Avonlea Rose Ludy

born june 21, 2009

I must admit, in my heart of hearts, I was hoping that this baby would be a girl!  It just seemed like a perfect balance for our family – two precious boys and two sweet girls. I purposely chose not to set my emotions on having a girl, knowing that I would also be absolutely thrilled with another bundle of snips, snails and puppy dog tails!  But just following the birth, when Eric whispered in my ear, “It’s a girl!” was one of the happiest moments of my life.  It felt like a surreal dream-come-true – with a bit of the same “fairy tale sparkle” I felt on my wedding day.

We’ve chosen to name our new little bundle Avonlea Rose.  (pronounced av-un-lee)  To read the story behind her name, visit Eric’s blog (click here.)  It could just be my motherly prejudice, but I happen to find her one of the most perfect and beautiful babies ever.  Even at four days old, she already has a feminine grace and softness that is simply breathtaking.  Her eyes are sparkly and alert, and she is quite expressive – we’ve even caught a few smiles!

Those of you who know the story of Hudson’s birth might remember that it was very long, stressful and traumatic – though we certainly saw God’s faithfulness throughout the process.  Several months ago, we began praying aggressively that this birth would be completely different – and it was!  A lot of you have emailed me asking how the labor and delivery went this time – and I am thrilled to testify to the amazing faithfulness of God!  The labor was long, but Eric and I literally were in a powerful prayer session the entire time – and instead of being curled up on the floor in agony, I was able to stand and walk around the room, praying aloud even during the most intense contractions.  After about 10 hours of hard labor, I was feeling exhausted and knew I needed God to work supernaturally to progress things forward. I went down on my knees and began to pray that God would work in my body to skip over the “transition phase” (which was the longest and hardest part of Hudson’s birth) and bring the baby now. Just a few minutes after praying that prayer, I told Eric, “Go get the midwife, and hurry!”  (We did a home birth and the midwife was downstairs.)  She arrived in our room just in time to deliver our baby girl, who was born in less than 4 minutes.  It truly was miraculous and awe-inspiring to see God answer such specific prayer in my moment of need.

Life with Avonlea Rose has been so sweet.  Though we are still very much in an adjustment and recovery mode, this week has been hallmarked by peace and joy.  For all of you who have prayed for us during this time, thank you!  Your sweet thoughts, encouragement and prayers on our behalf have meant so very much!  I am excited for you to get acquainted with our very newest set apart girl over the next few days and weeks!