Movement!

I felt the baby move last night! I woke up around 3am to use the restroom (becoming a nightly ritual now), and couldn't get back to sleep right away. I at first thought I felt a kick type thing, but reasoned that it couldn't be the baby, as I don't think I'm supposed to feel such distinct movements yet. But then a minute later I felt a distinct fluttering feeling. It was just like the articles, doctor, etc. had described. How cool!! So, I'm feeling much more connected to this little one now. Before it was still so surreal. Once my belly started popping it became more real, but still didn't feel the connection that I do now. What a joy.

Just before I began typing I felt more fluttering, but it didn't seem to be as distinct. I thought maybe it was my stomach digesting (just finished eating) or gas producing or something... They say the baby moving may feel like gas though... ?? (no gas seemed to be produced from it, so maybe it was baby again :).

Chris told me yesterday that he almost hopes it is a girl because he likes the name we picked out so much that he wants to make sure we can use it before someone else around us does. :) We still need a middle name though. (one syllable if you are compelled to make a suggestion ;).

16 Week Appointment

So, I'm now 7 pounds heavier than pre-pregnancy. It's all in the belly too (which I'm glad for of course). So, I guess I finally sorta look pregnant. :) I can no longer button any of my normal sized pants. I have 2-3 pair of jeans from my freshman 15 days that are still working for me though. :)

The baby's heart rate was 141 bpm today. Chris isn't as convinced it's a girl now because of the lower heartbeat. I still have no inclination to believe either way. We'll get an ultra sound at the 20 week appointment to find out the sex (yes, I will post it here, so if you don't want to know, I guess you shouldn't follow this blog anymore :/ ). I was alone in the room after the nurse did her stuff, including the heartbeat monitor, so I was able to spend time in awe of and thanking God for His incredible creativity in creation and blessing on my life.

The doctor asked if I'd felt anything yet (I haven't). She said it's usually longer before you feel something during your first pregnancy because you don't really know what you're looking for. She said around 20 weeks is normal. I was hoping it'd be sooner, which it may still...

Baby Jesus

From Focus on the Family:

Perhaps Jesus could have arrived on the scene as a 30-year-old man, just in time for his ministry. But instead, He arrived as a baby, affirming the immeasurable value of every human life from the earliest stages.

Christmas also boldly proclaims that life begins at conception. While Jesus was still in the womb, less than three months in utero, the Bible records that Elizabeth’s baby “leaped in her womb.” Think of the profound pro-life statement that was made at that moment -- one preborn baby (John) recognized the personhood of another preborn baby (Jesus)!

Jesus came to a family of no wealth or influence and in a situation that had great potential for the perception of scandal. Yet God gave Joseph and Mary the courage to face truly unprecedented obstacles in order to ensure that Jesus would be raised by a mother and a father.

The Savior of the world was placed in a family that did what it had to do to provide Jesus with the care and protection He needed from infancy to adulthood. God placed incredible trust in the family then, as He does now.

Aunt Nancy's Analogy

So, Aunt Nancy sent me a little email including this good analogy I thought I would share:

"The love you're feeling for your little one is so profound, isn't it. You haven't really met in person, but your beloved grows within and so does your love. It's God's blessing and a reminder of the way it is with God. We haven't met him face to face yet, but he is within and grows in our very being. We will one day meet face to fact for eternity as well."

How wonderful! Thanks Aunt Nancy!

12 Weeks Old

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his 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. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Heartbeat!

So, we had our second appointment today. We were able to hear the heartbeat! 160 bpm. Chris got a little teary-eyed while we were listening. I just couldn't stop smiling and giggling. The doctor came in later and said that "They say that the faster ones are girls." :)

A friend sent me this link: http://www.babygenderpredictiontest.com/ which predicts the gender. For me, it predicted 81% chance of being a boy. :) I'm really good with either one. So is Chris.

It's a little more real now. Now I can think back and hear the heartbeat, so I know there's an actual baby in there. :)

I lost two pounds since my first visit three weeks ago. My weight tends to fluctuate every couple of weeks from 2-3 pounds anyways, so it's definitely not bad news. And they say you only gain 1-5 pounds in your first trimester anyways. I will start second trimester Sunday. They say you gain like 15 pounds in this one. It's the only time you can look forward to having a growing tummy, so that'll be fun. I hope I'm able to fully enjoy it and not freak out at my changing body. :)

We're doing the whole side-view picture thing, so I'll eventually post some of those when there's enough difference to notice.

Pregnant

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

11th week now. Feeling great. Not feeling quite as tired all the time either. Next week the doctor will check for a heart beat with a good ole stethoscope (we skipped the internal one). We went to Applebee's last night and I got a strawberry lemonade. I think I drank too much (sugar)... my tummy was slightly uneasy at bedtime. :/

My mom sent me my first baby's outfit. :) It is so cute. It's a little boyish, so I asked if she was anticipating a boy. She said she really didn't know...she just thought it would work for a boy or girl. My sister thinks it's a girl. Chris and I would be quite delighted either way. We do plan on finding out the sex, just so we can get the nursery ready (we like the blue and pink as opposed to the yellow). :) Major purchases will be unisex of course though so we can reuse them for future babies hopefully. :)

Something cool:
The way they calculate the weeks of pregnancy, put my first week as the week I was in Rwanda! It's just cool to think that God gave me that special blessing while I was being completely obedient to Him. :) What a great story that will be to share with my child one day. And what a great reminder for me of how God blesses your commitment and obedience to Him (not that blessings always come in such a visible form...but they certainly can and do).