Like the sweet aroma of freshed baked Cookies...

It has hit me. 

Official this past Friday, April 1st.

4. weeks. to due date.

Alizah is coming.

Until now, the idea of having a baby, being a parent... has been only that, and idea. I know I'll not be able to totally comprehend until my baby girl arrives, maybe not even for years afterward, but the reality that my beloved Becca is on the very last home stretch and will soon be going into labor and then delivery of this precious miracle that we've been waiting so long for... it's starting to sink in.

And man, it is beginning to rock my world.

I have been having dreams and visions, quite literally, of this child, my child, in all stages and seasons of life, seeing much she looks like her beautiful mother, and that twinkle in her eye when she's up to something that I know she's got from me... and the really strange thing for me is this: Aside from my marriage, I can't ever remember having a dream, and seeing so far into it as I have with this baby. And now that I am married, and that is my reality, to perceive Alizah at 12 months, 3years, 12, 16, 19 years old in my minds eye, it's like I've never had that kind of experience before. 

Why am I getting so ahead of myself? She's not even here yet, and I'm already feeling that surreality that all parents experience: (apparently, from what I've always heard on the subject) time goes by too fast when your kids are growing up.

I am preparing my heart for this not in fear, but in joy.

I am already so proud of my baby girl, she is going to be such a joy to have around, and the plans God has for her are awesome! I cannot wait to watch her life unfold, and to be used by God to help her along the way.

And this, like so many things, leads me to my wife...

Without Becca, non of this future is possible. Not just in the obvious physical sense, she does have Alizah consuming every spare millimeter in her uterus right now... but perhaps in an only slightly more important way, 

this woman was born to be a mommy.

Anyone who knows her well can and will attest to this. She is an incredibly passionate woman, and one of her great passions is motherhood, though she is only beginning to discover what that is really all about. It is so evident in the way God has so beautifully woven her together that she is made to be an excellent mother.

And that makes me feel indescribably better about being a dad.

So here we go... the official countdown has begun for us. We still have a checklist of things to do, but its shrinking every day. We covet your prayers and can't wait to introduce you to the newest addition to our family! See you soon!

-Brandon, Becca... and Alizah