Preparing for Baby

Yesterday was my baby shower.  I have great friends who put together an amazing shower.  There was good fellowship, good cake, and of course cute little girl clothes to oooo and awww all over.  (Which I'm privileged to get to do over and over again as I go through them to see what we still need, wash them, and put them away, etc.  It's quite fun. 
And my nesting has set in.  The house can't be clean enough, I want everything in it's perfect place, and I wanted it all done, well, yesterday.  I'm also noticing that getting all of this stuff done is much more difficult with a two year old running around than it was with Bryton when I was alone.  He just wants to be into and a part of everything.  I guess I can't blame him, but it does make it difficult.
So in order to not overwhelm myself, but to motivate myself to get some things done, I made a list tonight of all of the things I can do this week to get started on preparing for Miss Ansley Makenna.  My list of just tasks I need to do for her this week consists of 20 items.  For this week alone. There is a lot of preparing to do, and it can consume my time and my attention. 
But just like with Bryton, I get caught up in all of the 'good' things (because they are good) and the things that must urgently be done (because, of course,  baby just can't survive without clean clothes and blankets), and God has to swing me back around to what preparing for a baby (or in our current case, another precious child) really looks like. 

And I'm reminded of the need to pray for this baby in my womb (and the one asleep soundly in his crib as I write this), that God would be preparing their hearts already, loving them, molding them, and making Himself known to them.  If I do nothing else for my child, but hit my knees daily for them, to weep and plead for their salvation, I know I've done the most important thing. 

I can't shake this obsession.  I want this more than anything I've ever wanted more in life.  I want my babies to love Jesus and to follow Him.  I desire it so greatly that I'd give up myself to see them find themselves in Jesus. 

So that's the preparedness... the preparedness is for me to be on my knees, praying and pleading for this baby to be and this baby who is already.  It's praying for wisdom for myself and my husband as we raise them.  It's praying that we'd be good examples and that God would use us in the lives of our children, and already be placing in their lives others who will love them and show Jesus to them. 

Praying for my children -
A