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Ken started a tradition almost 20 years ago when we first started dating: he buys me an ornament every year for Christmas. When we started having children, he added them to his Christmas tradition and by the time they move out of the house, they will have a nice start to their own tree and with it lots of memories. He puts a lot of thought into it and picks an ornament that fits our personality or interests at the time or something relating to what is going on in our lives. So decorating the tree starts with opening the new ornament and putting it on the tree. There is great excitement when the girls open their boxes of ornaments from years past and remember what he gave them and why they received those particular ones. For those who know Gracie, you will not be surprised that she has several Elmo ones nor for Hope that she has various princess ones. And for me, it is perfectly fitting that I have some pertaining to chocolate! Ha ha.
So this is Zoe's first year of getting her ornament and it was pretty much a no-brainer of what she would be getting: a snowflake, of course! We are still in awe of our little snowflake and so humbled by God's kindness He lavished on us in making her a part of our family.
As you celebrate your own Christmas traditions, remember the reason we have Christmas: to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Our Savior, the One who came to this earth and lived a perfect life. Our Savior, the One who fulfilled every aspect of the Law. Our Savior, the One who was tempted in every way but remained sinless. Our Savior, the One who died on the cross as the payment for our sins. Our Savior, the One who rose again. And our Savior, the One who now sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes on our behalf.
Merry Christmas!
So early last week we had a re-licensing with our caseworker. She asked us how we were doing with a newborn and if we are open to having placements still. We told her that until we get better adjusted to a new baby, we would probably not take any placements. The one exception we would consider would be Lindsay since we took care of her over the summer. Not 5 minutes after she left, we received a call that Lindsay needed emergency placement and would we be willing to take her. Ken and I talked about it briefly and decided to take the plunge and see how it went. It has been almost a week now and we have been getting a taste of what it would be like to have twins. It is busy!!!! And tiring!!!! And as a mother, there is a constant battle against guilt of not giving every child what they need. There is always more that can be done, but not enough time or energy. But God is faithful like He always is and we are trusting that He will guide our steps and make clear the right decisions.
Thankful for His sustaining grace,
B
Our little bundle of joy arrived on October 4, 2010. I must say I was humbled a bit because I was so convinced that it was a boy and we ended up having a girl. It was a good reminder that my intuition is not always what I think it is. None the less, I couldn't be happier with the little girl God gave us. My heart is filled with so much gratitude at His awesome kindness that I really don't have words right now to express the joy I feel. I look at her and cannot believe that Ken and I have the privilege of being her daddy and mommy. She was frozen for 10 years as an embryo and now here she is breathing and living in this world. It is still surreal and hard to wrap my mind around. Zoe's life did not come as a surprise to God and He knew of her beginnings and her life story even before the foundations of the world. It gives me a lot of comfort knowing that we serve a sovereign God who ordains each one of our lives and the steps we take. As each of our stories are told, may they continue to point back to our God and Savior.
Grateful for His goodness,
B
This will be the last post before baby arrives, but it certainly isn't the end of this baby's story. I am excited to see God's plan for this baby unfold and to have a front row seat in watching it. God is so good and so kind and I am in awe of how He works all things for His glory and our good. I pray that we will be good stewards of this little life and point him (or her) to the gospel.
Looking forward to meeting you little baby and holding you in my arms,
mommy
Time is ticking and it is exactly 28 days from today that we will meet our little one. The C-section is scheduled for October 4 at 8am. Although I am getting a bit uncomfortable now, I am looking forward to this last month of spending quality time with the girls and getting into a good school routine.
Some may know or not know that we took care of a newborn this summer through the foster care system. She came at 3 weeks (born 4 weeks premature) and left at 3 months which was just over a week ago. Let me tell you, this added responsibility made the summer and last couple months of pregnancy zoom by! It was so exhausting, but God's grace was sufficient in our times of need. Although we just went through the whole newborn stage and get to do it all again in a month, I don't think we would have changed it. We got to see a little baby begin to thrive, hopefully planted some seeds in the parents, and if nothing else, we get to pray for little Lindsay and her well-being and salvation for the rest of our lives. It was a sad sad day to let her go, but thankfully we have a sovereign God in whom we can take comfort. It looks like we may be involved in the mom and baby's life in some capacity, but we just don't know what that will look like yet.
I say all that to say I am thankful for this month of relative rest before we do it all over again. Except this time, this baby doesn't have to leave.
Be encouraged that we serve a sovereign God and we can rest in His ordained plans over our lives.
For His glory,
B
1 week old
1 month old
1.5 months old
2 months old
