6 weeks, 3 days...

Week 6 Development:
This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.


I am so amazed by all of this. The reality of baby-to-be is still hard to grasp, but just the thought of it is overwhelmingly exciting! I know without a doubt that my heart was made for loving a husband, being a mommy, and nurturing a family. I am SO thrilled that the fullness I desired for my life is finally beginning. This pregnancy feels like the joyful start of the life I've always hoped for, without always being able to put it into words.

Brian and I have big, but simple dreams for ourselves. He can't wait to get out of the Army and finish his degree in Automotive Technology. He would love to get in with a great company or eventually own his own repair shop. For myself, I see a big, old house with a great yard and a garden. Something we can decorate and restore. I see a big sewing room with all my latest projects spread out in organized chaos because I am constantly stopping to kiss scrapes and wipe noses. My new dream is to develop a small business where I sell handmade baby goods and home dec items. I want a garden full of organic goodness and flowers that bloom all year. I want a big garage for Brian where he can have all of his "toys" and a broken down beauty to work on. (Aka "his mistress")

Now before anyone begins to squash me with their opinions and "doses of reality", I have enough friends with children to know the future won't be completely rosy. Life is still life, and there is often more heartache than beauty. But I've always been a bit more of a dreamer. I tend to see the small things, and appreciate the details. So let me dream, let me love, and let me bask in the glow of possibility. It's been a long time coming.

For me, this new life inside is the marker of a completely new life beginning for both Brian and I. I am so thrilled about it! We've waited a long time to be in place where he doesn't have to leave every two weeks, or most recently for an entire year. We are way overdue to truly begin our life together! Personally, I have been through too many seasons of heartache and lost dreams. I can see now that God had my best interests and my heart in mind, but getting here has taken a lot of tears. The anticipation I am feeling now, feels like a breath of fresh air. And I am truly enjoying every moment of it!