The morning of July 1st dawned in the usual Kansas way, sunny and humid. I woke up a little earlier than usual on this particular Sunday morning. My bladder just couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say that a few minutes later I was awakening my husband to see the results of our pregnancy test…The rest of that day is a blur. I remember that we went to church, taught our Sunday school class of four and five-year-olds, had family dinner with my parents and siblings at our apartment, and home group Bible study that night. All the while exchanging secret, knowing smiles and trying our best to act natural.

By now, most, if not all of you have heard our exciting news: Adam and I are expecting our second child in the beginning of March! My sweet husband is “convinced” (it’s more like a running joke) that our new addition will make his or her debut on February 22nd… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

We told our families on July 4th. That was a BUSY day! We had a support raising appointment in the morning. On our way to that appointment we told our girl that she was a big sister! Her response: “Yoot, Momma, horsies!”

After that appointment, we went to Adam’s parent’s house. It was a simple and fun celebration with the plan of cold cuts for lunch, swimming, naps for the three girls, and some of Adam’s extended family coming in the afternoon. I had this elaborate plan: After we went swimming, I’d offer to help the girls get dressed and they’d put on the shirts that I’d made for them (“Big Cousin”, “Middle Cousin”, “Little Cousin”) over their clothes. Flawless, perfect, beautiful plan… Except that we never went swimming. Oh, well. After the girls were up from their naps, I just took them upstairs and got them dressed. It still worked super well, and Adam’s aunt shot some cute photos before we left.

Supper was at my parent’s house, almost an hour away. No elaborate plan for this one. We ate, exchanging those same knowing smiles. My dad was working on a car until dark, so we let Chloe light her smoke bombs, shot some firecrackers, and then went inside to play Mario Cart on a new game system my brother had. After several rounds of us siblings taking turns, it was dark enough that Daddy came inside the house. Time for dessert! During dessert we whispered in Chloe’s ear and she got a big smile on her face and said, “I’m a big sister!”

In the following weeks we had one appointment with our midwife, Deidre on August 9th, told our church and extended family slowly but surely, and then moved to a different country with the plans to come back sometime in our last trimester and deliver our baby with our midwife. My belly got bigger. I first felt the baby on September 15th, Adam felt him or her on October 1st, we put this announcement on Facebook October 15th…

Now we are back stateside to finish out our pregnancy. We will be 33 weeks along tomorrow, the baby weighs about as much as a big pineapple and is approximately 18 inches long. We have names picked out and they are (still) a secret. We call the baby “Buster” because he or she seems to perpetually be trying to bust out.

With each punch, push, kick, and flutter, in going through baby clothes, finding Bible verses to go along with the names we have, and packing our “birth box”, I am reminded how much of a blessing it is to care for this tiny person and nurture his or her soul! Bringing a baby into this world is a big deal, but the even bigger deal is that how Adam and I raise this child, her big sister, and, if God so chooses, other siblings, will effect eternity. I pray that all my babies will love Jesus from an early age, but the way that I speak and act effects their beliefs and decisions more than anyone else in the world. This one thought woke me up at 5 am and birthed this post:

God, please let our children see You in me.