HER BIRTH STORY

The day after Mother’s Day — Monday, May 9th — I started having contractions during the day. They picked up towards early evening, so we started timing them and decided to go on a walk to make sure it wasn’t “false labor”. Sure enough, they grew steadily closer together!

We walked to my brother and his wife’s house {we are blessed to live within walking distance}, where they proceeded to help me through each contraction. It was so fun in the weirdest way! Our midwife & doula were notified, and soon enough, my family & I all found our way en route to our birthing center.

I had no idea the long night that lay ahead of us. It was beyond painful but, with God’s grace, at 5:10 AM our little sweetheart Abigail Love was born!! She entered the world & within a second or two began screaming at the top of her lungs 🙂 That moment was such a huge relief.

We were surrounded by our entire family (on both sides), which was the best thing ever. Being a pretty private person, I wasn’t sure if I’d want so many people in the room on “D-Day” (& they couldn’t all be in there when she first came out), but when the moment came I didn’t mind it at all. In fact most of the time I loved it, even when they were making fun of me a little (& made a meme at my expense!) 🙂 I was amazed at how zoned in I was mentally — surely the result of MANY prayers — and how little I cared about things I normally would.

About 15 seconds after she was born, our whole family rushed in & got to take photos & SEE our little girl!! She was surrounded by so many loving grandparents, aunts, & uncles in the first minutes of her life — so special for her. I am excited to one day show her all the videos and photos taken during her first moments, which capture how much she is LOVED & celebrated by us all. What a blessed little girl. I hope every baby is as loved on as she has been!

ABBY’S FIRST 3 WEEKS!

In the 3 weeks (today!) since Abigail’s been born, we’ve had the privilege of getting to know her a little, spending many (less than sleepful) nights taking care of her, changing dozens & dozens of dirty diapers, going to the doctor and midwife numerous times, introducing her to friends & family members, praying over her, clipping her baby fingernails, and doing first-time parent things like photographing her way too much, watching her breathe, counting fingers & toes (though it took me days to do it), and posting about her every “first” on social media 🙂 We’ve even taken her shopping, on walks in her awesome stroller, to church, to a restaurant, and to the pool (though she hasn’t gotten in yet)!! She’s watched Captain America & Forrest Gump, met all her cousins (no small feat, as she has 9), aunts & uncles, and she’s about to go on her first cross-country trek to Texas to meet our friends & coworkers there. She’s an adventurer already!

Abigail has such a sweet & funny personality, her wake-up routine is absolutely adorable (& noisy!), and we’ve gotten to witness her spunky and lively side (oh boy). We are very grateful for her health and ALL the people who prayed over us and encouraged us and gave us much-needed baby items throughout our entire pregnancy. Surprisingly, nursing her has been a joy, and our favorite time with her is “skin to skin”, which helps calm babies down & regulate their body temperature / blood sugar / etc. Comforting her in this way has been so special! We are trying to soak in every minute of this precious & somewhat exhausting time with her 🙂 This is something we’ve hoped for for so long, and now it’s here. It’s been incredibly surreal and also so normal at the same time — an interesting feeling for sure.

As first-timers, we are beyond thrilled to introduce Abigail to the people we love and show her the world — to take her swimming, traveling, hiking, to the beach, and simply experience new adventures together as a family. She is a priceless gift and miracle, one we don’t want to ever take for granted.

LESSONS WE’VE LEARNED

There are blessings in hard-fought battles like this one — nearly 3 years of fertility struggles, loads of patience (& certainly lack of), heartbreak, joy, fatigue, many physical changes & much pain. It’s amazing what bringing just ONE life into the world entails. It makes me treasure people more knowing God has plans for each of us and the lengths He went through to bring us here.

This journey has also shown me the incredibly perfect design God made in creating new life!! Pregnancy is an absolute MIRACLE. The whole process of creating a baby in the womb, labor/delivery, nursing, and watching them grow is beyond comprehension! God’s handprints are alllll over it, and it makes you feel so close to Him to participate in this miraculous process of bringing new life to earth with Him. I’ve never been more happy to be a woman or been so amazed at all our bodies are designed to do. Wow!

Yes, our faith has been tested to its limits, but God has also given us the ability to talk to many, many people who are experiencing similar heartache. I can’t tell you how many women have reached out to me in the last year or two, sharing their personal stories of miscarriage, infant loss, fertility challenges, and the like. I have been thinking of these women and their stories throughout my entire pregnancy & birth of Abigail! I want to celebrate her life — and I know they want to, too — but I also know the grief that washes over many of them when they see yet another friend (this time, me) who was blessed with the miracle of life when their dream feels dead and forgotten.

I want to write more to these women and husbands and families that are carrying this immense burden of pain, and in a really bittersweet way, I am thankful I can speak to these people and (I hope) encourage them from my heart and from our experience of God’s faithfulness. Their pain I have carried with me since they shared their stories, and our prayers have been spoken over them time & time again… for God to mend their hearts, to restore their hope, to bring the perfect baby(ies) into their lives at His most perfectly beautiful timing, to bless them with their heart’s desires, to heal their bodies & minds & souls, and even to heal marriages & relationships that have been hurt through the painful road they’ve walked. I am grateful for the lessons we’ve learned because they were deep, and I hope they will help others in many ways! I have much more to share on this, but that’s another post for another day 😉

ABBY’S NEWBORN PHOTOSHOOT ♥♥

With all that said, here are photos of our baby girl at her newborn photo shoot (6 days young), taken by my sweet & super talented friend Summer Mae Photography. Summer’s own journey to parenthood is inspiring {which you can see on her website} — and the fact that she still lovingly photographs families, newborns, & children with a smile on her face is a testament to what God has done in her life!

To say we are smitten with Miss Abby is an understatement 🙂 We love our baby girl and are thrilled to introduce you to her [CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE].

For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted me the desires of my heart!  1 Samuel 1:27-28

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.  Ephesians 3:20