Some Unexpected Things

It was supposed to be a routine check-up last Wednesday for Amanda's second pregnancy.  We thought we could squeeze in an appointment with the doc before heading out that evening to Arizona for a wedding.  Everything went well at the office and the doctor was able to get us an ultrasound that afternoon.  She thought it would put us at ease since we have a history of miscarriage. 

We went for the ultrasound and the technician found what she called a cyst on Amanda's ovary.  She didn't make a big deal about it, but said we'd check things out again in a week.  Later that afternoon, we took Amanda's dad out for a late Father's Day supper.  While munching down at Texas Roadhouse, the doctor called Amanda.  She told her that after looking at the reports, it appeared that Amanda had an ectopic pregnancy.  An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that forms anywhere other than the uterus.  If the baby continues to grow, it could burst the tubes and Amanda could bleed to death.  Because of this, she advised us not to go to Arizona.

We stayed put in Sioux Falls Wednesday night, had more tests done on Friday, then more tests in the morning on Sunday.  The doctor admitted Amanda to the hospital Sunday afternoon for observation.  Based on blood tests, the pregnancy failed, the baby was no longer alive, and the options at that point were to have surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy or to take medication for it.  The pregnancy had already ended, we just needed to get it cleared up for Amanda's physical health.  For various reasons, we opted for medication.  Around 8 p.m. on Sunday, the doctor released us to go home. 

Emotionally, we are doing well.  Physically, Amanda still has some pain, but is slowly improving.  Our biggest question is, "Why would God allow us to get pregnant, share the exciting news, have plans for Arizona, then end the pregnancy?"  I think it's a question that we will never have the answer to...at least in this life.  This is tough stuff, but we continue to put our hope in Jesus and know that God is in control. 

On a brighter note, we were able to "see" via ultrasound yesterday the baby that's due in a few weeks.  We saw the hands, feet, fingers, nose, mouth...but no gender.  It's a beautiful baby and we cannot wait to bring it home.  By the way, because of the birthmother's size, they are not going to let the baby grow larger than 7 pounds before delivering.  The baby is now 5 pounds, 14 ounces.  A baby grows 1/2 pound per week.  This means the baby will be 7 pounds in two weeks.  That's two weeks earlier than expected.  It could come on July 16th, which is also our birthdays -- Amanda and I share a birthday.  How cool would it be if our whole family had birthdays on July 16?  

Thank you for the many prayers and overwhelming support during this time.  We are so thankful! 

Baby Room

We've been working hard on the baby room.  Here are some photos of what we have so far.  Two walls are lime green, one wall is light lime green (almost white), and the fourth wall is milk chocolate (the paint in the can looked like hot fudge - mmmm.)  We added a glider to the room yesterday.  We also have some shelves and frames on the wall.  The pattern on the valance in the top photo is also the pattern we used for the bedding in the crib and on some other accessories.  It's called Trend Lab "Giggles."  All of this is fun, but our favorite part of the room is the little yellow duckies scattered on the floor and sitting on shelves.  Can't wait to bring the little ducky home.

Big News!

Baby's Foot

On August 1, 2011 (give or take a few days) a baby will be born into this world.  He/She will take that first breath and begin crying for comfort.  We are happy to say that a young mother has chosen us to be the parents of her baby

We can't provide too much information at this point, but that this young expectant mother lives in South Dakota.  She and the baby are doing well.  The baby is growing at a good rate and appears to be very active on the ultrasound.  So active that the technician was unable to determine its gender.

We had the opportunity to meet the mother last night over supper at a Chinese restaurant.  She is a sweet girl and we really enjoyed spending time with her.  We were able to tell her that we have been praying for her.  She wrote us a very nice letter and provided us the above picture from her ultrasound.

It's amazing how quickly all of this has happened.  We began the process at the end of December and here we are six months later counting down the days until the baby's arrival.  All we can say is praise God and thank you for your prayers and support!  We feel so blessed!!!

One Year Ago

June 14, 2010 is a day that will not be easily forgotten by us.  It was one year ago today that Amanda had an appointment with the doctor, then an ultrasound, then the discovery that our baby was no longer growing.  To say the least, it was quite a shock.  We had started planning for the arrival of a little one, but all of that stopped in an instant.  We locked ourselves in the house for a few days as we grieved the loss and came to grips with what had happened.  A few close friends provided support as they prayed and cried with us.  We'll never know why this happened this way, but we believe that God is in control and that sometimes He allows us to go through hard things for a reason.  We take comfort in knowing that He always loves us...no matter what.