Prior to Beatrice’s arrival, one of our friends recommended that we acquire an exercise ball. This was also recommended by our doula for me to sit on and help encourage little Bea to come on out! We weren’t really sure about it, but we made the investment. It was fun for me to sit on in the late days of pregnancy, but it has been even more valuable now that little Bea is here.

Beatrice has so far been a very pleasant, easy-going baby without too much in the way of demands, but yesterday she was wearing her cranky pants and no matter what I did, she kept them on and let me know she wasn’t happy! The cure? Sitting on the exercise ball, bouncing away and singing at the top of my lungs. We also read some Spurgeon, which seemed to quiet her for a long time. I’m not sure if this  means she was interested in the material and therefore taking some time to ponder what I’d read to her or if she was bored. I’m hoping it’s the former rather than the latter.

The other big news from yesterday is that we went to the pediatrician for a weigh-in and Beatrice now weighs nine pounds on the nose! Praise the Lord for weight gain! Yeah!

Because it’s a crime not to include it, I’ll leave you with a photo of our little peach. Such a sweet little sleeper:

And this is your official update from the McPhersons….so far today we’ve been pretty productive! I took a shower, dried my hair, brushed my teeth, we went to Target and I’ve caught up on her baby book. I’m feeling very productive indeed!

No fooling! Yesterday little Bea’s belly looked like this:

and this morning, it looks like this:

Our girl is growing up!

Dear Champ,

You have made it to 39 weeks! I’m so happy for you and excited to meet you! This week, you are the size of a small watermelon, but I cannot imagine a watermelon inside me. Watermelons are round and smooth (and delicious) and you are full of movement and joy! It’s incredible to feel your little feet or your knees or sweet little bottom pressed up against me. I can’t wait for you to come out here so we can see you and hold you and smell your sweet baby smell.

Here are the official 39 week photos:

Also, I might look like the above photo, but I feel like this:

So you can come out anytime! As we know from Ecclesiastes (or the Byrds) “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” We are learning to be patient as we await your arrival because we know the Lord has picked the perfect day for your birthday.

And here is a photo of you and your Dad from this morning. You LOVE it when he talks to you, reads you stories or plays games with you and I just know you’ll be great friends (and if you’re a girl, you’ll have him wrapped around your finger).

This week has been a little different for us. No more going to work during the day and getting things done. Instead, we’ve met friends for lunch, cleaned up the house a little, organized the guestroom for your Grandma McPherson’s arrival, read some books and generally rested. It’s going to be weird for me to not go to work again in the near future, but I’m oh so excited to spend my days with you; we’ll have adventures, explore God’s creation and I am honored to be part of each day to watch you grow and learn!

Happy 39 weeks sweet baby Champ! We can’t wait to meet you!

Love,
Your Mom