This week you are the size of a medium lemon. The trouble with lemons is they come in so
many different sizes! So instead, I selected
a large brussel sprout. It was on the small
side (“Was it really larger than last week’s guava?” I wondered), but nothing
else at the grocery store seemed right. So
I brought the brussel sprout home.
The next day, your cousin Isabel asked what size you are
this week. Out came the brussel sprout
from my refrigerator. Despite being only
five years old, Isabel did not mince words, “Oh no, that is NOT bigger than the
fruit from last week.” She was
absolutely right.
So back to the grocery store I went, and settled on a kiwi!
You now are around three to three and a half inches long
(from head to rump).
Kiwi have a fuzzy, furry skin on them, which is a bit like
you this week, since you are starting to grow lanugo all over your body. Lanugo is fine hair that protects your skin,
and insulates your body temperature slightly, while you swim inside. In a few weeks, when you develop vernix, a
creamy lotion-like substance that keeps your skin from getting too moist from
amniotic fluid, the vernix will be able to stick to your skin better because it
sticks to the lanugo. Most of the lanugo
and vernix will be gone by the time of your beta release, but for now, it is an
important part of your growth.
Your hands and feet are about one half inch long, complete with
fingers, toes, elbows, and knees! It is
crazy to think your entire arm is the length of my fingernail. You can also smile, frown, smirk, and
practice other exciting facial expressions.
All of that on a face the size of a gumball!
Although I know my body has a lot more growing to do
(because YOU have a lot more growing to do!), I definitely feel like my body is
looking curvy and pregnant. This is just
another fun part of the adventure I have been looking forward to.
This week your Daddy and I looked through an amazing book
called “A Child is Born.” Then I sat with your cousins Aidan and Isabel and looked
through it again.
It is full of breathtaking,
colorful photos of babies developing inside the womb, from pre-conception to
delivery. The photographer used special
technology to take these photos. He was extremely
dedicated to his work, and there is no other current resource that has such
amazing images. What fun it was to watch
a “tadpole” become a “fish” with four bumps; to watch “paddles” become hands
and fingers. Your cousins thought it was
pretty exciting too!
Here is a quick Scripture, that while written to another
person, is kind of cute when applied to you, “The children of [my] sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings!”
(2 John 1:13)
These are two additional
verses that I am praying for you this week.
“All your children will
be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.” (Isaiah 54:13)
In searching for names
for you, your Daddy and I have been more intrigued by selecting a meaning, then
searching backwards for a name with the desired meaning. Names that mean “peace” was one of our
searches last week.
Some other meanings we
have been searching for include the promises of God, or God fulfilling His
promises – because you are the fulfillment of His promise to us. We have also looked for names that mean
happy, or cheerful, because joyfulness has been a big part of our current
waiting for you.
Just as we are waiting to
discover your gender at birth, we will also wait to disclose your name. Because we won’t know if you will be a girl
or a boy, we have to prepare a name for each!
This will be a tough job. We
believe that names are prophetic about a person’s character and future, so this
is something we take very seriously. We
have asked the Lord to guide us, to give us the name He has for you.
“As for me, this is my
covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart
from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your
lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from
this time on and forever,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 59:21)
