Last week Friday (March 30th) my weekly appointment was ok, but not fantastic. My blood pressure had been high a few weeks in a row and my ultrasound revealed that Alayna was breech. Not the end of the world, but a complication we’re hoping to avoid.
This past Friday, though, was another story. I, for the first time in a few weeks, had left work in time to make it to my appointment with 5 minutes to spare (instead of being about 3 minutes late), it was a beautiful day, and while work had been stressful all week, that day had gone well.
As I walked back to the ultrasound room with the nurse, I said that our goal today was that Alayna was head down…and then it dawned on me that our true goal was that she, of course, was healthy and still not showing signs of heart failure. I smiled on the inside knowing how quickly I could overlook her condition, trusting that ultimately God was taking great care of those details. The ultrasound started and there she was – head down again. ‘Crisis’ averted. The ultrasound also showed that her heartbeat was still strong and that everything else looked great. A+ day for Alayna and mommy.
Some of you have been asking me if I knew how large Alayna was and I had forgotten to ask the last few weeks. So, I asked and the nurse measured. With large eyes she told me that Alayna was already 6 lbs! For having 6 1/2 weeks left, that’s pretty big. In fact, that’s 95th percentile big. Wow! I guess she’s trying to top her sister who weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz at birth (in spite of the fact that she wasn’t even 20 lbs by her first birthday). It’s at least comforting knowing that Jessica was on the larger side of average, so my body should be able to handle Alayna. We’re still keeping our fingers crossed for a natural delivery instead of a c-section.
Next was my regular appointment. My blood pressure was back down – yeah! In fact, everything that appointment was wonderful. I left thrilled to pieces at how God is taking care of me and my baby girl throughout this pregnancy.
When I got home, Tim and I debated where to go on such a beautiful day. We decided on our favorite park – Kirk Park, a park/beach near Grand Haven. We dressed Jessica and headed out, picking up dinner along the way.
We wondered if we had made a mistake when we had gotten to the park and it was FREEZING. We walked through the shady parking lot hoping it was warmer in the open sun. While it wasn’t warmer by the beach, there was one spot that blocked the wind and was sunny and warm. We plopped down and watched Jessica play in the sand. She absolutely loved it. After that, we went hiking on the trails…more love from Jessica. Mommy and daddy love that she loves to be outside, hiking, and enjoying nature. We played at the park and then packed up and headed home.
Once home a bath was on the docket as Jessica had sand everywhere, so we filled up the big tub and mommy and daughter had a wonderful time with all the bath toys (a rare treat as she normally just hops in the shower with us). As I got ready for bed that night I hugged and kissed my husband saying that we get very few perfect days and how that day was near the top. I was/am thrilled to pieces that we were able to enjoy such a wonderful sunny day as a family. First a great appointment, then the beach/park and a bath with my daughter.
And just so that I could truly appreciate it, Jessica decided to sleep in until 10:30 this morning.
Yes, Friday was a wonderful day…one that makes me realize again and again how blessed we are to be a family, how lucky we are to have such a wonderful, creative and active daughter, and how excited I am to have another baby girl in our new family of four. God is good.
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