Dear Sweet Babies

Dear Baby A and Baby B,

Today we got to see you on the ultrasound again.  Your heartbeats were almost identical (A- 153, B-152) and you both weigh 8 ounces.  We loved seeing you interact with each other. You were trying to hold hands, kick each other’s feet, and looking right at one another. I was overwhelmed while watching you both on the screen by the fact that I was chosen to be blessed with two babies at the same time and that I get to have this experience that few people have.  I hope and pray that you always feel the unique bond that you have from this special time together before you are even born.

Baby A, today it was confirmed you are a boy. Some people might think that after having two boys another boy would be a disappointment but let me assure you there is nothing disappointing about you! I LOVE being the mom of boys. I love the dirt, the trucks, the craziness, the obsession with trains and building Legos.  I love the roughhousing and building forts out of blankets and the way I don’t even have to brush your brothers’ hair and they can still leave the house. I love the cuddles, the protectiveness that boys have for others, and the special mother-son bond.  Being a mom of boy is all I know and I am so thankful to get to savor each moment raising this last boy in our family.  We decided to name you Andrew Baker Holland.  I have wanted to use the name Baker for a long time. This name honors three people that we love in our family- your Nana, your Granny Baker, and your Pa.  All three of these people share in common a lack of selfishness, a hard work ethic, and a love of family, traits that I hope you will one day have as well.  Your dad and I had a couple of first names that we liked but kept coming back to Andrew which means strong, manly, courageous, characteristics that we hope to see in you.   It is also your Uncle David’s middle name.  The week before we found out you were a boy we got to spend a lot of time with Uncle David and being reminded what a wonderful dad, uncle, and brother he is confirmed that we wanted to honor him by using his name for you. He is hilarious, so much fun to be around, and is extremely compassionate and caring towards others. I hope that as you grow up you will get to know him and will share some of the qualities that make him so special to us. We love you so much Andrew Baker!

Baby B, today you rocked my world when it was confirmed that you are a GIRL!  I wasn’t sure if it was God’s plan for me to get to have a daughter and I couldn’t help but tear up to find out you were going to be part of our family.  I don’t have a clue how to raise a girl but I’m excited to not be the sole female in the family and to get to experience the closeness of a mother and a daughter.  My own mom has meant so much to me and I hope that I can be that for you.   We decided to name you Katherine Grace Holland. For a long time your dad has wanted to use the name Katherine , which means pure, if we had a little girl.   Katherine is my middle name and I am excited to have a little bit of me passed down to you.  Your middle name Grace is also a special name to us. When your dad and I started dating at just 15 and 16 years old your daddy had recently come to know the Lord. When he was telling me his story on one of our first dates he said that his favorite attribute of God was His grace, the unmerited love and mercy that He has given us.  Nothing we could ever do would cause us to deserve it, yet He has freely lavished it upon us.  A gift given to us that we don’t deserve.  Over 15 years ago I decided that if we got married and had a daughter Grace would be part of her name. A forever reminder of God’s grace in our lives. That God sent his son to die for us, to save us, the limitless ways His grace has been woven into our family, and the reminder that nothing we ever did allowed us to deserve these gifts but that we are so unbelievably thankful for them.  We love you sweet Katherine Grace!