Today I sent my husband off to his ordination “hearing” with a banana. He said he wasn’t hungry and I insisted he have something to feed his brain.

Later, I read that my baby-in-utero is the size of a large banana, at least, that’s what they say 7 inches and 11 ounces compares to. He can also taste what I eat by now, which means he just had some really good cinnamon toast.

Yesterday I bought a maternity swimsuit. I’m still struggling with all this body changing. I love the belly and the boobs, but the rest of the changes are not so welcome. Really, I’m mostly disappointed that my broken foot has kept me from being active enough to be in better shape. I just keep reminding myself that a) the foot is healing and will be better soon and b) you won’t be prego forever and can run and workout like crazy when this baby boy is born. I’m planning to take advantage of the few months with mom and have required exercise time every day. We’ll see how that goes…I also wanted to be one of those pregnant women who ran 3 miles a day througout her pregnancy. That dream wafted away with the first bout of fatigue somewhere around, um, 3 days after finding out I was pregnant.

Overall I’m thoroughly and fully excited to be pregnant. And if told I could only be pregnant under the same circumstances that have kept me inactive I would do it again. I am so grateful and honored to be incubating this little creature of God. I wonder what he’ll look like. No doubt he’ll have more of his father’s features, which is fine with me. When his daddy and I are cuddling and/or when he does one of his childish expressions, my heart does somersaults as I think of the blessing of having another little boy like his father.

I should get some important things done today, like start sorting things to be packed, shipped, or sold for our move which is now only 3 1/2 weeks away. I think I’m in denial. Are we really leaving our home? Yet I am simultaneously thrilled at the adventure that stretches before us. We not only have the adventure of our firstborn, but the adventure of taking him with us to Asia to love people and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Along the way we get to see America (by virtue of driving across it to get to training) and spend a summer with others who are similarly sacrificing and heading to foreign lands themselves. The cherry is that I get to have my firstborn with my parents with me. Thank you, Lord.

I think in many ways some of the feelings of inadequacy have faded. I think some of that is do to the fact that what we’re going into I know how to do: move, drive across country, spend a summer with Christians learning about and loving Jesus, live in Mississippi. That’s all a buffer for what comes after that, but for that I’m excited, too. For the challenge and joy of going somewhere new and foreign is what I’ve always longed to experience. Although I know the test will be hard, I foresee the joys in it, as well. In many ways, I look forward to the closeness it will bring our family. We’ll go through things together that will knit us together even stronger. And I look forward to seeing the fruit of our work, our love, bringing people to Christ and planting churches and loving people. We could do it here, but God has called us there. There’s something He’s got planned for us there…I’m excited about that something.

So today, praying for Edwin and trusting God’s hold on him, praying for baby boy and trusting God’s future for him, looking around at the many things I have to do to prepare my home to be boxed up, sold, or given away, I trust Jesus to fill the banana I gave Edwin with super brain power, and I trust Him also to fill my little “banana” with all the nutrients to grow into a strong and healthy man of God, just like his father.