This phase is gonna fly by

This post is inspired by Ashley’s post, who is expecting her first child in September 🙂

I remember the night we brought Lily home from the hospital…

We wanted to be alone, just the three of us…not even Sanibel was there.
We knew it would be difficult but if we were going to jump into parenthood, might as well dive into the deep end head first, right?

So after we got home and gave Lily the grand tour of our house, and after Brent left us to run to CVS to pick up my pain meds while I was stuck on the floor with Lily the entire time because well, that’s where I was when he left and I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be able to get up on my own after having my stomach muscles sliced open, much less with a baby in my arms (although I did try, and there was literally nothing there to lift me off the ground and it was such intense pain I just decided to sit right there on the rug in her room. I held Lily and hoped she didn’t need anything until he got back because as long as it was up to me, we certainly weren’t going anywhere).

We also wanted to be alone that first night because we knew it would be a very special memory. And that it was.

After Brent was home and I was off the ground and feeling slightly less pain than before, we sat on our bed with her and just cried…both of us. Just weeped. Because it was in that moment we realized the huge blessing and gift she was to us. God had chosen us, out of all the parents in this world, to raise Lily. What a joyful responsibility! We prayed over her and just cried aloud to the Lord, thanking Him over and over again for her, completely humbled that we were holding her in our arms. And the words Brent said I will never forget–that our home would be a place where He is always welcome. That prayer is forever ingrained in my mind.

These days will soon be gone. I will never get them back. And I can sit here and tell you a thousand things I am looking forward to…but I want to dwell in the present and enjoy her for this season in her life. And as each phase of her life fades into the past, I will then look forward to the next thing. There’s always something to look forward to, and there’s always something wonderful to look back on and miss terribly.

But for the time being, I want to enjoy all that this season of her life has to offer, because it won’t be like this for long.