Grace

Sometimes the change seems slow and imperceptible. Sometimes, because she is my third, it is painfully clear: Grace is growing up. Some days I look at her sweet little face and I notice that she is losing more baby fat and looking more like a little kid than a baby.

Soon she will turn two. She talks more, asserts more independence, and reveals more of what she is thinking. It is oh so sweet.

Recently I had a day when Jake was at school, Abby was at a friend's house, and it was just me and my happy little chatterbox. What a joy to just focus on her--talk to her, play with her, rejoice in having her as my child.

Of course she will not always be my baby. When our new baby comes Grace will instantaneously seem so big, just as Abby did when Grace was born. It's a bittersweet loss. But every day I am so grateful for this sweet little girl. So grateful I chose to follow God's plan for my life, ignore what some doctors might have advised, and muster the faith, strength, and courage to have another child after my cancer. So grateful for God's gift of Grace.