I hope.

According to my obstetricians, I am just about 2 months away from welcoming my little boy into this great big world. For some reason, I am thinking he will make his grand appearance sometime toward the end of next month. I feel like time has flown by but at the same time, pregnancy has been such a long experience! How can it be both? When you enter into this journey for the first time, you literally cannot read enough to actually be prepared. I like to be really prepared and know what I am getting into, but there was no amount of reading material that could have prepared me for everything I'd face physically and emotionally in the last 7 and a half months. I'm still learning! I think even after he is here, I'm going to look back on the last 9 or 10 months and think, "What in the world just happened?" One thing I am so thankful for is the time that Chris and I have had to spend together in the last ten years. I think it makes everything I've gone through that much more worth it. We have done so much, gone through so much, lived our lives so fully and now the only thing left is to share the rest of our time with children! I can't imagine any of this any other way. I can't wait to raise my children in a small town in Southern USA where the pace is just a little (or a lot!) slower, people take the time to enjoy the simple things and have a conversation or share a wave! I would never trade where I grew up or the memories I made for anything in this world because it helped shape me into who I am today and I made friendships that still flourish. I had a wonderful childhood, a carefree childhood. Sure there were bars on my basement windows, but nothing could get past my dad when it came to protecting his family! I can't say it was a "safe" place to live, but God always protected my family. However, to not have to worry as much now is something I will never take for granted! We will take Landon up to Maryland and show him where we grew up, places his daddy and I discovered each other and fell in love, places we shared special memories and that will be a part of him. But then as we return home to NC, I hope his heart is warmed and he realizes how special this place is, this little slice of Heaven we have worked so hard to create for him. Gosh, I just can't wait to see him and hold him and love him and tell him all of the things that are on my heart. I hope he gets here soon, but only when he's good and ready. I hope he loves his room and his toys. I hope he loves Molly and Ellie as much as we do. I hope has fun playing in his great big yard with his daddy. I hope he romps around in the woods and comes to the door covered in filth from head to toe with a huge grin on his face. I hope he stays innocent forever like his daddy. I hope he loves people. I hope his heart is open. I hope he tests us and tries us so that we can learn to lean on God in new ways. I hope, I pray... I love him.