I'd like to preface our list of blessings by giving some backstory. About nine months back, as a matter of fact. I was working my part-time postdoc gig, Mikayla was about six months old, and Joel was working his (cute) hiney off at two part-time jobs as he also worked on his Master's in Library Science. We were getting by, the Lord was providing, but the proverbial belt was tight around our budget each month. Our hopes and dreams obviously included Joel finishing his Master's degree, me finishing my postdoc and getting licensed as a psychologist, and one day having a larger vehicle for hauling kids, a larger home for housing kids, and...well, more kids.
Enter God's sense of humor.
On July 11, I found out that we were expecting baby #2. I will explain how this development itself fits into our list of blessings (as if the mere fact of a new life isn't reason enough to rejoice!), but in the midst of the picture painted above, you might be able to sense how it wasn't exactly an expected, planned-for development in the scheme of things. The day I took that pregnancy test, we just laughed. How in the world is the Lord going to pull this one off? We had no idea. So many details to fall into place, so many time-sensitive needs with Joel's schooling, need for full-time job, not to mention health insurance for a new baby, would I be able to finish my postdoc before the baby arrived, would we be able to afford ANOTHER unpaid maternity leave almost within a year of the previous one, how will we fit two carseats into one of our vehicles, and will our kids be ok with sharing a room? The questions just became more numerous the more we thought about it all.
Ultimately we decided to trust the Lord to weave all these details together. He has revealed His plan a single step at a time, and oh, how He has woven!
- We tried to get pregnant with Mikayla for a long time...a couple of years...and didn't expect it to ever be easy for us to conceive. That 2P is a "surprise" is a sign of the Lord's working in my body and in our lives to demonstrate the joy He takes in being plentiful in all things. It was as though He was saying, not only did I move my hand to give you a child after all your efforts...this one, I will drop into your lives unexpectedly to show you that it is I who authors life, with no need for you to toil or worry.
- Joel finished his degree in December, freeing his afternoons to take care of lots of housework as I focused almost exclusively on studying for my licensure exam. I had originally hoped to take the exam in December or January, but it would have been so difficult to take on the burden of studying at that time with all that Joel was doing.
- We prayed that the Lord would open a position at Alvernia, where Joel has been working. God graciously said no for a long time, but looking back, this was a way of answering prayer in a way that was better than what we would have planned!
- I scheduled my EPPP (licensure exam) for February 24. Studied like crazy, and was able to take it before 2P arrives!
- I finished my postdoc hours (all 1500 of them) as of February 23. (Talk about details fitting together like a glove.)
- The Lord caused a position to open at Alvernia just the week before my EPPP; the library director offered him the position the next day, to begin on March 1, a week after my EPPP such that we no longer have need for Joel to take care of housework while I study. He's completely free and clear to begin working full-time hours. We are so grateful for the timing of this, and especially for no application or interview process for Joel, and no move out of the area for us!
- Joel's new full-time position comes with health insurance that is superior to what we had. And it kicked in as of March 1, fully covering 2P's birth, including costs that we already paid out of pocket, resulting in an expected reimbursement from the birth center after delivery. We are so grateful that there was no wait period before his benefits start, or before he could enroll the rest of us!
- We have a couple of weeks for Joel to settle into his job, and for me to wrap up some licensure paperwork with my supervisor and get it all submitted to the state. No rush, just feeling nice and ready for baby to arrive.
- We are able to talk about when to trade in my car for a minivan, not if we will be able to someday.
- A move to a larger place is suddenly on our radar as well. It won't happen before we add 2P to our family, and it will still take some skillful financial planning and God's providence, but it is so much less stressful to think that it is an option for when we need to spread the kiddos out.
- Speaking of less stressful, a little bump in income right before a baby comes is just so gracious of the Lord. We are feeling like we can at least cover all those unexpected little expenses when you realize you need a few things at Target, etc.
Again, I don't list these things to boast or to focus your attention on how amazing our lives are at the moment. Frankly, we are going from "pretty broke" to "we can afford life!" so don't expect to see us tossing the Benjamins around any time soon. But we are also going from "how are we going to afford this baby, and maternity leave, and get by as a family of four?" to "oooh, so that's what the Lord had in mind when He decided to give us another baby!"
As in all things, His gift of this child is nothing more or less than a testimony to His great faithfulness, and an opportunity for Him to amaze us with His grace. We believe that He placed this baby boy in my womb for the sole purpose of glorifying Himself through the miracle of working all these details together. Please, join us in worshiping and thanking our great God for who He is. Truly, "the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps." [Prov. 16:9]
Better He than I to determine my steps! Soli deo gloria!!
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