Pregnancy Update

Well, today (as you can see on the baby ticker above) I am 3 days overdue. This morning during breakfast I started to have some weird vision changes, and got a headache. These can be some signs of pregnancy induced hypertension or preeclampsia--so being a nurse, being married to a nurse, and having my mother here who is also a nurse--we all considered worst case scenario and I decided to call the OB nurse. My doctor said I should come in today to get an ultrasound of baby (called a biophysical profile) to make sure she's doing okay, and they also wanted to check my blood pressure and check for other signs of preeclampsia. So we got a few more ultrasound pics of our little girl! She passed the biophysical profile with flying colors and is doing great. I do not have high blood pressure or any other signs of preeeclampsia. However, my body is still not progressing toward labor at all. I've been at a stand still for over 2 weeks! I am only having very weak, ineffective Braxton Hicks contractions a few times a day. Considering this, we came up with a plan. Our doctor does not want me to get to 2 weeks overdue. On Monday (the 26th) I will be 1 week overdue. So if baby doesn't come on her own by Tuesday, December 27th then I will have a c-section at 1:00 pm that day! It's good to have a plan. I still hope that I can go into labor before then, but if not, I won't be broken-hearted to have a c-section either. I just can't wait to meet her and kiss her sweet face! Please pray that all goes well.

Apparently this little girl is working on a mullet like her big sister. :)

We've entitled this ultrasound picture "Wisconsin Waterfall Part 2"

Do you see the little mullet fluttering off the bottom of the back of her head (right above the word HAIR)? Too funny. :)

Exciting news from school...

Just wanted to let you know that Lyla is truly doing great in school! Thank you for your prayers for her. I scanned in a note that her physical therapist sent home on 12/20 about what she did at school that day. We are ecstatic! She has never done this for us at home, so we praise the Lord!

We have never gotten her to stand independently for 30-45 seconds, and we've never gotten her to take more than one independent step, so we were pretty pumped when we read this! Thought you might want to share in our joy. :)

Go Lyla!

Check Up

Well, Lyla had her three year check up last week, so here's the report--

She weighs about 28 lbs now which puts her right around the 20th percentile (on the regular charts) for weight, and she's right around the 20th percentile for height as well. She's off the Trisomy 18 charts for both!

After Lyla's exam, both her primary physician and the geneticist who follows her commented on how amazed they are at how well she is growing and thriving. They both said that they have never seen a Trisomy 18 child do so well. We give all the glory to God. It is always nice to be reminded of what a miracle Lyla really is.

We told our pastor about Lyla's check-up and her rave reviews, and he made a comment that spoke straight to my heart, because his thoughts have been rattling around in my mind for some time. I will try to explain... I think that as a Christian, I (and probably many others) have sort of been taught that God works a certain way--if you're a good enough Christian and are acting rightly in your life, He will bless you. If things are going poorly, then you must be doing something wrong. We give the Lord all the glory for what He has done for Lyla, and we thank Him for it mightily. But what if things were not turning out as they are? What if she weren't doing so well, or what if we had lost her? Should we praise God any less? I would like to think that no matter what happens, we will praise Him and we will trust Him. The Lord gives and takes away--He is sovereign and we will choose to trust Him no matter what, as hard as that may be. Right now it is easy to be full of faith and to be grateful in our hearts, because Lyla is doing so well. But there are many families who also love the Lord in which things have not turned out so well. Does this mean that they are worse Christians or have done something to turn away God's favor? Not at all. His love is unconditional, and He is sovereign. It is often difficult to understand why God lets certain things happen, but this is where true faith comes in. I know that He is sovereign and that everything happens for a reason--He is in control even when life seems out of control. And all things happen so that He will receive glory. So, to be clear, we have truly done nothing to merit Lyla doing so well. God, in His sovereignty, has chosen to bless us with her, and we thank Him for it. She is a miracle all because of Him, not because we are "good parents". And no matter what happens, I will trust Him because He is worthy of all our trust.

THANK YOU LORD FOR LYLA JANE!!!

Just doing a little shoppin. :)

And walkin.

Oh, and Lyla went on her first date with Daddy the other day. He took her to Happy Feet 2 in the theater because she loves music and dancing so much! She did pretty well and watched most of it, with a few breaks to walk around in the aisle, and a 15 minute nap on Daddy's chest. So sweet! I was able to get a lot of Christmas decorating done while they were out. :)