27 weeks down... one more trimester to go

i waited and waited to see the movie "what to expect when you're expecting". i waited mostly because it seemed cliche, and also because movies in Honduras are quite the hot commodity. well, the waiting ended this past weekend, and i'm sure glad i went ahead and watched. the movie follows the experiences of several "expecting" women throughout their journey of becoming mothers (and fathers). the adoption storyline was the most emotionally moving for me, as i am hoping and waiting alongside my best friends who are in their own "expecting" process of adoption. the movie also poked fun at the less than glamorous sides of pregnancy, which i am learning more and more about with each passing week. i was entertained. but, what was most meaningful for me was watching how quickly a woman becomes a mother, how quickly a couple becomes a family. all it takes is the addition of a child. the child growing inside me is teaching me so much about expectation, the process of expecting him/her to become a part of our couple-dom, our new family. i am thinking so much more about the changes that will so quickly be upon us. how we'll need to care for this little one 24/7 and i am overjoyed. as the second trimester of pregnancy comes to a close, we welcome the third trimester with open arms. we are that much closer to meeting our little bambino/a. how our hearts can be filled with even more love than they already are is real mystery. we can't plan for the life changes, but don't you worry...i'm trying ;) all we can do is wait, and expect and wait some more.

here comes the third trimester

celebrating my 30th birthday in copan

a beach shot in tela

27 weeks and happy!

Cambios y Noticias:

You have grown a lot, again! You have more than tripled in size during the second trimester. You weigh over 2 pounds and are longer than 15 inches. You, little one, are especially long. Your femur is measuring a full week and half more than the average bambino en-uturo. I'm sure those long legs will come in handy, whether you're a boy or girl, and we look forward to tickling them soon!

The way that Dr. Bueso measures you will change at our next appointment. No more head to rump measurements, now it's time to measure from head to toe!

You're quite the mover. I'm supposed to keep a kick count every day, three times in the morning, noon and at night. Well, don't you worry. You more than surpass the minimum. No surprise there! Your moving has become so intense that it can be seen with the naked eye. I haven't noticed too many weird contortions yet, but it's pretty clear when you're getting yourself comfortable or wanting to communicate your disdain for something I'm doing. Last week sometime I felt a VERY different kind of movement...it was out of nowhere and very strong. Almost like the sensation of dropping off a dollar coaster, when your stomach creeps up into your mouth. Very weird. We saw at our ultrasound appointment last week just what was up. You flipped! You're now "head down", a completed somersault into position. This is where we'd like you to be in about another 13 weeks or so, so if you think about moving around again...just remember to return to this "home-base" position, k?

For me, how am I feeling? What am I NOT feeling is a more appropriate question. :) I'm just entering the third trimester, but already the feeling of pregnancy is heavy, always present and at times quite the nuisance. My back hurts, sciatica, it's hard to sleep, my stomach is heavy and I am TIRED are just a few daily realizations. We're keeping up with exercising: walking, stretching, yoga, elliptical, weight training and pre-natal videos, which all seem to help in the moment. But, I tell ya...it's getting harder and harder to stay motivated to be active. My mind tells me that all I want to do is lay around all day doing, nothing, but my body would certainly disagree. It needs the activity to stay loose and prepare for labor, so I keep at it. Not sure how much longer, though ;)

The name game is still on. It seems unlikely that we'll settle on calling this little Bambino anything other than that until we get the chance to meet him or her. So for now... we all keep waiting.

So many of my friends celebrated their son/daughter's first birthday this month! Happy Birthday to Elisia, Ava, Moriah & Asher! We love you and are so excited to celebrate your 2nd birthdays with you all next year. Congratulations to Violet Bicking and parents! We can't wait to meet you little one and introduce you to your little soon-to-be friend. And, we're waiting still for Jess, Julissa & Margaret's deliveries...so many new lives to come!

bambino's changes from just finding out the news to first trimester queezies, a most wonderful second trimester at home and now one more to go here is hot and steamy honduras :)