9 Weeks!

Sorry to miss last week.... one huge symptom: exhaustion! Joel and I are so excited as we are getting closer and closer to being out of the "danger zone". i.e. 1st trimester. Baby is still very vulnerable but we are getting closer and closer! Out of the first trimester by Christmas. Yay!

How I am feeling: I haven't gained any weight yet. However, I may be starving, but I feel full all the time. Very. Bloated. I've been trying to eat smaller, more frequent meals because one, big sit down meal ends up making me kind of queasy. Still no real sickness... just certain things make me queasy. But SO blessed and thankful that I am not experiencing morning sickness! I must say, my least favorite thing in the world is barfing. God knows that and He has blessed me!

How Peanut is: all 4 chambers of the heart have developed this week. His tail is gone! His head is HUGE. Teeth are forming. External sex organs are officially set on boy or girl.... they just are undistinguishable to the outside world. So... it's a boy! Or girl! We will find out beginning of January for sure. So exciting! Vital organs are formed and they are going to be ever maturing and developing. Peanut is the size of a grape! He is almost as big as his namesake!

We love our little alien-looking baby! We are getting more and more excited and praising God for our miracle.

7 weeks!

Today I am officially 7 weeks! Peanut is growing like crazy... the little trooper doubled his growth this week! Peanut is the size of a blueberry. Peanut is getting very close to being the size of his namesake :)

How I am feeling -- not too much morning sickness! Praise be! I notice that if I eat too early, or get too hungry, I start feeling nauseated. However, my thing lately has been evening sickness. Who would have thought? No repercussions of nausea though... :) I am definitely counting my blessings! Smells and heat make me nauseous. So, I guess it's a blessing that I am in Alaska in 5 degree weather.

How Peanut is -- like I said, a growth spurt to the size of a blueberry! Blood is pumping through his little body, he has flippers (fingers and toes are still fused), little eyelids, already has some color in his eyes (hopefully beautiful blue like his Daddy!) and his pancreas has grown! I am so proud of my little Peanut. He is a trooper! Joel and I already love this little baby and pray daily for safety.

God is so good. That has really been on my heart these last few weeks. Our God is so big and so incredible! That he can make a beautiful baby from nothing shows how great our God is. Thank you Lord for our little blessing!

Peanut to date (look at that big old head! How I love Peanut's big old head!):

Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT) - "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! You workmanship is marvelous -- how well I know it! You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

7 WEEKS

6 Weeks!

So I figured I would write about the story of Peanut. Both Joel and I were so excited to have children, but we weren't sure when the right time for us was. We are both SO excited to be parents. We wanted to give the whole situation to God and let it out of our hands. So, we did. And 6 weeks later we found out we are pregnant! AUGH! So, half surprise, half not. :) Right now, the baby is still very vulnerable so we are asking for your prayers that God would keep our little Peanut safe.

How I am feeling right now: you know that feeling when you go to a restaurant, eat WAY too much rich, delicious food and then you go home and feel like laying on the couch and sleeping off your calories? There you have it. My body hasn't changed yet, however, I feel like I'm stuffed from the inside out. I am very fatigued. And I am... well... snippy? (ASK JOEL! HA! He's very gracious.) No morning sickness. Yet. VERY excited.

How Peanut is doing right now: Peanut is the size of a lentil bean right now, and by the end of the week will be the size of a chickpea! Growth spurt! :) In Alaska, care providers won't see you until you are 8-12 weeks, so our first appointment is December 2 (I will be 9.5 weeks). I will be seeing a nurse midwife who delivers in the hospital. Perfect!

Dear Lord, protect our little Peanut and help growth and strength to accompany! Thank you for our little blessing!