Hope

It's been a while since I've posted, and yes, I am still great with child!  I was thinking this morning about how even though this is my fourth time around, and my other three were all late, I still cling to hope that perhaps this time will be different. I am watching for any little indication that labor might be just around the corner. And while this one is definitely lower then the other three ever were, and I am experiencing occasional contractions, I have a feeling he will be hanging out for a while longer. Alaina likes to ask if he's still cooking. Yes, our babies like to cook for a while! The last couple weeks, when we put the kids to bed at night, Larissa will get teary and say, "Mommy, I thought our baby brother would be here by now!" And I usually tell her that she needs to pray that he comes soon, which she does and asks for a healthy and strong baby. It's really sweet. It will be so interesting to see how our family changes to accommodate a new addition. Charlotte likes to come over and just kiss my belly. Just random times throughout the day, she'll come over and say she is giving her baby a kiss. It's been a lot of fun to go through this pregnancy with the girls. With how close they were in age during my earlier pregnancies, there wasn't the inquisitiveness or excitement over a baby. That has definitely been fun this time around.
But I digress, I was thinking this morning about hope, and how no matter how many times we may be knocked down, feel totally defeated, there is still that small spark of hope. I am so glad that God has given us a hope to keep trying, to keep living, to keep dreaming. Sometimes it's hard to see a reason to hope, to keep believing and trusting, but I have seen so many situations that seemed so utterly hopeless, and miraculously, God turned them into something beautiful. Sometimes it can happen in an instant, in days, months, and perhaps it can take years, but He IS faithful, even when we are not.
So, I am just going to continue hoping that perhaps in the next week and a half, I will be blogging again, sharing pictures of our new baby, and not lamenting the fact that I am STILL waiting!