A Real Harnation

 Little Girl, future Auburn class of... 2034?

Since most of you know the skinny on the goods by now, this is less of an "announcement" and more of an "acknowledgment".   If you've seen me in the last month or so, I hope it was painfully obvious that Matt and I are expecting our first little rugrat this spring (versus what might have otherwise appeared as the after effects of indulging my sweet tooth and skipping the gym one too many times).

I tried to think of something witty to say about our impending arrival, but I'm fresh out.  We're just excited.  We're happy, scared, and cautiously optimistic about opening this next chapter in our lives together.  I feel like we've laid a pretty good foundation for our relationship with one another over the last eleven years, and I can't wait to raise children with this man that I share my life with.

Baby Girl, as she is affectionately referred to, has no name.  Not because we have an awesome name picked out that we're saving until she comes, but because we just simply can't agree on one.   We haven't fought about it, but we also haven't found anything that we both think will work. 

 Baby legs.  At 16 weeks, we already had photographic evidence of this girl's long 

Harness/Long legs and big ole Shipman noggin'. 

(can you see the shadow of her hand on her chin?)

It's funny how our opinions of things have changed over the years.  There was a point when neither of us was fully convinced that we'd ever want kids.   I certainly didn't ever want to stop working full time and shuddered at the thought of it.  Now we're giddy about this child that God has growing inside of me, and I'm trying to figure out how to knock out as much of my thesis research in the next two and a half months as possible so that I can take an extended maternity leave before returning to work part-time. 

Obligatory pregnancy pose.  Baby and me at 29 weeks.

I feel like our marriage is stronger than ever, and I've been taken aback a few times with the sudden realization of how much I love this man that I'm married to and how much he means to me.  (Of course, then it's usually followed up by my having to apologizing for being extra cranky that day and snapping at him for no reason.)

Although this has been a very easy pregnancy so far, I have still developed a love-hate relationship with being pregnant.  I've been a little surprised at how unprepared I was emotionally for the changes in how I look and my physical shape, confronting me with my own vanity and selfishness.  On the other hand, I love the connection I feel to this child.  She's about as active as I could have ever thought possible, and if I didn't have things to do every day, I think I could spend hours watching my stomach ripple and move with each kick and stretch.

One of the most exciting things about this is that just three short months later, we will get to meet our own niece or nephew when Baby Pie arrives.  I have prayed that one day we would grow up and get to raise children together, and am excited beyond words at His perfect timing in all of this. I enjoyed having cousins close to my and my sisters' ages and wanted the same thing for my own children.  I can't wait to watch these two grow up together.

I'm praying for a child that never knows a day when she did not call our Lord her God and Savior,  for a daughter that might (graciously) be kinder to me as a preteen than I was to my own wonderful mother, for Matt's and my marriage to be strengthened and protected, and for His blessing on this and any future additions to our family.