Isabelle is such a blessing. She brings us pure joy. Her smile and dimple can light up a room and wherever we go, she is constantly making people stop and ooh and aah over her. She is stinkin' adorable and she knows it! You should see her turn on the charm! She went through a rough spot around 2-3 months where she cried nearly all the time. I'm not sure if it was colic or what, but she was not a happy camper and I was an exhausted, worn out, barely functioning mommy! Just when I thought I might lose my mind and wasn't sure how much more I could handle, it was like a light switch was flipped and she turned into the happiest, most easy going baby I have had. Seriously, I always heard parents say things like, "Oh, my baby only cries if they are hungry or tired! No really, they are almost always happy!" and I would just roll my eyes (in my mind of course!) and think, "Yeah right. Nobody's baby is like that!" But, it turns out, some babies are! And I have one of my own now! Woohoo! Now don't get me wrong, Bella does still have her crying spells (like lately, she's been getting some teeth and, man, she can get ticked off when they bother her!) but overall she has been my easiest baby. It's kind of nice. :)
Luke and Addie are the best big brother and sister. They seriously still fawn over her and make such a fuss about her. You'd think we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday the way they make over her. She loves it and eats their attention right up.
When I say that she is a blessing, it's an understatement. She is a joy to our family and we couldn't imagine life without her. When I look at her, I think about what her name means and I am just overcome with such gratitude and thankfulness. She is the perfect picture of God's promise. His promise of faithfulness.
It's been amazing to see how God continues to use Matthew's story even now. I have been able to be in contact with several women who have also experienced miscarriages and it's been such a blessing to be able to communicate with them and let them know that they are not alone. To share in their tears and to relate to their heartache. Whenever I hear about someone losing a baby, I say a special prayer for them because I know that pain. I know the journey they are facing and I know it is not easy. It's been incredible to see the beauty of a new friendship emerge from the ashes of loss and sorrow. To celebrate other rainbow babies and to know the joy they feel! I love seeing how God can use me. How He can take my heartache and pain and use it to walk along side others. One of my favorite verses now is 2nd Corinthians 1:3-4. It sums up how I feel God is using my own time of despair to help others. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." Amen!
