Another year, another Colwell AITO season! Life has been crazy and like everything, we are running late to the game - pun intended :) 

Jackson celebrates his First Communion this year, so we are calling an audible (look at me and all my sports analogies) and attending the Cedar Rapids game this year. We will miss all of our Des Moines family and friends who will be at the Iowa Cubs game this year, but GO KERNELS!

If you are new to following our Colwell Family story, you will quickly learn that this organization impacts us deeply, providing a space to celebrate our two angels - Charlotte & Colby.

We are looking to raise $1000 this year and we will do it like we do everything - with a loud impact! 

Here's how you can help:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. No amount is too small!
• Spread the Word: Share my fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!

Our Story

James and I have had the privilege and honor of growing our family—one crazy Colwell at a time. In 2017, we experienced the joy of our first pregnancy with our son, Jackson (2018). Jackson was newly two when we found out we were pregnant with Charlotte Rose (2019).

21 weeks, and 5 days I carried her.

Losing Charlotte was devastating. We could barely put one foot in front of the other.

Shortly after losing Charlotte, we got pregnant with Connor (2020). The minute he was born, still laying in our hospital bed, we knew he had middle-kid vibes. Wild and restless, we agreed our family footprint wasn’t complete.

In our journey to finish what we hoped would be the future of our Thanksgiving dinner table; we endured 3 early miscarriages before we got pregnant with Colby Scott (2023). We decided Colby would be a surprise—not knowing if the boys would get a brother or sister. We leaned into hope, praying we would be able to bring this baby earthside.

For anyone who has experienced loss, loss of any kind, they know the weight of dread. I felt that dread in early August—I knew something wasn’t right.

15 weeks, and 3 days I carried him.

After losing Colby, we were terrified to try again. Two, second-trimester-losses—how do you persevere? I didn’t know if I had it in me to try again. The devastation is so strong and it feels so defeating. We tried for another year with no luck. James and I spent countless hours talking about how we could come to terms with the way our family looks today, beginning to believe our third earthly child was not in the cards for us.

June 2024—once we got comfortable with the Colwell Family as we knew it, two beautiful bright lines shone on our pregnancy test. I’m not sure we took breath the entirety of that pregnancy. In March of 2025, we welcomed our final chapter, Colton. Sitting on the other side, we know in our hearts he was chosen for us by our angels, when we thought all hope was gone. Jackson, Charlotte, Connor, Colby, and Colton completed our family.

No one can truly know or understand what the future lies in store for them. What we do know is that we would have been lost without the No Foot Too Small community. NFTS brings joy side-by-side with grief—teaching us every day what it means to celebrate the dynamics of our family, regardless of their physical presence. Jackson, Connor, and (now) Colton look forward to the events where they get to learn and celebrate their angel siblings. Daily, the boys look for signs of Charlotte and Colby—cardinals flying in the trees, butterflies in the garden, cotton-candy-colored skies. They could not be prouder of their angel siblings, and we could not be prouder of their endless love for the brother and sister they never got to meet. All of this was made easier by a community of fellow loss parents and beautiful angel babies.

Thanks for joining us on this journey 

Megan and James