24 Weeks, February 18, 2007

The weeks just keep flying by - already 24 weeks! This past weekend we had Jered & Mandy Hanschen stop in on their move from Maryland to San Diego, CA. Mandy is due with her baby in August, and it was fun to compare pregnancy stories. On Friday, our dog, Ceasar, had his teeth cleaned (quite a process) and was a little tired from the anesthetic, but loves having canned dog food - the vet said that the teeth may be sore from cleaning, so we opted for soft food. Also, after Hanschen's left on Saturday, we painted the nursery and love how it turned out. I did wear a gas mask as you can see - just so the fumes wouldn't hurt the baby. I have Monday off for President's day, so I think I'll start on getting some sewing done for the room. This past week I started to realize all the things we need to get ready before June 10th! We've contacted a lawyer to draw up a will so that we have that in place, and I've also called a Pediatric office to take a tour and meet some of their Pediatricians. I didn't realize until one of my girlfriends told me that you have to have a Pediatrician picked out before your baby arrives so that they can come to the hospital to check the baby after delivery. Lots to prepare for, and I've been reading baby books to try to understand as much as I can about caring for this baby girl. John and I were talking Sunday morning about all of this, and yet in the midst of all the preparation, he reminded me that as important as it is to know how to calm a soothing baby, or get them on a schedule, the most important thing we can be doing for this little girl is praying for her to come to know Jesus at a young age, and to have a relationship with Him that is her own and not just her "parents' religion." John is such an encourager to me - I get busy with the planning and preparing, and yet when we look back at our childhoods, we see each of our mother's as an integral part of coming to know Christ as our Savior, and he pointed out that as a mother, I may very well be the one who leads her to a prayer of salvation and teach her about God. What an awesome responsibility! I love the verses in Deuteronomy 6:5-9, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These comandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Every aspect of our daily lives is a chance to see God at work and learn to live in a way that pleases Him.
This was all just a great reminder to me about getting some perspective on the fact that this child is not going to be a baby forever, and she's going to be a little person who needs to know that God loves her and wants a relationship with her. Hope you all have a great week - thanks for reading.