20 weeks

Half way there. That truly is unbelievable to think that I am half way to meeting our baby girl. At times when I think about it it seems like yesterday that we found out I was pregnant and sharing the news, but on the other hand it seems like so long ago that I wasn’t thinking about this little one growing inside of me, total conscious of each choice I make on food, drink, exercise, how I lay, if I drank enough water, etc. The past month has just flown by, and I knew it would with Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s just hard to believe that January is right around the corner and within a few months of that we will be on the no travel alert. How can it be that God blessed us with a healthy and growing baby girl? Our prayer as soon as we were married regarding children was that God would give us one when He thought we were ready and it was in His plan. While His plan may have been a little sooner than we expected I cannot tell you how excited Jimmy and I are about this baby.

As I stated in my last post, one of my closest friends, Bailey, just had a baby and to me that was such a huge reality of the changes that are occurring in our lives. Just a few days ago I had a discussion with a friend that read my post on the book “Bittersweet” and she said she has had so many of the same feelings as she approaches her late 20s. There is just something about being in your late 20’s, being married, and becoming your own that changes your perspective on so many things and in so many ways builds the foundation for the adult you will be for years to come.

I pray 100 times a day for our baby girl – that she continues to be healthy, continues to grow, about the person she will be, that she will love other people like Christ loves us, that she will learn about Jesus and love the Lord with her whole heart, that she will find something and someone that makes her truly happy, so many things. I also think it’s so important that Jimmy and I pray for the parents we will be to her. That the Lord will teach me patience, show us how to love our child(ren) with all our hearts (I don’t think we will need much help with this oneJ), show us how to be examples of Christ like love in our marriage and to others, always do what we love and follow our hearts, and that we will always pray for our children.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the idea of being a mom. Often times I have no idea how my mom and dad did it, and did it so well. I’ve said a few times before about how thankful I am for my parents as they truly are the greatest examples I’ve ever had of unconditional Christ like love for me and my siblings. I made some really stupid mistakes along the way, I've treated my parents disrespectfully, I was an annoying preteen and teenJ, people broke my heart, I moved away for college and for jobs – all these things are things I cannot imagine experiencing with my child. How does a parent keep it together through all of this and still show their child love? The only logical answer can be with God, and so I’m starting to pray alreadyJ Although I know there will be times our child fails as a daughter and there will be times Jimmy and I fail as parents – the Lord will never fail. He will always be there to guide us and her through this journey and luckily I think He helps us figure it out along the way, before they really notice anywaysJ

On another note – and something I won’t elaborate on today but soon is how differently you think of your parents once you are one, or about to become one? And isn’t it amazing how different we see Christmas through the eyes of Mary once you are pregnant? How did she give birth in a barn, how did she have the courage to follow God’s will knowing that the man she loves may leave her for doing so, how could she trust in the fact that she would really becoming pregnant while still being a virgin? These things completely blow my mind, but more on that to comeJ

So those are my thoughts for this week. A little deeper than usual, I know, but things I want to remember feeling as well.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.