The Long Way Home....

A friend recently asked to hear my birth story. Moms always love to talk about their babies, but as I thought how to answer, I realized that our story started a long time ago. And it didn't always go the way we planned. We took the long road home. But we're here and we couldn't be more grateful. Here's our story...

Over six years ago, we began to plan for our first baby. Married, finished school, bought a house, time for baby. It went just as planned until our first sonogram. Our baby had died and there were problems. We were devastated. Told not to try again for at least a year, we waited in horrible disappointment. Only six months later, we found out Matthew was on his way. Scared to death and surprised, we held our breath until he arrived. He was not prayed for or planned, but God always knows our hearts better than we do. The first time I held him, my heart began to heal.
Matthew gave us a reason to smile again.
"The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes"

He was not the baby I planned for, but was everything my heart needed.

The pregnancy was hard and the delivery so complicated we did not feel we would be able to have another child. After Matthew's third birthday, we began to pray that God would give us another baby. However He chose, when He chose. That same year, we found out Helen was on her way. This pregnancy was the most difficult. My health continually declined, but we made it to 38 weeks before they took her. Countless times I prayed that God would give me the strength to get through that day. And he did.
Helen completes us.
"We have prayed for this child, and our God has given us what we asked of Him".

She is the child I thought I might never have, but desperately wanted.

So here we are...we took the long way home, but we made it. Alan found the song "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson and it describes perfectly how we feel. We listened to it many times, even at the hospital. God always has a plan. Nothing catches Him by surprise. I believe that now. God's intense love for our family is so evident in the gift of our children and each other. I am desperately in love with my husband, overwhelmed with joy by our babies and eternally grateful to a God who gave us our happy ending - twice.

They are our story.........