and now some updates all about bambino...Cambios y Noticios
It's been quite the trend lately, but bambino has grown quite a bit! He/she is between 18-19 inches long and over 3 pounds (imagine the weight of holding four large oranges). Our doctor measured our little kicker's foot, and it's quite long already. He said bambino's length is close to what we'll see on d-day, and from now on he/she is going to start packing on the pounds. goodness.
Another constant. the moving. this baby is quite the kicker. we've been blessed with a pretty steady show of flipping, kicking, punching and swimming. my stomach has also been showing off some pretty strange shapes as well. one of my students explained during class this past week, "miss! what's happening to your stomach!?" :) it feels like we (bambino and i) are on a constant stage now. a lot of staring, touching my stomach and "como estan los dos?" (how are you two doing?) questions are daily reminders (as if i needed any) of this pregnancy and soon to be birth day for bambino.
how am i feeling? well a lot more of the same. it's hard to find a part of my body that isn't feeling the pressure, strain and added weight of pregnancy. i've gained 26 pounds so far and it feels like it constantly pulling down on my ever-growing belly. i've been suffering from a couple different bacterial infections the past couple of weeks, and am on my second round of antibiotics trying to kick it. i'm fundamentally against antibiotics and had high hopes to be 100% natural in this process. my doctor (and mom) assured me the antibiotics were necessary to attack the infections and the consequences of the bacteria growing and spreading were far more dangerous than fighting the infections with antibiotics. as far as we know, and from all of our appointments, this baby is quite healthy. it's a miracle really.
i was reminded this week in light of a serious pregnancy scare my friend experienced, just how fortunate we are in this process. i've hoped and waited for years for the blessing of pregnancy. medically speaking, the messages i had been given about the chances of a healthy pregnancy (if at all) were unlikely at best. from the moment we learned we may be pregnant, we accepted the news with a lot of joy and an equal amount of reservation, and even a little fear. from appointment to appointment and week to week, we prayed and hoped and crossed our fingers that we would hear good news. now, 31 weeks in, i have already forgotten what that felt like. i no longer walk into dr. bueso's office reserved and nervous, while holding my breath until we hear that heartbeat. today, i'm given the gift of assurance of what is unseen. god has strengthened my faith amazingly through this. my faith, however, was shaken this week when we heard the scary and uncertain news of my friend. thankfully, today we know that her treatment is working and she'll likely experience a full term pregnancy and deliver a very healthy baby. the blessing in this for me is that i am reminded of the grace and provision god has lavished upon our little growing family. i am reminded of my need to express regular and authentic gratitude to god for all that he gives, good or bad, whether we understand what he gives or not. i am reminded that i need to embrace and enjoy each step in this process. we are never guaranteed the end, the result we dream about and plan for. all we know for sure is that when we commit our hearts and our wills to the glory of god, he will work all things for our good. he is sovereign. in that i am sure. i will love, honor and thank him in all things and through all circumstances. so as our due date quickly approaches, we recognize the sacredness of this pregnancy and of all pregnancies. the gift of new life is one only god can provide. so we offer this child, born or unborn to the will and protection of he who can give and take away and remain completely holy and good, true to his promise of grace.
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