"In Utero"

"in utero" was my google search...

i landed on this site (www.michaelclancy.com), and saw something i'd seen before... the picture of the 21 week (in utero age) baby boy, samuel... whose hand reached out during the surgery to correct his spina bifida diagnosis...what i saw for the first time, however, were the words from the photojournalist who took the picture. these are his words:

"During a spina bifida corrective procedure at twenty-one weeks in utero, Samuel thrusts his tiny hand out of the surgical opening of his mother's uterus. As the doctor lifts his hand, Samuel reacts to the touch and squeezes the doctor's finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shakes the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. At that moment, I took this "Fetal Hand Grasp" photo.

As a photojournalist, my job is to tell stories through pictures. The experience of taking this photograph has had a profound effect on me, and I'm proud to share this moment with you."

Michael Clancy

i'm writing this, because of the thrill that is mine, and many of ours to have housed a 21 week old baby in our bodies... is it not AMAZING!?! the grasp, the life, the spirit of a 21 week old - i love it - and i love how my love for jackson and brady and carter have grown so tremendously over the last few years...

today, a speaking in our church meeting chose to phrase it as "mother love." she pointed out that she feels that the "mother love" within us is when our qualities most like God shine through...the qualities of tenderness, mercy, long suffering, etc. become part of our being. i have to agree.

happy mother's day to me ;) and to the rest of the beautiful mothers out there (you especially, mama)...

March sure went by quickly!

Jackson & Brady were in a silly mood for this one, obviously.

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Also, a few recent pictures from the last couple weeks. Not only are the plants and flowers growin' in this beautiful spring weather, so is the belly o' Leah.

A clip of Jackson; uh, I mean Spidey!

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Do note, this was performed for me and the camera, only after a bribe. He was headed away from me so quickly for one reason, and one reason alone. There was C-A-N-D-Y downstairs. Need I say more? :)

Drumroll please...

it was a lovely appointment. all the measurements were great, and i seem to have another big bun in the oven (measuring 1 week ahead).

jackson came with us. :) brady was napping, and rodney's aunt came over to watch him... jackson was an angel. i laid there with the ultrasound tech going to town, and he sat in rodney's lap, very interested, and i'd chat with him like "look jackson - the baby has a brain! do you have one?" ... well, she finally got to the good part... she got the cursor to leave the little arrow, while she quickly touched the "it's a boy" button. :) she said "there you go!" and i said, "it's a BOY?!" and she confirmed that my eyes were not deceiving me. i looked over at rodney to see if he had gotten the word, and he looked suprised and very very happy! we told jackson, "it's a boy!" and he said, "I WAS RIGHT!!!!!"he was pretty excited too!

in all honesty, to find out it's a boy was REALLY exciting, and add to it, a bit of relief. not because i didn't want a girl, but because i'm so ready... i know that this baby is a blessing from God and that i'll have the EXACT family that He wants me to have, and IN that fact, i find a great deal of satisfaction and contentment. happy monday to me!

January 31, 2007 Professional "shots"

These are from a recent trip to the Picture People. They've impressed us once again. :)

Some videos of recent snow and the wii fanatic

Jackson and Brady sure did enjoy the little taste of snow we've had lately. Raleigh got a couple of inches about two weeks ago, and then another day this past week, we got less than an inch. They built snowmen both days, though... And the best part was knocking them over. Brady especially enjoyed helping "install" the carrot nose! :)

The Wii paying is so amusing! We have this game (called Wario:Smooth Moves) that is perfect for even little ones like Jackson. In this video, you'll see him pretending to hula hoop, dance with the rest of the people on the screen, count 1-2-3 as a referee in a boxing match, and a few more activities. :) He has so much fun, and asks to play it 2 or 3 times a day! :)

Just for the sake of documenting a little family info, we are only hours away from finding out if Jackson & Brady will have a new little brother or new little sister! I'll have to come back and report after the appointment tomorrow. (It's scheduled for Monday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 pm) :) This pregnancy has been very good, and I have absolutely no gut instinct about what I should expect to find at the ultrasound appointment. I'm baffled, truly. It's going to be a wonderful piece of news, either way. :)

Enjoy the little video!

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