Our Son is Born

A certain young lady in our household takes the credit for her new brother saying, "Aren't you glad that I prayed for a baby? 
God answered my prayers and now we have one!"

Yes, indeed! We are very grateful and thank God for answering so many prayers surrounding the birth of our son. 

The first time I was pregnant, we lived in a village far away from medical help, but I wouldn't have minded giving birth at home. This time, when expecting my third in a city with good healthcare providers, I wasn't half as brave. Thankfully, God directed me to verses like that in Psalm 71:6 where it says He is the one who delivers the child from its mother's womb. In that perspective, I wasn't in the hands of a new-to-me midwife at all, but in the hands of a capable God. 
I believed that even if the birth didn't go according to my wishes, it would be according to His plan, and I could trust Him.

Armed with that assurance, we went to Craddle Care Maternity Hospital where a British-trained, Ghanaian midwife oversaw our birth. God wouldn't have had to, but He blessed us with a positive birth experience and a healthy son.

We named him Riley Elliot. Riley means 'valiant' and Elliot's meaning is 'Jehovah is God.' Our foremost goal for our son is that he will be a valiant follower of Jehovah, our God, no matter what the cost. 

Welcome to the world, little brother.

My sister generously came to stay with us for 12 days. We planned for her to come two weeks after my due date since my other babies were both born late. However, when Riley surprised us by arriving early, Dawn quietly rescheduled her ticket and walked into my living room a week before I expected her to 
--but just when I needed her the most. 

Her presence was invaluable as I relearned how to be the mom of an infant, which is sometimes no small task. 

But, happily, we hear far less crying than we did at first. 
We sure love our little guy.

 

Except he isn't staying so little and, sadly, I have already packed away the tiny newborn clothes to exchange them for ones that looked big not so long ago.

We have moved on to the stage where Riley is able to respond to us with smiles, and where he doesn't feel so fragile, making sibling interaction extra fun.

Riley is growing and changing, but one thing that hasn't changed is our gratitude to God for all the prayers He answered surrounding this pregnancy and birth.