Week 24

Did you hear it??? Did you hear the big sigh of relief that Andy and I had when we realized that today we are 24 weeks!!! That means that the medical community consider Hope "viable" and if needed they will intervene and help to keep her in mommy's tummy. This was a huge milestone that our entire family has been counting down for. Hope is still doing wonderful. She moves alot. Nathan and I were chatting about how active she is and he said in his 8 year old wisdom, "mom, what if she is just a girl version of Ben???" We both looked at eachother and did the Home Alone grab of the face and yelled. (Ben is VERY, VERY busy and keeps us all on our toes all day long.) Daddy, Hannah and Nathan have all felt Hope kick. Elisabeth is a little bitter, every time she puts her hand on my tummy Hope stops moving. She is already teasing her older sister.

So Hope is doing great, but mommy can't seem to get these kidney stone issues under control. I was back in the hospital on March 18th. I was having tons of painful contractions and they were very steady with a lot of back pain. I knew I wasn't in labor, but I also knew I was hurting and needed some help. We actually got to go to Labor and Delivery this time!!! The contractions were registering on the machines, but I was not dialating. Good news. The doctor said the kidney stones must have moved and was causing the contractions and pain. They sent me home with pain pills and said drink tons of fluids. Other than putting in an IV and flushing tons of fluids, that is all they can do at this point. So...another waiting game. Waiting for the kidney stones to pass. Oh please, oh please pass. It is tiring for my entire family to have mommy contracting everyday. Probably because it makes this mommy not able to sleep, and very, very irritable. All part of the fun.

The Best Appointment....so far!!

We think she looks like a Price baby here! Round pretty head and a pointy chin!!!

Yes, I look tired because I am :) That's what happens when your friend comes for less than a 24 hour visit.

Children, look away. Do adjust the dial on your screens, my belly has really gotten this big!!!

Today was the "big day". I went to the specialist and had Hope's big heart ultrasound. At the last ultrasound the doctor had said that her umbilical cord only had the two vessels instead of the three and that could be caused by a heart defect. The hygroma could also be caused from a heart issue. So I went into the appointment knowing that it could be a difficult appointment.

So here's a little back story before we get to Dr. Howard's office early Monday morning. When we lived in Indiana we had wonderful friends that became "family". The Crone's and Price's were ALWAYS at each other's birthday parties and events and just always at each other's houses. Our kids are bestfriends and it has been very hard to be apart. Well... Elisabeth turned 10 this past week and the Crone's surprised her and came to her birthday party this past Sunday!!! It was the best thing to hear the screaming and jumping up and down!!! Big Blessing for the kids. The big blessing for me was that my friend, Edie, got to come to Hope's ultrasound. What a blessing that my good friend was able to be here for this big day!!! Of course Edie and I stayed up WAY too late last night and dragged ourselves out of bed to get ready for the early appointment. We drove to Duncan Donuts and got her a coffee and then we got on the road to the doctor's. I was feeling a little nervous about today's visit and wondering what would be found. There seems to be just so much that we have "digested" during these past few months. I tried not to guess at all of the possibilities. Edie and I had a good time just goofing around waiting for my turn.

I had a new tech today and she was the sweetest ever. She was very friendly and so talkative, I know this is a surprise but I love that!! :) When the ultrasound started and Hope appeared on the screen I couldn't believe it. She had gotten so big!!! The tech thought she was sleeping because her little arms were over her face and she was very still and so sweet. She was able to get some great pictures of her heart and her other organs. Wonderful news and BIG praise, Hope's heart looks great. Blood flow was wonderful, chambers clear and great. Everything looked wonderful. Then the doctor came in and he had his turn. Hope woke up and was all over the place, it was actually kind of funny. He finally was able to get good pictures and he confirmed that she was doing wonderful. He asked if I had been drinking Miracle Grow?? I asked why and he said, she is in the 81% range on the growth chart!!!! She is measuring big and wonderful. She is about 1 pound 2 ounces now and looks absolutely beautiful. Here is the best part..... the cystic hygroma is measuring 1.3!!! It was 1.7 last visit. This is a huge answer to prayer. This is a quote from the doctor, " except for the hygroma this baby looks totally healthy." That was music to my ears and just another big testimony of God's healing hand and grace. I can not say how much we appreciate your prayers and support. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the prayers that are being lifted for our daughter are powerful. They are what is keeping our family going right now. Thank you.

Doctor appointment

I saw our new OB yesterday. I was so excited to go, silly I know. Andy and I had been praying for a doctor that would be able to see me and deliver Hope. Even though I have been going to the high risk doctors almost every two weeks they are just watching Hope and her issues very closely. They will not deliver her. So... we were in big need for an OB. We met Dr. Sorenson when I was in the ER for the kidney stone fun. After sharing our hearts about being Christians and wanting to fight for our daughter's life , she shared her faith and Andy asked if she could be our doctor.

The appointment itself went really well. The doctor was wonderful, she remembered me and Hope's situation and was ready. I still have protien in my urine, +1, so she will be watching that closely. Right now my 24 hour urine doesn't show preeclampsia, but the levels are going up a little. She will probably order more 24 hour collections in the future. The nurse called Hope a very active baby and a "stinker". Everytime she would finally find her heartbeat Hope would kick and move and was all over the place. I told Andy that she is strong and is a fighter in there. That's a good thing! Her heart rate was good and they were pleased.

Here is the best part of the entire visit. I was getting ready to leave and the doctor said, please let me know if there are any specific things you need prayer for and I will pray. Then she asked if she could pray right then. She laid hands on me and prayed for the pregnancy, for Hope's healing, and strength for our family. I was just floored. Not only did God answer our prayers for a doctor who would care for me, He went above and beyond. Oh how He loves you and me!!!!

Hope's Life Verse

Ok, so I am being presumptious by giving Hope her life verse before she is even born. But, I am her mommy. She can change it when she knows the Word and decides one for herself. :) I don't know about you, but when I find a Scripture that speaks to me or one that someone gives me I underline and date it. Needless to say, there are alot of underlined Scriptures in my Bible. This verse was given to me on January 22, 2010 from a very good friend for our baby. We were just going through the process of the amnio and waiting for the results. When she emailed me this verse I wrote it on probably 3-5 index cards and put them up and carried one with me. I was just doing my Bible study and flipped by this page. Elisabeth was sitting by me reading her Proverbs for the day and I said, "sissy, I need to read you this verse. And remember, God's Word is true. He keeps His promises, He can not lie." After reading it to her we talked about it and I thought more on it. Yep, this verse is for Hope. Andy and I already see her as a miracle, as we do our other 4 kids that we were told we wouldn't be able to have. For Hope, she has been a miracle to us in so many ways and she is not even in our arms yet. With her pregnancy we have been humbled in unimaginable ways, miracle. We have been able to share with non-believers in the medical field our feelings on life begins with conception and this life we have been given is a gift from God, miracle. Hope is thriving and strong despite us being told she would not make it past this date, and this date and so on, miracle. The amnio came back normal, miracle. The cystic hygroma went down a point, miracle. Through this huge trial Andy and I have been growing. Sometimes it feels like we are going backwards, but... The truth is, our faith is being strengthened daily as we have no other choice than to lean totally on the One true living God, miracle. There are SO many more things that I can list, but I'll let you take some time to reflect on the many miracles that God is doing in your own lives. So... I can say with confidence that for now this is Hope Asaiah's verse!

"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." Job 9:10

I cannot wait for the day that she is born and we will put this verse on her little bed in the hospital for all to see! What a testimony this little girl is!!!