Better Late Than Never I Suppose

Okay, so almost a week ago, several sweet bloggers hosted an online baby shower for precious Kelly at this site. I'll spare you the details and not go on and on about how crazy this week has been. Now without further ado, some thoughts for and about Kelly, Scott and Harper! When I was growing up, I thought Kelly was "it!" And quite frankly, I still do! I admired her like any little girl would. She was beautiful, friendly, and sweet. I remember writing her letters which I'm sure was wierd to her because we saw each other often and lived just minutes away...but at any rate, she would write me back. At one point, my favorite pastime was playing with the awesome dollhouse that used to be Kelly's. Her mom passed it along to me

after she had outgrown it. It had the coolest furniture and I played so many hours with that thing!

Dinner on the grounds, church camps, Christian concerts, and outings to the Mountain Home Pizza Hut are some but certainly not all of the fond memories that inlcude Kelly...There was no one that I thought would be more suitable for motherhood, than the woman you see standing in this photograph:

Which is just another one of the reasons that my heart broke over and over again as I learned of her struggle with infertility. I think I wanted pregnancy for her more than I have wanted anything for anyone in a long time. Like so many others, we were praying earnestly for God to hear our prayers and grant this precious couple what they so desperately wanted...a child to love and call their own!

Isn't God wonderful?! My heart rejoiced when Kelly emailed my sister and I the great news! We (Jamie and I) live thirty-five minutes away from one another, but I'm surprised we couldn't hear each other screaming! And this is another favorite photo that captures the joy of one of the sets of grandparents to be:

Kelly, I know you recently finished the Stepping Up study on the Psalms of Ascent with Beth Moore. There was one particular day in our homework where she referred to a "Mothers and Others" banquet that their church used to have. I remember one particular sentence that asked, "Are you aching to be a mother? Somebody out there needs an other." She had just finished talking about how maternal she was and how a lot of young women needed some extra mothering. Earlier in the lesson she had noted that you do not have to have physical children to do some effective parenting.

I thought immediately about how many young women that you had been that "other" to over the years. You are very special indeed, and God has used your testimony to minister to so many other young women out there and I am thankful for that.

Now, you get the be the "mother" and what a wonderful one you will be! I have no advice for you other than not to panic...I was scared too death to come home the first night with Jaiden because she just looked so little and fragile and I was so afraid I wouldn't know how to take care of her right. But don't worry...it's just comes natural! God gives you the maternal instinct and it just starts to feel like you've done it all your life! I seriously stayed an extra night because I was too scared to leave the hospital...but when Jeryn was born, I was begging to come home about an hour later because I felt like I knew what I was doing.

You and Scott are going to be great parents! May God bless the two of you and that sweet baby girl, Harper! We love you guys!