11-?-15

Today is the day. Before you get too excited, it's not the actual day. But it is the date on the calendar we've been looking forward to for 9 months. It's November 8, 2015, and so many months ago it became the date etched in our minds that we would look forward to, pray over and anticipate the arrival of our baby. Of course from the beginning we've known this day, this specific date on the calendar, was simply an estimate. It's not a movie premiere or a definitive holiday. No, it was simply a calculated guess to give us some sort of timeline of when we could expect our baby's arrival. 

As the day draws to a close, it has become more than evident she isn't making her appearance on her due date. (Most babies don't.) It does mark the day of a full 40 weeks of pregnancy and a miracle still in the making. It gives me such encouragement and joy to know this day has come, knowing full well the Lord has been fashioning and forming her for the past 280 days, even before we knew about her. It is a day to celebrate, no doubt, for the sheer fact that He has faithfully brought us full term to this point. 

I remember waiting the longest minutes of my life wondering if the test would show positive. Only God knew. Then there was the wait to get past the first trimester. We didn't wait to tell people but we held onto hope and prayed for God to protect this pregnancy. With anticipation we waited for the 20 week anatomy scan. I wanted to know everything was healthy and forming the way it should. God alone was in control of shaping her unformed body. Then of course there was the gender reveal. Until that point only He knew if our baby was a boy or girl. So many milestones. So many reasons to give thanks.

There's a big question mark standing over the actual day of her birth. We can wonder and guess and even make plans but her entire birth story has already been written by God alone. If I can't find comfort and peace in that then I might as well throw all faith out the window! In fact, it took this reminder to help me understand this isn't just my story. The very day she will come into this world has already been planned by Creator God as He began fashioning her in my womb. This is the story He's begun writing for Violet and all I truly want for her is to be safe, healthy and to grow up to love and glorify Him. So with that hope for her, I must also pray for the circumstances surrounding her birth and delivery to bring Him glory. 

I've been praying for the labor and delivery nurses. For the doctor who will deliver. For my husband who will be my support and coach. For me as I prepare mentally, emotionally and physically for this process. For Violet as she breathes her first breath in this world. For those who join us as we celebrate her birth. I don't know the day. I can't even begin to guess a date. But none of that matters. Today we celebrate November 8, not as her birthdate but as the date God has given us as a reminder of the work He began and how faithful He is to complete it.