Wednesday, February 02, 2011

26 Weeks - shame on me...

..for not explaining the term "rainbow baby!" I have used the term a couple times and just recently someone was brave enough to ask me what it meant. I am so sorry for not explaining the term earlier!

Below is the best definition I could find...
The idea is that the baby is like a rainbow after a storm.
It is understood that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of any storm. When a rainbow appears, it does not mean that the storm never happened or that we are not still dealing with its aftermath. It means that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover, but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope.

Some cultures believe that a rainbow is a bridge between heaven and earth and of course you are familiar with the pots of gold found at the end!!!
For our family, the term rainbow baby acts as a reminder from our Lord of His covenant with us in the book of Genesis. God kept His promise to Noah and to us. As we journeyed with Amelia and as we have journeyed without her, rainbows have taken special meaning...you might recall this from a blog entry in the weeks following Amelia's death.

"Yesterday as we traveled, the sky was dark as we enjoyed (yet another) rainy day. The rain will forever remind me of our little Amelia, as the months that I carried her were filled with rain, flooding and more rain. In a previous blog entry, I reflected on God's promise "that it will not rain forever." Yesterday, God renewed that promise with our family. As we drove, we were blessed with not one, but two rainbows. I know, I know, a rainbow is common place, and far from a miracle. And still, Tim and I could not recall the last time we had seen one. We marveled over the colors, thought of our little girl, and the promises God has already fulfilled in our lives and the lives of "strangers" through her brief life."

It was on that car trip that Tim and I first spoke seriously of having more children...of having a rainbow baby. One of my favorite things to do on long road trips is to torture Tim with baby name ideas. I try to think of the most obscure names and watch his response. It may sound silly but we have had a lot of fun and laughs with this game.
It was hard to play my little game on that particular road trip. :(
We did however come up with our current girl name
(if we are blessed with another daughter) on that drive.
The name was inspired by...you guessed it...RAINBOWS.
The name we like is Violet.
It also happens to be Tim's grandmother's name
adding even more "specialness" ;)

So we'll just have to wait and see
what our Lord has in mind for this baby.
I have resolved myself to take this pregnancy one day at a time.
Similar to how we walked our pregnancy with Amelia.
Today I am pregnant.
Today I will rejoice.
Tomorrow I will wake up and I pray I can say again.
Today I am pregnant.
Today I will rejoice.
Rejoicing in each day
as it comes; that's the plan.

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the flood waters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”
Genesis 9:12-17

9 comments:

Kara said...

What a beautiful explanation of the "rainbow baby" concept! May have to borrow this from you one day. =)

Tammie said...

On our angel Hannah's due date, she was stillborn 3 months prior, I was driving, after an early morning rain, and there appeared a beautiful rainbow. As I sat in my car on the side of the road, wiping my tears, a sense of peace came over me. God's way of saying, "I know what today was suppose to be. I am with you."

Jennifer said...

I lOVE the name Violet! It is just perfect! Not much longer now and you will be able to give this munchkin a name!
I love rainbows too! The rain, storms, and rainbows do hold such special meaning! Love you sweet friend!

Holly said...

I love the name Violet! So special! I've always had a fondness for 'older' names.

I know some people don't like the term rainbow baby but I have always liked it.

Rachel's Mama said...

I love this post, Melissa... beautiful. When you told me the name you picked last week, I though of a rainbow right away. It's perfect. It's hard for me to read your words from during your "storm" and not get sad for you, and also think of my girl and be reminded of how much this journey hurts...but you brought such a great ray of hope into this post...thank you for that reminder, God is so good.

Anonymous said...

I love the name Violet! Was so happy to find that you are expecting your rainbow. Congratulations!!!

Brooke said...

I LOVE THE WAY you put that!!!! I wake up and I am thankful that I am pregnant today and I pray that I can feel the same way tomorrow. I feel the same way, friend!! I hope you are having a great week!!

Stephanie Patzer said...

Love Violet!! Love the meaning behind Vibrant Vi as well. Happy Day to you, will be thinking of you on March 7th!

CynthiaS said...

I love the name Violet and love this post!