William's song is "How Can I Keep from Singing Your Praise?" by Chris Tomlin. There is nothing like becoming parents for the first time. We were overwhelmed and frightened. The first week was difficult. He was 4 weeks early, and we didn't even have all the basic supplies we needed (my baby shower was scheduled for the following Saturday). My mom was out of town when William was born. And William got a bad case of jaundice. He wasn't eating well, and we had to have him on the bili-lights. I had no idea what to even do with a baby; I didn't even know how to change a diaper. But we came through, and we could not stop praising God for this precious gift and getting us through that first week.
Joy's song is an obvious play off her name: "You Are My Joy" by David Crowder. When we first heard that song at a concert while we were dating, Omar leaned over and whispered to me, "One day, I want a little girl named Joy." And that never waivered. While William's birth story was marked by all the difficulties after his birth, Joy's birth story was difficult before she was even born. I had HTN and preeclampsia. I was on bed rest in the hospital, and they were going to induce me at 36 weeks. But at 35 weeks, Joy was tired of waiting and arrived in her own time, and she truly brought all the joy with her. Despite being 5 weeks early, she had zero health issues. After birth, my blood pressure and labs quickly returned to normal. We both left the hospital together two days after her birth. She continues to be such light and joy in our lives.
Elijah's song is "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. While I was pregnant with Elijah, we learned that my grandmother's breast cancer had metastasized to her brain. When I was 5 months pregnant, we made the trip to North Carolina to see her. The day of Elijah's birth, I had a doctor's appointment. I was in early labor, and he sent me home with instructions to call when things started to pick up. I arrived home to find my mom in her room packing. My grandma's hospice nurse had called and told her to come right away. She had a flight leaving at midnight. Labor got going at 7pm; Omar and I headed to the hospital and my parents followed. Elijah was born 20 minutes before my mom had to leave. She was there for the birth, and she got to see him and kiss him. The next day, I learned my grandma passed away a few hours after my mom's arrival. As I held my new baby and cried, that chorus played in my heart over and over, "You give and take away; my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your Name."
Precious, precious moments that I never want to forget. I'm grateful for music to stir my memory and my heart. And with every baby, as I held them close to my heart, I always sang to them the second verse of the hymn "Because He Lives:"
How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives
But greater still, the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days,
Because He lives!
