25 June 2016
Zabdi Rose Pope. Born June 25, 2016, 5:13 AM. 8lbs 1oz. 20 ½ in. Healthy mom. Healthy baby. Another amazing gift from the Lord.
Throughout the pregnancy, Zabdi had been measuring large for her gestation. This was of some concern to Areli’s doctor if she were to go to her full due date or beyond. Praise God that Areli went into spontaneous labor and delivered Zabdi at 38 6/7 weeks. Once again she made labor look easy and everything went smoother than we could have imagined. Areli didn’t tell me until shortly before we left for the hospital that the 25th of June had been on her heart as the day that God had chosen for Zabdi to be born. It is especially significant because June 25th was the due date for our first daughter, Esther Nina, whom God took to be with him after only 156 minutes of us enjoying her after her premature birth. We share this story at esthernina.com.
So why the name? Zabdi, like Areli, is a male Hebrew name that is rarely used as a female name in the Spanish-speaking world. It means “Gift of Yahweh (or Jehova).” This is the personal name of God that was given to Moses in Exodus 3:15. It was consider by the Jews to be too sacred to be spoken so the vowels were left out of the spelling and the exact Hebrew pronunciation is unknown. Therefore, many translations of the Bible translate this as LORD. We knew that Zabdi was a huge gift of the Lord since we found out that she had been conceived. And certainly, every good and perfect gift comes from Him.
God has answered many prayers along the way and we must give Him thanks:
--Prayer for pregnancy. Answered.
--Prayer for baby to turn head down when needed. Answered.
--Prayer for baby to come earlier rather than later due to size. Answered.
--Prayer for someone to care for Rebekah. Answered.
--Prayer for work interruption to be as smooth as possible. Answered.
--Prayer for healthy mom and healthy baby. Answered.
Here is an album with a few pictures:
