From Expectations to Praise

"I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.  Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!"  -Psalm 34:1-3

Well today marks "the day", folks.  It's the day we've been making our way to for the last 9 months, claiming that our baby is "due" to arrive today.  The day is half-way over and I have a feeling this baby has missed the memo.  Maybe the doctor didn't say it quite LOUD enough when he announced the due date to me, so this little wiggle worm decided to make his/her own scheduling of the grand entrance.  Perhaps we're the ones who didn't get the memo. ;)

With each day that passes I somehow find it harder and harder not to be disappointed (sounds crazy putting this on paper..er, screen) that my baby didn't arrive on such and such a day.  At first I thought it would be September 1st.  Not bad, right?  First day of the month, easy to remember.  Then I thought, well, if not Sept. 1st, then Sept. 5th...Labor Day!  Kind of comical in itself.  What I was REALLY hoping for was Sept. 7th.  Unbeknownst to most of you, it is Brazilian Independence day.  I thought that would be quite fitting.  Next up was the 9th so the baby could share a birthday with a good friend of ours.  Then the 10th...I mean 9/10/11--pretty great birth date if you ask me.  And let's not forget 9/11/11...this baby could share a birthday with his/her Daddy.  Special indeed.

It is now September 12th and I almost find myself retracting in the other way...if not today, then I'm fearful for this baby to come in the next couple of days because my doctor is out of town!  Why am I so very hard to please??

And so, I find myself with a choice that needs to be made.  I can either continue to get caught up in thinking--let's be honest...worrying--and being consumed about the birth of this baby, or, I can set my mind on things above and plead with the Lord to help me put my trust in His all-knowing timing.  Simply leave it in His hands and be at rest.  So, instead of wallowing in my self-pity and wishing for that which is not for the moment, I wanted to just start meditating on all He is has blessed me with.  I decided to just start listing out what I'm thankful for.  I'm just gonna to go for it and list it (in no particular order) on this blog, and if you care to read, then I thank you for taking part in my re-directing and renewing of the mind today. :)

What I'm praising God for today:
1. A new life growing within me...a miracle in itself.
2. A God Who is patient, kind, and tender-hearted towards me.
3. A family to enjoy this stage of life with me.
4. Friends who have checked up on me just with a little note or phone call.
5. A Mom, Dad, Mother-in-law, and Father-in-law who are anxiously waiting by the phone for news that their newest grandchild is soon to arrive.
6. A friend who checks on me each day and is willing to get me and the girls out of the house to do something fun...all the while putting her own schedule on hold.
7. A church full of ladies who are waiting for the call so that they can get some meals ready for us.
8. A doctor who loves God and is on the same page with how I would like to handle this birth.
9. Food.  I mean, really.   
10. Two little girls who say the funniest things and bring joy unending into our lives.
11. A comfortable bed.  Sleeping on the floor at this stage of pregnancy would NOT be fun.
12. Nieces and Nephews who ask their friends and classmates to pray for their aunt and new baby cousin.
13. My brother and his wife and son who will soon be moving closer to us when we live in Dallas.
14. Bikes with training wheels that my girls can have fun riding while they wait.
15. Crayons and coloring books...a fun activity that I don't have to get up for but my kids love to do.
16. A whole bookcase of children's books that I can read with my kids when I just want to sit down.
17. A husband who finds me more beautiful EVEN when I am huge and not as fun to live with.
18. A big, blue exercise ball that is way more comfortable to sit on than a chair.
19. Really good music (Gungor, Violin music, anything inspiring, etc.) that brings me into a place of worshiping the God who created me rather than dwelling on what I wish was happening at the moment.
20. Ice cream.
21. Pillows that help me sleep.
22. The sound of the baby's heartbeat.
23. Ministry partners and friends who support us through prayers and finances and just plain love...I feel like this one needs to be WAY further up the list...but, I did say these were in no particular order, didn't I?
24. Facebook...I know, weird.  I'm not normally that thankful for "fb" for some reason.  But lately, I have been so encouraged by friends who post on my wall asking how I'm doing or about the baby, that I just can't help but be thankful!  What a great way to connect.
25. Contractions.  With every contraction I feel like I get a little closer to meeting this little baby.

Speaking of which, I think I may be getting one now, so I think I'll wrap this up.  I could keep going and going and going, but for now, I am encouraged.  God is so very good. And not just because of what He supplies, but because of who He is.  He didn't need to give me a single thing listed above, and I could still fall on my knees in gratefulness because of all He is. 
"I will bless the Lord at all times."