To bring you up to date...

 On Thursday, we made our last day trip up to Albuquerque.  Several important decisions were made.

They include:

• We are moving up there next Friday, August 5th...earlier than I had originally thought.
• If he hasn't made his appearance yet, I will be induced on August 30th.
• I will continue to be seen weekly by both the OB and the perinatologist.

Other updates include: 

• The baby has dropped and has moved into position.  Please pray he goes full term.
• My mom will be spending much of the month there with us.  She gets into town on the 10th.
• She got a great deal (practically half price) on her extended stay hotel, and so she got us a room too!  So, we have a place to stay during the weeks before Little One comes...and we'll be near her.
• I can sleep!  Since the day we asked for prayer in our June newsletter, I have slept amazingly ever since...after 5 weeks of serious insomnia.  Such a great God!
• Baby is growing at a normal rate.  Everything still looks good.
• I think we have a name...that we will keep secret until he is born.  I have such a hard time not telling every store clerk and friend who asks, however.  And, I am notorious for changing my mind. So, we'll see...

Random things to mention:

• People (including doctors) in Albuquerque refer to Las Cruces as "up there," even though we're three hours south. I think it's the weirdest thing.
• Have I mentioned that our doctors up there are incredible?  I am trying to convince our OB to move down here.  She's considering it.  :-) 
• In fact, there are several people we like a whole lot up there.  Sweet blessing.

So, now we have less than a week to prepare for the month(?)-long stay up north...as well as to prepare for the baby and life after baby.  I had plenty of ambitious plans for nesting that won't happen.  I probably could have spent less time on Pinterest and more time organizing our home and filling my freezer with some of the meals I intended to cook.  Oh well.  We get to come back with a baby!  And, Brandon's a great cook.  :-)

Thanks again so much for reading this...

and for caring.

We feel very loved

by everyone who has

written, prayed, called,

texted, fed us, etc. 

We praise God for you!

New name. Same message.

Caleb went a little crazy with all the "talks" we watched...though these faces are pretty typical when I pull the camera out.
Steve Sellers is in the background doing a Q&A session for staff.

This is how we spent much of this last week:  in front of a computer watching a live stream of Campus Crusade's staff conference at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Brandon was able to attend the first three days of the event, and Caleb and I watched from home.  It was such a unique and fun way to experience the conference, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to hear from our leadership as well as some amazing speakers...even from so far away. 

If you haven't heard, it was announced last Tuesday that the US branch of Campus Crusade for Christ is changing its name to Cru.  We are excited about the change, as we have already been using it here in the campus ministry since 2007.  Along with the change, many people have had reservations about the new name, and the media has created something of a negative firestorm as well.  Several articles have been written up that will hopefully address these concerns, and I have included some below.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or Brandon.  :-)

Name Change

Frequently Asked Questions

Commitment to Jesus 

I love this organization.  The Lord changed my life my freshman year of college through Campus Crusade, and He continues to do so in the lives of countless others.  Having heard from our president, VP, and others this week, I am more confident than ever that this is an organization that is seeking after the heart of God.

(Added later):  And, since I respect John Piper so much, read his thoughts here! 

Embracing the Eye Patch

He's adjusting quickly.

And, yes, Kel, he would enjoy being a pirate...

and was one on this Halloween.

 He already has his "arrrrgh" down.

It just takes me too long in the mornings

to remember the eye patch...much less color it in.
:-)
Happy Thursday.

Linking up here: 

Here we go again...

In July of '09, Caleb was diagnosed with intermittent exotropia.  His eyes would drift out at a mild angle...small enough that we were the only ones who usually noticed it.  We did several months of patching and were able to avoid surgery.

Lately, we have been noticing that it has been getting worse.  So, on Monday we saw the doctor.  And, thankfully he could see what we see.  We are now back to patching for the next two months...hoping to avoid surgery and correct his vision.  Last night, when he took his patch off before bed, he told me he could see "two of everything."  He told me I had three eyes.  It's so hard to not be able to do anything to help him.

Please pray that this patching does what we are hoping.  Pray also for his little heart.  He is now so much more aware of what people think of him, and he is more fearful of seeing people while wearing his patch.  We have had many good conversations already about it.  :-)

You can read more in my previous posts about his little journey here.

Adjustments

We had some appointments in ABQ on Friday.  Again, they went well.  Little boy scored again perfectly on his biophysical profile.  We also learned that they want us there closer to 36 weeks than 37.  So, we're looking at being there starting on August 6th or so.  We're still unsure as to where we'll stay during that time.

Although our appointments did go well, I left the perinatologist's office on the verge of tears.  Once we were in the car, I broke down pretty hard.  I had had a conversation with the sonographer that went something like this:

Me:  "So, can you tell at all through the ultrasounds how good his muscle tone will be?"

Sonographer (not sure what she said immediately but somehow began saying something like this about her nephew with DS): "He has good tone.  He can even sign now." 

Me (thinking he must be 1 or 2): "That's great.  How old is he?"

Sonographer:  "He's 10."

Me:  "Oh, so he can't talk?"

Sonographer: "He can communicate some.  But, mostly he signs."

It hadn't really occurred to me that my baby might not ever talk.  In the same way, it had never occurred to me that he might not ever read or write (as was mentioned in a devotional Brandon's mom sent us).  Or, that he could end up in a home when he gets older if anything ever happened to us (as was mentioned by someone when sharing about her uncle with DS).  It's these potential losses that seem to come up in conversations when I'm not expecting them...and seem the hardest of all to hear.  A strange mix of mourning, adapting, and trusting usually follows. 

It is a mixed blessing to already know the diagnosis.  It is so good to be able to prepare and learn and even get the right medical care.  Yet, we don't know our baby yet.  We haven't held him...or fed him...or cuddled him.  Even as I feel him hiccup inside me right now, there is something surreal about the fact that he will be in our arms (hopefully) in approximately 6 weeks.  Consequently, the unknown challenges can loom greater than they would otherwise...clouding some of the joy that comes with pregnancy.  It will be so good to have him in our arms.

Some friends told us of friends they know who were told their child could have DS only to discover at birth that he doesn't.  Maybe that could be the case with us too?  It is not.  The results are definitive, and I have found myself sharing that I would be disappointed some if that were the case.  We do believe that this child (with his medical issues) is a huge part of God's plan for us, and we are receiving him as a gift from a good Father who loves us. 

It's late, and this is becoming random and incoherent.  :-)  Going to bed now, but I do want to say thanks again for praying.  There is still so much to share...and I hope to blog more in the coming days.  We're so grateful to all of you for the prayers, notes, food, support and love.  Wish I could express better how much we appreciate you. 

Designer Babies, Designer God

This is a link to an article my friend Holly just sent me.  I wanted to keep it, so I am linking it here.  :-)

Designer Babies, Designer God

Holding You

Matt Hammitt, my friend Sarah's husband, has just released his second single from the upcoming album Every Falling Tear.  It is called Holding You, and I currently have it on repeat.   I wrote about the first single, All of Me, below in this post.  You can read more about Sarah and Matt's journey with their little Bowen at their blog here.  Please pray for him as he is currently having unexplained color changes in his skin.  Pray for the doctors to learn quickly what is causing it.

Check it out.  Every download helps fund their non profit.

 

I can't believe how good God's timing is in this album.

He uses music in my life all the time, and this is an amazing example.

I am excited to hear how he uses these songs in the lives of others as well.

More Happy News

Yesterday, we were in Albuquerque briefly for a few doctor's appointments.  Again, we felt encouraged by what we heard from the doctors.

Another biophysical profile was given an 8 out of 8.  The doctor is particularly pleased about the average amount of amniotic fluid...which again indicates that he isn't necessarily going to come early.

Two of the doctors did confirm, however, that we are going to be in ABQ for almost the entire month of August...and every two weeks until then.  That was good to know.  Please pray for our housing situation.

His heartbeat sounds and looks strong, and the doctor said that it looks like it is pumping blood well.

We are now in Amarillo on our way to Kansas for a wedding reception.  We're looking forward to seeing family and friends.

Have a great weekend!!

p.s.  This is a photo I took yesterday in the OB's office.  I am linking it to something I hope to start doing weekly:  Embrace the Camera.  The idea is to get behind the lens with your kids.  I figured this counted...even if you can't technically see the cute little guy.  :-)  Click on the photo below for more info.