the baby we thought we'd never have

To tell the story of Naomi’s birth, I want you to first know the story behind it. That story is that it took us four years to conceive Naomi. Four years. That is over fifty menstrual cycles – over fifty weeks that my body grieved the loss of a passionately longed-for baby.

No words can express the depth of pain that I felt during this time. Infertility was grueling and, hands down, the most difficult experience of my life. It challenged every part of me – my relationships, my marriage, my body, my beliefs. I have never felt so raw, helpless, and desperate in my life as I did during these four years. I have never begged and pleaded with God in the way that I did during this time. Every corner of my soul ached for four years.

I am forever changed from this experience. And I will be forever in awe of the privilege it is to be the mother of my beautiful, dear Naomi. I may share more details about our infertility journey someday. But for now, I want you to know this is the beginning of Naomi’s story. Naomi is a gift for whom we are eternally grateful. Naomi is the joy that came in the morning after a long night of weeping. Naomi is the baby we thought we’d never have.

Special moments with our girl a few minutes after her birth