20 weeks:10.08 inches,10.58 ounces,25.6 cm,300 grams
21 weeks:10.51 inches,12.70 ounces,26.7 cm,360 grams
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1004000/average-fetal-length-and-weight-chart#ixzz3ihsSYw3g
Elora's gestational age today is 24 weeks, 5 days. Her movements are stronger every day. The other day we were watching an animated film, "Superman Doomsday", and I was lying flat on my back. Elora started kicking my bladder HARD, about every 6 seconds. It was like she was exercising or something. It might have felt good for her, but it was PAINFUL for me!
Here are the stats for her age:
24 weeks:11.81 inches,1.32 pound,30 cm,600 grams
25 weeks:13.62 inches,1.46 pound,34.6 cm,660 grams
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1004000/average-fetal-length-and-weight-chart#ixzz3ihsrUEOZ
I now am developing an "outie" belly button, and I have a slight "linea nigra", or dark line, going down my belly underneath my outie. My gums bleed a little more, and I am pretty tired compared to my energy levels when not pregnant ("Let's go unicycle for two hours, babe!"), but otherwise feel good. Oh, and I do get moody sometimes.
I was thinking last night, that I can't wait to give birth, because I want to show the world that Lelan's my child every bit as much as Elora. It doesn't matter which womb we grew inside of. Our parents are the ones who are married in the sight of God. We can only truly be married once, and that marriage cannot be dissolved by any earthly power. Some people sadly go through several civil divorces before they find their true spouse in God's eyes. That is why the Church has the annulment process...to declare that the previous "marriages" were not truly marriages, often because one or both of the spouses had an existing impediment. For example, in their heart they did not truly want to marry that person, and had no intention of remaining faithful to them. In many of those cases, that would mean that there was not a true marriage. Other impediments that I know of are not being open to children, being forced to marry, or being abusive.
In my case, I'm just thankful that Ryan and I had both never been married. It would have been a lengthy and trying process to wait for an annulment to come through, when we were both so turned on by each other (and still are). I've had several relatives and friends who have had to wait for annulments. It's just the Church's way of making sure you are not committing adultery, that you know what marriage is, and that the marriage(s) you were in before were not truly marriage(s).
A few months ago I was feeling very horrible. The Devil put into my mind the idea that, "Mmmm...maybe because Ryan lived with somebody and had a child, then he is not really your husband". That tortured me, even though it was bogus. I had to talk to our priest to receive consolation about it. He reminded me that even having a child with someone, or the length of time they cohabited, does not constitute a marriage. Ryan and I got up in front of witnesses of the Church, after much prayer and discernment, and we made our marriage vows before God, from the fullness of our hearts. Neither of us had ever done anything like that before, or wanted to do that before.
Anyway, the point I was getting to in regards to motherhood was, even if my son's egg donor had contact or even spent a lot of time with him, she would not be his mother. Your parents are the ones God gives you in their Holy Matrimony. As a friend of mine said, "When a man and woman get married in God's eyes, that is the birthday of a family".
But I cannot wait until the legal adoption is complete, simply because I want to feel safe. I want to convey that peace to Lelan. I want my heart to feel fully settled, in that no one can intrude in my relationship with my son. The relationship of a child with his or her parents should be private and hidden, because it is sacred. That is what I believe. Once this legal aspect is complete, no one can ever intrude!
Elora and Lelan will grow up knowing that they were both equally made, and grew up, in their parents love. That is my hope (Nadine). That is the desire of my heart. Elora! (God is my light!) May you and your brother grow up in the light of the Lord! May you not be confused and shaken by the many shades of gray that the world will try to confuse you with. May you know right from wrong in every situation, even when others are afraid to stand on the truth. O Jesus, I pray it will be so! St. Samuel, pray for us!
Oh, another note. I've been having occasional pain on the right side of my lower back. It doesn't last long, and doesn't really hurt. I would rate it on a scale of 1-10 at a zero. But the inside of my thighs have hurt worse. At first I thought my husband and I were just "doing it" too often (snickers). But we've been waiting since Monday for our Anniversary weekend tomorrow night, and they're still sore. So maybe it's symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD)? I don't know. That pain is not bad either, maybe a 0.5 at worst. But I'm a scientist and I like to have a name for things :)
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