The latest

Well, today I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and we're so thankful for that! Every day is a blessing. Yesterday I spent most of the day in the hospital getting tests run on both me and the baby, and, thankfully, all is still well. Baby Elisha is still growing like he should be- pushing 3 pounds now!- and getting the nourishment he needs. I'm doing well, too- all my tests came back normal.

The doctor gave me a shot of steroids to speed the baby's lung development so that hopefully he won't have as hard a time breathing when he is born. (Premature white male babies have the hardest time with lung development, for some reason.) I am lying on my side in bed for 95% of every day, and we're just praying for 32 weeks. After that we'll pray for 33, then 34. We don't want the baby to have to be in the hospital for long at all- we want to bring him home with us!

We so appreciate all your prayers and concern for us and all the help and phonecalls and gifts we've received. We feel so blessed, and there is so much to be thankful for.

Back to Bed

I hate that this blog has become more of a medical journal! But it is the best way to keep everyone updated, so here goes another installement! (Forgive me!)

Yesterday was fairly eventful. I went to the doctor for my weekly check-up, and my blood pressure was super high. This is officially preeclampsia now. I was sent over to labor and delivery, where they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and to a blood pressure/heart monitor for me, and I just laid there in the hospital room for three hours! Eric was there with me- I'm so thankful for that, and all the nurses were really nice.

The concern is that the baby isn't getting adequate nutrition, because high blood pressure slows down fetal growth. So they did a sonogram, and the baby looks perfect. He's right on schedule with where he should be- measurements, heart rate, movement, etc. It was so comforting to see him and know that he's okay. They also ran a bunch of tests on me to make sure that my liver and kidneys are still working like they should be, because that is the danger of high blood pressure to the mom. All the tests came back normal, so they sent me home with orders of "strict bed rest." They are sending a nurse to the house every day to check on me. Yikes!

We're just wanting to make it as far as we can with the pregnancy now. I'm 29 weeks today, and we are just begging the Lord for 34 weeks. Every day that goes by and that I'm still pregnant is a blessing.

I feel fine physically, but emotionally this is difficult. More than anything we want a healthy little baby, and it is so scary to think of him being born this early and having to be in the NICU. We love him so much.

We would so appreciate your prayers for our little son now! We're naming him Elisha, which means "The Lord is my salvation." We are praying that this testimony is true in his life even now.

Improvement!

After a week of being on bed rest, I went back to the doctor this morning to have my blood pressure re-checked. I could just feel it rising as I sat in the waiting room- I was so nervous!

It was still high, but not as high as last week, and the doctor is encouraged. He's given me permission to go back to work this week, as long as I'm not there for more than 6 hours a day. The rest of the time I'm supposed to be on my couch or in my bed. I will take what I can get!!! :) I'm so thankful.

The concern now is that I can make it as long as possible with the pregnancy. The blood pressure issue usually worsens as a pregnancy progresses, and right now the doctor is hoping that I can make it to 34 or 35 weeks, which is only 6 or 7 weeks away! Yikes! More than anything we want a healthy baby, so we are just praying that he can stay inside for as long as possible.

You never know what tomorrow is going to bring. I am so thankful for the Lord who sustains us through all of it.

This is Unexpected

I am writing this from home in the middle of the workday because I am on bed rest! :( This was so unexpected- I feel great and things seem to be going really well with the pregnancy, but when I went to the doctor on Monday he told me I have high blood pressure, which looks like the beginnings of preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension). I was so surprised! I had to take off of work on Tuesday and then went back to the doctor on Wednesday hoping that I'd be all better, but I wasn't. He put me on bed rest for the rest of this week, and then I go back on Monday to get re-evaluated and to decide what comes next.

I am thankful for such a good doctor who cares so much for my health and the baby's health, and I know this is what needs to happen, but it is a little hard for me to take. I feel fine, and I really miss being at work, taking walks, running errands, doing normal things. But God knows what's going on, and all of this is in His hands. I am praying for a willing, contented heart!

We would so appreciate your prayers during this time! And if you are bored and want to watch a movie on the couch, you now know who to call. :)

26 weeks

Here's the latest pregnant picture. I'm steadily growing. :) All is well, and we can't believe that in only 14 weeks we'll have a son. Crazy. We're getting his room ready, and it's looking so nice. We still need a rocking chair and some decorations for the walls and the bedding, but the basics are there, and it looks like a nursery now. A nursery in our house? Again- crazy! :)

Back to Normal

Things are finally starting to get back to normal after Eric's surgery, for which I am so thankful. I know it was only less than two weeks, but it was still no fun! Eric is healing really well, and his pain is getting less every day. The doctor gave a good report on Monday, and hopefully by the weekend he'll be free of throat pain! It is good to see him start eating normal things again- he needs gain back the 10 pounds he lost. :)

It's great also to just be able to talk and joke around with him again after not hearing much of his voice for a week! I have my husband back, and it's great! :) He's back to work this week, and everything feels like it's getting normal again. I'm so thankful.

The pregnancy continues to go smoothly, and my belly keeps expanding! I got to buy some maternity clothes for spring last week, which is fun. I wear a lab coat all the time at work, and I think soon I won't be able to button it thanks to my belly. :) The baby has quiet days and active days, and it's so fun to feel him moving around. Eric felt him for the first time last night, too, which was awesome. It's just so wierd to have something alive inside of me!

We are getting spring fever, I think. We have daffodils and hyacinths in our front garden, and we're waiting for the tulips to bloom- it's so pretty. We're dying to go camping, but a free weekend is a hard commodity to come by! Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll get to get away for a couple days and camp at Lake Texoma.

This Friday night there is a youth group event- "Mystery Night." I am supposed to make a dessert that looks like one thing and tastes like another. Hmmm... Other than that I don't know what we're doing. Eric will be enjoying solid food again, I'm sure. I think a burger and fries are top on his priority list this weekend. :)

Sorry for the boring update! :) Love to all!

Healing

Thanks for praying for Eric's surgery! It went really well, with no complications. He's had a rough past few days with throat pain, but that's to be expected with a tonsillectomy. Hopefully in the next 2-3 days he'll start to notice improvement. Thankfully, he's up and around enough today (Tuesday) that I was able to go back to work. I worried about him all day, though! :)

In other news, it SNOWED in Texas yesterday! Very briefly, yes, and no accumulation, but still. We'll take what we can get!