apple Mac

Today starts 15 weeks.

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). He's busy moving amniotic fluid through his nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his lungs begin to develop. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all of his joints and limbs. Although his eyelids are still fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, he's likely to move away from the beam.

Being fairly certain you are a boy hasn't made thinking of names any easier for us. It is sooo hard. I mentioned a few to Darren, none of which he liked. The one he suggested, I didn't like.

We've got plenty of time for that, my little wiggle worm.
For now, or this week at least, I'll call you Mac, apple Mac.

Thank you, Lord, for another day.

Mixed

I've been feeling so much better.
The congestion is still major, but I will absolutely take that over nausea and headaches. I will take that ANY DAY. I've got much more energy and even my smiles are back.

But...some news this week and the past couple of weeks just aches my heart immensely. While so many women seem to be pregnant right now, I know a few that are suffering through miscarriage and loss. I have burst into tears for these women.

Why them. Why not me?
I go back 9 weeks when I had similar thoughts.

What I do know is that I'm no one special. I'm no more special, Godly, righteous, or worthy of a blessing than these women. I am definitely no more worthy.

God, please be a shelter for these families with your love and hope for eternity.
Their faith has been inspirational. Your promises are even greater.

Thank you for this little bean sprout. Know that I hold onto it tightly, preciously, and with great, great thankfulness.
My heart aches in pain for them, and it also aches with gratefulness for what You've given us. Every day right now feels a little mixed.

Thank you, Lord, for another day.

Funny face

Today starts 14 weeks.

"Welcome to the second trimester! Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces."

I'd squint and make funny faces too if I was a lemon. ; )
I love to hear about the expressions right now.
That's one thing I'm full of.

While Reece has Darren's handsome looks, he certainly has my expressions and chatty mouth. So, I'd like to think this week is when our little baby is getting all of my funny faces.
And that puts a smile on this momma's face.

Thank you, Lord, for another day.

Oh brother

Today was our 13 week appointment, and oh so fun.

Everything looked great including the heartbeat, which we got to hear again (153 bpm). Reece isn't a fan of the heartbeat sound, but did like seeing that little baby move.The finger looks a little Red Raider-ish, but just before this pose it was sucking its thumb. So, I'd like to think the thumb was still wrapping around, and the baby was really pointing upward as so many paths leading to this day have.We hunted around checking all sides and all the body parts, and learned something else. Dr. H doesn't usually call it this early, but once he told us where the two thigh bones were, we all agreed that we saw something.
BOY.
So, while it's not official just yet, for now we're saying Reece is having a baby brother. OH, BOY!

3 going on 6

I feel like I'm 3 months preganant going on 6. I'm so much bigger than with Reece, and already find myself sitting down a ton and taking those deep exasperating breaths.

I feel good though, especially for 6 months pregant. ; )
I've basically had nothing to report in the headache department since the 2nd acupuncture appointment and the nausea is significantly less too. Hallelujah! Eating often is important with both of those. The congestion is the only thing that won't let go. I sure wish it would, as it would be nice to one day breathe just a little through my nose again.

Even though I feel large, I haven't gained much actual weight...one or two pounds. That seems crazy as I look down at this tummy.

3 months or 6 months, I'm still so happy to be here.
And so thankful to be sharing this journey with some friends and neighbors too. Speaking of neighbors, we have 4 pregnant women on our very short block.
It's still hard to believe one of them is me.
8 babies within a year...so far. And one set of neighbors is FINALLY getting to bring their twin baby girls home today. Thank you, Lord!

Thank you for so many friends and so many blessings, and thank you, thank you, Lord, for another day.

For him

There is more to the story of this miracle that I haven't shared yet.
And it's a very important piece.

Back in April '07, I got my second big memory verse: 1 Peter 3: 1-5.
Read the post here.

I'd been praying this same prayer for years, but God showed me that being the kind of wife He designed me to be, was one of the most important things I could do. So, I began focusing more on my guy, or maybe it's better to say I focused more on things that would bless him, sometimes just in little ways. Mainly, I tried to focus on being more righteous than right, which was a big one for this prideful gal.

Once we became ready to try for a child, I prayed to God for wisdom. I prayed often and throughout the process. Many people prayed for us and with me. I prayed for another child, I prayed for wisdom in what to do, I prayed for God's will. And, sometimes, I just sat and tried to listen.

And when I just listened, I consistently got the same answer.
I knew it was God because it was kind of a strange answer...

"Focus on him."

Here I was praying for a child, praying for wisdom to try, not to try, to intervene, to not, etc..., and this 'answer' about my guy seemed out of place.
Oh, but how it wasn't.

God was planning a miracle.
It was a miracle grand enough to address at least two of my biggest prayers in one. It was also a miracle that couldn't go unnoticed. Doctors said invitro was it. My God said He was.

My guy now knows this little bean sprout is absolutely a gift from God. Without question.
This miracle wasn't for me. And, it wasn't for Reece to have a sibling to grow up with.

It was for him...even just to see a glimpse of the love his Father has for him.

We asked, we sought, we knocked. God gave us peace.
And then God gave us the most unexpected, unbelievable, undeserved gift.

I am COMPLETELY overwhelmed by this gift, Lord, not just because of the little life that grows inside of me, but how You answered my prayers and brought my love one bit closer to You.

Soaked right now with tears of thankfulness, thank you, Lord, for another day. May your great name known by my love and all those that you love, Lord.
AMEN.

Shrimpy

13 weeks
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of its body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

Sooo cool. The stuff about the eggs is A-mazing. Can you believe we get our eggs THIS early? Who can think life hasn't started, when preparation for a future life already has?
And, that which people will later use to identify us (fingerprints) have already been formed?

God knew AS I was just 13 weeks inside my mommy, that two of those two million eggs would bless us with Reece and this little shrimp. Man, I'm thankful for those eggs.

This week, I made two trips to the acupuncturist for headaches. I waited entirely too long for relief. I really need to learn to take better care of myself rather than soldiering through things.

It helped. The day after my first appointment was my best day in weeks, maybe months. The days since my second have been even better. I still have some nausea, tiredness, and sinuses, but the headaches are no longer in the driver's seat and I am so thankful for the relief.

Went out for seafood with some gal friends on Friday. I actually substituted the shrimp with extra crab meat. There's room for just 1 special shrimp right now. ; )

Although you may be shrimpy, know there is whale-sized love for you in my heart.

Thank you, Lord, for another day.

Feel

Baby, I can feel you.
I felt you move today twice. Once leaning forward at the computer, and once after coughing in the shower.

Absolute joy...and maybe a few tears.
These are still, simple, incredible moments just for the two of us right now.
I treasure them.

I love you, baby. You will always be so loved and so special to my heart.
I can't wait to tell you of your story.

Thank you, Lord, for another day.

LIMErick

Baby, at 12 weeks, I still feel quite sick
For just a wee lime, that’s quite a trick

Gagging on my own spit
Headaches that never quit

Yet e’er grateful for your lil’ heart tick

"The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes.
Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and its mouth will make sucking movements.
In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. Its intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into its abdominal cavity about now, and its kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce."

Lord, thank you for limericks and thank you for rhymes.
But thank you, even more so, for little limes.