Monday, May 24, 2010

Truly Blessed~ More thoughts from Jamie

Since it takes me a long time to gather my thoughts and put them on paper, I decided that I would post only once about my experiences thus far with this pregnancy. I did so about a month ago. However, I guess I was wrong because it is 11:00 P.M. and I am still excited, thankful, and humbled and wanted to post again!

For those of you who don’t know, Andrea and I are a part of a small group at church that consists of five of the best couples we have ever met. We get together most Sundays to fellowship, have a small devotional, and enjoy sitting around watching our kids play. Last night, as far as Andrea and I knew was just another get together. Much to our surprise it was that and MUCH more!

We arrived at the church and noticed a few additional vehicles in the parking lot but never thought anything about it. Just thought they were there for other meetings. Two of the guys in our small group met us at the door and carried bags of drinks inside. A little strange but it quickly passed. It still did not hit me. As we walked down the hallway the double doors opened, we were welcomed by many members of the Maury Hills Church who had arrived to give Andrea and me a baby shower.
I was humbled. Humbled to the point I immediately began to tear up. For those of you who know me, you know I do not like showing emotion, especially in public while others are around. I could not help it. I did not know what to say or do. To say the least, I was floored.

The night consisted of fellowship, opening gifts, and great food, especially the BBQ prepared by Dave and Phillip Pearce. Thanks to you both for your time and hard work preparing the BBQ and to all the other ladies/gentlemen who assisted in preparing the food! It was GREAT! After dinner, Andrea and I sat on the stage and opened so many wonderful present. WOW! Words cannot express my sincere appreciation for the gifts. Thanks for EVERTYTHING!

A special thanks to the members of our small group. Thank you Parks, Pollards, Pettits, Spitzers, and Cheeks for organizing this VERY special event!! You guys will never know how much tonight meant to me and my family! Your love, gifts, and prayers are indescribable. I feel very blessed to be a part of Maury Hills and a loving small group. May God continue to richly bless you all!

Just a few more thoughts I wanted to share in case I should not to post anymore before Anderson’s arrival.

As soon as we found out about Anderson’s condition, Maury Hills put our family on the prayer list. Many members of this church have spent numerous hours in prayer to our Heavenly Father on our behalf. A prayer group meets together often and specifically asks for healing for our Anderson. We have received and continue to receive letters and cards of encouragement. Thank you!

I anxiously anticipate the arrival of Anderson on June 1st. I look forward to meeting him, seeing his chubby cheeks, and holding him in my arms for the first time. Until that time comes, I will continue to pray for a miracle. Should that request not be answered, I know I serve a big enough God who is capable of making all situations right. I will continue to trust in HIM and know without a shadow of a doubt that HE is in control. I have seen him transform many personal lives, including my very own not many months ago. I will enter this time with faith, not fear- knowing HE is by my side no matter where I go or what situation I find myself in. GOD IS IN CONTROL!

As I close, let me take one more opportunity to tell all of you how much I appreciate, from the bottom of my heart everything that has been said and done on our behalf. Words cannot express the sincere gratitude I feel right now. I want to end with one of my favorite scriptures from Proverbs.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.

Jamie

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A Change of Plans

********UPDATE 5-13-10***************
We found out today that delivery is set for Tuesday, June 1st at 8:00 am. Thank you for the continued prayers and support. It has been so wonderful to have so many friends and family by our side as we have been on this journey. Thank you doesn't seem like enough.


**********Original Post***************

We went back to Vanderbilt today for our last ultrasound before our delivery. Anderson appears to be weighing in right now at a hefty 6 lbs 7 oz. I am almost 35 weeks, so technically should still have 5 weeks left for him to grow. However, as I stated in my last post, they had us scheduled for a c-section on June 11th...But it looks as if that is going to change based on something they saw today.

Our doctor is very concerned about the amount of fluid on the right side of his brain. They have been monitoring the fluid levels each month, and they have always been within normal range- until now. The amount of fluid has increased significantly since our last visit. There is so much, that they are beginning to worry that the fluid could be putting pressure on Anderson's brain...which would not be a good situation.

Our doctor is going to present the information to her panel of specialists tomorrow, but feels that the decision they will make will be to deliver at 37 weeks rather than waiting until 39. They are going to call me tomorrow to let us know the plan for sure, but were about 98 percent positive that this will be the case.

They also mentioned that once Anderson is born, he will have a scan (ultrasound) of his brain. If the fluid is as bad as they suspect, then he will go to surgery to have a shunt put in. The good news is that Dr. Tulipan would do the surgery and there are people from all over the country who travel to Nashville to have Dr. Tulipan do shunts on their babies because he is supposed to be one of the BEST pediatric neurosurgeons around.

So, a few curve balls appear to have been thrown at us today that we weren't really expecting. We are still in good spirits, our faith is still strong, and we are still hopeful that everything will be okay. We know God is in control, and we ask each of you who read this to please join us in praying. We know God is good- we know He can still heal Anderson and perform a miracle- we also know that even without the miracle, He can give us the strength to make it through this.

After sitting in the waiting room at Vanderbilt and seeing kids who are in pretty bad shape- it puts everything in perspective. We are thankful that things are not worse than what they are...it WILL be okay. Just please pray for our strength and courage, and for the healing of our sweet boy.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Quick update...

Basically no news is good news...things around here have been pretty calm (at least with Anderson and the pregnancy). I just thought I would do a quick update for those of you who have been checking and wondering what's going on.

I started last week having to be seen twice a week- every Monday I go the hospital for a NST (non-stress test), just checking to make sure the baby's heartrate increases with movement and then returns to normal. This shows that he is getting enough oxygen to his brain. He has passed the test both times within the first 5-10 minutes...So things that way look great. I also go see Dr. Kurtz every Thursday for a BPP (biophysical profile). This test checks to see if the baby is practicing "breathing" the amniotic fluid. This is done by watching the diaphragm via ultrasound- pretty neat actually. They also check the blood flow in the umbilical cord. He has done great both times with that also. Neither of these tests have anything to do with the fact that Anderson is missing part of his brain, they actually have to be done because of my blood clotting disorder. Apparently, the farther along I get in pregnancy, the better of a chance there is for a blood clot to form in the umbilical cord and block him from getting the nutrients and oxygen he needs to survive. So, basically this is all precautionary. So far, so good.

We go back to Vandy next Wednesday (5-12) for a full ultrasound to check his size, check all of his organs, and see if that CC has decided to show itself or not. We are not expecting it to be there, as we have become content with it not being there, but I know that my God is big and He can perform miracles even when we aren't expecting them. This will probably be the last "Big" ultrasound before he is born. We have 5 weeks from tomorrow before he is scheduled to arrive! We can't wait. We just want to hold him and love on him.

Dr. Kurtz did take a quick 3D/4D peek at his face last week, just for the fun of it, and it was so sweet! He has fat rolls around his neck and big chubby cheeks! I am so thankful that he is healthy and is growing...anxious to see if he beats his sisters on size. I'm also hoping that the current increase in weight that I am gaining is actually Anderson gaining weight- not me! Ha!

So nothing new is happening. We feel blessed that things are still going well and that he is growing and healthy. Praise God!

On a side note: Many people in our area in Tennessee have been devastated by the recent flooding. There are people who have lost everything they had, businesses that don't know if or when they can reopen, and lives lost. As many of you know, I work in Hickman County and the devastation there is awful...4 days after the rain has ended, there are still people in HC who have not been rescued. They are in areas that are completely cut off from the rest of the community. We don't know when we will be back to school...complete roads have been washed away, sink holes have closed main roads, and many in the county still don't have electricity or water. Please keep everyone who has been affected by this flood in your thoughts and prayers.