A Personal Milestone

(Hey- so tell me this- my sister-in-law sweetly informed us that my mother-in-law said our baby looks like an alien...
what do you say? Alien or beautiful baby???)

By now, I imagine most of you have read my birth story. Having read that, you already know that I went into labor with my second child at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. In fact, I started bleeding at 22 weeks 5 days. The story has a very happy ending (praise God!), but it was also, without a doubt, the most challenging time of my life.

That little child is now a 27 lb 3-year old who is doing beautifully. And I am now expecting our third child.

This week, I passed the 24-week mark. This little baby inside me is already bigger, stronger, and more capable of surviving outside the womb than my little girl was when she entered the world.

And so I breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I will breathe another huge sigh when I reach 28 weeks, a major milestone in a baby's development... (the survival rate is over 95% at that point).

If you're pregnant, I beg you...

• cherish every single day that baby is inside of you
• try to laugh at the discomfort and awkwardness of late pregnancy, even though I know it's sometimes hard
  
• enjoy feeling those kicks get stronger with each passing week
• and never, ever say, "I can't WAIT for this to be OVER!"... it is so worth the wait.

So, today, for me, still being pregnant and being past the 24 week mark is most certainly a Finer Thing. And I am so very thankful.

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For my Finer Things, check out Amy's blog every Friday!