Hope for Japan

12 weeks

23 weeks

28 weeks

Baby Girl at 20 weeks - rubbing her eye

Baby Girl at 20 weeks - sucking her thumb

Yesterday marked the beginning of the third trimester! The best time in pregnancy, which is said to be the second trimester, is ending as fatigue is slowly returning to me.

I still manage to walk for an hour or longer everyday, partly as a destiny of a car-less life in Edinburgh. I feel very heavy but am still fit enough to stay active. Perhaps because of this, there isn’t much back pain or swelling in the legs. And fortunately, there is no sign of stretch marks yet, though the belly skin is becoming increasingly shiny as it’s been stretched like never before. My belly button still remains as an innie. 🙂

The baby has been pretty active, kicking and hiccuping and causing waves in my belly. With her better eyesight and hearing, she seems to respond more to light when I reveal my tummy under direct sunlight, and to sound when we talk to her or play music.

A few days ago, we began reading children’s books to her. So far we’ve read The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. If you are wondering about the Gospel, oh yes, Grant shared that already as long as three months ago! He’s also been telling the story of how her mama and papa met and how she came into being, under the title of “Scoot Scoot Scoot.” It’s very heartwarming to see Grant interact with the baby. We really feel like a family of three already. The only difference is that the third member of the family is still very manageable – no crying or no poopy diapers!

With less than three months until the arrival of the baby, we continue to look forward to the Big Day and prepare for parenthood. Thank God for blessing us with this new precious life!