For more of our pregnancy updates, go to: https://philoteknos.blogspot.com/ Woohoo! We finally found out that we're expecting a little girl. Her name is...drum roll please... Engela Marinda Pienaar Pronunciation might be a little tough, but the best way to try and say it is with a silent "g," creating the "ng" sound rather than the "n-g" sound, if that makes any sense! Engela sort of means "Angel" in Afrikaans, and is a tribute to my late Ouma, as that was her name. Gosh, I miss her. And our little Engela might very well be born on my Ouma's birthday, which would make the name extra special. "Marinda" is a tribute to my amazing mom, who has taught me so much. I hope that when she holds little Engela, our little girl stares up at her with all the love and adoration she deserves. SO! Let's talk about the scan that revealed all! For WEEKS we had been looking forward to the anatomy scan, to see our little baby again and start making out the features that will grace her beautiful face once she arrives. I immediately noticed the pronounced upper lip, which is so like my own, and the slightly rounded, upturned nose that looks like Emil's. Her head is measuring quite large, which is not unexpected when you look at the genetics she will be inheriting. She is also measuring larger in general, which suggests to me that she might be a tall baby. I'm just praying she isn't as big as my dad was when he was born - 60cm! And that is seriously not a joke. His records prove it. She wasn't very cooperative for the scan. We had to stand up and go for a walk about halfway through, to try and encourage her to move. But nope. She stubbornly stayed put, all tucked up in a corner of my uterus. Which is classic, considering she kept me awake for a large part of the night before with her kicks and squirms and somersaults. Can't decide if that stubbornness is a Pienaar or van Kerkhof trait! But the Ultrasound tech managed to get around with the device and find all the measurements she needed. We are so thankful for her patience and positivity through it! Then the moment of truth, the potty shot. And that revealed three little lines, indicating quite clearly that our little baby is a girl. I was so excited! We all were. Emil and I were excited for baby to be either a boy or a girl, but now that we know she is a girl, it's so much easy to plan ahead and figure out what to spoil her with! The appointment was over before I wanted it to be. I could spend hours looking at her shadowy figure, and imagining the amazing woman she will become. My parents and my sister attended the ultrasound with us, and they were so excited about it! What a blessing. They even surprised us with two gifts at the end, a "pink" and a "blue" gift. the sweetest little outfits! We fell in love, and even though the "blue" gift was mostly boyish, I realised that dressing it up with the right bow and the right jacket immediately converts to a stylish little girl's outfit, so we kept both! Ok now time for some stats. Engela is approximately the size of a zucchini, measuring between 16 and 17cm (twice as big as the last scan!) She is weighing about 200-300g. Her legs are finally proportional to the body. Her hair will just be starting to grow, and her movements are becoming quite controlled. The kicks and punches are getting stronger every day. For me, I've had a bit of a tough week to two weeks, purely from an emotional standpoint. My moods have been very sudden in their changes, and I find I am very prone to tears over nothing. Additionally, all the stretching and shifting in my boy has caused me to pinch my sciatic nerve, and so getting up and sitting down is quite painful most of the time. We frequently massage it with the awesome natural tension essential oil blend that I have, and that has supported relieving the majority of the discomfort. I'm considering signing myself up for a proper pregnancy massage soon, and then another one a little closer to the time of birth. Belly continues to grow slowly. In these photos it is clear to see the difference, but if you didn't know me before you probably wouldn't know I am expecting because the tummy is still fairly well hidden. I'm sure the next few weeks are likely to bring the "pop" moment though, when the belly finally is undeniable pregnant. Today, Emil and I went for a wander around town to see what baby stores have to offer. We both were slightly shocked at how expensive the higher quality items are. Emil commented, "It's like they don't want us to have babies!" However, we've been glued to TradeMe to see what is available second hand, and it's quite encouraging to see that the products are still good quality after a couple years of use, and the price is significantly lower. But when you're looking at over $1000 for a stroller and a carseat...It's enough to make ANYONE sweat. We'll keep collecting the bits and bobs slowly, so that it isn't one big overwhelming purchase. Thanks for reading! I love sharing about our journey, and I'm so excited to meet Engela in Feb/March! "Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children.
'Who are these with you?' he asked. Jacob answered, 'They are the children God has graciously given your servant." Genesis 33:5
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Emil & Aleisha PienaarWe are Missionaries who travel to the Amazon Jungle. Our home base is Dunedin, New Zealand. Our heart is to reach the unreached. Archives
October 2018
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