Norah Jane.

So, for all the things I have said about the most recent struggles and dealings with this pregnancy - one thing I haven't said (at least not enough) is that I am truly, with heartfelt sincerity, excited about meeting our little one in August. To date, I am 23 weeks + 3 days - almost ten weeks farther along in pregnancy than I have been since my (completely uncomplicated and rather uneventful) pregnancy with E. So in some senses, I'm definitely feeling more secure about the expected outcome of this pregnancy, especially with the growing number and intensity of kicks I'm feeling each day. :)

After finding out that we were having another girl, we settled in pretty quickly on a name. The name "Norah" has always been in our pocket - we've loved it for a long time so no questions there. We threw around a few middle names, but for some reason kept coming back to "Jane" as the front runner. After a quick babynames search revealed the meaning - "God is gracious" - we knew we were set, and she has been "Norah Jane" ever since.

I certainly have my regrets for not fully celebrating and enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bond with Norah in the womb, but I really do believe that on most days I have at least done my best to care for her physically even when emotionally and spiritually I have struggled. Even more than ever, though - I look forward to the day when I can share with her the story of her life and the miracles God did to bring her into this world - and how incredibly special her life is simply because He is the One who spoke it into being.

"Fearfully and wonderfully made..." -Psalm 139:14