Kailey Abigail

To the left you can see sweet little feet and our baby girl's first profile shot. After deliberation and prayer we have decided to name this little girl Kailey Abigail. We actually chose this name the very first time we were pregnant in February 2003 and for several reasons still feel strongly that it is our name for our first girl. Besides loving the name, it goes perfectly with the precious way the Lord spoke to us before her conception.

John and I decided to have a day of prayer and fasting as we approached the week our baby that we miscarried last summer would have been due in February. It was also the week that we found out that we were pregnant with my first pregnancy in 2003 (also a miscarriage) and the week that I found out we weren't pregnant again for another month. Do you think this all added up to a little bit of emotion? I had three precious friends specifically praying for me that week and as each one called or checked on me I was able to give the miraculous report that God was wrapping me in His love to the point that I felt physically protected from all of the overwhelming emotion I had been expecting.

On our day dedicated to prayers seeking God in this area of our lives, John was at work and I was at home. I put Little John down for his nap and felt God prompting me to pull out a story I had recently been convicted by in a Bible study I was going through at church. So I got out my Bible, my Bible dictionary, my concordance and got ready to dig deep into the Word. As I began reading through 2 Chronicles 20 , I went very slowly with the Lord showing me revelation after revelation in each and every verse. It would take a short book to write it all down (and I have written it because I don't ever want to forget), but basically there were a few basic truths that hit me hard that day. One was the reminder that my battle was not against the Lord but my battle against the Enemy belonged to the Lord. "This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.'" Then, that I could rest in praise of the Lord and He would show me and everyone else His strength and power. "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you." And lastly, that the reward I would receive from my giving the battle into the Lord's hands would be much more than I asked or imagined. "So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it." As I read through that last part I was reminded of the name Kailey that we had talked about naming a little girl because it means "crown." She is our priceless "valuable" or "precious jewelry," as one version puts it. John came home that night and we cried and shared together as he told me the things God had shown him - especially the story of Isaac praying over Rebekah that she would conceive. John prayed the most precious prayer over me that night as he asked the Lord that this week that had begun our journey through these three miscarriages would now be the week that ended it - that we would conceive and that the child would be healthy and strong as God delivered us to raise a Godly inheritance for Him. Exactly four weeks later we discovered that our prayer had been answered "yes" as it was prayed and that this was the first chapter in Kailey's story. Her middle name Abigail comes as we experience the "joy of the Father" that He has given us through this faith walk with Him. So, sweetheart, I hope you love your name as much as we do and you can know that it is already a name coming before our Father's throne many times a day as we seek Him on your behalf. We love you, baby Kailey Abigail!