Notice the #4 on the mantel? And that fourth Christmas stocking on the right? The one with the sweet monogram, initials SGN? Let me tell you a little story about them …
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a mommy one day. I loved baby dolls, and I’ve passed that love on to my almost 4-year-old daughter, Miss A. The other day she said, “I want all the baby dolls for Christmas!” Ha!! Hopefully a new American Girl doll will do the trick. #shehasalongChristmaslist
I didn’t get married until I was 28, which seemed ancient at the time, although looking back at pictures I realize how young I really was. Coach and I both wanted to start a family pretty quickly after we got married, and we were expecting Miss A by our first anniversary.
I was so naive about how miraculous an easy, full-term pregnancy is. I never once worried about miscarriage or complications. I did develop high blood pressure toward the end and had to go on bed rest for 5 weeks until Miss A was born at 35 weeks. But even with that drama, we brought home a healthy baby girl the week after Christmas four years ago.
Since it seemed so easy to have Miss A, we just assumed another baby would be easy too. I always wanted my kids to be 2 – 2.5 years apart.
That turned out not to be the case.
Only three months after I wrote this post on my journey with secondary fertility, I had surgery to clean up scar tissue that had developed after my c-section with Miss A. In the words of my fertility specialist, it was the “worst he’d ever seen.”
He believed that once the scar tissue was taken care of, we’d have no trouble getting pregnant on our own. Wow! What an amazing thing to hear after two years of trying and two miscarriages.
A few short weeks later we got the wonderful news that we were expecting!!! I struggled with fear of miscarriage and loss, because I had been down that road twice in the previous year and a half. But God protected our little baby, and she’s now 35 weeks and ready to meet the world in two short weeks! (I’ll have another c-section because more scar tissue couldn’t be taken care of in the first surgery.)
Oh, and can I just say that having a baby in the middle of Christmas is not my idea of a relaxing, peaceful Christmas or birth experience! At the same time, it makes this season all the more special and reminds me what it’s truly about: a Baby who came to earth at an unexpected and “inconvenient” time.
I feel connected to His mother, who wasn’t racing around buying presents, decorating her home or baking Christmas cookies. Instead, she was in the middle of a census, in a crowded town.
The conditions weren’t perfect, not even close, as she surely smelled the stench of a barn when she delivered Baby Jesus. While I’ll be in a sterile operating room, my circumstances fade away as I receive the blessing of a new baby girl.
So that fourth stocking on my mantel isn’t just a cute little thing I picked up at the store. It’s a reminder that my God is faithful, gives good gifts to his children, and gives me more than I could ever expect or imagine. And we’ll be welcoming a precious new baby to our family in two short weeks! #somuchtodosolittletime
UPDATE: She’s here!!
Now let’s talk a little about the decorating… My Christmas mantel style has shifted a bit over the last three Christmases. You can see my former mantels here: 2012 and 2013. I’ve tried to move away from so much red and bring in more greenery and neutrals. I used a lot of what I already had around the house this year.
I did buy the wreath elements for about $15 at Hobby Lobby and Target and threw it together in about 10 minutes. I love how it turned out, and it was so cheap! I bought the new stockings and a couple of the pillows, plus the ornaments and greenery draped across the mantel. Well, that sounds like a lot. Ha! But I used plenty of things I already had. I love it and plan on keeping most of it up through winter! With a new baby around, I imagine my home will look like this for a few months.
Where to Find Things:
Snowflake pillow – Target
“Joy” pillow – Target
Blanket basket – Target
Burlap monogrammed stockings – Mint Julep Monograms
Red Christmas Beetle – Craftberry Bush
Ice skates ornament – Target
Vintage camper ornament – Target
Greenery – Hobby Lobby
Wreath components (except for glitter jingle bells) – Hobby Lobby
Glitter jingle bells – Target
Vintage Santa – picked up on travels in Asia many years ago
