happy birthday, gracie caroline

Monday, December 3, 2001

1:58 p.m., 7 lb. 5 oz., 19 1/4 inches

After trying to have a third baby with no success, we decided to accept that maybe God was going to keep our family complete with two girls. However, He surprised us! Our Father saw fit to lavish us with His grace and give us a gift of a third child. We knew right away that there was only one name for this baby: Gracie, in honor of our Abba's grace.

We had no idea how that name would come to hold the meaning even more. We went into the labor expecting a fast, uncomplicated delivery. However, things quickly changed. To the doctor's horror upon checking me, the baby's cord had been delivered. No time for c-section. It was now a battle for life. Finally after much pushing, pulling and chaos, out came a lifeless, ash colored baby. All I could hear was the nurses yelling out zero's for all of her Apgar scores and the plea's for the baby to breathe. As she was being passed across the threshold of the door into the hands of emergency staff, she took a deep breath and flashed a bright pink. Her cry was the voice of an angel. After all of that, she was a completely healthy baby. Imagine.

What was playing behind the scenes is the most amazing part. A little bit before her birth, some ladies felt an urgency to pray for my delivery. The phone circle started and prayers began going forth to the Father. I can't help but imagine prayers being said the moment she passed across that threshold.

We did not get the delivery we expected, but God delivered more. He delivered us an amazing bundle of grace.
2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich". Boy, are we sure rich. Rich in grace.