The past month has been a whirlwind! We moved into our new house July 9th (which was the second move in a month) then welcomed our daughter, Lucy, into the world and our lives the following Monday, July 16th! The day before Lucy was born I watched the French national soccer team win the world cup, Allez Les Bleus!!! During the game I was practicing a new obsession, smoking meat on my new Pit Barrel Cooker for a BBQ later that evening. We wanted to thank everyone who helped us move both times, but really it was an excuse for me to test out smoking brisket for the first time. After the BBQ Kylie and I were planning on unpacking more of the house, but decided it could wait until tomorrow. Our plans quickly changed, however, as Kylie's water broke around 3:30 am! Before long we were at the hospital awaiting the arrival of Lucy.
Kylie was a champion throughout her pregnancy. We didn't know where we would live until late May. Of course this is never an ideal situation for women about to give birth! I've been told by many women that "nesting" is a real thing. Kylie never had the opportunity to do that! On top of the unknown of where we would live she worked full-time and moved houses twice. The stress of all this never got to her. Laboring was no different. She was strong and confident throughout the day embracing the challenge in front of her. I truly believe her strength was grounded in the Holy Spirit. We had been praying for His strength and peace throughout her pregnancy. It was evident to me the Holy Spirit was present with Kylie as I sat with her in the hospital.
The day started off slow, as Kylie didn't start laboring until she was given pitocin at 10 am. Around lunch time our midwife told us we still had some time to go and "she should get some rest because it could be a long night." Our midwife came back around 6 pm to check on Kylie and to everyone's surprise she let us know Kylie was ready to start pushing! Everything started moving fast. Within minutes there were nurses coming in and out of the room preparing for the arrival of Lucy. In the chaos of the moment I noticed something amazing begin to happen. When we arrived to our room earlier that morning it was extremely dreary outside. The day was marked by a fog reminiscent of classic civil war movies on battle days. On top of this it down poured several times throughout the day. This didn't bode well for a cheerful atmosphere! As Kylie began to start pushing beams of sunlight filled the room. It was so bright in the room I caught myself squinting. It wasn't until our midwife asked us what the baby's name was until I realized the beauty of this moment. I couldn't stop smiling and said, "Her name is Lucy, which means 'light'"! I quickly remembered Kylie and I both feeling God leading us to name her Lucy and that she was to be the 'light' of Jesus for those living in the darkness. It was in this moment I felt the overwhelming presence of Jesus waiting with us to welcome Lucy into the world. When Lucy arrived I got to see Kylie's eyes light up as she took hold of her baby and bring her close to chest. I saw before my eyes the means in which Lucy will be shown how to live as the 'light of Jesus'. Lucy will be able to live into her name because of her mom. I can't think of anyone better to show Lucy the way of Jesus. I'm overjoyed and excited to watch Lucy grow up with such an amazing mom.
Lucy's middle name, Maeve, means "the cause of great joy" and/or "she who intoxicates". We both loved the meaning of this name coupled with Lucy. Dear friends of ours sent us a sweet note for Lucy, and in the note they wrote out a prayer for her saying, "You are already so precious and we prophetically pray that you will live into your name: be the ‘light’ (Lucy) of Jesus in people’s lives and be the ‘one who intoxicates’ (Maeve) everyone with the Holy Spirit." We will continue to pray this over our sweet Lucy Maeve in the days and years to come.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us. We have felt immensely blessed by your friendships.
Blessing,
Anthony
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