Humbled

Today as I sit here and type, little MB is wiggling around like crazy. With every little roll and foot/elbow jab, I am reminded how absolutely unworthy I am to have this child on loan to me. Having helped so much with my siblings growing up, I know a few parenting-type skills. But those little boys weren't on loan to ME. They weren't MY ultimate responsibility. This child is mine. My husband's. Ours. It's overwhelming, humbling, exciting! In spite of the morning sickness, the heartburn, the great sex gone awry, and just feeling like a cow with lipstick most of the time...I cannot wait to meet this little guy. Kristen and some of you other mommas have said that every moment of discomfort is all worth it. And I'm banking on it. Because these little wiggles, rolls, and jabs already make it worth it. I can't wait for the real thing! Eight more weeks. :-)

Everybody's Kung Fu Fighting!

Okay, not everyone. But little Monkey Boy has been on a tear the last two days. Seriously. Sometimes I'm literally in physical pain. Usually I get a few hours of peace while he's sleeping. But yesterday and today it's been nonstop. He's been awake since about 4:30 this morning practicing karate or tae bo or something in there. He hasn't sat still for a moment!

Hmm. Maybe it's the chocolate cake I ate for breakfast? But it was such a tiny sliver! And I did eat an egg-white omelet before that, so somehow that has to even out right?

For you mommas out there, is it normal for a kiddo to be THIS active in the 7th month? If a fist pops out of my belly button should I be alarmed? Can I just poke it back in like an outie belly button? Maybe he's getting annoyed with all the Braxton Hicks action. Squish, squish, squish.

I keep imagining that Star Wars scene where Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and Han Solo are stuck in that trash incinerator that's squishing them. I know he thinks I'm the one behind the squishing and he's just getting me back!

Anyone have any ideas on how I can inform Monkey Boy that I have no control over Braxton Hicks? Or any good ideas for a safe sedative to settle him down?

I'm kidding people, I'm kidding! :-D

Maybe.

Everyone have a great weekend! Hubs and I are off on a mini-honeymoon for a few days. Our last trip before MB's arrival and while I can still get around without feeling like too much of a cow in 100 degree Texas weather. But Sweet Husband's still making me wear a maternity bathing suit* for a portion of this trip, so don't even think of asking for pictures when I return!

* Now there's one of those things that you mothers never warn us first-timers about, like constipation and incessant heartburn. Thanks for letting me know about how fun maternity bathing suit shopping is! I'll remember this I promise. Someday when your toddler gets an anonymous gift of a drum kit or a tuba for his birthday, I knows nothing. Nothing.

A Prayer Request

I hate to bring such trivial things to pray over here on this blog. But I'm on my knees right now. Literally!!! :-(

For the last two days, I seem to have some type of stomach virus along with a pretty bad cold. I don't have a fever, but I'm having a hard time keeping food down or in me once it IS down. I'm pretty sure it's not the return of morning sickness as I've been free of that for several weeks now. Mix that with stuffy head, running nose, watery eyes. Bleh. So, of course, I worry about whatever this is affecting the baby. Every little symptom makes me consider the absolute worse case scenario and outcome. My doc just seems to think it's a tummy virus and to wait it out another day or so while attempting to stay hydrated.

On top of this, my sister-in-law is in town with her three babies and there is the annual W family reunion this weekend, with about 25 people coming in from all over. I'm so disappointed, because right now, it doesn't look like I'm going to make it.

So please pray for two things: that I get better and this virus not affect little Monkey Boy at all; and that my spirits just have a peace about missing this special weekend.

I know. There are many more important people and issues to pray over, but I'd sure love it if you didn't mind fitting in one or two little ones for me. :-)

Test Results

Just heard from the nurse at my OB’s office. The AFP testing came back “clean and normal”, in the nurse’s words. *whew*

Chances:

1 – 8,100 Neural tube defects
1 – 3,200 Trisomy 21
1 – 32,066 Trisomy 18

Thank you so much for your prayers and emails!!! I’m not sure what specifically you were praying, but I really have felt a peace about everything. Not peace that the tests would come back so positively, but that God was going to take care of us no matter the result. I have completely left this one for Him to handle and really attempted to not even think about it. It HAS helped that I’ve been distracted with other drama the last two weeks, so maybe God placed that there for a purpose? Either way, it’s worked, but I'm mostly grateful for all the prayers! Thank you

Sono Day

Last Wednesday was The Day: our 18-week sono. I had been told by several mom-friends to have a Coke or some chocolate about an hour before the sono to get the little one extra active for picture day. So I stopped at Mc*Donalds to grab a Coke before my appointment. The moment Lorraina (my sonographer) put the little belly-rolly-thingy on me, we could see this little form wiggling. Right off the bat, we saw a tiny little heart beating very fast (157 bpm). In spite of me having just felt it wiggle in the waiting room, I breathed a sigh of relief. Little arms waving around a huge alien head and little legs kicking and even stretching out all the way out. "Hey, I felt that!", I say to the wiggly baby on the monitor. So strange to see the baby move WHILE I felt the kick! But with every movement, I find myself relaxing more and more. The baby is alive, kicking and squirming and rolling around like a little dolphin in a pool of water. I'm amazed that the majority of the movements I don't even feel! I hope the movement slows down a bit before the baby gets much bigger.

Lorraina checks the heart - four chambers, beating regularly and soundly. She checks the brain size and shape - measuring about 5 days ahead of schedule and in perfect form. She checks the length of the femur and arm bones - again, ahead of schedule. That's my baby, already growing like a weed! But she has a hard time capturing the pictures to do the measurements because the baby is wiggling so much. A lot of them are blurry and she has to start over. I can see that maybe I didn't need the Coke after all. Already feeling mother's guilt.

And then...one moment of calm, where the baby rolled over into a totally new position...we see it. The little "it" that makes my husband beam and me start bawling. It's a boy! With a few more shots just to verify, we see our son. He sat perfectly still as if he knew it needed to register with us. He seemed quite proud to show us the goods while his picture was taken several times. Our son. We have a son. An exhibitionist, but a son nonetheless! Lorraina seems to understand the need for us to just absorb, so she says nothing. The room is silent except for my crying and Sweet Husband's sniffing. Neither of us know what to say, so we continue watching.

We see his little hand slowly and awkwardly reaching up towards his face. Lorraina zooms in closer with the belly-rolly-thingy. It's obvious that he's trying to find a thumb or finger to suck on. But since fetuses have no motor skills, his arm jerks and he smacks himself on his big head, making his whole body jump in surprise. We can't help but laugh through our tears. Our wiggly, clumsy, awkward little son. I can already see him making a goal for the other soccer team like his momma would have. I am overwhelmed and humbled and more grateful for that 15 minutes of witnessing this little life form inside of me, than any other 15 minutes of my life.

Baby Boy W finally finds his thumb! Way to go son!

A foot jabbed straight into the belly-rolly-thingy. I felt this one!

The money shot. Pretend you're looking down into his lap.

(Someday he'll kill me for publishing this.)

Psalm 139:13-16 - "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Father, I am so humbled. I am so honored and overwhelmed that you would allow us this gift. I pray that you please give us the wisdom to raise this boy to a godly man. A man that would give you much pride and love through his life. I pray now and will daily, that he become a man after your own heart, like David and Abraham of old. I pray you would allow us to witness that journey of his. It matters not that he's genetically mine, but I thank you for allowing my husband's family name to continue. The ninth generation of firstborn sons. I am blessed to simply be a carrier of that amazing blessing to my husband.

Boy or Girl

Next sono is April 4th, which is just next Wednesday. We are very excited! So what's y'all's predictions? Boy or girl? We're waiting on getting serious about names until we know what sex it is, but if you have any suggestions, we'll take them into consideration. Sorry Kristen, but Hornbuckle got vetoed by Dear Husband. :-)

Funny thing: The little one is always active in the afternoons between 3 - 6. It's not a morning baby that I can tell. But the last three Sundays during Pastor Gary's sermons, he has wiggled and wiggled. Is that good or bad?

See you in September!