glory babies

i have three precious friends that i have been praying for as a group for awhile now. all three were excited to find that they were pregnant with their first child only to go through a miscarriage shortly afterwards. (i will not try to even begin to relate to their experiences, though i have walked alongside both my sister-in-law and her sister as God used their miscarriages to teach them innumerable things about His sovereignty and goodness.) my three sweet friends all acknowledged God's hand over their lives, but at the same time, the mommy's heart in each of them still longed for a child. christy and catherine's miscarriages happened shortly before caroline's birth last fall, and as i sat nursing caroline in the middle of the night, i prayed for my friends. as i changed yet another diaper, i prayed for my friends. i did not just pray that God would give them a child, but i prayed that God would give them peace...that my friends would rest in the fact that the reality of having a baby was not up to them, but that such a gift was in the hands of our God Almighty. so i prayed. i prayed and i prayed. and then in february of this year, ashley shared that she too had just had a miscarriage. so i cried with her and encouraged her the best i could, and i committed to pray for her too.

in april, 6 months after her miscarriage, christy announced her healthy, 14 week pregnancy. oh, praise the Lord! and now here we are in october, and she is due anyday with sweet sadie faith. christy was just telling me yesterday in an email about how sadie's middle name "faith" is more than just a name and that she looks forward to sharing this story of God's faithfulness with her daughter. what a blessing it was to see cute pregnant christy earlier this summer... it was almost as if my thomas eyes needed to just touch that belly of hers! as i was looking back in old emails last night to get some dates straight, it hit me that the date on christy's email telling us about her miscarriage was october 11, 2006. that was one year ago today. this time last year, christy was listening to this sweet song. this time last year, christy was clinging to the peace and constancy of our Father, knowing that His timing is always right. though she was uncertain about what the next weeks, months, and even years would hold for her family, she could rest in the certainty of the promises of God. fast forward one year, and christy is 40 weeks pregnant, wondering when sadie will make her entrance into the world. and again, christy is reminding herself that God's timing is always right! we can't wait for the news of sadie's birth!

catherine announced her pregnancy a couple of months ago, and ashley's good news came a few weeks later... i know my jaw hit the floor when catherine said, "well, we have some exciting news", and though her husband tried to throw me off, i KNEW what she was about to say!!! she would have been in trouble if her "exciting news" would have been a new car or something! when i received ashley's email that strongly hinted toward her pregnancy, i ran straight out into the backyard and yelled the good news to my mom, who was playing with the kids. (i think i yelled, "guess who's pregnant!" but i quickly followed it up with "ashley!" so that my mom didn't have to wonder if i'd just taken a pregnancy test-ha!) catherine is due at the end of february, and ashley is due april 1. i look forward to sharing in the joys and excitement of their pregnancies, knowing that these women are in absolute awe and wonder of the miracles of God that are growing inside of them (separate miracles, one in each. not twins. just clearing that up!). and since catherine lives just minutes away from me, i will love seeing her baby often and sharing the everyday blessings and challenges of motherhood with her. catherine actually finds out the gender of her baby tomorrow, so i will be waiting for that news!! i was telling her tonite about how exciting it is to see your baby during the sonogram... to see the heart beating and to feel a kick while you watch YOUR BABY moving on the screen! what a miracle of God. i remember telling someone when i was pregnant with ethan that i honestly do not understand how a woman can carry a child and not believe in God. it is humbling and mindboggling and altogether wonderful to think about this child growing within you. it cannot be chance. it cannot be evolution. it is God.

i was able to visit with ashley in april, a couple of months after her miscarriage. this was her first time to meet caroline. she has always expressed so much love and excitement toward my children, and this time was no different. i was not surprised to see that ashley was strong as she held my baby girl, she was so genuinely happy for me. but i could also see the mother's heart in her... her desire to hold her own baby. when kristie went through her miscarriage, she shared with me that God had given her a mother's heart, even if but for this one short time... and as i watched ashley adore ethan and caroline that weekend, i saw her mother's heart. this summer in savannah, again, as my friends doted over my children, and as we all doted over christy and her belly, ashley rejoiced with us in our blessings. and now, i am so thankful to rejoice with ashley in her precious blessing!

i am in tears as i write about my dear friends. as i stated earlier, i will not pretend to relate to their experiences with miscarriages, but i can surely share in their praise to our God for His goodness in their lives. these babies will grow up hearing about the presence of God in their lives. these babies will grow up knowing their daddy & mommy's story of walking by faith. these babies will bring glory to God with their little bitty newborn lives. and i can't wait to kiss their fat cheeks.

praise God from whom all blessings flow.

(don't my friends look like naturals holding my babies? from the top: christy with ethan, july 2006; catherine with caroline, january 2007; ashley with caroline, april 2007)