"God, can we please have a baby sister?"

About a year ago we started having conversations about a baby sister. Tytus would ask me if we're going to have one and I would say " I don't know?" or "maybe" and that would be the end of it. (By the way he never asked for a brother and was always very specific about it being a sister each time this came up.) Sometimes we'd go weeks before he'd bring it up again, but it was never anything real drawn out and seemed like kind of just a random thought that would enter his head.

Then one day at lunch he asked, in a very serious and expectant tone, "Mom when are we going to have a baby sister?" I was a little surprised at his urgency and said that God puts babies in mommy's tummy and he could pray and ask God for that if he'd like to. He immediately said okay and folded his hands to pray so I did the same. We sat in silence. Then he said "Mommy, you pray" and I laughed and told him that if he wanted a baby sister then he could pray and ask God for one! At this point Ian and I hadn't really talked about having another little one because life was quite busy and we were really happy enjoying the stages our boys were currently in. Tytus responded with "maybe later" and we went on eating our lunch and didn't say another word about it all day....until bedtime. We did our whole bedtime routine, read a book, and started to say our prayers. At this age Tytus never really prayed with us. We'd ask him if he had anything he wanted to say or be thankful for, but his response was always pretty short and he never actually wanted to do the talking so we'd do it for him. That night was different. As Ian was praying, Tytus interrupted and said "Oh, I forgot! God, can we please have a baby sister? Amen!" And that was that. Ian was a little surprised because I hadn't even told him about our conversation earlier in the day.

I think this is about the age he was when he first started praying and asking for her

Our next conversation was in the bathroom one day while I was washing my face and getting ready for the day. I wrote this conversation down in my journal (dated Mother's Day 2014) because it seemed so unique and significant. I couldn't believe that he'd prayed and God had answered, but that is the amazing thing about our God! He's alive and answers us...even when we're 3!

Tytus: "Is that where a baby comes out of your tummy mommy?"

Mommy: "No, but do you think God will give mommy and daddy another baby?"
Tytus: "Yes! I prayed and asked God a lot of days ago for a baby sister"
Mommy: "Did he answer you? Did he tell you yes or no?"
Tytus: "Uh....He said Yes!"
Mommy: "Did He tell you when she would be here?"
Tytus: "Oh! Maybe Easter aaaannnd then maybe Christmas!"

There are several significant things about this conversation. It's the first time we've talked about God answering specific prayers, but Tytus replied like he already knew that. Also, at this point we did know that we were pregnant and we knew the due date would be Christmas day. We ended up loosing that baby pretty early and Tytus' response was right in tune as if he knew all along what was going on (even though we never told him we were pregnant). He only brought it up once during that period of loss and he told me that God said "maybe later" about having our baby sister. I also thought his response of Easter and Christmas were awfully specific and random. We hadn't talked about either in great detail recently (since it was May) and really I expected his response to be something more like: a day of the week, nighttime, my birthday, etc.

A couple months later Tytus started asking about a baby sister again and our conversation was very similar to the previous one, but this time when I asked him when God said she would be here he said "at the beach!". I immediately started laughing because the night before Ian and I had booked two plane flights to Florida for a get-away in September. I repeated the story to Ian that night and he too immediately burst out laughing and asked how Tytus knew about that. I have no idea. There's no way he knew! Once September came around we had just found out we were pregnant again. I knew the week we'd be on vacation is the same week we had a miscarriage previously. I remembered Tytus' response and believed that God gave me peace that this time would be different and I shouldn't be worried but just enjoy our vacation together as a family of four. We had an amazing time together!

Once we started announcing our pregnancy and people would talk to the boys about it, Tytus' confidence never wavered. I spent time explaining that it really could be a boy or a girl. He would listen and agree that God makes brothers and sisters, but he always called the baby a she and always spoke as if it was definitely a girl. We were even at Target one day just browsing and he picked out the cutest winter coat and with bright eyes said "Mom, this would be perfect for our baby sister! Can we get it?" We were just a week away from having our sonogram appointment where we could find out the gender so I asked him if we could wait just a little bit longer to buy the baby something. I just marvel at his belief through all of this! He was so sure and steady even through all of our telling him he might be wrong......but he always knew what God had told him.

We did indeed find out at our appointment that he's having a baby sister! We all laughed a little bit and asked if they were sure, but Tytus was totally unfazed. I asked him, a few days after the appointment, if he was surprised. Nope. I asked him if he already knew. Yep. He answered with "Mom, I prayed a long time ago and God told me yes. And I believed Him."

Here are some things the boys and us picked out for her after our appointment :)

Also, her due date is right after Easter! And knowing that both of our boys came 1-2 weeks early, there's quite a chance that Tytus' prediction of Easter could be completely right!