Visitors

When Shawn and I started talking about having another baby, one of the biggest obstacles for me was wrapping my head around the idea of having a baby while living so far from home.  I grieved the proximity of my family and I felt sad to my core that they wouldn't have the opportunity to witness his rapid growth and development up close.  We have had lots of personal touch points with our family since moving so I knew that our new baby would have access to his extended family on a semi-regular basis but there was something about not knowing how or when they would meet each other that gave me pause.   I finally came to a place where I trusted Gods plan for our family more than my concerns about the future, and the rest is history. 

Namma, Nicole, Boppa & Daddy praying on "the bench" before putting Nicole to bed.   

To my absolute delight, we had four rounds of family fly in to meet Jonah and help with Nicole over the last five weeks.  My parents flew in first, arriving mid-day on my due date.  When we had talked about the visit weeks prior, my mom had said that she wanted to try and coordinate their trip so that she and my dad could watch Nicole while Shawn and I were at the hospital.  I remember saying over the phone, "I think that's totally impossible to predict.  How about you come on or around my due date so that you still get the best chance of snuggling a brand new baby." As you know, despite my doctors prediction that I was going to deliver an entire month before my parents arrived, I was still very much pregnant when they flew in.  Shawn and Nicole went to the airport to pick them up and I stayed home to cry over all of my unmet expectations. 

My Dad meeting Jonah in the delivery room.  

 In the end, my mom got her wish and I headed to the hospital on the last full day my parents were in town.  I had multiple friends standing by to come sweep up Nicole when I went into labor but I was incredibly thankful to not have to tag any of them in.  My parents are some of Nicole's absolute favorite people so I couldn't have asked for anyone better to occupy her while I was in labor.  I had tremendous peace of mind knowing that Nicole was with people who loved her deeply and who always had her best interest in mind.   My favorite part of the story is that after delivering Jonah at 7:20pm, Shawn was able to call our neighbor to go camp out at our house while Nicole slept, freeing up my parents to come to the hospital.  They met Jonah not even an hour after he was born which was undoubtedly a moment orchestrated by God.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be watching my parents hold my son while I was still in the delivery room! 

My mom meeting Jonah for the first time  - not even an hour after be was born.

My parents also got to bring Nicole to the hospital the next morning and be part of her meeting her brother for the very first time.  I loved having my Mom and Dad present to share in such a special and intimate moment for us.   

My mom helping Nicole hold Jonah.

A few days after my parents flew back to Wisconsin, my sister-in-law flew in from Minnesota.  She had never been to Texas before so it was great to finally show her a glimpse into our life firsthand.  Shawn and I really wanted this to be a visit of rest, connection and community that that's exactly what it was.  As a bonus, Nicole loved having her Aunty Missy at our house and Jonah had a very good time snuggling with her.  

Aunty Missy with a sleepy Jonah and an excited Nicole

Next up, my twin sister Anna flew in.  She had been to Texas once before to visit us almost exactly a year ago while she was still on maternity leave with her daughter Abigail.  Being the very brave woman that she is, she flew by herself with an infant to come spend a few days with us.  Now, a year later, she sacrificially left her daughter at home with my brother-in-law so that she could be the most helpful while she was here.  Anna and Nicole have a great relationship that they maintain mostly through FaceTime and photos so Nicole jumped at the chance to have Anna all to herself live and in person for a few days.  Anna got Nicole out of bed in the morning, put her down for naps and played lots of special games with her.  She even taught Nicole the song My God is so Big which will forever be known as "The Anna Song".  It was a really nice visit! 

Jonah enjoying some sleepy snuggles with his Aunt Anna

Nicole and Aunt Anna reading books in Nicole's big girl bed. 

And last, but not least, my brother and sister-in-law came for the first time.  We hadn't had any houseguests for 2 weeks when the flew in and you would have thought it was Christmas morning when they walked through the door.  Nicole was unbelievably thrilled to have two more adults to devote their attention and affection toward her.  

Uncle Jonathan, Nicole, Aunt Megan and Jonah reading together.  

This was our most adventurous of all of the visits. Having two extra adults around made it possible to do things that I have not otherwise felt any need to attempt on my own.  We went to 3 different parks, took a walk every day and even managed to squeeze in a couple trips to the ice cream shop.   

Uncle Jonathan doing double duty! 

We are deeply appreciative for the time we were able to spend with each of our guests.  I felt a little vulnerable flooding my house with people right after having a baby but God knew exactly what He was doing.  Their company was lovely and their help was invaluable.  

Have a great rest of your week! 

Love, 

Erica