Dear Elias... You're One!

Oh my baby boy... how has this day come around already?!

This year has been such a joy with you - our happy and bubbly baby boy. You have made fourth-time motherhood dangerously delightful, and its perhaps a blessing in disguise that your delivery was so difficult and complex! It is mad to think how scary this day was last year - how on numerous occasions, both my, and your lives were on the line. I am forever grateful to the Lord for sparing your jolly little soul, you bring such a richness to our family life, and I honestly can't even remember what life was like without you!

The word that comes to me when I think of you is joy. Even through the hard uncertainties of my pregnancy with you, the Lord was so gracious and granted me such peace and joy, that those long weeks in hospital in the run up to your arrival are actually very precious in my memory. Amazing how the Lord often recycles trials to bring us gain. How it is in the hardship that he draws especially near and shows his faithfulness and love for us.

And you have filled our lives with bubbly, vivacious, wriggly joy ever since!

This week you have pulled your self up to standing in your cot, you are jabbering away, waving and saying "ha det!" (Norwegian for "bye"). This month you have also mastered the art of speedy commando crawling. You can get anywhere in seconds, and your favourite things to play with are Jonas' Schleich animals and any type of cable you can get your hands on! Someone needs to keep an eye on you! You have a gorgeous sense of humour... you find your siblings truly funny and reward them appropriately with your beaming smile! They literally adore you, though I think Heidi is particularly smitten. Yesterday morning she welled up at the prospect of you turning one...

"But I don't want our baby to grow up!"

You are truly a delight, Elias, with a zest for life that inspires me. You find joy in the little things, and my prayer is that will always continue. But more than that, my prayer is that you will grow up to be a young man who delights in the gospel, who lives in the light of all that Christ has done for you...

Today Papa and I will dedicate ourselves at church to bringing you up to know the good news about Jesus. Our prayer will always be that you will walk through life with the Lord, but we know this decision is one we cannot make for you. Only you can commit your life to Him.

And so we will seek to teach you the old, familiar stories, explain the delightful truths of the gospel. seek to model what it looks like to follow Jesus in the day to day. And pray for you, entrusting you into the care of the one who so carefully brought you to us, through all the challenges.

I will forever be thankful for April 15th, 2017. Because on that day you were brought to us. In many ways it was a day that started full of horror, but out of the darkness came the most beautiful gift. You.  We loved you completely then, but we love you even more now.

Our little ray of sunshine..

We love you Li-Li! Happy first birthday!

Mama and Papa xxx

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