Angel Two, Angel Too

Angela sent me an email at the beginning of April with some file attachments of her baby. I have had a lot of pregnant girlfriends that shared these pictures with me, and most of the time I can see what's what after they give me some general directions. I figured that the attachments that Angela sent over will be one of those pictures, but she didn't provide me with the "how-to-see-the baby" manual in her email. So, I clicked on the link and attempted to enlarge the photo in order to see the photos better. After I clicked on the first photo, the link opened up windows media player. The attachment was a video clip, not a picture!

The videos were similar to the photos in that they were black and white. The screen was mostly white, except in the middle where the baby lies. The first video clip had the baby's head and its blurred body attached to the mom with little movement. With anticipation, I opened up the second video clip. This was something that I have never seen before... The baby's heart was beating fast, and the baby's little hand opened and closed, opened and closed. It looked like the baby was waving at the screen by flexing its fingers! I couldn't believe it, so I rewound the video, and watched it again, rewound and watched again! Yes, the baby is flexing its fingers, I concluded. I thought to myself, "maybe the baby is curious, maybe the baby is learning, or maybe the baby is just growing and trying to survive?" I will never know the answer to all these questions but this is how life begins. This little being is so helpless, fragile, yet so amazingly beautiful.

I teared up as I stopped asking questions and realized how amazing the pregnancy process really is. Mothers take in nutritious food, endure the hormonal changes, and carry the baby in their womb. Angela is now a mother to this little human being and she will provide everything this baby need - through her and inside of her. I looked at the baby's little fingers flexing again and I just cannot believe how magical life is.

The ultrasound videos that I received today looked completely different than what I saw in early April. The baby is moving around, tumbling in the womb, giving hand signals, and kicking. This little baby is merely 10 centimeters long and it already has a strong, unrelenting heartbeat. Everyday the baby will grow, everyday the baby will change, and everything that Angela provides will give this little one what it needs to come to this world - our amazing and adventurous world.