A Special Newborn Session: Meet Ayla Theresa

A few weeks ago I had the most amazing opportunity to visit Germany and meet my newest little niece, and while I loved every second, this was also the hardest newborn session I’ve ever done. If I’m being honest I had a hard time putting together words for this post. So instead, read the words of my incredible sister, who puts her journey into the words that I could not:

“Meet Ayla Theresa. She is my own personal little testament (in a BIG WAY!) of God’s goodness in a horrible sin-filled world. Ayla was a twin with her brother Ezra, whose heartbeat we lost between a Friday ultrasound and a Sunday night trip to the hospital. She was born at 26 weeks gestation weighing 1lb 12 oz.

She spent her next 8 weeks fighting harder than anyone knew a micro-preemie could. She never needed to be intubated for respiration help. She was released four days before the “no earlier than 35 weeks” mark.

She is now 4.5 months old, smiling, rolling over, and sleeping like every parent could only dream of sleeping.

Throughout the utter tumult of her birth, the loss of her brother, the chaos of recovery, the frustration of homecoming to a jealous sister and my complete unawareness of the challenges of caring for a micro-preemie, God has given me such a peace, mostly through the beyond epic solidarity of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and the prayers sent up on our behalf. A friend called it “storming the gates of heaven.” God’s good grace for the life and health and strength of our little warrior is something that is too big to be ignored.”

God is good. Thank you, Jesus. 🤍

Ezra Joseph, you will be loved forever and we cannot wait to meet you one day.