6 months of Pregnancy

I wish I had kept blogging throughout these past 6 mths, because every month looked and felt so different! But here we are, in our third trimester with not one iota of writing to document it. So here’s to recalling the monumental moments.

13 weeks – I felt my first flutters! Sitting at the dinner table, what felt like a tiny bird flapping in my belly, twice in a row! I wasn’t sure, but when I felt it again about a week later, I knew it was her!

15 weeks – We announced our pregnancy publicly. This was a moment I had dreamed of and anticipated so many times over the past couple of years. Pressing “publish” on that blog post was a moment wrapped in such fulfillment of desire and happiness that we’re HERE.

17 weeks – Geoff felt her kick for the first time! And while we were at Saint Simons. What a perfect place for such a sweet memory!

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19 weeks – We found out we’re having a GIRL! I had thought from the beginning we might be, I couldn’t get the idea of a girl out of my head. Only girls names were appealing, all things girly swirled around in my head, and I just felt like I knew our baby was a SHE.

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For the gender reveal, we just had the ultrasound tech tell us in the room. We wanted to know her gender, and still see her while knowing, “That’s our DAUGHTER.” Then we immediately went and bought pink shirts and made took some pictures to reveal her gender to our friends and families!

20 weeks – I’m definitely showing now! And she’s moving a ton! This pregnancy thing is AMAZING. I am soaking up every minute that I can.

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21 weeks – we started our first baby registry! My wonderfully amazing friend went with G and I to BuyBuy Baby to help us with all the things. It was incredibly overwhelming and so exciting. At this point, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this is real, and I get to do these things. It’s crazy how slow my mind has been to receive this as reality.

23 weeks – We went to Virginia to visit family! We had a great time seeing their new home and how big all the little ones are getting. First started to notice the top of my stomach feeling like a sunburn, my stomach is stretching, and stretching FAST! Also a monumental moment, I had to buy compression socks. Long car drive + lots of walking + baby = swollen legs and feet. Rest assured, I looked awesome and compression socks are a gift straight from Heaven.

26 weeks – I took my first prenatal yoga class! Sitting in a room with all of those pregnant Mamas was so amazing. It was the first “pregnancy related” class or activity, outside of my doctor appointments, that I had done, and it was wonderful. I really felt like I was pregnant, like I get to do these pregnant things with these other pregnant women, because I really AM pregnant!

27 weeks – We met with a doula! The realization of labor started to sink in. I can’t believe how close we are. Also, labor. Jesus, help.

IMG_6964.JPG28 weeks – The discomfort of pregnancy is starting to catch up with me. Round ligament pain, more heartburn, congestion, sleeplessness and fatigue have all found their way. I’m still feeling good for the most part, but my body is definitely more cumbersome.

Also had a 28 week ultrasound to check on Baby Girl’s growth. She weighs 2 lbs 15 ounces and is measuring a week ahead of her gestational age! She’s doing just fine in there 🙂

And now we’re on to our 3rd trimester. Every day brings it’s own set of joys and challenges and questions and hopes.

G and I pray over baby girl every evening, hands wrapped around my growing belly, and thank God for this gift. That we would be good stewards, and learn from the perfect Father what it means to be good parents. We are so grateful for the gift of Baby Girl Ranson, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude that we get to walk down a path we weren’t sure we’d ever be able to take.

We knew that we’d be parents, and we hoped that it would be like THIS.

“…the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[b] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” 1 Samuel 1:20