Year seven also means my sweet Addi turns seven in a few months. She has no idea how she saved us or how much God has used her in such a short time. I was so broken throughout the entire pregancy that my literal prayer was that she would be sunshine – that she would brighten the rooms she entered. I worried about her early life looking so different from the boys’, so I prayed for her heart to be strong and her soul to be wise and discerning.
I would walk through the house in her newborn days shushing and patting her to sleep while I prayed for our family. I would sit rocking her, soaking up the peace that baby-holding brings. I would stare into her perfect face as it changed with time, wondering how on earth a parent could choose to miss any of those moments. I would hold her close, hoping I could love her enough that she’d never know she was missing anything.
Seeing the boys love her so fiercely eased some of the fear I had about her not having a daddy present in the home. I would watch their faces light up for her, hear them talk to her. I would watch her light up for them and coo back. I watched as she wrapped every single brother around her finger and put a spark back in their eyes.
She brought joy and hope back to us.
The boys became protectors. They became helpers with bottles and entertainment and naptime. They became diaper changers. They became bosses, who paid no mind to the fact that I had three babies before Addi and knew a little about what I was doing. They made sure I was doing it right with her.
And together, we keep striving to do right and to love her big so she never ever doubts what a blessing she is or how much purpose God gave her. She is my rainbow baby in more ways than one. The unexpected pregnancy after a devastating loss. And the absolute beauty when sun meets rain.