Wow! 20 weeks into this pregnancy and it seems like just yesterday we found out about our little pumpkin. Sometimes when I think about it, the time seems to have flown by. Other times I think to myself, "9 months of being pregnant, Lisa might have a hard time getting back to 'normal' life without a baby inside her!" I'm thankful that I don't have to deal with all that post-partum stuff. I can't even imagine what it must be like going from feeling your baby everyday, talking to it, singing to it, etc. inside the womb to suddenly actually having moments alone again. It must be weird. Well, that's all 20 weeks away, so no need to get all depressed and what not now!
Let me just say that finding out the sex of our baby has made it so much more real and exciting. For some reason, when you finally go from not knowing to really understanding that it's a boy or girl, it makes life a lot more real. Not only that, we settled on a name for the baby and that really makes things hit home. In case you haven't read it on Facebook yet, we have decided to call him Kai Noé Sears. We are very strong believers in having a meaning for the name, because each time you call your child you are reaffirming that child's meaning, whether for blessing or cursing. There is a great deal of power in name and in what we call each other. So, what does Kai Noé mean? Kai is actual a Hawaiian name meaning "ocean" and is also Latin for "rejoice." Noé is Spanish for Noah and means "peace, rest." We rejoice because of the fact that Kai is a miracle baby. We rejoice every day in the fact that God made a way where there wasn't a way. Also, Noah sailed on the ocean, which is just a coincidental meaning. =)
Exciting news in Kai's life? I'm glad you asked! This week he jumped from being the size of a tomato to being a banana. Apparently, before 20 weeks, the baby is curled up and doesn't stretch out too much, so it's hard to get a real measurement and they just use the Crown-to-Rump measurement. At 20 weeks the baby starts stretching out and moving a whole lot more so they start measuring from head to toe. Kai is 10 inches head to toe and weighs 10.5 ounces. That's really a big jump from tomato to banana, something small and round to long. I love it! He is more aware of his reflexes and movements. He's moving around, thrashing, kicking, etc. Lisa tells me constantly how he is kicking around and last night for the first time I felt it! I put my hand on her stomach and BAM! He kicked me! He's also swallowing a lot more and is more aware of his environment.
Another interesting side note is that his digestive system is producing meconium, a sticky tar-like substance that is developing in his intestines. This is apparently the first thing that he poops out when he is born, the by-product of the food he's consuming through the umbilical cord. From what I've heard this stuff is lethal and probably could be used in weapons grade biological warfare. That's what I hear anyway. Unfortunately that is one thing that I don't think I'll have the option to avoid. Lisa will be out of it, recovering from labor, and that first diaper I'm sure will be my baby's first gift to me. JOY!
Well, that's enough for this week. I'll apologize now for the fact that I won't be able to write as much in the next few weeks, as we'll be traveling throughout June. I'll keep up where I can, but please be patient, those of you who follow Kai's progress. Blessings!
I love bananas!
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