December 30, 2009

One big question hung in the air in a birthing suite at Columbia Center on April 5, 2008. Were Justin and Melissa Yanke having a boy or a girl?

Justin is one of four boys and Melissa one of four girls, so the chances seemed pretty even. The fresh paint in the nursery was a green with “very neutral” bedding. They were ready either way.

While they didn’t want to know the gender of their first born in advance, they still couldn’t help but guess. “We were thinking we were having a boy because the nurse we had through the night told us about her grandson,” said Melissa. “But then my three sisters and my mother Debbie came rushing in to tell me that Ella Enchanted was on TV. They said we must be having a girl.”

Melissa has always loved the name Ella Elizabeth and has known since she was in college that when she had a daughter, she would give her that name. It was her great, great grandmother’s name, and had charmed Melissa from the moment she first heard it.

But Justin and Melissa weren’t convinced they were having a girl. After waiting all through the night, at 4:42 a.m., the doctor held up their new baby and announced, “It’s a …”

“That’s all he said; he let us see for ourselves,’ said Melissa. There she was. Ella Elizabeth Yanke was born.

Ella’s only the second girl on Justin’s side of the family, and they are thrilled to have her, said Melissa. “My brother-in-law always tells Justin, ‘Good luck with the girls.’”

Now a one-year-old, Ella is more than good luck, said Melissa. “She’s a joy. Ella is the happiest baby ever, the sweetest soul. She is so social and bubbly. When you see her, you have to smile. Even when she is tired and sleepy, she still has that smile.

“It’s always nice to come home to her. When I have a rough day, I always have Ella to cheer me up.”