June 7, 2026

Hosanna Ruth Habor McBride arrived around 3 a.m May 19. Her momma decided to labor unmedicated, so no pain control at all. I’ve never seen anything more primal in my life. And why even choose the pain? To tap into the birth experience of women through millennia before pain control was an option. It’s not the way I did it, and I’m glad about that. I took the meds. Motherhood has plenty of other pains that meds can’t ease. But I am awed by every way moms get their babies here.

There came a point when the midwife’s demeanor changed from “you can do this Grace” to “you have to get this done right now Grace!” Baby’s heart rate was dropping, the midwife said she would need to get the doctor if Grace didn’t push the baby out immediately, and Truly Great Aunt Bec was told to stop videoing. What we didn’t know was that Grace had a placental abruption. The placenta was detaching too soon which can be a life threatening medical emergency to mother and baby. Grace finished the job before an emergency C-section was needed, and we all cheered and cried when we learned the baby was girl!!

This surprise girl already has her daddy wrapped around her finger, tightly and tangly. I think a daughter softens a manly man in ways he doesn’t expect. I have three daughters and I don’t believe they would have needed their dad to protect them any more than sons would have, but there is a tenderness that pours from most daddies. Eli might come to be surprised just how rough and tough and tumble Little Miss Twinkle Toes can be.

And Hosanna’s toes…they’re already painted pink of course. Momma has waited a long time to be able to paint teeny tiny toenails with a tooth pick. She’s also got a wonky right foot from being malpositioned in utero, but she’s doing exercises to fix that. Hosanna has all the pinks and lavenders and yellows and flowers and pretties and fancies in her closet and her dresser. She’s dainty; only 7 pounds 2 ounces when she was born. She lost too much weight too quickly after birth, partly because she had a tight tongue (almost tongue-tied) that made nursing and nutrition a challenge. She had her tongue released last week and is better able to eat, and is now gaining some weight.

Big giant big bro Harry absolutely loves little Hosanna. He’s tender and caring and curious and delicate with her, and that’s sweet to see from this boy who crashes and smashes his monster trucks so violently with all the sound effects. Being a big brother is a big deal. Others before have tried and many have failed, but I know he will rise to the occasion. He doesn’t say Hosanna the way we say Hosanna. He calls her Who’s-anna. So when Harry says Who’s-anna, I say she’s My-sanna.

Hosanna is a reminder that we all need saving from something. Our troubles. Our choices. Ourselves. Our sins. For the believer, it’s the hopeful acknowledgment and jubilant announcement that our Savior is here to do what we cannot do for ourselves. Ruth is the ever loyal companion. The come-along friend. The OG OT ride-or-die. The Habor River is a tributary that feeds into and swells the Euphrates River. It brings nutrients and life into a well established watercourse. The Euphrates, like the McBrides before Hosanna, was doing just fine on its own, but how much more fertile and life-giving after the joining. The Israelites were reminded that even in exile near the Habor River, God was with them. Despite their disobedience, He was their companion and savior. We expect baby Hosanna to be a reminder of who our savior is, that He is our constant companion, and that He is never so harsh to His children that he won’t still be our fertile, nourishing ground.

Just as Harry had his first trip to the zoo when he was super tiny, we took Hosanna on Friday. She’ll never remember it. Grace, Harry, and Lolli will though. It was pretty hot and Hosanna strolled along, looking up at the sky peeking through branches. She’s a dappled light girl like her Lolli. We ate lunch in the cool car after touring Africa, before North America. Then Harry was bouncy and needed to stretch and move so Hosanna and I sat outside under a giant oak while Harry jumped and scampered and whacked the tree and the ground with a tree branch he called a sword. He waved at a motorcycle and pointed at trucks and looked for acorns and ants. Momma stayed in the car to pump more milk. I rocked Hosanna and told her a story while Harry interrupted after almost every line. It’s ok; Lolli loves those Harry hiatuses.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself 
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself 
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying I love you

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world
Ooh, yes