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Well, I have to say after 4 boys in a row, we started to think maybe we just have boys in this family! Truthfully, I cannot put into words how much I love my boys, so the thought of that was honestly not a bad thing to us at all. Kenny felt quite sure this Dallas #5 was going to be a girl, but I really thought the opposite. My heart was just overjoyed , though, when they told us, "It's a Girl!" Our boys had begged and begged (no lie) to name the baby Eleazar if it was a boy (If you don't know the story of Eleazar, one of David's mighty men, I'll leave that one hanging for you to research on your own. Let's just say, he was an absolute warrior!) Now, if there are any Eleazars out there reading this, I have no desire to offend you, but this name was not happening in our family! No matter how much of a mighty man he was, there are just some names that don't make the cut. Well, as soon as we found out Baby #5 was a girl the boys quickly decided, "Ok, then she will be Elly!!" At first it was a passing joke...the female version of their mighty man, but after a few days of calling her that, the boys were absolutely set on that name! They loved it. They seriously thought it was the prettiest thing they had ever heard. Now, don't get me wrong, I did like the name Elly a lot, but my thought was, "oh, that's cute", and that was the extent of it. Well, week after week passed, and not a day went by that at least half a dozen times one of our guys would pat my belly and talk to "Baby Elly". I kept saying over and over, "No, that's a sweet name, guys, but that's just not it." Just about a month before her arrival I was reading through the baby name book for the 500th time that pregnancy in bed one night, and Kenny was reading something else. Out of nowhere he just said, "I think her name needs to have something to do with 'light'. I'm not sure, just every time I think of her, I think of 'light'." I immediately said, "You're kidding me, right? Do you know what one of the meanings of Elly is? LIGHT!" Unbelievable! Needless to say, it was a done deal right then and there. There was never another doubt that this little one's name was meant to be "Elly".
Our little Elly was loved more than I can tell you from the moment she was born by those big brothers. I had a friend tell me once after Elly was about 8 months old that she had never seen older siblings (especially that many of them) all continue to be that enthralled with a baby sister still that long after the newness had worn off. They couldn't pass her without hugging and kissing on her several times even just walking through a room and even if they had seen her a hundred times that day already. They just couldn't get enough of that sweet baby girl. Still to this day they are so in love with this little red head, and it makes me smile to watch the way they adore her. I love the way the Lord is using their baby sister to bring out a part of them that wasn't there before in continuing to prepare them to be the men He's called them to be, and I love seeing how a house full of these wonderful boys is building her into the woman God desires for her to be. Her daddy...well, let's just say this little one loves her daddy, and he is crazy about her! A friend of ours with grown children, one of them a girl, told us when I was pregnant with Elly that this little girl would be the sunshine in our house. I think we would all agree. She's a sweet ray of sunshine, and having only the one girl with those four big brothers and one little brother now adds a dynamic to our house that just wouldn't be there if it weren't for her. Now, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean the dynamic is always perfect! Just having the mix of a bunch of boys and this little red headed girly girl is hysterical at times! I always tell people that between her daddy and all those brothers she will be more protected than she may ever want to be as she grows up, but she most likely won't need it, because she'll be able to hold her own quite well after growing up in this house full of boys! She's completely girly-girl, but she loves a good sword fight, (usually wearing a princess gown and a crown) and she loves fishing and digging in the dirt until she's covered from head to toe!
Elly: She's our first girl, our first red-head. She sings constantly...half of the time she goes about life as if she's in the middle of a musical, singing what most would just be saying with plain ol' words! She has a wonderful imagination and she loves to help and serve. She loves taking care of "the boys", especially being Mama #2 to Zech (not really, but she would sure take it over if I let her!) She is incredibly bright and loves learning, and she asks so many deep questions it keeps me on my toes, but thrills my heart all at the same time. She is a teacher at heart. It's hard to explain unless you are around her a lot, but it's just built in to who she is. She doesn't meet a stranger, and isn't shy a bit to talk to bigger kids or grown ups. (At the drive through window recently she rolled down her window and told the girl working at the restaurant, "I like your fingernails! They're so pretty!") She loves dates with Daddy, playing outside, laughing with her brothers, helping her Mama, playing with her baby dolls, playing dress up and having tea parties, singing, dancing, "reading" her piles of books on her bed, and coloring and creating things. I suppose I could go on and on, but that's a pretty good summary.
I'll just close with this. My pregnancy with Elly started off as a twin pregnancy. We knew from early on that the other baby's sac was sunken, so it did not seem likely that it would make it. However, we had to wait about 6 weeks before we went back to the doctor to find out. (which put me at about 14 weeks before we knew) Obviously, the other baby and sac were not there by that next ultrasound, and after weeks of praying we were very saddened about this, but also so thankful that we had not lost this baby in the process. A sweet and Godly friend and mentor of mine with six children (including 2 sets of twins), all much older than my children, said something so profound to me the day she found out we had lost one twin. She told me that even though that little one did not make it, she believed that God would instead pour upon Elly a double portion of blessing and gifting in every way for His kingdom. No, there were not two babies, but her prayer was powerful to me, and I will never forget it. That baby, our sweet Elly girl, is beginning to grow into a beautiful little lady. I don't know what all the Lord has for her, but I love just getting little glimpses into what He's up to in her little heart and life. I'm so thankful I get to be her mommy, and I pray we honor the Lord in every way as we train and teach her to become the woman of God she was created to be. In Matthew 5:16 it says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." That is our prayer for Elly's life.
I'll close with the same words I pray at the end of my prayer with her every single night as I tuck her in. I think it sums it all up quite well... "and may she always be a shining light for Your kingdom."
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