Baby Kicks

I realize that all my posts are suddenly about our baby boy and so I want to apologize (well, maybe just a little) if we have been talking about nothing else. Stephen and I love this little guy so much already and he already feels so much apart of our life and our family that I am just bursting to talk about him every chance I get.

I am 20 weeks and 2 days pregnant and feeling (for the most part) very good and healthy. I have really enjoyed being pregnant and even though I have already experienced many changes, I often ask Stephen if he is sad that he can't be the one to get to carry our son for these 40 weeks. Stephen assures me he is just fine with his role and I, of course, love mine and that's usually the end of that conversation -- I guess it's just the way God designed it all to be. :) But, really I do love my role as his mother. I feel like it's my greatest life privilege to be a mama to James Blake Johnson and a wife to Stephen Blake Johnson. Yes, that is our official blog announcement of his name. I'm not sure if I had done that yet...

James is growing quickly. We got to see him again on Monday and he is definitely filling up his space. We told him Sunday night that he had a big test the next day - his anatomy scan - and after our talk he cooperated with only mild stubbornness in letting us see his heart, spine, kidneys, face, etc. The doctor said everything looked "perfect" which is always what you want to hear. He is about 3/4 of a pound and as active as can be. I had felt little baby flutters for several weeks that were very inconsistent but starting Tuesday night I have felt baby kicks every day - in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. :) Stephen got to feel him kicking for the first time on Thursday night. We were laying in bed and Stephen had his hand on my belly and I would say "that's another one" every time I felt a kick and but Stephen could not feel them. We would push on him and shake him until he would do it again. Finally, about 1 AM and almost asleep, James gave us one huge kick as if to say "let me go to sleep already" and Stephen said - "that was a big one" and it was. Stephen had felt his son kick for the first time and it was just a really special moment - one that you just want to freeze in time forever. Of course, Stephen decided to update twitter immediately probably waking up his mother and sister but we were on cloud 9. I wouldn't care if he kicked 100 times an hour... :)

I was getting ready early on Friday morning watching Stephen still sleeping and hogging his side and my side of the bed and feeling this little baby move around inside of my belly and just thinking about these two men who have invaded my life, so to speak, and changed it in so many ways. I just had to stop in that early morning moment and praise my Father for invading my heart and changing my life so many years ago when I accepted Jesus and for continuing to change me hopefully on a daily basis to make me more like his Son. I also thanked God for the gift of Stephen and James - gifts that I never want to take for granted. I feel like an amazingly blessed girl.

I am continuing to press on this school year - continuing to learn a lot about myself and God's leading in my life. I'm taking it one day at a time and praying God be glorified in what I offer each day to my students and to Him. It's not an easy job....but that's all I'll say about that. I am just praying for enough grace, strength, and patience for the day and letting the future worry about itself.

I am looking forward to James' Nana and Grandpa coming for a visit this weekend. They will be bringing the furniture for James' room that we ordered on our visit to AL and helping Stephen paint his room. I know we will have a fun time! :)

Thanks for all your prayers and love for us!

Kassi and Stephen