The weeks keep rolling by.
Documenting it seems to have made it go faster. We still have a lot to do
to prepare for your arrival, so we are happy for you to stay put!
Speaking of staying put, you are gradually
moving a bit less over the last few weeks, or perhaps I should say, the
movement has changed. When you were smaller (one or two pounds), your
movements felt like constant flutters and jabs. I would say over and over
again, “This baby is SO STRONG!” As you grow more, filling the space that
surrounds you, your movements feel more like pushes and slides. There is
less “flippy floppy” movements of your entire body, and less of the aggressive
kicks which required space and momentum. I still feel you almost as
frequently as before, but the movement seems more controlled. Some of the
pushes from your feet are just as strong as the sharp kicks were before; it
just feels different.
You have been mostly head-down for as long
as I’ve been able to tell how you are positioned. A few times you’ve
flipped transverse or posterior. It’s pretty funny when you turn
posterior, because suddenly the middle and center of my belly is full of bony
arms, elbows, knees, and feet moving all over the place like you’re playing
drums on the inside of my belly. My skin rolls and moves over your
appendages, and it looks like you’re trying to make a way out through my belly
button!
For the most part however, I’ve felt you
in perfect birthing position – head down, torso to my left, feet kicking to my
upper right. If I cross my legs and lean forward, or sit in any other
position that squishes the lower part of my uterus against my thighs, you are
quick to protest! Your head and hands get all bumpy and pushy down low,
letting me know you need a bit more space! You like to hang out in the
lower half or two thirds of your house. Frequently when I feel my belly
to find you, the upper section of your house is empty. Eventually, you
will be big enough to fill all of it! Then you will run out of space and
decide it’s time to find a new house. Don’t worry, there’s one waiting
for you that’s plenty big enough.
I know I talk a lot about your movement,
but that’s all I have of you right now, other than your heartbeat that I listen
to a couple times a week on the stethoscope. I can’t wait until I can see
your sweet face, hear your chirping sounds, smell your hair, touch your silky
soft skin….
I know that means I will also hear your
shrill cries and smell your stinky diapers, but that is part of being a
parent. Part of being married. Part of being alive really.
The joy with the pain, the good times and the bad. It’s why they have you
say “for better or worse” in your wedding vows. Because it’s not ALL
going to be “Better.” But if we endure through the “Worse,” and come out
still holding hands, that is the beauty of life together on this earth.
Only in heaven do we get the Joy and the Better without anything to mar it.
Thirty One 31 Weeks Pregnant
Thirty One 31 Weeks Pregnant
Some of the recent
things your Daddy has been saying to you in the evenings….”It’s Beta, Beta,
Beta! It’s Beta-time!!!” Sometimes he will tell you “good morning” and
“wake up!” in an effort to get you to wake up and play with him. Other times he will tell you “good night” and
start snoring, also in an effort to get you to wake up, since at times it seems
he talks to you and pokes around at you for ten minutes or so with no response,
only to have you wake and start kicking the moment we start to fall asleep!
Daddy talking to Baby Beta
One evening this week he prayed that you
would make an impact in the kingdom
of God. Every night
this week he prays for you to grow strong and healthy. Lately he has
started praying for you and I both to have a good delivery. Beta, I don’t
think you could ask for a better Daddy. You aren’t even here completely
yet, and he is already crazy about you.
This weekend we finally got started on
your nursery! We cleared everything out of the room, and your Daddy
worked really hard on the first stage – removing the wallpaper border, and
painting white primer over the previously pink walls and ceiling.
Surprisingly, the border came off easily using our clothes steamer! Then
we used a bit of vinegar on the remaining little scraps until they easily
rubbed off. We were excited to avoid strong wallpaper stripping
chemicals, and had all the border down in less than an hour!
When your Daddy primed over the paint, he
discovered primer is pretty stinky stuff! Your Grandmama took this photo
of him wearing a respirator mask to keep out the fumes. When I help paint
later this week, I’ll be wearing the mask to protect you from the fumes.
Your Daddy actually helped paint this room pink many years ago when my family
first moved into this house. Now, he is painting it yet again.
I’m sure your Tia Priscilla will be sad to
say goodbye to her pink room, but she is also happy to meet you and share a
room with you. Even if you are a girl, I wouldn’t have your room pink, so
instead we selected a few different shades of grey and yellow. This week
I plan to paint some swatches on the wall to help us choose the exact shade.
In our Bradley birth classes this week, we
discussed nutrition. Our instructor lectured the poor couple who brought
delectable homemade chocolate chip cookies for our shared snack, and insisted
future snacks people bring be “nutritious!” It was humorous this occurred
on the week we discussed nutrition.
The research she presented (from Dr.
Brewer) emphasized the importance of protein, calories and salt. His
studies found women in their third trimester who consumed seventy five grams of
protein daily and 2,600 calories daily had less than 1% chance of developing
pre-eclampsia, a condition dangerous to both mother and baby that usually
results in pre-term induction or cesarean.
We have a chart to fill out all week long
to help me remember to eat enough protein, calcium, green veggies, fats, and
more. Since I’ve been tracking my food intake most of this pregnancy, and
trying to feed you nutritious food all along, this is relatively easy for
me. I hope when you arrive, your taste buds will already be acclimated to
fruits, vegetables, natural fats, and healthy proteins like fish, chicken,
beans, and eggs, since that’s mostly what I’ve been feeding you!
When my mom was pregnant with me, she and
my dad were vegetarians temporarily, trying to conceive and grow the healthiest
baby possible! Now that I am an adult, they find it interesting that I
prefer fruits and vegetables to meats, and am probably the most
health-conscious eater of their children. I guess you could say it
worked!
By now, you weigh about three and a half
pounds, and are about seventeen inches long! You are growing so fast I am
quickly running out of fruits and vegetables to use in my photos to represent
you. It is clear you are growing well, because my body keeps growing
too. This week I started having people ask if I was SURE there was only
one of you. Yes, only one, but hopefully a strong, healthy, good sized
one!
Your eyes are completely open now when you
are awake, and will close when you sleep. Your irises can respond to
light, dilating and contracting as needed. Last night your Daddy tried
shining a flashlight on you, but you barely flinched. Shortly after he
stopped though, you began moving all around, so perhaps he woke you from a
doze!
Your major organs are all functioning, and
will continue to mature until you are born. Your lungs and digestive
tract have developed quite a bit, and are almost completely mature. Your
immune system has also strengthened, although for your first year of life, most
of your immunities will come from breastmilk.
Your hearing is also more refined. A
loud noise could make you jump (I haven’t noticed this happening yet).
You may already have musical preferences, and some people say you could move to
the rhythm of music! I’ve noticed at church when we have a lot of bass
and drums in a song, you will move more frequently and with more energy.
Both sides of your family contain singers
and musicians, my side especially so. My paternal grandfather was a
professional wedding and event singer. My maternal grandmother could have
been a professional opera singer with the voice she naturally has. My
mother, father, myself, and my sisters have all been singers and worship
leaders. Your Daddy has a pleasant voice that I especially love to hear
join in when our family sings Christmas carols.
Scripture has SO much to say about music
and singing. Last year ago I preached a three-week series about worship,
so it is hard to think about putting just a handful of verses here in my
prayers for you this week. I certainly hope and pray that you will love
music. That you will love to sing and play music for Jesus. That any
musical talent you have, you know comes from Him, and is most deeply fulfilled
when using it for Him.
“My
heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast;
I
will SING and make MUSIC.
Awake,
my soul! Awake, harp and lyre!
I
will awaken the dawn.
I
will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I
will SING of You among the peoples.
For
great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your
faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be
exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let
Your glory be over all the earth.” (Psalm 57:7-11)
“SING
for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
Begin
the MUSIC, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.”
(Psalm
81:1-2)
“Indeed,
of Zion [the city of God ] it will be said,
“This
one and that one were born in her, and the Most High Himself will establish
her.”
The
LORD will write in the register of the peoples:
“This
one was born in Zion.”
As
they make MUSIC they will SING, ‘All my fountains are in You.’ “
(Psalm
87:5-7)
“Be
very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of
every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads
to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with
psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. SING and make MUSIC from your heart to
the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.”