Birmingham...

We got back last night from our whirlwind "meet and greet the newest baby" Alabama tour! =) Here are some pictures in somewhat random order. My awesome friend, Paula, got to meet the little boy that she's prayed to meet for over three years now. It was so nice to see him in her lap, and he was even smiley and good for a minute. (Mommy love on trips continues...he won't let other people hold him long right now. =( And I got to meet Paula's newest little miracle, Lainey. She and Sam are such cute little bugs right now. Their picture is below.

Seth and I stayed with David's Mom and Dad. They are living in Bluff Park, going to our old church, and recently, Dad got a job as a Hospice chaplain that may have them there for a long time to come. I love their rental house. It has hardwoods and a nice back yard. Mom B. did some really helpful babysitting, and it was nice to see her enjoying her grandson. While I was getting out of the shower one morning, I heard her playing the piano. More significantly, I didn't hear crying from one fussy little boy. David has passed on his love of hearing his mom play the piano. I took this picture quickly while no one was looking. It's very sweet to me.

Here we have David's Bible study from his former law firm. David was really faithful to it for all the time he was there, and he enjoyed leading and helping his co-workers with their daily walks with Jesus. I got to go there and eat lunch with them. The Bible study continues in David's absence, and it was so nice to get to share the little man with so many who prayed for him.

Ahh, here we have more anniversary fun. I opened the door on Saturday morning to find a sweet older man with a delivery from the local florist. These flowers were gorgeous. I really wished I hadn't had to leave them behind. David also included a letter that he'd emailed to the florist, and they printed it out and stuck it in as the card. As wonderful as all this anniversary joy was in Birmingham, it was just as wonderful to come back and discover that my other anniversary gift was that David had cleaned the bathroom and scrubbed the tub, did the dishes, vacuumed the apartment, picked up some grocery essentials, and did the laundry I left behind. I love being married to this man!

And finally, I visited our old church home this Sunday. Chris and Libby are still there, holding down the fort for our Sunday School class. David and I team taught it for three years. During that time, we caught the decorating bug from some of the other church members, and we decorated our Sunday School room. We painted the walls blue, and we got furniture and curtains donated, mostly from a very nice partner at David's firm who was redocorating. I thought it turned out great, and I christened it "The Living Room." The Bible verse I put on the door sign included something about living unto Christ, but I can't remember the reference now. And oh yeah, if you change the room, I got that picture on the wall and had it custom framed, so if you take it down, I want it back. I hope you're reading this, Libby. =) But seriously, I have missed studying the Bible with these dear, dear friends on Sunday mornings. It was a joy to be there with y'all.

And now we have a big blank...... I wish I had a picture of the special moment when Dr. Long held my baby boy. It will be framed in my memory forever. Somehow, I wonder if my son knew that this man had much to do with his existence. He smiled and cooed for him while in his arms, and he just hadn't done much of that for anyone else this trip. I told Dr. Long that, and he said something like, "Well, we know each other." The ART program of Alabama has my deepest gratitude. They provided me wonderful, compassionate care during our time with them. One of the nurses remembered my name because I was one of the first people to get pregnant after she'd gotten there. When you do fertility treatment there, you're not a number, you're a person. When I had my miscarriage, they sent me a book on grieving a pregnancy loss. Dr. Long set aside an hour for us every time we talked with him. I've never had that kind of relationship with a doctor, and I probably never will again. It was personal care that we really needed during a really tough time. If you live in Birmingham, and you need treatment, I wouldn't go anywhere else.