He Will be Loved...

Maybe it is the pregnancy or maybe it is just the fact that my heart is overfilled with joy, but these past couple of months I have been overwhelmed with happiness. I have never been so aware of the blessings in my life as I am right now. God has truly blessed me. I don't deserve it. But I am thankful just the same.

When I think about how blessed I am to be bringing a baby into a world where he will be surrounded by the love of so many family members, friends and a God that is everlasting - my chest swells up. Below are things I want to remember years from now. I don't imagine that I will forget them, but I am documenting them here nonetheless. Feel free to skip this post...it is really just something I want to be able to remember to tell Asher one day. So he will understand how much he is loved and how much he was loved before he was even born.

I am grateful for my husband, a man who loves me unconditionally, serves me with all he does, and is so excited about the arrival of his son that he beams with joy. One of the things I love most about Ben is his childlike attitude. He gets so giddy and excited and I can't help but feel the same when I am with him. When he gets home from work he gives me a hug and a kiss, inquires about my day and then puts his hand on my belly and asks how "the boy" is doing. He tells Asher "good night" every night. And he comes running every time I exclaim, "He's moving!" I can't imagine a better partner in this journey. Ben is a caretaker. He takes wonderful care of me and I know he will do exactly the same for Asher. We are so blessed to have him.

I am also thankful for a family that loves us and looks forward to the arrival of its newest addition with so much excitement.

Ben's brother, Steve, and his wife, Anna, have given us so much baby stuff that I truly don't know what we would do with out their generousity. A crib, bumbo, changing pad and 2 covers, 4 sets of sheets, pack 'n play, boppy, lovies, blankets, Baby Bjorn, clothes, a rocking elephant and more. We LOVE everything they have handed down and appreciate it more than they know. They are coming to visit us next weekend and I can't wait to spend to spend the weekend with them and our two sweet nephews. Asher is going to have a blast learning how to be a Grizzle Boy from Reid and Sawyer.

Watching my parents reaction to the news that they were going to be grandparents may be one of my favorite memories of all time. I have blogged about this before. But it is worth repeating. They were overcome with joy and the happiness on their faces says it all. I am so glad we have this moment captured on film!

Yesterday, my mom emailed me this picture of cupcakes she was practicing making for Asher's shower. Some of mine and my mom's dearest friends are throwing me a shower in a couple of weeks. My mother wanted to make the cupcakes for it. And she wanted to make them herself. She was so excited about them. When she emailed me this picture she was disappointed in the way they turned out and said she was going to hire someone to make them instead. But I thought they were perfect! Not only were they adorable, but seeing my child's name on something my mom had spent all day working on, made me cry. Asher is going to be one lucky little guy to have grandparents that love him so much!

Ben's parents are super excited too. Ben's sweet mom emails me every Thursday and calls to see how "Peanut" and I are doing. Because of our schedule's, traveling to South Carolina for a shower was starting to look impossible. Elaine had the idea for her and Ben's aunts come here to treat me to a girls weekend instead.So in September they are going to come spend a weekend with me - shopping, eating and helping to finish up last minute details before Asher's arrival. It means the world to me that they would all come this far to make Ben and I feel special and help us get ready for this change in our lives.

We have two showers here in Alabama. Our church shower and our CORE Group shower. I have talked about our CORE Group on here before, but they really are our family away from home. I don't know what we would do with them. They were the first people outside of family to hear our good news and I can't think of any group of people I was more excited to share it with. They have prayed for our pregnancy from early on and I know their prayers are being heard. It feels wonderful to know that our baby is being bathed in the prayers of so many wonderful people.

My Supper Club girls have already showered us with gifts and love. Asher's closet is full of items Betty just happens to find "on sale" and just HAS to get for Asher. Some of my favorite items have come from her.  Because I work with Betty, she probably hears me talk about being pregnant more than anyone. She listens, advices well when needed and makes me feel like she is just as excited as I am.  Amanda and Mason are going to be and awesome auntie and cousin too! I look forward to Mason teaching Asher to be as adorable of a little boy as he is.


And finally, I can't make a list of people we are thankful for without mentioning our church family. Every Sunday, I am surrounded by people telling me how excited they are for our little one to get here. They are throwing us a shower a week from today and 7 of my favorite women are hostessing it. I can't wait to celebrate this occasion with everyone and let them know how much I appreciate them being in our lives.

So...while I realize I am super sappy right now and have let my pregnancy hormones turn me into a blubbering pregnant woman, I am glad for the opportunity to reflect on the people in our lives and to take a moment to jot down my thoughts - random as they were. If you read this to the end, you are probably one of the people I have mentioned above and I thank YOU for being in my life.