What's In A Name?...

I usually blog on Thursdays, because that is when I change weeks in my pregnancy, but I purposefully waited until today to write this post.

Three years ago today, my best friend, Whitney Laine Gallahar, died suddenly of what seemed to be from a blood clot to her heart or lungs. We were stunned to say the least. Whitney and I had a special friendship... it was more like we were sisters. Our fathers had grown up together and had been best friends most of their lives, our moms were close, and Whitney's brother was the same age as my siblings. Needless to say... we were pretty close. So, when she passed away, my whole world was rocked!

Thankfully, the Lord was faithful to me and drew me to Himself during a time that I wanted to just run away. My life changed on May 28, 2007 and has never been the same since.

So... what's in a name? You may have already made the connection. Jordan and I chose to use "Laine" as Ada's middle name after Whitney. I have to take a moment to thank Jordan... he never got to meet Whitney (we met at Beach Project just a week or so after she'd passed away), but he loves me and knows how special our friendship was. I know that Ada will never "know" Whitney, but I can't wait to show her pictures and tell her stories about our friendship. I pray that God blesses Ada with a friend like Whitney.

Other news this week... we are at nineteen weeks! Finally Ada is starting to fatten up! Her kidney's are fully functioning and producing urine this week. She's weighing in at approximately 8.5 ounces and is about 6 inches long. I thought I might start including some "Pregnancy Stats" this week...

Total Weight Gain: none... I actually lost 7 pounds my first trimester and so far I've gained 1 pound back..

Cravings: anything sour...

Negatives: Horrible allergies (sometimes when I sneeze I feel she might POP OUT!... and some pain in my right hip... hopefully I just need an adjustment from the chiropractor and it isn't my sciatic nerve!

Positives: I feel great! Besides the allergies and back pain, I'm loving being pregnant! Ada is really moving... I feel her roll more than kick... but she's definitely an active baby! I love being able to feel her move!

We are starting on the nursery! Whoop Whoop! I am so excited! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love interior decorating! I would redecorate my house annually if I had the money! So... I'm loving the fact that I get to fix up the nursery. My sweet grandmother offered to make Ada a quilt for her baby bed, and I loved it! I think it will be so special! So, I am not doing anything other than just a coordinating crib skirt and crib sheet... I'll leave you with a picture of the different fabric swatches that will go in her quilt!

Sweet Sweet Ada...

Wow... I've been trying to figure out over the past few days how I was going to put what I am feeling on the inside into words. I've never been too good at putting my thoughts down, so this could be a long post... especially since I tend to ramble :)

The best way I know how to describe what I felt on Saturday is this... my world was rocked. In a good way. Up until the words came out of the mouth of the lady doing my sonogram... I was convinced it was a boy. There was even a point during the sonogram that something flashed up on the screen, and Jordan and I looked at each other and said "It's a boy." Now don't get me wrong, by no means was I disappointed that it was a girl, I was just TOTALLY shocked that it was a little girl. The rest of the day, I was just in a daze. I was in awe of how God was knitting Ada together, and in awe of the technology that allowed me to see my sweet baby girl on the screen, even thought she is still so tiny. I also have to admit that having the sonogram on Saturday definitely made all of this a lot more real to Jordan and me. We ARE going to be parents... we ARE going to have a daughter... she has a NAME... she is a REAL human being that will depend fully on us to take care of her. And.. she is OURS. All these statements have just been playing over and over in my head for the past few days. In spite of being overwhelmed, the Lord has been so sweet. I feel a bond with Ada already. Every little thump, and every heartbeat means SO much more than it did (yes.. I put the DVD from the sonogram often just to hear her heartbeat). I LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL! And let me just say this... her daddy is already so in love with her. The way he prays for her and talks to her (yes... it melts my heart too) is amazing. The hardest thing about all of this is the wait! We still have 22 more weeks left to go! OH MAN! But... we are about to start getting busy on the nursery and we understand that she will be here soon enough. So... on to Ada's developments for the week.

By the way... I probably won't be posting the virtual pictures anymore... I just can't bring myself to do it since I've seen Ada's profile and the tiny details of her face...

Anyway... back to updates, Ada just finished her 18th week of development. Her ears are fully developed so she can definitely hear her daddy talk to her now... don't worry, I talk to her too! This week, Ada's bones began to ossify, which means her bones are beginning to harden. Ada's nerves are beginning to make more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight, and hearing are all starting to develop. Ada now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5 1/2 inches long...

I'll leave you with my favorite 4D picture we got of Ada last Saturday... if you look close, you can see her smiling...

It's A....

GIRL!!

Yep... she's a girl! We went today to Atlanta to Stork Vision... it was A-MAZING! Ada Laine Weathers will grace us with her presence in just 5 months! 

Let me tell you... this baby LOVES sugar! I drank a Mountain Dew and some Peanut M&M's... boy did she move. She was kicking and stretching... she put on a show. 

We got a "sneak peek" at Ada in 4D... I was a little nervous... I'd heard that they were so skinny at 17 weeks that they look a little scary. But we were shocked at how great the 4D turned out... Right now I'm a little overwhelmed, so while I gather my thoughts, I will leave you with some pictures of sweet Ada Laine Weathers...

17 Weeks...

Well friends... here we are... 17 weeks. Why is this such a milestone? Because we find out what the gender is SATURDAY!! Oh my goodness, I have been counting down the days since I first found out I was pregnant. Saturday morning around 8:30, Jordan and I, along with my parents, grandparents, siblings, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law... will load up and head to Atlanta. I really can't describe to you the feeling in my stomach. It seems to be a little bit of everything... slightly nervous, very anxious, excited, overwhelmed... yeah, a little bit of everything.

As far as Peanut's developments (I can't believe this is the last post where I will call the baby Peanut!)... All the "big stuff" is pretty much developed... now Peanut is working on "packing on the pounds"! (Unfortunately, so is Momma!) Peanut is really working on his/her sucking and swallowing reflexes.. his/her fingernails and toenails are beginning to grow from their nail beds.. Peanut weighs about 5 ounces and is a little over 5 inches long!

Okay... just for fun, I want to see how many people think Peanut is going to be a girl and how many think Peanut will be a boy! I've added a poll on the right-hand side of the blog for you to vote! My appointment is at 12:00 Eastern time, but I won't have access to a computer until later that afternoon. I promise to post Peanut's gender, name, and pictures as soon as I can! Yay for Saturday!!!

16 Weeks and Counting...

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant! It seems like just yesterday, I was only 5 weeks! I have a feeling these next couple of months are going to fly by... it seems like we have something planned every week! I have to say that I am very excited and honored to be able to stand next to one of my dear friends this Saturday at her wedding. This will be my first "preggo" wedding... I must say that I'm looking forward to the day, but not to forward to the pictures :) Thank you Jessica for letting me and little Peanut be a part of your special day! Well, the countdown is on... only nine more days until Peanut's gender is revealed! Everyone is so excited! I'm taking a lot... A LOT of family with me. I don't think that poor lady knows what she's getting into! My parents, grandparents, grandmother, all four siblings, my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and their kids... oh yeah, and Jordan and I are going too! I haven't even counted the total... I just told her A LOT! I know it may sound crazy, but Jordan and I couldn't think of a more special way to find out the sex of our baby. Family is so important to us so we had to share our joy!

On to Peanut's developments this week... he/she is getting camera ready... Peanut's practicing all sorts of facial expressions... I wonder who he/she will look like? Any guesses? Peanut's got a magic trick... his/her skin is translucent and wrinkly... you could even see the veins under his/her skin if you could look. Speaking of veins, Peanut's heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood per day.. He/she weighs about 3 ounces and measures between 4 and 5 inches!

Ok... I've saved the best new for last... I can feel him/her!!! Over the past week, I've been getting these little flutters in my belly, but nothing significant. I didn't want to jump the gun and get Jordan all excited.. he's been impatiently waiting to feel this baby. Well, last night we were laying in bed (around 8:30... don't judge) and I told Jordan I felt weird. I was feeling these faint little rolls and thumps in my belly. So with a big grin, he placed his hand on my belly and was able to feel these little thumps I felt. I have to say that I thought I wouldn't know when the baby was moving, but this was unlike anything I'd ever felt before... This morning I woke up and Peanut starting thumping again. It's faint, it's weird feeling, but it's absolutely amazing! Thank you God for this precious gift!