sisters, sisters...

there were never such devoted sisters... yes, yes it's true: i'm quoting the famous song from one of my beloved christmas movies "white christmas". nick&i watch it every.single.year. it's just one of those classics. when i was in college, my roommate and i would relentlessly torture our other bff with our singing of the "sisters" lyrics as we sat around the popcorn bowl taking in the old bing crosby flick.

while this song is silly, if you have a sister, there's a part of you that can relate to it. i mean, maybe not that whole dressing-up-in-electric-blue-dresses-and-singing-amidst-giant feathers-thing.

i guess what i mean is that you get what they're trying to say. there's something about having a sister that gives you in--many ways--an instant best friend. maybe not always, but i am thankful that is true in my life. this has not always been the case, of course. my sister, gretchen and i, are three and a half years apart. we used to fight relentlessly to the point that we would make our mom cry. my father used to tell us out of exasperation that if we didn't grow up to be friends he would feel like a failure. it was bad. we're enough alike, but also vastly different. not always a great combination.

but now, at 30 and 27 we can safely say that we are not only sisters, but best friends. and after all that our family has gone through over the past few months--or even the past few years since my dad's diagnosis--i can honestly say blessed is the girl who has a sister in whom she has found a friend.

today we found out that bella is having a sister :) i would've been so so happy with either a boy or a girl, i honestly just couldn't wait to find out what our little baby was and to be able to call him/her by name. but i do have so much joy in knowing that bella will have a sister because i know what a blessing it is (once you get past the fighting stage!). i'm going to be praying fervently that god would bless their relationship and grow it past sisterhood, and into a beautiful friendship.

emmy faith is the name we picked for our girl. emmy meaning "immense, entire, striving", which as a whole, her name represents to us "immense faith" which we love (especially with bella grace--or "beautiful grace"). bella has already been walking around the house saying "mama, daddy, emmy!" for months now... so i guess this just proves that she has been right all along.

i'm so thankful for this day, for this news, for this sweet baby girl. i'm so thankful that we got to share the news of our coming baby with my dad before he left this earth. i'm so thankful for the lord, in his perfect timing and faithfulness, that he knew we would need these babies "for such a time as this."

(did i mention that my sister is also pregnant?? yeah... a month ahead of me. and she is also having a girl, lucy. i guess it's a sister-thing) :)

little emmy, we were so overjoyed to see you today, to be able to call you by name! you are healthy which we praise god for and you are so beautiful... we've been praying for you and now we can pray more specifically--for god to be molding you into a lovely woman of jesus, for your life to have a specific calling and for you to be set apart for his purpose, and for your future husband someday wherever he may be. may you always KNOW how precious you are, and live your life with your head held high knowing you are valuable and worthy because you are HIS. we love you so much! only four more months until we can hold you.
love you with all my heart, your mama