Pregnancy Week 30

Today's appointment went really well! Lily did exactly what she was supposed to during her NST and we were done in thirty minutes (which is short for us).

The ultrasound was amazing. We now have the cutest picture of her yet. She looks just like Abby!

We'll post it once we can scan it in. All that to say that the Lord was very gracious to us today.

We love you all.

Pregnancy Week 29 Update II

Today's appointment went REALLY well! Praise God! Lily's heartrate was back up in the high 140s, she was very active, and although I was having contractions anywhere from 2 to 8 minutes apart, they were not changing anything, so I was able to come home! I go back in on Tuesday for my next NST and ultrasound, so unless anything changes I'm free until then.

Thanks again for your prayers for us and baby Lily!

Pregnancy Week 29 Update

Today we went back to the hospital for more monitoring of Lily's heartbeat. She still wasn't having good rises in her heartrate, which is normal with activity. Hers is pretty "flat" for lack of a better word. Her baseline was up today, though, from 130 to about 140-145 BPM, which is much closer to what it had been. She had some more decellerations, but not as drastic as yesterday. My OB consulted with another doctor, and they decided to let me come home for now. I go back in for another NST on Friday, which I'm praying will tell us more. So for right now I wouldn't call her "stable" but she isn't critical. We covet your continued prayers as the doctors try to figure this out. It's an odd feeling, to see all these dots between Jaime and Tirzah and now Lily, and know that although there are no answers now, someday researchers will probably find way to connect them all. And if not in our lifetime, in eternity we'll have an answer as to WHAT is happening with my body. As for now, all they can do is treat the symptoms and watch her like crazy. Just an FYI (of course the Lord knows her birthday but a little info): I'm 29 weeks 1 day right now. That's where I was when Jaime was born, and she was in NICU for seven weeks, which is a little less than average. At 32 weeks, babies develop a sucking reflex, so that would be a great milestone to get to, with all the issues I had nursing Jaime. 35 weeks is when I can deliver at my doctor's hospital (Holy Family) and he wouldn't stop my labor.

Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement. We'll try to update again Friday night after another round of monitoring.

Pregnancy Week 29

I went in for my first appointment at the new perinatologist's today. They were very nice, and although I didn't actually meet the peri (he was out by the time I FINALLY got done!) I really liked it there. That's the good news.

Bad news: I had a non stress test and Lily did not look good. Her baseline heartrate has been right about 150 (148-152) every NST, including the one I had just four days ago. Today her baseline was 130, with one decelleration going as low as 117. The nurse speculated she could have hit her cord or something to cause the decel, but at any rate, she did not pass, after an hour on the monitor. The nurse kept saying, "Let's wait a little longer and see if we can get her to wake up" but I think we both knew she WAS awake and was moving; it wasn't a resting heartrate. The ultrasound looked good, as far as I could tell, but I am waiting for a call from my OB to confirm that everything looked good that way.

I talked to my doctor's scheduler a few minutes ago, and they want me to come back in tomorrow and repeat the non stress test and try to figure out what is going on. I am struggling. The history of Jaime going into distress at week 29, and Tirzah's heart stopping at 23 weeks, both without a diagnosed cause, is leaving me fighting to give this child to God and trust in His perfect plan.

Anyway please pray as we go back in to the hospital tomorrow. I'll update when I can. Thank you!

Is. 43:1 ¶ But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
Is. 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
Is. 43:3 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.
Is. 43:4 “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you

Hello, Toyota!

Last night we got a call at 12:30 am. The Toyota was waiting for us, just down the hill from our house. The glove compartment had been searched, and our car seat and beloved double stroller stolen. Otherwise, she was "intact" (hard to use that word to describe the Toyota, but you know what I mean!).

Goodbye, Toyota!

Where we parked the car last night:



Our '88 beast of a Toyota is officially stolen. Although tears for our second vehicle may have been more appropriate, today all we can really do is laugh...

HUGE Praise!!!

Rom. 8:26 ¶ And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
Rom. 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Many of you know about the struggles I've had with my perinatologist, culminating on Tuesday when he sent me across town to be admitted to Holy Family rather than treat me himself. I spent the next three days before meeting with Dr. McKenna agonizing over what to do. He is the only perinatologist in Spokane. Do I stay with him and trust he won't put the baby at risk making stupid decisions like having me drive across town, contracting, when he thought he saw placenta problems, or do I go to the regular imaging places, who everyone we've talked to seems to agree has equipment and techs that just are not as advanced and specialized? So I went in preparing to have to make a gut wrenching decision with my ob, and get in there, and GET THIS!! Between Tuesday and Friday, a SECOND perinatology practice opened in Spokane. So I have an appointment there on Tuesday! They come highly recommended by my ob, and the peri has been in practice a long time, just now moving to Spokane. Yeah!!! I am so humbled by God's grace in our lives and little Lily's. Thank you Jesus!

Family Pictures

I got the brilliant idea to take some family pictures this morning. After seeing myself, six and a half months pregnant, I really reconsidered, but here they are anyway. You can still see evidence of Emily and Abigail's chicken pox, but they are doing much better.

Jaime, age 7, Emily, age 6, and Abigail, age 2:


Family pictures get exponentially harder the more people you have in your family, and ours is no exception:


And I seem to get exponentially BIGGER with each pregnancy, this one being no exception!

Pregnancy Week 27

Eccl. 3:1-2 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die

What a sweet time we've had this week, as we've watched the first snow begin to fall. The Lord has brought us through so many seasons in our marriage, and as hard as it is to admit it, I really did not have the faith that we would be here again, preparing for the arrival of another child. Amazing that we got pregnant with this little girl in the spring, and the Lord has carried her and grown her through the summer, fall, and now, the season of her birth. I am humbled by what a gracious God we serve, giving us so much more than we could ever ask for or imagine.

Lily is doing beautifully, and passed her first biophysical profile on Tuesday with flying colors. It's fun to see the ultrasound pictures and begin to see her cheeks start to fill out and her face continue to take shape. She's at 27 weeks right now, with another nine to eleven more to go. Thank you Jesus!