And Now Seven

My rainbow baby was positively bursting with excitement.

Image created via Midjourney

Last night, I was saying goodnight to Autumn on her last night being six years old. She was positively bursting with excitement.

I told her that on that night, seven years ago, it was my last night being pregnant. I knew we were so close to holding her in our arms, yet still didn't quite believe that everything would be fine. Not until I heard the newborn baby wail in the delivery room.

Every night, Ger and I say three things we're thankful for before bed. Earlier this week, Autumn came and wedged herself between us, inserting herself into our evening ritual. She proclaimed, "I'm thankful for Nelle and Iris!" with a big grin on her face.

Last night, as I tucked her in, she told me that she'd told her summer camp teacher that she's a rainbow baby. "I told Mr. Matthew that first there was Nelle and then there was Iris, and I'm a rainbow baby," she said proudly. "That makes me extra special."

I agreed. It makes her extra special.

A few days ago, Tim Walz was announced as the Vice Presidential candidate for the Democratic party. At a rally in Philadelphia, he talked about going through years of fertility treatments. "This wasn't by chance that when we welcomed my daughter into the world, we named her Hope."

I felt this deeply.

Autumn's middle name is Nadine, coming from the French word for "hope."