Big Boy Bed, Tears, and A Thankful Heart
We finally did it. My sweet little man now has a big boy bed.
I know that he was well past the age of needing a big boy bed.
Signs he needed a big boy bed included:
he has to bend his legs to fit into the pack-n-play when we go traveling and
he climbed out of his crib opened his bedroom door and went to play with his sisters after nap the other day.
I resisted because…the thought of not having a crib in my house broke my heart. Not because my little man, my youngest was getting big. No I was rejoicing in his every milestone and thankful for each moment.
No I was sad because I wanted another little one in the house who needed a crib. I realize that may sound crazy – I already have three kids – but it is true. My womb for all scientific, medical purposes is dead. Each month my cycle mocks me, reminding me unless God makes a miracle, my womb will bear no more fruit.
Saturday as we tore apart his crib and put together his new big boy bed, my body literally ached. My heart was heavy knowing, knowing, knowing…Knowing that if I were to get pregnant, I would have to have test after test to make sure my baby was in my womb not somewhere else. Knowing that the very thing I long for could very well cost me my life. Yet I still long for another bundle…
Friday E asked me what I would name two boys and a girl if we got to have them. The question stung. I answered in small sentences remembering times when dreaming for more was easy. Before I knew that God’s way was not the way I was planning. I talked of names we had thought about in the past while holding back the tears of longing and waiting.
L asked last night…Words that tear at my heart. She doesn’t know that it hurts. All she did was take note of the three empty chairs at our table. Yes three chairs…I dreamed God would bless my womb with three. My last IVF cycle we transferred three precious babes. Yet none of them survived…
Tears have been flowing. Yet there is a sweetness in them. I know my God in a way I never would have if He didn’t bring me to this place. This place of longing, waiting, and trusting Him for a miracle. The miracle of life within, or a babe that we are asked to adopt, or a change in my heart. He knows the form this miracle will take. He knows if those three chairs will one day be filled.
And I thank Him that He holds my tears in a bottle, He takes note of them, He is the God of all comfort. I thank Him for His plans for my family and for His peace (the kind earned after a war) that passes understanding. So I thank Him for big boy beds, tears, and His grace that holds them all together.
What has God taught you through tough times He has led you through? Is there anything I can pray for you? Feel free to leave a comment.
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As a male, I’m pretty sure I’m not qualified to speak on this, but…I have to ask. Perhaps God is hinting that you should adopt? Three from your womb, three from another? You could even choose two boys and a girl to balance out the numbers. Apologies if my words seem callous and/or unsympathetic.
One of the things that God has taught me over the past year is that He has a plan for me, but I have to be willing to go along with it. Most people are followers, happy to go along with a plan given to them. But I’m different, I want to be able to plan out my entire life with no surprises.
What I’ve discovered is that God is full of surprises. I wanted to be a teacher, maybe teaching history or math. But now I hear a clarion call to teach English, even though teaching English was the very first occupation I crossed off my list.
See, I had a horrible English teacher in the seventh grade at Ramsey Junior High. She’d make us read stories and do quizzes while doing her nails. I decided then that I would never teach English.
But now? Well, I’m going to have to investigate, whether I end up as an English teacher or not. Please pray for my guidance on this, Miss Angela.
Daniel…Adoption is not as easy as it sounds. It involves a lot of up and down emotions. My kids nor my husband nor I could handle the swings in yes, no are they going to pick us? The the waiting period for the parental rights to end. Right now we can’t. So I wait for an adoption opportunity to drop on my doorstep, or for a miracle in my heart when I no longer long for children or body for more. God could change our circumstances at some point and pave the way for adoption the traditional way. However right now is a not now stage. 😉
Thanks for asking. God’s ways are certainly different and more wonderfully awe-inspiring than ours.
oh angela…this was beautiful and the feelings all too familiar! This was one of my faves for sure! You are gifted at articulated these things in a way that every woman could relate to. Love ya!