Tic Tac, Blueberry, Raspberry, Green Olive, PRUNE!!

In just the few weeks that I have been too lazy to post, our little mate has grown from the size of a tic tac, to a sweet pea, to a blueberry, then a raspberry, now it's a green olive, and next week it will be a PRUNE! Never in my life have I purchased a prune, so I don't really know what it looks like or how big it is, but supposedly they are about 1.2 inches long. Crazy. We've been able to hear the little raspberry's heartbeat two times and both were an out of body experience. The first time was at 7 weeks, or the blueberry stage, and the tiny heart was thumping away at 161 beats per minutes. Strong heartbeat, check. The second time was 9 weeks, and it clocked in at 175 beats per minutes. Even stronger heartbeat, check! I won't go in for another appointment until July 2, and by then the little mate will be a lemon. I ordered a fruit plate not too long ago so I could see the exact size of a raspberry and think about the raspberry in my belly, and I hadn't even had the plate in front of me for 2 seconds before Aaron ate the only raspberry on the plate. How disturbing. 

I am going strong at nine weeks now. I haven't felt sick since Wednesday, May 13, which incidentally was the day I wrote my last blog. I woke up the next day feeling like a champion and haven't felt sick since then. I'm not counting headaches, because I get those bad boys pretty often, but I would much rather have a headache than the constant need-to-throw-up-but-can't feeling. Aaron and Jake are also handling things pretty well. They are getting used to the bizarre demands of a pregnant woman, such as the need for preggie pops, saltines, sprite, and of course, McD's milkshakes. Aaron has been doing most of the grocery shopping lately and he has learned to go ahead and get two boxes of cereal at a time because I usually eat at least 3 bowls a day. I started out with Cinnamon Toast Crunch but now I can't get enough of multi-grained Cheerios. How random. Also, Aaron is determined to get me on a diet that includes a lot of pomegranate because that is what makes babies smart. Not sure where he got that information from, but whatever. He has been enjoying the pomegranate juice himself, and we have come to learn that in Aaron's case, this juice acts as a laxative, so you can imagine what he's been up to lately. 

Note: I started writing this post before church, and now I am about to contradict myself. Out of freaking nowhere, I just randomly blacked out after church today. We were walking out of the building and I started sweating outrageously and my vision turned pitch black and I started falling. I actually pushed a 3 year old out of my way trying to get to a chair that was strategically placed near the door, and once I sat down for about 45 seconds I was fine, but by george, it was scary. All day today I've pretty much felt like crap, but hopefully it was just a random occurrence and I can continue on my nausea free pregnancy path. Good thing I have my trusty preggie pops. 

Please continue to pray for the raspberry, or the prune, or whatever you choose to call it. I've been thinking about the details of baby care and realized that I haven't changed a diaper in about 10 years and can't remember the last time I even held a baby. Aaron and I both pray that this little girl or boy will live every single day of his or her life knowing the Lord, and it is so scary to think that we will play the biggest humanly role in showing him or her the grace of God. We fall so short of being able to play that role. I woke up one morning last week and could not think of anything else but Jeremiah 29:11. To know that God already has plans to prosper this baby is too big of a concept for me to wrap my brain around right now. It's a green olive, but He knows the plans He has for the green olive. Aaron and I don't have a clue what our plans are for the green olive, but our God knows everything about this baby. So comforting. So very, very comforting. 

The raspberry definitely needs to get some sleep, so we're going to sign off now. It's going to be a long week for all of us, as Aaron starts his clerkship/internship tomorrow and I foresee an extraordinarily busy week at work. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord.     Jeremiah 29:11-13