Thanksgivng

Let me say something real quick about my wife.  I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing woman!  Michelle is someone who handles every situation with graceful committment.  Her servant's heart is amazing and the joy she has brought me is truly indescribable.  I say this openly because, well, she deserves a little recognition with how wonderfully she has handled this pregnancy.  There have been zero requests, mood swings or moments of weakness in the last nine months.  In fact, we have laughed harder, praised more openly and truly grown closer because of this pregnancy.  I can be honest and say that I have done nothing different but yet I feel so much more enlightened and it is because of the character God has given her! My wife has been transformed and the Spirit has truly worked wonders in her life.  I am not so fullish to believe that it was the pregnancy that is transforming Michelle but I do believe that the wonderful gift of life has helped her become more of the woman God wants her to be.  I have been very fortunate to see this all play out and in this 9 month script, not only has God done wonders for my wife, for our marriage and our faith but we get someone else to share all this joy with!  Thank you Heavenly Father for all you have done and continue to do in our lives! In Jesus's name!

Daddy's thoughts on Sofia

So... Men nest too.  We don't have to have the house in order, all the "baby needs" baught or any of the other maternal nesting tasks.  What I have done is build, paint and assemble anything baby.  This I have truly enjoyed.  Believe it or not I have even enjoyed going to baby classes.  Last week I went to Daddy Boot Camp, which taught swaddling, diaper changes and burping, all the practical things that do not necessarily come instinctively.  At the start of the class there was a surprise, they brought in a 2 day old! The sight of that baby made me so overjoyed that I wept.  Not because of the presence of that child but the thought our child that is about to join this world.  It is amazing how much I love her! They say dad's don't feel connected until after the birth, well I feel a strong connection which means I am going to be in trouble when Sofia actually gets here.  Another aspect of this whole thing that has really humbled me is how amazing our Heavenly Father is.  There is tons of literature that illiustrates that most people do not understand the sacrifice of Jesus untill experieancing the love of  being a parent.  While I do agree with this, and hope it will take my faith to a deeper level, I truly feel the miracle of child birth should also make nonbelievers understand that God is real and he loves us and created us in his image. Bottom line, these last nine months have made me not only love my wife more for how gracefully and beautifully she has handled this but it has also made me appreciate who truly deserves thanks for our looming daughter, God.  As you may tell I have grown to be more emotional, who knows what well happen after Sofie B is born.  Neadless to say... I cannot wait for that moment! We love you all! - Justin

t minus 4 weeks

Justin and I thought it would be fun to take a shot at blogging (meaning Justin created the blog and I will likely do all the postings!) We figured with all the changes coming our way in the next few weeks it would be fun to try to have some pictures and words to go with our new life. This pregnancy has gone so quickly and has been pretty uneventful in the best of ways. I have felt great and been able to be my usual, active self most days. We are counting down the days until we get to meet our little girl. For those of you who don't know we are naming her Sofia Battafarano Smith. (I'm sure she will question that middle name throughout her life but we love it!)

The biggest thing going on with us right now is that baby Sofia is in the breech position. She has been this way for quite a few weeks and seems to be stubborn just like her momma and not wanting to turn. I have done just about everything I can to encourage her to turn (i.e laying upside down constantly, crawling, yoga, playing music on my belly, seeing a chiropractor for the Webster technique and am now looking into moxibustion/accupunture and doing an external cephalic version). We are hopeful she will turn but also know that God has a plan and knows exactly how her birth into this world is going to go and all we can do is trust and know that his plan for her is perfect. We had a doctor's appointment today and got to see our precious daughter. She is weighing 6 lbs 3 ounces and is doing great. We scheduled the external version for December 9th and if it isn't successful this is the day we will welcome her into this world!

We are so excited  to be parents (and a little nervous as we both still feel like kids who aren't old enough to be parents!)  Hopefully I will find some success with keeping up this blog and sharing glimpses into our new life.