Forming the Nursery

David started painting the nursery last week. He's putting up some white wainscoting around the bottom too and it looks adorable. :) We've done some registering at Target and BabiesRUs and that was fun (and exhausting. lol). I'm really excited to put things together and get ready for baby.  

Here are some pics of the nursery "in the works" as well as some things I've collected to go in it (sheets, bumper pad, decorating things). Some of my girlfriends were asking what it looked like..so...heres an idea of where we're going. :)

Blessings

Baby's Latest Glamour Shot. :)

David and I are very happy to say that our doctor's appointment with the perinatologist today went well. We went in for my 28week ultrasound to check on baby and many things weighed on our minds. Praise God we were given positive news. The doctor said that our baby boy was still growing right on schedule (weighing 2lbs10oz now :) ) and that there were no new concerns. Baby was all over the place and looking adorable! We were relieved when the Dr. said that everything was stable and looking very good. :) Feet are still kicking (caught on ultrasound) and he had good movements. The Dr. did notice the left ventrical of the brain is still "slightly swollen" (like last time) but that the right side was normal and the fact that no further swelling had occurred in the last 6 weeks was a good sign. When we commented that our baby was "hanging in there" he said "he is more than hanging in there." :) Such a blessing to hear. Thank you all so much for the prayers that went out for our baby today and always. We go back April 15th for our 32week check up. It seems like forever away but after today's blessings we are content to wait on the Lord. Please continue to remember our baby in your prayers as the doctor reminded us that so much is still unpredictable. Pray that we are able to dwell on the hope we received today and the hope we have in God - not the uncertainty we still face. Pray that the baby's condition remains stable or even improves! :) (particularly with the brain swelling) so that we may have a chance of avoiding additional surgeries. And pray for our hearts to feel God's love and strength so we will be able to face whatever lies ahead. We know our God can work wonders - He has so far on our baby and we have faith in the wonders yet to come. Praise God! And thank you all.

Baby Bump - 28 weeks

Okay! This afternoon - 28 weeks. 10 more to go till baby's here. :)

My mom says it looks like I stuck a ball under my shirt.

Prayers

David and I go in for our 28 week ultrasound with the perinatologist this Wednesday the 18th. We're excited to see our baby again and see how big he's gotten, but we're also nervous at what news we could receive. So if you could please say an extra prayer for us over the next 2 days we would appreciate it. Waiting and not worrying is so hard.
Please pray that we will have peace while we wait and faith that God will take care of everything. Pray that the doctor will see good developments and positive images on the ultrasound.
Pray that whatever the outcome of this appointment, we will have renewed strength and hope. And as always, pray that God will continue to form our baby with His hands and that if it be His Will, our miracle baby will just get better and better. :)

Thank you so much. We cannot imagine going through all this without your love, prayers and warm thoughts.

A psalm for our baby. :)
"He has put His angels in charge of you, to watch over you wherever you go." Psalm 91:11

Some Special Babies

I always have a reason to have "babies" on the brain. :) Especially when my little one is pounding away on my stomach like he can't quite get comfortable. Today I was preparing lessons for my first graders on "folktales and legends" and I read about John Henry and how legend has it he was born with a hammer in his hand. Silly you might say....but the things I feel with this little guy I actually wouldn't be too surprised if he did come out with a hammer.

But there are some special babies I wanted to take note of today for different reasons. One is a new addition to the world - Baby Isaac, born just yesterday some friends of ours from church. Isn't he precious! I'm not sure what was in the water this year but he's number 5 of babies born to friends or family of mine this year! Baby fever!

I also wanted to share with my family and friends 3 other special babies (well...one's not really a baby anymore and would probably resent that :)) whose blogs I follow and get so much from. These kids are beautiful and amazing and bring me so much hope. They have all been diagnosed with SB and though they are all different, they all bring the same smile to my face. They are just 3 out of many I have met through a Spina Bifida Kids group on BabyCenter.com for mom's who are raising children or are pregnant with children who have been diagnosed with SB. They captured my heart. I know how I felt the first time I saw them and read about them - and how comforted and encouraged I am by their parent's strength and love. Just thought you should meet..

Nellie Greyson and Nate

These are not all recent photos. :) Just some of the many pictures I thought were cute. Nellie is almost a year old now. You can check out their blog under MeinhardtFamily. Greyson (OurLittleGibblet) was just born in February and is very special to me. (Maybe its because he seems so close to our own little boy. And he's precious. :)) Nate is the oldest of the three at (I think) 2.5 yrs (ColleenandNate). His mom is the leader of the group I joined and she is amazing! 100% there for anyone who comes her way. They are just rays of sunshine to me and I've never even met them. I love reading about how they are doing and seeing how happy they are. So if you were wondering about some of the other blogs I follow...these little angels and their inspiring parents are the reason. Feel free to look at their blogs - their parents would love to share the story of their darlings with you I'm sure - and it can help shed some light on what "spina bifida" really is, and what it is not. It really helped me to see the families who have been there and are there living happy, loving lives - like the kind of life David and I want for our little miracle.

Baby Bump - 24 weeks

Okay so it's not so much a bump anymore...but I like consistency in my titles. :) lol. Baby, Daddy and I are doing well - although today baby has rolled and bumped around so much I'm beginning to wonder what he's doing in there! I like it but it's admittedly a little freaky to see this round knot protrude from my already protruding belly and move around. I've also had a few rib shots from our little kickboxer (strong baby makes mommy happy though :) ). We have a doctor's appointment on the 18th to see baby again! :) Then I go back the 20th for my glucose test at my regular OB. Will keep ya'll posted!

Welcome to Holland

This is a poem I found through one of the mom's who's part of the S.B. Kids group I joined on BabyCenter.com. She sent it to me when I first joined the site and although it made me cry the first time I read it, I really felt like it described the feelings I had when we first found out that something was not right with our baby. Although now those feelings are already fading and I don't feel that overwhelming sadness or helplessness, it was a sweet and honest way to help others know a little about what it is like. I wanted to share it with you. :)

"Welcome to Holland"
By Emily Perl Kingsley, 1987. All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And some of that pain will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland