A couple weeks ago Dan and I went out to dinner with some friends of ours. At the time, they were waiting the arrival of their daughter. My husband, in his usual inquisitive fashion, asked what they were most looking forward to with this new little one. Their answers caught my attention. They were not what I was expecting. In fact, they were quite the opposite of what most parents can’t wait for.
Let me give you a little history so their answers make sense. My friends were blessed with a special little baby boy with a rare chromosomal disorder. Since the moment they found out, their lives took a drastic turn off the common road most parents travel along. Instead of colicky nights, blowing kisses on tummies, and peek-a-boo, my friends spent almost all their time at the hospital with their son in the NICU.
That little boy touched more lives in the few months he spent here on earth that most of us probably will in our lifetime. And through their son, my friends came to know God.
Here, in the words of my friend, is what she is looking forward to with their second child:
What am I looking forward to the most with this baby? Most people, when asked about what they are looking forward to with having a baby will think instantly of baby cuddles, laughs, and kisses. While I’m looking forward to these things as well, there are other things that for most parents are the “ordinary” or “things to dread” that become things to look forward to for parents who have had a sick child.
I am looking forward to: poopy diapers, 24 hour care, teething, bringing home a newborn, doctor’s appointments, colds, learning to tell when she is sick, vaccinations, dressing the baby, sleepless nights, trying to breast feed, laughter, crying, using a basinet, watching the baby learn her way around.
Not what I looked forward to when Philip came along let me tell you! But when my friends shared their answers, I saw their excitement. They want to experience those things: the things other parents take for granted, or even dread.
As of writing this, their little daughter entered the world this past week. She is a beautiful little girl with a head of hair and ten pink toes :). And now they are starting down a whole new path in life.
Morgan L. Busse 
Beautifully written, Morgan. You have given words to a mother’s heart desire to experience the ordinary as extraordinary; the mundane as beautiful and the “sacrifce” as a blessing.
Wow. That’s a powerful message. A thorough rebuke for those of us who’ve ever complained about crap (literal and figurative). Made me stop and give thanks for everything about my boy, teen annoyances and all.
As a young married woman who isn’t especially in tune with infants, I could this provocative and inspiring. No matter my personal nervousness or disinterest, children are indeed a gift, and I am humbled by the story of these parents.