One

Here are a few pictures of our precious girl on her 1st birthday! We have been a bit reflective as we've celebrated this occasion, never imagining how this tiny little girl would change our lives. Mark worked late on Thursday night and when he got home he called my attention to the fact that it was 12:23am - the exact time that my water broke last year and we headed to the hospital. At 6:06am (the exact time of her birth) on Thursday we woke up to pray over Turner and give thanks for the gift that she is. And I got a big chuckle about noon on Friday when I easily changed her diaper and calmed her fussiness, remembering that exactly one year before that moment I was sitting in a hospital bed with a newborn and I was SCARED TO DEATH! Thank goodness the advice I received was accurate, and the mothering instinct is natural (not learned), and it has become one of my greatest privileges and joys.

For those who know me, I was never the person whose main goal in life was to be a mother. I thought it might eventually be a part of my life, but Mark and I enjoyed our marriage and our life and to be quite honest I was a little selfish with my time and my resources. We pondered (ok...I worried) at times about how having a child would change everything - our marriage, our time, our finances - and we were hesitant to start down that road, mainly out of fear of the unknown. Then, once we did finally make the decision to step out on faith and think about a family, we lost two babies and it was hard to see God's plan through those painful circumstances. Fast forward one year. Mark and I often discuss how lucky we are to have Turner -just the way that she is. She couldn't have been more perfectly created to be our daughter. We are in awe of the fact that just as God perfectly designed us to be helpmates for one another, He designed her to be OUR daughter with all the characteristics and personalities that would bring joy, incessant laughter, wonder, and fulfillment to our family. We have learned a great deal over the past year, but no lesson more powerful than the fact that God's plan is perfect and that He is always working every circumstance "...for the good of those who love Him." HIS best is always best. We are immensely blessed.