Is This A Dream??

Good morning!  It's just before 7:00am and we are sitting in our room, sunlight streaming across our faces and my husband cuddling and holding our bundle of joy.  Does life get any better than this?  I cannot even begin to express all that is going through our minds and hearts on this day, although you know me by now and you know I'll try!  We are so incredibly grateful for her, I just can't believe this is real.  I laid in bed last night and tried to wrap my mind around these last 9 months, trying to imagine how we got from that positive pregnancy stick to this little miracle in our arms.  I could just cry, again, thinking about it.  

I'll never forget that moment when I knew I was pregnant with her. My heart swelled at the thought of a little life, already inside me, already being knit together by our creator.  I'll also never forget the moment we watched her on the ultrasound monitor and learned that she was indeed, a girl!  Immediately she was our little Ava Page, our sweet daughter.  With every week that she grew, so do my love for Travis, for her and for the Lord.  This has been the most amazing journey of my life.  Someone asked me yesterday if this was the best moment of my life and I didn't have to stop and think about it...after the day I understood that Jesus was my Savior and I put my faith in Him and next to the day I married her daddy, nothing else compares.  She is the icing on the cake, the prize at the end of the race, the answer to so many prayers.  She's just a little angel in the flesh.  

I have dreamed and waited for the day we would have a baby in our arms.  To see these pictures is so surreal, I almost can't take it in.  The Lord has been so faithful to us, she is truly a gift from His hands.  To think that He has been intimately preparing her for this day overwhelms me.  He made her and He gave her to us.  To raise, to love, to teach, to cherish, and to enjoy, so we could give Him the praise and glory He is due...simply amazing.  

I love this picture because it was all I could do to stop the tears that were streaming down my face, just seconds after they put her on my chest, in my arms.  I've never felt such joy, such peace, such love.  Every tear that fell on her came from the deepest part of my soul.  And when I looked to Travis, to try and take this moment in, I saw the same thing happening to him.  Our tears, our joy, our whispers of "I love you," nothing could prepare us for this day.  

Only seconds in this world and she's captured our hearts :) I mean really, look at that brand new head of hair!  And that soft, wrinkly skin.  How could we not be in love? 

So here I find myself, praising the Lord with every glance at my baby girl, with every sound she makes.  We've had a great 16 hours with her and we look forward to the lifetime to come.  She is such a quiet, calm baby...so far :) She looks like my Dad to me and reminds me of Travis already.  She's been a great little eater and a sound sleeper.  I'm even shocked and happy to say that we got 5 hours of sleep last night...she must love us already too!  Yep, it doesn't get much better than this.  I've got a sleeping beauty in my arms, a sleeping daddy next to me and more tears streaming down my face.  

Thank you Lord for this day, for this baby, for this life.  I praise you today for the hard times, for the things we didn't understand, for the wait...This moment is richer because of that, sweeter that we ever could have imagined.  You are so good to us, your faithfulness stretches across the skies and in our hearts.  We are so blessed and so in love with you, with each other, and with our sweet miracle, Ava Page.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you...the Giver of all good things indeed.