Waiting...

Well, here it is 2 days after my due date! Jon and I recently cast our predictions for when Baby VK would arrive, and so far, I'm wrong and he still has a chance! I went with my due date, June 4. Seemed like a great day, and I felt like history was on my side. My mom told me that my grandma had my Uncle David (her 1st) on his due date, and my mom had me (her 1st) on my due date. Soo... I felt like it was a strong track record :) Obviously, I was wrong, and it instead went to Cait to have Zayley (her 1st) on her due date :) Jon on the other hand went a couple days over, choosing June 6. Well here it is, June 6, and he just might have hit the nail on the head!

Since Friday, I've been having what I guess are Braxton Hicks consistently enough and with no pain or discomfort. I was feeling pretty good about that and glad for the progress my body seemed to be making. However, when Monday rolled around and there didn't really seem to be any other indicator, I started to get impatient! I then decided that I just am going to plan to be in this for the long haul, and if baby comes, then baby comes and it is the Lord's timing!! That has helped! Nights have been the worst the last few days because of the belly and difficulty changing positions, but also because of the anticipation of contractions!

Okay - back to Jon possibly hitting the nail on the head. I woke up at 2:30 this morning to what seemed to be a contraction and with pain this time. I started timing them at about 3:00am and finally got up to eat a few crackers and grab some water. Jon joined me about 4:30 when he realized I'd been out of bed awhile, and we've been timing the contractions since then. From what we can tell so far, it's false labor. However, there are some indicators that suggest real labor is near. So - we'll see if June 6 is the day or not :)

Jon has been adorable these last few days, and just is so excited to have the baby here! It's been so great to have the last couple of weeks with a clean house, projects done and just to have lots of R & R with Jon before the baby arrives! We are so blessed and can't wait for our new addition!!

Celebration!

Well - it's a big day for Jon! Today, he is 31 years old!! Like each of us, his story and journey are unique, but I'm so thankful for his being exactly what it has been! Without all the joys, triumphs, falls, pains, challenges, successes, and unexpectedness of life, I wouldn't know this same amazing man! I'm so grateful that the Lord allowed our paths to cross, and that I'm able to celebrate his life with him today! I'm so proud of the man that Jon is, the ways that I've seen him challenged in the past 3 years, the obstacles I've seen him overcome, the leaps of faith I've seen him take, and the evolution that has taken place in him personally and professionally! I can't imagine sharing my life with anybody else, and I'm so pumped to start a new phase of life together as parents!

Happy Birthday Love!!

Awful, Beautiful Life

On Wednesday, I was driving to work early by myself so that I could leave at lunch and head to Hays for our 39 week check up. As I was driving, Darryl Worley's song, Awful, Beautiful Life came on the radio. While I really do enjoy the whole song, here are the lyrics that jumped out at me as I drove along:

I laid in bed that night and thought about the day
And how my life is like a roller coaster ride
The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way
It'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight
You can't really smile until you've shed some tears
I could die today or I might live on for years

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautful life

These words are so true in our lives! Just that morning, I'd read a status update on Facebook from a dad who lost his son a week ago. His son had just graduated from my HS the week or two before, was up early driving to work, fell asleep at the wheel and had a head on collision with another car, injuring the other driver. I don't know this young guy, and I only recognize his dad by name. However, when I read the article in the paper, the comments online and how this dad was seeing his son in a new light - the way that others saw him, no longer just as he'd seen him all these years, and that he'd positively impacted so many people, I was convicted with the thought of how often we see the people we love most just as how we see them. Too often we don't see all of them, the way they treat/impact others, their joys, their fears, etc. We see snapshots and don't work to see the whole person. Even those we love most. This family is certainly on life's roller coaster ride right now, clinging tightly so as not to fly off as they adjust to life without this young man who seemingly had his whole life ahead of him.

Aren't we all on a roller coaster ride in life? I sure feel like I am! I'm overwhelmed by how dramatically my prayer list has grown in the last 2 weeks with bad news followed by more disheartening news mixed in with joys and hope! But, like these lyrics say, you can't really, REALLY smile until you've shed some tears - I could die today or i might live on for years. Let's strive to make the most of THIS moment because we're not promised any certain number of moments! Strive to embrace the experiences along the way and hold fast to the Lord who is there in all of it. He's there in the crazy, tragic, magical, awful, beautiful parts and has an open invitation for us to invite Him on that journey each day.