Keeping the Citrus Theme Going!

Well, a little delayed, but I promised that I'd post about our monthly dr. appt. last week, so here goes:

We had to wait FOREVER, which Travis was not all that happy about, but we finally got to see the doctor and we got to hear that sweet little heart beat! That is always so comforting to hear because, at this stage, I cannot feel any movement yet, so I never know if the baby is okay or not...

The heart beat was great- 148 bpm! The doctor answered some questions and told us about flu shots, etc. and then we scheduled our next appt., which is a very important appt.! We get to find out if we will be seeing blue or pink/yellow on Oct. 30! The countdown has begun-- 25 days away! We are so excited to give this little baby a name, register for showers and begin painting and decorating the nursery!

As of now, we will have a full crowd of grandparents and an aunt at that appt. in anticipation of the big news! Please pray that everything continues to go well and that the baby keeps growing and will "show itself" and it's gender will be easy to detect at our appt!

Here's what's going on this week:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

This is my prayer for the baby this week:

Lord, thank you for the miracle of life that you are creating inside of me! I still cannot believe that a human is actually growing in my stomach! I pray for continual health of the baby and myself and keep any sickness or problems away from this pregnancy! Lord, thank you for the originality of this little one that is developing this week. I pray that his/her expressions and features will be evident of your hand and your fingerprints. Thank you for the grasp of a little hand, and I pray for that hand as it will one day grasp mine and Travis' to learn to walk, turn to for security, and one day hold the hand of the person you have made for him/her. I pray for the development of his/her arms and that one day those arms will reach up to praise you and reach out to help those in need and spread the Good News of You. I pray that those little hands and feet that are growing each minute will be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of being a part in your plan.