Lately.

If we're talking about lately lately, like in the last 15 minutes, I just sent Shawn a text that said, "I can't believe my life looks like this: ordering child harnesses and wiping poop off of necks." Life with a two-year-old is a never-ending adventure, but that's not what this post is about (you can thank me later). 

Liam turned two at the end of October and I still can't believe it. I'm a big believer in keeping birthday celebrations low-key at this age, and the fact that my parents were in town was celebration enough. When I thought about it, I realized that my Mom and Dad have gotten to see Liam on 3 out of his 3 birthdays even when, for two out of the three, we've lived in different cities. What a gift.

Liam's big present was a train set from Mimi and Poppy. I'd been scouring Craigslist for weeks for a train table that was in good shape when Shawn was approached by a lady at church who asked him, "Would you guys be interested in a train table?" He thought she had talked to me already, but she said, "No, I don't know your wife - I just knew you had a little boy and we were looking to give ours away." God loves us so specifically. We hauled it home, Shawn painted the top, and set up the train set on top. Liam is still in awe of it, and it was the perfect gift that keeps on giving. We also had a mini-party with family and a few friends who are like family. We dined on apple crisp, forgot to blow out any candles, opened a few presents, and concluded a very overstimulating day with an inaugural 2-year-old meltdown. Still, Liam felt so celebrated and loved by some of his very favorite people, and we couldn't ask for more than that.

The night after Liam's birthday, our baby girl got "sprinkled." My dear friends from church told me they wanted to throw a "baby sprinkle" in lieu of a "shower" because we already had the major baby items, but in reality, it felt more like a deluge of love and support and gifts. Our Raleigh church community has loved us so lavishly and so sacrificially that it's hard to imagine all the years we spent without being so closely knit to a group of believers. They had the idea of putting their fingerprints on a tree-painted canvases for her room, and I can't imagine a more fitting gift. Their fingerprints are already touching our lives so powerfully, and little No-Name-Yet Newby is so fortunate to be touched by them as well. They also printed out prayer request cards that outline specific needs for the coming months, and it's been so encouraging for these women to already tell me that they've been praying for us regularly. We need every prayer. Also, she's going to be one well-dressed Southern lady with all the smocked dresses and bows she received.