two.

i'm about to be the mother of two babes. and tomorrow, my firstborn will be two years old. wow. the combination is enough to make me weep on a non-hormonal day. but throw in the hormones and i've nearly cried all day. not sad tears. just tears of sweet overwhelming love.

today we went to the doctor - all four of us (i count the one in my womb as a whole being). and we heard our little one's heartbeat. woosh woosh. woosh woosh.

i didn't expect it to take my breath the way it did. and the tears that found their way into my eyes kind of surprised me. not that i'm not excited about this new baby. it's just that i've had less time to ponder over the new life inside of me, like i did with loralai. time is different now. what with the endless conversations that two year old offers, all the time we pretend cooking, reading books, playing outside, singing and dancing...time is just different. but when i pray, it's still the same.

i still ask the Lord to find favor with us and bless us with a healthy and hardy baby. i'm realizing more and more what a miracle life is. and having two lives to care for is even more amazing. God thinks that Todd and i should be parents to loralai and this new baby. that's just so sweet to me - especially because i think that loralai is one of God's sweeter creations ;)

today while at the doctor's office, loralai sweetened up one of the women on their staff. and that woman so generously gave loralai a 3 inch tall teddy bear that she had sitting on her desk. made miss nancy's (that's the woman) day and it definitely made loralai's day. she kept saying, "that lady gave me a little teddy bear." and then they gave her chocolate and sitckers. who knew.

later in the day, before nap time, loralai wouldn't eat lunch. not like her. and i asked her what was wrong; why was she crying. her response, "it's because i'm tired mommy." oh. simple enough.

so at naptime we took a little time out to pray and regroup. she was just out of sorts. and i asked her if she wanted to pray first. it never ceases to amaze me the the things that come out of her heart. she said this, "thank you God for mommy. amen. thank you God for daddy. amen. thank you God for the lady who gave me my teddy bear. amen." and that was enough. she laid her head on my chest and waited for me to read a book.

at two, she has a grateful heart. now to just keep fanning that fire and praise her for that sweetness. to see love overflow from your little one's heart makes you know, for certain, that God is doing a sweet work in her.

i can't wait to see how she prays for her baby brother/sister when they get here. i bet it will go something like "thank you God for our baby. please make it stop crying. amen." and i bet the dogs will concur.

today, sweet hugs from my one year old and a heart rejoicing to God for teddy bears.

tomorrow, happy birthday songs, chocolate chip pancakes and...who knows. it's going to be great!