Baby J- Part 1

Brian and I met September of our freshman year at Auburn. I knew pretty quickly that my relationship with him would be different than the other relationships I had in the past. This man had a fear of the Lord, a respect for his parents, a relationship with his friends, and a desire to glorify God in his future that I could not take lightly. By December of that same year, I was sure he was the boy I would marry.

But we had 3 1/2 long years to go before we could even really consider it.

We spent those 3 1/2 years well- we truly got to know each other, discovered mutual likes and dislikes as well as a few likes and dislikes that really opposed each other (for example, who knew he didn't like shopping ;) ). We learned how to communicate better and how to serve Jesus together. Our time at Auburn was an amazing experience that prepared us for July 14, 2007 and the commitment that would change our lives forever.

The day we got married, Brian and I said we would wait 5 years to have children. It was only sensible and so obviously completely up to us (HA! Sarcasm..) It would be perfect- he would work for his company, get several promotions and settle comfortably into his job, while I found the school of my dreams, tenured, and soared through teaching with a breeze and an ease that only an experienced teacher could have.

But, that obviously wasn't the Lord's plan. After three schools in three years, my dreams of tenure quickly flew out the window and a new dream took it's place- a dream of raising a child in a Godly home where it would be loved and nurtured and prepared to be a servant of the Lord. Brian's dream was the same as mine, he just didn't see it quite so *vividly* at the time.

But the Lord moved his heart and continued to move mine toward a child. In Jan. of 2010 we went off the meds but decided to wait until later to try to get pregnant. We officially started trying to have a child in May. By November, I was seriously discouraged. Though we hadn't been "trying" long, my trust in the Lord's perfect timing just wasn't adding up to my "perfect timing." We called the doctor to get suggestions and ideas and realized we just weren't ready for the doctor's idea of the next step.

December was a fabulous month. Though we were busy, both of us were out of grad. school for the month and had time to enjoy each other. We went shooting with friends, had a family reunion with the side of my family I hadn't seen in 10 years, and spent some time on our own in Fairhope.

But as things go, Christmas came and went and my body was telling me that I certainly wasn't pregnant this month. The Monday after Christmas (Dec. 27th) my friend Brittany was coming by to make a banner for her daughter's 1st birthday party, so I was up early. I decided I would just take a test to make sure I wasn't pregnant- I was tired of thinking about it and wondering. I had a variety of packs of tests in my cabinet to prepare for the day it was finally positive, but I was sure it would be negative, so I pulled out the cheapest test I had. Imagine my surprise when in less than 10 sec. I had a double line! I quickly ran to the paper to check I was reading it correctly and sure enough, I was pregnant!