January 27, 2012

"I hear two heartbeats." 

It may have been January 27th, but I remember those four words like it were yesterday.  Jody about fell out of his chair, and for some reason, I had a funny feeling that it might be twins all along.  From that moment on, our lives changed forever as we prepared to welcome Baby A and Baby B, who soon became known as Jack and Rowan. 

While we said very little to anyone, Jody and I had talked about wanting to start a family for a long time.  It seemed that every time we thought about it, something big always came up, and we were forced to put our wishes on hold.  After battles with sickness, unemployment, and surgery, in late 2011, we finally felt that we were in the perfect place to start a family.  Of course, this was our plan, and as I have come to learn through this process, our plans mean very little when compared to God's plan for our lives.

For several months, we would pray for God to bless us with a child.  There is one verse in the Bible that became my absolute favorite during this time.

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord answered my prayer."  1 Samuel 1:27   

There were some days when I would feel discouraged, but I would read this verse every night before I went to bed, as a reminder to keep my faith and find peace in the fact that one way or the other, God would answer our prayer.  It may not be when we want it or how we want it, but He hears us, and He has the perfect plan already in place.  In our case, when God answered our prayer, He answered it times two!

On August 10, 2012, we welcomed our two healthy boys, Jack and Rowan.  This whole experience has been a wonderful lesson in God's perfect timing.  We waited for our two boys for a reason, and everything that we went through to get to this point, prepared us to be the best parents that we can be.

These little boys were definitely worth the wait!