Absolutely blessed to share with you a story that inspires and will touch your heart.
We got to witness this beautiful couple’s journey from praying for years for a child whom, medically speaking, they had a very little chance of ever being able to have. Until one day, God blessed them.
But their biggest trial was after the birth and all the medical care their baby girl would need.
Every step of the way, they shared their challenges, their joys, laughter and tears. And we cried and smiled alongside every update.
We’ve asked them to share their story alongside this adorable photoshoot for their baby girl, their little Evangeline.
evangeline’s story (from her mom)
Today is my daughter’s first birthday. It seems like she was born just yesterday.
Evangeline, our preemie daughter, is the strongest baby I have ever known. There are no words to describe how much I love her. When I consider all the ways that she has blessed me as a mother, I am overwhelmed with the desire to give her a life full of sweet childhood memories. She is so loved.
Evangeline was born at 26 weeks.
She was tiny at two pounds, her eyes weren’t able to open yet, and her skin was translucent. She was beautiful.
Over the course of 88 days, she was taken care of within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
There were a lot of medical issues that needed to be addressed. Evangeline had problems with her heart and lungs. She couldn’t eat properly. She wasn’t able to use a lot of muscles. She had issues with her eyes. Her brain wasn’t fully formed so she would forget to breathe as she slept. She had two or three blood transfusions done. I lost count of all her blood draws. And she was swollen all of the time!
She was poked, prodded, given countless medications, and examined more in the first 3 months of her life than most people go through in their entire lives! Many times she would cry, and I wasn’t even allowed to hold her because she was too small and fragile.
My baby had to fight to continue to live and breathe (quite literally), and while I was an emotional mess inside, I had hope. I needed to be strong and optimistic. If she was going to fight to live, I was going to fight right alongside her, cheering her on!
What I’ve learned over this past year is that God is in control. He works all things together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) God loves Evangeline, even more than I do, because He already planned for her existence long before I did. In fact, He formed her inward parts and wove her inside of my womb. She is wonderfully and fearfully made (Psalm 139: 13)! Her life belongs to Him. Not only has this delivery of our preemie daughter caused me to love and appreciate her more, but it causes me to give glory to whom it belongs: our Heavenly Father! He was listening to our silent cries and our countless tears. He had mercy on our little family. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Evangeline’s preemie neighbors were as young as 21 weeks in the NICU! At the moment of conception, there is a baby growing inside of a woman. In this journey, I’ve got to witness how babies feel and understand pain and comfort, inside and outside of the womb. Life is so, so precious.
Evangeline’s life has had its share of ups and downs. Regardless of the hurdles, we praise God that Evangeline has reached her first birthday! She still has medications and multiple doctors, but considering how far she’s come, we are so proud of her!
She sleeps a full 8-10 hours every night. She eats whatever we give her. She is calm, quiet, and not very fussy. Everyone at our church who knows her calls her the “chill” baby. And people who meet her are always surprised at how well-behaved she is. I always joke that the first three months of her life were really tough, so God is giving us a freebie on “normal” baby behavior problems! Really, she is one of the easiest babies to care for (excluding her health issues!)
When she wakes up, she pokes her head up, and giggles and smiles at me. Naturally, I smile back and always say a “thank you” to God every morning for this little bundle of joy.
Happy 1st Birthday to our baby Evangeline, the biggest blessing of our lives!
mom’s prayer for evangeline
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your blessings on our family.You are a God of miracles, and we thank you for our miracle baby. You are so good to us, and so good to her. Please continue to watch over her, all the days of her life. Draw her to yourself. Help her to recognize that she is a sinner, in need of a Savior. We pray that one day, she will love and fear You above all. Help her to obey you. Have grace on her and always keep her safe. Help her to grow physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Thank you for our first year with Evangeline!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Thank you so much to this beautiful family for inspiring us with their story and for the blessing of capturing their little one. Happy first birthday beautiful Evangeline. May God richly bless you and yours for many years to come.
With all our love,
The DPARK Family
family photo vendor
- Orange County Baby Photographer | D. Park Photography
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