Dear Baby--24 Weeks

Dear Baby,

This week you are 24 weeks! I can't believe it. You're about as long as an ear of corn, and weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. Though it's scary to think about, the biggest milestone this week is that you could be born, and survive, outside the womb. We pray you stay put and keep cookin' for as long as possible, but my heart is thankful that we're getting closer to meeting you each and every day.

At 24 weeks, you've got some hair growing on your head! Your beautiful face also has eyebrows and eyelashes, and your face is almost fully formed. We wonder what you will look like, the perfect mix of your daddy and me.  Your lungs continue to develop and grow strong. Your brain activity is close to that of a newborn, which means you can develop conscious thoughts and, most likely, memory. Your auditory system is rapidly advancing, which means you can recognize and be calmed by sounds when you're born. You're still packing on the baby fat, so your skin is becoming more and more opaque each day.

My nerves went from being wracked to being much more at peace this week. I suppose there will be moments forever when I'll be more of a mess than others! Feeling the support of your whole wide village, lots of prayer, and acupuncture, of course, helped me remember that you are perfect. Sometimes having too much information can be a double-edged sword. Helpful, but also can be not such a good thing, at the same time as it can cause unnecessary anxiety.  There has never been another you, so why would I expect you to conform to any kind of statistic, or measurement, then worry about it? Your little legs, and your heart, are just perfect. I won't doubt that anymore.  You are ours and we love you more than words can possibly express, and then more. We realize we can only fathom we love we will feel when we meet you face to face.

This past weekend we went to California for a very quick visit! While it was a whirlwind, we were able to see so much family, Naomi graduate and become a doctor, and meet your cousin, baby Julian. We were terrible about taking pictures of everyone else, but here are the few we snapped!

                                                         Congratulations, Doctor D!

 

We had a fun trip seeing everyone! They are all so excited to meet you and send their love, prayers and hugs to you non-stop. Daddy and I are going to register this weekend. There hasn't been one moment that has gone by in which I'm not abundantly grateful for every day. Registering, planning your room, reading books and taking classes about how to care for you, these are all things I never take for granted. Thank you, God, for choosing us to be our child's parents. I realize how many people, dear friends even, who yearn to be where we are. We're so grateful, and so blessed by you.

 

My darling baby, keep growing big and strong. We are so proud of you. You are our miracle baby and we love you, we love you, we love you so, dear baby.

 

Mommy and Daddy