no, i'm not due "any day now"!!!

so this baby is a growing. or at least her momma is! i'm now at 26 weeks. this photo was taken a week ago, at 25 weeks for those of you who don't want to do the math. :) amelia and i are doing fine. this pregnancy has (thankfully) been pretty uneventful so far, besides expected back pain from carting around a teething toddler. i am trying to take it easy by relinquishing bath duty to daddy (and gram when she comes over! thanks!!) and by enlisting ethan & caroline to pick up anything off the floor that requires me to bend down. :) but a mother's work is never done. so my back is just going to hurt.

several strangers have commented that i must be due "any day now". (kristi, i know you're laughing right now...) i try to just smile and graciously reply that i have three more months to go (actually more like 3 1/2!). if it's a fellow mom, i will bring up that it's my third pregnancy and "you know you just start showing earlier", blah blah blah... all my justifications for why i am so big (though i never really mention in public that i love desserts and have not exactly routinely exercised lately!) well, the other day, i received the "any day now" comment from a skinny skinny girl checking me out at a store. so i told her it was my third pregnancy, trying to retain an ounce of pride... and then she said, "yeah, i'm on my third pregnancy too". well that did it. almost. then when i shockingly replied that she didn't even look pregnant, she said "i'm four months!" and proceeded to lift up her shirt and show me her six pack adorned with a belly ring. i really wanted to punch her. but i don't think i could've reached across the counter to get to her with, ya know, my big belly in the way. so i smiled and waddled out. i know brian would tell me that if i would stay home and not go SHOPPING, i wouldn't get those comments. :)

the kids are getting more excited about amelia. ethan and caroline are sharing a room now (definitely another post for another time!!), so ethan loves referring to caroline's old room as "amelia's room". anytime we talk about the baby, caroline lifts up her shirt to see the baby that is apparently in her belly. ethan got the thrill of the year the other night when he felt amelia kicking for the first time. (his first time... she has been kicking very often for awhile now.) as soon as he put his hand on my belly, she gave a little punch to her big bro, and he was AMAZED. i wish i would have had that moment on video. it was priceless. she kicked a few more times, and he just giggled and giggled. anytime i tell him that she's kicking, he comes a runnin' in a hurry! i love it. we'll see how long it takes for the excitement to wear off there.

as for me, the excitement never wears off! i remember the thrill of feeling ethan move around for the first time. it was an unusual yet wonderful feeling. and the first time amelia gave us a little kick, brian and i were giddy like new parents all over again. the wonder and miracle of God creating a precious life inside me will never grow old. ever. i hear women say, "i miss being pregnant". and when you're waddling around with an aching back and running to the bathroom every 10 minutes, it's tempting to kind of laugh that off and say, "are you crazy?!" but i think what those women are saying is that they remember the joy of carrying a child. they remember the awesome witness that it is of our Creator. they remember the hope and curiosity that they also carried, wondering what this child will be like. it is a special time each time, for each pregnancy brings with it a new set of circumstances and experiences. for example, this is the first time i've really been able to share the excitement of the baby with one of my children! and oh what a joy that has been! seeing the look on ethan's face as amelia kicks makes me even more excited for the day when he will get to see his new baby sister in the flesh!

so we've got 14 weeks to go. kristie's mom gave me the most wonderful encouragement in passing a few weeks ago. she said, "you know, once the holidays get here, your pregnancy is going to fly by." i'd never really thought about that until she said it, but it gave me a new attitude about my last trimester. it really IS going to fly by! october will be over before too long, and then november and december will be full with birthdays and holiday activities. (oh dear! two feasting holidays! how big WILL this child be?!) and before we know it, january will be here, and we will be anxiously awaiting amelia's arrival. (and detoxing from christmas cookies!) these next few months really will be full of joy and celebration. and amelia's birth will just extend the celebration! God is so good.


Psalm 100
make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
serve the LORD with gladness!
come into His presence with singing!

know that the LORD, He is God!
it is HE who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
give thanks to Him; bless His name!

for the LORD is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His steadfastness to all generations.