Time seems to
be flying by now. When people ask me how
grown up you are, I keep wanting to say, “Thirteen weeks.” That was the landmark I waited for so
eagerly. The end of the first
trimester. A huge reduction in the
statistical occurrence of babies not making it.
Thirteen weeks passed with a sigh of relief and now you continue
growing! Since then, every week flies by. Suddenly it is Monday again and you are
another week older.
Friday we had our
second appointment with the midwife. She
still feels your size is about a week or so bigger than we are counting. It is also my instinct that you are about a
week ahead of our calculations, so we will see.
The good part is, you will arrive when you are ready, and we will be
waiting for you!
At sixteen weeks,
you are the size of a large plum. Plums this summer have been particularly juicy and sweet. While they were in season, I ate one almost every day. Hope you enjoyed the sweet tart taste too! Your growth has been
incremental lately, but in the next few weeks, you will make a quick leap and
double in size.
Your body is adding
to its skill sets daily! Twenty five
quarts of blood pump through your heart daily.
This is a bit over six gallons, which is impressive for your small
size! As an adult, your heart will pump
1,500 to 2,000 gallons each day.
Other than blood flow, your
body is processing plenty of amniotic fluid as well. Enough for you to empty your bladder every
40-45 minutes. I have to admit, I
slightly envy the convenience you have in that aspect right now, since my
bladder is on the same approximate schedule (which is not nearly so convenient!). The midwife asked me to increase my water
intake to three liters daily, which is approximately thirteen cups. I’ve been drinking eight, so this will be an
effort for me, but I am determined that you will have fresh water! We can’t ever take clean water for granted in
a world where 4,500 children die each day from water-related diseases.
Your sucking
impulse is strengthening, helping you suck in fluid, and maybe even your fingers
or toes. On your face we could see
eyebrows and eyelashes! I am guessing
they are brown, because both your Daddy and I are brunettes. But maybe you will surprise us.
You are a cute, but
skinny thing, since fat development does not even begin until next week. Your backbone is sturdier now, strong enough
where you can begin to straighten your head and neck.
Some people say you
begin to hear this week, but others say not for two more weeks. The tiny bones in your inner ear that are
crucial to hearing are developed, but the outer ear that receives sounds and
sends them into the ear canal will not be completed for a couple more weeks.
Regardless, I have
been humming a tune for you every morning while I ride the bus to work. It is a simple, classic song my Daddy (your
Grandpapa) used to sing me when I was a little girl. The words go like this, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah.” The words are
powerful, and the melody is soothing, like a lullaby.
At church yesterday, your Daddy made a name tag for you! Our church prints name tags for everyone, and you are big enough that your Daddy felt it was time for you to have your own. So he wrote one out and stuck it on my belly.
Last night after we
looked at information about your development this week, your Daddy said, “I
wish we could see what Beta was doing right now.” I concur!
But we are waiting. We feel there
are safety concerns about many interventions and tests done on unborn
children, so we are avoiding most of them.
So…. We wait. We wait to find out your gender. We wait to see what you look like when you
move. We wait to hear your heartbeat
(that will come at week twenty!).
It is good for us
really. In a whirlwind-paced,
technology-centric, microwave-addicted world, waiting for a baby to grow will
never happen with a snap of our impatient fingers.
Waiting is a theme
repeated many, many times over in Scripture, beautifully and poignantly. Clearly it is not a problem isolated to
twenty-first century Americans!
I have already
shared verses about waiting in your eleven week letter, but it is well worth
soaking in more. Because you and I have
at least twenty four more weeks to wait.
At least one hundred and sixty eight more days to wait to meet each
other face to face.
So you teach me
patience.
You teach me to
slow.
You teach me to
breathe.
Pause.
Settle gently into
waiting.
“Wait patiently for the
LORD.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for
the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
“You are my strength; I
wait for you to rescue me,
For You, O God, are my
fortress.
In His unfailing love, my
God will stand with me.” Psalm 59:9-10
“Let all that I am wait
quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.
He alone is my rock and
my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come
from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock
where no enemy can reach me.
O my child, trust in Him
at all times.
Pour out your heart to Him,
for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:5-8
“I waited patiently for
the LORD to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the
pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid
ground and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new
song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has
done and be amazed.
They will put their trust
in the LORD.
Oh, the joys of those who
trust the LORD!” Psalm 40:1-4
“So the LORD must wait
for you to come to Him
So He can show you His
love and compassion.
For the LORD is a
faithful God.
Blessed are those who
wait for his help.” Isaiah 30:18
“For since the world
began,
No ear has heard, and no
eye has seen a God like You,
Who works for those who
wait for Him!” Isaiah 64:4
I love you,
Beta. I am enjoying every minute of
waiting for you.
