SIXTEEN WEEKS

Today, I am 4 months pregnant.

THAT IS CRAZY.

You know how they say that if you are having a boy you carry high, and if you are having a girl you carry low?, ... well... what about if you are carrying that child ALL OVER THE PLACE!!?!

It doesn't really look like a "baby bump" to me yet, it just looks like I've been eating an embarrassing amount of Chinese food. Which... I have. There for a couple of weeks I was almost certain I would have a lot of explaining to do to Adam when I delivered a Chinese baby!

'Oops. Let me explain. Its the sesame chicken.

I'm ... powerless.'

Here is what is going on this week with our little sweet pea:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his/her weight and add inches to their length. Right now, they are about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His/her legs are much more developed, the head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. Their ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though those locks aren't recognizable yet. They've even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his/her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop. {babycenter.com} A week or so ago, we got to go in and here the baby's heartbeat for the first time.

We've gotten some adorable gifts from our friends! I was mistaken in telling my friends Annot and Alison that they gave me the baby's first gift, because,... well... my mom let me know real quick that she bought Aggie shoes and hat for the baby about 7 years ago. Yes, she plans ahead.... Quite a bit. :) But, also because my Fabulous Friend, Loralee, made these hats for the baby and mailed them to us months ago! A pink if we have a girl, and a blue if we have a boy.

She also recently sent us this precious picture frame to put a picture of our "miracle" in. Thanks Loralee!

And my friends Annot & Alison (along with the entire committee of Navarro County Relay For Life) got us a sweet little gift bag full of all kinds of goodies, including a blanket, a book about shapes, and so much more! Thanks guys, we love you.

So far we've been really good about not buying anything. I did, however, just HAVE to get this little gift to surprise my mom. For those of you who don't know, my family is Italian. So my mom wants to go by Nonna. (pronounced No`-nah). Grandmother in Italian. It's precious I think, and so was this onesie.

She loved it.

PHYSICAL CHANGES

Nothing really new to report in this area, other than the fact that I catch myself smiling for no reason a lot more often.

CRAVINGS

Oranges/orange juice
Ice

WHAT WE ARE DOING

Well, we've been TRYING to decide on some names. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought because,... boy, are we both really picky!! We've narrowed our boys down quite a bit, but still have a ways to go with the girls. I guess we better hope we have a boy! ;) We do have some very beautiful names picked out for a girl though, with lovely Hebrew meanings. Only 21 more days until we know. I'm thinking we won't have our name finalized by that day....

We are going full force with our Operation: SAVE MONEY, and in a couple of weeks we will be having a garage sale. Need any electronics or purses? Come see us.

I have also been working on ideas for Family Devotionals, fun Arts and Crafts projects, and nature studies. I know, I know, we are getting a little ahead of ourselves because we have a while to go before all of that fun family stuff starts up, ... but I have already decided that I refuse to be the type of parents who put their child in a playpen or on the floor with toys beside them and watch television all day and night. I'm already excited about catching fireflies, making volcanoes, having tea parties, singing songs, going on nature hikes, playing dress up, digging for worms, using water colors, or playing catch in the yard. And until then, pouring as much love and energy into this little blessing as we can as they grow and learn to walk and talk.

FUNNY BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Getting incredibly weird looks from people passing by as I hold one side of the earphones to my belly. Maybe I should wait until I get a little bit ... bigger?