Monday, October 12, 2009

Eleven Years Ago

On Sunday evening, October 11, 1998, Drew and I were at a Care Group Leaders’ meeting at the home of our Sunday School teacher. I was quite pregnant, but thought I still had about 3 weeks to go until the due date of our first child. I had just the week before finished my last week at work in anticipation of staying home with our little guy, and had just had a baby shower the day before – the gifts were still in their bags in the living room , we had not had time to put them away yet.

While having dinner that night at our friends’ house I was laughing at a funny joke someone had made, when I realized something was definitely happening. Drew pulled my friend into the kitchen and I asked her if it could really be my water breaking, and she insisted I call the doctor and get myself to the hospital RIGHT NOW. So, we left the meeting, went by the house to hurriedly pack my hospital bag, which had not been packed yet – that had been on the agenda for Monday! As we hurried in the door of the women’s center, the man at the welcome desk took one look at me and my husband, smiled, and said, “There’s the elevator – third floor, first door on your right.” Or something like that. Who remembers the exact words now? When we got upstairs, I told the first hospital staff type person I saw why we were there and she took me to the nurse on duty who did not look up and said something about having me wait a minute, until she looked up and realized that I definitely needed to be put in a room.

Excited, nervous, happy..…..and at 12:31 PM the next day, Monday, October 12, 1998 we welcomed our sweet Joshua into the world.

And now, eleven years later, it seems like just yesterday he was our “little man,” and then I blinked and he’s this big kid. It’s not going to be any time at all before he’s taller than me, and I’m feeling like a dork for crying when I posted a happy birthday to him on Facebook. He’s a really neat kid, and I’m so grateful to be his mom. I pray he will continue to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we teach him well, and never forget our calling to train him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. May God be merciful and gracious to mature him and develop in him a love for Christ Jesus, in spite of my many failings as a mom.

Happy birthday to my oldest son.

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