*Sorry the spacing is off...ugh! Blogger. But I'm not going to fret about it - it is really grating on my perfectionistic tendencies and I'm trying to work on that. :) *
The last week has been relatively busy, but we're making it. My reflux is still under control, even though I decided to take my pill only once a day instead of twice as I'm prescribed. I figured that the less medication in my system, the better...because then it isn't in Lil' Princess' system either. It's exciting that I can reduce the amount and still have great control, because before I got pregnant I took this and another medication and rarely had relief. It's definitely a God-thing! Praise the Lord for relief from heartburn! :)
The Bible study group was a wonderful blessing. God has pieced together our little group of four, and we all hit it off great...like I knew we would. We have so much in common, yet so much that makes us unique and special and I am truly looking forward to getting to know these ladies even better and digging deeper in God's Word! (Speaking of which, once I post, I must do my homework! :)
Last but not least...what you have all been waiting for: pictures! Our appointment yesterday with the specialist was solely for the purpose of getting great ultrasound pictures. He's a wonderful doctor and he graciously invited us back for our last set of pictures as their equipment has many wonderful options that we don't have at the regular doctor's office. We asked our doc and she was happy to let us go back...this means 3D/4D photos and images that are also burned onto a DVD! Here are a few of our favorite pics.
ABOVE: A new profile picture of our sweet baby girl with her hand in front of her face. (We find her hand there almost every time we try to get good picture - I wonder if she's going to be thumb-sucker? :)
ABOVE: I asked the doctor if they could tell with their equipment if she has hair - and they can! Technology is so amazing...the arrow points to hair on the back of her head! (I'm seeing bows in our future! :)
ABOVE: Again, with her hands in front of her precious face. It looks like she's playing "Peek a Boo!"
ABOVE: Can you see her face? There is some shadowing (the doctor said the umbilical cord was right in front of her, so he was trying to get "through" it) which makes a clear image difficult...but Oh! Look at her! I'm in love!
ABOVE: She loves us, too...the doctor was moving the wand all over my belly trying to get a good shot of everything and make sure that she looks good. This is what he found! If you know any sign language at all, you know that this is the sign for "I love you!"
I have to say that while it was not intentional on her part, this sign has significant value to my family. Here's why:
When I was in elementary school, I had friends who were hearing impaired. Some were almost completely deaf. They began teaching me sign language and I developed a passion for it and I learned it unbelievably fast. The hearing impaired teacher was amazed and told me that I could have a career as an interpreter if I worked hard at it. My parents, who didn't really have much money, encouraged me and even allowed me to take evening classes through a community education program. As we grew up, my friends either moved away or decided to communicate as much as possible without sign language. I lost most of my knowledge through the years, but when my mom remarried and no longer had to work a full-time job, she went back to school - to learn sign language. (She didn't get any degrees, but she got a lot of practice and gained much knowledge.) My sister at one point was laid off of her job and decided to go back to school - to become an interpreter. She is currently taking more classes and while she doesn't yet have a degree, she has already had many opportunities already to put her new skills to good use.
Even when Kiddo was a little guy, he had some trouble speaking clearly. We taught him sign language (Baby Signs were just coming out, so there wasn't yet much information) to help us know better what he wanted. He knew and used signs for: more; milk; water; eat; many different animals - we loved to watch him sign "turtle", it was so cute! - and his very favorite was (and still is) "I love you". Ten years old and he tells us constantly, either verbally or in sign language that he loves us. It just warmed all of our hearts to see Lil' Princess getting a head-start! (We had a full room with Hubby, Kiddo, my mom and my MIL...in fact, the tech told us that we were a fun group! We had lots of laughs. :)
I just wanted to post and include some fun photos from our last appointment. Oh! By the way, my hopes for having a small-ish baby in a couple of months are being dashed. Lil' Princess is now measuring a bit big. They are guessing that right now she weighs about 3 pounds and 9 ounces. This puts her, pretty much, right on track with her big brother to be well over 8 pounds when she comes. A week or two early works for me, though, as long as her lungs are good and strong! :) She is also head-down, which is good, but according to the doctor there is a (pretty small) chance that she could still move. This did, however, really put into perspective the movements that I feel when she starts getting busy in there. When she kicks high, it's normally pretty hard and sometimes takes my breath - those are her legs. Other times, she gets to really moving down just below my belly-button or so and that is most likely her hands...it's like a really strong fluttering sensation. Last night when she started, I just had to laugh out loud because I could just picture her little upside-down self trying to stretch out and get more room!
Time is just flying and we're trying to prepare without forgetting to enjoy this time. Kiddo often tells his sister that he loves her and I just can't wait to see how he treasures her when she's really here. I am so wonderfully blessed with an amazing family and I thank God for them so often. Now, I sit her and I fill you all in on my life and it's changes and I thank God for you, too. An extended family of sorts...but certainly with the same Father. Oh how He does provide!
May you be greatly blessed this week...have a happy and safe 4th of July if I don't post before then!
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