Hannah Nicole Babinetz

Her face and body with a hand by her ear Her face, a hand and two leg bones

It's a girl! I'm not good at creating suspense like some people (Raina wins so far), so I'm just spilling it. Thanks for voting! It was a close race but those who guessed a girl were right. We kind of thought we would have a girl first. We had a girl name and not a boy name so having a girl would make it easier. Then when Hurricane Hanna came by, I thought maybe we would have a little hurricane Hannah of our own.

Hannah Nicole Babinetz made her photo debut yesterday. She was very obedient, moving enough to see her beating heart, cute little nose, cool little spine, two bony legs, an empty stomach (literally, it's a black space) and what makes her a little girl. Some things you can only see in the DVD which is so neat! I haven't felt her move yet so I was rally glad to see her wiggling around. If she's like me, she probably wanted to sleep in! But she listened to her parents and moved enough to let us know she is alive and well.

Why Hannah Nicole? In 2004, I was sitting in my dead end job in NYC, lonely and wondering if I would ever have a family. I knew 10 people who were pregnant; from my over-40 year-old boss, to my sister on her fourth child, to my high school friend who was never going to have kids. And my simple question was, “God, why not me? Why can’t you trust me with a child?” I was happy for the others but it just seemed so impossible for me. It was a selfish question but God patiently listened. He reminded me of Hannah in the Bible. Hannah was married but unable to have children. Her husband was married to another woman, Peninnah, who easily had many children. Hannah poured her heart out to God and promised that if He gave her a child, she would dedicate that child to serve Him. Eli, the man of God, saw her praying and spoke over her that she may receive that which she had asked for. She returned home and gave birth to Samuel who became a great prophet. God showed me that Samuel had to be born at a specific time in history in order to fulfill his destiny. Hannah may have wanted a child sooner but it wasn’t his time. There were others in the Bible who had to wait like Sarah, Rachel, and Elizabeth. Their children had a great purpose to fulfill in a specific time. God showed me that having children isn’t about the parent’s desire; it’s about the child’s destiny. So Hannah had to wait for God’s perfect timing for Samuel’s life. Samuel was not born by Hannah’s will; he was born by God’s will. He was born by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

So I believe He told me that someday I would have a daughter and I was to name her Hannah because she would be born of the Spirit. She would be born in God’s perfect time to fulfill her specific purpose. Her name would always be a reminder that her decisions, from ministry to career to marriage to her own children, would be born of the Spirit and not of the flesh. She would learn to hear the voice of God and do things His way, not her own. I liked the sound of the middle name Nicole with Hannah. When Nick and I were engaged, I shared the name Hannah with him but not a middle name. It wasn’t until after we were married that I bothered looking up the meaning. I discovered that Nicole is the female version of Nick! Both names mean “Victory of the people”. So God put it in my heart to name my daughter after my husband before I ever met him. Before we were engaged, Nick discovered that our names both mean, “Victory”, his being “Victory of the people” and mine being “Victorious in God”. So I believe God has spoken over us that we are to be victorious as a family no matter what struggles we face or failures we experience. His word is always true, even when it doesn’t look good. We, and all believers, will be victorious if we just remember who we are in Him.

Now here we are, almost five years later, and the child God spoke into my heart is now alive inside of me. Hannah is truly a child of promise. As the first Hannah said, “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27

Bye, Bye Summer

I took a few days off so I could experience a little summer vacation but I kept really busy. So finally at noon the day before I went back to work, I jumped in my car and took off to the beach. The closest one is two hours away but I just could not stand the thought of not going to the beach all summer. It’s just not right! When I walked onto the sand, I thought, “This is why people live in Florida! (If it’s God’s will J.) To me, it is just the most beautiful and peaceful place in the world. I love getting so super warm, then jumping in the cool water, taking a long walk, jumping back in the water and letting the sun dry me off as I take a nap. It’s just my favorite place to be. It was pretty quiet and there were lots of homes that had their own docks, right on the water! That would be so cool (until a hurricane comes)! That was also the moment that I realized I wasn’t really alone, it was Baby Babinetz’s first trip to the beach. I hope they will like it as much as me! Now if we can only convince Nick- he only likes it at night. I guess opposites do attract…

As much as I’m fighting it, the time has come to at least look at maternity clothes. Gina gave me some cool ones to borrow for work and dresses that will be good later which eased me into it. I thought finding my own would be painful until I discovered the coolest place in the mall- Motherhood Maternity! I, who am NOT a big shopper, spent 2 ½ hours in the dressing room, without leaving! My mom sat right outside and the ladies just kept bringing me more and more clothes. My mom and I had to actually eliminate clothes! I’m still trying to sneak into my other clothes but at least now I’m not totally dreading the day I have to cross over. Here’s one of the super cute dresses. I think this one is styled in a way I could wear it when I wasn’t pregnant. We’ll see. The other one is normal but three people told me I was showing so I guess it's official.

Batman- The White Knight

Our silly photo shoot:

"Want to go steady for life?"

"Well...since you're so cute...I'd love to!"

His dad actually wore this jacket in the 70's!Our fun friends and familyWhat could it be?The BatmobileToys R' Us has the coolest birthday stuff!Batman goodies from the last two birthdaysHe bought this shirt when he came to The Rock of NYC in 2002!

I can hardly believe he was right there in our church six years ago

and I never even met him on that trip.

You just never know the timing of God!

Nick has never seen a Batman movie but based on the traditional idea of Batman saving the day, he proved why he got his nickname (before my time). A few weeks ago, his parents were here and we were in the kitchen. He was looking out the window as usual and I said something like, “He likes to protect the neighborhood…” and the next thing I know, he’s running out the door. It turns out he saw a child in our neighborhood steal a purse out of a car and went running after him. The child tried to pretend it was his, but when Nick confronted him, he dropped the purse and ran. So Nick knocked on doors to find the owner, return her purse and warn her to be careful. This was the same child that Nick saw in a neighbor’s car but the child didn’t take anything that time. Nick had yesterday off and around 3 pm, he saw the same child walk out of a townhouse that was not his own with a Play Station. Then the child went in again and came out with a CD! So Nick called the police. They took him seriously, brought in a K-9 unit, found the child, called his mom home from work and returned the stuff to the owner, a single mom of four. The mom of the child who stole the things had no idea what was going on. She was a little upset at Nick for not telling her first but Nick has never met her and she was not home. This was the third time Nick caught the child and he was not playing games. He has a heart for little kids to be reached while they are young because if they are not dealt with, things will only get worse. The child was only 8! Maybe that is just the wake-up call that the child needs to have to let him know that people care about him enough to hold him accountable for his actions. I read once how an author got in trouble with the police as a boy but his parents did nothing. He was devastated that no one cared enough to even tell him what was right. So our hope is that this child will change now before it gets worse and our neighborhood will be safe. I’ve been seeing some verses in Proverbs about disciplining your children properly if you really love them so maybe this is just preparation. So here are some birthday pictures. I gave my Batman a remote control batmobile to race around the neighborhood as he keeps it safe. When his parents and a few friends came over, we ended up having a silly “photo shoot” out of a box of old clothes Nick dug up. Never a dull moment in the batcave!

Quick Update

I have pictures and stories that I can't seem to get the time to post but I'm excited today because we finally got a date to find out if it's baby Nick or Nicole :). September 8th! My mom is in a serious hurry to buy some baby clothes so she really needs to know! Sometimes I get tired or forget there's an actual human hanging out with me but when I go the the appointments, it's kind of exciting. I went to the beach alone last week (finally! Lauren, it took me all summer!) but realized I wasn't alone, and probably won't be for a long time! I will have to get used to this little person all the time but what an amazing gift. So anyway, pictures to come, I miss you New Yorkers! We're coming in November so I'll be in touch!

Christmas in July

Merry Christmas in July! Turns out Nick was a July Christmas present- so Happy Birthday, Nick! And soon there will be another Nick/Nicole running around! Just kidding, those aren't the first names we have picked out! I have to give my friend Kim credit for that, actually she said a little Victor or Nicole...anyway... I've always loved these verses, especially on birthdays when it’s normal to reflect on our lives, and especially when I can't see God's purpose for me: "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” -Psalm 139:13-16 So if anyone is in that place today, be encouraged! All your days are written in God's book. As Theresa once wisely pointed out, the Word is a lamp to our feet so sometimes all we can see is the next step. But God can see the whole path so sometimes all we can do is trust. A friend recently reminded me that God made part of a song I wrote come true for me recently so maybe it could encourage you. I wrote it at a time when I was 30 and nothing seem to be happening in the natural; not a great ministry, career or family but I knew in my heart the character of my God. He was building faith inside of me. I knew He wasn't done yet. The story wasn't over, I just had to wait and not lose heart. There's no happy ending without suspense. There's no victory without a battle. If you want to be a winner, you can't give up like a loser. You have to fight for what you know to be true. The song has never made it to actual music but maybe it will work as a poem: Beyond These Eyes @2006 Victoria Babinetz When you first called to me, the vision was so clear I dropped everything and followed with no fear Now years have come and gone and I can't see the light But I will trust in You and walk by faith, not by sight For I know that my times are in Your hands And I know You will take me to promised lands And I know that Your purpose for me Lies beyond what these eyes can see Now You still call to me, Your voice is crystal clear Your Word says “Stay the course, be strong and have no fear” I will delight in You, stand in Your holy fire And in Your perfect time, I'll see my dreams, see my desire For I know that You set my heart free And I know You will bless me abundantly And I know that Your purpose for me Lies beyond what these eyes can see And someday Your purpose for me Will be where these eyes can see So if your purpose isn't clear right now, just keep walking by faith, and you will see it. "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." - Psalm 27:13

4th of July

Gainesville fireworks are orange and blue- Go Gators! Lunch with Heather Larry and Ruby visiting Purple flowers, my favorite! For the 4th, we watched fireworks at the University of Florida on July 3rd. And who do we run into? Larry and Ruby! They were visiting for his grandmother's 80th birthday. We had them over Saturday to watch our wedding video. We hung out with friends at their pool on the 4th, I love pools. I still haven't been feeling super so I haven't been good with pictures. But I finished the first trimester today (3 months) so they say I should start feeling better. I hope so! I heard the heartbeat on Monday! So I guess it's really happening!

More Hilton Head...

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Nick nedeed some of this for me...read on That's why he's my... Maybe someday this could be me with a little one... I've always wanted to ride one of these but in the water!Look at all those people! We didn't stay that day...Christian putt-putt golf! Hole in one!Church in Hilton Head, they were so nice!NYC, never far from our thoughts! A beautiful park For Elijah and Raina... Brandon and Lauren will be seeing this soon...

(Those are flip flops for traveling, I didn't wear them to church :) )