Sometime in November I mentioned that we had several friends and family members who were having babies over the span of several months. So far, three have made their debut.
While each birth is amazing and special, this most recent one now holds a separate place in our hearts.
Our friends Matt & Lija were expecting their first born babe to come around February 10...until they found out around Christmastime that he/she was breech. After several doctor's visits and a big scare, Lija needed to have an emergency c-section...which happened to take place last Thursday, January 27. Our Josiah's birthday.
It was already an emotional day for us and for many others, and this little man's arrival brought up lots more emotions in all of us. NEVER anger or bitterness...just a deep wonderment and questioning of why God would bring our friends' baby...a boy, nonetheless!...into this world one year after our son died...one year almost to the hour.
You know, we can sit here and wonder why, be angry about losing Josiah, be bitter that a healthy little boy so close to us was born exactly a year later, worry what future birthdays will look like, ruin friendships, and make life awkward. OR we can embrace this little miracle and continue to walk the path together. And that's exactly what we and Matt & Lija have decided to do. There's no getting around our boys having the same birthdate, so we embrace it and trust God's reasoning.
We got to meet little Julians last night, hold him, and take in his adorable features. He truly is a cute little bundle, weighing in at 6 lbs, 7 oz.
We were also honored to be asked if Julians' middle name could be Josiah...in honor of his birthday-buddy, his friend that's only one year older and is waiting in Heaven. Julians will know Josiah's story forever, and hopefully more people in years to come will know about our son and what it means to truly trust in God's plan, no matter what.