Ukraine

Today is one of those days where I've been sitting and remembering my time in Ukraine and the people I met. I look back at my time there as a growing experience and one that I will never forget. I hope the relationships I made there will continue throughout my lifetime, with the help of facebook and vkontakte.ru.

There are many days that I wish I could visit again and see all the girls from Hope House again, but I'm really not sure if I will get another chance to or not. My life is changing. And it's been changing ever since I stepped off the plane from Ukraine and back into America. Craig and I became a lot more serious once I got back. Yes, absence did make our hearts grow fonder. We were engaged 5 months after I returned home and married a little over a year after I returned home. And now we are expecting this blessing to come around 3 years after I returned home. It's hard to believe all the changes in my life since stepping off that plane. But I really wouldn't change a thing.

Even after almost 3 years, I still love hearing about Ukraine. I love watching movies where they speak Russian. I still love learning pieces about Ukrainian culture. And I still pray often for the people that I met and the ministries that are continuing there.

All this to say, although my heart is here with my job, my husband, my family and my daughter, there will always be a little piece of my heart in Ukraine.

Reality

Two days ago, I started thinking about what it will really be like when our baby girl is here. Reality struck me. I don't know if it's just starting to become more real to me now that I'm in my last few months or because my friend just had her baby yesterday, but either way...it's real(er) now. The thoughts of sleepless nights, the dirty diapers and trying to figure out what our little girl needs. Not only that, but this will be a little life that Craig and I are responsible for raising and teaching her about Christ, life, love and everything else. It's such a big responsibility. It started freaking me out a bit.

But then I quickly changed my mindset and the positive started outweighing the things that scared me. Instead of being scared of the responsibilities, I started thinking about how exciting it is that we get this chance to help her be who God wants her to be. We get to show her what love is and be examples of Christ's love to her. We get to teach her things and be there for her. We even get to spoil her a little bit.

This got me on a roll and I started going through the baby book and reading about her growth right now. Then I read through the paperwork that we have to fill out before we have her. And last night I really started cleaning her room out and getting things in rubbermaid tubs to put in the garage.

I'm so excited for this little girl who is already very much a part of our family to be here in just a few short months!