Future cousins....

If our timeline continues on track, we will bring our daughter home next spring. They have told us she will probably be between 8 - 10 months old. Our sister-in-law is pregnant right now and due in October. That means that next spring, our future niece/nephew will also be about 8 months old in spring. How cool! It will be fun to have cousins so close in age!

As I was thinking about this, I realized that by following my sister-in-law's pregnancy, I am in a sense following our daughter's too. Considering our timeline, there is a good chance our daughter has not been born yet, but that her mother is probably pregnant right now and also due about the same time as Lisa. I wonder if she rubs her belly the way I used to? I wonder if she smiles when she feels the little flutters and kicks? I wonder if her belly is about the same size as Lisa's? However, I imagine her thoughts are probably quite different than mine or Lisa's. Is she confused? Struggling with her circumstance? Does she have any family support? Is she alone? Does her heart break when she thinks of the decision she will be making? I pray that God protects our daughter and helps her grow. I also pray that he comforts her mother and gives her peace during this time.

I think about the tapestry of our lives and how when we only see a thread of time, God has already designed the entire quilt. Right now, this mother who lives across an ocean is probably thinking of her life one day at a time. But God already has her and her daughter's life planned out. He has incredible plans for her daughter to be part of our family. We don't know where or when or who she is... but God has chosen her for us. From the moment she was conceived, he knew the plans He had for her. What a wonderful God we have.

As I look at Lisa's growing belly, I realize that somewhere there is another belly growing with a very precious treasure. I can't wait to meet my new niece/nephew... but I really can't wait to meet our daughter.