I had the great joy and honor of attending my sister’s second birth. You may recall her first child entering this world, and the epic four-day long labor we spent at the hospital.  This pregnancy, there were many hours lifting my sweet sister and this new baby up in prayer–praying that the Lord would grant her grace, strength, and a much more “simplistic” labor experience. To be honest, my sweet sister was worried. Her first pregnancy she was near fearless, and I’m certain that attitude got her through those extreme four days. But then that first experience caused emotions that really needed to be sifted through. She realized she was afraid this round. We talked through those fears on a rational level. I encouraged her—she’s a machine! Her body performed more amazingly than I imagined humanly possible with her first. We all assured her that this pregnancy would be different. She is not a birthing anomaly! And then there was the conquering of fears on a spiritual level. The Lord was so so good to her…He held her up during that first labor experience (He supported me and Adam as well!) and He brought Lilah safely into this world. He is there. She could could let go of fear, and put it in His hands.

I received the call that she had been laboring perfectly and beautifully for a few hours one Saturday afternoon, and then I received another call that night. Things were really picking up. We were thrilled that her body was doing what it was made to do! The Lord was answering our prayers already. We made it to the hospital around midnight, and my sister beautifully worked to bring her little one into the world. After a couple holdups and bumps in the road, he arrived that next afternoon. It was a long labor, but hey, it was shorted by about 3 days! Praise be to God! Levi shocked us all weighing in around 10 pounds…and what a handsome guy.

Being with my sister and her husband during those long and intimate hours was such a gift, and I will treasure those first moments face-to-face with my nephew. He looked me right in the eyes, and I thanked God for His great mercy that He extended upon us.

Ashley had a certain song on repeat through her pregnancy; a song that brought her comfort and peace as she prepared to face her fears. She requested this song for the slideshow below:

We arrived to their adorable bungalow basking in soft morning light. Kendra and Mark had much reason to celebrate this day, as their sweet daughter had just turned two, and they recently welcomed their precious new son to the world. Stella was happy to show us her baby brother, and Mark and Kendra were brimming with love for their babies! We so enjoyed getting to know these four as we followed them around documenting a piece of their lives.