Confirmation

This morning I stepped back into a clinic that I hoped I would never see again... the Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic.


However, this visit was very different from my past experiences there.  This visit I was going to get a confirmation that my Sweet Pea is healthy and doing well.


Well... I got the exact news I went to hear- the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist agreed with my doctor that Sweet Pea looks perfect.  His only concern was that he wants my doctor to closely monitor the baby in case it gets a little growth restriction as Jude did, but he didn't think that this was likely to happen.  


We talked about my stance on an amniocentesis (AGAINST, by the way), and he was completely supportive!  


I had expectations of another visit in a few weeks or so until the baby came to term at 37 weeks, but the doctor gave me a pleasant surprise- he discharged me from the clinic!!  I was surprised and VERY EXCITED for this.


On a bright note, I got to see pictures of my "Sweet Bean" again!  It was so sweet to see it moving all around and to see how much it's grown in only two weeks.  It weighs a pound and a couple of ounces already!  And the baby is holding strong to that July 26th date... so my sweet niece may get a new cousin for her birthday!


And for all those dying of curiosity out there, the gender of Sweet Pea is...

Still a Surprise!!

Come on now!  You didn't think I would cave and spoil the surprise after all this time, did ya?    

Thank you again, for all the prayers sent our way.  God is so faithful and we can't wait to meet our Sweet Bean in about 15-16 weeks.. Yep that's all we have left!!    

Lots of love, hugs, and kisses,

Angel

The Overcomer's Necklace

A few weeks ago, Lane and I had the privilege of attending a special needs ministry conference for church leaders, teachers and volunteers, and parents of special needs children.  It was an awesome conference that addressed a variety of topics from issues families face to getting a special needs ministry in your own church started.  It was truly a blessing to attend.


A mother and daughter were two of the speakers at the conference.  The daughter, Tracy had been permanently disabled in a tragic car accident about 23 years ago.  But their tale was not one of tragedy but of overcoming and victory.  Ginny, the mother, and Tracy have not only become encouraging speakers, but jewelry artists, and Tracy has even become a newspaper columnist despite her disabilities!  Isn't God AMAZING!!!


Well, back to their jewelry making...  Ginny explained that when Tracy finally got to come home after intense rehab, that they were basically homebound all the time and became miserably bored quickly.  Then they got to making jewelry.  Tracy is the artist and designer with her mother, Ginny, being her hands to make the jewelry.  The jewelry is very natural looking and primitive earning its given name "Prims".  Tracy joked that the jewelry was unbalanced like herself ;-)  And all the jewelry has a Biblical or encouraging basis.  


Well during lunch, I wondered over to the table where Prims Jewelry was on display and picked up a "Crib Angel" they had made.  It's a necklace with a clay angel they had made that I planned to hang on Sweet Pea's crib.  It had a scripture on the tag:


"For He will give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways."
            Psalm 91:11


I thought it was very sweet and had to have it.  When I went to pay for the necklace, I got the opportunity to talk with Tracy and her mom.  I explained that I completely related to their story- that when my son had finally come home from the hospital, he came home on continuous oxygen, a continues food pump, and a heart monitor, and all three had to be worn 24/7.  We couldn't leave the house unless it was to go to a doctors' appointment and even that required extra hands that my mother in law was happy to provide.  For months we stayed cooped up inside the house.  We only saw people that came to see us, and it's not like we were hosting any dinner parties.  All I could do was wake up and pray that Jude lived through that day (the doctors sent us home prepared to lose our son).  Gradually, Jude got better and we got to create our own little version of a normal life..


After finishing my story, Ginny smiled and reached over and handed me this necklace

She explained that this was their Overcomer's Necklace and that they wanted me to have it because I was an overcomer!  


I felt so touched and couldn't say thank you enough.  I treasure the necklace and what it meant for them and what it means for me.


I wore the necklace to my anatomy scan a couple of weeks ago, and I will be wearing the necklace again this morning when I go to my Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment.  


I feel good about the baby's health, but being back in that office will definitely make me uneasy.  Also, I know that if the first anatomy scan were enough, I wouldn't be attending another one in a different office.  So I am praying that the specialist will have the same findings as my doctor did- a healthy baby.  


I have a peace about it either way!  




"...To him who overcomes I will give a white stone with a new name on it."
               Revelations 2:17

A Day of Rest

So... this weekend was not the most eventful of weekends thanks to my sweet Jude having a nasty little stomach bug.

Thank goodness Sunday is a day of rest because this is what my family (except me, of course) looked like late Sunday morning:

Jude had been up all night crying and Lane up with me rocking him.  So they were both tired and taking up too much space in the bed for me.

Jude had another rough morning today, but seems to be starting to feel a little better.  

Hope your Sunday was as restful as our's was!

For the love of country living...

For months now, I've been dreaming of SPRING!  And when I say months, I really mean it.  I usually LOVE Fall and Winter seasons, but last year was not the case.  Thanks to my morning aka all day sickness, I set my sights on the arrival of Spring and my second trimester...  

Well- both are here and this little mama is THRILLED!!

Along with Spring, came a list of projects and honey do's to get our household ready for our Sweet Pea and, of course, satisfy my need to nest.  Now I will have a few of these projects to unveil later, but one is complete!

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I've been daydreaming about Spring for sometime now from a few of my posts... If not, then you can click here to get the scoop.  

 In that post I had mentioned that come this Spring I really hoped to have a clothesline for a functional but more for sentimental reasons.  Well, my sweet talented husband made me some massive clothesline poles.  He brought them home from the shop so I could paint them.  Then he set them for me a few days ago, and I have been using them ever since...

I just love country living!  I think the clothes hanging on the line to dry is such a pretty sight.  And the smell of line-dried sheets and towels is wonderful.

Plus, having the clothesline the past few days has proved to be pretty beneficial.  Our household has fell victim to the dreaded stomach bug, and Judey Jude has been one very sick little redhead.  (In fact, his Papa is up right now at 1am trying to rock him back to sleep.)  So having the line to dry all the towels and blankets and clothes we've gone through the past few days has been a life saver!


You know, it's so funny to me how much I just love country living.  You see, I grew up in the middle of nowhere and hated it most of my childhood.  As soon as I could stand on my own, I moved to what I considered the city and I planned to stay there.  Then Lane and I were married and just a few short months later had a baby on the way.  Looking around our townhouse apartment and our neighborhood made us realize that we wanted to raise our family in the rural community that Lane grew up in.  Now here we are- loving our country lifestyle and blessed to be able to have it right now.


Other than the awful stomach bug, everyone has been okay.  Just enjoying this beautiful Spring weather. I'm still feeling great and have really started to relax and enjoy my pregnancy more and more.  Speaking of pregnancy, we see Maternal Fetal Medicine this week to just confirm that the baby is looking good.  But we are feeling good about the appointment.


I hope y'all are having a great Spring as well.  Hope to get some cute pictures of my adorable redhead up as soon as he is feeling better.  


Happy Sunday,
Angel

BIG news for a BIG day

As most of you know, we had the anatomy scan done of our Sweet Pea today.  And as most of you could expect, the day was kind of a mess for me. 

I felt bad for our poor ultrasound technician, as I'm sure not many women enter her room crying.  No pressure on her part, right?  Well, she handled the pressure just fine and got down to the important parts that she knew we were most intersested in.

Because Jude's arms and legs measured very short and gave us the biggest clue that something was not right chromosomally, the ultrasound technician measured Sweet Pea's arms and legs first. 

I held my breath as I watched.

And when the she looked up and said, "They're normal", I cried sobbed tears of joy!

I watched and waited as the ultrasound technician looked at and measured everything!  Now most ultrasound technicians do not give any clue as to if things are "normal" are not; they usually let the doctor share any news.  But our tech was very sweet and kept us in the loop.  As each thing was measured or examined, she would proudly announce, "It's normal." 

I began to relax and just enjoy seeing my baby.  We got some very cute profile pictures today.  And I was surprised to see that the baby (as much as I can tell on an ultrasound) does not look very much like Jude.  This discovery excited me and kind of broke my heart because I can't imagine any baby being as beautiful as my sweet Jude was and is.  But I guess that I will just have two of the most beautiful children each in their own way ;-)

I think Sweet Pea/ Butter Bean, or "Sweet Bean" as my father in law says, is going to look more like Lane than Jude does.  What do you think?

As the technician finished up her scanning, we got to hold our breath again as she took pictures of the umbilical cord.  You see, umbilical cords have three vessels: two arteries and one vein.  However, Jude only had two vessels: one artery and one vein.  Another clue to his "special" diagnosis. 

Once again, the tech announced that she saw two arteries and that everything looked good.  And of course, this Mama cried again.

Oh, and we stayed strong and didn't find out the gender.  In fact, because we didn't want to know, the tech didn't even venture into that area so not even the doctor knows if this baby is a boy or girl!

After we left the ultrasound room, we went to see the doctor.  I refused to call anyone and share any news until the doctor came in and confirmed what the ultrasound technician saw.  When she did come in, she gave us a BIG congratulations and a BIG hug.  She explained to us that she could NOT find even ONE thing wrong about the baby!

She also asked about baby movement, and I told her that I wasn't sure that the baby even sleeps because it moves constantly.  After hearing this news, the doctor was so excited that she grabbed me and hugged me again.  She explained that this was a very very good sign that the baby has good muscle tone.  This is a HUGE deal because, as some of you know, the reason Jude has not learned to walk yet is due to low muscle tone. 

We left the appointment and immediately called our parents to share the most WONDERFUL news we have heard in a long time.  I kind of feel like this is too good to be true.  I am still trying to process the fact that Lane and I are expecting a healthy baby.  A baby that is going to rock Jude's little world ;-) and I'm sure ours as well. 

I am so very thankful to my Father from who ALL BLESSINGS FLOW.  He created this precious baby just like he created our precious Jude and we will do everything we can to raise them and live to bring honor to His name.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and sweet text messages today.  It was by far the most emotional day I have had in a few years and I am exhausted from it all.  So I'm going to cuddle on the couch with my favorite redhead!

Goodnight my sweet friends!
Angel, Lane, Jude, and Sweet Pea

today is the BIG DAY!!

Today is the BIG DAY that I have been both dreading and anxiously waiting for since a little pink plus sign appeared.


Today we are going to the doctor for the big anatomy scan.  This is when Jude's "uniqueness" was first discovered, and this will be when or if we discover if this baby has any "special" qualities of its own as well.


There is a 50% chance either way!


I didn't sleep very well last night.  And while I'm not quite the mess (yet) that I thought I would be, my stomach is FULL of little butterflies!  About half of those belong to my Sweet Pea, reminding me that everything is going to be fine regardless of these test results. 


Which is a truth I know-  this baby is a beautiful creation of my Lord's.  However, I have been praying for the favor and blessing of a healthy child!  But His will is not my decision.


Please be in prayer for our family for whatever this afternoon may bring.  I may or may not be able to post the outcome of this appointment right away.


Thank you and with much love!
Angel


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14

today

Today, we went for our appointment with pediatric cardiology for our little Sweet Pea.


Today, we got to see our little baby via ultrasound for the first time in three months.  We got to watch it wiggle and rub its little face.


Today, we saw the cardiologist that has treated our Jude for the past three and half years, and he got to give us a very precious gift:  

A Good Report!

The doctor said that Sweet Pea's heart looked PERFECT!  From the sonogram pictures taken today, the doctor ruled out 100% of major heart problems and 98% of all other heart problems.  He also said that from what he saw of the baby, everything looked good so far!  He commented on how active the baby was (YAY), and that he would be surprised if there was anything wrong with this baby!  *Music to my ears*  

The doctor was also very kind and shared a word of encouragement with us.  He said that he was very proud that we had chosen to grow our family and that we were very strong and admirable people.  So nice of him to say those things when he doesn't have to. 

Lane and I were not sure how to handle good news.  It's been a long time since we were able to breathe a sigh of relief.   

The path still has some climbing in it.  We have a few more major appointments that will help us get some ideas on the baby's health. However, these appointments may bring us some answers, they are only clues.  We will not know the genetic makeup of this baby until it's born and blood work can be done.  

Thank you to all who prayed!  I am elated to be able to share very good news with you.  We love y'all and know that we are so blessed to have you and the Lord with us on this journey of faith in our life.  

tiny heart

I really don't know where to begin with this post.  I am beyond surprised at how emotional I am feeling about tomorrow.


Tomorrow, I will see a pediatric cardiologist to do a scan on my Sweet Pea.  This is the first opportunity we have had to get a good look at our baby's development and health.


I am afraid of ruining my witness, but I have to be real.  I am terrified.  I didn't know how I would feel months ago when we scheduled the appointment, but now I do. 


I know my Father's promises.  I believe His plans are for my best interest.  I know I will not stray from Him...  but I can't honestly say that I don't tremble in fear of the extremely difficult path that may lay before me.  


I have continually walked in a prayer of health and thanksgiving for Sweet Pea- it has become natural to me after raising Jude for three and a half years.  And I am thankful for this baby!  I think only an expectant mother who either raised a special needs child or has faced infertility could understand this special prayer of thanksgiving for anything the Lord chooses to give us.  


However, I also believe that our Father wants us to expect great and extravagant things from Him... our wildest dreams.  Well my wildest, most extravagant dream is to have a healthy child.  It has been my most fervent prayer for nearly four years, and I refuse to stop praying now!  


Tomorrow, I will see the tiny heart of my Sweet Pea, and I pray that everything is formed PERFECTLY!  While I will not find out if the baby is genetically healthy or not tomorrow, I may get some clues.  However, my prayers will NOT CEASE!


Please be in prayer for my family- from parents to grandparents this baby's health has an effect on our entire family.  Thank you so much.


Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
                                                    James 5:16 NKJV


At His feet,
Angel

Ruffles for Sweet Pea

Yesterday, I actually had something I haven't had in quite a while.... FREE TIME with a dose of INSPIRATION!

I brought Jude home from preschool and therapy and put him straight down for his much needed nap- his naps are two or three hours long on his preschool days.

While Jude napped I got to actually sit in front of my sewing machine for a little while.  So I decided to make my Sweet Pea a gift or two..

I got a little carried away with the ruffles on this one... from now on I'm going to stick to only two or three rows of ruffles instead of four.

I wanted to make some more ruffled goodies today, but I have been a little under the weather today.  Nothing to worry about though.

I have plans for ruffled onsies, diaper covers, bibs, and more burp cloths that coordinate.  Now all I need to do is set them aside for a monogram when the time comes.  So excited! 

And if Sweet Pea turns out to be Butter Bean instead (which is most likely the case), I know someone will enjoy these sweet gifts.

Thanks for letting me share!
Angel