The Christmas Waddle

This holiday season, I got a special gift that few can claim - the waddle. I realized it a few days before Christmas, actually. I was walking across the gym floor at work, and I noticed my legs were not moving like they typically move when I walk. There seemed to be a slight outward swing to them. I tried to correct this, but it just wasnt possible! My hips will not let my legs move like they used to! I guess my new strut is here to stay until Lily decides to give me back my body.

I have officially entered my third trimester! I'm now 28 weeks along. Lily should be just over 2 pounds. She's developing billions of neurons and is gaining body fat to make it easier for her to survive outside the womb. As a matter of fact, 9 out of 10 babies that are born at this point in my pregnancy survive. That is a comforting thought, but I still like the idea of her going full term!

If I'm like the typical pregnant woman, I'll gain 11 pounds this trimester. I've currently gained 14 and feel like a big ole whale! I've never weighed this much in my life, and it's hard to remind myself that this is how it's supposed to be. But, Trent is very sweet to help me remember and to tell me how pretty he thinks I am. I don't know what I'd do without him.

My first baby shower is coming up in less than 2 weeks, and I'm so excited. Some of my girlfriends are hosting it for us. I can't wait to see them all and to watch Trent open up little girl gifts while we all ooh and aah! How cute. Then I have a family shower with the Webster women two weeks later. We're planning a fun gathering in Birmingham just for the girls! I have such great friends and family! They are so sweet to throw these showers and help me get ready for Lily's arrival. Thank you!

She's adorable!

My doctor's appointment today was so much fun! The technician was able to clearly see the chambers of the heart, as well as the lip/face area. Lily looks just fine and dandy! The tech let us watch Lily for a while. She was moving around a lot, and kept playing with her hands. It was so cute! She'd bring her little hand up to her face, then reach down and pull on her foot, then back up to her face again. She's having fun in there!

Trent went with me today, which I'm so thankful for. It's very nice to be able to hold his hand while we watch Lily play. These are the moments that I will never forget. Today, I saw my daughter play with her foot for the first time. It doesnt seem like a big deal, but, oh, what it does to this hormonal, emotional, pregnant woman!

I can't help but wonder what she's going to look like. The tech said that her head size is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. I'm kind of expecting a big head, since mine is rather large. So, that's one thing she'll take from me. I lay in bed at night thinking, "What parts of me will she take, and what parts of Trent?" Will she have his nose and my cheeks? Blue eyes like me or brown eyes like her daddy? I love imagining all of this and trying to get an image in my head of our little girl. It's never the same image, but it's always fun!

I'm 25 weeks along. Her heartbeat was in the 160s today. She weighs 1 pound and 12 ounces. She looked so much bigger today than the last ultrasound. I love seeing how she changes each time!

Thanks for your prayers and your kind words. We are extremely grateful for all of you!

Psalm 139: 13-17

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

These verses come to mind today when I think of seeing little Lily. I'm praying that I do all I can to help God's plan be realized in this precious girl.

It's a girl!

We just had our 19th week ultrasound, and we found out we're having a little girl! The nice blond lady that did the ultrasound told us that the baby is developing perfectly so far. There were a couple of things that she couldn't see, like the chambers of the heart and the lip/nose area. But, we'll have another ultrasound in a few weeks to check those things out. The kidneys, bones, spine and measurements look great!

On the top left you'll see proof that the baby is a little girl. This angle is from her bottom. You can see the two legs spread out and the arrow pointing to the proof!

On the top right you'll see her spine and rib development. This angle is a profile shot with her facing down. The technician said that the white/gray area above the baby is my placenta. She said it all looks great.

On the bottom left is her face. It's hard to make out too much. The technician said that the baby needs more fat on her face before we can make out any more details. You can barely see the word "face" that she printed on the pic to help us.

On the bottom right is a little foot. So cute!

She's 19.2 cm long and weighs 10 ounces. They say that this month is when the baby grows the most. She's about half way to full term!

Thank you all for sharing our news! We are thrilled! Right now, our plan is to name her Lily Louise. Lily was my great grandmother's name. Trent and I each had grandmothers named Louise. So, we're passing on a good legacy to her through her name.

16 weeks

-The little baby is 15 centimeters long today! Just to give you an idea of how big this is, it's about the length of my hand.
-Today's ultrasound showed that the baby's heartbeat is about 153. The doc said that it looks like we have a healthy baby!
-His/her heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!
-The patterning of the baby's scalp is beginning.
-He/she is getting more playful and may have discovered his/her first toy: the umbilical cord.
-Over the next few weeks, the baby is going to have a big growth spurt!

13 weeks!!!!

People keep telling me that I'm not showing yet, but take a look at the tired eyes and the puffy cheeks and the crazy hair. Oh, you can tell I'm pregnant!

Finally, I'm at the end of my first trimester. It's been a rocky road, but it's still an amazing experience. The past week or so, I've developed a lot more energy, and I'm starting to feel more like myself. I find that I'm thankful for things that I've never even had the need to notice before. Like a night without a toilet visit or a meal without indigestion.

No matter what complaints I have about the first trimester of my pregnancy, it is all worth it when I go to the doctor and hear the heart still beating. I have to admit, I've been willing myself not to worry about this. Yet, from time to time, fear creeps in, and I almost lose it. But, my husband, friends, family, and my God give me comfort.

Today was my second doctor's visit. It was the first time I heard the heartbeat through the doppler. It took the nurse several minutes to find the baby. And I lay there thinking all of those fearful thoughts that I've been fighting away. But, she finally found it, and in her broken English she asked me, "You hear it?" And I could barely answer through the huge lump in my throat. Yes, I heard it. Loud and clear.

In 8 weeks, I'll find out if we are having a boy and girl. I can't wait!

By the end of week 13:
-the baby's intestines are migrating from the umbilical cord into his or her abdomen.
-the pancreas is secreting insulin.
-all twenty teeth have formed and are waiting under the gums.
-the baby has begun to practice swallowing by taking in the surrounding amniotic fluid and passing it back in his/her urine.
-the baby can smile and his/her vocal cords are quickly developing, too.
-eyes move closer together and the ears are beginning to move to what will be their normal positions.
-This week marks the end of the embryonic period. Most of the vital systems are developed now, and baby starts really growing, at times, growing as much as an inch this week.

Oh my goodness! I've never in my life witnessed something so amazing. This whole pregnancy thing has kind of just felt like a virus up until yesterday at 3:45 p.m. Trent and I went to have our first ultrasound...and suddenly we were parents.

On our way into the doctor's office, Trent handed me a long gray box. I opened it up to find a lovely tennis bracelet in honor of the big event. I will never forget this special moment, and now I can look down at my wrist and think of the bond that created this little human inside of me.

I was a little nervous because I just didnt know what to expect, and I've had so many friends that went in for their ultrasounds and didnt hear a heart beat. Sometimes it was too early in their pregnancies for them to hear the heart, but sometimes it showed a problem in the pregnancy. So, I sent a text to my friends and hoped that prayers would come my way and ease my worries.

After sliding my pants down my hips and hopping on a paper-covered plastic bed, the nice blond-haired lady covered my belly with some sort of gel and started the movie. And there he or she was. I could see our baby! Oh, even now, it brings tears! My baby's alive. I heard the heart beat and I saw the little body and I could even see the heart racing. Truly, it was a moment that will go down in Emily and Trent history. I've heard people talk about how precious these moments are, but never had I imagined this! Oh, I'm just on cloud 9!

The heart rate was about 170, which some say signifies that we're having a little girl. I sure don't care what the baby turns out to be, as long as that heart keeps beating inside of me. Thank you all for your prayers and support. You make this even more special!

Oh, by the way, my official due date is March 21, 2010.

Week 8

At 8 weeks, the baby is starting to look like a tiny human. Just adorable! I've been a little sicker this week. I'm trying to enjoy each day and not wish time away, but I'm ready for the sickness to pass so I can be the glowing pregnant woman!




-The area of the brain that coordinates muscle development begins to develop.
-Jaw and face muscles are beginning to form.
-The kidneys are formed and begin to produce urine.
-The tissue that will form the hands and fingers appears.
-The baby's legs now resemble paddles.
-The intestines are beginning to form within the umbilical cord.
-Pigment within the baby's retina will be present this week.

Week 6

Today is my last day of week 6! I just started writing in a lovely little pregnancy journal. It's really helped me connect with the baby forming inside of me. One of the questions in the journal asked me to imagine the baby's heart beating with mine. Wow! I have 2 hearts beating inside of me this week. That is truly amazing.

In this 6th week:

-The baby's heart has started beating!
-The cells now form an oblong body.
-Brain cells and the spinal cord are forming.
-The nerve cells that spark consciousness are formed.
-Arm buds and eyes are starting to appear!