This Week

Thank you family and friends (and even people we don't know) who are praying and supporting us during this time.  There are things going on that can only be attributed to the power of prayer.  

As most of you know I do not want to be put in the hospital or put on medication unless it is absolutely necessary.  It has already been a difficult adjustment on my end to release the daily care of my child (as well as everything else in my "normal" life) to those helping us.  I don't want to be away from Travis or Lucy Mills for what could be an extended period of time.  

Last week I was in and out of my doctor's office and hospital four times.  I had two scheduled visits and two "you need to get here now" visits.  Even though I have been on strict bed rest at home my blood pressure would still spike pretty high throughout the day and night.   The high pressure accompanied with horrible headaches, dizziness, and other unpleasantries my doctor has been concerned to say the least.

Each time I went into the doctor, certain I would hear news that I didn't want to hear, my pressure would suddenly lower and she would let me go home.  One day during a phone conversation with her after having a high pressure, she said she wanted me to come and be evaluated and to discuss our plan of going into the hospital.  So I went in.

* My pressure came down and she sent me home. *

The next day at my appointment, I met with a different doctor who was also ready to admit me.  She even said that medication and hospital stay are not a matter of if but when.  She said she was ready to "check me into the big house."

* My pressure came down and she sent me home. *

After high pressures Thursday night and Friday morning the doctor called me back into her office.  By now I was feeling really crummy and was tired of all the back and forth.  After praying with my mom over the phone I finally surrendered this to God.  If His will was hospital stay my heart was willing.

* My pressure came down and she sent me home. *

Don't get me wrong, I in no way want to put my health or Baby's Boy's well being in jeopardy.  If the doctor's order is medication and hospital stay I'm there.  My homebody, find security in the familiar, loves sleeping in my own bed, waking up to my two loves everyday, self just prefers to stay home as long as I can afford to.  

While I know we serve a big God who answers our specific requests, it is amazing to see them played out on this scale.  My hope is that in all of this that He will be most glorified.  

In the midst of Mommy being away, these two are getting plenty of quality time in! 

And we are all doing what's necessary to prepare for Baby Boy's arrival.

Again, we are so appreciative to everyone who has reached out to us.  I hope that I will one day be able to be the friend that so many have been to me.

Please continue to pray for us.

At my doctor's appointment yesterday my blood pressure was the lowest it's been in weeks!  

Specifically pray for Baby Boy and his breathing and lung development.  At least once a week I am hooked up to monitors for a period of time to see how he is handling this.  The last two times he has had some decelerations in his breathing and that led to more ultrasounds.  The doctor needs to see his diaphram moving more to show that he isn't struggling.  

As a mother I would rather hear that I am struggling rather than my child.  But he is God's, not mine and I daily need to surrender this.

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week.  The goal is 35-36.

Lets hope I don't go crazy inside my four walls between now and then.  :) 

Bed Rest, Baby Boy, and Updates

I typically use this blog to document the happenings of our family, in particularly our sweet Lucy Mills.  It captures the highlights, fun moments, and milestones that I know could all too quickly fade out of my memory.  I also want to use it to remember this period in our family's story because I want to look back and see God's faithfulness.  


Here is an email I sent to my closest girlfriends who I can count on to pray for me and Baby Boy:

Hi sweet friends,

First of all a huge thank you to all of you who have prayed for us, called, emailed, texted, visited, brought us meals, run errands and offered to be available during this time.  I figured I would send an email out to update you all and ask for your continued prayers.  

Two weeks ago (at 26 weeks pregnant) I went to the hospital and found out I have preeclampsia (again) and would need to be on bed rest.  Well I probably did not take it as strictly as I should and last Wednesday night I was back in the hospital through Thursday with my blood pressure spiking the highest it's ever been.  My doctor does not want to put me on medications because there could be complications with it and it would make me feel miserable.  She thinks my BP will stay down if I stay on strict bed rest.  On Thursday and Friday I was given steroid shots to speed up the development of Baby Boy's lungs. Saturday I did more monitoring and testing.  I am 29 weeks pregnant this week and the goal is to get to at least 36 weeks.  Given how I have been feeling the last few days it will be a miracle to make it that long.  But we serve a God who is in the business of miracles and I am asking for your prayers in this area.

God has provided for our every need in this situation and I am confident that He will carry us through.  I am praying specifically:

- that Baby Boy will be born as close to 36 weeks as possible - with mature lungs, a healthy weight, no complications

- that my BP can be controlled on bed rest - without meds and without being put in the hospital permanently

- my doctors will have wisdom on how to treat me

- that Lucy Mills (and Travis) will continue to adjust to life with Mommy in the bed (Maggie is the only happy one about this whole situation!) 

Thank you sisters in Christ. Your friendship means the world to me right now.

Lil

**Update**

I went to the doctor this morning and had an ultrasound done.  Baby Boy looked so sweet and cute in there! His little hands were tucked under his chin and his heart beat was steady and strong.  The doctor said that even though he is wreaking havoc on my body, he is weathering the storm well.  And praise God - he is measuring close to two weeks ahead of schedule! I was comforted by this in the event that he is born premature.  

There was mixed news with me.  My blood work and uric acid levels look great and have even come down some.  However, my blood pressure remains high and I have also had dizziness and headaches which are worrisome.  She wants to monitor me in the hospital for at least a 48 hour period of time.  (boo!)  She almost admitted me tonight but  at the last minute said that I could stay home tonight unless my headache got worse.  I think we are looking at extended hospital stay in the near future.  

A day ago I would have balled my eyes out about being away from Travis and Lucy Mills.  

But the Lord has filled me with a peace in a place where there was anxiety yesterday.

Where there were days of feeling like I can't make it,

I now feel like I am being carried through this. 

After seeing my precious baby boy on the ultrasound I feel the desire to fight for everyday he can stay inside of me. I will do whatever it takes to protect his little life.  I hope that one day he will read this blog and know that he was always meant to be a part of this family.  

Here is Baby Boy's profile shot.
Ignore the big lips...Lucy Mills had that look too! 

Thank you family and friends for your continued prayers.  They are working! 

Bed Rest and Bones

It is my FAVORITE time of year again - fall!  Cooler temperatures, walks outside, football games, tailgating, the state fair, trick-or-treaters, and all things pumpkin related.  Only I will be enjoying the beauty of these things from the loveliness of my bedside.  Yes, this mama has been put on bed rest indefinitely.  You see this is a familiar theme with me because I developed preeclampsia when I was pregnant with Lucy Mills, but I only spent the last month or so off my feet...not the last THREE.  My immediate reaction was to burst into tears and think of all the whys and hows of my predicament.  
Why is this happening again? 
How am I going to take care of my 13 month old mama's girl? 
Laundry? Dishes? Groceries? Ah!


But when I am still and quiet before the Lord I am reminded that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).  The Bible doesn't say "in some things" or "most of the time" but ALL the time.  


So yes this is hard for me and yes I have a pity party most days, but I choose to believe that the Lord is sovereign and I would rather trust His plans than my own narrow minded one.  


And God provides.
I am humbled and amazed at the outpouring of support we have received from family and friends. Our parents have stepped in BIG TIME, our friends have brought us meals, offered to look after my child, run errands for me, clean my house and whatever it takes to get through this season.  For that is what it is - a season.  
I am beyond thankful for these provisions, these people, and for this precious baby boy I am carrying.  
Dare I say I am even thankful for bed rest? Yes.  
It is during these life moments when I see the sweetness of God and His love for us. 


So you might ask what goes on at your house during bed rest? 


Well, a lot of this...

A little of reorganizing...

and rearranging...toddler style. 

We are still celebrating the festive season of October - even if it's in our PJ's! 

Doesn't she make one cute little bag of bones?

A Year At A Glance

Baby Girl,

You are approaching 13 months old and I want to show you how you touched our lives and invaded our hearts this last year.

After a hard pregnancy marked with morning sickness, all day nausea, preeclampsia, and bed rest, you made your entry into the world nearly a month early.  One look at your precious face and all I could think was "I wish I had know it was her" inside of me this whole time.  Daddy and I were on cloud nine, eating up every second with our new baby girl.

{brand new - one day old}

After six days in the hospital we brought you home.  I didn't sleep for a month until I put you on a fabulous schedule.  You conformed to it beautifully and became an excellent napper and sleeper - sleeping through the night at nine weeks old. 

{month 1}

By three months old you made huge progress after being diagnosed with acid reflux and milk allergies.  I worried and cried nearly every time you ate because you were so uncomfortable.  But after putting you on reflux medicine and expensive the right formula, you became a delightful baby. 

{3 months old}

At four months old you became so expressive and recognized Mommy and Daddy.  Our days were filled with joy all because of you.

{4 months old}

Lucy Mills, my dream was always to be a wife and mother. 

I am living my dream. 

{5 months old}

At six months old you were as beautiful as a baby doll.  Everywhere we would go people commented on your bright eyes.  I never would have guessed that I would have a blue-eyed baby, but then again you are more than I ever imagined to begin with.

{6 months old}

While people now say that you are looking more like me, in the beginning you looked just like Daddy.  But pretty. 

{7 months old}

You were not one of those laid back babies that would sit in mommy's arms all day.  Don't let this picture fool you...since you were in my tummy you have been active.  You love to learn and discover things on your own.  I believe this will serve you well in life. 

{8 months old}

We spent quite a lot of time at the beach during your first year.  You hated the sand but loved to swim.  I look forward to many years ahead watching you play along these shores. 

{9 months old}

Before you were born everyone asked me how Maggie was going to fare once you arrived.  She was used to being my one and only, but both of you adjusted so well to one another.  You love her and she loves you. 

{10 months old}

By eleven months old you had four {and a half} teeth, kept your blue eyes, were crazy about your daddy, carried Lindsay everywhere, and loved to eat bananas. 

{11 months old}

At one year you still reign as the queen of our hearts.  

{12 months old}

While I can't wait to see how you grow and thrive this year,  just remember that you will always be my sweet baby girl.

Life As a One Year Old

So what does life look like for this happy one year old?

I know it sounds crazy but I see more "big girl" qualities in Lucy Mills than baby. For example she wants to talk soooo bad. She is constantly babbling and trying to say new words. Da-da is probably the easiest word for her (and by far her favorite!) but she says "Na-nah" for Maggie, night night, buckle, bagel, "Nee-Nee" for Lindsay, cheese, and uh-oh. Quite an impressive vocabulary for a 12 month old.
Speaking of 12 months, here is her monthly picture with the ever-shrinking bear.
As you can tell she is thrilled about posing for this.

We are not walking on our own yet but getting there. Mommy is praying that her first steps are in the near future because carrying a baby on my hip as well as in my belly is beginning to get a little heavy!

But who needs a walker when this little bit can mop my hardwoods with her {clean} diapers?!

Along with being a big girl now, Lucy Mills enjoys having her boyfriend William over to play.  Although she has to let him know who is boss of her toys...I guess she is practicing for when baby brother arrives. 

Miss Priss is a girl in every sense of the word.  If this wasn't apparent at the beach this summer when she cried getting her hands "dirty" in the sand, it is obvious now as she loves to dress up in Mommy's shoes and other accessories Grandmother sent her. 

Another favorite activity is bath time.  Who can resist this squeaky clean bunny? 

We are pretty good at sticking to a routine around here.  Everyday I can count on Lucy Mills to have some quality playtime in her room which includes pulling all of her dolls off the shelves. {As well as all of her clothes out of the bottom two drawers, but that's neither here nor there}.  I am happy she likes them - they were mine and Susan's when we were little girls. 

I LOVE that she loves books.  This month we started participating in weekly story time at our local library.  I figured you can never start early enough getting children interested in books and reading.  Lucy Mills loves the stories, songs, puppets, and other activities that are involved at story time.  It has paid off because she now will open a book and spend time looking through it while babbling on and on about it.  

And I never grow tired of this preciousness...

I guess life as a one year old is pretty sweet for this little angel.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

Over Labor Day weekend the weather FINALLY turned from sweltering to decent, so Travis and I enjoyed an outing with Lucy Mills at the zoo. We are fortunate to have a nice zoo locally and I hope we can take advantage of it while she is growing up.

Sweet girl enjoyed viewing the animals atop of Daddy's shoulders most of the afternoon. Here we are strolling through the kangaroo walkabout. (Notice how cute their shadow is!)

While I wasn't too sure how she would like the gorilla exhibit since they come right up to the plate glass, Miss Fearless knocked on the window trying to get the big guys attention.

Check out that face!

"Hey big guy...look down here!"

Face to face, and yet she wasn't scared. Not one bit.

Daddy pointing out the elephants.

And a picture with me to prove I was there.

Looking for the monkeys...can you spot the tail hanging down from the bush?

She probably enjoyed the farm animals the most. She was especially fond of the billy goat until she noticed all of his teeth protruding from his massive under bite. I wish I had a picture to show you but once Travis and I saw it we died laughing and Mr. Billy Goat must have had his feelings hurt and moved away from the Masons.

On our way out we saw the lions hanging out in the shade. We saw so many animals and I took a bazillion pictures that day but these are the highlights from our outing. Well, that and the cherry Iceys we slurped down to keep us cool. Lucy Mills was a trooper all afternoon. As she is getting older she is enjoying these types of activities more and more. We look forward to more field trips this fall!

The Birthday Girl

It's my birthday!!!

The much anticipated birthday weekend finally arrived, despite sweet girl having teething pains and a cold all week. I woke up at 4am Friday morning, which is not unusual for me in this pregnancy. Lucy Mills was born at 3:10am and I thought to myself "Happy Birthday...we had just met you for the first time a year ago around this hour." I got up from my cozy comforter and walked down the hall into her pale pink nursery to just rock in her chair for a while. It seems like so long ago that I used to drag my aching, sleepy self out of bed to go tend to a crying newborn in the middle of the night. And now I just sit in silence in her room remembering the moments that made up her first year.

Being a mom is the most wonderful gift I could ever ask for.

I few short hours later I heard that sweet voice on the monitor, ready to rise and shine and start her birthday.

Lucy Mills received lots of thoughtful cards in the mail Friday and she helped Mommy open them and read them.

She especially liked the one from Aunt Shirley because it played a fun tune. When the music started she would throw her arms up and dance to the rhythm.

Suggie came over to give her namesake a present and card...

"Suggie, you expect me to read this?"

"Oh, you mean I get birthday cards AND presents!!!"

Mommy thinks I am tutu cute!

Sitting pretty. Patiently waiting for her party day.

"I am finally getting brave on my push toy and Mommy thought that it would be a fun surprise to Grandmother and Granddad if I could walk at my party..."

"But I decided that I like crawling just fine. I mean why rush these things when I have parents and grandparents who want to carry me anyways?"

It's party time!

Lucy Mills' very first birthday cake.

Her decorated high chair...

And of course everyone was anticipating what color the inside of the birthday cake would be...

"The secrets out...I am going to have a baby brother!"

I gave LM a lick of icing to start with and once she realized it was sweet she immediatley put her hands in it.

Hmmm...not bad.

In fact, she decided that her cake was so yummy Daddy needed to try it...

And then it was time to open presents!

"Can I open this one next Mom?"

"Score! My very own PINK cell phone!"

All in all, I would say that this little angel had a very happy birthday.