His Eye is On the Sparrow

My due date is fast approaching! And although yesterday's OB visit was just the 38-week mark, I left the clinic without a return appointment. Apparently, my cervix has been busy preparing for the arrival of this baby...and is just about ready! For those of you who like the medical details, the cervical exam showed 90% effacement and 3-4cm dilation. Yikes! I hope Mike gets here before the baby does! What a relief and a blessing it is to know that those training in Kansas get to have the 4-day weekend for Labor Day and that I get to give Mike a real live hug this Friday night. :D

All the busyness of transitioning and settling into a new home environment has helped this first month pass fairly quickly, but it's hard not to have moments of doubt and anxiety when thinking about how we're going to survive this separation... or more specifically, how I'm going to survive being a single parent of a toddler and a newborn.

A couple weeks ago, God seemed to speak to me and my worries when someone at church sang the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow," which tells of the hope and peace that comes from knowing of His protection and provision. First of all, this is a song that I've enjoyed hearing Mike sing in the past, and one of the Bible texts that inspired its composition comes from a passage (Matthew 6:25-34) that he and I had used to encourage each other through medical school and residency. Second is how the word "sparrow" is translated in Tagalog -- the main Filipino dialect and the language in which the singer at church performed the second half of the song:

sparrow (English) = maya (Tagalog)

Just before Mike left for deployment, we had decided to name our baby girl Maya. I liked the sound of the name but was having a hard time finding a significant meaning/origin of the name. So when I heard the Tagalog portion of this song, I became teary-eyed. I began to think of our soon-to-arrive daughter and her long-to-be-absent father... and all the concerns I had, especially for their relationship or possible lack thereof. The song reassured me that Maya will be loved and cared for by her earthly father and her Heavenly Father. And that no matter where Mike is, God will be watching over her and providing her every need.

Here's a simple and sweet rendition of the original song:

Look at the birds of the air,

that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not worth much more than they?

Matthew 6:26

Round 2

Ding, ding, ding! Well, I guess that since I just can't hide it anymore from my fellow Guamanians, it wouldn't be fair to hide it from our friends and loved ones across the globe...

We're pregnant! Yup, Baby #2 is on the way! We are certainly excited to expand our family a bit and have a playmate to keep Max company. I can't quite tell if Max comprehends this whole "Mommy's having a baby" concept, but whenever little Jasmine Lee is nearby, he seems to want to check in on her and make sure she's okay--as if those big brother instincts are ready to be activated!

So, the Mercado adventures shall soon take on a new dimension. The due date for this little one is September 7, 2008, which means I'm going to have a really hot summer! In the meantime, we're praying that Mike doesn't get called for that deployment to Afghanistan (which would start in August) and thanking God for each moment that God gives us together as a family.

Our first glimpse of the baby's face. In the middle of the dark area are the baby's nose and lips.

Profile shot.

Drum roll please...

It's a girl!!!