Friday, October 16, 2020

bump #109 a baby girl and all of life’s biggest adventures all at once!


On Friday, March 20, 2020 we welcomed our precious baby girl, Vivie, into the world. And what a crazy world it was (is?!) She has been an absolute joy, wonderful distraction, and amazing blessing to our family. Undoubtedly the best thing to come out of this year!






We definitely skipped ahead a few bumps, but here’s a quick catch up... We left off a year and a half ago with a failed frozen embryo transfer (our last remaining embryo) and feeling like our family still wasn’t complete. We were absolutely elated to have our 2 miracle babies, but we weren’t ready to call it quits on having just one more, if it was God’s will. So we prayed and decided to just try naturally for a year, not expecting anything to happen. And then 5 months later, in July 2019, we found out we were having a baby! And it was a girl! 




We named her Vivienne Jewell (Viv or Vivie for short) Vivienne means alive and she brought us back to life when we were feeling so defeated. Jewell was my grandmother’s maiden name and my best friend’s last name is Jew so it’s extra special. She was born on my Grandpa’s birthday and already has a great sense of humor just like he did. The boys adore her and are the perfect protective older brothers (so far.)  



This year was a very exciting one for our family. Vivie’s arrival was the biggest highlight, but just two weeks before she was born, Andrew flew to Chicago, Illinois for a job interview at Olivet Nazarene University. And he got the job! A full time, tenure track professorship at an amazing university with the greatest colleagues in the darling town of Bourbonnais. Yes, we found out that we would be moving... across the country... with a newborn... during a global pandemic. Oh yeah, and we also bought our first home basically sight unseen. And it ALL came together in the most wonderful way that can only be described as God’s divine intervention and provision. 







We are so grateful for this sweet baby girl and, despite the wild world around us, still choosing to see the good and find joy in this new, exciting season.