Since my Mom bragged on her blog, I decided that it was time that I let you in on a little secret....Ben is one smart cookie.  As his wife, I can take a turn on bragging, right?  I’m very proud of my husband.  A lot has changed for Ben in the past couple years and he has taken it all in stride.  He has moved from a rock star to a theologian (although he will always be a rock star at heart).  He will be graduating with his Maters in Theology this summer.  He has felt that God is calling him to be a teacher.  In order to do this, a Masters degree is not enough.  He has to get a PhD.  God opened a door for us and we’re going through it.  We are moving back to Pasadena in the fall for Ben to pursue his PhD at Fuller.  They offered him a scholarship which pays for his classes for the first 2 years.  (Apparently it is only offered to a few students each year and is reserved for the students that they really want.)  So, that means that we will have to live in Southern California for at least 2 years, but maybe as long as 5, which is probably how long it will take him to finish.  We are excited to live by Ben’s brother and his family and some of our dear friends.  It will be so hard to leave Seattle (hence the bitter part), but we really feel that we are doing what is right (the sweet part).  

Well, she’s here.  It’s been a month and we’re still in awe of the gift that has been entrusted to us.  She is amazing.  She is a very content baby and she hardly ever cries....when she does, she is easily consoled.  She is growing like a weed.  At her one month appointment she had already gained over 3 pounds to a whopping 10 pounds, 10 ounces.  She’ll be a big girl like her Mom.  She has grown a second chin and her cheeks are round and oh so kissable.  She is very vocal and grunts and moans all the time.  She is in our bedroom (due to the one bedroom status of our apartment), so it took a bit getting used to her sounds at night.  She just moans and groans to let me know that she is awake at night.  I’ll take that over crying any day.  She smiles and makes eye contact....especially with Daddy.  She just loves that guy!  She loves music.  Particularly semi-loud music with a beat.  Although we still feel a bit like we’re babysitting, we are so thankful for our precious Amelia and we love her so much already.  

It’s been sinking in for 5 weeks or so.  We found out our little miracle is a GIRL!  It was quite something when they did the ultrasound.  When the tech first put the machine on my belly, my immediate thought was “oh my word, there is a baby in there!”  Duh.  Of course I knew that, but after seeing her laid out from head to toes as the first thing, it really hit home.  It didn’t take long to find out that she’s a she.  It was extremely obvious....if you know what I mean.  We were so amazed to see all of her pieces and parts.  We watched her kick and move, swallow, and hide her head when the tech was trying to measure her brain.  It truly is amazing and we feel so blessed to be gifted this little one.  So, 24 weeks down.  Feeling great.  Getting large and in charge....my belly is like it’s own entity.  If just keeps growing as if it has a mind of it’s own.

So, we’ll just cut to the chase.  We’re having a baby.  Seems hard to really wrap our minds around, but I guess it’s true.  That little “bean” with a heartbeat on the ultrasound machine and the lub dub we heard on the doppler is real.  We’ve known since about 4 weeks, but yet it still seems unbelievable.  As my stomach grows “thicker”, as I like to call it, it is beginning to seem more real, but not totally.  What a bizarre concept to really understand.  There is a little being inside me that is growing at incredible rates and has vocal cords and eyebrows.  Really?!?  What a miracle.  Anyway, we are thrilled and are feeling really blessed.  We are due on Dec 26, so there will be no trip to Michigan for Christmas, but I think we have a good excuse.  There is added excitement of Ben’s brother and sister-in-law having a baby and due 2 days after us.  What a joy to share this with them in a special way.  

 

So, there were many that seemed shocked.  That surprised us, but added to the fun for us.  Ben’s Mom said that it “didn’t even cross my mind” and my Mom said that it wasn’t “on her radar”.  Grandma B, who was disappointed that her baby shawl that she made us years ago “didn’t help” us get the hint, said that she had “given up hope”....which Grandma Z seconded.  I don’t know, maybe it is more like Aunt Denise said “I just figured that you and Ben were so content and happy that maybe you would never have kids.”  Now, the content and happy thing is true, but we have always wanted a family and thought the time might be right....I guess God agreed and gave us this little bundle of blessing.   Almost 15 weeks in, 25 to go!

We are home.  I have to admit that I did have a brief moment of regret when we arrived in Seattle and it began to snow a couple days later.  That thought quickly faded as I soaked up the city once again.  Our apartment has been renovated while we were gone and we were lucky enough to have it still be available when we were moving back. We did do things a bit differently in our place, so it feels different in some ways.  The view hasn’t lost it luster; that’s for sure!  I already wrote a lot about our transition back on the picture page of the website, but there is more to be said.  It’s strange how one’s perspective changes when you step away from something.  I think it is fair to say that Ben and I learned many things during our adventure.  Here are a few:

 

    1. We love Seattle, but the weather sure is nice in CA in the winter.  It gave me more energy and lifted my spirits.

    2. We liked LA more than we thought....it isn’t just concrete, smog and traffic.  It’s      beautiful and there are so many things to do and places to see.

    3. We can up and move somewhere and be very happy and live life.  I’d dare say that we are a bit versatile.  

    4.  There are new things that we learned about Seattle after living in a bit of a sleepy town....the air seems so clean (especially after the rain), the city seems so alive, we’d trade the sunny weather for the water/mountain view any day.  Seattle is so beautiful.

    5.  We don’t want to take Seattle for granted.  We became more motivated to shop at The Market, go to shows, and soak up our amazing city.