Hope in the Mourning

This story was originally posted on June 1, 2025. On August 4th, 2023, I found out that I was pregnant with our second born. Although pleasantly surprised, it was exactly what my husband and I had been praying for. A few months later, right before Thanksgiving, we found out we were having a little girl. She would be the perfect addition to our little family. After a trying prior year with my husband Ryan’s job loss, we were so happy and delighted to have such wonderful news. I’ll never forget when he told me he had the perfect name for our girl, “Elianna” meaning “answered prayer.” Not only had God answered our prayer of Ryan receiving another job, but He had answered our prayer of growing our family. I remember praying so hard before our anatomy scan that God would bless Ryan with his desire to have a daughter. I was so nervous to receive the results but elated when that prayer (God already having answered it) was revealed!  Carrying Elianna was full of joy. She was a super active baby. Our son (only a year old at this point) was very interested and connected to her all throughout her time in my womb. Looking back, this is special to me because it was the only time they spent together earthside. I really couldn’t believe I had the blessing and privilege to carry this little girl, it honestly felt like a dream.   The morning I started to labor, I had my last appointment. I was a day over my “due date.” I was 2cm dilated and my girl’s heartbeat was heard. I headed out for a walk with my mom, took my son home and labored well throughout the rest of the day. Around 11pm that night, we decided it