17 weeks

I started posting photos of the belly at 17 weeks with Luci...my very first post ever! We didn't know she was a she, or a Luci...crazy how time flies. At that time we were about two weeks away from the big ultrasound...this time we're just a few days away! I think we've settled on the names...definitely the boy first name, and I'm still lobbying for my girls name..I think I've got Clay coming around since he doesn't seem to have a first choice of his own...that OR I've already vetoed his first choice and the poor man has just given up although I'd hate to think that is the case. Regardless, I have a feeling that shortly after sweet babypea shows his/her stuff I'll start calling him/her by the name we picked and hopefully it will fit; that is how it worked with Luci. I just knew she was Luci and I think Clay would say the same.

I've gained 3lbs so far...but look quite a bit different! I feel a lot bigger at this point than I did with Luci, and my maternity clothes would indicate that it isn't so much a feeling as a fact :). I'm totally okay with it though. My upper abs (too high for the uterus at this point) are rock hard and I keep telling Clay to feel my rock hard abs (and then laugh, of course ;). The nausea with this pea was less severe than with Luci, but lasted about 3x as long and still creeps up a couple of times a week. I'm also still exhausted, and by this time with Luci I had that second trimester energy burst...I haven't given up hope though. Food has been funny this time...I have way more aversions than cravings. Chicken sounds DISGUSTING. I think Chick-fil-a is going to have to file an 8-K to disclose the loss of revenue! Lots of ground beef, ground turkey, steak & fried fish sandwiches. Interestingly enough with Luci I couldn't stomach red meat and ate ONLY chicken although the fried fish craving is a carry over from the Luci pregnancy days :)

I feel babypea more & more...started about 13 weeks and gets stronger every week. I LOVE feeling him/her kick.

As for the hoped for results from the ultrasound I can honestly tell you all I want to hear this time is that we've got a healthy baby in there. With Luci I sort of took it for granted/really expected her to be fine. I just don't have that naive sense of security anymore. True, most babies are healthy. But lots are not. With Luci I felt like she was mine; now I feel like every life, baby or child or teen or adult or elderly, is God's to give & God's to take. And while I'm more okay with that than I've ever been, I still hope God gives us another earthly life to add to our family. And so I continue to pray over & over again for the courage & strength to deal with God's plan for us with grace...because I know if I can do that I'll be all right.