Through the many long years we prayed for a child, we prayed specifically for a girl. I had always known I wanted a girl and David was also inclined to pray that way. When we found out on our ninth anniversary that we were finally expecting a baby, we were naturally very excited.

But the wait to find out what we were having at the twenty week ultrasound was tough!

By the time we went to the ultrasound, we had made peace with the fact that perhaps God would send us a son and not the girl we had long prayed for. We knew that if God sent us a boy it had to be for some very specific reasons. We believe that God delights in giving us the desire of our hearts as often as possible and to send us a boy instead of a girl meant He had special plans for that boy. We had even talked about some boy names to prepare us for the idea of a son.

When the ultrasound technician told us it was a girl, I felt so many things. Joy, relief, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude. We asked the technician if she was sure it was a girl. She told us that they aren’t allowed to guarantee anything, but if it wasn’t a girl it had some serious problems. LOL!

Each year we celebrate It’s a Girl Day on the day of our ultrasound. We thank God again for giving us the girl we had prayed for all those years. We take the time to remind Caroline how special she is to us and how she is a specific answer to prayer. And not just our prayers, but the prayers of many people who interceded on our behalf for literally years.

More than anything I desire to impress upon her that she is the child God sent to us at that particular time. He has reasons for sending her to us when He did, especially after we waited so long. In her room still hangs a sign from her nursery that says, “i am a dream come true.” She is both a dream come true and an answer to prayer.

We celebrate It’s a Girl Day a bit differently each year. Usually it includes going out to lunch and either doing something special that she would like to do (like going to a museum or other place) or buying her a small gift. We don’t throw a party or anything that involves other people. It is a special day just for the three of us.

We use the time to remember that God answers prayer. Not always in the way or timing we expect, but that He does hear us and for that we are thankful and celebrate.