Dedicated unto the Lord

I am reminded of Hannah's story of God's faithfulness in 1 Samuel as we had Annaliese dedicated in our church yesterday.  It is amazing to think that exactly two years ago, we were mourning the loss of our first baby at 9 weeks into the pregnancy when the baby's heartbeat disappeared from the ultrasound just days before Father's Day 2007.  This came after a couple years of yearning for a baby and was followed by 7 more months of doctor visits, medication, ultrasounds etc.  In his own time, God again graciously granted us the gift of a child without any medication or other intervention and allowed me carry Annaliese in my own womb, even as we had begun the process to adopt in early 2008.  Now, she is a joyful baby, growing and learning new things almost daily and we couldn't love her more.  We give God the glory and humbly ask him for guidance and grace to be godly parents.  

As Andy has said before, we were already obligated to raise her up in the Lord and in our hearts we've already dedicated her to God.  But it was a blessing to share this with our family and congregation, especially on Father's Day.  She was a ham, smiling and waving both hands at the church and trying to eat Pastor Jim's microphone as he prayed for our family.

"I [Hannah] prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 

So now I give him [baby Samuel] to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 

1 Samuel 1:27-28a

After the service we joined our family at my parents' house for a yummy meal.  Annaliese enjoyed her peas and as her Auntie Jenn Jenn said, she could be a Gerber baby commercial for peas (although I usually steam/puree them myself).  She loves vegetables although I've been trying to get her to eat more fruit to make things easier for her down below.  She prefers veggies so much that I have to sneak the fruit in by mixing it with veggies!  I hope that she continues to love veggies, but I also hope that she gets some relief from having to push so hard!