24 weeks.

The weeks continue to fly by.  I am happy to know that in just a few short weeks, if anything were to happen, I know this little guy would still have a 90-95% chance of surviving.  I hear of stories of babies born at 26 or 27 weeks and after a long stay in the NICU - ending up completely normal.  Of course - that is NOT my wish by any means... but it sure feels great to know technology could keep this little guy alive if for some reason I can't.

One of my friends asked me the other day what surprised me most about pregnancy.  I didn't have a quick answer for her then, but after thinking about it - I think I have been most surprised at how pregnancy COMPLETELY changes your body chemistry.  My skin, for example, has gotten to be SUPER sensitive and dry.  I continue to have weird dry patches that pop up for no reason.  Also - all of the sudden this year I am allergic to pine needles.  Never happened before pregnancy, but in setting up some Christmasy decorations I brushed up against some pine needles and immediately broke out in hives.  Thank goodness we have a fake tree.  I've also recently realized that my body temperature is WAY hotter than it normally is and have started experiencing some hot flashes.  Oh the joys!!

Anyway - on to 24 weeks!!

 

Today's date: December 5, 2010 

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: 14 lbs.  (I guess I made up for not gaining at Thanksgiving - still doing well though!)

Size and growth of the baby: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up.

Sex: BOY BOY BOY!!

Maternity clothes: All maternity pants, and went to Chi-town this weekend and got some maternity tops on sale!!  Yippee for clothes that fit!!

Sleep: Sleeping well for the most part!!  Baby woke me up this morning with all his kicking though. :-)

Best moment(s) of the week: Jordan and I went to Chicago this weekend - TONS of fun!! 

Movement: Still have a baby acrobat in there. :-)

Food cravings/aversions:  Nothing much! 

Morning sickness: Feeling good!!

 
Symptoms: Tired, expanding belly, horrible dry skin, acid reflux, and getting kicked/punched in the bladder. :-) 

 
Labor signs: WAY too soon.

Belly button in or out:   In - but definitely feeling shallower! 

What I miss:  Cute clothes.

What I'm looking forward to:  We are painting the nursery this weekend!!  Also lots and lots of Christmas parties coming up!    

What's happening this week:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.  

 

And another belly shot!! 

 

 {24 weeks!  And I look like I just rode in a car for 3 hours. :-)}

 

{I wasn't sure how much bigger I would look - but definitely a couple of inches growth!} 

23 weeks.

Another week on the books!  Only 17 to go.  I still feel like this is flying.  And I look at my belly and think there is NO way it can get any bigger, but I know it is going to get WAY WAY bigger.  I'll post a pic next week.  Anyway - updates!!

Today's date: November 28, 2010 

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain: 11-12 lbs.  (Surprising I didn't really gain any weight over Thanksgiving!)

Size and growth of the baby: He's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango).

Sex: BOY BOY BOY!!

Maternity clothes: All maternity pants, and busting out of my regular shirts lately. :-( 

Sleep: Still tossing and turning due to back pain... not getting up to pee as often though.  I think he has finally moved up and is not sitting so low.

Best moment(s) of the week: I am loving feeling this baby boy move.  That is all. :-)  

Movement: Still have a baby acrobat in there. :-)

Food cravings/aversions:  Nothing much!  Thanksgiving was AMAZING though and I stuffed myself silly - and didn't hardly gain weight!  Score!

Morning sickness: Feeling good!!

 
Symptoms: Tired, expanding belly, horrible dry skin,   I can't really complain!

Labor signs: WAY too soon... hopefully we don't have to think about that for at least another 16 weeks!

Belly button in or out:   In - but definitely feeling shallower! 

What I miss:  Sleeping comfortably.  Cute clothes.

What I'm looking forward to:  CHICAGO trip this weekend!!  Yay for a get-away with my hubby.  Then the next weekend we're painting the nursery and I have LOTS of items on my "to-do" list to sew.  

What's happening this week:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb (That's a good thing!!).  Swollen from head to toe? Increased blood flow, by now an old friend, is to blame. Consider a trip to the shoe store because loosening ligaments will cause your feet to expand even more in the weeks to come.

{Although Baby G is head-down - a good thing!!)

{23 weeks... baby is about the size of a large mango}

Black Friday Steals.

I got some awesome steals today... and didn't even leave my couch.  I obviously got lots of goodies for other people... BUT I also got some stuff for me and baby g.

I can't wait to get these in the mail.

 

{Amazon Kindle e-book... okay this wasn't on sale but it is Jordan and my Christmas gift}

 {Flip Ultra Video Camera - $99 on Amazon)

And for baby G:

{Bottom Bumper Organic All-In-One Cloth Diapers in pumpkin, canary, and cherry}

{Planet-wise hanging wet bag... to hang in the nursery for the lovely cloth above}

 {Planet-wise wet bag to take along with the diaper bag}

I am getting soooo anxious to meet this little guy.

Thankful {even in suffering}

I have MUCH to be thankful for.

But today I am going to talk about something kind of different.  Emma, at work, got me thinking about being thankful in our sufferings.  At our staff meeting this week, we went around and shared an example of something that was hard for us in the past year, but that we saw God's hand in and so we were able to be thankful.  I knew right away what my answer would be, but knowing that it would be emotional for me, it took me awhile to figure out how to talk about it.

This past year was the most painful of my life.  When we experienced the miscarriage at the end of May, I struggled and suffered unlike any time I have ever known.  It was so hard for me to wrap my mind around why God would allow that to happen to me... and to understand why I had such a hard time finding peace.  It never shook my belief, but it TOTALLY shook my understanding of God's sovereignty, because I was closer than I had ever been before.  I was forced to trust in his goodness even though I was in so much pain.

Early last summer, there was a series of messages at Crossroads Bible Church (where Jordan and I are members) about suffering, and embracing your suffering because it is in those moments that we are close to Christ and can relate to HIS suffering.  We talked a lot in our small group about suffering well and suffering in Christ and what that meant.  I knew the timing was perfect for where I was in my life... but now, looking back, even though it is still emotional for me to talk about, I can SO CLEARLY see the hand of God in my life during that time.  He was my comfort.  I felt that I was able to identify with the suffering of Christ in a new way, and appreciated God's gift of his son (and his death) more than I ever have been able to before.  I grew up a lot this summer, in ways that I know that I never would have, had I never experienced such pain.  For that, I am thankful. :-)

And NOW - I am thankful for this wonderful wiggle worm of a son I have in my belly.  I still can hardly believe how God has blessed us with this child and shown himself to be SO GOOD.  I just cannot wait to meet this little guy.

More than anything this past year, I have grown to see my husband in a completely different way.  Let me tell you, this man is amazing.  I can honestly say, I had no idea how good of a man I had when I married him (and I still knew he was pretty cool - HAH).  But in the past year, he has just served and served and served me.  When I was at my lowest point, even though (as a man) I knew he didn't understand my pain, he did his best to... and he just let me be where I was, without asking me to change or heal or get up from the couch. :-)  He just loved me where I was.  That spoke volumes to me.  And now, in this pregnancy, he continues to serve me... putting my needs above his, constantly working and running himself into the ground to provide for me and our child and making sure the house is in order when I have just been too exhausted to do anything.  He is the real deal, you all.  He seeks Christ with his WHOLE heart and just cares for people in such a genuine way.  He makes me want to love and serve better, and be a better person.  I feel like my words haven't done justice to how amazing he has been to me.  All I can say is, I LOVE this man, and I am SO SO thankful for him.  I don't know how I got so lucky.  He is going to be an amazing father, and I can't wait to journey with him into parenthood.

*whew* How is that for an emotional post.

Here is that awesome man I am talking about.

 {Jordan and I... taken October 2010}