Officially announcing Adalynn Hall, due March 2, 2012:
"Oh God, I praise You that you are intimately acquainted with all of Adalynn's ways. I thank You that You have gone before her and followed her and that You placed Your hand of blessing on her head. This knowledge overwhelms me with gratitude and I thank YOU!
Right now, You, the Master Weaver, are forming her personality and emotional makeup, weaving them together in my womb. Wonderful are Your works!
You know all about my daughter. You are knitting together her body, soul, and spirit. As a crafter creates intricate embroidery stitches, You are superintending every detail of her beautiful design.
You have prerecorded all the days set before her on this earth. Already You are preparing her portion and her cup.
Oh God, You are great! I praise YOU! You have created who she is to be, but also what she is to do. You have created her to fulfill a unique plan ordained especially for her. Truly, my daughter is fearfully and wonderfully made. I praise You for Your awesome work."
(adapted from a prayer based on Psalm 139 written by Linda Dillow)
Yesterday, Gregg and I went to have the sonogram that would tell us the gender of baby Hall #2 (aka Baby A)! I could barely sleep the night before...it felt like Christmas Eve! My mom came over to stay with Zeke and we headed to "Baby's First Images."
As the technicians started to look at the baby, it was curled up and didn't want to show us its gender. Finally after a lot of prodding, I saw one of the technicians smile and I knew she could tell. They, both quickly announced, "IT'S A GIRL!"
I teared up and Gregg squeezed my hand. I have been thrilled all along to see that this baby is healthy. Obviously, that is the most important thing. I also have desired since I was big enough to crawl to be a Mommy. I would crawl over to my baby dolls and rock them. God blessed us immeasurably with Zeke and I am honored to be given the chance to be his mommy. I also know that boys have a special relationship with their moms, but it is usually different than the bond a mother and daughter share. God has blessed me with a mom that became my best friend. I am realistic, and know that may not be the case with Adalynn, but I pray we are close all the days of her life. I know she may want to play soccer and not take ballet, but, it will be fun letting her try it out when she is young.
I think when Gregg found out we were having a boy, he already started having dreams of taking him hunting and teaching him about wildlife. It is natural as parents to want to share our passions with our children.
Most importantly, we pray each day that our children will choose Jesus Christ as their Savior. We pray for their future spouses if they are to be married. We thank God for healthy children.
Back to the "announcement story..." After we found out it's a girl, we headed to Publix to buy an "It's a girl" balloon. They didn't have any, so we decided "Birthday girl" would do the job! We put it in a big box and headed home to announce the news to my mom and Zeke.
Zeke got to open the box. Of course he was more excited about the "geen boon" than what it said, but my mom knew instantly, and was elated. We celebrated together and praised God again.
So...this morning, I praise God because He is in control of all things. I thank Him for choosing to bless me with the desire of my heart....a son AND a daughter!
Her name is Adalynn after Gregg's mom and my mom (Ada and Lynda). We will use Rose as her middle name (my grandma's maiden name) and may add a second middle name (we are still deciding).
Thank you to all of you who prayed even before we conceived, that God would bless us with a daughter.
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."
(John 1:16)
