Update

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

First off, let me say that I can’t believe the amount of love and support we have received since our last blog post. To be honest, it was a good way for me to get everything floating around inside my brain out in the open. I am not a writer by any stretch of the imagination, but you all have been so sweet and supportive of us. We really appreciate the way you love all three of us so well.

Shane said that it was probably time to update the blog, and he’s probably right. To be honest, we don’t have much new news. Since my last post, we have had two Vanderbilt appointments. Both of which went well. As far as Nehem and his diagnosis goes, there is no change. They still see the lesion at the base of his spinal cord (L3 to be exact) and there is still excess fluid in his brain (which is typical of Spina Bifida). At this point, the fluid has grown about 2mm every 4 weeks. The doctors are not surprised by this because his brain is growing, so the fluid is proportional to his growing brain. The doctors now estimate him at 2lbs. 14oz., which places him in the 30th percentile for growth. We also got to take a tour of the NICU yesterday which was kind of surreal. We were very impressed with the systems they have in place, the cleanliness, the calmness and just the overall atmosphere of the NICU. I keep saying over and over “I don’t want to be here, but I’m glad I’m here,” about Vanderbilt.

I am 29 weeks pregnant and other than being tired all the dang time and always being hungry, I really feel good. I can pretty much sit down and fall asleep at anytime and I’m always thinking about what my next meal will be. My blood sugar has been a bit of a concern so we are working to figure that out. I threw up when taking the glucose test, so my doctor had me take my blood sugars for a week as a screener. Being the cheap person that I am, I decided to get the cheap WalMart brand meter because insurance didn’t cover the other meter that was called in for me and I was only going to have to take my sugars for a week, or so I thought. My fasting numbers were especially elevated, so my doctor diagnosed me with gestational diabetes. I had to continue taking my sugars, control my diet and go back in a week. In the meantime, I contacted my insurance company to find out what meter/testing strips they would cover. When I got that meter, my numbers were significantly lower, and out of the diabetes range. I go back tomorrow to talk to my doctor, but I am thinking I am safe as far as that goes, which is a HUGE blessing!

We celebrated Mother’s Day this weekend, and even though I told Shane to just take me somewhere good to eat, he didn’t listen. He got me a beautiful Mom necklace, some gift cards to use this summer while I’m camped out in Nashville and he is here, and the sweetest card. Of course I cried. Last Mother’s Day, I remember sitting in my pew at church, seeing all the Mothers lined up across the front, literally fighting back tears. I wanted that, but I had absolutely no idea when (or if) it would happen. This year, there I stood with the Mothers. I feel so completely unworthy of this precious little blessing that is currently punching my insides, but I am so thankful that God knew the bigger plan for us.

At this point, I’m just rambling but I hope you at least feel caught up on our lives. We have about 10 weeks before Nehem’s planned delivery and we are so excited, so nervous and I feel like there is so much to do to prepare for his arrival! Have I mentioned his nursery is no where near being ready?

Here are some specific ways you can pray for us:

-Pray that I continue to stay healthy. My blood pressure had started to get high, but yesterday at Vanderbilt it was much lower. I want to keep it that way. The fewer health concerns for me, the more everyone can focus on Nehem.

-As Nehem begins growing at a quicker pace, please pray that the fluid in his brain will stay at a minimum

-Pray for safety as we begin travelling back and forth to Nashville more often, especially Shane as he will be taking lots of trips back and forth since he will still be working in Madison.