Somewhere in the Middle

 Today marks our 23rd week and according to my pregnancy apps that tells me she's about the size of a large mango or a Chicago hot dog.  I'm going with Chicago hot dog, it just sounds more fun and relate able.  We got to take another peek at her last week in Boise and she is doing so well.  The cyst that we were watching has completely resolved and is no longer there.  During this ultrasound she was much more active and cooperative with our ultrasound tech.  We were able to see her little heart perfectly, all four sweet little chambers beating 155 bpm.  It was such a relief for myself and Bridget to walk away from the ultrasound feeling comfortable knowing that she is thriving. It made my drive to Boise during a record setting snow storm worth every miserable minute.

Our appointment last week was very quick after the ultrasound.  We met with Dr. West briefly where he reiterated the normal ultrasound results and we talked about Bridget's upcoming gestational diabetes screening test.  Poor Bridget is not looking forward to drinking that terrible drink!  Right now she is feeling great and even goes as far as saying she even forgets she is sometimes.  I on the other hand think about her being pregnant every second of every day.  22 weeks looks so good on her.  :)

I really do think about this pregnancy all of the time.  During this second trimester I have pregnancy on my brain every waking second. Part of this is due to the fact that Cody's time at home is very limited before the delivery even though in the bigger picture it seems far away.  I want to ensure Cody gets to experience preparation during pregnancy as much as possible while he's home.  I've been building our baby registries and trying to decide where to start with buying baby furniture and supplies. I've gone as far as reaching out to my favorite newest Mom friends and begged them to send me their "must have" lists.  They have been a huge help.  But most of all I think about what a baby in the house is going to look like for us.  When I'm sitting in a quiet house and Cody is at work, the girls are at school and it's just me, I daydream about our upcoming year and the excitement builds.

The second trimester is the silent one, there's not a lot that goes on during this trimester.  It's hard being far away from Bridget and not being able to see her more.  But I know the next few months are going to move quickly.  Our next appointment is in 3 weeks and I will not be going to Boise for that one but rather Bridget will be coming up here for our baby shower the following day.  I'm glad we get to see her this month and introduce her to all of our friends and family.  It's been important to all of us to meet each other's families and feel the support and love- after all that is what's at the center of this whole journey.

I'm ending this in my pj's, sitting next to the fireplace with a glass of wine (sorry B!  :) ) thinking about how truly incredible surrogacy is, how fiercely loved Mo already is and looking forward to May.  My heart is bursting.

XO
E