December 16, 2009

The Final Trimester

It's official -- Baby Joycelen and I have entered the final trimester. Assuming, my daughter decides to arrive on schedule, I will be holding her in my arms in a mere eleven and a half weeks. The previous sentence boggles my mind. It seems like only yesterday that M and I sat on our bathroom floor trying to comprehend that we were indeed pregnant. In the midst of my hysterics (which ranged from full on crying to gut busting laughter), I remember telling M " Our lives changed forever today." Those words still ring true.

From that digital read out on a pregnancy test, to the first time we saw our "Peanut" - time has raced ahead. At 8 weeks, M and I nervously waited for the technician to find that image of that teeny tiny heart beating. I remember thinking that the small black and white flutter was the most beautiful sight that I had ever laid eyes on.....and when at 16 weeks we heard her heartbeat, I thought that no sound was ever as moving. I even recorded it at 22 weeks, so that I could listen to it. Soon we discovered our "Peanut" was a baby girl....and we began referring to her by the name she'll be given at birth "Joycelen". And shortly thereafter, those first tiny flutters turned into full fledged punches and kicks........often taken me by surprise.

Now as her due date draws closer, M and I are amazed at how quickly time has flown and at how blessed we have been to have such an easy pregnancy up to this point. I have only battled morning sickness a handful of times, our quad screen came back normal, the glucose testing was perfect, and Dr. H says that Joycelen is growing right on schedule. Every night, we lie in bed - M lotioning my belly - and we talk to our daughter, telling her of our love for her, how excited we are to meet her, and laughing as she rolls around causing my tummy to look as though an alien resides in it.

Back in July, M and I had not planned on becoming parents and for those first few days we were shell-shocked. Now, we can not imagine being anything else. It feels as though Joycelen has been a part of lives forever -- and we can not wait for the next chapter of our story with her to begin.

1 comment:

Kari said...

So glad to hear that all is progressing so well! I can't believe you are in your 3rd trimester already. That's so exciting!