home.
I am documenting this pregnancy for several reasons. Mainly so my kids can look back someday and know what we went through as a family. I’m also writing this for myself as well, perhaps it’s a little therapeutic. It’s a hopeless feeling for a daddy when he can’t make it all better; somehow writing this down makes me feel like I’m at least doing something. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to fix my baby doll, but there’s nothing I can do except hand this over to God. I’m in no way giving up on a miracle. My God is the same God who raised the dead, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and turned water to wine and He will heal my baby. He may not heal her in the fashion in which I pray, but one way or the other, He will heal my baby whether that’s here on this Earth or in Heaven. I’m praying for the best but preparing for the worst at the same time. We have some rough, rocky roads ahead of us, but we’ll get through this and our faith will not even feel the smallest tremor much less be shaken. I forgot to add, I’m also documenting this because I know when I look back someday I ‘ll be able to see how God’s healing hand was on my family. There’s a little girl who has already changed my life with no words at all. Her name is Julia Grace Watson. This is her story and to God we give the glory. Everyday we are praying, preparing and struggling with GIVING JULIA BACK.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6
SATURDAY, MARCH 19th – FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE NEWS
We’d been trying to get pregnant for several months. My wife was becoming more and more frustrated with every negative pregnancy test. Is it bad that it actually crossed my mind that I was spending a small fortune on those little pink boxes? I, for several reasons, didn’t get too worried or worked up over the failed attempts. I guess trying to make a baby to a guy is something we would hardly consider work. Hey, I can’t help that I love my wife and love loving my wife! Also, we have had 3 kids in 3 1/2 years so we hardly qualify as a couple who was struggling with fertility issues. But this fourth pregnancy was the first time where getting pregnant didn’t just happen over night. I think with the first three I brushed up against her while passing her in the hallway and she miraculously became pregnant! So summer turned to fall, fall turned to winter, and then winter turned to spring, and still no baby.
Around the third week of March, the grass is turning green and spring is in the air! I love this time of year! The weather is perfect and the countryside is covered in bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes. Life is blooming all around. I’m out on tour one morning when I get a phone call from Kimberly and she’s crying which is something she hardly ever does….ever! Between her sobbing and having a hard time talking, I can’t understand a word she is saying. I’m kind of starting to panic! Is something wrong with the kids, grandparents, a friend? And then I make out a word and I hear what she’s saying, “I’m pregnant!” I laugh and say, “OH YOU’RE PREGNANT” and then she starts laughing too. Then she says, “Well you don’t even sound excited.” I replied, “What do you want me to do?” “Do you want me to do a double back flip, or scream at the top of my lungs and wake up everybody sleeping on the tour bus?” She giggles a little more. Kimberly was so excited; I wasn’t saying much because I was soaking up the experience of her in this moment, enjoying the joy in her voice.
We decided to wait two or three weeks before sharing the news with friends and family. Of course, the week we shared the news I also played a big festival in front of 10,000+ people and just couldn’t help telling the large crowd over that monstrous PA system. Between Facebook and Twitter, it seemed like the whole world instantly knew. What an exciting time. When it’s done right, “I’m pregnant” are some of the sweetest words you will ever hear…but still not half as sweet as the first time you hear your newborn baby cry.
WORDS FROM KIMBERLY’S FAMILY BLOG Throughout Julia Grace’s story I feel compelled to include some of KImberly’s thoughts from our family’s private blog. Her tenderness, strength, faith, and unconditional love is something that constantly amazes me. Anytime you see words in italics they will be from my sweetheart, Kimberly. You are my hero, babe!
PREGNANT WITH #4
Today is Saturday, March 19th, and I am Pregnant with Baby #4!!! I took a pregnancy test this morning, and much to my surprise, YES, it was positive!! {And you know me, I had to take a picture, and this was what came to mind…kinda silly, but I actually love it being with the other siblings picture!} Anyhow, just so that I remember…here is what happened today:
The kids and I were all in Jolee Kate’s room playing for close to an hour, and something registered, but not sure what, and I thought, “I’m more tired than usual this week, and nothing sounds good to eat…I’ll go take a test, just to see…why not?” So I headed to the bathroom opened up ANOTHER new box of First Response Pregnancy Tests, and the two most precious red lines showed up right away. I am PREGNANT.
I was fully prepared to see a negative, and then wait until Monday, only to see a negative again as well. Well thank the LORD that wasn’t the case. In a matter of seconds, the result displayed that I was in fact, no doubt about it, PREGNANT. And the tears began to flow. Flow like never before when it comes to my pregnancies. I was so THANKFUL. I immediately stopped in the doorframe of the bathroom, with tears running down my cheeks just to meet the huge smile on my face, and prayed aloud to God, thanking Him for this miracle of another baby, another child of His to raise. And then I rushed to grab the phone to call Aaron and tell him!
Anyhow, I know that I am SO early, and I am not out of the woods yet…and this is just the beginning…but I am going to try my best to be positive and not consider the “what if’s” because the truth is, it’s out of my control. But IF something happens, I will be okay. My Jesus is the same today as He will be then, ya know? I clearly know and believe that He has the entire WORLD in His Hands…which now includes this precious little life. Easier said than done, but it’s true…and He is ultimately in control. I am overflowing with JOY! Thanks be to GOD!
KIMBERLY
APRIL 12th – THE KIDS ANNOUNCE BABY #4!
My wife and her obsession with her camera! She hauls that camera around everywhere we go. And everywhere we go she has to take picture after picture documenting every second of every day! And even though I get totally worn out and annoyed over her obsessive picture taking, I will have to say that she takes some amazing pictures of our babies. I know I will treasure these precious moments freeze framed in time long after my children are grown.
Kimberly was so excited to share the news with all our friends and family and of course she has to go all out. She makes the boys little signs and she takes their pictures and makes her own personalized cards to send out to everyone. Here are a few lines from her blog on April 12th…
MOMMA'S PREGNANT
Here’s a picture of the kids from today with the little announcements that they enjoyed holding. And of course, Jolee Kate just enjoyed holding her baby doll. Hope she enjoys the real life baby coming late this fall! Ha!
Praying for Baby #4! We have been to the doctor twice so far and we heard the most precious little heartbeat yesterday. Our official Due Date is November 29, 2011.
Yes, ANOTHER November birthday (Jack is the 5th and JK is the 23rd), but I’ll take it!!!
I am still rejoicing over this new life…it has been my desire for so long…and I am praying for a healthy baby, and momma! I would LOVE to have your prayers, too!
KIMBERLY
SUNDAY, JULY 17 – The night before the BIG DAY! by KIMBERLY
Tomorrow morning, Monday, July 18th, is our big sonogram for Baby #4. I am SO excited and nervous at the same time. I always am nervous at these appointments, because as you all know, this is when you get the thumbs up that all is perfectly okay with your baby, and that is what I have been praying the last 5 months. I already have 3 perfectly healthy children and I have begged the LORD for one more. Anyhow, I am fixing to go to bed.
And names…I think we have agreed on the following! Julia Grace and Jett Garrison!
Julia I have just LOVED, and it grew on Aaron. Grace was my great Grandmother’s name. Jett was Aaron’s idea, and I came to LOVE it once I realized it was spelled with two “t’s”, ha! Garrison is just a little tribute to my dad, Gary. So there ya go! Thanks in advance for your excitement for our family and we would appreciate any prayers for us tomorrow. My stomach is in knots; gonna give it to Him now and go to bed.
Goodnight, friends!
KIMBERLY
MONDAY, JULY 18th – THE BIG DAY
21 weeks had passed since we had found out that Kimberly was pregnant and today was THE BIG DAY when we learned what we were having! Learning that your wife is pregnant is exciting, but finding out whether you’re having a boy or a girl, is in my opinion, one of the most exciting days next to actually having the baby. So the names were in place and the stakes were high. If it was a boy his name would be Jett Garrison, and if it was a girl her name would be Julia Grace.
Little Sis Jolee Kate
Kimberly had a big party planned with lots of friends and family coming over to hear the exciting announcement. It’s actually called a gender party! The plan was to have the Doctor at the sonogram not tell us the gender of the baby. He would simply write ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ on a piece of paper and then place it in a sealed envelope. At that point, the envelope was to be driven straight to the bakery by our friend where they would open the envelope. If it was a boy, then it would be blue cake, and if it was a baby girl then it would be pink cake, concealed and covered in white icing. We were going to bring the cake home and big brothers, Jake and Jack, would cut the cake (with plastic knives) in front of everyone to reveal the big surprise. Kim had it all planned out, decorations, food, beverages…the whole nine yards! She had been talking about this day for nearly four months. It was to be an exciting day.
The morning of the sonogram the alarm clock went off around 7:00am so I crawled out of bed, the wrong side of the bed, I might add, if you know what I mean. Usually I’m an early riser, but the band and I had been touring heavily and I was far from being caught up on my so called beauty sleep. So like some half-dead ogre, I drug my knuckles as I headed toward the kitchen in search of a much needed cup of coffee. Diesel engines require diesel, lighters require butane, and Aaron Watson requires coffee in the morning….period! Perhaps only heroine addicts crave their fix more so than me. Despite asking the wife two times the week before to grab some more coffee at the store, she forgot both times. Getting very frustrated, because there was NO COFFEE, I stormed into the bathroom where she was getting ready and said, “Where’s the flipping coffee!” She said, “Oopsy, I forgot to buy some at the store, but there is some decaf in the pantry.” “DECAF!” I said. I threw a little hissy fit type of temper tantrum and set the mood for the morning. She was excited about her baby and the grouch she married just cared about his stupid cup of coffee. I stomped off into the game room and she shut the door softly and continued to curl her hair.
JACK loves getting flowers for his MOMMA!
Our sonogram with Dr. M was scheduled for 10:30am and the babysitter arrived around 10am. Kimberly and I snuck out the back door so the kids wouldn’t see us leaving and get upset, but Jack busted us in the middle of our great escape. He said he wanted to go! With Jack not being one for negotiating, I decided to load him in the car quickly and quietly to keep from totally exposing our undercover mission. As I fired up my wife’s new King Ranch Expedition, I made some smart-alick remark like, “As much as I paid for this car you would think it’d come with a small coffee maker”…obviously still sulking over my no cup of coffee. As we arrived in the hospital parking lot, Kimberly turned to me and said, “Babe, please act nice, this is a special moment for us and I want to look back on this with happy memories.” Isn’t she wonderful. Our relationship has so many parallels to Beauty and the Beast. I kind of huffed and puffed and half heartily agreed to behave. I carried Jack as we walked through the doors. I’d like to go back to that morning and kick myself in the rear for being such a stubborn, hard-headed baby.
We checked in at the front desk and waited until they finally called our names. Kimberly, Jack and myself went into the little room with all the sonogram equipment. It was the same room where we had our other sonograms with our other three kiddos. Talk about De Ja Vu, but that would change as this experience would soon stand alone on it’s own. Kimberly sat down in the reclined chair and the nurse then put all that slimy jelly stuff on Kimberly’s belly. As the nurse began to look at the baby, I noticed Kimberly was trying to peak at the screen. I called her a cheater and she laughed and said “Ok, ok, ok. I won’t look.” She then made me put a small towel over her eyes so that she couldn’t see the baby on monitor screen above her. The suspense was killing her. She was giddy! Even in my bad mood, I found her excitement very cute, enough so that it put me back in good spirits. The nurse on the other hand didn’t say too much. She wasn’t very talkative, and looking back, she apparently already knew something we didn’t. Eventually she got up and said,” Dr. M will be with you in just a bit” and then quickly left the room. In retrospect, there was a very odd, uncomfortable feeling in the air after she walked out and shut the door.
BIG BROTHER JAKE
As Dr. M entered the room, we shook hands and he immediately sat down and started looking at the baby. I noticed how quiet it was, and I began thinking how different an atmosphere it was than with the other three kids. Usually Dr. M will ask me how the music biz is going and where had I been touring but there was only silence in the room. For several minutes he kept looking at the baby’s head and it remained deathly quiet until KImberly broke the silence by asking a question. KIm asked about her concerns with the placenta because there had been an issue with that in one of her previous pregnancies. That’s when he laid it down on us as gently as possible. He said, “The placenta is fine, but I have some very serious concerns.” I witnessed Kim’s heart hit the cold tile floor. I will never ever forget the look on my sweet wife’s face, a mother’s greatest fear, the instant tears. Things all of a sudden felt like they were moving in slow motion, like some kind of dream or out of body experience. She went from being excited to being heartbroken all in one split second. One of our friends was in the waiting room (waiting for the sealed envelope with the gender results) so I quickly took little Jack out to her and gave him some bubble gum and my iPhone.
I rushed back to the room and had apparently missed more bad news, because my wife’s tears had turned to sobbing. Dr. M then filled me in on their conversation and suddenly I was the one fighting back my emotions. I did my very best to suck it up and be strong for Kim. “There are several concerns,” Doctor M said. “There is only one artery in the umbilical cord instead of two, there are fluid filled cysts inside the skull, and the baby is way behind schedule as far as development.” We asked a few questions and the word that kept coming back up in our conversation was a condition called Trisomy 18. I knew this word from a genetic class I’d taken in college, I couldn’t remember what it was, but I could recall that it wasn’t good. In Dr. M’s opinion there was a 50/50 chance that our child would have a chromosomal disorder. Despite the blow, I tried to stay positive and hopeful that we would be on the healthy side of that 50/50 odds. We then asked him what the gender of the baby was and he said, “It’s a little girl.” My heart sank a little further…my little baby girl, Julia Grace. Dr. M called Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and made us an appointment with a specialist for the very next morning.
Dr. M’s office is also in the same location of our good friend Dr. W, our children’s pediatrician. Jack, a few weeks earlier, had a double ear infection and Kim wanted Dr. W to check it quickly to make sure it had cleared up. I just walked out in the parking lot and looked up to Heaven in disbelief. I prayed for a miracle. I prayed for wisdom and understanding. I broke down and asked God to help me be a better man, the kind of husband my wife needs to support her through this ordeal. I paced all around the parking lot, wiping my tears away while talking to my Aunt Patsy on the phone. My Aunt Patsy has had her own experience with this kind of ordeal with my sweet cousin Jodi…we call her Jo Buggy. Jo Buggy is now in her 30’s, but she mentally has never developed much beyond a young toddler. Right there in that parking lot I prayed deeper and harder than ever before. And though I never had God speak to me, I did feel an unexplainable peacefulness come over me. I knew then that God would be with me and my family throughout this pregnancy.
Kim exited the building and said Jack’s ear infection had gone away. She had a glazed look on her face; she was in shock. Devastated and heartbroken, she wanted to cancel the party that evening and I even agreed at first. But on the drive home I began thinking about it, and I knew we needed to have the party even more than we did before the tough news. We needed our closest friends and family over at our house to help us get through this hard day. We needed to circle around my sweet wife and baby girl and cover them in prayer as well. Rain or shine, the party must go on because today I got the news that I have been blessed with another baby girl.
JULIA GRACE'S PARTY
There was cake and ice cream as well as lots of love and lots of tears. We ended the night in prayer for our precious Julia Grace.
As I laid in bed that night next to Kimberly, we just held hands in the dark. I told her something had changed in me today, something softened my heart, my unborn baby girl already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Because of my Julia Grace, I already feel that she has made me a better husband and a better daddy. Good is good, but for Julia Grace I will strive to be better. Not in music, but in the things that matter the most: my faith and my family. If her life is to be short and sweet then I knew letting her go would bring our family even closer together and that would be part of her beautiful legacy.
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5
GIVING JULIA BACK – WEEK 21 (PART TWO) NEXT WEEK
Barbed Wire Halo Blog 
[…] HERE to read more of Aaron’s beautiful […]
Thank you for sharing such a personal time in your life. Your faith in God is such an inspiration to me. I first heard your song “Barbed Wire Halo” when my nephew had a terrible accident. I called his cell, it was his ring tone you listened to while waiting for him to answer. It was a shock to hear the chorus! (and today he joined up with Jesus….) We thought we were going to lose my nephew that day, but here it is 2 years later and after coming out of a coma, suffering a traumatic brain injury, learning how to talk, walk and basically learn to do everything again, he is now taking a class at his local college! All of this has happened because God has a plan for each of us. At the moment I got the call about his accident, I prayed like I never had prayed in my life and I felt that same peace come over me that you described! I thank God for using that time to bring me closer to him, because I wasn’t living my life the way I should have been back then. I wasn’t a bad person, I believed in God, but I didn’t have complete Faith in God as I do now. Anyway, I have wanted to write to you for so long to tell you how you touched my life with your relationship with God and it means a great deal to me. I will keep your family in my prayers. I know that you all will be fine with the grace of God and his love.
You amaze me! You, Kim and the kiddie are in my prayers. I love that you find strength in Him daily, and He has taught you through the pain. I will never understand how He works…. His plans…. But, I know he does have one, and it’s far better than the plans we have for ourselves. He is holding your precious Julia, until she is with mommy and daddy again. Hugs to you old friend! 🙂 love ya, Katey
Aaron , you are such an inspiration. You make me want to be a better person.God bless you and your beautiful family.
As i read yalls story tears flow down my face. I know the good lord will watch over yall in every way possible. i pray for your hearts and soul to be healed. i know yall have plenty of family and friends thrre for you, as well as me. I have been threw something like that a few months back but not as near heartbreaking. The good lord heals all. He might not heel in the way we want him to but if u know it or not he is thete each and everyday. may the lord with with your family god bless
Thank you for sharing this Aaron! Y’all are always in my prayers.
My due date with my second daughter is Nov 28, and from the time I read you guys were having another this Fall, I have been following your posts about it. Your attitude and faith are inspirational. I can’t imagine what you are all going through, but my thoughts and prayers are with you. I have loved you for years as an artist, but the more of your blogs I read, the more I respect you as an inspirational Christian than as The Honky Tonk Kid. 😉 I love your blog! Reading your words, I love your wife & kids, too! I’m so sorry for the loss of Julia Grace, but I know you will see her again. Every day as I’m trudging through the last days of this pregnancy, I have been thinkin of you & Kim, every time I’m thinking how miserable I am. (I think any mom will back me up that the end is miserable. Haha!) It has reminded me how blessed I am to make it to the miserable part. Praying for God’s peace & comfort over your family.
God bless you and your family. I love hearing how y’all love the Lord and give Him thanks! My cousin went through the same thing. We had never heard of Trisomy 18 but quickly become experts on it. I know JG is sitting in Heaven so very thankful for the family she has. It’s never about letting go, it’s about knowing that God needed another angel. Y’all are never far from my families prayers. We wish y’all the best of luck in your family and with your music.
Thank you so much for sharing this sacred part of your life, I am a mother of God’s gift to me a lil almost 2 year old girl who is at the age where limits are pushed and patience is tested. There are times we take forgranted how precious these gifts are, but I will hold her a lil tighter and be as understanding as I can be because I can’t imagine my life without her. I have been praying for your family and will continue, I may not know you personally but I’ve seen you play several times and your shows are one of few I would feel comfortable taking my child to when she’s older. You seem like a stand up man and an incredible example of a man of God, thank you again and may the good Lord be with you always!
Aaron, this is just beautiful and amazing! My heart is breaking for you and your beautiful family, but I can see that God is in control and that you guys are going to be fine. You are such an inspiration to all around you, such a Godly man!
THANK YOU for sharing this story!!! I’m reading while holding my 19 month old miracle! In utero she had a 2 vessel cord and one cyst in her brain. 3 weeks later her cyst were gone. It was a true miracle. God had plans for her just like he had plans for sweet beautiful Julia Grace! My Ellie Grace and I pray for your entire family every night! I can’t wait to follow along with the rest of this journey!! May God be with you as you heal from giving back Julia grace!
Aaron-I hope you know (and feel) our prayers. We love you guys so much and though our hearts are breaking for you, we also join with ya’ll in celebrating that Julia Grace is safely in the arms of Jesus and Heaven just got a whole lot sweeter!! We can hardly wait for the day when you will introduce us to her! We love you guys beyond words and are here if you need anything! You and Kim really have a way with words and I know without a doubt you are really touching so many lives by the way you two have lived this nightmare! Ya’ll have shown such faith, strength and courage!
Aaron and Kim:
Thank you for sharing you amazing journey with our family! Thank you for sharing your faith in Our Lord and Savior! Thank you for sharing your love of each other and your family! You are both a brave inspiration to our beautiful family so thank you for that also.
Our family fell in love with “the Honky Tonk Kid” in Beaumont, TX a few years ago and have followed y’all since then. My boys beg to go with us when they find out Aaron is in town or anywhere close and our oldest daughter asks “Mom, seriously? You and Poppa are groupies at your age?” (46 & 44- lol)
All of that being said, our hearts are BROKEN for you all, we pray for your sweet little family daily and ask for blessings, comfort and that you are wrapped in angel wings as you continue down His path. Thank you Aaron for sharing your beautiful life with us and Thank you Kimberly for sharing Aaron and through him your self and y’alls love!
Trish and Craig Rupert
Thank you Aaron for sharing such a personal experience with us. God has created a wonderful man in you, not only as a husband and father but as a friend. We treasure your friendship with Nikki! Now it is time for us to support you and we do daily in our prayers. Know that we are praying for your family.
Cherie Gilbert
May God bless you both and her precious siblings- what a reunion it will someday be!!
Your story has touched my heart and Has made me think about alot of things I should change in my life. I know our stories are different but I lost a child too. He was 6 years old. His name was Wyatt Bailey. He loved his momma and also loved bringing me flowers :0)… He was visiting my ex-husband and was accidentally shot with a shotgun that was in their home. My husband and I were devastated to say the least. You see, I found out I was pregnant when my ex-husband left me for another woman. My husband Richard met me when Wyatt was just a baby. He raised him and my other son and loved them as his own. God has given me strength throughout these past 5 years..there is never a day that passes that I don’t think of his beautiful face, his curly red hair and his contagious laugh. I will pray for you and your wife…. God bless!!!!!
Aaron…my heart is just breaking for your family, but I find myself rejoicing also in celebration of the life of your beautiful little girl. When we lost our son, I would say I wouldn’t change a minute of having him for the pain of losing him. I would rather have had him for the short time I did, than to ever know life without him. Losing our son changed the fabric of our being. It changed the way we look at life and it changed the way we look at parenting. I am thankful we also have our Faith in God, which carried us through the time of our loss, and still does today. My family has been praying for you since finding out about what the doctor’s had said about your precious Julia Grace, and her chances.
God bless you, and God bless your family sir. Thank you for sharing her life with us.
Here is a blog I wrote about our loss, this year…6 years after losing him. http://johnseven38.blogspot.com/2011/05/six-years-ago.html
Aaron,
Thank you so much for sharing your innermost feelings, thoughts and emotions with all of us, your fans & friends. One of the things that makes you stand out as a musician is your willingness to SHARE your life and beliefs with us openly instead of hiding your “real life” behind the curtain. Hearing you talk so openly about your faith has helped me in my own walk with God and is actually a big part of the reason I got saved in the first place! I have been praying for your whole family for months and continue to pray for peace, understanding and faith often. May God continue to bless all of you and always know that there are so many of us fan/friends out here who love and support you!
xoxo, kelsey in Colorado
Hey Aaron – it’s Cheryl the crazy lady who asked who you were at Colt’s wedding… much love to you. Thank you for sharing your heart. We are studying on Wednesday nights about “Sharing our story” it is how we show others the kingdom…. It is all about God and it is so obvious that you get that. You will miss her every day – but WE will see Julia Grace again. Our hope is in Him. You and your family are loved. Keep Sharing….
My prayers are with you and yours!!!
Thankyou so much for sharing such a heartwarming and yet sad story, but at the same time uplifting. I say uplifting because of your faith you have in Jesus. I am new to the blogging world, but you gave me hope into keep on sharing my story !! So, I think I will do that keep on sharing it !! My friend lost his baby girl recently also from complications of Down Syndrome. We all followed his story on caring bridge from beginning to end. Thats not what my blog is about though. I appreciate your honest sharing and the love you show through your sharing !! Thankyou and God Bless !! Heather
Aaron & Kimberly,
You have shared something that many people do not share. That takes courage. That helps others who have been through similar times cope better just hearing someone else’s story. You both are brave and courageous people. I wish you many more blessings in life.
Thank you,
Kelly
Grace is such a beautiful name to put on this child, she is a Grace–translated as a favor from God, she was not to be of this earth long but the impact she left will be life long for many followers of faith. Prayers sent up for your family and tears that have spilled over this precious Grace from God. My prayer for ya’ll is EASE. May he give you this with a lot of precious memories to draw you nearer to each other and his plan for you. Thank you for sharing your trials and tribulations through all of this, his work is working on ya’ll, through character, integrity, faith, hope, love, strength and conviction. Stand strong, your hearts will heal, and holy ease will follow. God Bless and Keep you always.
Thank you for sharing this very intimate part of your lives. You and your precious wife and children are so blessed by our Father. You have a wonderful outlook. God has given you so much strength and courage. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” Psalms 91:4
Thank you for sharing your beautiful Julia Grace with us. So sorry she had to leave you so soon. It seems God must have needed her close to Him. You may have to wait, but you’ll see her again…
You are such a precious family. It took me three tries to get through this as the tears blurred my vision. I love y’all
April
This was such a touching story. I felt your pain through your words, & I have already said a prayer for you & your family. It’s such a tragedy to lose someone close, but to lose a child… No real words can describe it. Keep your head up, & keep your faith in God.
may god bless you and your precious family. thanks so much for sharing some very private family moments. god never gives us more than we can handle but times like you have been through really makes you wonder just how much can you take. you are a man of faith. i am praying for continued strength for you as you continue your blogs. reliving your pain must be so draining. i pray for healing for your beautiful wife. you and those precious children of yall. god bless you always aaron.
I must say that your family is truly a blessing and is amazing! God does not give us more than we can handle. You Aaron you seem to be next to GOD in the great love you have shown to your family and to your ‘other family’ the fans! The respect you have I wish would turn onto others. Keep you chin held high and just remember Baby Julia is the one shinning for daddy evernight. Lighting up the sky for the safe drive! I will contunie to pray for you and your wife and kids. Much love, Becca
I loved the statement on your church’s website about how this beautiful angel had been the cause of so many people praying, so many people talking to God. She came with many messages to share and she’s still touching hearts and minds. I am so sorry for your loss but I want to thank you and Kim for bringing Julia Grace and her messages to all of us.
I am deeply touched by this story…and incredibly sorry for yalls loss. God has a master plan and sometimes we dont understand why but He knows why and we just have to accept it and move on. Your family will be in my prayers…
Aaron-thank you for sharing the sweet life of Julia Grace. My oldest daughter has been following your story since the moment she found out the bad news. This would be an absolutely great story to share with my college classmates during Chapel. We will continue to pray for you and your family. God Bless
And the Greatest is Love…Grace and Peace Be with you and your entire family.
Lori
Aaron,
I have a friend going thru a very similar situation right now. She and her husband are waiting to see if she will carry their 3rd daughter to term, or if the Lord will take her home sooner. She’s been diagnosed with Turners Symdrome and has hydrops all over her little body. This is after they received miracle with their 2nd daughter being born at 24 weeks, and now is perfectly healthy. We are praying for another miracle! I think your story is one to be shared. They are an amazing family of faith, but sometimes it’s a blessing to know you’re not alone. Thanks for sharing your story, your family and your heart.
Thank you for sharing your story. It is inspiring to hear how your family is focusing on the good that has come out of this heartbreaking situation. Your family will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Aaron & Kim – Thank you for sharing the story of your beautiful Julia Grace with us – I pray that God will hold you tight throughout the months to come. Reading this through my tears has given me a sense of peace. You see, I lost my mother on October 8th. It has been difficult knowing she won’t be here to sing “Jesus Loves Me” to my 11 month old son and rock him to sleep. We know God called Mama home when He did for a reason but my sister’s and I have often wondered why. Why now? I’d like to think it was because He knew little Julia Grace was going to need someone to rock her and sing to her and my mother was the perfect person for that job – she was the best Nana to all her grandkids. At the conclusion of her service we sang “When We All Get To Heaven”……I know without a doubt you will see your sweet angel again and my Will will get to see his Nana again too. Your family has been and will continue to be in my prayers. God Bless You.
I loved your story and thank you for sharing. My precious niece is named Julia Grace. She’s now in kindergarden and 1 of my 8 nieces!! I carry a very special bond with her and always have. She has the kindest heart, a contagious laugh and just a cute little brunette with such a love for any/all you can’t help but melt when she comes running for a hug. God bless you and your family at this time. Please know from my family to yours we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
The link to your site was posted in my MEND group and i grabbed a stolen moment to read this post. We share much in common. and almost to the date..our baby girl Cana Lynn was born with t18 on oct. 8 2008 and flew to the arms of Christ on oct 9 2008. We were told at 13 weeks but did no invasive testing to confirm so we carried full term and were blessed with 27 hours with her.
“Hope” is a recurrent theme, isn’t it? There seems to be songs that remind us…a verse over and over again. a wall plaque. a card in the store.
Hope was a constant for us. Addison Road has a song called “hope now.” that was my song. my anthem during the pregnancy.
So when we found out we were having another little girl 14 months later, it was all joy and Hope. And so…Elizabeth Hope has a big brother here with us..and a big sister praying for her in Heaven.
I unite my suffering and joy with you all as you walk this journey traveled by many…and i pray you are surrounded with so much support, that you may never feel alone as you walk toward the cross and ultimately..union with your daughter, who beat you to Heaven.
peace on your hearts,
c.
Aaron I’ve been a fan of your’s since about 2003, whenever “off the record” came out. Your faith in God is inspirational to me. My wife and I just had our first baby, Case Evert on 10-11-11. Case’s first song to ever listen to just one day old was Barbed wire halo. I’m a police officer here in Texas and have worked several cases where parents have thrown their children against the wall or put them in boiling hot water. Now that we have our own I can’t even imagine how people can do such a thing. I can’t even begin to imagine what you and your family are going through. Amanda and I will be prayin’ for yall.
Mark
I am deeply touched by your story. I have given birth to 2 boys, both born with the fatal chromosome disorder, Trisomy 17. My first son, Kyler, lived 40 days. My second son, Adam lived 3 days. Both were term. I know the emotions you feel. My first born has Down Syndrome, and she is such a blessing that when they told me Kyler most likely has Down Syndrome also, I was happy, but scared because they were talking open heart surgery when he was born. Then, at 5 days old I was told it wasn’t Down Syndrome, but the horrible news of Trisomy 17. We found out I was pregnant with Adam and debated the amnio. We finally gave in to doing it. We found out 2 long weeks later the devestating news, that he also had Trisomy 17. After hearing his heartbeat, seeing his profile, and knowing that it isn’t for us, we decided to carry him to term (or as long as he survived). Thank you for sharing with us your heartbreaking and touching story.
Tears filled my eyes as I read this. thank you for sharing this wih us. you are such an inspiration.
I just wanted to say thank u for sharing your story! My husband an I miscarried our first child in january 28th. I remember being in that place of heartbreak. It was rough but from reading your story you helped me understand his perspective an why he didn’t let me see him cry he was being strong for me. Every day I thank God for giving me such a wonderful man to love me for who I am no matter what we go through. I do want you to know that that peace is what will get you through these times. God is good all the time. You an you families are in our prayers:)
Dear Aaron and Kimberly,
My husband and I just lost our little girl, Lila Grace. She was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and we also delivered her at Harris Methodist Hospital very recently. Reading your blog was like reading our words and thoughts about what we went through. And yes, it is amazing how someone so little can influence us so much with no words at all. Our daughters are whole again with our Saviour.
Thank you for sharing your story. As a fellow Angel Mom I am sorry for your loss and pray for your family.
my heart amd prayers go out to your family. As I read this today, I cried more tears, and prayed more in one day that I ever have. I have had friends who have been through a loss of a baby it is the hardest thing to ever experience. Just to know Julia Grace Watson is loved and healed by God and by her beautiful family and all of the friends she never met along her daddys road. Godbless to your so loving family and our prayers are with you. Love you guys.
Aaron, You are truly a man of God. I like to think that I can have the same amount of strength and faith you do, however at times I fall short. That being said, I want to express my heartfelt condoleneces for you and your family.
I think it is great that you feel lead to share your life and experiences on this blog, and that you make time to do so. I don’t know about anyone else, but i have read and reread everything on here, and have always taken something different from each blog. Funny thing is that each thing i take from your blogs is somrthing that I needed to see or hear at that point in my life.
I wish that i could put rhyme or reason or come up with some of explanation for what you and your family are going through.All that i can say is that God has His reasons, and who am i to ask? It’s times like these I always refer to the 11th chapter of Hebrews, or as i refer to it, “the faith chapter”.
I don’t know that this will help, or even relate, but it is what I felt compelled to share with you. Ya’ll are in my thoughts and prayers always.
Thanks again Aaron for sharing your personal life and experiences. It means a lot to an ol boy like me. Just know that I look forward to your next blog, and the message i can receive from it.
Your friend and brother in Christ,
JD Johnson
Our prayers & thoughts are with you and your family.
Thank you for sharing this.god bless you and your family.I had to deal with the same thing with my first son but thankfully he is perfect.ans I can only wish I had support like y’all do.god bless
Hey there Aaron! Just wanted you to know that my heart goes out to you and your family!! Love the inspiration you give me with your music and a blog of your life!! I learn something new each time I read these. I will see you next weekend here in El Paso….intend on bring someone with me whom has never seen a concert at all!! You will be her first and we are soo excited! Continue to pray for you and yours!!
Reading your blog brought memories back I lost my son Talon at 35 weeks he was born into the world already a angle December 11, 2009 it was unexpected my whole pregnancy me and him were both healthy we lost him to a cord accident. It’s been almost 2 years since I held and kiss my sweet little boy and I wish I could do it again everyday! I was blessed to have another baby boy this past year January 14, 2011 to be exact which oddly enough was suppose to be talons due date January 14, 2010 I think being a parent to a angle makes you a very special parent not only are we parents to children on earth but we have a very special guardian angle. After I lost my son I was telling my story to someone and she told me “God wouldn’t put you in a situation you can’t handle, god chooses the most special babies to be his very special guardian angles” I sat there and thought I’m not strong enough for this how can he give me my child then take him away. I won’t ever know the answer til it’s my turn in heaven but I do know if it wasnt for Talon I wouldn’t have Stetson (my other son) I will pray for you and your family in these early stages of grief. Remember your sweet beautiful angle is watching over you protecting you and loving you as much as you love her!
Aaron I just read your blog. I lost a daughter on August 21,2009 from trisomy 13 after 4 days I still have not completely delt with this I was hoping you could email me and we could talk thank you
God’s timing is always the perfect timing, he’s never late always on time. You will see her again when you all get to Heaven. I lost twins at 6 months and I know the hurt but my pastor told me that I will see them both when I get to Heaven. Amen.
S.Hardt
Manvel, Tx.
Sending much love and many thoughts. Love Cullins (the honky tonk babes) mama
This is just…. I can’t even find the words. I couldn’t help but ball my eyes out reading all this aloud to my mom. I have two boys of my own 18 months and 6 months and are exactly a year and a day apart and I couldn’t imagine losing either one of them. This takes a lot of strength to talk about and I can’t begin to tell you how much you’ve opened my eyes to life and especially my family. You truly are an inspiration.
God bless you and your family.