Flashback Friday: Waiting for Erica

Today, this girl is turning SIX! And doesn't she look the part, with her missing front tooth and growing taller and longer legs and arms. She is so fun and so excited to be six! To hear her talk about it, she has been waiting for a long time to be this age.

Waiting for Erica was a big theme in our family in 2008 (and before)! I remember her parents coming to my house just before they were heading to Texas for Christmas and we sat on my "ledge" in the den and they told me that they had gotten a positive pregnancy test. It was ve-r-r-r-y early and there would be a lot of waiting to see if things would be OK. After several pregnancy losses, our family was cautiously optimistic and we waited on baited breath, across several state lines, to hear news that the pregnancy was viable.

We waited some more throughout the nine months to hear of good reports at the doctors' offices and to see ultrasound pictures. We waited with prayerful hearts as the weeks turned into months and Jeanette's tummy got bigger.

Then the "due date" was set for August 22 and Jeanette would deliver by c-section on that day. I remember that I went to work for the morning on that day, since the c-section wasn't to be until early afternoon. I'm sure I wasn't getting much work done, though, and my co-workers waited with me until it was time for me to leave for Baptist Hospital to sit in the waiting room for news of the baby's safe arrival.

We had a fun time in the waiting room, thanks to our friend Sandra, who was video-taping the event and had lots of fun questions to ask the grandparents and aunts who were waiting together. Finally, the time came and we heard the call for the Massey family to come in the hallway to get the first look at the newest Massey baby. We assembled in the hall with our cameras and smiles on our faces as Russell, the daddy, got to bring his new baby daughter to see the family and announce her name:  Erica Jean Massey!


She was a beautiful, pink, healthy baby girl and she was so waited for and loved! We had to wait some more as she got taken to the nursery to get her vitals and her first bath. Her mommy had to wait to get her back after all that required routine medical attention, and then we all got to take turns holding Erica Jean.

I remember that we waited until Jeanette and Erica had been taken to their regular hospital room and then we each sat in the rocking chair and got to hold the sweet baby girl. I was one of the last ones, letting the grandparents go first, and also being the family photographer.

They placed the sweet little bundle in my arms and I just marveled at the miracle that I was holding. I was holding answered prayers from a faithful God. Oh, how she was worth the wait!

Erica has already had to learn about waiting. It's one of the lessons we learn all throughout our lives and sometimes the wait is longer than at other times. I pray that as Erica grows, she will learn to wait with the hope and the truth of Romans 8:19-25:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.