Today is kind of surreal…last year I was going to my ob appt on my due date, trying to maintain any shred of sanity that women tend to lose towards the end of pregnancy.  I was determined to not be induced and wanted desperately to have the chance to let her come on her own like Ezzy did.  After two other births requiring pitocin and other measures, waiting for our little/big surprise seemed reasonable.

Ya’el immediately had everyone wrapped around her little precious fingers within minutes of meeting her.  Cayden still to this day, wants to be there for it all.  Tries to convince me weekly that he “has it under control” with her.  Ezzy can’t help but giggle when the two of them embark on a game they created together and Kyre…well, as with most of the family members, Ya’el tolerates Kyre in small doses…sorry Kyre, my love you are an I.N.T.E.N.S.E. person.  

Richard finds so much joy when people say Ya’el looks just like her momma.  He prayed and prayed that if he was going to have to have ANOTHER girl, then at least would God make her his little native baby.  Well, with Ya’el’s dark hair, dark skin and the most beautiful chubby cheeks, its is safe to say God heard him loud and clear.

Our number four has been what you would call a sucker baby.  She was so easy going in the early infant stages.  She napped anywhere, waited her turn when chaos struck our home…who am I kidding, its always chaotic.  But she also saved little memory making moments for Richard and I in the late evenings when everyone was in bed and she had our undivided attention.

We were immensely blessed to have papa leonard and grandma debbie come and pray over her and give her a blessing after her birth.  It is really cool to witness what happens when someone goes to God and asks how to pray for a life.  What happens is you see that God will grant discernment and wisdom as faith is practiced.  There has been so much joy as we have watched her begin to live out what was prayed over her the day after God granted her her first breath.

I was terrified that Ya’el would be born in the summer, leaving me with 3 older kids wanting to be outside all the time.  But her easy going spirit really allowed for me to have the chance to cater to the big kids while she just tagged along.

When summer ended I had a baby that was becoming more then a blob, one that was fun to interact with and also had an unbreakable bond with daddy.  When he was around, his arms were where she wanted, demanded at times, to be.  Being in ministry on Sunday solidified the bond the two of them formed, since dad was it for her.

Thanks to her very healthy appetite, she even was kind enough to share and let mommy pump for two other babies after my morning workouts

and waited her turn or sometimes took measures into her own hands, haha

Ya’el has reached most of her milestones before the rest of her siblings.  Sitting up at 4 months old, crawling at 6 months, walking at 10 months, running at 11.5 months.  She is really fast, I have learned I can’t put her down and expect to find her in a radius of her first location.  

If you have the chance to be around her you will find out how playful she is.  She will look over her shoulder, yell at you and wait with a mischievous smile on her face for you to respond.  Standing outside the opened unoccupied bathroom door (a big no no in our house) is her best game to play.  After alerting us of the open door, she will wait until the last minute after seeing we are heading to close it and run into the bathroom giggling and squealing.   Her desire to make people laugh is rooted deep within her tiny little soul and we can’t help but smile when around her.

Ya’el is obsessed with shoes, of course the dirtiest shoes in the house are the most appealing.  She loves clothes and will turn anything into the newest fashion trend, even dad’s underwear can serve a purpose.

 What I love most about her, is that she loves to sing and participate with me in worship.  Listening to her sing with me will about complete your life, I’m not kidding.

Growing up with 3 older siblings keeps her wanting to be a part of everything they do…family communion, dress up, playing with the doll house, playdates at the beach, swinging at the park, boat rides…don’t hold her back!

Through her short time here on earth I am constantly reminded of how God’s ways and plans are bigger and better then what my human heart could ever dream of.  One day I can’t wait to share with Ya’el that her mommy and  daddy really didn’t expect her in our plans.  How we had given EVERYTHING away after big sister Kyre and moved on to the next chapter.  It was a blessing in a way to have to start over, because the anticipation about her arrival masked some of the unknown fears of her health.  Ya’el came at a time that our family needed some more heavenly interventions in our lives and a time that we needed our foundation to be secure with one another.  We needed more of God, more reasons to seek him first.  It is interesting how when you are willing to take a step back, you can see that God really knows what he is doing when he places people in your life.  Our souls learn to give and take, we make allowances for one another, we have more determination to talk with God as we pray for each other, we witness the hand of God in their lives, but more importantly we get a glimpse of the love our Father God has for us.

Ya’el Ariel Ruth, baby girl you are 1 yrs old today!  Thank you for showing us that we need to slow down and just laugh at things and to find moments to always praise God.  You have carved a permanent place in our hearts that only you can occupy.  Can’t wait to watch you grow into the might woman of God he is already shaping you to be!