Answer to a Child's Infertility Prayers

For those who have read Hannah's Hope or who have been around HP/LIW for YEARS, you know our story about Big J's first prayer. Right around his second birthday he came to me, sad, asking for a baby brother or sister because many of his friends were having siblings. Having had 2 miscarriages that past year, his request broke my heart. All I could say was that Mommy and Daddy would love to have another baby too, but that wasn't up to us, only God knew His plans for our family.

I told J that he would have to "talk to Jesus about that," and he shocked me when he stopped still, threw his head back to look up at the sky, and matter-of-factly blurted out his first prayer: "Jesus, A-wa [how he said his at the time] need baby girl. A-wa please baby boy. A-wa bird!" and off he ran to play, leaving me teary eyed and mouth hanging open.

Within 3-4 months I was pregnant with R! From the day he found out I was pregnant, he never waivered on the fact that this was his sister and that she would be born safe and healthy and come home to live with us. (From the time we told him I was pregnant we explained to him that sometimes our babies get to come live with us like he did, and sometimes that leave Mommy's tummy early and go to live in Heaven with Jesus.) He was so adament that he wouldn't even let us discuss boy names around him, getting angry if we would. This was his baby sister that he prayer for and God sent!

Three years later he was equally adament that I was carrying his baby brother, and he was right. When ultrasound finally confirmed that Little J was indeed a boy, Big J's question in the car on the way home was simply, "So when am I getting my bird?"

Since he got his baby sister around his 3rd birthday and his baby brother around his 6th, we told him he could have a bird around his 9th. Well, he won't be 9 until December, but this month God has opened several doors and provided a beautiful cage and some leads on some birds. Yesterday afternoon we picked up a 2-year-old female Cockatiel names Sweetpea! (Sweetpea had a 1-year-old male cage-mate, with whom she shared no romatic interests, who may be joining us in a few weeks as well.) No, J isn't 9 yet, but God put him in my tummy 9 years ago next month, so I guess that counts.

By the way, if anyone has bird experience, we are open to any/all advice. We had thought we would have several more months to plan, research and prepare for these new family members, and I was only anticipating 1, not 2!