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A Letter to Baby B: 20 Week Ultrasound

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Our Sweet Child,

Yesterday your daddy and I saw your beautiful face you for the first time. I am 20 weeks pregnant, but you are only 18 weeks old. We got to see your precious feet. The ones we will get to hold and kiss in just 20 weeks or so. We saw your beautiful eyes that will one day show you all of God’s beauty in this world. Your tiny lips are forming and you like to open your mouth wide for us to see. We didn’t want to find out if you are a boy or a girl, but the doctor said it was easy to tell. Your daddy could barely stand not looking at the monitor when they were checking, but we are both sure about waiting. Whether you are our daughter or our son, you are a blessing, our precious gift from God and we will love you all the same.

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Your daddy had to leave school early to come to your appointment. He usually has to miss it, but he wouldn’t miss the day we get to see your amazing face for the first time. He had never even heard your little heartbeat before. I know the sound was comfort to his ears. His heart was full as more and more of your miraculous body was revealed to us. We are already so in love with you and are somewhat patiently waiting your arrival. We want you to have plenty of time to grow big and strong, but we are anxious to hold you in our arms and kiss those little feet we just saw.

Today is daddy’s 30th birthday. The greatest gift he could receive was seeing your adorable face and knowing that you are healthy. You are already giving your daddy a birthday present and you don’t even know it. You know, we are pretty blessed to have you, but you have quite a gift as well. You have the best daddy a child could ask for. Casey loves the Lord with all his heart. He desires to love Him and His people well. He has fought hard for your mommy and is 100% committed to our family. He honors me with his words and actions. He has a servant’s heart and his generosity exceeds any I have ever seen. He is constantly learning and never stops exploring his soul and striving to be more Christ-like. He gives out grace freely even when it is totally undeserved, just like Jesus does. He leads our home with compassion and love. I pray that you follow in the footsteps of your daddy and let him lead you like Christ is leading him. Most importanly, your daddy has wanted you and has never stopped praying for you. He loved you before you were ever created. You can trust that he will always be here for you. You are his and he is yours, and no matter what may come your way or the trials hat you may endure, you can trust that’s one thing that will never change.

Baby B you are so loved!

Your Mom

 

Originally written January 14, 2014

The Husband Speaks on Leadership

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In my previous post I mentioned wanting Casey to share some insights from his perspective. I’ve been trying to get him to blog from his perspective for a while and finally he found just the right topic. Enjoy! And make sure to let him know if you like it by commenting. I’ll need all the help I can get to encourage him to write again 🙂

I continue to struggle with Ephesians 5 and what it means to be the “head of the household” like Christ is to the church.  I’m not a naturally bold person unless it is something I’m truly passionate about while Shana has a good argument regardless of the topic at hand.  Therefore, leading Shana and being responsible for my household tends to promote feelings of inadequacy.

Lately I’ve been practicing my “pack leadership” skills (thanks Cesar) while walking Minny before school.  I’ve focused on a “calm-assertive” approach while maintaining consistent boundaries; Minny has responded tremendously while my confidence with her has skyrocketed.

This past weekend I tried the “calm-assertive” approach while leading Shana around the dance floor.  Although I felt calm and confident that Shana would follow, my demeanor was a moot point.  After a very frustrating conclusion to the night, I realized I was missing a significant piece of the puzzle.  Fast-forward to Tuesday night…four days later, as I wrote to Shana in our mutual journal, a light bulb went off.

In the 11th chapter of the book of John, Lazarus died.  When Jesus went to see Lazuras he knew he was going to raise him from the dead immediately, but the reason why he didn’t prevent Lazarus’ death was because he wanted them (Mary and the Jews) to believe in Him.

When Jesus saw Mary and the Jews weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled… Jesus wept.  He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead but the sadness of Mary trumped the magnificent outcome!  Jesus was so moved that HE WEPT!  He knew the outcome-that Lazarus would live, but he put EMPATHY before his ALL KNOWING SPIRIT and wept with them.  WOW!

True servant leadership benefits the one I’m leading.  In hindsight, “dipping” Shana would have served my pride, confidence and ego, not my wife.  As the one responsible for the well being of my household, will I be a servant-leader or a self-serving leader?  Although I can tell you what my heart desires, only my actions will determine my true response.

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