Daddy's Logic Saves the Day!

Overheard at bedtime a couple of nights ago...

Austin: Daddy, I don't want to climb in the monster's mouth!

Andrew: What?!

Austin: I don't want to climb in the monster's mouth!

Andrew: Well, then don't!

Austin: Oh...OK! (smiling and fully satisfied)

Thank goodness for Daddy!

Time Flies...

I can hardly believe that it has been over a year since I last posted on my blog! But, I am not going to feel guilty or beat myself up over it. I started this blog in a different season of my life and it has served it's purpose many times. That being said, I have been spending a lot of time on the computer lately and thought I would post an update.

I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with another boy, Carter. We are still deciding on a middle name. I like Andrew for a middle name. Andrew likes Nelson (his grandmother's maiden name). While I don't particularly have anything against Nelson, I just really like the idea of naming a son after Andrew. Time will tell what we decide.

While this pregnancy started out to be fairly uneventful, that has not lasted. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for something to go wrong. That is probably the wrong attitude to have, but it was how I felt. I was diagnosed early with placenta previa, where the placenta is too low. However, that really was not that concerning at first and Carter was growing and doing fine. It was just something to watch. I was told to take it easy and report any bleeding that might occur. While I did have a little spotting a couple of times, it was nothing big and went away within a few days. During those times, I did ride the emotional roller-coaster pretty heavily. I was always convinced that this was my last pregnancy and that I was not going through this again. However, as more time would pass and nothing bigger happened, that decision seemed less sure in my mind.

This time, however, that decision is planted firmly in our hearts and minds. A couple of weeks ago, when we had started our weekly ultrasound appointments, Dr Jones told me that they think I have placenta accreta. (For those of my readers...if there are any left...that don't like medical information, skip on a couple of paragraphs.) This is where the placenta has imbedded too deeply into the uterus. Normally it just imbeds in the lining of the uterus, but with accreta, it goes into the muscular wall. In really bad cases, it can go all the way through the uterus and into the bladder...fun!

So what does that really mean? Normally, the placenta dislodges on its own after the baby is born and is delivered with no problem. However, with placenta accreta, it does not do this, so the doctor has to go in and manually try to remove it. This can lead to hemorrhaging and sometimes, the only way to stop the bleeding and save the mother's life is to do an emergency hysterectomy.

Most of the time, doctors do not know about this condition before birth, so it truly is an emergency situation. However, the blessing in my case is that we do know ahead of time, so Andrew and I can prepare ourselves for what may happen and the doctors can plan how they want to perform the surgery and can be ready for the complications.

So, this has changed my circumstances considerably. Instead of doing the c-section a couple of weeks early, they are planning to give me steroid shots to help develop Carter's lungs at 35 weeks and then delivering a few days later...July 12~ one month early. The will be doing the surgery in the main OR instead of the labor and delivery OR and are planning on doing a hysterectomy. They will have blood on hand (which by the way I am looking for donors...I'm B+) because they think I will probably need to get around 4 units even in the best of situations. They are planning on doing a traditional vertical incision and taking Carter from the top since the placenta is so low. Then they will see if they need to do the hysterectomy. I will be awake for the delivery and Andrew will be there. However, if they decide they need to do the hysterectomy, they will kick Andrew out with Carter and knock me out.

Carter is doing great through all of this. At last measurement a couple of weeks ago, he was in the 80th percentile in weight estimates and he has been doing all of his tricks that he is suppose to do~ moving, fetal breathing, heart rate acceleration, etc. When I talked to my pediatrician about delivering at 35 weeks and what I should expect, he had great news. He said that it is very likely that Carter will be able to go directly to the regular nursery instead of the NICU since he is trending on the larger size and will have the benefit of the steroid shots to assist with lung developments. It is really only the rest of the delivery that is up in the air! :/

Well, that is my current status in a nutshell. I will try to keep things updated as they change.

Oh...and did I mention that this condition only occurs in 1 out of every 2500 pregnancies?! That's right folks! I defy the odds! I really should buy a lottery ticket.

Moving Right Along

Our church participates in LTC: Leadership Training for Christ. This is a program that trains children, 3rd grade to seniors, many different skills such as teaching, speech, puppets, sign language, and scripture memorization (to name just a few...there are too many categories for me to mention here). One of our elementary school boys memorized 30 scriptures since October and got a gold for it! 30 scriptures! This has really encouraged me to keep going on my scripture memorization. So, this morning, I moved on from my last scripture, Micah 6:8, to my new scripture, Psalm 139:23-24.

Micah 6:8

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This verse may prove to be very challenging to me. Not because of the complexity of the memory work, but because of what it can really mean in my life.

Words Arn't Enough~Thank You!

I know words aren't enough, but I want to say thank you to all of the friends and family who commented here on my blog and on facebook giving us support last week for Sydney's birthday. This year has been harder for me for some reason and it really helped to know people were thinking and praying for us and helping us get through yet another milestone in our road to recovery. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Number 11!

This year, I have made a renewed effort to memorize scripture. I am becoming increasingly aware of how important this is in my daily struggle with sin!

And, as if God is rewarding me or patting me on the back, the verses I have memorized have come up in various situations around me. For example, last Sunday at our Small Group meeting, the person leading the discussion was referencing a scripture, but was not able to find it. But, I recognized the verse he was looking for and realized it was in 2nd Peter, not 1st! I was able to help him find it and move on with his thoughts. It just feels good to know I am able to use what I am memorizing!

So, here are the scriptures I have memorized so far:

Psalm 25:4-5
Isaiah 55:2
Isaiah 55:10-11
John 16:33
Psalm 119:11
1John 5:14-15
Joshua 1:8
Psalm 51:10
Psalm 62:5-6
2Peter1:5-8 (I learned this in two sections)

And now, on to number 11!

Phillipians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I will share later what my memory system is, but for now, I will just challenge you to think about work on memorizing scripture. As Psalm 119:11 says: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. It works!

No Fighting!

OK, So I am a little behind the times, but Andrew and I finally watched Fireproof this weekend. I was a little nervous because there was so much hype about it. I was afraid it would be cheesy and predictable. Thankfully, I was not disappointed in it! It really is an amazing movie and if you have not seen it yet, you definitely need to!

A big part of the movie centers around "The Love Dare." A process of 40 days to love your spouse. I am planning on reading it soon. But, one thing I took away from it is a (not so new) concept to try not to fight. The first task was not to say anything negative to your spouse. I have altered that a little. For the past two days, I have been resolved not to argue with Andrew. We tend to argue over the stupidest little things and blow them way out of proportion. We can't even agree on why we do this! :)

So, for two days now, we have not argued! We will see how this goes. I may need more than one day to focus on each task~I don't know!

Three Years!

It is hard to believe that Sydney would have been three years old today! I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if she were still here! She would be running around, getting in to everything, I'm sure. She would be sassy, like her daddy! (Of course, he has informed me that he is defiant; I am sassy.) She would have made my life a lot easier as she entertained Austin. She would have brought joy to my life every day, just like he does.

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

I miss you so much! This year has been harder for me for some reason. I find myself tearing up at the strangest times, thinking of you. I talk to Austin about you. I tell him when he is playing with something that was yours. I show him your picture.

I don't go by the cemetery very much. I feel guilty about that, but it is just hard to imagine you being there under the ground...even though I know you are not really there. I have a hard time thinking about your beautiful body decaying in the ground. But, I go there if I can when I miss you the most. When I am really having a bad day with it. Your Grandma Nancy and Papa Don keep it looking really nice. And cousin Gavin takes flowers to you occasionally. It really is sweet. He takes so much time to pick out just the right flower for you.

Today, we all came together at the cemetery to bring you balloons and flowers. Grandma Nancy made you a Ladybug flower "cake" that was really cute! Grandpa Ed and Grandma Jean brought you balloons. Aunt Brook and Uncle Geoff brought you balloons and Gavin brought you a little plant. Cameron gave you a pinwheel, but he kept playing with it, too! :) Just before we left, we released several balloons in your memory.

One thing you taught me was how important it is to spend time with family. That is why we all get together each year on your birthday. We went to Aunt Brook's for dinner last night so we could all visit. You would have had so much fun playing with your cousins!

I miss you so much and I wish I could have spent more time with you! I wish I would have spent more time with you when I had the chance. I just didn't know that was going to be all of the time I would have with you! I thought that after you had come through so much, we would have you for so much longer! I am sorry we sent everyone home. I am sorry you spent so much time without us there. I am sorry I did not hold you more. I am so proud of how you fought! You were so brave and strong!

I love you little Ladybug! Mommy will always love and think of you! I will never forget!

Love,
Mommy