I'm All Verklempt!

Baby Karen's crib and bedding (from a

family member who was too eager to wait

until the baby shower). The crib mattress

is a generous hand-me-down from our

friends, deAnn, David, & Havah.

Verklempt: (adj) - Overcome with emotion; clenched; also written ferklempt. Etymology: Yiddish. Dictionary.com

---

Sometimes English words just won't do. I've resorted to Yiddish to describe how I feel when I think about all the well-wishes and thoughtful gifts from friends and family who are overjoyed to welcome our firstborn into the world.

We haven't even had a baby shower yet, and our nursery is already filling up with necessities and sweet little outfits that were too cute for our friends to pass up. Beyond that, not a day goes by that someone doesn't express their excitement and speak a blessing for our child-to-come.

It's so obvious that our baby is loved before she's even born. Chris and I couldn't be more thankful.

As I gaze into our child's crib in the morning light, I can't help but think about a photo that a friend of ours, Pastor Rob Tucker, took during a mission trip last summer. It captured an adorable Ethiopian child (maybe 4-months-old), looking up from inside a rusted metal bucket.