On our Knees...Again

Well, dear friends and prayer warriors, we have found reason for our knees to hit the Earth again. Our children have a special way of making their marks on our hearts and making sure they are truly loved and wanted before every taking a breath on this earth. Jackson brought us to our knees with the hole in his heart and by coming so early (at almost 34 weeks). Faith, of course, left her own mark on our hearts that will remain forever. Now this little guy is doing his due diligence to make sure he is just as special, loved, and wanted as his brother and sister.

First of all, praise God, this Little One appears to be healthy and growing so strong day by day. We have been blessed to have many ultrasounds and check-ups to make sure he is staying on target. It has been a bit of a rough ride with all the nausea and being on a zofran pump for 8 weeks to help me keep food down and gain some weight.  Oh how I miss food!! I have also been receiving lovely progesterone shots each week to hopefully help me carry this Little Guy to full term. Praise God for 26 weeks!!

I am asking for some prayers tonight. I have been wanting to update all of you on our progress for a while, but needed to make sure I took care of business first. We went in to our specialist, Dr. Adam, on June 23. At that appointment we found out that my cervix was shortening. It is supposed to measure 3.5-4.0, and mine was measuring 2.8. It was down from the previous 3.4 measurement 4 weeks prior. Dr. Adam was alarmed because it meant that our Little One was trying to come into this world WAY too early!  I was placed on restricted activity at that time. I didn't go too many places and tried to stay off my feet as much as possible. We returned to Dr. Adam 2 weeks later and found my cervix had shortened more to 2.7. Dr. Adam advised me not to leave the house and placed me on full bed rest. I was still able to be with Jackson, but tried to do even less.

On our last appointment with Dr.Adam, this week, my cervix measured a scary 2.2-definitely going the wrong direction! We are only 26 weeks along and need desperately to keep this precious Little One growing as long as possible. I am on meds to stop the contractions and haven't gotten out of bed in 3 days. I know the next step for us could be the hospital,so I am doing the best I can to stay horizontal. Oh how I pray to stay at home with my family!!

There are so many things I wanted to do during this time and it is hard to give them up. I wanted to shop and decorate the perfect nursery, take Jackson to every upcoming soccer practice and game, and join my friends at the beginning of the school year. I am beginning to accept that I cannot do much for the remainder of this pregnancy. I won't make every soccer game or practice. I won't be able to shop for the cute outfits and decor. I won't be able to return to work until after this Little One joins us. However, I know in my heart I am doing the right thing. Our job right now is to get this Little One here safely. Hopefully in the future this will seem like a small piece of time. Right now time seems to drag by-just praying to have a few more weeks for this Little One to finish developing. We are anxious to have this healthy little boy join our family!

Speaking of our amazing family, God keeps showing me what a blessing each person is to us! My sweet Jackson keeps me entertained with Batman boys and Spiderman games. Team Umizoomi is a favorite show for us. He is such a trooper and has taken such great care of me. As a mom, it feels so backwards...I should be providing for him and doting on him. This is not how I wanted to spend our last summer before his brother arrives! I am trying to keep my eyes on the big picture. God is growing this little precious boy of mine into an amazing man right before my eyes. I am amazed at the compassion, empathy, and care Jackson is able to show others. He is such a blessing! My sweet Shawn blesses me every day by taking on extra household duties. Jackson even says that Mommies don't cook, only Daddies cook! I am sure his future wife will thank me! Our families have put their lives on hold to help out as much as they can. We are truly blessed!



Thank you in advance for all of your prayers...I will keep you updated on our progress as often as I can (it takes a while to type laying down). I pray peace for each of you tonight...

On our knees is the best place for us to be!
Tis