Kicker of a milestone

Saturday, May 11, 2013

It is the second week of May, and the second trimester is an invigorating relief compared to the first – the nausea has abated, praise the Lord! I am at the end of 17 weeks (week 18 starts tomorrow), and it has been a milestone of a week! 

Earlier this week, as I was lying down and ready to succumb to sleep, I felt a succession of feathery jabs in my lower abdomen. Forget about sleep - was that gas, the baby, or my imagination? I wasn’t sure if it was possible to feel the baby’s movements this early on, but the kicks were pretty idiosyncratic, as if the baby were declaring, That’s me, indeed! Plus, they felt nothing like gas, and I was well acquainted with gas-reminiscent rumblings in my stomach by now. Since then, I have been discerning the petite punches specifically in the evenings right before I am about to sleep. It has been so mind-blowing because I had been wondering if there is actually something in there, especially because my belly is still not showing much even though I am four and a half months along, and, according to the doctor, I hadn't gained any weight since the first doctor's appointment in early February. People still ask me if I'm truly pregnant and the husband alleges that I just jut out my stomach to encourage the baby bump (like in the photo above). Regardless, the bitty pokes and jabs are a gloriously beautiful testament to the miracle of life God is forming within this unworthy vessel of mine. 

The husband had yet to feel the baby kick, until yesterday evening. Moments before I drifted off to sleep last night, the baby commenced his/her boogieing. I felt a couple of strong nudges, so I yelped in surprise. The husband said, “Baby’s awake?” and placed his hand upon my lower belly. Five seconds and a confirmatory kick later, he sprang up from the bed in shock, “WHOA! That is so crazy! It’s like aliens are in there kicking you!” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ”Man, it just got real,” he said, over and over.

It sure did get real, now more than ever. The realization that there will be a little one in this world in less than five months has us praying more fervently these days, not only for his/her physical life, but also for his/her spiritual life, for God would be entrusting us to honor Him in the care of this little one, and we need all the grace we can get. And, of course, we're celebrating God's kindness to us in this way as often as we can. Hence, gallivanting to the seashore this rejuvenating weekend past per the photos above.

P.S. While the above post was written two weeks ago, we've gotten our second trimester ultrasound since then, and now know the gender of the baby! Perhaps a post on that shall be forthcoming.

When I felt dumpy and frumpy

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

It's the second week of March, and I'm in the middle of my 9th week. We have divulged to no one about the pregnancy yet, although first trimester woes have struck full force: morning sickness all the way, bloating like I've never experienced before, and overwhelming fatigue. I favor solely loose clothing now, and because exhaustion has attained new heights, I crave hibernation all day long. My prenatal vitamins make me want to hurl, and all I can swallow is bland soup. That, and mango-orange smoothies. I told the husband the other day that these bodily ailments are enough for me not to want to be pregnant again. "Do you want to follow China's policy and have just one child?" he responded. I laughed, and said, "We'll see. Let's just try to have one first." Though I feel dumpy and frumpy, at the end of the day, I am thoroughly elated by what these symptoms indicate - there's a human creature growing brains, a heart, and all that jazz. There's a baby grape inside of me right now. That's pretty legit. All glory goes to God, for sure.

The little shrimp

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

We went in for our first ultrasound in late February. I had been oozing apprehension the entire day, not because we were going to see the baby, but because they were going to do a Pap smear in conjunction with the ultrasound. I had never gotten a Pap smear before, ever, and I was nursing vicarious discomfort via tales passed down from one survivor to another. It ended up hurting just for a tad, and thankfully, the ultrasound occurred immediately afterward to divert my attention. The husband was squeezing my hand in empathy the entire time, and when the ultrasound flickered on the screen, our eyes widened. "It's a little shrimp," the husband said in wonder at the teeny blob on the screen. "You see that flickering dot in the middle?" the doctor asked. We nodded. "That's the baby's heartbeat," he said as we stared in awe. "Congratulations, you're seven weeks along."

When we found out

Thank you all so incredibly much for your sweet and thoughtful words in my previous post. Your kindness has filled and encouraged our hearts, and we truly appreciate your coming alongside us in this miraculous journey. God continues to overwhelm us with His grace during this season, and I do hope you'll patiently indulge me as I step back in time to the day we found out:

Sunday, February 3, 2013

My period had yet to visit by nearly two weeks now, and I was nervous that I could be, er, with child, but fearful that I could be wrong (we had been praying about having kids, and were open to the possibility). I almost didn't want to check. After taking a shower, I tore open the box of home pregnancy tests, and with shaking hands, prayed that I would rejoice in the Lord's will, no matter if I were pregnant or not. I read the directions twice (just to ensure I wouldn't mess up), awkwardly peed on the stick, clumsily snapped the cap back on, and watched the digital screen blink with an hourglass, as my heart thumped twice as fast as normal. Less than 20 seconds later, the word "PREGNANT" materialized, bold and unmistakable. My heart nearly stopped.

The husband was reading in the bedroom and obliviously waiting for me to finish getting ready so that we could head over to my mama-in-law's house to catch the latest episode of Downton Abbey (We don't have television, and since Downton is the only show we care to catch on real time, we customarily end up at my mama-in-law's for it on Sunday nights). It wasn't the right time to tell him when his mind was occupied with what Lord Grantham's next decisions could be, and I needed to process the news myself. After watching the Crawley family's latest shenanigans, we went home. We got ready for bed, did our devotionals, and talked a bit, before the husband started drifting off to sleep.

He falls asleep so hastily that I knew I had to tell him before he knocked out like a log. "My love?" I said, staring him in the eyes with a faint smile. "Hm?" he replied sleepily. "You're going to be a daddy." I said. His eyes widened. "What?" he gasped after a beat, as if trying to comprehend what I just said. "You're pregnant?" he asked slowly, in absolute wonder. I nodded, tears filling my eyes. "Jean Valjean Hong?" he uttered with amazement. And we burst out laughing (he had been saying that he would name our future son Jean Valjean ever since we watched Les Mis onstage). I started crying, and he said, "We have to pray. Let's pray for this little child and thank the Lord."

A time of new beginnings

It's true - we are going to be a family of three! It still feels surreal that God would bless us in this way - that there is actually a wee human being growing inside of me. He is so kind to entrust a little one to us. We are thrilled but nervous at the same time. If you pray, won't you please pray with us - that the Lord would keep this baby healthy as it grows, and that he/she would ultimately be used for God's glory?  Any advice from you lovely mamas is welcome, too!

Oh, and many thanks to dear and talented friend Ruby for taking our pregnancy announcement photos for us, which I hope is a comprehensible play on the theme of our wedding/this blog. We took the pictures when I was 14 weeks, though I am 15 weeks now. It is all going by so speedily, though I have to confess that I am so glad the first trimester is over!