hey baby girl.

I will never forget the day I met my niece.

Although the day is a blur of hospital rooms, nurses cycling through, my sister Rachel going in and out of contractions, taking endless pictures, and waiting in anticipation for this new little life... there will always be a few things that stick out in my mind:

The love my brother in law Brant has for my dear sister Rachel.  

It was amazing, and touching to see how deeply supportive and devoted he was to Rach.  He was by her side every second, helping her breathe through every contraction, and encouraging her through every push.  My brother in law is amazing, and I'm thankful my sister, and my niece have such a strong yet loving husband/daddy in their lives.

The love a mother has for her daughter. 

My mom and I were able to be in the delivery room for the entire birth.  I captured a beautiful picture on my camera during the last moments of labor, my mom was praying so hard for Rachel.  My mom gave birth to Rachel September 2, 1986. She knows the pain of child birth, and the joy of holding her first daughter in her arms.  In this moment, my mama was interceding on Rachel's behalf, & releasing her first daughter into God's arms, knowing only He was in control.

Again, the love a mother has for her daughter, and the strength of my sister Rachel.

Rachel & Brant didn't find out what they were having.  So for the last nine months Rachel has been falling in love with "baby curtis"- - Eli or Zoe.  Rach was in labor from 3:00 am to 9:52 pm.  Nearly 20 hours.  I was amazed for every one of those 20 hours.  She was so ready, so calm, and so brave.  It brings tears to my eyes thinking about how inspirational and beautiful Rachel is.  The amount of love she already had for this child prior to even meeting her astounds me.  It takes a mother's love to be pregnant for 9 months.  And it takes a mother's love to go through 20 hours of (painful) labor.  But I know it was all worth it for Rachel when Brant said: "it's a girl, we have a little girl!" Rachel repeated to herself: "we have a little girl."  The doctor placed Zoe into Rachel's arms for the first time and her love grew even deeper.  "Hi Zoe Lynn, I'm your mama."

God's sovereignty.

Rachel was scheduled to be induced on Thursday Nov. 3 sometime in the evening, so Zoe would have been born on Friday.  But God had different plans.  Her water broke naturally early Wednesday morning.  After a very long delivery, Zoe was finally born, but when she came out she was discolored.  Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and tangled around most of her body.  The nurses were able to get good color on her and handed her to Rachel and Brant, but she started turning purple, showing some respiratory distress.  The nurses rushed Zoe to the NICU.  Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with her, she just had a bumpy start. But they kept her in the hospital for observation for 3 days.  God knew that Zoe needed to come Wednesday.  There could have been far greater complications with her if they had waited until Thursday or Friday to induce her.  THANK YOU GOD!

The beauty of the gift of life. 

God created this little girl.  She has ten fingers, ten toes, and smiles in her sleep.  He has a unique plan for her.  I am in awe.     

Psalms 139:13-18 sums it up:

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.

i love you zoe lynn.

xoxo aunt sarah