Seeing baby for the first time!

Garry and I got to see our baby today! Technology is truly amazing and I am so thankful for ultrasounds. Baby is still small, only 11 oz, but God has already formed our little baby almost completely. We could count fingers and toes and see all the tiny bones that make up the spine. One of the best parts was getting a video of baby moving around. Baby had hiccups today, so it was cute to see the movement of the hiccups. Here are a couple clips of our baby moving! The video is a top view of the face and baby is playing peek-a-boo already with the camera. Sometimes you can see the little hand and arm coming around too. The heart was beating steadily the whole time, and it was fascinating to see the valves hard at work pumping blood for baby.


Oh, and our due date was pushed back a few days based on the size of the baby. The new date is September 25th.

Lots of growth for baby and me!

Baby is definitely growing and it is definitely showing. A lot of my students commented today that I actually look pregnant now. Also, I am starting to feel a little more movement from baby, but still not too much. Baby only seems to want to be active when I am ready to try and sleep. I was going to post a picture of my side shot last week, but I was not too happy with the way that my face looked in those pictures. I looked just old and tired...which I suppose is true. At least the tired part. So I'm hoping I don't look quite as tired in this picture, but oh well if I do because that is just part of a growing baby.

Praise Item!

At my last appointment, I had my blood drawn to do screening for the Quad thing. Sorry that's as scientific I remember it being. The one that checks for potential spina biffida, Down's Syndrome, neurological stuff, and one more. I was praying a lot about this test, not that it would have changed anything if we did test positive for something, but it would have required a lot of wisdom and planning ahead, more so than what we need already! But thankfully, all were negative. God is so gracious and I am so thankful that He is in control, no matter the result of tests or how the rest of this pregnancy goes. I know I can rest in Him and trust in Him for all things, even if it might be difficult at times. Such a comfort to know my baby is under the providence of God!

You Knit Me Together in My Mother's Womb

I am amazed at advances in medical technology. I love having such close access to the baby even though baby is still growing and developing. Hearing a heartbeat at 12 weeks was amazing, and then I was able to hear it again at our appointment on April 2, almost 16 weeks. I cannot understand how people refuse to acknowledge the LIFE and SOUL of a baby within the womb, even when they can heart that beautiful sound of a tiny muscle already working hard to pump blood through that tiny body. Here is our baby saying "hello!" The static on the doppler is the baby moving around, which baby did a lot of!

Ava Pearl!

We had a wonderful trip up to Sioux Center to see Phil and Liz's daughter Ava Pearl. What a little sweetheart! We got some good practice holding a newborn, so we are pretty much completely ready to become parents! That's all we need to know, right?

We are so happy that God has blessed them with Ava and are praying that she grows up to be strong in faith like her parents.

Itching for Baby to get here! But at full term in God's time

There is no denying that I already want Baby to be here!

With two good friends having babies last week, I am so excited for when Garry and I get to see and share our little one with our family and friends.

Matt and Kristin had a beautiful baby boy and Phil and Liz had a precious baby girl. We are hoping to go and visit Phil and Liz, but it is sad that Matt and Kristin live so far away. Good thing there is technology and Kristin has been putting a lot of pictures up on her blog!

On a more sobering note, last night I was watching the Duggar family on TLC, and it was the episode where they had to do an emergency c-section because she was experiencing pre-eclampsia. What a scary time for them. The baby was born at 1 lb 6 oz. So tiny, but still in God's care, which the Duggars expressed beautifully. Watching them go through that time has renewed my fervor to pray that our baby would stay in the womb and that God would protect baby and me for the next 26 weeks. God is ultimately in control, but I pray that He will bring this baby to full term that Garry and I can enjoy baby's birth without extra anxiety and worry.

14 weeks!

Just a little bitty baby bump so far.