Dearest Little One,
We finally made it to your appointment! That took F O R E V E R. I truly can’t tell you how long the 4 weeks was between this appointment and your last. While it was wonderful to hear your little heartbeat in January and see visible growth in mommy’s belly, it was disappointing to not see you at the 16 week appointment. Ten weeks was way too long between ultra sounds! Especially after being blessed to catch a peek every two weeks from six weeks to ten weeks.
Just to recap your miraculous growth:
At six weeks you were barely a jelly bean with a little flashing white light of a heartbeat.
Two weeks later you were already growing arms and legs.
Ten weeks and you’re lying on your back (head to the left) – a perfect little peanut!
And in only ten more weeks you’ve completely filled the space that used to be all empty around you!
You are so big in such a short time. From your measurements, they said you are already 12 oz.! They also said everything looks really good and you are measuring just the way a healthy baby should be. We couldn’t be happier! You are face down in this ultra sound, your little back showing how neatly tucked into a little ball you were and your head (on the right) was strategically face planted, nose down. We all joked that you just knew how cold it was outside that day!
Grandma Sherie came with us to this appointment to see you. She was so excited and we all kept gasping and shaking our heads at how much we could see! They could see the different sides and parts of your brain already and measure those too. Granted, most of what they said we were looking at were things we just had to take their word for – that stuff looks really confusing to an untrained eye. But the heartbeat (a happy 134 beats per minute) and your snuggled profile shot were easily identifiable and oh so wonderful to see! Hearing that you are right on track was truly the best news. Hearing that you are a girl – - – well that was a wonderful surprise! Again, this is an image I have to take the technician’s word for:
I couldn’t see how she could see “girl parts” from this image. She said you had to think of it as if you were sitting on a glass table top, your legs forming a > pattern and the white lines the arrow is pointing to are clearly female parts. So there’s pink in my “pink crayon”!!
You didn’t want to look at the camera and your position also prevented a few other views of other critical organs so they said we’ll have another ultra sound at the next appointment in four weeks. I think you just know how much mommy likes to see you and planned it that way! I’m not sad that we’ll get another ultra sound next time. I can’t get enough of seeing you in there.
I felt you kick for the first time this weekend. I’m not sure if you were enjoying the movie as much as me or what, but I definitely got three definitive kicks or pushes. I called daddy over but I guess you’re not ready to share that just yet because you stopped moving the moment he put his hand on my tummy. I’m not worried, from all I’ve read and heard, the time is fast approaching when your movements will be completely noticeable. I can believe that because you’re already so big and this pattern of growth just keeps going until I get to meet you in person.
I wish I could explain the wonder and excitement around your impending arrival. Everything about you makes people smile! Every day your brother and sister touch my belly and comment on how pregnant mommy looks now. And this past Saturday, we all got a little carried away looking at baby things!
Taylor kept grabbing items and coordinating them, then looking at me with puppy eyes saying how it was too cute not get! I couldn’t have said no if I’d wanted to. Cidnie was equally persistent in her selections and everyone was having so much fun shopping for you. The only thing we haven’t found direction on is a name. I keep thinking when we find it I’ll just know it’s yours. We’ve started a short list of names we’ve all mentioned that made the initial cut, but I feel this process may take us a while to find the right one. I wish you could just whisper the right name in my ear one night. Maybe you could work on that?
For now, just know how much we all love you and can’t wait to meet you. I pray you will continue to be healthy and develop the way you are supposed to. Thank you for keeping mommy humble, on her knees in prayer and ever shaking her head at the miracle of life!
I meant to get some pictures and updates about our trip to AZ in January put up, but I find that my tolerance for sitting at the computer is growing shorter, at least for my back and tummy. So I’ve been procrastinating. But I simply must share what an amazing trip it was. Seeing good friends was so wonderful and the new temple is absolutely beautiful. I was thrown a surprise baby shower by friends in our last neighborhood and that was a real treat. We ate wonderful food, enjoyed the sunshine and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was well worth my swollen feet from the long drive!
In sad news, we learned yesterday that some of our good friends there experienced tragedy this weekend. Our hearts are aching with theirs and our prayers are fervent in their behalf. Gilberto and Laura were volunteering as tour guides at the new temple open house, when she was hit by a car while walking in the crosswalk. To hear Gilberto share the scene of holding her hand, then having her struck by the car and reaching for him while being pinned under a car was just heartbreaking. She is in critical condition with multiple skull fractures and head trauma. They say her chances of survival are 50/50. To have just been visiting with them in their living room, taking pictures with them and talking about plans to meet again, I can scarcely take in this turn of events. What a stark reminder of how life can turn on a dime.
Today I am so incredibly thankful for my life and my blessings. Life is a miracle. Families are forever. God loves us.
Your little head is on the left and although you can’t see it, your little heart is amazing and working like mad to help you grow.
