How the baby grows . . .

So enough about the trivialities of travel and on to more important matters. This is Ailsa taking control of the blog now just long enough to give an update on the wee human in my belly. The baby is now 21 weeks and is really starting to kick. Ty felt a strong kick last night for the first time which was fun. Sometimes I can actually see him kicking so that it looks like there is popcorn slowly popping in my belly. I'm so excited to finally meet the little one and see what he/she looks like!!!!

It's been pretty great travelling with quiet and content little bundle in my tummy. Like a little kangaroo in pouch, no maintenance required . . . except for some better eating on my part, which I am happy to suffer. I guess we better enjoy this low maintenance baby stage now . . . it won't last long. My little kangaroo is now 10 & 1/2 inches long and has fully formed eyebrows now! A perfect little human in miniature. By next week it would even have a chance of surviving outside of the womb . . . but lets pray that it stays just where it is until it is ready to be born!

We are in Holland at the moment visiting with our dear friend Marieke in Arnhem. I woke up to a symphony of church bells this morning, which was a pretty romantic way to open my eyes. It has been a really special trip so far connecting with so many of the people and places that hold such special memories for us . . . taking us back to when we first met 12 years ago now. There is sometimes a sort of melancholy that you feel going back to those sacred places knowing that even in revisiting them, that time in life is gone forever and can never be brought back. There is none of that for me this time. Revisiting those places from the past,that have for so long been stored safely in my heart, with Ty at my side and our child quietly growing inside my tummy, I am overwhelmed with only gratitude for the events of the past which have brought us to this place of perfect contentment in the present. There's simply no room for melancholy. For someone who tends to frequently live in a nostalgia for the past, this is a great place to be. I feel less of an Eeore these days and more of a Pooh Bear. Life seems quite simple, peaceful, and generally sweet as a pot of honey. My brain feels about as simple as Pooh Bear's as well though, which I am less than thrilled about. An unfortunate side effect of pregnancy, I am told. Poor Ty. Less stimulating conversation, less input when it comes to decision making, but then on the other hand there are fewer arguments and less drama in general, so I suppose he's happier for it in the end. :)

Well, that's all for me for now. Ty will soon be updating the blog and will be adding some of our more recent photos!