This is the name Gramma decided she would start calling you, her 4th grandchild...
Rylee Joy-ful
It fits.
You're a little bundle of love and surrounded by it on all sides, most of the time :)
For 3 months now, we've been waking up to this sweet little smile...
...and been giving your precious little cheeks lots of kisses!!!
And, how I love your little fuzzy head!
For now, this is your perch...but soon you'll be right in the mix with the rest of them!
You LOVE squeezing in the bath with your brothers and sister...
...and Cora jumps at the chance to sit beside you for a walk :)
You're so grown up you've even moved out of Mommy and Daddy's room!
You have a new roommate now...sometimes you even babble back and forth while you're falling asleep :)
Ryder never gives up a chance to hold you...
We love to dress you up...
And Daddy loves it when you sit with him while he reads :)
This is a pretty typical moment of a pretty normal day...
Everyone wants to be near you ALL the time :)
(Coley was at school or he'd be in the mix too!)
And a pretty normal slice of nighttime life with Mommy and Daddy, loving your every word...
(Daddy especially likes making this "ewok" sound to you...it does usually make you smile!)
You've even found your thumb...
(just like your Daddy...until 5th grade :)
We love you sweet one...you are a GIFT to all of us.
JOY is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not something we can attain for ourselves.
It is possible to have JOY in the midst of hardship and trial because of who GOD is in us.
Your name will always remind us of this truth.
You had your hearing tested today. We weren't sure if you could hear us the way you should, but found everything to be normal. You took 2 hours to fall asleep for the ABR Test Miss Jean (our audiologist) gave you! After trying to get you to sleep for 1.5 hours in the testing room, I finally had them unhook your electrode wires from the machine and took you, electrodes and all, on a drive around the block...it was there you finally gave up and fell asleep, just long enough for her to test both ears and find everything to be working as it should.
We were prepared to hear a variety of results. I will have you know that there were MANY people praying for you. When I mentioned to our friends and family that you were having your hearing tested, there was an OUTPOURING of prayers prayed, for you. Gramma and I were talking about how we prayed for the Lord's WILL for you to come to pass, regardless of what the test revealed. She volunteers at a ministry called Joni and Friends. It is there where MANY who are disabled find hope in Jesus, and hear that God has a beautiful plan and purpose for their life. Through lives like your brother's and many others who live with disability, God wants to speak to the world about how much He loves those who the world deems "different."
As the Lord continues to unfold your story, in the chapter of today, he has held disability at bay. Many were praying for this to be the case. Today he has used YOU, my 3 month old girl, to show them that He HEARS and answers prayers.
I wasn't very worried going into your test today.
I knew God had a plan for your life, grander than anything I knew how to pray for.
When I returned home, I was overwhelmed with the amount of people wanting to hear the results...wanting to know if God heard them.
We prayed the same prayer for your brother 2 years ago.
"God, if it be your will, would you heal Cole and open his ears to hear?"
And in His perfect way...He did..He gave him new ears through medical technology that no one but God could've placed inside a human mind to create. Through his life, we are reminded that God's version of healing may look very different than ours....and we Praise God for His plan for Cole.
Because you were born into this family, dear one, you will learn this truth at a very young age.
God ALWAYS answers prayers, though his answer may look different than we expect, His way is ALWAYS good. His Word says, "We know that in everything God works for the GOOD of those who love Him."
Today, he heard and answered the prayers of many who love Him.
Was His answer for you better than the answer he gave Cole 2 years ago?
No.
Not better.
Just different.
And because he loves you both...BOTH are good.
You need to know today and forever, sweet one, you are dearly LOVED by the one who has named the stars.
Your legacy begins now, Rylee Joy-ful...
May the world know that JOY is possible in ALL circumstances when it is lived in the saving name of Jesus.
AMEN!!! WHAT PEACE TO KNOW THAT THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE USES ALL FOR GOOD...A REDEEMER!
LOVE,
GRAMMIE
Precious, wonderful, awesome and adorable! Caleb sat on my lap to look at the pics and watch the videos and would say, "again, again". We must have played it 4 times. :) We love seeing 6 sweet Burdetts!!
What a beautiful post Danice! God is so good to us. He has amazing plans for our children, much grander than our own for them. So thankful we serve a mighty God who hears us and responds. I was praying too. I love that God has bonded us through His son no matter the miles between us. Praising Him with you for her test results. Abigail loved watching the videos of baby Rylee. She is a beautiful miracle. God is faithful. Thank you for reminding us again with this post. Love, Kimberly
How joyful it was to read this post. Oh the Burdett's are so so blessed.
What a privilege to know you.
Praying for God's direction for you all for next year. I know He has His perfect plan for you.
Love,
Missy
What a wonderful jouranl entry.
I love reading about the Burdett's.Am privileged to know you.
Praying for God's direction for you all next year and Know that He has His perfect plan already in place.
What an amazingly sweet family of six you are.
Love,
Missy
What a beautiful post. Someday your kids will be able to read through all of this, and what a blessing it will be to them.
Love to you,
linda