God knits babies together in the secret dark. Small wonder that to get a glimpse into their world we need to go into darkened rooms lit only by a flickering screen to read what we can of who they are becoming.
But He already knows. He already delights. He has already been singing over them in the dark secret hours of spinning life out of strands of DNA; an artist at work, creating and shaping another Adam-child in His image. And the sonogram is desperate to catch up. And the black and white shifting dimensions on the screen only hint at His handiwork. At the brilliance and the raw beauty beating with all four chambers of its heart there on the dim screen.
It is the shape the Father sculpted in the Beginning and the shape the Christ-son took. It is the ancient familiar form that is still somehow new every time we see it fitted over a new soul.
“Since our Beloved became a man, how should Reason in any world take on another form? Do you not understand? That is all over. Among times there is a time that turns a corner and everything this side of it is new. Times do not go backward.” C.S. Lewis, Perelandra, p.232.
Upward and forward and deeper into the God heart with each new life He entrusts us with. Parts of us crack wide open and we are vulnerable to a vast army of fears – to parent is to ache over the unknown. And this third time I feel the ache like a low register in the small of my back. In the last five years I have known friends who lost their children in ways the brain can barely process. Children crushed under pickup trucks, children lost in the womb, children who couldn’t live outside the shelter of their mother’s bodies.
I have watched them try to jig saw puzzle their lives back together. I no longer take anything for granted. All is grace. All is undeserved gift. I see the miracle now with both eyes wide, wide open.
And today her name was “daughter.”
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Pink … beautiful! And life comes full circle … always. Praying for you … celebrating with you … and always, always, loving you!
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!
I am SOOOOOO excited for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{If you couldn’t tell.}
Happy Day! Congratulations! That is awesome and such a blessing.
Daughter!
All is grace!
(((you)))
OH Yeah! Congratulations Mama. Little girls…now that’s a world of wonder.
Praying over the growing one, Mama and family.
So exciting.
A girl…HOORAY! Congrats to you! Praying for all of you!
And in this glimpse, we begin to meet her, too.
I love your heart. Always.
xo
Yay welcome to the wonderful amazing world of mothers and daughters. May God bless your pregancy and your family xxx
So beautifully written!! Congrats and blessings over you both
OH, what a precious beautiful girl she already is!!
Oh friend, I just started crying when I read the title. I’m so thrilled for you. It will be as meaningful and amazing as you think it’s going to be. Much love to you and your family.
Good thing you just taught me about hot rollers. You have 4 and a half months to teach me everything else I am going to need to know!! {Hold me!}
Congratulations! I’m so excited for you and your family! How wonderful–two big brothers to protect their sweet sister–perfect! You’re in my prayers.
What a beautiful post. Congratulations on your precious daughter!
Aaaahhhh! I know your world is all boys right now, but I think you will be a GREAT mom to that precious girl-child.
xo
Filled with joy for all of you. A little daughter – a precious gift.
Oh, Lisa Jo. The depth of my happy for you can’t even be formed into words. I think of those boys, kissing a little baby girl… and I’m overwhelmed with the sweetness.
A daughter. So much beauty in that word.
(I think her middle name should be Bunny. Just sayin’.)
And beware the boys that come a’knockin on her door one day!
And Bunny has a fabulous ring to it 
Congratulations!
What a wonder…
A whole new adventure! Congratulations!
Oh, hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A woman as wonderful as you just HAS to pass on the wonderfulness to a girl-child.
I’m so happy and smiley hearing this news. 
I just met you at Relevant and you SO did not look pregnant! You look amazing!
Congratulations on a baby girl, Lisa Jo. My post tomorrow is all about my sweet girl who is almost six and as I wrote of her “big girlness” these days, tears streamed down my face.
Girls are precious. Boys are as well but there’s just something about having a girl…
What joy!
I can’t believe that I get to enter this sacred sisterhood of mothers and daughters. Still in awe about it. So excited.
Welcome to the sisterhood, sister. It’s a beautiful gift.
Now go take a nap…
Be. Still. My. Heart! Welcome to the world of two boys and a girl, Friend! You and your man will love having a daughter, and her spirit will thrive and bloom with you as her parents. And as bonus…she gets 2 bookends in the form of Jackson and Micah!
All IS grace!!
Love and Hugs,
Kristen
Thank you sweet friend. And I pray for any boyfriends in her future – they will have a lot to contend with around Micah’s passionately protective nature!
This post is beautiful. Huge congratulations! You are wise to take nothing for granted, even as you bask in the wonder and rejoice over this amazing and undeserved gift.
Perelandra is one of my favorite books ever. One quote, words spoken to Ransom after his victory over the unman, has become a sort of motto for me. “Be comforted, small one, in your smallness. He lays no merit on you. Receive and be glad.”
Even now, be comforted as you await a child that will always be more His than your own. Receive and be glad.
Thank you thank you. That book – it’s like words straight from my mom – she introduced me to it. You spoke such love over me tonight with them. Thank you.
You’re welcome with all my heart. My daughter gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Harper Sparrow, six months ago. She and her husband are musicians in Seattle, and they call their cozy little home Gypsy Cottage. I’m delighted to remind you of your mom, because your heart reminds me of hers. Love to you and your precious, growing family.
This is beautiful! I am so excited for you!! He is good and thank you for letting us share in this wonderful news.
1st-I can’t believe we didn’t meet face to face at Relevant. Boo.
2nd-I was nervous to have a girl {mine is 18 months and she is our 3rd, 1st 2 are boys} I am a boy-momma.
God certainly knew what He was doing {imagine that} in giving me this amazing angel that is a GIRL. I love the boy-boy-girl order, it is just perfect in my opinion 
Carisa
I can’t believe we didn’t meet either!! And I have to admit, we’re excited about the “big brothers” concept too
how wonderful! there is something so tender about brothers and sisters together. how great a blessing to have both:) hope you are feeling well.
Very very well. Thank you
Oh lady… so so happy for you
Baby girls are amazing gifts…. {especially when they have older brother(s)!}
Yea, that’s exactly what we’re thinking too!
Congratulations! Girls are such a *gift.*
Oh Congratulations on your sweet and precious gift!
Congratulations!!!! Girls are so precious. There’s just a special bond there. I can’t believe when I met you last week I totally forgot that you were pregnant. Had I remembered I’m sure I would have asked you how you were feeling! I love pregnancy and babies… that’s why I became a childbirth educator. Congratulations on having a daughter!
You write so beautifully. Congratulations on your daughter and thank you for sharing your joy with us through your writing. I am a momma of 6…4 daughters and 2 sons. Your post resonated within me.
Lisa-Jo! I’m SO excited for you! I’ve been thinking how nice it would be for you to have a daughter this time around. Girls are very special, very different from boys. (Boys are great, too, don’t get me wrong! I have a son and a daughter and they are both simply terrific!) I couldn’t be happier for you, Lisa-Jo.
Thank you so much, Linda.
Yes, it does feel like we are stepping onto sacred ground and praying we have the wisdom and the grace to help shape her into the woman God intends.
I missed the title, so when I got to the last sentence? My heart jumped into my throat! A daughter! A sweet baby! God’s good gifts. We soak them in.
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How Exciting!
Beautiful post, wonderful news!! Ahhhh…a sweet, precious baby girl!! Congratulations!!
The ultimate gift, LIFE!!
Oohh! How exciting!! We have boy-boy-girl-(boy), too, and that little girl thrilled my heart like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Congrats!
This post reminds me of the one you wrote in April about not splintering your daughter’s heart. God was preparing you even then to be a momma to a little girl. Congratulations!!
Melissa –
You have NO IDEA how many times I have thought of that post since I first found out I was pregnant. Yes, yes I agree completely. It sure made me wonder if that wasn’t what he was up to. I love that you thought it as well.
BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for sharing. Exactly what I needed to read as I face fears right now in my pregnancy.
THANKS!
Praying Jesus wraps both arms tight, tight around you this morning and hugs those fears into himself and away from you.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so so so excited! oh the beauty of life.
i could wear out the exclamation button on my computer !!!!!
so happy for your news — have been thinking since this weekend, when you and peneLope pearL exchanged wide grins, that it would be so fabulous to share boy-mama-gone-pink stories with you.
will be putting a pair of leopard print babyLegs in the mail real soon!
Your sweet Penelope Pearl really was the icing on the top of God preparing my heart for a daughter. I came home dreaming of her adorable dress and that green hat. You have to send me the etsy links for where you got ‘em! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Oh I am SO excited for you!! Welcome to the world of daughters … the only world I know so far. MANY blessings to you!
YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m crying.
And in my mind I’m patting your wee bump again
and singing your daughter “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”.
Because she has them.
As certainly as her Mama and I share an affinity for Paul Simon
and sugar in indecent amounts.
I love you Lisa Jo.
Cordi – you took my breath away with that reference. Tears. So many tears and goosebumps. That was one of my mother’s all time favorite songs and I grew up under its rhythm. Thank you for being her voice and her love to me this morning. I love you right back my sweet pixie friend.
Oh, the things that lay ahead for you and this sweet one on the way!! Boy, girl, neither is better, they’re just so distinct. This will be a very different ride, with it’s own joys and struggles and beauties!
The deep down contented peace and sweetness that children bring continue right on through teenage years and on to adulthood. The joys just get deeper. My oldest daughter just got engaged. I watch her pure heart, her unquestioning love for God and her joy in the journey of coming to know Him. The beauty and strength are breathtaking and such a gift!
I envy you at the beginning of this mothering daughter thing (with a smile on my face that I’ll still be sleeping after she’s born).
You go, Mama girl!
Oh thank you so much – and yes, all those sleepless nights again – what have we got ourselves into?
Whoo!Hooo!!!!!! So happy for you!
There’s something amazing about having a daughter… Congrats! Very excited for you.
Congratulations!!!! I love little girls.
(I have four!)
And since you predicted this one I will be counting on you to spread the wealth and do a big ol’ post sometime in the future about everything you’ve learned on how to parent daughters!
OOoo!! Congratulations on getting a girl! We have 2 boys too and I’m not sure if I want to try for a girl or not… After this week I’m not sure I want any more children at all!
Get ready for pink!
awesome….. exciting news !! xXx
Oh I am sooooo happy for you Lisa-Joe. Girls are such a special treat in this life.
Such great news!! I am sure she will be an amazing blessing to you! Send any boy raising tips my way though… please… Maybe one day we’ll meet somewhere in Africa
I am soooo thrilled for you sweet girl!!! HUGS
So beautiful. So excited for you, Lisa-Jo. congratulations doesn’t seem to cut it. But nevertheless, there it is. *big girl grin*
!!!!!
Beautiful!! & Congratulations on a sweet little girl!!
Having 6 girls myself—and some mama wounds, I see the Hand of Grace in God allowing me to walk through a deeper level of healing with these girls. I see a new and deeper understanding for you of what your mama felt raising you as far as she was able….God has allowed me to live some moments through my daughters eyes, knowing it was something I never got….such a blessing to heal those wounds down in the crevices of my heart that only a girl can do! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Enjoy EVERY moment! It is HIS gift!!!
Ginny, your words are so timely – I can’t even tell you. Thank you so much for sharing that perspective with me. It’s gives me the butterflies of excitement!
Oh happy day! Such sweet sweet news–a girl! You’re having a GIRL! Woohoo!
Congratulations. Grace indeed.
Warning: Your husband will be wrapped around her little finger in about 1 second.
Great big MODsquad hug to Lisa-Jo!
Awesome news, so happy for you. Be blessed.
Oh, Lisa-Jo! What happy, happy news! A daughter…what a beautiful challenge after two boys! : )
So glad I de-chickened out and introduced myself to you at the table at Relevant! : )
Oh beauty and love and grace and awe! I am in love with this news.
I think this little girl is so needed in her mama’s life. <3
Hooray for daughters! Beautiful post.
Miraculous! So happy for you!
Lisa-Jo, HOORAY! A girl! I’m so excited for you!
And I know your boys will be wonderful big brothers… I think there’s something marvelous about big brothers. (Though I watch John David these days and think, “in a few days, little man, we are going to rock your world…” of course, in that case I’d actually have to deliver this baby, and that is just not happening. Not yet, anyway!)
when you talked about the ache of the unknown you put your fingers on something I’ve been trying to grab for a while. Beautiful, scary, and the only way to survive is to trust, I think.
Congratulations. I hope you get some GIANT flower clips. The size of the wee baby’s head. Those things are awesome.
YEAH!!!!! Each child is so perfectly, Divinely chosen–in gender and birth order and family and detail. I love that your family’s perfect next gift comes wrapped in pink.
I have two girls and one boy–and it’s so fun to have both Barbies and Light Sabers under the same roof.
So excited for you, friend!
Laura
Oh my dear! What an incredible blessing, and my joy for you is overflowing. A beautiful baby girl to add to your already beautiful family! Lisa-Jo, the Lord sees all you do for the ones around you and His smile is wide, and it shines on you in these moments. So much love to you in light of this joyous occasion
Such a beautiful post on the truths of motherhood… and SUCH EXCITING NEWS about your daughter… many congratulations!!!!
Wow, a daughter. Congrats congrats a million times over! This sweet little lady will be blessed to call you mom.
Beautiful post. I’m so happy for you! I’m the mother of three wonderful grown “children”…two sons and one daughter. On this past Friday, my children lost their paternal grandmother and I lost my dear second mother of almost 40 years. My precious daughter and her family are on vacation deep in Argentina and unable to get back for the funeral (which is today in Memphis). She wrote the most beautiful post on her blog…http://greetingsfromthehannafamily.blogspot.com/
Blessings,
Dianne
Yay!
I am the youngest and only girl (you know, besides my mom) in my family, and I can tell you – I LOVE having older brothers.
Whoo-hoo! What exciting news! We’ll find out in a few weeks…I’m a little bit hoping for the same news!
oh friend… sheer happiness for you.
liefde.
YES! Reinforcements in that all male household!
So happy for you, and glad that she is healthy. You will do well with a daughter…
Congratulations, Lisa-Jo! Girls are so much fun! We enjoyed hosting P a few weeks ago and hearing about your family, and I’ve enjoyed reading the blog. We’ve added you guys to our Christmas card list, too.
Congratulations, Lisa-Jo! Kelly
I am so happy for you, Peter and the boys! After thinking about this, you already know your daughter a little more than you realize- having had two brothers yourself. You know what she’s in for and the secret perspectives only a little girl knows while looking admirably at her brothers. Three cheers for a little girl!! Congratulations.
Oh NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Girls are just awesome. Our house is bubbling with excitement. Thank you Lord, this is SO HIS REDEMPTIVE PURPOSE.
How beautiful and wonderful and amazing is it that before our faces ever meet our babies, the Lord has seen them and knows every smooth curve of the cheek and every hair on their heads!
This was lovely, Lisa-Jo. And I know I’m a few days late, but congratulations.
What a beautiful, touching post. I am so sorry for the friends that lost their children. I’ve been there, too, and it hurts deeply. I PTL that you are being blessed with a daughter, another beautiful life to keep you in awe. That is just wonderful. Best wishes to you and to your little lady. I am praying for a safe delivery and beyond for you!
Your sis in Christ,
Suz