Halfway there!

We're halfway there!!  I am 22 weeks pregnant, and trying to wrap my head around the fact that I only have four months left of this pregnancy!  At our last appointment, we found out that we are having a GIRL (I was right!), and we have already chosen her name- Vivienna Belle Courliss.  Vivienna means "full of life" and Belle means "beauty", so put together, her name means "full of life and beauty".  Also, the name offers great nicknames-- Vivi and Vienna!  I have been stuck on the nickname Vivi for about 2 years now, and even referred to our firstborn as Vivi long before we ever got pregnant.  So it worked out perfectly that we're having a girl because I don't think Vivi would work for a boy. :)

I'm so happy to be in the second trimester of pregnancy!  The first trimester was a little rough, although definitely not as rough as some women have it.  I did feel nauseous a lot though, and had to time my meals perfectly to ward off the sickness.  Also, I was SO TIRED!  I'm glad that I have my energy back now, and that I'm not feeling sick anymore.  And not only am I feeling better, but I get to feel little Vivi moving around all the time in there!  She is really active, and I have noticed her kicking the hardest during music concerts.  Future musician??  I think so!

Tim and I are really excited to be parents!  We have always loved kids, and always knew that parenthood was definitely for us.  Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a mom.  Having two younger siblings made me feel kind of motherly. :)  Actually, my brother always said that I was more strict than my mom was!  Also, growing up, my mom had a daycare in our home, so we were surrounded by babies a lot.  And the jobs I have chosen have almost all had to do with kids- camp counselor, daycare worker, teacher.  I have been waiting for my time to have my own, and it is finally here!  All of the advice and ideas I have stored up for years can finally be used!  And Tim-- he is going to be an amazing dad!  He has a way with kids that I have never seen in anyone before, and it's going to be so much fun to watch him with Vivienna!

Tim and I are happy that life pre-Vivienna has included a lot of traveling, because now we know that we want that to be an important part of her life too.  It's brought Tim and me closer together as we've been able to experience new cultures, foods, and places, and those experiences have shaped us so much.  Hopefully the same will be true of Vivi.  We can't wait to show her our favorite places (like Korea!)  as well as travel to new places together and make memories as a family.  We hope that Vivienna will have a broad world view and love traveling as much as we do!

I feel like the responsibility of parenting has already begun!  Being pregnant is a tough job!  Everything that I do, everything that I eat, everything that I listen to... has some effect on Vivienna.  For that reason, I have been working hard to diminish stress in my life, but that feat has been difficult.  School has been extremely rough this year; not to mention that I have some difficult kids to keep under control every day!  At least we have Vivi to keep things in perspective and remember what is really important.  And thankfully, many of my students are giving Vivi lots of love already, and they are really excited to meet her.  It's a good thing that tummy rubbing doesn't bother me, because I've gotten a lot of it (from students and adults)!  I just think of it as love for Vivi, which is always a good thing!

One thing that I am really happy about is our doctor here in Egypt.  We did not have a great experience with our doctor in the States this past summer, and in fact, she made the first trimester a pretty worry-some one for no good reason.  I could tell that it is all about the business, and not really about the care at all- at least with the doctor that I was seeing.  So coming back to Egypt, I was anxious to find a doctor and a hospital that I felt comfortable with.  And we have found that!  Our doctor is great!  She's a woman, which is rare in Egypt, and the doctor visits are very stress-free (unlike what we experienced in the States).  To make an appointment, or when I have a question, all I have to do is text her, and she gets back to me right away.  At every appointment, I get to have a 3D ultrasound, and they thoroughly check all the organs and make sure everything is growing properly.  It's fun because we can look forward to seeing Vivi every month!  And our hospital is probably the best one in Cairo, and has all of the modern conveniences and comforts that we will need for the birth process.  I'm so thankful that God has provided peace of mind in this area because that was one of our biggest prayers and concerns when we came back to Egypt in September.

So without any further ado, I will show you the progress that my baby bump has made so far!  It is growing fast!!  I read that the baby is the size of a cantaloupe right now (22 weeks), so I guess the huge baby bump makes sense!

13 weeks!

15 weeks!

17 weeks!

19 weeks!

21 weeks!

I am bracing myself for how much I will grow in the next few months, but at least I know it is all for a good reason!  Plus, it's the only time I can have a belly and people think it's "cute". Haha.  I'm loving this time of life right now, and trying to savor each moment as we anticipate new and exciting things to come!