Baby Blessing: Your Turn to Talk!

I've written a lot about this pregnancy, which is not surprising in the least because every pregnancy is so unique and special to me that I can't bear to think of letting all the little details float away into oblivion.  So I write, almost as if it were my first pregnancy, to attempt to capture the multitude of precious moments that make up a pregnancy...but not only that.  I also do my best to keep these posts real and confess my shortcomings and struggles as I go through this time of growing a baby--to remember the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the joyous and the troublesome, all wrapped up together.  I think, even if I had a dozen kids, I would take great delight in recording each pregnancy in this way.

But now, I'm stilling my fingers and keeping my words from spilling because I want to hear your voice, and I have five specific questions to ask you.  For those who are willing to share input, thank you in advance!  :)

Question 1:

When do you predict this baby will be born?  

This is not just a question; instead, it's a question with a reward (sort of like Paul speaking in Ephesians 6:2 of a "commandment with a promise").  :)  Since I completely forgot to have a giveaway when my one-year anniversary of blogging at this site rolled around in January (which would be my five-year anniversary of blogging, period), I knew I wanted to have a giveaway in connection with my baby's birth.  So the simplest way is to have a contest and see who gets closest to guessing the date and time of my little girl's birth.  To help you out, I'll tell you that her due date is April 7.  Josiah was born 1 day before his due date, David was born 12 days early, Tobin came 4 days early, and Shav was the lone hold-out for lateness, finally being born 2 days after his due date.  Does that narrow your guess?  ;-)  If you're so inclined, you can leave a comment on this post with your best answer (day AND time); and whoever comes closest will win the prize!

Question 2: 

What do you think her name will be?

My kind friend Mary is the one who got me thinking about this question when she told me she had some guesses for the name.  :)  In a comment on this post, she guessed Sarah, Rebecca, or Miriam--all lovely names, made even sweeter by the fact that I know some wonderful Sarahs, Rebeccas, and Miriams!  :)  But none of them, however, is The Name, so the field is still wide open for guesses.  I'll give you two hints: first, as Mary suspected, it is a word that appears in the Bible; and second, it does not begin with the same letter as any of our other children's names.  I'm sure that narrows it down considerably!  ;-)  If any of you (who don't already know the name by other means, of course!) happen to guess the correct name, I just might have to throw in an extra bonus prize.  I also might have to eat my hat!  

Question 3:

What songs would you recommend I listen to during labor and delivery?

There is so much I could say about this, but I'm really trying to keep this post short (although I think I'm failing!).  Suffice it to say that I want to do my best to be mentally prepared and focused for the upcoming task of delivering this tiny blessing, and I know that music can play a huge role in that.  Do you have recommendations for songs that you think would be helpful?  (And obviously I'm more interested in the Praise & Worship genre than the Pop/Rock category!)  ;-)

Question 4:

What scriptures do you think would be helpful for me to meditate on during labor and delivery?

I want to feed my spirit, rather than my flesh, during that crucial time; and I'm writing specific verses on notecards so that I can take them with me to the hospital and use those words of life to be strengthened by, rather than focusing on the fear that could naturally overtake me.  What verses would you recommend?

Question 5:

Is there anything else you would like to ask me?  Anything I "should have" written about during this pregnancy, but haven't so far?  Anything you've been wondering about?

The floor is yours; feel free to ask away!

And now, if you'll excuse me, maybe I should go take a nap or something...  I'll be back later...yawn...  ;-)