I suppose I've kept you waiting long enough. The news has been spreading like wildfire. Those of you that were guessing girl (the majority) were right. We picked the name Jenna Hope, and I knew it was a keeper when I heard Julia say it the first time. So cute! Both John and I honestly would have been equally happy with a boy or a girl, so we're overjoyed.
It's nice now to be able to call her by name and plan ahead some. I daydream about my girls, both in the near future and later as they grow up. I pray that they'll grow up to be great friends, even if they fight when they're younger. And I pray that they'll grow up to be close to their dear mother who raised them, and I'll get to be an active part of my grandchildren's lives. Such fun things to dream about. I'm not oblivious to the many challenges that come with raising girls, believe me, and I also pray for the strength and wisdom to overcome in those times. But for now, I have visions of matching outfits and baby dolls, and all the fun things that come with little girls.
I've already had the awesome blessing of being able to see my dear husband interact so incredibly with our first daughter, and I can hardly believe that there was a time when I wished we'd have boys for his sake, not believing he'd be able to raise girls as well or love them the same. Shows how much I know. Also shows God's sense of humor, and how much more he has planned for us than I give him credit for. God has been softening my man for the entire 10 years I've been with him, preparing him for these daughters, and every day he shows me in a new way how God is forming him for this task. It's a sight to behold.
So, I'm looking forward to planning another girly nursery and taking a trip down memory lane as I unpack all those tiny baby girl clothes that I've been carefully tucking away all along. The summer is nearing an end already, and with only four months of pregnancy left, I know from experience that they will go even faster than the first four have. We have a second birthday to celebrate, followed by a pumpkin party, and then a time of Thanksgiving. We have preparations to make for Christmas, a basement to finish, an office to move downstairs, and a nursery to set up upstairs. (Boy, I hope that "nesting" instinct kicks into high gear soon!)
We're getting our house ready for you Jenna, even though our hearts have already welcomed you in.
