Thomas’ baby sister, Alexandria Hope, was born at 38 weeks and 5 days on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at 5:29 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and measured 20 in. long. Every day and especially today on this Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks to God for blessing us with this beautiful miracle, our rainbow baby. We know Thomas is very proud and smiling because of the joy Alexandria has brought to so many people. When baby sister was born, I couldn’t help but imagine Thomas sitting in Jesus’ lap rejoicing and laughing. When I first laid eyes on Alexandria, I thought she looked just like Thomas! Wow, God is good and we continuously praise Him for His grace.
I will never forget the day we found out we were pregnant with Alexandria. It was just two short months after Thomas passed away. We were surprised to say the least. You see, we had been pregnant three times previously and had to use fertility treatments each time. Not this time; it just happened. We had very mixed emotions that ranged from joy to sadness. It happened very soon after Thomas passed away, which was unexpected and made it difficult to be over-the-moon excited. While we did feel a sense of joy and gratitude, we were still very deep in our grief over Thomas. We have been reminded once again that God is in control and He knows best. He knows what we need and in His timing. Alexandria has truly been a rainbow after the worst storm we’ve ever been through. We will never be able to fathom God’s plans; we just choose to trust Him. I will never ever be able to understand why Thomas was born with KID Syndrome and why his sweet life was shortened here on this Earth. But God is good and I couldn’t be more grateful for His grace and blessing of another baby.
After Thomas passed away, I didn’t know if I would ever experience joy again. I prayed constantly that the Lord would restore my joy. I can honestly say, that while I will always grieve Thomas, miss him, long to be with him, and never be able to get over his death, I have experienced joy again and it’s a joy that only comes from God. I will end with a Bible verse that expresses how I feel perfectly: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” ~ Psalm 28:7
Even in the midst of loss, broken relationships, infertility, whatever storm you may be going through, I pray you’re able to find joy in the Lord and feel a sense of thanks this Thanksgiving holiday.
CLICK HERE for a sweet video of Alexandria Hope’s birth by Mandy Baughn Photography.
After Thomas passed away, I didn’t know if I would ever experience joy again. I prayed constantly that the Lord would restore my joy. I can honestly say, that while I will always grieve Thomas, miss him, long to be with him, and never be able to get over his death, I have experienced joy again and it’s a joy that only comes from God. I will end with a Bible verse that expresses how I feel perfectly: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” ~ Psalm 28:7
Even in the midst of loss, broken relationships, infertility, whatever storm you may be going through, I pray you’re able to find joy in the Lord and feel a sense of thanks this Thanksgiving holiday.
CLICK HERE for a sweet video of Alexandria Hope’s birth by Mandy Baughn Photography.