lily

There are many things that delight: getting a letter in the mail, acing an exam without studying, running a PR. But, above delightful things, there are the uncompromisingly wonderful things, like the piece of news you receive and just can’t stop thinking about.

Well, about two weeks ago, I learned the sex of my brother’s kid. She is still inside her mother, but we know she is a girl! (And, for the record, her existence has allowed girls to now beat boys in number in my family, finally!!!)

My brother, Math, and his wife, Jana, really stress the importance of considering their child to already be in existence. A baby inside the womb is fully human; she has a beating heart, kicks Jana and, as we now know, has female parts. When a baby is born, Math explained, it isn’t a surprise. There is no “if it is a girl…” People act as if it is such a mystery, Math said, as if the baby growing in them is some foreign thing and then comes out human. However, the baby is one or the other: boy or girl. You just may not have the knowledge yet. As Jana wrote to me, “It’s crazy that we've had a baby girl this whole time, and only God knew it!”

A new ultrasound of my niece, Math & Jana's baby, who has been living and growing for about six months. She will be ready to come out and see the world at the end of May.

So, in full pro-life spirits, Math and Jana decided to discover the sex and name the baby; her name is Lillian, the same as my grandmother’s. Math and Jana are not going to be parents. They are currently Lily's parents. Likewise, I am currently, and have been since her conception, Lily’s aunt. All that has changed now is we can pray for Lily by name.

Math & Jana sporting some sweet homemade sweatshirts they made during the snowstorms as they are the proud parents of Lily, (see the above ultrasound). They decided to name her as soon as they found out her sex, showing that Lily is a person even if she hasn't been born yet.