How your baby’s growing:

Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he’s around 5 inches long. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Fat begins to form, helping your baby’s heat production and metabolism. The lungs are beginning to exhale amniotic fluid, and the circulatory and urinary systems are working. Hair on head, eyebrows and eyelashes is filling in.

How your life’s changing:

With more weight up high and out in front of your body, you may feel a bit off-balance as you walk around. Store away your high heels and wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble.You’re likely to feel protective of your tummy, and that’s good. Trauma to your abdomen could be harmful to your baby and dangerous to you, so be sure to buckle up when you’re driving. Keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly and very snug across your hips for maximum protection.

We get to find out if Baby Agnew is a boy or girl next week!  I’ll keep you posted.

Next to Jeff Lethco, Francis Chan is one of my favorite pastors in the world. The first time I heard him communicate in a Passion Family Group, I was blown away. My hand was cramping because I was taking so many notes. I needed to press pause in his messages just to go and process his opening illustrations for the spiritual magnitude that they were playing on my life.

In my blog, I am constantly trying to encourage the family of God to spur you on to love and good deeds because the church never sleeps. So, I want to introduce some of you to Francis Chan in a snippet of a powerful message he preached concerning playing it safe in following Jesus. Watch this great clip from one of his messages:

It is officially week 16 today.  That means that Baby Agnew has been in the womb for four out of the nine months!  We are getting there.  We are about sixteen days away from finding out the sex of our baby and we are pretty stoked.  I’ve got some great baby names picked out, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment and tell me your ideas.

How your baby’s growing:

At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she’ll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby’s ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn’t recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she’s even started growing toenails.

How your life’s changing: (This is for the mom, not for me.  No one has told me that I am looking wonderful lately).  Have people been telling you how wonderful you look? The “glow of pregnancy” is real, thanks to increased blood flow to the skin. You may be enjoying yourself more, too, now that your hormones have stabilized and nausea has eased up.

Soon you’ll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice “quickening” as early as 16 weeks, most don’t until about 18 weeks or more. If this is your first baby, don’t be too anxious — you may not be aware of your baby’s movements until 20 weeks or so. The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they’ll start to feel unmistakably like kicks.

Amanda and I probably got 87.7% of our Christmas gifts bought today! And what’s even more amazing is that we never left Greenwood! I know – it is unheard of but tis true. It was fun and not too crazy, but we had our budget, and we started working down the list and we were pretty happy with all that we found today. Plus, after all I ate over Thanksgiving, I needed to do some moving around to work off some of that weight.

Something I noticed during our voyage today – consumerism Christmas has commenced! I’ve always noticed at how crazy it gets as we near Christmas, but it seems like it gets a little more crazy ever year. I think the stores started putting up Christmas decorations in early October this year. We’re getting fewer days to say thanks during Thanksgiving because we are already having door-buster sales getting ready for what we can get next.

I think since lil’ Baby Agnew is on the way, it’s made me think a lot about what next year will be when he/she gets here. As I walked through the stores today, I began to notice children who were throwing temper tantrums because they couldn’t get what they wanted right then. The kids who you could tell had so much already were demanding more and more and some parents were giving in.

Now, I’m not a parent yet. So, I understand any claims I make now might be null and void in a few months, but I really want to try to guard my child from selfish consumerism. I think when my child is old enough to start demanding more is the time when we are going to take a little trip. I will want to take my child to the homes Amanda and I went to on Thanksgiving to deliver Meals on Wheels. I want them to see the conditions in which people in Greenwood live. I want them to understand how blessed we are and how so many people in this world are barely getting by. The front doors with the holes in them. The clothes that are hanging on by threads. The bills that can’t be paid for. The situations that seem hopeless. And I want them to see it at an early age not to depress them, but to keep them grounded.

I know I’m getting a little ahead, but I want to take my family to do Meals on Wheels together. I want my kids to have a part in giving back to kids who aren’t as fortunate as they are. I want them early to always be reminded that this life is not about them, but about others. I think if we all were compassionately reminded that we are not the center of the universe, we might be able to do this world some good. Maybe this “holiday season,” we can revive Christmas and give something back. Lead your family – do something to remind this world that Jesus is alive!  What are you going to lead your family to do this Christmas season to give back?

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!  Here’s a list of what I’m thankful for today:

• Jesus brought me too far just to leave me (He’s still working on me).
• The gift of the Holy Spirit – a guide like none other
• The promise of eternity – I get to be with Jesus forever with no more sin and no more tears
• The Word of God – that book will mess you up
• My wife, Amanda – I have more fun with her than anyone else in life (God spoiled me with her)
• Family – I’m thankful for family that we can walk through life with, I’m about to take some meals to some people in Greenwood who don’t have one
• North Side – this church gets it – it’s not about us!
• North Side Staff – decreasing so that Christ can increase
• This blog – I’ve been amazed at comments on how this has helped some of you – praise God!
•  Mike n Ikes – they are so good
• Mac Computers – they make things so simple and oh so good
• Fusioneers – some of the 20-somethings coming are really getting it and living for Jesus
• Food – there are people without today
• The Gospel – its on the move all over the world
• My lil’ baby – He/she is on the way and is going to be loved like crazy (I can’t wait)
• Some time off – I’m tired and I need to chill

And a bunch, bunch more.  What are you thankful for?  Comment and tell me.  Have a great one!