Making The Leap... With A Baby

In the fall of 2011 when we found out that we were going to be having a baby we were not overly thrilled. Don't get me wrong, we had always wanted to have children... just not yet. I wasn't ready to give up my job, I was in the best shape from all of my triathlon training, we just bought a big house, we wanted to travel more, Trent wanted to work towards a triathlon career etc. At the time we felt like this was the worst possible timing. Why would this happen to us? Would we ever be able to make the leap of faith and chase after our own dreams?

It's funny looking back on all of the emotions and questions we had at the time. When I rock Jonah at night and I look at his sweet, sleepy face I wonder how I could have been so selfish ( and quite frankly angry) when we first found out a baby would arrive in May. The love that we feel for Jonah totally outweighs all of the doubt we felt that fall. I try to think about where would we be without Jonah in our lives. I'm not really sure, but I think we would be doing the same old mundane lifestyle we were doing before. Trent and I would be running in the hamster wheel of life trying to figure out how to get off. The birth of our son gave us a courage and a determination to move away from a life of things to a life of happiness. If we could survive having a baby then we could do anything.

When we first announced our decision to embark on a new journey some of our family and friends were shocked, and others of them were excited for us and wanted to know how they could help. Some of them thought this was the worst possible timing with a baby who wasn't quite a month old. Yes, putting your house on the market and having to clear out for long periods of time was not the most fun thing I could have been doing. However, that didn't last long and the move really wasn't as awful as some people might imagine it to be (in fact I had the whole house moved by myself while Trent was at a race in McKinney, thanks to my mom for helping me move).

For those of you who are wondering what this lifestyle change means for Jonah, here ya go. We realize that Jonah will not grow up (for now) in a big two story house, he may not have every single toy he wants and he might not wear a brand new outfit everyday. Having said that, he is fed many times daily, his diaper is changed regularly, he has plenty of toys and clothes, and he wears a smile on his face almost constantly (he really is the happiest baby, ask anyone who has been around him). We could live in a house with a dirt floor and very little furniture and he would be happy knowing that he is cared for and loved. Jonah will grow up with parents who are happy, love each other and who hopefully inspire him to chase after his own dreams. This lifestyle will allow for travel and other great opportunities that most children never get to experience. Jonah is every bit apart of our journey as we are.

 As Proverbs says, "A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps," and we can definitely relate to that over this past year. As "perfectly" as we had our life planned out, it does not ever compare to the awesomeness of how our life has played out thus far!