Today, I decided it was time to dust off the ole keyboard and update my readers on life in the Copeland household.  I know it has been awhile since I have written a post but honestly I have not felt compelled to write this offseason (what baseball families call fall/winter).  It was our first offseason in our new home, and we learned we were pregnant so we put our time into our new baby and decorating our home.  We closed in January 2016, but we had to leave a month later for spring training so we never really were able to enjoy our home.  It has been the best offseason yet!  After a crazy 2015 with so many ups and downs, 2016 was an amazing year filled with adventures and answered prayers.

After we found out we were pregnant, I estimated our baby would be born in March.  I mean perfect timing right?  The end of spring training/middle/beginning of season… who knows when he would make his grand entrance.  We were so excited for God to answer our prayer of giving us a child.  After I saw the first sonogram at 7 weeks, I immediately began to pray for the phone to ring for S during free agency and for his new organization to be in driving distance from our home.  When I say driving distance I mean like 8 hours or less… heck I will take 10 hours or less!  Being with the Blue Jays is a full days worth of driving and with a newborn that would bring alot of anxiety and stress for me but of course I would do it and make it work just like we always do.

S has been signing minor league deals, so we figured start the season in AAA and pray for a call up during the season.  We get it been there… we know what to expect.  The first day of free agency we get a call from his agent.  The Marlins had already made an offer to S with everything we essentially were looking for in a contract.  There God is showing up in the midst of my worry and doubt saying, “Didn’t I tell you I have everything just let me do my job!”  Then the best part of the whole thing is if S doesn’t make the team out of spring training the AAA affiliate is in New Orleans which is 1:45 minutes from our home.  I could not believe it; God literally answered my prayer, and I started to tear up because of how good He truly is.  It was not a 10 hour drive it would be an 1:45 minutes from our home!!!  Are you kidding me??  That NEVER happens to anybody in baseball!  If your from California your stuck on the east coast and if your from the south your stuck in the north and vice versa!  God kept telling me to just wait and what a blessing the outcome was when He said yes!  Also, there is a direct flight from New Orleans to Miami!  With a newborn, I know this will be heaven sent if the opportunity presents itself.  S and I both felt relieved and gracious that if he needed to come home he literally could!  Y’all God is real and does answer prayers!  He answered 3 of my prayers that I specifically remember this past year.  THE POWER OF PRAYER IS REAL!

Just a few snapshots of our gender reveal!  I thought it was a girl the entire time until about the very end.  I felt God saying, “Hillary, are you going to be ok if I give you a boy?”  I honestly did not care what it was just wanted a healthy baby!  S, on the other hand, was completely convinced it was a boy!

(As you can see S is pretty pumped!)

Have any of you seen the movie or read the book War Room?  Well, I watched the movie and decided I needed to be more intentional with my praying.  While we were playing baseball in Korea, I took a journal and starting to log my prayers.  After our gender reveal, I was going through our office and found my journal where I had logged my prayers while in Korea.

June 30, 2016:  I wrote, “I know the stories of Hannah and Sara in the Bible and how you blessed them with sons.”  As I read this, I started to tear up because of the overwhelming grace I felt from God and His promises.  He was now blessing me with a son.  It still gives me goosebumps every time I read back on this prayer.  I definitely encourage you to start a prayer journal and to look back and see how God has blessed you and answered your prayers.

We are so excited for the start of this new chapter with the Marlins, meeting new baseball families and our new baby boy coming in 7 weeks!  I hope to keep you posted on mom life during baseball season if I haven’t pulled my hair out yet.  I can see the finish line, and I know in the end when I see his face all the nausea, back aches, insomnia, crying for no reason, weight gain, my addiction to ice cream and the hormones will all be worth it!

Thanks for reading

XOXO

HC