Looking back at week 26

Last week consisted of a doctor's appointment, fire stations, an ultrasound, Shania Twain's autobiography, lab tests, some baby part sticking to my ribs, lab results, kiddie chapter books and intense cravings.

During my regular check-up on Monday, my doctor measured my bump around 31 weeks instead of 26 weeks. (I guess feeling big wasn't all in my head.) He wanted me to get an ultrasound on Wednesday to see if there was a reason.

So Tuesday was really fun inside my head. 

Thankfully, I had just attended a Women of Faith conference that weekend and had God's promises rolling around constantly. Madeline and I spent the day baking cookies and brownies, sneaking in bites of cookie dough and brownie crumbs and delivering them with our small group to several fire stations that night. 

In related news, Madeline now wants to be a firefighter and wears her fire helmet everywhere.

She's also takes her role as big sister very seriously and is incapable of letting Baby Rockne miss anything, even in utero.

Wednesday morning finally arrived and we learned that the baby is growing healthy and big at around 2 pounds, 11 ounces and I'm carrying extra fluid, all accounting for measuring five weeks too big.

Oh, how I love typing "big" over and over again.

The great part about a bonus, unexpected ultrasound is getting to see this baby with chubby cheeks and full lips. We saw hiccups gently bounce the entire little body up and down. We watched two little fists rub the little eyes, nose and cheeks.

Ultrasound pictures are kinda tricky because you want to show them to people but you're basically asking, "Want to see inside my uterus?" But when there's so much beauty within, you just have to show the world.

I loved seeing that Mayes 2.0 has the exact same nose and lips as Madeline. She has the exact same nose and lips as Joe. I love that my babies look like him.

Since the baby is measuring big, I drank the super yummy orange drink on Thursday morning to check for gestational diabetes. On Friday, I got the results that I passed and I celebrated by asking Joe to bring home a sweet tea that night.

I'll go back to the doctor next week to be measured and will have another ultrasound in a couple weeks to see if some of the fluid has gone down.

In the meantime, I'll keep dreaming about those chubby cheeks and thanking God that even when I don't know everything that going on with my little baby, He does.

"For you created my inmost being

you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Psalm 139:13

P.S. The intense cravings included but did not always result in actual food consumption of: peppermint hot chocolate, Boogie Burger, P.F. Chang's orange peel chicken, dulce de leche frozen yogurt, Jimmy John's Vito (with hot peppers), refried beans and jalapenos and Kroger french bread.

P.S.S. The kiddie chapter books included finishing "Ramona and Beezus." My love for this book and my joy in reading it to Madeline could be a blog post alone. She loved listening to it and we already ordered "Ramona the Pest" from the library. Some days I miss my little baby but things like reading real chapter books together make me thrilled for the 4-year-old I have.

P.S.S.S. After seeing the latest pictures, do you think Baby Rockne is a boy or girl? Joe and I both now think the baby is a girl but everyone who has seen the pictures so far are convinced boy all the way.