Getting Settled, Getting Ready

We are 2.5 weeks in and 1.5 weeks away from meeting baby Kaleb

Author

Todd & Brittany Born
September 20, 2024

Getting Settled…

"From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny"

•••

I may not know the number of his days
But I have hope in my King of love and grace.

His heart is wrong, yet shaped by sovereign hands
It still beats strong beneath His great command

So I will trust my Kaleb to my Lord
There is enough of Jesus to restore
The deepest cuts, the longest road of trial
In wondrous love to glory, mile by mile.

His help is here and every day hereafter
The way is clear: rejoice and trust your Master
– Brittany Hope Born (09.16.24)

It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since moving to our new Boston home! God continues to graciously pepper our days with delightful interactions with kind strangers and generous church family. 

We’ve had two Sundays with our new church family at Trinity Cambridge. We are in a series on Ecclesiastes, which has been so helpful as we keep these truths at the forefront of our minds in this season:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 

A number of members from the church have served us by bringing meals, helping us unpack, and watching the kids for appointments—we are so grateful!! Even with the delivery so soon, we feel so much more settled into our home because of their help. Aubrey, who lives with us, continues to be a peaceful and joyful presence in our home.  

Grace, grace, and more grace

In the midst of some crazy days, trying to train two headstrong toddlers while getting settled into our new home, neighborhood, and church, God has been so kind in so many ways. Through friendly and warm conversations with our neighbors and others who live near by, a number of them local Bostonians. One example: last week todd took the kids to a nearby park where he met a mom and her son who lived very nearby. Turns out her husband is the pastor of a like-minded church in the area. They invited us over for dinner last night and we connected on multiple fronts that made fore a very refreshing night for us and our kids. We were blown away at God's specific kindness to provide such dear believers within a short walk from our house. 

Sunday and Soup

Last Sunday we began "soup Sundays" where Brittany makes a pot of soup and bread and we open our home up to build into our new church family. We thought spontaneous after church lunch would be the best way forward. After inviting multiple people over at church and discovering everyone had already made lunch plans, we felt pretty discouraged, so we called an audible and posted an open invitation to the church to come over for dinner that night. A single girl, Kathy, and a couple, Ed & Christine, took us up on the offer and it ended up being a wonderful evening filled with fellowship around the gospel, joy, and laughter. Lesson learned: plan better! 

Getting Ready…

Brittany has had SO many appointments with doctors, specialists, and nurses and we continue to feel cared for by the staff at Boston Children's and Brigham and Women's (where Brittany will deliver). We have a pretty good grasp at this point of what to expect going into delivering Kaleb into this world. 

A genetic counselor we met with last week strongly suspects Kaleb has some kind of skeletal dysplasia, but we won't know what kind until they do further genetic testing after birth. 

We met with the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) to talk through what it will look like should Kaleb’s body not be able to sustain and he would move on from this earthly place and be at home with the Lord. During that meeting they wanted to know how we are processing Kaleb’s current state and how we are processing the possibility of his death. Our only answer…the grace of our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told them it’s this Gospel that gives all things; including peace, hope, and strength for every single day knowing our God has gone before us. One of the doctors we suspect is a Christian and kept circling back to ask more questions about our faith. The Lord continues to give us opportunities proclaim His glory.

KALEB’s Birthdate Is Set!

This week Brittany’s OBGYN scheduled her induction date for….
October 1st. 
Hard to believe it's so soon!! 

What's on the other side of Kaleb's birth? 

Only God knows. What we know is the spectrum is quite broad and quite intense—with significant, life-long health challenges on one side and Kaleb not being able to sustain his little body on the other.
BUT we know our God!! And we REJOICE in His gracious sovereignty over all of this.

Our new home address:

21 Woods Ave, Somerville, MA 02144

Amazon wishlist:

Next Appointment:

  • 1:30pm Monday, September 23rd, Maternal & Fetal Medicine.

  • 12:45pm Friday, September 27th, OBGYN

  • Tuesday, October 1st, INDUCTION DAY

Prayer:

  • That Kaleb would be head-down (and Brittany would be dilated) when October 1 comes around.

  • That God would place the right team on shift when Kaleb does enter our world.

  • That Kaleb would come out "vigorous and screaming"Click to Give

  • That God would prolong the 30 seconds Brittany gets to hold Kaleb after birth before he has to be evaluated and stabilized.

  • That we would be able to form deep relationships in the church quickly. 

  • That we would have perseverance in training our children in the discipline and knowledge of the Lord.