We've Been Waiting for You by Carolyn Arends

Ellen gave me this book at my first shower in Tuscaloosa. It's a compilation of poems, stories, and songs all about waiting for baby. One night I was reading through it and bawled the whole time. Jake's solution? "Baby, stop reading it if it makes you cry!" I had to explain that it was good tears and he totally understood the next morning when he read some of it. Here are a couple of the writings Jake and I found especially sweet and/or can really relate to:

I am staring into the mirror of the maternity store fitting room. I am precisely seven weeks pregnant. Standing in for my soon-to-be belly is a pillow the store clerk helped me strap to my chest and stomach, designed especially for over-eager rookies like me. I am giggling like a six-year-old because I suddenly feel like a six-year-old, pretending to be a grown-up. This moment is the culmination of every game of dolls and house and dress-up I ever played. This little dressing room is, for all intents and purposes, my mother's closet. But this time I'm trying on not her heels or dresses or pearls, but her motherhood.

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They let us take the baby home. We walked right past the nurses' station and down the long corridor to the elevators, our shoes squeaking conspicuously on the waxy floor. No one asked us if we had a Parenting License or the proper qualifications. Everyone politely pretended not to notice that we didn't have the slightest idea what we were doing. They just smiled and nodded and wished us well, cooing at the over-bundled treasure slumbering unsuspectingly in our shiny new carseat. We made it to the elevator, breathless with equal parts joy and terror...a couple of paupers walking off with the crown jewels.

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Your Father in Heaven
(A song)

Our precious little one, hello
Hope you don't mind if we watch you grow
Today we saw you focus your eyes
And look at us with such surprise
Could you see we were giving thanks
To your Father in heaven

Soon you will learn to touch your nose
To giggle whenever we tickle your toes
And we can't wait to hear you coo
And then you'll talk and when you do
We hope you know you can always speak
With your Father in heaven

There's a world of wonders
Waiting in store just outside our door
But the greatest thing that we will ever do
Is kneel at your bedside and introduce you
To the One who first thought of the wonder of you
Your Father in heaven

First you will crawl and then you'll stand
We're gonna cheer, we're your biggest fans
You'll take a step, and then one more
We hope it's not too long before
You understand you can always run
To your Father in heaven

You'll learn green is green and blue is blue
God's crayon box comes with every hue
You'll learn to make angels in the snow
To catch a frog and let it go
May you know that all good things come
From your Father in heaven
We pray that you'll always run
To your Father in Heaven