18 weeks

Hey lady!

Yes, that's right! And we (Daddy and I) are just thrilled! I know I should have taken time to write about the day I told you I was anxiously waiting for. It became something I just savored, and let absorb. Here's your recap...

Our U/S tech was a bubbly woman with a voice that carried ... so very nice, and not at all taken back that your Daddy and Grandma Tina were our guests. She told us to all get comfortable. I was to lay down flat which drives me nuts because my belly feels so tight when I do this - it reminds me of ab work from long, long ago :) Next she outlined our agenda, telling us we were to look at my cervix first, your organs, everything she needed to measure, and then, your gender. Well, what a surprise, and we wonder now if it was her plan all along, but just minutes into things, she exclaims, "And that there... is the labia of a vagina..."

Holy cow!!! I thought for a second, is this real?! I asked, silly me, "That means she's a girl???" All the while your Daddy sat there with the sweetest smile on his face and your Grandma jumped up and down, thanking God for answering her prayers (and mine).

What an amazing, amazing day. And more than that, you passed ALL your tests ... everyone we saw that day affirmed we're all set for a healthy pregnancy.

I left with pictures of you... looking sleepy and beautiful in my belly. You are head down they say, and on your U/S printout, your heart is heart-shaped. I have tucked these photos all away in a book that will need to be better organized.

Tonight your Daddy and I are going to a hockey game. Hopefully you're now his official good luck charm. You have been my symbol of luck since October.

Love,
Mommy

17 weeks, 4 days

Sweet Pea,

You are a book with three authors. A page-turner I've waited my whole life to read.

Tomorrow, we get to peek at your biography. I am both calm and anxious, knowing your story was penned, in part, by God.

Reading into you, I turn a chapter in my own life.
I promise, no matter the outcome, to cherish each and every page.

Love,
Mommy

17 weeks, 3 days

Good morning Baby,

This is my first letter to you, and so long overdue. I told myself I had to muster up the courage to get my thoughts down before we see you again (this Tuesday) and learn whether we'll be referring to you as her or him.

What an act of bravery to be writing to a 17-week-old baby, I know! Well, you see, there are so many days that pass where I feel like I still need to keep you a secret, that the more I celebrate the idea of you, the more I'll have to lose should anything go wrong. To put it simply, you're just too good to be true... but you are real, and all mine until July! Until then, I am making a promise to check in with you here. Everything is yours... my notes, thoughts, observations, photos -- anything you might be curious about years and years from now.