Lily's Room

Lily's room is almost done! And it's a good thing too because I'm going to be induced in 4 days! My crazy blood pressure has shot up, so the doc wants me to go early before I develop preeclampsia. It's been a roller coaster of a week, but I'm thankful the doc caught it before it got worse.

Right now, I'm on bed rest, and Trent is taking care of me! In theory, this bed rest thing sounds lovely. But it's actually quite difficult to make yourself do it when you have a thousand things that you want/need to do to get ready for a baby. The only thing that keeps me in this recliner is Lily's well-being. I know it's best for her, and that's all that matters!

I really don't know what I'd do without Trent. He's been such an amazing man through all of this. He's been protective and concerned, and so sweet. At the moment, he's making me an omelet for breakfast. Good man!

This time next week, we could be home with Lily. Wow!

About 3 weeks away!!!!!

Update on Lily: Starting next week (week 37), her growth will slow down dramatically, which is great news for my birth canal and my stretch marks! Her bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after she's born. More great news for my birth canal. She's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on her breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches, and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds.

Update on Emily: My entire body feels as if it's ballooned to its maximum potential. My fingers and toes are so swollen it hurts to bend them sometimes. And I'm sick and tired of maternity clothes. I've been longingly gazing at some of my cute "normal" dresses and high heel shoes, just waiting until I can wear them again. (IF I can wear them again!) I absolutely love having Lily growing inside of me, but I believe I'm reaching the end of my excitement over this pregnancy thing. My cervix is beginning to soften, but I'm not dilated yet. Doc thinks we're still on schedule!

Update on Trent: I wonder if it's real to him yet. I recently said this to one of my slightly older friends, and she said that it would hit him the first time he holds Lily. My friend thinks he's just going to cry and cry when he holds her that first time. It's so different for the fathers, because they don't feel the nudges and the right-hooks and the kicks to the ribs in the middle of the night. Trent listens to all of my little Lily stories every day and rubs my worn-out feet each night (He's a good man!), but he's still not experiencing her first-hand the way I am. I just wonder when it's going to hit him.

32 weeks!

My doctor's appointment this morning showed that my uterus is measuring a little ahead of schedule. It's 35.5 cm, which is about 3cm ahead. The doc is not worried about it, but he does want to do an ultrasound to see how big Lily is. If she's a big baby, he might induce me early. It's possible I just have a big uterus, but we'll know for sure after the ultrasound tomorrow at 3:30.

I know she feels huge gigantic in me! She is constantly moving and nudging me to give her more space. So cute. I'm really going to miss feeling her move inside of me. It's one of those experiences that overwhelms me at times. I truly love it. I can't believe I only have 2 months left of this.

Thanks for caring about little Lily. Please pray that all is well with the ultrasound tomorrow!

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!