It's A . . .

Drum roll please . . . We are having a GIRL!!! She was upside down, showing her stuff for the sonogram. Goodbye shyness, hello wild child!! When I called to tell my older brother we were having a girl, he had this advice as a father of two: "You may have a girly girl (like his first daughter Olivia) or you may have a wild animal in a little girl's body (like his second daughter Annalee). I don't care which one we have, we're just pumped that she looks healthy and things are going great with the pregnancy! I've also started feeling her move! What a crazy feeling that is!! We've decided to name her Maya Grace. Maya is the Arabic word for water, and when we picked that name we were thinking about john 7 where our Master tells: if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me. . . streams of living water will flow from [her]. Her middle name is Grace, after my grandma on my mom's side, who I never met, but who passed on a heritage of faith that outlived her years. We are thrilled! Thanks for rejoicing with us!! I was thinking yesterday about water and how it's very hard to hold water. I thought specifically about sand, and how when you pour water into sand, it just sort of runs away from you. Then I thought about this from a parenting perspective and how we are just dust (sand), held together by his power, and we can channel water, and point it in the right direction, but we can't control it. What a lofty and important job parenting is. Don't hold on, don't try to control. Direct and channel! Whew! We sure have our work cut out for us! I also liked the thought that when you try to hold water in your hands, it doesn't stay for long before it leaks out, but there is an after effect-your hands are wet. It is our prayer for our daughter that she would embody the springs of living water and leave things "wet" wherever she goes. We are so blessed that He chose to give us this precious gift!