Awkward/Awesome

Awkward

1. The babysitter canceled last night and we couldn't find a replacement so I had to go to our Bradley Method class alone...on our labor practice night.  Thankfully, one of the attending doulas stepped in to be my 'partner'.  The awkward part?  When I had to 'labor' in the bathroom w/ a (mostly) complete stranger. and when she had to help me work on relaxation, which you'll understand if you have ever taken a Bradley or other similar class before..  Awkward? You betcha, but it actually worked out pretty well and I found out those doulas are some pretty great women.

2. The other day we had our family pictures taken.  The awkward part is when your (almost) 3 and 4 year old say, "Mama, you look sooo pretty!" because they notice that you are finally wearing the makeup that has been hiding in the closet for the last 6 months.

Awesome

!. We got our family pictures taken!  We don't have them yet, but there might be a smattering of samples on here soonish...sort of.  We don't post pictures of our children on line.

2.  I'm having a birthday party to celebrate my upcoming 30th.  I haven't had a birthday party, or cake for that matter, since I was 12.  When your birthday is on the 26th of December, you tend not to care about cake the day after Christmas, even if you enjoy it.  I decided the awesomeness of turning 30 needs to be celebrated this year, so I'm planning the party over a month early (along w/ another friend who also turns 30 on the 29th). : )

How Jeremiah got his Name

Like many women who have experienced multiple pregnancies, I knew I was expecting a couple of days before I actually took a test. I woke up very early one morning, and thinking of our last child who didn't make it prayed, "Oh Lord, how is this all going to work out?"  This rarely happens to me, but God responded immediately in my mind with the phrase, "For My glory."  As I contemplated those words, peace washed over me with the reminder that this pregnancy is not about me, no matter what happens.

My husband and I recognized this was a significant moment and made a point to remember it.  One way we chose to do that was to ask the Lord for a name for this child that goes along w/ that phrase, or even just the word 'glory.'  Girl names were obvious,  but none of them really seemed to feel quite right.  Boy names were all just very odd sounding in a, 'What were you on when you named this child?' kind of way.  That was until we stumbled on the name Jeremiah, and the suggestion that it's meaning - honor - is similar  to the word glory.  That seemed to fit so we agreed to keep it on the back burner for a while.

Well, just a few days later, the Holy Spirit strongly prompted me to turn to the book of Jeremiah in the Bible.  Note: I was not thinking about baby names at the time, just felt very impressed upon to look there.  I did, and this is what my eyes fell upon as I glanced down the page in the first chapter:

Jeremiah 1:5a

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;

It was then that I realized the name of the book of the Bible I was reading from (duh!). I showed my husband and we agreed, it seemed as if God was saying to us, "This child is a boy, and Jeremiah is his name."  Although I admit I questioned the experience many times after, overall I thought, how can I argue with something so clear?  So just a couple of weeks into the pregnancy, I felt like Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, or Hannah in the Bible.  I guess if he told them early on, he can tell me right?  I have not shared the story much until now, but I have held onto it with great hope, comfort, and encouragement from the Lord throughout these first 21 weeks. As many of you reading this likely know by now, we just found out 'officially' that we are expecting a boy!  Imagine my awe, yet lack of surprise, at the technician's proclamation of the sex. : )