Emma's arrival - Part II

This is part two of a two-part posting (part one is below.)

As I have mentioned, Emma came in to the world face up, and making life difficult! The actual delivery was only a half hour and although seemingly easy it has made life consequently chaotic.

Some good news is the gastroschisis seems to be pretty straight forward and she has been handling the process of replacing the bowels well so far. You'll see in the picture below how they suspend them and gradually push them back in.

Unfortunately she looks like she went two rounds with Rocky, and lost! Thankfully each day she is improving and getting cuter. She actually looks like baby Debra when you start to see past the swollen-ness and bruising!

The doctors however have some concerns about some things, aside from her stomach. There are some unusual features of her bone structure and they are not sure if they are from the traumatic birth, or features that developed in utero. They have sent blood off for genetic testing and about every department at the hospital has been called in for a consult!

All we can do now is wait and pray. And at the same time, Scott and I are doing all we can to let this little girl of ours know how very loved she is. That includes washing her hair which I got to do this week, stroking her face and talking to her. We hope to have the opportunity to hold her in a week and really bond with her.

As you can imagine, we have run the gamut of emotions and probably will several times! We are both madly in love with her and find it difficult to leave the bedside while she is looking out with her big eyes!! That said, we are also trying to rest and catch up on the sleep and emotional exhaustion.

Emma's arrival - pt I

This is part one of a two-part posting!

By now many of you have heard the news, Emma came in to the world at 9.32 am on, November 13!

Following Mondays post not more than a few minutes before being discharged around 7pm my water broke spontaneously, meaning labor was a go! Contractions were coming fast and furious and after the previous 6 hours of contractions I opted for an epidural, and I'm so glad I did.

Progress was slow for 12 hours. I started at 2cm dilated and still pretty long. By 6.45am I was 6cm dilated and 90% effaced. At 7.15am I was 10cm and ready to go! We were all amazed by the quick transition and prepared for labor.

At 9am we went in to the delivery room for a natural delivery.

All went well, in that Emma was born half an hour later. Unfortunately she had decided to flip over at some point in labor and came out face up. This meant her head was hard to get out and she needed to be pulled out by a vacuum. Her heart rate had dropped and failed to come back up so time was of the essence.

More than a little shell-shocked, she required CPR and it took "several minutes" to get her heart rate back up. The reason for the drop in HR is not known.

As for Emma's vital stats, here they are:

Weight: 6lbs 3oz (at one point they thought it might be 9lbs!)

Length: 19”

Eyes: dark blue

Hair: dark brown

Resemblance: Debra as a baby!

Guess what

Apparently this was not meant to be Emma's birthday! After 6 hours of labor inducing drugs and strong contractions every minute, she still would not show! In fact there was no progress at all!

Rather than force the issue, and likely end with a c-section the doctors decided to let us go home and wait it out. we'll resume the bi-weekly check-ups and see how things go.

I won't lie to you, it's incredibly disappointing as I'm sure you can imagine! How many people have to endure labor twice for one child?! (Apparently my Mum went through something similar with me, but we won't dwell on that!!)

As much as we had hoped to be proud parents today, I think I'm also just ready to finish this pregnancy! With a baby already 8-9lbs, I am finding it hard to sleep, walk, do normal things, not to mention the promise of labor!

Am I a whiner? Sure! but at least I'm honest.

I have no clue about why we went through today (other than possible misjudgement by the doctors), but I'm sure there is some good that can come of it - really I am. When I look back and figure it out, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, please keep praying, we could quite possibly be waiting much longer! (Yes, this could be another lesson in patience and not rushing God's plan. Whatever it is, I wish it was less painful!!)

As for when we do eventually deliver Emma into the world, we'll be sure to let you know!

Then what?

We wanted to take some time to thank you all for your love and support during our pregnancy. You have shared our excitement, worries, fear and hope and this has blessed us more than we can tell you.

Of course, many of you are almost as keen to meet Emma as we are! Unfortunately we only know marginally more than you about what to expect tomorrow onwards, but felt that we should share this with you so that you too know what to expect, possibly!!

Once born, Emma will be taken for a preliminary surgery. We anticipate that she will be bed-ridden for about a week as her abdomen is stretched to hold her intestines. At the end of this procedure she will have a second surgery to close her up. No-one, including us will be able to hold her during this time and she will be particularly vulnerable.

Following that we start a long process of ensuring everything works ok and getting her feeding normally. (Prior to this she will be fed by IV.) They have told us that the average time before babies like Emma can go home is 1 month. We are praying that it will be sooner than that, but also understand it could be longer (after all, she has not showed any consideration for what we expect so far!!).

At any time, there will only be allowed 2 visitors with Emma, which includes the parents! This means that for anyone wishing to visit her, it would be best to arrange this in advance with us, so there aren't several people waiting in line!! You can call either of our cellphones or email us during this time.

We hope you understand why we have decided that we would like to wait until she has had the second surgery, and is able to cope with more, before she has any visitors other than Scott and I. We will post updates on the blog so you know how she is doing and when she is having visitors.

Your patience and understanding will be incredibly important during this time. We will have lots of emotions and frustrations to deal with, which is an area we will need a lot of prayer in!! As new, first-time, parents we will also have the usual challenges to overcome (like realizing our responsibility, fatigue etc!), so we can only turn to God for the same strength and peace he has given us over the past few months, and years.

We know God can heal her at any time, but that he may also have a purpose for us to be there for longer. We are totally surrendered to his plan - he knows best! Thank you for standing with us during this time.

The final countdown

At 5am this morning I wake up for the umpteenth* time, time to roll over (more challenging than you think!), unfortunately not in labor!! So I grab my laptop, which I had wisely brought to bed with me, and start playing games. (I've realized I sleep better during the day at the moment, and for some reason only on top of the covers do I not get constant heartburn!!!)

As you do in the wee small hours (yes, some of you may think 5 am is the start of the day, not the middle of the night as I do!), I started to get thoughtful and think about the monumental event about to befall us. I suspect we are naively optimistic about how smoothly we will deal with things (aren't all new parents, after all, if you weren't you probably wouldn't get pregnant in the first place!!). Thankfully (!) there are plenty of people only to ready to tell you that you will never sleep again, have a moment to yourself or stop worrying for a second! True? Probably, but not necessarily for sharing!!

I realized it has been 18 weeks since the pregnancy went from routinely nerve-wracking to "hit by a bus" nervousness! Can it really have been that long? Apparently and I'm glad to say with hindsight it has gone pretty fast. We've run the gamut (sp?) of emotions during that time, not to mention a range of prognosisisisisis.

I moved to the kitchen to feed the growling beast (my stomach, not the baby!) Emma confirmed my decision that it was time to get up by lodging her foot in my ribs, her favorite daytime position! As this blog is somewhat my journal I thought I'd jot down my thoughts!

Let's recap!!

The initial "diagnosis" was a "hernia".
That was corrected the next day to either gastroschisis or omphalacele.
That was a Friday. On the Tuesday (yes, we waited 4 DAYS!) they confirmed gastroschisis. That was the lesser of two evils so we were vaguely relieved.
4 weeks later the gastroschisis was confirmed at Children's hospital, however there were additional complications suspected.
We agreed to an amniocentesis because Emma was over 2 weeks behind in growth and there were other soft indicators suggesting it may be genetic rather than "just" a birth defect.

Praying wholeheartedly throughout this time, I have never experienced such peace about such a chaotic emotionally-challenging situation. My faith in Jesus as the source of peace and joy was greatly strengthened!

The longest week ever passed and we were told there were no genetic abnormalities found in the screening. Furthermore Emma caught up on the weeks she was behind (clearly a good sign for future school work!!)

Since that point Emma has been growing and has surprised us all with her determination.

As I look back it would be impossible to say that there has been no purpose to all this. I've shared a few of my thoughts on this, but I can't say enough what a bittersweet blessing this has been! Scott and I personally have grown stronger as a family and Christians.

We have been able to connect with so many people during this experience and hopefully have encouraged them. Our friends and family have been so supportive and loving, we feel like we have an army behind us!

And then there is Emma! She has quietly stuck with us through all this! Not giving up and thriving on the junk I've been eating (!). We already feel like we know her personality a little and it will be quite odd for her not to come out with a full vocabulary and give us her take on the past few months! (Plenty of time for that I'm sure!)

Hopefully you have seen the power of God at work in us and through your prayers - it should be hard to explain it any other way. Faith is more than "opium for the masses", it is more than an intellectual comfort. God is real and so is his strength, and just like you wouldn't believe how hard babies kick unless you've felt it, so is being under God's loving hand.

I'll sign off now, I'm sure you've got 101 other things to do today!! Thanks for reading and allowing us to share this wonderful time with you.

* Umpteenth is a British expression expressing too many times to count! In a sentence: "For the umpteenth time, will you please clean your room!"

And we are on!!

That's right, it looks like Monday November 12 will be Emma's birth day!

All went well at the hospital today, Emma looks good and my body has been "ripening" (yes, like a vegetable!!).

Today Emma wanted to play hide-the-heartbeat, and as the nurses were all busy I was the one trying to find it with the monitor! She was moving quite a lot, and for once I had not had caffeine or sugar prior to the appointment. (What! They want to check her heartbeat after moving, well caffeine and/or sugar gets her moving!!)

Following that, our little bundle of joy fell asleep, so the Dr could not check her breathing! He woke her up with a good poke and she moved pretty quick!

We are certainly keen to see if this is an indication of a feisty personality. That will make for an interesting future!!

Oh, did I mention the Dr seems to think she may weigh as much as 8lbs! 8lbs - they told me she would be small and early!! Uh, no and no!

Please keep praying for Emma, we are not sure if her healthy size will expedite her recovery or not, we can only hope! Please also pray for the actual birth! I'm pretty nervous, and we are hoping that I can deliver naturally and without complications. This will allow me to recover faster, and therefore be more available to Emma.

I guess our next posting will come a couple days after the birth, and yes, there will be pictures!! We will try to call as many of you as possible with the details, but this may actually be sooner!

Ooohhh!!

Update

Here are the latest pictures of the nursery - now totally set up for it's occupant!

And before I forget - I had another appointment today at the hospital. All looks well, Emma is showing everyone how determined she is to be full grown before coming out! The doctors tend to agree and will not force her to come out on Monday unless I am showing more signs of being ready. (That's physically - I'm TOTALLY ready for her to come out mentally! Can you say 'uncomfortable'!!)

So it could even be later than the 12th, but I'm still hoping she'll come this week!

Are you ready? seems to be a popular question, and doesn't really have a simple answer! We think so, and we'll only find out after the birth!! Of course, it will be tough, but how can you know if you're ready. We prefer to confirm that we have done all we know to do to be prepared, and our faith now lies wholly in God providing the things we lack ourselves (namely strength, patience, peace and greater faith.) We also trust that the Lord will watch over the doctors and aide them.


As always, we'll keep you posted!

Mark your calendar!

The date has been set - Emma will be delivered on November 12, 2007, by induction, if she does not decide to come out earlier!

It is still quite possible that she could come out spontaneously in the next 9 days, and we would welcome that! ( Though not this weekend as we have tickets to the big game Sunday night!!)

Thank you for your continued prayers. We are very excited to meet the little girl that already occupies a big part of our hearts and lives. It's almost possible to forget she has any health issues, she is so active and growing, but we remain conscious that she is still in a high risk situation and continue to thank the Lord for bringing us this far.

Watch this space for more news!!

How do I look?

This is for those of you wondering how the mother-to-be looks with the bump (I guess there is some kind of fascination with seeing just how big a person can get involuntarily!!)

So, here she is, Debra, looking like she swallowed a beach ball, whole, at 37wks 1d pregnant.

And just a warning to any of you who have not done this before - weight gain is NOT obligatory (well other than the 30lbs the baby stuff adds!) You have to keep a reign on the eating in the first trimester or this is what happens!!!

Thank goodness Weight Watchers offers a program for new mothers!!

No news is good news

at least for now! The status quo has been maintained, which really is great news.

They would expect her to be growth restricted by now, but she's been keeping up with other babies! (We simply can't assume that this is a competitive streak she may have inherited from one or both parents!)

Her practice breathing is very good (babies inhale the amniotic fluid and then pee it out!). Isn't it wonderful that they practice this most important skill in advance!

Her movement is also good, in that she is clearly happy (sick babies, like sick adults don't move much!) And apparently I don't even feel it all. When I was on the monitor yesterday she kept moving, and moving and moving! Great? Not when you can't get a base heart rate when the baby is still! It took a little longer than normal, but once the cookies and milkshake I'd just eaten had worn off, she slowed down!! (Until the ultrasound technician tried to see the bowel, then she was off again!)

As for me (Debra!), I am well. My ankles, which until now have been 3-4 times their normal size (no joke, ask Scott) have actually deflated to a relatively normal size, most likely due to all the laying around Im doing on maternity leave! This is day 3, and though grateful that i do not have to work up to the day of delivery, this seems somewhat of an anti-climax!

For the past 10 or more weeks we have prepared ourselves for an early arrival. I wasn't even sure I'd make it to the maternity leave start date! Yet now, at 36wks and 6 days the baby seems content to stay put!

Pregnancy in itself is possibly the most challenging time for patience, and the last weeks especially because you feel like the baby must be ready to come out, they can't possibly get any bigger! However, most first time pregnancies run late, and you can somewhat expect that. To be told it will end early and then not, is much the same thing!

She will come early, as they'll induce before 39 weeks (I hope!), but not the 32 weeks we had feared!! Emma may make an even earlier arrival naturally, which would be desirable and less stressful for her, so let's keep praying she does that.

I do hope that this enormous exercise in patience has lasting results! It would be a shame to not gain anything from the practice. The social worker did tell me that I will need patience more than anything while Emma is in the hospital, so I am praying that God will give me all I need - I'm really not good at being patient by myself!!

Hanging on!

Gestational age: 36 weeks and 1 day
Conditions for labor: 50% effaced, 0% dilated
Looking forward to a week of rest: 100%

That's right, it doesn't look like there'll be any baby announcements in the next few days. That's okay though, I could use a week to catch up on sleep and get the house straight before 'baby bedlam'!

Things are starting to progress, but are moving slowly. The key sign will be "lightning", when Emma's head drops into place in my pelvis and I don't feel like I have a belt tight tightly around my ribs!!

Today was also my last day at work, for 5 months! Someone asked me the last time I was off for that long. I can honestly say it must have been before I started school!! Which does make you wonder how it will be, being off for so long, but no doubt I will be kept busy!

Stay tuned for more updates of the journey into the unknown!!

Med-update!

Today we are at 35 weeks and 5 days! I can't believe we're here already, but then time flies when you have plenty to think about!!

Emma is doing well, her heart looks good, lung function good, movement o'plenty(!) and the bowel loops continue to look okay.

The doctors/nurses all seem to have slightly different opinions on her arrival schedule! Some expect her to arrive spontaneously by 37 weeks (which is considered full-term), others think she may hang on longer, depending on how slow my body is on realizing she's ready to come out (this is typically slow for first-timers, hence the lateness of most first babies).

As an alternative they have suggested they will induce me at 38 weeks, if conditions are favorable (effaced and dilated).

On Friday we'll have the first internal exam to check out my 'readiness'! Please pray that my cervix would begin to efface! It will take some time once it starts, so we want to get it going!

We also need to keep praying that I can deliver her without a c-section - then I won't have such a tough recovery!

The surgical team will be alerted when I go into labor and be right there in the delivery room with us! They'll take her to get settled and most likely she'll be laid up for at least a week.

The social worker said today that the toughest part of this (especially for a control nut like me) will be the slow pace of her progress in feeding and getting to the stage where she can eat orally, and eventually come home.

However some GREAT news is that she qualifies for medicare for about a year, so all medical expenses for her will be totally covered! This is a huge relief because you just don't know wha to expect.

Thanks for praying with us and believing God for the care of this special little girl.

Baby Shower!

Last week I had two baby showers! For those of you not familiar with this custom (namely Brits), a baby shower is party to celebrate a new baby. Customarily held before the birth, and often just women who go. The guests generously bring gifts and wisdom to lavish on the baby. If you're really blessed, you have a great time AND much less to buy for the new arrival!

On Wednesday my office had a surprise shower under the guise of a meeting! We had coffee and donuts, while I opened the wonderful gifts of clothes, books and toys (all for the baby!). It was so nice and really got me excited (and anxious) to prepare the nursery.

Then on Saturday a church meeting turned out to be another baby shower, thrown by my family and friends! There were 30 women in a room for 2 hours with food, cake and gifts! It was alot of fun!! I was so pleased that some of my friends could come that I don't normally see very often (you know who you are!!). I was in quite a daze to catch up with everyone!

Importantly my team won the baby pictionary - without cheating!! (I still don't think "baby blues" can be drawn though!!)

Scott and I are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who gave us everything from diapers (nappies!) to swings, clothes and books! We now have a full shelf of books for Emma to chew, throw, read and love! (Plus I'm sure the other children who come to visit will be glad of the new books! They've been reading Millie Moo for over a year!!)

This pregnancy has been full of so much joy and also tears! When Emma does finally arrive she will truly be a miracle, who taught us how to hope, trust, love and wait. What a special little girl.

Rude Awakening

Today turned out to be much harder than I expected! What is it the Bible says – “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Well today he seized his opportunity!

With Scott out of town at a conference I came home to an empty house and the enemy prowled around stirring up fear in me.

The appointment today was routine, Emma was moving around, actually making it difficult for my nurse to watch her lungs! She also showed us that she has a head of hair, so I look forward to seeing that. She moved plenty on the monitor and everything looks fine.

There is no sign of labor so far, so clearly she is content in there, which allows her to gain some more weight.

So what was I anxious about? Something Sue the nurse said in passing about the increased risk of babies with Gastroschisis being stillborn. Now let me clarify this – I have read that on every web page I found, yet somehow over the past weeks I have overlooked it.

I’m not sure if the risk is increased by 5% or 5% of babies like Emma are stillborn, but either way, I felt like I took a body blow.

I am now 35 weeks, and we expect her in 2-3 weeks. To think, even just allow the thought to surface, that she might not make it has been something I have not allowed myself to think for some time. Why? Because I have a very real hope that she will come out and we will [only] have to deal with the gastroschisis.

Anyway, I have been asking God to strengthen my hope and diminish the noise the devil is making, trying to rob me of my joy and anticipation. I’m thankful that I know where the fear is coming from and I know who can help me through it – He’s done it through the whole pregnancy!

We are not out of the woods yet, but I can see a clearing through the trees! Thanks God.

Good or bad

One of the thoughts that came to mind 3 months ago was "why do bad things happen to good people?" since that time I have come to a number of conclusions, and if you have thought about the same you may have your own. I thought it would be worthwhile sharing mine in case they resonate with you!

Firstly, there is a flaw in the question! To put ourselves in the "good" category presumes that we are in some way better than other people, and "good". Well, I'm sure there are plenty of reasons to disagree with that, one being that "all have fallen short" of God's perfect standard, and therefore none of us are actually good! The bible says only God is good.

I believe that it is by my faith in Jesus that I am then considered "good" by god, redemption by association (or faith) if you will! But that's beside the point!

If none of us are good there is a tendency to see such trials as punishment, which is not biblical! In fact the Bible encourages us to welcome trials as they are the "lessons" by which God matures and grows us into the character he intended for us to be, and will be in eternity. Whether you are Christian or not, God is at work in this way in our lives.

So, based on that, what have I "learned" from the past few months? Probably more than I even realize right now, but just these few things [below] are enough to me to make me, dare I say it, thankful for what is happening!

I'm sure parents will agree with me when I say finding out your child is sick is remarkably hard, especially for control-freaks like me! You realize there is a problem you can't fix and must release control to someone who can. In our case, yes, the hospital has been a trusted choice for this. But more so, I have been leaving Emma in the hands of her creator - after all, who can fix something better than the one who designed and made it!

I see the need for the hospitals assistance as a call to meet new people and share our hope with them.

This realization of my total dependence on God for everything is a basic concept that really has helped me through this - I don't have to fix it, I am not in control! Phew!!

What else, well Scott and I have been drawn closer to each other, as well as God. Something like this can either isolate you or create a bond of strength and support. Thank God it has been the latter! I could not ask for a better partner to walk through this with.

Patience and perserverance! If someone tells you that your baby needs surgery, but you will need to wait about 20 weeks for it you MUST develop patience. Lets face it, we all need more of that, and I'll confess I've always been a little on the low side!! (Of course many women will likely tell you pregnancy itself is an exercise in patience and perseverance!!)

Encouragement has been important. Not so much for us, but those we love and care about! We have been in the hands of great doctors who give us much encouragement and hope. We have been trying to pass that on to those worried about us. It's not easy! Each of us finds encouragement in a different way. What is clear is that we can help each other to be positive, or we can discourage each other! One is active, the other passive! (Go on, take a guess)

Hope! Emma's middle name, for this reason! Without hope we lose the will to press on. Do we hope that she will be miraculously healed before birth, you betcha! Do we hope that if she isn't totally healed the doctors will be able to take care of her and restore her, of course! But more than that we believe these things are possible.

We hope that out of everything, our experience will help others to view trials differently. This world is not an easy place to live and we must fight for our lives. Seeing trouble and difficulty in a new light, one of opportunity for growth and new direction.

We are all equally good or bad, all imperfect! Nothing we do can change that, however why we fight on and where we place our hope will change who we become in the future. Hopefully this also makes some sense as to why I put my faith and hope in Jesus - to receive the cover of his goodness (perfection) and to seek more of his character in myself, because who I am (not what) is how I will spend eternity!

This posting comes to you at 3am after a particularly disruptive bout of heartburn!! Any extreme honesty and "deepness" is therefore perfectly acceptable!!

Blessings,

Deb

Yeah baby!

34 week check-up and all is well!

Emma continues to grow on schedule and is making all the right movements. Her heart rate continues to function properly and she is "breathing".

Recently I was told they would induce me at 38 weeks, which is a good time and allows them to schedule delivery at a time when the surgery can be carried out right after. However, they may not do that if I am not dilated or effaced! So she really could be in there until her due date of November 22!

My maternity leave is scheduled to begin October 27 and that will stand. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be comfortable at a desk and with the weather turning colder (finally) I'll have to wear shoes to work. ("What?" I hear you cry! well, my feet and ankles store water like a camel's hump, so while my shoe size is the same, the girth of my feet has grown! My shoes get uncomfortable pretty quick!)

I am pleased to say the kitchen will become functional once more this week (we gutted it and put in a new one). It's been a long 6/7 weeks, but is worth it! We should have plenty of time to finish all the other DIY tasks that remain before we have a baby to contend with (for now!).

Please keep praying for Emma. We still believe that God can heal her completely before birth, and if not, we are hoping her hospitalization will be short. We know there are often people that God wants to bring us into contact with to share the Good News, and so we trust in his purposes for whatever time we spend at CHoP!

Just breathe!!

After many years of watching TV and movies featuring the amusing classes of birth preparation, last night Scott and I actually went to one! We were a little late, but what's new (and we weren't the last!).

The instructor started with the basics: changes in the mothers body, with a diagram of how the baby smooshes all her other organs! and then what actually happens when the mother goes into labor. I have to say I'd read all of this online, seen the TV shows etc, but felt it was a good chance to remind Scott just how uncomfortable I am!!! (I am also convinced I was the only one there with grossly swollen ankles!)

Following a brief "go around the room and introduce yourselves" we got down on the floor! Lights out, spread out your blanket and get your pillows! Kay, our instructor, said we could sit how we wanted and named a few positions. While most other couples were hesitant and sat side by side or cross-legged, I instantly leaned back on Scott, stretched out my legs and took my shoes off!! (I felt that this was appropriate given my vast research of media!)

It wasn't long before the others kind of followed suit. The purpose? To learn relaxation for use during the early stages of labor. "Close your eyes and think of your most relaxing place." I was already relaxed, but then she suggested the dads could rub the mothers back or arms - well, I could've fallen asleep right there, slowly drifting off to pan-pipes!!

So we didn't learn a whole lot we didn't know, but as far as I'm concerned, a class that instructs your husband to give you a back rub on demand is worth far more than $70!!!

Next week: breathing!! He-he, haw-haw!!

Stubborn-ness? From where?

Our precious daughter is apparently camera shy! At every ultrasound (I've lost count now) we have tried to get a new picture of her but she insists on being face down every time!

At the appointment on October 5 she was doing acrobatics during the non-stress test, where a monitor is trapped to my belly to track her heartbeat. She wouldn't stay still, which is a good thing, but the monitor kept losing her!! Clearly the chocolate raisins before hand brought on a sugar rush!!

At the next Friday appointment (10/12) they will take her growth measurements again, so we can make sure she's still growing.

I have 18 days left to go before maternity leave, and it couldn't come soon enough! The desk job does not help my constantly swollen ankles at all.

Nursery

I have hyped it up somewhat, so here are the pictures of what I think is the coolest nursery ever!! Hopefully Emma likes it as I'd hate to have to paint over it!!

Our friend George came over and did the stripes for us - what a blessing!! The same guy that did our floors when we moved in.

It's really a great way to get some pattern and colour in the room without the usual 'baby' patterns! Of course, with the accessories it will be much more kid friendly!!

Deb

Power of Prayer

What a day on Friday! First, Scott's truck died when he was picking me up to go to the hospital - I caught a cab and he stayed behind to wait for the repairman! (In the end he got to speak to a homeless 17 year-old about the Lord, so we know what the purpose was behind that!)

Secondly I left my phone in his truck, so I was stressing out!!

Anyway, the appointment went very well and it was alot of fun! Sounds odd but the people in the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Ctr at CHoP are wonderful and we had some funny laughs.

Clearly all is well with Emma! She is still growing on schedule and the bowel loops are still free and looking good! (That's important). We had our first biophysical profile - I had two monitors strapped to my belly tracking her heart rate and any contractions. The heart rate should change when she moves, and it was - she moves ALOT so the test was over in 15 minutes!! Hopefully she's so cooperative every time!

I'm now 32 weeks (and 4 days). They said if there are no problems before they'll induce me at 38 weeks, which would be Nov 8/9! That's less than 6 weeks!

Thanks for all your prayers - we know that God is in control and he hears each one.

love

Debra and Scott