Week 23

Abby's growth continues to pick up speed in the second trimester. She's more than 11 inches long now and weighs just over a pound. Her skin is still red and wrinkled, but as she starts to put on fat in the next few weeks, the wrinkles should subside as her skin stretches out. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing this week that will prepare her for breathing outside the womb. She can swallow and is probably making a regular habit of sucking her thumb. She's also becoming more and more aware of noise from outside the womb.

Christina has gained almost 15 pounds and five inches since the start of this pregnancy, and Abby has successfully pushed her mom's bellybutton into the "outty" position. Our baby girl has stayed active this week, and the video from April 11 that shows her playing with her umbilical cord at one point gives us some idea as to what she might be doing in the womb. Christina describes the feeling as having a large fish flopping around inside her belly. Occassionally she's able to discern what feels like Abby stretching out or flipping over.

We were told this week that the nerve Abby is so fond of resting on is the sciatic nerve that provides feeling to Christina's right leg, causing a tingling and numbness from her hip down to her toes. Fortunately, Justin figured out that gravity will move Abby off of this nerve, so helping Christina do a handstand is our approved solution to this problem.

Please pray this week that God would be preparing our hearts for parenthood as we prepare for Abby's arrival in just a few months. Pray also for our daughter's continued growth, and that He would continue to oversee her healthy development in the womb. We praise Him for his faithfulness so far in caring for Abby and Christina throughout this pregnancy!

In His grip,

Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Pregnancy Milestones

December 19: find out we're pregnant

December 25: tell the family we're pregnant

January 2: Christina puts in her nine-months notice at work

January 19: first prenatal doctor's visit

February 1: first look our baby; get to hear her heartbeat for the first time

February 7: developing baby bump makes buttoning pants somewhat of an adventure

February 13: purchase first pair of maternity pants (of the non-frumpy variety)

February 21: begin FitMama salsa workout

March 23: Christina begins to feel a few occasional "flutters" of the baby moving in her belly

March 27: find out we're having a girl

March 29: finalize her name: Abigail Jean

April 7: halfway there!

April 11: feel first "thump" from inside of the womb

April 20: officially give up trying to fit into pre-pregnancy clothes

April 27: park in "New & Expectant Mothers" parking at Kroger for first time (and plan on doing it again, often)

Week 22

Abby's looking more like a miniature newborn now--almost 11 inches long and weighing a little less than a pound. Her lips are becoming more distinct now and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are fully developed, though her eyelids will remain fused shut for a while longer.

The belly expansion seems to have picked up this week, a trend that should continue to gain in momentum up until Abby's born. Though it's nowhere near as large as it will be, Christina's already starting to notice little inconveniences, such as being pushed just a few inches farther away from the sink when she washes dishes.

Abby must have known how excited we were to finally get to feel her little kicks in the womb last week. It seems as if she hasn't stopped moving since last Wednesday! We still only get the occasional "thump" from our little girl, but she's been on the move almost continually for a week now--rolling from side to side, turning over, and doing whatever else babies do in the womb to keep themselves entertained during their last few months in utero. When she does hold still, she has a bad habit of resting on whatever nerve or blood vessel provides feeling to Christina's right foot and leg. Usually a little prodding of the belly can get her out of the way so Christina can have the feeling back and walk around. Abby's proving to be a fiesty fetus!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our little one and for a healthy pregnancy. God is most certainly answering them! This continues to be a very easy pregnancy for mom and baby, and we thank for you praying with us that that would continue. Please pray also that as we're working on getting Abby's room ready and thinking about all the details involved in bringing a newborn into our home that we wouldn't forget to prepare our hearts as well for this awesome calling.

In awe of this mystery,

Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 21

According to this week's ultrasound, Abby's weighing in at almost three-quarters of a pound now and should be about 10 1/2 inches long, head to heel. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed now, and her tiny ears are able to make out sounds.

The ultrasound on Wednesday gave us what should be our last look at our little girl before she makes her grand entrance in August. She's proving to be a modest little thing, but the technician was able to coax Abby into moving her foot out of the way to show us for sure that she's a little girl. She seemed to be resting while we were trying to get a good look at her, laying comfortably on her belly and making it difficult for us to see her tiny face. But the technician was able to check everything she needed to--Abby's head circumference, femur lenghth, kidneys and heartbeat--and all reports came back positive. It's amazing to get to see her little heart beating on the screen. In the video, you'll see two times when heat imaging is applied to show first the blood pumping through the umbilical cord and later the four chambers of our daughter's beating heart. What a little miracle!

Abby's getting a little more active lately, and on Wednesday night we were able to feel her kick (or punch...who knows, really?) for the very first time. Up until now her movements have been faint little flutters, but this was a definite--albeit gentle--thump from inside the womb.

Please continue to pray for God to prepare us for this awesome responsibility He's called us to of raising one of His daughters. We're so excited to welcome this new addition to our family, but we know that "unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1). Pray that we would continue to put our trust in God to care for our little one, and that we would rely on the Spirit to give us the strength and wisdom to parent our daughter rightly.

In His grip,

Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 20

Abby's gained about 2 ounces since last week to weigh in at 10 1/2 ounces now. She's around 6.5 inches long, head to bottom, and about 10 inches head to heel. She continues to practice swallowing, which will help her to develop her digestive system, and may be sucking her thumb in the womb from time to time.

We're halfway there! Twenty weeks marks the official halfway point, and we just can't believe how these past few months have flown by. This week's home project was a total purge of everything that had been stored for the last two years in what will be Abby's room--quite a task! Now it's time to start thinking about paint chips and bedding so we can get this room ready for our little girl.

Christina has gained about 7 pounds so far and we're told she can look forward to packing on about a pound a week from this point on. There are still a few pairs of pre-pregnancy pants she can make work, but for the most part, maternity pants and skirts have become part of her dailly wardrobe.

We've enjoyed getting to hear everyone's reactions to the name we've chosen for our little girl, but are even more excited that we can begin praying for our little one by name now. Please pray with us that God will continue to bless us with an easy pregnancy as we countdown these last 20 weeks and that Abby would continue to develop well and grow strong!

We'll go back for a full anatomy ultrasound next week where they'll be taking a closer look at Abby's skeletal development and organs. Pray that they'll be able to get a clear picture of her (she's been moving around a lot both times we've seen her so far!) in order to properly examine her and make sure everything is developing as it should.

With sugar and spice and everything nice,

Justin, Christina and Abby :)