Relief

How thrilled am I to be back at home and posting on our GOOD news?!?!? Today's appointment went very well. We were there 15 minutes before my appointment time, as we did not want to be late. I was fortunate enough to be the first person called back and my bladder was thankful. When the ultrasonographer told me I didn't need a full bladder, it was even happier. Except that meant I would not be getting an abdominal scan...I will leave it at that...

A doctor came into the room with the sonographer once I was ready. We were expecting Dr. C, but Dr. K introduced herself. We have never seen her before but she was very nice and we were encouraged after meeting with her. To set the scene a bit, my cervical length measured 3.8 cm last Monday. By Thursday, it fluctuated from 3.1 cm to 2.56 cm on ultrasound in a matter of seconds. This was not a good sign and is what prompted strict bedrest.

The scan began and my untrained eye thought there appeared to be at least some cervix left. As she began to measure, the line got longer and longer. 3.5cm!!! Dr. K was very pleased with the results. She was able to answer a few of our questions and put our minds at ease regarding the plans for the future.

So, there you have it. I know God has His hand in this situation and give Him the glory for our good news. He has heard your prayers! And ours! My next appointment is scheduled with Dr. B on Tuesday. Dr. K did not say I have to stay on strict bedrest. However, Dr. Malone, veterinarian, did! So we will lay low until Tuesday to be safe. Thank you all so much for everything you are doing on our behalf and helping carry us through this time! 18 weeks down and hopefully lots more to go! We're going to need you!

Another request

I have been floored by the number of comments we have received over the past few days.
There are no words to express how grateful we are for all the encouragement. We are so honored to have prayer after prayer lifted on our behalf of our family. We truly feel it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I wanted to give an update on where things stand right now. I have an appointment with Maternal Fetal Medicine today(Wed) at 1:00. Needless to say, I am quite anxious to meet with Dr. C. While I have remained as still as possible since Thursday, my contractions have continued and the medication did not seem to help. To further complicate a messy situation, we learned I have an infection as well. So, I am now being treated for that.


Because I have to believe in the power of prayer, I need to ask another favor. Please pray the contractions have not caused further shortening of my cervix. (did I just ask people to pray for my cervix???? I did...) With the number of contractions I have been having, this seems unlikely. But we will ask anyway! Also, pray for wisdom for each doctor on my case. We want to know that everything is being done to keep this little guy safely inside my womb!

I will let you know how things go when I get back! Thanks for your willingness to pray!

Frozen

This is what I was working on before drama struck...again.

There are a lot of words to say. But for some reason, I am having a hard time making any sense of them. I have been keeping it inside for so long that it is difficult to actually let it out. I feel safe with the details of our life hidden in the confines of our home (and with a few other people). At least that is the lie I have been telling myself for a while now. Bottom line, I don't feel safe and I need a net in which it is safe to fall.

People ask how I am doing, how we are doing in reference to the loss of Caroline. To be honest, I have no idea. Though it has almost been 6 months since we lost her, I haven't had time toprocess the whole situation. I was simply trying to get on my feet and face the world in March and April. But by May, our world was turned upside down. We found ourselves in the middle of a game we were not ready to play. I stood in the bathroom around 10:00pm on Wednesday the 21st of May, sobbing, as my concern became reality. I am pregnant, again.

It feels like there are a million strikes against this baby. First and foremost, he is growing in a very hostile environment. He was conceived a month before it was recommended due to increased risk of preterm labor. Then, like clockwork, I had experienced the infamous early bleed, again. Because I have yet to post the "Caroline" chapter, you may or may not know the doctors feel a similar bleed during her pregnancy played a large role in her preterm birth. The only way I could increase my risk of preterm labor at this point is to start smoking/taking drugs and to be physically abused. I already meet most of the other "requirements."

Steps are being taken to prevent preterm labor, mainly progesterone injections and activity restriction at this point. However at 17 weeks and 1 day, I have been having contractions, almost daily, for a while now. I desperately want to believe "the third time is the charm". Yet, I am stuck feeling it's "3 strikes and your out". It is apparent my body does not like pregnancy despite what my heart and head feel and think. I want this little guy to be here with us on this earth. I want to know what it is like to come home with a baby in my arms; living, breathing, crying. I want to experience motherhood and want Blake to feel like a true father. I want, I want, I want... It terrifies me to think that my wants are not in keeping with the ultimate plan for our lives. With each passing day, it feels as if our desires are just our own.

I learned this news at a time when I was beginning to feel a slight spiritual lift from losing Caroline. Initially, I was able to believe, "This was not our plan...this was His timing...this was supposed to happen this way." But now, I am struggling to believe. I have read blog after blog of girls who have lost babies in the past 2 years. Their love for our Lord is so apparent and they praise Him constantly in their writing. I am envious for their level of faith and reliance on Him. It feels as though I am suffering spiritual paralysis. I can't move. I am stuck. I can't pray. I don't feel my God right now. Yes, I know He is there. His Word says He will not foresake me or leave me. But my faith is at an all time low and I am frozen. The future terrifies me. I only know what it is like to lose a baby. Can I survive losing another baby? Will I have the strength to pick myself off the ground and follow my Lord despite the outcome of this pregnancy?

Weary

I hesitate to even post anything online so I will be brief. We find ourselves in a difficult spot, once again. This is not how I planned to share but nothing seems to go as we plan. I find myself 17 weeks and 2 days pregnant, contracting and on bedrest. Needless to say, this is not good. We are discouraged, to say the least. We both feel the only way we will know this little guy on earth is through a miracle. Yet, we are at a spiritual, mental and emotional low and can't imagine that happening for us. Please forgive the doubt, but we are struggling. All I know to do at this point is to ask for prayer. We would sure appreciate it!

Home improvement, take 10

I realize I have been slacking on the blog lately. Seeing how I have nothing but time on my hands right now, there is no excuse I can offer to explain the hiatus. You can just call me lazy! I am sure no one has lost sleep over my lack of communication though! For what it's worth, I am working on a few posts right now so there are more to come.

During the months of June and July, several of our rooms were updated! Most people know my mother-in-law is a phenomenal seamstress. Window treatments, bed skirts, throw pillows, smocking, children's clothes, etc. You name it, she can make it. And with such detail you should pay a fortune for it! I have said over and over I am going to get her to teach me a thing or two. We'll see if that ever happens. Anyway, she gets all the credit for most of the decorating in my house and all of the fabric hanging on the walls. In a matter of 2 weeks, she spit out this project for my dining room and sitting room (with no where to sit...):

Honestly, could it look much better than this? I think not. She finds the fabric for me, tells me how much I need, I get it then she provides me with the end result! Am I spoiled or what? She thought it would be a good idea to introduce a new color to the blues, greens and browns we already had downstairs. So we, I mean, she found the stripped fabric with a streak of "brick," as we call it. Then, she found solid "brick" fabric for the dining room. The only part I can claim is the trim in the dining room, which is hard to see in these pictures. Anyway, it has blue, green, brown, AND brick in it, tying everything together perfectly! I couldn't be more thrilled with the end result. The rooms look more finished, despite the lack of chairs in the sitting room! I have no doubt she is on the lookout for those! While I am at, she made this for the breakfast room earlier this year:

So cute.

The latest project involved replacing a rather dinky and ugly light fixture with an old-but-new one! Once again, my mother-in-law found it for herself at an antique store. She thinks its original home was in a church. When her friend and interior decorator extraordinaire saw it, she thought it was completely wrong for her space. However, she thought it would look GREAT in MY stairwell! I know, I am so lucky! We had the light reworked, rewired and added glass. Take a look at the completed project:

The original was approximately 8 inches tall and weighed about 2 lbs. The old-but-new one is about 3 1/2 feet tall and weighs about 25lbs. I have yet to throw out the old one so let me know if you are interested! :) It's free to the first taker!

Deeper still

almost one month later...I'm making progress

It is strange to walk in the back door of your own home and not recognize it anymore. She had never been there, outside of my womb that is, but she was clearly missing. There were plans for her in our house. I pictured a swing in the living room. I envisioned a car seat sitting in the floor with her sleeping inside. We furnished the bonus room, anticipating the three of us would spend a lot of time there. It was divided into thirds: an area for the computer, a place to sit and watch TV and a spot to house lots and lots of toys. The perfect multipurpose room for a family. And then, of course, there is the room we had planned to be her nursery. The walls has not been painted and the furniture was never ordered. Though each room was just as we left them on Tuesday night, everything had changed. The house felt empty.

My parents were waiting when we arrived. They had a meal for us, which was greatly appreciated. I usually enjoy cooking but had zero desire to return to the kitchen at that point in time. That would be way to normal and life had become anything but. We hung out in the living room, watching TV and talking. I would occasionally go upstairs to use the bathroom, which was now a chore that involved massive pads and water bottles. Just one of the many constant, physical reminders. In those moments alone, it would hit me. The reality of what happened would creep in and panic would start to fill my mind before Blake would rescue me from myself. He wouldn't let me out of his sight for more than 5 minutes, attempting to protect me any way he could.The next day, I took my mom to a local pharmacy. Blake wanted to try a half day of work to ease himself back in. He called at lunch saying he needed a haircut. I didn't give it much thought because mom and I were still downtown. He was home when we returned but I payed no attention to his hair. I was concerned with showing my parents Finley's "mementos" from the hospital before they headed home. We had been given a quilted, yellow bag that contained her footprints, her dress, her blanket, her pictures, a gold, baby ring that had been placed in her hand, paperwork and grief booklets. I explained the significance of each as I went through the bag with them. My heart started to pound and I could not breath as I frantically searched. The ring...where was it? It was not in the bag. Blake saw the distress in my face and quickly stepped up with a gray, velvet box. I opened it to find beautiful diamond earrings and a silver chain holding her tiny, gold ring. Emotions I had been holding in for the past 24 hours came flooding out. I started shaking, sobbing. We all cried. A friend told me that you are "supposed" to get diamonds when you have a baby. I had mentioned that to Blake as a joke a few weeks before, knowing that would not be in the budget when the baby came. Then I noticed his hair. I looked no different than it did when he left for work that morning. He remembered the story. He hadn't gotten his hair cut. He was out, thinking of me.

Another physical reminder showed up the next day. My chest was engorged. I had been told it would happened, but hoped I would be spared. No such luck. I can remember trying to find a dress to wear on Easter. Nothing fit. The top and the waist were too tight in every dress I owned. I managed to squeeze into one, praying the seems wouldn't bust when I sat in the pew. Just what I needed to be concerned with on Easter, 5 short days after I lost my first child.Despite the discomfort, it felt good to be in church that Sunday. The service was great, with testimonies from people who had been through various trials. It seemed as if they were there to give me hope. They had reached the light at the end of the tunnel into which we had just stepped, with light yet to be found. The songs we sang were powerful. It was almost as if they were chosen specifically for me. In Christ Alone and Blessed Be Your Name are two that stand out in my mind. I was reminded that God knew what it was like to lose a child. He had willingly done so. For my sake, nonetheless. Relatively new to the church, few people knew us at the time. As I looked around, I realized that no one had a clue what we had just been through. You could not tell by looking at me that I had just given birth to a baby that died. For those sitting near us, it was apparent by the end of the service that something was wrong. The emotions came flooding, again. Tears poured down my face as Blake and I walked to the front of the church to pray with one of the elders. The members of our small group made their way down to surrounded us as he prayed. It was a special moment. Mentally and spiritually, I felt better after the service. Physically, the pain only doubled when we received hugs of love and encouragement left and right. You can't exactly say, "Be gentle, my chest could explode."

The first few weeks were a blur. Yet, each Thursday I was reminded, "I would have been 21 weeks, 22 weeks, 23 weeks... "And on Wednesdays, I would think, "I can't believe she has been gone 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks..." As time moved on, adjusting to this new life seemed to get harder and harder. It felt as if I was regressing. I was slowly losing myself in the days and weeks that followed her passing. At first, I could talk to people until I was blue in the face. For most who know me, that should come as no surprise. I was doing good, feeling okay. It was not until I sat, staring at the phone as it rang, making no attempt to answer, that I knew I was slipping. The social butterfly's wings had been broken. I could no longer talk on the phone. I would cry before most social functions, not wanting to go and just not going to many. I hated small talk. I hated that everyone spoke to me as if nothing ever happened. They had no idea what to say and I knew that. I understood that they did not bringing her up in an attempt to protect me. But to never acknowledge her hurt even more. I was nothing but an awkward situation waiting to happen. Some people just avoided me. I probably would have avoided me, too. What do you say? How do I respond? It was too much work. How could I put on a happy face, when inside, I had been ripped apart?

Pregnant women were drawn to me. They were everywhere I went, from Target to Victoria's Secret. I sat next to a girl in the salon that was due in 10 days. She spoke of all the things she still needed to do to get ready for the big day. The room needed finishing touches. Her toes were "horrible" so she had a pedicure scheduled the next day. She complained about swelling, being hot and uncomfortable. She did not know if she was ready for a newborn AND a toddler. I sat in my chair contemplating whether I should just get up and run out crying with foil on my head or if I should ask her if she would like to trade seats with me. I would have gladly switched places with her in that moment. I did neither. I just sat there trying to distract my ears as best I could. She had no idea. I am sure I would have been saying the same things had I been given the opportunity. But there was a huge part of me that wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy every second of that baby. Did she not know the future she was planning could change in a split second? Did she not realize how fortunate she was to be carrying that baby to term? Similar scenarios followed me everywhere I went. At parties, at dinner, at church and at weddings. My ears were in tune to baby talk. I could be in a room of 1,000 people and sit next to women talking about babies and breastfeeding and deliveries. Please, Lord, give me a break. Make this go away. It was much easier to just stay home.

Grief tests the strength of a marriage. Initially, it drew Blake and I closer than we have ever been. We were heartbroken, together. Yet, within weeks, Blake and I were on two different pages in dealing with her loss. I would still cry at the drop of a hat, constantly thinking of her and the events of April 3rd and 4th. Blake no longer shed tears. Worked forced him to focus his thoughts on the task at hand. I went to work and was reminded of her. She had been there with me. She was the topic of conversation on a daily basis for me and my coworkers. Blake had not carried her for 20+ weeks. He did not feel her moving inside throughout the day. Their bonding was very different than ours. I wanted to talk about her a lot. He was ready to move forward with our life and I could only stand still. We walked a fine line in an attempt to be sensitive to each others needs while dealing with our own. My thoughts were on her. His concerns were for me. Would we ever be the same? Would I ever feel true happiness again? All normal phases in the process but not easy to live endure. It did not help that my body image was at an all time low. I was left with a soft, mushy layer where a "Body for Life" once existed. I hated my figure. More than shape, I hated my body for failing me...failing Blake...failing her.

I was introduced to the world of blogging after losing Finley. A friend told me of a girl who had recently lost her baby. And then there was a link to another family, and another family and another family. Our stories were different, but our grief was the same. While I would never wish this experience on my worst enemy, it was nice to know I was not alone. My feelings were validated. Although I don't know any of the bloggers I follow, they are precious to me. They helped me through a difficult time. The posts below are 2 that describe my feelings better than I could myself. So why reinvent the wheel?http://jonathanjarededwards.blogspot.com/2008/04/counsel-for-griever.html
http://jonathanjarededwards.blogspot.com/2008/07/timy-glimpse-of-what-hes-doing.html
Blogs have been a huge part of the healing process for me.

My spiritual life was up and down. Some days, I could feel the presence of God ever near. On other's, I was convinced He was no where to be found. Why had He allowed this to happen to us? What had we done to deserve losing our baby? I don't pray enough. I don't spend time in the Word, daily. I don't do enough. My head knew the answers to the questions. God did not DO this to us. I was not being punished for my measly attempts at service for Him. It is part of the fallen work in which we live. Bad things happen to "good" people. I have watched bad things happen to my "good" friends. They didn't deserve it either. I could not allow myself to believe that God did it to them, much less to me. But, daily, I did ask why He had chosen not to intervene when He had the power to do so. Why didn't he stop it from happening? The only way I could rationalize the situation in my head was to believe He was using this trial to strengthen me for His purpose. I did not like this idea, but it gave me some sense of peace.

Before we left the hospital, Dr. B voiced concern that I may have underlying medical conditions. At my 6 week checkup, 15 vials of blood were drawn to test me for various autoimmune disorders and thrombophilias. I had mixed emotions about the results. If I tested positive for one of them, there would be a reason this happened to us. We would be better equipped to prevent this from happening in the future. If nothing turned up, losing Finley would have been a case of "bad luck." We would be left with unanswered questions and I didn't like that option. I needed a reason. I wanted to know why. We would have to wait 3 weeks for the results to come in. The waiting game was miserable. My mind raced with "what ifs"constantly. Like clockwork, the phone rang 3 weeks from the day my blood was drawn. It was Dr. B himself calling to share what he had learned. Genetic testing revealed I had a clotting disorder-homozygous PAI-1(plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) deficiency. I was/am a clotter. Who knew? Such information could explain why I had the abruption that ultimately took Finley's life. There was a medical reason for her loss. The "why" I had been asking for weeks had an answer.

What about the future? I would need to take an 81 mg aspirin daily for the rest of my life to help prevent a stroke or heart attack. Easy enough. I could still get pregnant but would need to accompany the daily aspirin with a stronger blood thinner, Lovenox. I would, of course, be a higher risk pregnancy but was confidently told we should be able to have as many children as we wanted. What a relief. Initially, I felt good about the new information and was eager to move on to the next phase of our life. We were told to wait 3 months from delivery before trying to conceive again. It took 13 weeks for my body to regulate so we had no choice. Another waiting game.In the meantime, I start to think more about the new diagnosis. At first, I was able to focus on Finley as my saving grace. It was her loss that taught me about the PAI-1 deficiency. She may have prevented me from having a serious heart attack or stroke in the future. She was my angel in more ways than one. Yet, Satan uses various tactics to kick you when you are down. I became overwhelmed with guilt. I was the reason Finley was gone. It was my genes, my DNA, my womb that failed our child. It was my fault our parents would never meet their granddaughter, our siblings would never hold their niece, our nephews would never play with their cousin, so on and so forth. How could I even think about trying again when I had done this to our first, perfectly healthy daughter? What if it happened again? Could I live with myself? Hard questions to wrestled with in the middle of the night when no one is up to convince you otherwise.

Fortunately, my desire to have children was stronger than the demons inside my head. We were given the green light to try and I was consumed. I knew my cycle backward and forward. I could feel every sensation my uterus produced and more than likely, what it meant. I had an agenda. I just wanted to be pregnant again. I needed new hope, a good ending to a terrible story. When nothing happened the first month, I was devastated. The next month appeared to be the same with the exact same "symptoms" during the infamous 2 week wait. But, much to my surprise, a test told me otherwise on October 7th, 2007. The day after Blake's sister was married, I learned I was, again, pregnant. The roller coaster takes off...

The Big Easy

The AVMA hosted their annual meeting in New Orleans this year. Since Blake needed continuing education hours and a vacation sounded good, we headed off to the Big Easy! We boarded a plane on the 17th of July and spent the next 6 days playing, eating, lounging, walking, eating, learning (Blake, anyway), eating, taking tours and eating. One thing was constantly on my mind...if you can't tell. "Where are we eating next?"Let's just say I've got people who gave me the scoop on the best eateries in town. Blake and I managed to put a pretty large dent in the list, as you will see!

We started the 18th with an early morning walk to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and orange juice. Delicious. We then walked along the river and ended up in a mall! Blake forgot to bring shorts and was ready to pass out from overheating by 10:30. So, he bought a few new pair to make it through the week. We walked around River Walk and grabbed a muffelata for lunch. It was good, not great. Probably because it was not on the list of must do's supplied by B. Majors. We did a city tour that afternoon and got to see more of the French Quarter, the Garden District, St. Charles Street, a cemetery, and the Katrina devastation in the lower 9th ward. The evening ended with a nice dinner at Acme Oyster House consisting of grilled oysters, crawfish etouffee, jambalya, gumbo and red beans and rice. Great meal!

Blake spent all day on the 19th in lectures while I read a book by the pool. I walked to Johnny's Po-Boy's for lunch and it was another good, not great meal. What did I expect? It was also not one of B. Majors recommendations! But dinner was a different story. We boarded the St. Charles Street car and headed to S Carrollton for a meal at Camellia Grill. It was fabulous. We ordered burgers, fries and a chocolate freeze (milkshake). I would have to say that was one of the best burgers I have ever put in my mouth. We were in heaven! We rode the street car back to Canal Street and walked down Bourbon Street to get to our hotel. An interesting walk, to say the least, full of lovely sights and smells coming from all directions!

Blake spent the morning of the 20th in lectures. I met him for lunch at a place called Mother's. Not only was on the list but Blake had been there before. I had quite a hike from Bourbon Street to Poydras in 95+ degree weather. It managed to work up a good sweat by the time I arrived, only to find a line outside the door. To top that off, it was in the direct sunlight. Fortunately, we only had to wait outside for 5 minutes, tops. But the damage had been done. Once inside, I scanned a rather large menu and had a hard time deciding what to order. All of a sudden, I wasn't feeling so good. My pulse was racing and once again found myself sweating...in an air conditioned room. Luckily, there was an empty seat next to me that my butt managed to find before the room went black! Nearly passed out in at Mother's in New Orleans. Good thing I was with a doctor...for animals...who got me water. All was well once I was hydrated but I must admit it was a little scary. Blake got breakfast, a crawfish etouffee omelet and a debris biscuit. I was in no state to place my order and ended up with red beans and rice. Great meal despite my near fainting experience. Recouped with a full belly, we headed to the aquarium to check out all the creatures. We saw lots and lots of fish, shark, jelly fish, seahorses, otters, penguins, frogs, etc. Great facility. Then we headed to the IMAX to watch Hurricane in the Bayou, which we enjoyed as well. We headed back to the room for a nap before getting ready for dinner. We ended up eating at Cafe Maspero. We weren't starved and heard the had a $10 seafood platter with salad included. Good, not great but a nice end to a hectic day.

On the 21st, the first half of the day was more education for Blake. I spent the morning piddling on the computer in the room and then reading by the pool. I picked Blake up at noon and we headed to get the best po-boy in town per B. Majors. She was right. Fabulous meal at Domilise's on Annunciation. We couldn't decide which sandwich to get so we tried the 3 she recommended: fried shrimp, fried oyster and roast beef with gravy. Basically, they were to die for! The place was a hole in the wall but has been around for 70+ years. We were even so lucky to have Dot Domilise herself make our sandwich! Pretty special! With full bellies, yet again, we headed to Magazine Street to do a little boutique browsing. I managed to get a pair of shoes before having to take Blake back to the convention center. No point in heading back to the room. I finished out the afternoon walking up and down Magazine finding a few more goodies to purchase! Picked up Blake and headed back to the Inn. Ended the night with pizza in the French Quarter. Not recommended but a pretty tasty meal.

Our final day, the 22nd, started out the same as each day before. Blake class...me by the pool reading The Secret Life of Cece Wilkes (good read). After 22 hours of lecture, Blake was finished with his continuing education by noon. We drove back to Camellia Grill for one more burger. Well, not exactly true. Blake got an onion omelet and a pecan waffle. There was no way I could pass up grilled ground chuck with cheese, mayo and ketchup stuffed between 2 buns! To top it off, I got chili cheese fries! What a pig. It was, again, one of the best burgers I have had the privilege of eating in my entire life. We had to go back to the hotel and rest after that meal but had plans to eat at Pascal's Manale for dinner. Too bad Blake's stomach wimped out on us. He was in no shape to eat by dinner time so we had to miss out on the home of the original BBQ shrimp :(. Next time!

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:25 am on the 23rd. Our trip was officially over. We had a great time together. It was so nice to get away for a few days and relax. I must say a change in scenery was good for the spirit! As you can tell, we ate lots and lots of really good food. I can't believe I didn't gain a pound. Maybe it had to something to do with the fact that we walked around in nothing but heat and humidity for 5 days! Good times! Hope to do it again.