The last post I did, didn't complete correctly so I was waiting to redo it and then post again. About a week later, so much has happened that I had to just post that one as is and do a new post.
The biggest event of the week is Ryan fractured his leg. It's his lower left leg and is so common among toddlers that they call it a "toddler's fracture". David and I had been hanging pictures in his and the girls' room and the girls were down in the basement playing. Ryan had been up with us but decided to join the girls. He goes up and down the stairs well enough, but this time he had on a pair of rubber boots. I heard a noise and then Kaitlyn came running to let us know Ryan fell down the stairs. He didn't tumble down the stairs, but rather fell off the side. He wasn't very high up, but it was such a fall or twist that was enough to fracture his bone. He's doing well, though he can't (or won't at this point) walk on it. We carry him everywhere but he mainly sits in the middle of the living room floor with toys all around him. Right now he's trying to get to another point of the floor so he army crawled there. I think he enjoys all the attention he's getting. Needless to say, I'm not getting much done around the house.
Our appointment is tomorrow in Columbia. During the last post, I'd been having a lot of contractions but after a few days, things slowed down and are back to normal. We're very curious what the Lord has in store! Technically, she could be born anytime from this week to three weeks from now. We still desire your prayers concerning the cyst, as well as the labor and delivery.
We should be able to have internet access whenever she's born and be able to keep everyone posted.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Approaching 36 Weeks
We had a doctor's appointment on March 12, which was also Ryan's birthday. Baby Allison looked well... she's growing and the cyst continues to stay the same size. Our next appointment is March 31 and I will be one day shy of 37 weeks.
After the appointment, this time we took the whole family, including Grandpa Kelly, we went to Burger King for supper and to let the kids play on their big play place. Ryan really enjoyed going through all the tunnels (as well as Daddy and Amanda who took turns escorting him). After Burger King, we went to Bass Pro Shop so Ryan could see all the fish and animals. He did enjoy the sights and the rest of us enjoyed the "window" shopping. I thought the coolest part of the whole store was the bathroom! :) Seriously!! Then, on our way home, Grandpa treated us to ice cream. Yum! It was a fun day!
Since the appointment went well, I was able to help out at Andy and Rosana's wedding. The Lord helped tremendously! I was mostly on my feet from 9 am until about 6 pm and didn't have any contractions. What a blessing and privilege it was to be at their wedding!
Now, I have been having a lot of contractions and signs of pre-term labor and am wondering how long it will be before we have to rush to the hospital.
After the appointment, this time we took the whole family, including Grandpa Kelly, we went to Burger King for supper and to let the kids play on their big play place. Ryan really enjoyed going through all the tunnels (as well as Daddy and Amanda who took turns escorting him). After Burger King, we went to Bass Pro Shop so Ryan could see all the fish and animals. He did enjoy the sights and the rest of us enjoyed the "window" shopping. I thought the coolest part of the whole store was the bathroom! :) Seriously!! Then, on our way home, Grandpa treated us to ice cream. Yum! It was a fun day!
Since the appointment went well, I was able to help out at Andy and Rosana's wedding. The Lord helped tremendously! I was mostly on my feet from 9 am until about 6 pm and didn't have any contractions. What a blessing and privilege it was to be at their wedding!
Now, I have been having a lot of contractions and signs of pre-term labor and am wondering how long it will be before we have to rush to the hospital.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
32 Weeks
After not seeing the doctor for three weeks, David and I met with the pediatric surgeon and then the OB doctor last Thursday. The surgeon was very upbeat about the whole thing. From his experience, either the cyst will go away on its own within the first year, or they'll have to do surgery at about 6 months to a year of Allison's age. If she does require surgery and they can wait that long, it will only require 3 small holes in the left side of her chest.
Afterward we met with the OB doctor to check on Allison. She's growing well and the cyst isn't growing; it actually measured a bit smaller than last time. We're praising God for His kindness!
Once we were done with that appointment, we headed up the elevator to see our new little nephew, Daniel. He was born at 35 weeks but has had no problems breathing, just slow going on nursing. He is absolutely adorable! For those of you who know Robert and Melissa, they have a link with pictures at http://randmelectric.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/
Afterward we met with the OB doctor to check on Allison. She's growing well and the cyst isn't growing; it actually measured a bit smaller than last time. We're praising God for His kindness!
Once we were done with that appointment, we headed up the elevator to see our new little nephew, Daniel. He was born at 35 weeks but has had no problems breathing, just slow going on nursing. He is absolutely adorable! For those of you who know Robert and Melissa, they have a link with pictures at http://randmelectric.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
31 Weeks
Well, I'm obviously not as diligent about keeping this up as I used to be, but I did want to share the news from my last appointment and what's been going on since.
David and I went to the doctor on the 30th of last month and they had discovered that the cyst had grown a little bit. Because she had grown as well, it still is not causing any harm. She appears to be doing well physically. The doctor did want us to set up a consult with the pediatric surgeon there in Columbia so if he did have to do surgery, we'd be familiar with him. That appointment is next Thursday.
Since that appointment, I had started having some contractions, pretty regularly and since I was in the hospital while pregnant with Ryan due to pre-term contractions, I thought I should go ahead and call the doctor. We made a trip to Columbia that day (Feb 4) and thankfully my body showed no signs of progressing into labor, though Allison's head was very low. The doctor did want to start seeing me weekly though. The next day I felt great but then the contractions picked up again. On Sunday, one of our elders gave a message titled "All things are possible with God". It was such an encouragement!! (if you'd like to hear it, you can click on our favorite links on the left titled "Lake Road Sermons") That night, while having contractions 3 minutes apart, I remembered the message "Is anything too difficult for Me?"; God, who made the heavens and the earth by His great power and by His outstretched arm... God who is over all flesh... (Jeremiah 32:17,27) NO! So, I asked God to take the contractions away. God, my Father, in His great kindness answered and since that night, I have had no regular contractions, only occassional ones that is normal at this point in the pregnancy, even after being on my feet for over 5 hours straight one day and then being up most of that night with a sick child (all things that would easily set me off before). Oh what a privilege to be His child!!
I had to cancel my weekly appointment for last week due to a sick child again and David was gone to a Bible conference in Bentley LA (another thing that wouldn't have worked out if I had continued to have contractions). Then, this week, the doctor is out, so I won't be seeing him again until next Thursday, the 26th. It's been wonderful just resting in His arms knowing that it's not the doctor, ultimately, that's taking care of me and baby Allison, but it's my heavenly Father.
Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,
As thy beauty fills my soul,
For by thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.
Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of thy loving heart.
O how great thy lovingkindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is thine,
Know thy certainty of promise
And have made it mine.
Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold thee as thou art,
And thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed.
Ever lift thy face upon me
As I work and wait for thee;
Resting 'neath thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with thy grace.
David and I went to the doctor on the 30th of last month and they had discovered that the cyst had grown a little bit. Because she had grown as well, it still is not causing any harm. She appears to be doing well physically. The doctor did want us to set up a consult with the pediatric surgeon there in Columbia so if he did have to do surgery, we'd be familiar with him. That appointment is next Thursday.
Since that appointment, I had started having some contractions, pretty regularly and since I was in the hospital while pregnant with Ryan due to pre-term contractions, I thought I should go ahead and call the doctor. We made a trip to Columbia that day (Feb 4) and thankfully my body showed no signs of progressing into labor, though Allison's head was very low. The doctor did want to start seeing me weekly though. The next day I felt great but then the contractions picked up again. On Sunday, one of our elders gave a message titled "All things are possible with God". It was such an encouragement!! (if you'd like to hear it, you can click on our favorite links on the left titled "Lake Road Sermons") That night, while having contractions 3 minutes apart, I remembered the message "Is anything too difficult for Me?"; God, who made the heavens and the earth by His great power and by His outstretched arm... God who is over all flesh... (Jeremiah 32:17,27) NO! So, I asked God to take the contractions away. God, my Father, in His great kindness answered and since that night, I have had no regular contractions, only occassional ones that is normal at this point in the pregnancy, even after being on my feet for over 5 hours straight one day and then being up most of that night with a sick child (all things that would easily set me off before). Oh what a privilege to be His child!!
I had to cancel my weekly appointment for last week due to a sick child again and David was gone to a Bible conference in Bentley LA (another thing that wouldn't have worked out if I had continued to have contractions). Then, this week, the doctor is out, so I won't be seeing him again until next Thursday, the 26th. It's been wonderful just resting in His arms knowing that it's not the doctor, ultimately, that's taking care of me and baby Allison, but it's my heavenly Father.
Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,
As thy beauty fills my soul,
For by thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.
Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of thy loving heart.
O how great thy lovingkindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is thine,
Know thy certainty of promise
And have made it mine.
Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold thee as thou art,
And thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed.
Ever lift thy face upon me
As I work and wait for thee;
Resting 'neath thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with thy grace.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Update from last appointment
Well, we're slow in getting this out, but we wanted to let everyone know how our appointment on our last visit went. Baby Allison was fine; nothing has seemed to change. The doctor looked for quite a while at her; later he said he was looking closely at her lung tissue. It seems the cyst is taking up 1/3 to 1/2 of her left lung tissue. We won't know until she's born how she'll do, but given the circumstances and my tendancy to have quick labors, he wanted to go ahead and set up an induction date to assure the baby will be born in Columbia where there are doctors and clinics that are better equiped for treating baby's with health conditions. After explaining my history 0f going into labor early, with the last two, he decided to just take it one week at a time as the due date approaches and then set up an induction date then. We have another appointment/ultrasound this Friday.
At home things have been pretty crazy. We decided to do some room shuffling, giving the three kids our very large room, Allison the girls' old room, and we took the smallest room in the middle. Because of this we needed some new furniture and the Lord was very kind to provide! It has been very fun and exciting for all of us to have new rooms, though we still have a little bit to go before we're completely settled. Until then, our house has been a mess!
This song was requested at our church when we first learned about Allison's condition and we sang it again today. It is so good! I hope it will be an encouragement for you as well!
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
William Cowper
At home things have been pretty crazy. We decided to do some room shuffling, giving the three kids our very large room, Allison the girls' old room, and we took the smallest room in the middle. Because of this we needed some new furniture and the Lord was very kind to provide! It has been very fun and exciting for all of us to have new rooms, though we still have a little bit to go before we're completely settled. Until then, our house has been a mess!
This song was requested at our church when we first learned about Allison's condition and we sang it again today. It is so good! I hope it will be an encouragement for you as well!
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
William Cowper
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A Few Pictures to Share
We went to a wedding this past weekend and took a family photo. The girls were excited about wearing some new dresses they got and Daddy was excited about getting a tie ready for Ryan (thanks to Grandpa).
Ryan has grown to love horses. We got some books at the library today and he loves looking at the pictures of all the horses. The girls, who were playing dress up, had me come into their room to see what was going on with Ryan. I thought it was too cute to pass up sharing with everyone else. : )
Friday, January 2, 2009
"God is So Good"
We had another doctor's appointment today in Columbia and wanted to give everyone an update.
They did, as usual, an ultrasound of the baby measuring her growth as well as checking on the cyst. She's just where she's supposed to be, size-wise, and the doctor said the cyst doesn't seem to have changed much. He did say that he's been in correspondence with a neonatologist and that we had an appointment to meet with him afterwards. We ended up having to wait half an hour because the social worker, that was to be there as well, wasn't available until then. After hearing that we were meeting with a baby specialist as well as a social worker, we were bracing for the worst. We assumed the social worker was to be there for moral support and to make sure we had a support network at home.
During the appointment, we discovered that the neonatologist not only had seen these cases before, but also teaches medical students on it. To our surprise, he was very upbeat about the whole thing. What he expects is for baby Allison to be born and that nothing will need to be done about the cyst unless she began to show symptoms. Many people have cysts and don't even know it until they have an x-ray done for another reason. Worst case scenario (5% chance) is that the cyst is attached to airway passages and after she's born and begins breathing, the cyst fills with air but has no way to get out, causing it to grow with every breath. If that were the case, they would need to surgically remove it, which the pediatric surgeon has done a couple of times there in Columbia. We were very thankful for the report!
It's so neat to think of God's Hand in this! At the first appointment, the OB doctor wanted to go in right then to try to aspirate the cyst, which, considering all that's involved, is probably a dangerous procedure; however, God had her turned in such a way that the doctor couldn't get to it. Today, she was turned in a perfect position (according to the doctor) if they were to aspirate, but now know she could go all her life with this cyst and live a perfectly normal life. I'm SO thankful He's in control of everything and that His kind Hand is upon her little life!!
One of the great blessings of this "trial" has been the hour and a half drives down and back with David. Today, David brought along some messages that were interviews that had been broadcasted on Family Life Today. They were a testimony of the lives of John and Donna Bishop. He had contracted meningitis, after having been married about 24 years and as a result of that had a case of amnesia (he completely lost every bit of his memory). He didn't know who he was, who his wife and 3 sons were, how to eat, walk, etc. Now it's been 15 years and 8 months ago, due to cluster headaches, he became legally blind. He's in constant pain from headaches but he is so full of joy! Here are some quotes from him (because of his illness, he speaks more child-like): "That night I hurting so bad and I listened to Psalm and it said 'Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusteth in Him!' Psalm 34:8; and I said 'God, I gonna believe you're good if I never get better, I still gonna believe your good because that what your Word says.' and I said 'Lord, this must be what faith means is believing you even when I don't feel like it.' So I gonna believe God good whether I feel good or not. I gonna believe God good whether I get better or not, just cause the Bible say it."
If you'd like to listen to his and his wife's testimonies, there are three interviews and each one is 30 minutes long. They'll only be on this link for a limited time. I highly recommend these!! To see the joy in this man's life despite his past trials as well as his current ones, including constant pain, is SO encouraging. Here are the links to the interviews in order:
episode 1
episode 2
episode 3
I hope they're as much of a blessing to you as they were to David and me!
Thank you all again for your prayers! "Praise the Savior, ye who know Him, who can tell how much we owe Him. Gladly let us render to Him all we have and are!"
They did, as usual, an ultrasound of the baby measuring her growth as well as checking on the cyst. She's just where she's supposed to be, size-wise, and the doctor said the cyst doesn't seem to have changed much. He did say that he's been in correspondence with a neonatologist and that we had an appointment to meet with him afterwards. We ended up having to wait half an hour because the social worker, that was to be there as well, wasn't available until then. After hearing that we were meeting with a baby specialist as well as a social worker, we were bracing for the worst. We assumed the social worker was to be there for moral support and to make sure we had a support network at home.
During the appointment, we discovered that the neonatologist not only had seen these cases before, but also teaches medical students on it. To our surprise, he was very upbeat about the whole thing. What he expects is for baby Allison to be born and that nothing will need to be done about the cyst unless she began to show symptoms. Many people have cysts and don't even know it until they have an x-ray done for another reason. Worst case scenario (5% chance) is that the cyst is attached to airway passages and after she's born and begins breathing, the cyst fills with air but has no way to get out, causing it to grow with every breath. If that were the case, they would need to surgically remove it, which the pediatric surgeon has done a couple of times there in Columbia. We were very thankful for the report!
It's so neat to think of God's Hand in this! At the first appointment, the OB doctor wanted to go in right then to try to aspirate the cyst, which, considering all that's involved, is probably a dangerous procedure; however, God had her turned in such a way that the doctor couldn't get to it. Today, she was turned in a perfect position (according to the doctor) if they were to aspirate, but now know she could go all her life with this cyst and live a perfectly normal life. I'm SO thankful He's in control of everything and that His kind Hand is upon her little life!!
One of the great blessings of this "trial" has been the hour and a half drives down and back with David. Today, David brought along some messages that were interviews that had been broadcasted on Family Life Today. They were a testimony of the lives of John and Donna Bishop. He had contracted meningitis, after having been married about 24 years and as a result of that had a case of amnesia (he completely lost every bit of his memory). He didn't know who he was, who his wife and 3 sons were, how to eat, walk, etc. Now it's been 15 years and 8 months ago, due to cluster headaches, he became legally blind. He's in constant pain from headaches but he is so full of joy! Here are some quotes from him (because of his illness, he speaks more child-like): "That night I hurting so bad and I listened to Psalm and it said 'Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusteth in Him!' Psalm 34:8; and I said 'God, I gonna believe you're good if I never get better, I still gonna believe your good because that what your Word says.' and I said 'Lord, this must be what faith means is believing you even when I don't feel like it.' So I gonna believe God good whether I feel good or not. I gonna believe God good whether I get better or not, just cause the Bible say it."
If you'd like to listen to his and his wife's testimonies, there are three interviews and each one is 30 minutes long. They'll only be on this link for a limited time. I highly recommend these!! To see the joy in this man's life despite his past trials as well as his current ones, including constant pain, is SO encouraging. Here are the links to the interviews in order:
episode 1
episode 2
episode 3
I hope they're as much of a blessing to you as they were to David and me!
Thank you all again for your prayers! "Praise the Savior, ye who know Him, who can tell how much we owe Him. Gladly let us render to Him all we have and are!"
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