Pregnancy Update

Since we moved in October, I haven't looked much different until the past 2 weeks when my belly decided to pop out. I finally feel legitimately pregnant and it's nice to be beyond the "fat" stage where other people can now tell that I'm pregnant, too.

Two weeks ago we went in for a sonogram and saw our baby GIRL(!) for the first time! It was amazing. She had her hands up near her face, was kicking her little feet around, and we even got to see her yawn. Remarkable things go on in the womb that I'm completely oblivious to on a day to day basis, so it was incredible to see what was going on inside for those few fleeting moments. Although Andrew has been predicting a boy since the day we found out we were pregnant, we're both super excited to await our little girl around the beginning of May. By the way - she is around 7-8 inches from the crown of her head to her bottom and weights 12-14oz. This may sound tiny to most people, but as I've been tracking her growth since she was the size of a bean, at least to me, she seems a great size!

On Thanksgiving I felt her kick for the very first time. This was really special because it came while I was praying for her health. I have felt her kicking around ever since that day and can tell she gets really active after I'm active/excited (mooching off Mom's adrenaline?) or eat something sweet.

This year the passages about Mary being with child, and her conversations with Elizabeth have taken on a whole new meaning to me as I carry our baby. Until now, I'd never given much thought to Mary having morning sickness, being nauseous, constipated, sleepless, or emotional etc. Nor had it crossed my mind what she must have thought the first time she felt Jesus kicking around inside of her. Pregnancy isn't always fun or pretty (it can be rather embarrassing), but the humble means in which our Christ came to this earth are just astounding. He truly is our sympathetic High Priest - he came into this world from his mother's womb and experienced growing up like we've had to do. He is no stranger to our experiences. His humanity has taken on a new meaning to me through this pregnancy and Christmas season.