15 weeks

Rad shirt eh??? My friend sent me yet another really cute maternity shirt. Here I am at 15 weeks...
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

a month of celebrities

I know, that is an interesting title. Something you normally wouldn't find on my blog. But there it is... the topic of celebrities. I went to the library with my children yesterday, I love going to the cookbook section, getting interesting cookbooks to take home, pour over, try the recipes and add to my repertoire of daily cooking. I found a wonderful cookbook called "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow. The recipes are really fabulous, lots of ones I will try. I read about her upbringing and the special bond she had with her father. It got me thinking about her and made me realize "I never pray for this woman". I know she is not a Christian, she has very mixed religious ideals including some Cabala. She is lovely, she is graceful, she is a great Mama, one of my favorite actresses, and a fabulous cook. But what does that amount to in the end? When we stand before God? How often do I pray for celebrities? How often do I just pass their salvation off as impossible? How often do we as Christians deliberately not pray for them because of their opulent lifestyle, ease of life and luxury or their political stances they take on hot topic subjects. This is simply evil on our parts. Who are we to judge who will become a saint and who will not. So here I am, asking all of you to pick a celebrity this month and pray for them. I am starting with Gwyneth. Start with whoever comes on your heart to pray for. These celebrities influence so much of our world, our culture, our worldview, the popular beliefs of any average person. So why aren't we praying that they come to the truth and influence others in that same way? Get on your knees and pray people!

14 weeks

I've really been enjoying this DVD as well as this DVD so far during this pregnancy. I'd like to try and stay in shape so that recovery after pregnancy isn't such a big deal. I feel so much better and more energetic when I've worked out and when I don't, that's when the sickies come back. So for now, it is really helping. Here's the baby growth update:

Welcome to the second trimester! 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.

13 weeks and a miraculous Christmas

Wow! What a crazy week it's been. My brother was involved in a huge accident and we decided as a family to drive to California and be with him and his family. We drove on Christmas Eve, God kept us safe and the drive was pleasant. We visited my brother in the hospital and it is quite truley a miracle that he is alive. He shouldn't have been. Being T-boned by a large SUV, his head was horrible lacerated, so was the ring finger on his left hand. His liver was badly damaged as well as very bruised. But, he is with us, alive safe and sound and I'm so thankful to God. We came to Cali to bless my brother and in turn we were blessed. After taking my nephews and nieces to the park, we hiked home and Mike and Marj met us there. He just wanted to get out, breath the air and appreciate all that he might have lost. It was amazing.

Here he is, walking with his family, truley grateful.

We had an amazing evening as my other brother and his sweet wife met up with us. We got spontaneous and decided to go see a street who's lights were incredible. One of the houses even let us take a tour complete with amazing decorations. Incredibly beautiful!!!

I am so happy for our Christmas, unlike any other to be sure. The best gift: LIFE! Not only the life of my brother, but more importantly, the life of Christ Jesus who came so that we might have life and have it abundantly.

Here's my little update on the pregnancy: the energy is starting to come back and the sickness is slowly going away.

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

12 weeks

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.


Well, this would be why I am feeling so sick off and on this week. It hit so hard last night and this morning that it surprised me. Abigail thought it would be fun to take a picture of a lime since that is how big the baby is. It's been so much fun sharing this pregnancy with the children. They are so excited to find out who this little one is. We're all trying to be patient.

11 weeks

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

poinsettia project

Just finished these babies for a family in our church who has four lovely daughters. Just in time for Christmas. I made these poinsettia hair bows for my girls too. Love how they turned out!

10 weeks

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

called to lead an army...

Saw this quote on Mrs June Fuentes blog and thought I'd share it. It's a good one!

You are as much serving God in looking after your own children,

training them up in God’s fear, 

minding the house, 

and making your household a church for God,

as you would be if you had been called to lead an army

to battle for the Lord of hosts.

- Charles Spurgeon

9 weeks

Your new resident is nearly an inch long -- about the size of a grape -- and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form -- as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.