31 Weeks

good grief. i am already 31 weeks along with this little girl. in some ways i feel like i've been pregnant for 75 weeks; but in other ways i feel like i just found out i was pregnant so i could i already be 8 weeks away from meeting my 2nd baby?! insane. The Lord has been so evident to me during this pregnancy. Jovie has already caused me to draw closer to my Jesus & He is so much more precious to me than ever before. From finding out i was VERY unexpectedly pregnant, to finding out we're having a sweet baby girl, to learning that i might have Gestational Diabetes, to passing my 3 hour diabetes test & now facing the possibility that Jovie will come early if my blood pressure spikes: Jesus has been there. He is good.

i am SO very excited about this baby. but i am also feeling a little overwhelmed. i can not believe that i'm about to be a mommy of 2 sweet babies. we will be a family of 4, forever. and that is a little mind blowing to me. we are just a few weeks away from meeting Jovie & i've started wondering how i'll be able to care for 2 kids, so young & so close in age, all the time. i know that the strength & energy will come only from the Lord, but its hard for me to release every fear everyday. i'm not worried about how to be a mom or if i'll love her as much as i love my Jack. but i worry about losing time with Jack or trying to find a balance between Jack & Jovie. i know these fears are only temporary & soon, i'll be wondering why i was ever scared of these things. but, for now, these are the things filling my mind. Praise the Lord for my gracious husband. he has been with me every step of the way & listened to all of my irrationalities & constant tearful outbursts. bless his heart. i know he's probably very ready to have his wife back! and i am very ready to feel normal again & to have my body back. i can't lie, i'm exhausted. but, i also realize its totally worth it!

Sweet Jovie girl,

in just a few short weeks we will be holding you in our arms. we are so excited to meet you. we know you will be the perfect addition to our family & we are thrilled to have a small baby again. you are already such a blessing to us & we have learned so much in this time we've been expecting you. you may not have been planned, but you are so very wanted. you are the greatest surprise of my life & i know you will be so much fun. the Lord certainly knew what He was doing when He created you for us. keep growing! we're praying you make it to 39 weeks, but we are feeling prepared to meet you sooner than that. we love you sweet sweet girl. so very much.

love, mommy!

at 31 weeks Jovie is: (from babycenter.com & whattoexpect.com)

* over 16 inches long

* weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt.

* she can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.

* moving a lot! so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy. (this little fact is definitely true!! she wakes me up at night with all her movement!)

* now processing information, tracking light & perceiving signals from all 5 senses