Another step in obedience, filled with JOY

As a sweet friend said today was “a big chapter in an amazing story- like a climax page!”

Today we met “L”- the precious woman that has chosen us to parent her baby. To say that Niles and I were nervous doesn’t really cover it. I stressed about what to wear, how to do my make-up, what to talk about- what NOT to talk about…. the list goes on and on.

We dropped off the boys, prayed in the car and after a quick walk in the blazing heat we walked into the restaurant and saw L for the first time. This was a moment we had prayed for for months, and a moment covered in prayer by our family and friends- and it was blessed.In true southern fashion we hugged this precious woman just seconds after meeting her- and it was awesome.

L shared with us how nervous she was too! How all she wanted was for us to like her. How she couldn’t decide how to wear her hair and how she’d made a poor earing choice. :) I think I loved her instantly.After our initial hellos it was time to order our lunch (lunch?? Who can eat at time like this??!). Anyways we made our orders and just started chatting. We talked about our nerves, what we liked to eat, what we all did as hobbies, where we like to vacation…etc….etc… It was a beautiful flowing conversation without any awkwardness at all. There is no explanation for the ease in our conversation other than the prayers of our friends and family. For that we are ever so grateful!

We asked L if she had named her baby or referred to her by any name in her mind. She was hilarious and told us she actually has an app on her phone with 5,000 baby names- ALL OF WHICH she has reviewed! So it was obvious to us that names mattered to her. She gave us 2 girl names she really liked- one of which “happens” to be the last name of one of our “heroes in the faith!” If you know our boys, they are both named after the last name of 2 heroes in the faith- a perfect name!  It was one of many confirming moments.

At some point in the conversation when we were talking about “Ruth” L gave us a smiling “warning” that she had only had one ultrasound and that she had heard of people whose “ultra sounds were wrong!”.

To be honest my mind started racing at the point! For the first time I realized that a “girl” prediction on an ultrasound was not a guarantee! All ultra sound technicians are not “created equally” and babies have a tendency to hide their “parts”… both the girl ones AND the BOY ones!! So in that moment I had a million thoughts, some of which were- oh my goodness! This baby, this baby that we have just assumed would be a girl because that’s what an ultra sound said MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A BABY BOY! What are we going to do?

But the thing is- that  this uncertainty will be the case with any birth mom we are matched with! Unless we are matched with a mother that has already had her baby, we will not know for sure whether it is a boy or girl until they are born!  And from what I remember little girl ultrasounds are the most likely to be misread!

ANOTHER CRAZY- FAITH BUILDING- TWIST!

One more time when the Lord asks us the question- will you be open handed with this baby? Will you move even in uncertainty? Will you trust that Romans 8:28 is true?

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

SO! So onward we go! We LOVE L and feel honored that she has chosen us to parent her baby- whether it is a boy or a girl! We will love and pray for this baby knowing the Lord knows how many hairs she/he will have and exactly what her/his name should be!  L will potentially have another ultrasound at her appointment next week… but ultra sounds are not a guarantee! So the Lord is again asking us to move in faith, showing us just one step at a time.

We will continue to pray for and ask for our “Ruth”- until a time when the Lord shows us we are actually having a “Boaz” ;)!