Week 36

Abby's packing on the weight as we count down to delivery, at the rate of about an ounce a day. She probably weighs about 6 pounds at this point and is about 19 inches long. The downy skin covering that's protected her while she's floated around in the amniotic fluid for nine months is beginning to shed, and most of it should be gone by the time she's born. She's still in a head down position, so everything seems to be a go for a normal delivery. Now we're just...waitin' on Abby!

Christina, meanwhile, is starting to feel more and more like a boat everyday. On top of the anticipation of wanting to meet her little girl, she's simply ready to not be pregnant anymore. Her appetite continues to increase, but as Abby's growth makes space in her stomach and bladder more and more limited, Christina's finding it necessary to make frequent snack stops in the kitchen. It's true...her eyes really are bigger than her stomach!

The Braxton Hicks (the false contractions that pave the way for the real thing) are getting more intense, which is to be expected at this point in the pregnancy. It often feels as if Abby's trying to crawl out of the front of Christina's belly with all the pressure!

The nesting instinct has kicked in and Christina has spent a considerable amount of time sorting and resorting Abby's clothes by size into individual boxes. Next she plans to take them all out of the boxes and wash them in preparation for Abby's arrival. (We realize this makes little sense--why not wash and then sort?, you may ask. Don't question the pregnant lady, we would answer.)

We completed our birthing class last night, and as Childbirth Preparation 101 graduates, we realize still have no idea what we're getting in to. We've read the books, we've watched the videos, we've talked to parents who have been there, but until the rubber meets the road and we bring our little girl home, they're all just theories. What we know for certain is that this is God's plan for our family, and we are the parents He picked for this little girl. What a tremendous compliment! Please pray for us as we get closer to the reality of parenthood, that we would look to God for the strength and patience and guidance we know we'll need and that we would care for this little girl as one of His own.

Counting down the days,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 35

Abby's rapidly running out of room in there, measuring in at about 18 inches long and weighing about 5 pounds at this point. She still kicks quite regularly, but her other activities seem to be spatially limited to simply rolling her back to one side or the other. Her hiccups are still a daily occurrence, and because she's getting so big it's getting even easier to discern her sleep/wake patterns. (When she's awake, she's VERY active!) The doctor on Friday confirmed that she's still in a head down position, and Justin was able to feel where and how big her head is in comparison to her little butt--she seems like a pretty looooong baby at this point. Most of her physical development is complete, and now Abby just has to spend the next few weeks packing on some weight for life outside the womb.

Her parents, meanwhile, are getting more and more antsy as time ticks slowly by. Five weeks doesn't ordinarily seem like a long time, but this is like waiting for Christmas and your birthday and your wedding day all rolled in to one and multiplied about a million times. The novelty of pregnancy has worn off and Christina is ready for Abby's birthday to arrive soon! Her head down position is good news for Abby's delivery, but by the end of the day each day it means a lot of increased pressure on Christina's pelvis, forcing what we'll kindly refer to as a slow duck walk as she tries to get around.

Abby seems to be getting more and more responsive to sound and touch, and Justin is enjoying seeing and feeling her move in response to his voice and his hand on Christina's belly. Theory has it that when she's born, Abby will more readily recognize her dad's voice because it will sound similar to what she's been hearing in the womb, whereas so far she's only able to hear her mom's voice internally.

Our birthing classes are going well...we leave each week almost sound asleep after spending the final few minutes of each session practicing relaxation techniques for handling labor and delivery. Next week we'll take a tour of the labor and delivery area of the hospital and learn exactly what to do and were we'll go when Christina goes in to labor.

Please continue to pray for health and patience for mom and baby, and for wisdom for dad as he prepares for the responsibility of caring for not one, but two Fisher women now! Earlier this summer, a stranger at a restaurant in Destin offered us the following toast: "May your baby come a week before her due date." If you'd like to pray for that as well, neither of us would complain!

Wondering when,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 34

Abby's probably weighing in at about 4 1/2 pounds this week and could be almost 18 inches long at this point! Christina's gaining as well, measuring in at almost 39 inches around this week. Abby's fat layers are rounding her out and her skin is smoother than ever. Her central nervous system and her lungs continue to mature in preparation for life outside the womb. She's still quite active, and her almost constant movements are making it really easy to feel how big she's getting in there. Abby still comes down with a case of hiccups almost daily, and lately they've been more and more volatile--probably because there's so much more of her to shake around in Christina's belly when she's hiccuping.

The fatigue of the first trimester has returned, as all the books said it would. Christina's back to her habit of napping each day after work, which seems to help a lot, but growing a baby is hard work! All the extra weight she's carrying around is seriously affecting Christina's balance and mobility as well. The spring in her step is gone, and slow and steady seems to be the best way to get around now. Abby's riding pretty low in the belly and putting a lot of pressure on Christina's pelvis, but the good side of that is that there's plenty of room up top for her lungs to expand, so the common pregnancy complaint of shortness of breath hasn't been a problem so far.

Abby's having an exciting week with the grandparents. She spent her Sunday afternoon helping mom and dad shoot BB guns with Justin's dad, and this weekend we're taking Abby to her first baseball game with Christina's parents. (Peanuts and cracker jacks, here we come!)

Please continue to pray for us and Abby's extended family as we wait for her to arrive. We know there are so many people who already love her so much and can't wait to meet her! Please pray that God would prepare us to shower her not only with our love, but to teach her about His perfect love as well. Pray also for wisdom and attentiveness as we attend our childbirth classes and prepare for the labor and delivery. Only six weeks to go!

Thinkin' pink,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 33

It's getting awfully cramped in there! The doctor on Friday told us Abby probably weighs about 4 pounds now. Her little 17-inch long body is still head down, but was curled up with her spine on the left and her appendages kicking and punching the right side of Christina's body. As she gets even bigger, she'll start running out of room to change position so frequently, but for now she still finds ways to roll around quite often! Her skeleton is hardening and her much firmer heels and knees are putting a lot of pressure on Christina's skin and lungs as she works on stretching them out. The bones in her skull are hardening as well, but won't fuse together until early adulthood. This will allow them to move and slightly overlap to fit better through the birth canal when she's born, and to grow and expand as her brain and other tissue expands as she gets older.

Since last week's assertion of how we knew time would fly in these last few weeks, we've come to realize how untrue that statement really is. Time, instead, has slowed to a crawl in the Fisher household and it seems as if Abby can't come soon enough. Everything at the doctor's visit checked out great, and we're told Christina's right on track for a delivery in the last week in August. What she would have liked to have heard was that it looks like Abby might come a few weeks early, but it seems our little girl is taking her time. Christina complained of some ligament pain at the doctor's office and was reminded that there's a baby sitting on top of those ligaments and that it's time for them to start stretching in preparation for delivery. Par for the course, it seems. So her ordinarily unhindered style of walking is slowly evolving into a third trimester pregnancy waddle, and flat shoes seem to be the safest mode of travel at this point.

She was warned it would happen, but Christina didn't actually believe she would outgrow the maternity pants she bought in the first trimester. There's no use fighting it. So this week, we were back in the maternity section at Old Navy, purchasing the same pair of adorable stretchy waistbanded capri pants--only this time, one size bigger.

Please pray that Christina would be able to get some rest during these last few weeks (we hear those opportunities become even more scarce once the baby actually arrives!). Abby's doing a good job of consistently waking her mom up at the wee hours for morning calisthenics, and the abridged night's sleep every night is starting to take its toll. Pray also for Justin as he gets ready to welcome another female into his family. Pray that God would prepare him for how to love and discipline this little girl as she grows, but most importantly, how to model Christ's love for her and point her to Him as he does so.

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement throughout this pregnancy...we can't wait for you to meet our little girl!

Counting down the days,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)