Little girl...you ARE loved!

My heart is so full right now. I cannot even begin to put into words what is swirling around in this head of mine, but I will try.

As I was laying in bed this afternoon, recounting the events of the last few weeks and months, I felt Madelyn moving around from side to side and up and down. I put my hand on my belly (this is where I usually play "guess the body part" as she squirms around) to feel our little girl as she moved. Most of the time she continues to move even after I put my hands there to feel her...she only gets "stage fright" as her daddy calls it when someone else tries to feel. But today was different. Instantly when I put my hand on my belly she stopped. Suddenly I felt this little push right at the palm of my hand. It was as if she was reaching out to me...like she and I were holding hands (I am sure it was her tiny butt just getting comfy but even still). My eyes filled up with tears. I pressed my hand against this part that was pressing on my palm and moved my hand down a little. She followed. It was the most amazing moment...I was so overwhelmed by the thought that she knew it was me...she knew it was her mommy.

There have been so many moments since February 8th (the day we found out we were pregnant) that I wondered if we would ever make it to this day. I wondered if the issues that I had been having would keep us from reaching this point. Today as I thought about all those moments, while she wiggled around inside of me, it was as if she reached out her hand to reassure me. God used that moment, shared just between the 2 of us, to tell me that after all the ups and downs of these last 8 months, this little girl is soon to be in our arms...ours forever.

This afternoon we gathered together with family and friends that are family to celebrate again the upcoming arrival of Madelyn. As I sat in that room...full of people, full of food, full of presents...I realized it was full of something much more than that. It was full of love. Love for this unborn child. It is evident. It is real. You are loved. You are loved by your Daddy and I. You are loved by your Grandparents, Great Grandmas, Aunts and Uncles. You are loved by your "adoptive" grandparents (of which you have about 20 who would claim you) and you are loved by friends. You are loved by God. Little girl...you are loved!

Here are some of the pictures from today! I know that there are a lot, but hey, I could have posted many more!
I can't believe we are about to be parents!?
You probably can't believe we are about to be parents either after seeing this picture! Ha! He's such a goof! He thinks the boppy pillow is the "daddy headrest". What a dork!
Sweet girls! So good to see their beautiful faces!
The hostesses and I! Katie, Annette, Judy and Stacy! Thank you...You are a blessing!
My mom and I! She is my best friend. Isn't it cute how we matched without planning it??
The cake was soooo cute and super yummy! 2 great cakes in 1 weekend! What more could you ask for :) Thanks Stacy!Luke and I with his family! It was great having everyone in town one last time before Madelyn gets here! See you soon guys...Do you think if I call my husband the diaper champ he will be more inclined to change the diapers?? Or is that wishful thinking??

Even with the 2 outings this weekend, I feel great. A little sleepy, but great! Madelyn reassures me that she is doing great by wiggling around non-stop...especially at 1 am. Just the usual non intense contractions that I have been having before! No bleeding still! We are doing great! I cannot wait to see her on the ultrasound on Wednesday! I know that she will look great! Until then...back to bed rest as it was before!

*Kathryn