Half Way to Birth Day

We've reached the 20 week mark, the half-way point of this amazing journey. We figured we'd better start preparing the way for little Molly by making a trek to Target and Babies-R-Us to register for baby items. What an experience! It was so overwhelming to be standing amongst aisles upon aisles of onesies, washcloths, diapers, carseats, and blankets. There were at least 5 varieties (if not 50 varieties) of every item on the "checklist". How do you choose? We eventually completed the task and, I think by the end, both Eric and I had more questions than ever about what exactly a baby needs, what is an absolute necessity and what is a complete waste of time and money.

After this week, I believe we're destined to raise a future olympic gymnast. This child does not stop moving for anything. She kicks, flips, twists and somersaults her way through the day. I think she's found every inch of my belly, back, bladder and stomach at some point this week. I told Eric that it feels like I've swallowed a big live fish that's flopping around in my belly...kind of a Jonah-in-reverse situation. Molly even had the midwife laughing this week at my check-up. She was trying to use the Doppler to find Molly's heartbeat. She would finally find it, but no sooner than she started counting beats, we'd hear this thunderous "WHAP!" as Molly kicked the Doppler away and moved to a new location. It took several tries before we got her to sit still long enough to count her heartbeat for 10 seconds. I fear we may be in line for a spirited child :-)

Our baby girl has hit quite the growth spurt this week. She now weighs about 12 ounces. She's around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. Now that her leg muscles and joints are fully formed, she can fully stretch out, a motion I can definitely feel. Her uterus is fully formed and her ovaries are holding about 7 million primitive eggs. My uterus, on the other hand, is growing larger all the time to accomodate Molly's growth. It has now reached the height of my belly button and is pushing my stomach and intestines into new positions, a change that has resulted in some nagging heartburn. However, this is a small price to pay for providing our little girl a safe and warm place to grow and mature until we meet her in July.

It's A Girl!!!!

The verdict is in and we couldn't be happier! We're expecting a little girl named Molly Joy. The ultrasound was such a fabulous experience and one I'll never forget. Molly was very active, squirming all over the place and putting on quite the show for us. The 3-D images they have now for sonograms are so amazing. I felt like she was right there in front of us and we were looking at her adorable little face. I definitely think she has my Corbin-family chin and perhaps a Frueh-family nose. As soon as I can find a scanner to scan the pictures, they'll be up here and you can see what you think for yourselves.

Both Eric and I are very excited to have a girl. Coming from a family of all girls, I feel better prepared for parenting a girl. I'm not sure I'd know what to do with a boy! And this will make an even 3-3 split of boy and girl grandchildren for my parents. From Eric's perspective, he's coming from a family of all boys and he's looking forward to something a little different. Plus, there's just something about that Daddy-daughter connection that is so special. AND I can't wait to shop for little pink socks, hair bows, and dresses!

Molly is right on track for growth, measuring in at 6 inches in length and 11 ounces in weight. As she showed us at the ultrasound, she loves her daily workouts and is exercising those muscles for sure. I can feel her squirming and bouncing around all the time now and I never tire of it. She is especially active in the evening after our dinner and walk. Every night at 7:00, Eric reads aloud to me and Molly and she absolutely loves it. As soon as I lay down on the couch, she starts her squirming and kicking and for a full half hour, she keeps it up. The other night I even saw a little tiny foot or fist poke out of my belly. Even Daddy can get in on the fun now. When she's at her wildest, he can feel her as well, which has been such fun!

There was one small problem detected during the ultrasound that we're hoping will resolve itself before too long. The doctor found that my placenta is very low and partially covering my cervix, a condition called "placenta previa". A low placenta is detected in about 10% of pregnancies during the 2nd Trimester. The good news is that, in the vast majority of these cases, the placenta moves upward as the uterus grows larger. In all likelihood, that's what is going to happen, but we'll go back for a 30-week ultrasound just to make sure that it has moved up and is no longer covering the cervix. 90% of the time, that's what happens. In the unlikely case that the previa persists into the 3rd Trimester, I could find myself on bedrest for the last month and welcoming our little Molly with a C-section. Fortunately, that's a rare situation, but I'd still appreciate your prayers that my placenta would trek its way up there a bit higher.

"...A Time to be Born and a Time to Die..."

At this moment, I am caught in a place that I don't know how to understand...a place of joy and a place of sadness. I am celebrating the amazing life that is growing inside me, but I am also mourning the loss of a great life...my Uncle Jim. He went home to be with the Lord on February 28th and the week since has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I know that he is celebrating with our Savior and drawing in full, sweet breaths of clean air for the first time in a decade and for that I'm so grateful. But the hole he's left behind is going to be a difficult one to fill.

It's interesting to look at the pieces of a life that are left behind when that life is gone. Uncle Jim's house is filled with interesting trinkets, books, newspaper clippings, and lots of Ralph's dog hair:-) But amongst all of the random bits, we found Uncle Jim's daily life lines, the items that made their way into each day he lived in that cabin: his Bible and his prayer list. As I opened the Bible, I found a list of Uncle Jim's favorite verses, bookmarks in special passages, and devotionals that were meaningful to him. In his little yellow legal pad, I found the prayer list of a man who's faith I can only hope to emulate. Page after page of names...friends, relatives, neighbors, church family...all with specific requests listed next to the names. I could see where he'd added new petitions as time went on. He also recorded in red pen the date and way that each request was answered. What a blessing to find my name and know that, each day, he was praying for my health and spiritual growth!

Yes, a great man of faith has left this Earth and it saddens me greatly that our child will never have the chance to meet their Uncle Jim. They'll never see his perpetually bare feet, never receive a children's book for Christmas or a birthday wrapped in the Sunday comics and signed "Love Uncle Jim", never hear him tell his crazy stories of days gone by, and never hold his hand in prayer. But what a great example he has left for me, even in his death. Here was a man who had plenty of reason to feel lonely and sorry for himself...but he didn't. He, instead, spent his time recording what he was thankful for, praying for the needs of others, poring over God's word, and singing his worship to the Lord...even hours before his death. I can only hope that I can be the same kind of example for our child.

As I was grieving the loss of Uncle Jim this week, our precious bundle chose the perfect opportunity to cheer me up with a few swift kicks! I've been waiting and waiting to feel those first movements and they came just a few days ago. It was definitely the most amazing feeling in the world, and the perfect pick-me-up. I felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back that lasted for about 15 minutes. Then, all of a sudden, I felt it...something like popcorn popping deep and low in my abdomen. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain in my back was gone. I guess our little bambino found a nerve to sit on for a few minutes and then, thankfully, decided to find a new position. Since then, I've been enjoying our little baby's movements several times throughout the day (and night). Right now it kind of feels like someone's giving me a belly massage, but from the inside. I hope his or her movements stay this gentle for the next 20 weeks, but, from what I hear, I fear that may not be the case. Ooooh, there was a bit of swift punch just now...guess I spoke too soon:-)

Since the last post, our baby has grown quite a bit. He/she is now 6 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs over 1/2 pound! The arms and legs are now proportional to the body, which is probably why he/she is making swift use of them to massage Mommy from the inside. Gotta get in those calisthenics each day to build those big muscles. The brain has had quite the workout as well; it is busy specializing areas to process sensory information about sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. And Baby is already processing sensory information that he/she gathers in the womb, such as Mommy and Daddy talking, pokes to the belly, and changes from dim light to bright light.

I thank God every day for the opportunity He is giving us to bring this life into the world and I pray that I would live and love and pray in such a way that our child will see Christ in me the way I saw Christ in Uncle Jim. Give thanks today for the blessings God has given you.