This past Friday, December 17th our six officially became seven.

After 3 days of labor (2 of early labor that didn’t progress) she finally decided that yes indeed she, who had initiated the labor, would indeed reluctantly like to come out. 😂

She did need some extra induction encouragement at one point, but, by the grace of God, she and I were (and still are) in good health and strength upon her grand entrance.

Due to COVID restrictions is was a quiet, though kindly short (due to good reports), stay at the hospital for our small fraction of the family. We were able to have video chats with the big sisters and grandma back at home. And yes, it was a time to recover from the eventful previous days.

We chose to keep quiet to “the public” until our four could meet their newest little sister first. After years (for many) and then specifically the past nine months of praying for this little, she is as much their baby as she is Matt and mine.

We carried on with our family tradition, though with a COVID respecting adjustment. We picked up the girls and drove “the rest of the way” home together as an expanded family so the newest little could be welcomed to the back seat sorority.

There are no words to describe the emotional depth of these faces.

These past months have been adventurous and, while very gratefully full of good health reports, still an emotional road for all of us as we awaited sometimes unavailable information and adjusted to a “quieter” pregnancy in the developing world. We didn’t get to see this little one’s full face at all during scans of this pregnancy and while we are BEYOND grateful for the information we were able to receive and that it was all good news, it was a very different and sometimes weighty experience for our family unit. We all learned and leaned together all the more into Christ in our hearts and prayers these past nine months.

After everyone got their turn to hold her and marvel at the reality that she is really our baby (some with tears in their eyes at the relevation of all our prayers), I would like to now introduce you, dear friends and family, to:

Born at 38 weeks gestation: December 17 at 8:10p. 8lbs, 8oz and 22 and a quarter inches long (for all you US people 😉).

Her middle name is after our foremother in the faith who left everything in pursuit of God’s purpose for her life. The spelling, Rebecca, is in honor of my best friend.

Her first name, Eliyanah (Ellie-yah-nah), is Hebrew for “MIGHTILY the Lord has responded to our prayers”.

Eliyanah, indeed! Welcome to the family, baby girl. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God!