At the beginning of June, I had the opportunity to travel back to our homeland for a shower thrown by my sweet sister and sister-in-law. It was so fun to see family and a few friends, some that I hadn’t seen in over 2 years since our wedding! We were OVERWHELMED by the love of everyone for Eaglette, Nathan and I. Thank you to everyone who came, and thanks to my sisters for throwing such a great party! Thanks, Stacey for taking pictures at the party.
With my cousin Maggie, due two months after me. (Me at 32 weeks)
I also got to spend some time with Nathan and my parents. We all met up Friday night at Hessen Haus for some Deutsche grub and it was incredible. As I sat there flanked on my right by my own mother, on my left my mother in law, and across from me our dad’s, I was again reminded of God’s provision for us in the way of great parents. I started to think about the legacy these two couples have started for us and the wisdom they so often provide to us. Our little guy is going to love them so much and be blessed by grandparents whose greatest joy would be to see him grow to know and love the Lord. And they’re a lot of fun too.
Iowa is also somewhat a place of retreat for me. Whenever I return, it seems like God uses it to refocus on my faith. When I’m in Iowa I’m reminded of where I was spiritually before we came to California and He always reminds me that He is just as much here as He is there. Sounds painfully obvious, but let me tell you, there are days when I desperately struggle to see Him in our circumstances here. While I was visiting Cornerstone while back, I heard a great quote by Jeff Dodge that said “We can not underestimate God’s power in the midst of our own weaknesses.” It was a little morsel that I needed reminded of.
I had a lot of down time with my own parents. We swam, ate, slept and shopped a little. They LOVE to take me around their property to show me what they’ve planted or what they’re working on. As I left for the airport it was the strangest feeling to know that this would be the last time that I was in the home that I grew up in without my own child. I’ve always been the baby of the family, especially my dad’s baby and I felt nostalgic about hugging my dad goodbye and knowing that the next time he saw me I’d have a baby in my arms. My next thought was “I’m not ready for this”, followed by a glance and my bulging belly and thinking “Too late.” 🙂
So now I’m home sitting in our living room, surrounded by piles of new baby gear, most of which I’m not even sure of it’s function and wondering where we put all of this stuff. With 6 weeks to go we’re in full baby prep mode, talking about labor, getting our room ready, working on names for the little booger, and sleeping a lot! My last day of work has been set and I’m trying to not count down the days until I’m done but enjoy these last 6 weeks of relative freedom.
West Coast Nest 