cankles

+ well- first off- my diabetes test was negative. woo hoo! i celebrated with a donut. ha. take that blood sugar.

+ our holiday back home was amazing. very relaxing-- just what we both needed. lots of food and family/friends. one of the best parts is seeing our nieces and nephew respond to me having a baby in my belly. ellie sang the baby- twinkle twinkle little star, bryer would just randomly walk up and touch my stomach and say that baby sophia is in there. kami was intrigued by seeing my belly with my shirt pulled up and thought my belly button looked funny. all of these made me laugh and smile. it is fun to see their unguarded response to a baby in a mommy's tummy. my belly brought on smiles, laughs and some tears for others.

+ speaking of my belly- at my 29 week appt, my belly measured 32 weeks. that extra fluid is making me look alot bigger than i am, as long as the bigger is only in my front side i am okay with that. i am gaining alot more weight than i would like, but it's hard to tell how much is me eating vs. the extra fluid in my tummy... plus since our flight back i have been fighting some hard core cankles. so i got some extra fluid hanging out in my legs, ankles and feet. it wouldn't be so bad, except i am working 10 hour shifts and spending too much time on my feet so they get huge all the way up to my knees. hopefully i can get a little better at putting my feet up each night. this stubborn little girl has also decided she really likes keeping her feet nestled up in my right ribs, which is making me very uncomfortable. my ribs have been hurting so bad i haven't been sleeping very well. if this means she is growing more- i am a-okay with that. as she has been in this position for a few months now, i am thinking she has done some growing since in the past few weeks it has gotten much more uncomfortable.

+ since our last ultrasound i have been feeling so much more excited about Sophia. i feel like those first 20 weeks i was excited but it didn't feel real. then just as it became more real-like with finding out the sex, it also became a harsh reality that we may not get to keep her. so my excitement was stolen from me for awhile. but since the ultrasound and talking with another mother who is has a dwarf and having her say she knows many families that were told fatal news but the child lived... i am feeling more hopeful. even just seeing this other family integrate a small child into their lives gives me comfort. it doesn't seem so scary or impossible. don't get me wrong i am still aware what they are telling us is a possibility but i need a sense of hope too. something to help me get out of bed each day and feel her kick all day long. i have this feeling the more i get to know Sophia that she is one tough little girl and she won't go down without a fight. when we did a quickie ultrasound this past week at my appt- she was practicing breathing again and she was practicing sucking. i love seeing her do these simple gestures as proof she is just a little baby and she is getting ready to come into this world. i am starting to get really excited just to meet her and see her cute little face. no matter what happens i am thankful i will get to hold her and love on her however long God blesses us with her. it may seem silly- but this week i was like- whoa... i am for real having a baby. whoa... she has to come out of me. eek. i guess that whole thinking of her as a fetus vs. a real baby is starting to hit.

+ other than that Aaron and I are doing well. we are excited to do the nursery this month and spend some time together now that he is done with academy. we will post some pictures once we get the nursery done! i'm just excited to get out all the baby stuff we have gotten!

- prayer requests -

+ sophia to heal and grow

+ that she is swallowing fine and her lungs are developing well

+ that tristen is able to stay in good health and not need to go on bedrest

+ that Sophia stays in until her due date (feb 8th)

+ thank you all for your support and love, it encourages us both. soon to be mommy- tristen