Happy Birthday!

 Welp...its official! I have a one year old?! How did this happen? Can it really be? Well...yes. I took her to her well baby check up and her doctor confirmed....one year old. She weighs 16lbs 2 oz. and is 27 inches long. She is so small, she is not even on the growth chart :( Small but healthy! I have done so much reminiscing in the past week. Thinking a lot of  "this time last year____". I can't help it though... 

I was thinking about how awful November 19th 2009 was. I felt like I was dying, and heard the news my daughter would be born soon. The first doctor said she would come in a couple days. A COUPLE DAYS? I just kept saying "she's not ready, she's not ready"...and I wasn't ready either. It was horrible to hear Justin call our family and friends to tell them the news...and it was heartbreaking later to hear the doctor say she was going to be born today...like right now. Even now as I write, my eyes fill with tears at the thought of how that might have possibly been the worst moment of my life...but I will choose to never forget this time! And I will tell you why I don't want to forget or choose to not remember that part of our story, because it was written by God.  I was driving home this week from a meeting I was struck in a new way by God's word. I have read the following verses probably 100 times this year, but in the car driving...it became so clear to me what the writer meant!

Lamentations 3:19-24

The thought of my suffering and homelessness
      is bitter beyond words.

I will never forget this awful time,
      as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
      when I remember this:

  The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

     His mercies never cease.
  Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning.
  I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
      therefore, I will hope in him!”

I will CHOOSE to never forget of this awful time. Because when I think of our "suffering" I am IMMEDIATELY reminded of God's goodness, His mercy to us in our time of need, and His faithfulness. Not one second during our month long separation from our daughter did we feel alone. We knew God had brought us to this trial, and we knew He would carry us through it. The outpouring of love from our small group and church was beautiful. I trusted on God's goodness so much during that time...and that is what I don't want to forget! I want to remember the hard time, so the remembrance of God's grace is that much sweeter. 

Here are some pics from Lauren Lasita Photography. She did such a great job!

Next up...a letter to Inara. My mother wrote letters to me growing up and gave them to me on my wedding day...it was the sweetest thing ever. I plan to do the same for our baby girl!