Week 10

Ziggy hit another milestone this week, transitioning from the embryonic to the fetal stage. According to the world of medicine, she's an official fetus now! (Although we've known she was our little baby all along...) She's big enough now that all the books start reporting an average fetal weight. So this week, Ziggy's about the size of a kumquat (coincidentally, also about the size of Chrisitina's thumb, which makes her growth easy to illustrate to others) and weighs just under a quarter of an ounce. Now that she's in the fetal period, her tissues and organs will begin to rapidly grow and mature. Her liver, kidney, intestines, brain and lungs are all in place and starting to function. Over the next three weeks, Ziggy's length will more than double in size to nearly three inches! Her formerly-webbed fingers and toes are now completely separated and she is busy kicking her little legs--though Christina still won't feel these little movements for a few more weeks.

Ziggy's not the only one changing! Christina has been pleased to notice that the exhaustion that has been so prevalent over the last few weeks is beginning to subside, and she's feeling almost back to normal where her energy level is concerned. She's started swimming and is happy to have a fitness routine to help get and keep her in shape throughout this pregnancy. (Although the swimsuit she had in college is beginning to get a little snug...)

We'll go for our second prenatal appointment next week where they tell us we'll finally be able to have an ultrasound and get to see Ziggy for the first time! How exciting! We'll also be able to hear the baby's heartbeat at that time. It still overwhelms us to think there's a whole little person growing inside Christina's belly.

Please pray that the doctor's appointment will go well next Thursday and all reports will be positive. We continue to lift up our little one in prayer, and are so thankful for those that are coming alongside us to do the same. Pray that she'll continue to develop properly and that Christina will be able to stay healthy and eat well for the two of them.

Lovin' this miracle,

Justin, Christina and Ziggy :)

Week 9

Ziggy hit a growth spurt this week, nearly doubling in size to be about an inch long now and weighing just a fraction of an ounce. He's packing a lot of punch into that little body though. This week his organs, muscles and nerves will be kicking into high gear and starting their rapid development. He has earlobes now, and by the end of the week the inner workings of his ears will be complete. (Maybe it's time for Justin to start teaching him to appreciate the electric guitar...) His facial features are starting to look even more human, and his mouth, nose and nostrils are more distinct. All of Ziggy's major joints are working now, and he's busy exercising his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. His tiny heart has divided into its four chambers and the heart valves are beginning to develop. All this in a package no bigger than a grape!

Christina continues to do remarkably well and is beginning to get used to the need for a daily nap. The finicky stomach seems to be subsiding, thanks to some welcome advice that she should snack more frequently. Justin has made packing her a bag of grapes to take to work part of his regular morning routine.

We just returned from our first prenatal visit--how exciting! We have so much information to read through now. The initial report shows Christina to be healthy and the pregnancy progressing as it should be. We weren't able to have an ultrasound today, so we'll have to wait another two weeks to go back and hear the baby's heartbeat. (On a side note, Christina would like to take a second to brag about the fact that she managed to have her blood drawn without crying today. Trust us--this is a big step!)

Thank you for your continued prayers for our little one. How exciting will it be for you to be able to tell Ziggy one day, "Hey, I prayed for you when you were just the size of a grape!" We are trusting God with this tiny miracle--it's His, after all--and continue to pray that our baby will be born healthy, and that God will equip us to meet all his needs.

In His grip,

Justin, Christina and Ziggy :)

Week 8

Ziggy's had a busy week! She's constantly moving around, excercising her developing muscles, joints and appendages, although we won't be able to feel her little wiggles for quite some time. She's grown to be about the size of a kidney bean this week, and her little tail (an exension of her tailbone) is beginning to disappear. Her arms, legs, feet and hands are developing quickly, and her little fingers and toes are growing longer, though they're still slightly webbed. Her knee joints have formed--maybe Ziggy will be a runner like her uncles! Breathing tubes extend from her throat to the branches of her developing lungs, and the nerve cells in her brain are also branching out to connect with one another.

Christina continues to struggle with feeling tired all the time, and is having a hard time getting used to not having her usual amount of energy. (Cutting back on all the caffeine and sugar, she's sure, is also contributing to her decreased energy levels.) This week has been a little more difficult as her stomach seems to be getting a little more finicky about what she eats. Unfortunatly for Justin, it seems that very bland foods like plain chicken, salad, applesauce--and anything with very little flavor--seem to be most appealing to mom-to-be. We're thankful that Christina has been blessed with very few problems with nausea so far. Please pray that she would be able to eat well, and enough, for the two of them.

We continue to praise God for the outpouring of support from our friends at church. Ours is a growing church, due at least in part to the fact that there is an almost constant cycle of pregnancies and new babies going on there. The many moms at our church have been very forthcoming with advice, resources, listening ears, and gifts to help us as we get ready for Ziggy's arrival. Just this morning we received a call from a mom who is moving and would like to give us some of the baby items they're not taking with them. Our church really is our church "family," and we're so thankful for the ways God is showing His love to us through the body of Christ, His church.

There's just one week until our first prenatal visit, and it seems like it can't come soon enough. Christina plans to start swimming again soon (an activity she loved in college, and an excellent one for pregnant women) to help get and keep her body in good shape for this pregnancy. We're also trying to make the 3-mile walk around our neighborhood a more regular activity, which may be easier to get motivated for when it warms up a little! But as hard as it is, Christina continues to take her mom's good advice to take it easy and let her body rest when she needs it. Please pray that this time of preparation while we wait for Ziggy's arrival will be one in which we can truly learn what it means to rest in Christ, and to trust Him for all our needs.

In awe of this mystery,

Justin, Christina and Ziggy :)

Week 7

What a week! Ziggy's growing like a weed, nearly tripling in size to be about a half an inch long now--roughly the size of a rasberry. Both hemispheres of his brain are developing in his oversized head, and this week his teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming. His ears are continuing to develop, and he has eyelid folds partially covering his tiny eyes, which already have some color! The tip of Ziggy's nose is beginning to emerge from his growing face, and he now has distinct, although slightly webbed, fingers and toes. Ziggy's appendix and pancreas are in place, and his tiny liver is busy producing red blood cells. A loop of his growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. Christina can't feel it yet, but Ziggy's like a little jumping bean, moving around in quick, frenetic fits in his watery home.

What Christina can feel is the effect of her body working hard to build a placenta, which exerts roughly the same amount of energy as running a marathon (about 26 miles) every day! She can't seem to get enough sleep and is exhausted when she gets home from work. Even though she's been sitting all day, her body's been working triple overtime. A half hour nap has become a regular part of her evening routine. Justin's been a tremendous help, pitching in even more than usual with dishes and other household chores to allow Christina to get some much-needed rest.

The genuine excitement and support from our friends and families has been so encouraging! Emma, our favorite little five-year-old at church, even offered to let our baby come over and play on her new trampoline when he's born. Christina is receiving stacks of books from friends who've been through all this before, and she's so thankful for all the advice and wisdom she's getting from other moms. Justin's coworkers have been patting him on the back and congratulating him, and one even offered us a crib and a bassinet already--what a blessing!

We'll go for our first prenatal visit in two weeks, and Justin is busy trying to figure out the best way to record the little heartbeat we'll be able to hear at that time. Please continue to pray for our little miracle, that even as Ziggy's tiny heart is beginning to beat, God would be preparing to give our baby a heart that would love Him at a young age.

'Til next week,

Justin, Christina and Ziggy :)