Wednesday, September 30, 2009

the heartbeat

On Monday, we had our second doctor's appointment.  In my mind, this was the big one.  We were going to get to hear the heartbeat.  Up until Monday, the baby inside of me had been a huge elusive mystery, possibly even a trick.  It began to feel more real when we began telling people.  However, in the back of my mind there was always this feeling that I was making it up.  I felt like maybe the symptoms were all in my head; my jeans were tight because I was just gaining weight, the tiredness was just lack of sleep, the need to go to the bathroom all of the time because I was drinking more water, and so on.  And then there was the possibility that our baby had miscarried.  So, to Jon and I, Monday was a big appointment.

For such a big appointment, it sure was quick!  After waiting a while, we got into the room and soon after the doctor came in and had an instrument gooed up ready to detect the heartbeat.  She placed it on my abdomen and began searching for the heartbeat.  After a daunting 10 seconds, Dr. Roose found the heartbeat!  The heartbeat was so fast!  She said it was at 160 bpm.  Then she said that if I was a betting woman that I should make bets that the baby is a girl!  (Which followed with the stat that she is right 50% of the time.)  Then the appointment was over.

So that brings us to the next subject, will the baby be a girl or a boy?  So far, Jon's brother had a dream that our baby was a girl, while my sister had a dream that we were to have twin boys.  Be on the lookout for an idea I am going to steal from my friend Kelsey where we are going to have a poll as to if our baby is a boy or girl.

I was encouraged this week about the reminder of God's role the development of our baby, the delivering of the baby and then the growth of our child.  In Psalm 71:5-6, 17-18 it says:
"For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you...

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and still I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come."

I am amazed at how our God can form us in the womb.  It is truly such a beautiful science to learn about each week: to learn about the toenails, the fists opening and closing, that the synapses in the brain are starting to function... We have a powerful and loving God!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

babies and the boundary waters

In case you don't know... we are going to have a baby!  The baby is due April 12th, which means that I (Jenny) am 11 weeks into this whole pregnancy thing.  

So, just in case I haven't gotten to really see you much I am going to fill you in on everything that has gone on so far.

Way back at the end of July, Jon was preparing to go on a man trip to the Boundary Waters with a bunch of the guys from Campus Fellowship while I was getting ready for the easy life of tanning and boating at the Ozarks with the girls from CF.  As Jon was packing tents and I was figuring out meals, I began to do the math and realized that, while Jon was gone for 10 days without being able to communicate, I would know if I had gotten pregnant.  So I tried not to think about it.

So on a Thursday night Jon went up north while I went down south.  To make a long story short, I found out the next Tuesday I was pregnant and had to wait until Saturday to tell Jon!  There were a few days of craziness as I had nightmares about Jon dying on the trip.  But during that week at Epicenter there was a message about not being anxious so I began to trust God with my fears.  

Saturday arrived and Jon came home a few hours earlier then expected, and just as he expected, I told him that we were going to have a baby. :)

Since then I have been introduced to many random pregnancy symptoms that I never knew existed - cramping, tiredness, an increase in the sense of smell, ligament pain and some other things I will spare you from.  I have been thankful because there has not been "morning sickness" - just the need to eat every two hours like clockwork to keep from getting sick.  

We have had only one doctor's appointment; next monday is our second one and we get to hear the heartbeat!

Jon and I are excited about our little baby growing inside of me.  It is amazing to think that this week marks a year since Jon proposed and now we have been married for five months with a baby on the way!  It reminds me of a verse I read today describing Jesus as being "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).  I can't wait to see what God is going to do during this new stage in our life.