Spring is Coming!

It is finally March and I drove to work with flurries in the air, however I continue to tell myself that spring is coming! We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter and like many folks in middle Tennessee, we are tired of the bitter cold and snow. But for us, "spring" brings a new life into our family.

We received new pictures of Mercy last week and I am amazed at how much she has grown in only six weeks! She seems to change so much with each new picture we see. I look back on the first picture that I ever saw of her and wonder how much I have missed in the months it has taken to bring our baby girl home.

I wonder when she started rolling over and when she started raising her little head. How old was she when she got up on her knees? How did she crawl? Did she do the army crawl on her belly or did she coordinate her arms and legs to get herself around? Does she have teeth? I'm sure she does, but how many and which one came first? What is her favorite toy and how is she lulled to sleep at night? These are all things that I want to know like I know my name. It may all seem trivial, but I think these things are so important.

People can ask the strangest questions! Someone recently asked me how I could be certain they handed me the right baby. I'm not sure my facial expression disguised what was going on in my mind. I politely answered saying, "I will know she is mine, because a mother knows her child." Even though I've never met her, I know that I can pick out my baby in a room full of orphans. I have prayed for this baby for a lifetime.

People might think I am so strange, (and I can't believe that I will admit this to you) but I just stare at her pictures memorizing every little feature of this beautiful girl. At night, I sit in her room praying and waiting for our baby girl. On more than one occasion, my husband will come upstairs and I will have pulled out her tiny little clothes to look at, sort and refold. I'm surprised I haven't worn out these new things just from admiring them and wishing for that little girl to be home. I imagine how cute she will be all dressed up and if I have a bow to match the outfits that she has. She lives on the other side of the world, but she is my baby girl. I may not know how many teeth she has or what makes her smile, but I will.

As much as I love her, I know that it is nothing compared to the love God has for His children. He was there when she rolled over and laughed outloud for the first time. He has held me when I cried and knows the deep desire in my heart to be a mom. I don't think it was a mistake that the day she became ours, the verse for the day was Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Thank you God for answering prayers in Your perfect timing.