3/15/12

When you sit in a hospital bed, you get lots of blogging time.  I am procrastinating some emails and HUF stuff, because I do not want to forget any details of Grey's journey.

3/14/12
Yesterday was actually what I would consider "fun" in the scheme of a hospital stay.  The staff at Covenant truly make you feel like you are a queen (or king), and have far exceeded every request, need and expectation we have had.

Chet, Charys, Tisha and I were given a very informative tour of the NICU (just in case) before lunch, and I am so glad to see it and be aware of how it is run.  I love their strict policies and procedures, and know they will take epic care of Grey, if she were to need to go there.  I had to contain myself from not swooping down and scooping up one of the babies in there.  I wanted to hold and love on them all! ;)

Tisha treated us to a yummy chicken lunch, and then my sweet friend Jennifer came for a visit.  She brought a wonderful basket of snacks and goodies...and the most precious drawing from her daughter, "E":

Story to this drawing:  Jennifer had told E that she would be staying with her grandma this afternoon, since she had to visit her friend in the hospital who was going to have a baby.  She did not give any details (our baby being a girl, Holden's story, nothing...).  E drew this sweet picture and asked her mom to give it to me.  She drew me holding a baby girl, and when Jennifer asked her who the other baby was, she said, "That's her baby brother!"  What a GIFT!  All the details - from me holding our little Grey, to Holden being colored in orange (a color we associate with him because of his nursery, the Ugandan flag, etc.), to our chair we are sitting in being grey are things I do not think are coincidences.  I love love love how God uses the 'littlest' gestures as gifts, and how oftentimes the deliverers of His gifts are children.  I needed to see Grey smiling today.  :)

Chet and I then took the infant CPR class offered here at 3:00pm.  We have both been certified in infant CPR in the past, but it makes it a lot more real when you are about to have your own baby.

The day really did fly by with so much to do.  The Raleys came over and brought a delicious lasagna dinner from Orlando's for all of us.  We have been eating well since being here! :)

Grey impressed us on her NSTs yesterday, which was of course the most important thing!  Chet and I were up early this morning, ready to start this new day!

Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.  1 Samuel 2:1

3/13/12

I guess my normal blogging time will be around 4:00am during our hospital stay.  I am grateful I can usually get a couple of hours of sleep in before 2:00am.

Yesterday's update (3/13/12):

After our little girl did not look very good on her morning NST (baseline heart rate was too low), we were swept into another ultrasound and literally surrounded by caring hospital staff.  My favorite part of this [scary] lesson was that we learned we could have Grey out in a matter of minutes if ever need be.  They move FAST when there is a reason to!  An iv with fluids and oxygen mask (on me) seemed to do the trick, and her baseline jumped back into the normal range for the rest of the day.  There is a lot that can be done in a 5-minute window.  Another reason I feel peace here.

Tisha decided to be nearer to us after that episode, so she drove the entire way back to Lubbock yesterday morning.  It was wonderful sharing another day with her!  She brought Slaton Bakery thumbprints, listened to me jabber all day, and strolled me around in a wheelchair to the courtyard for some much-needed and craved sunshine and fresh air.  I was surprised to see my beautiful sister Charys arrive too (she met us in the courtyard)!!  With both of them here, I know Grey and I will get all the love in the world until she makes her debut (and afterwards of course).

Chet ran back to Snyder after working yesterday, and accomplished my "please get done" list.  He's pretty awesome like that with the demanding wife he's married to. :)  I am amused how we have packed a ton of stuff, but I still manage to realize something "important" that we forgot - oh like at 2am each night.  I do not remember these things when Chet is awake, or my [amazingly helpful] friends could run an errand.  Tonight/this morning I realized that we did not pack shampoo/conditioner/hair spray/anything to help out my bed head.  Lovely. :)  I may experiment in a couple hours and see how hospital soap does on my locks.  Hmmm...
We also did not seem to think of packing anything but casual pajamas and sweats for me.  Laying in a bed all day made me think I would not care.  I clearly did not take into account that I would be hanging out here for a long haul...and with Tisha, the world's most wonderful photographer, but who really enjoys documenting me in pictures too much.  ;)

So far, other than yesterday morning's scare, I have felt good.  Baby is good.  We are so relieved to be here.

Thank you Jaci and Melanie for sending these:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.  Psalm 105:4

Extra care!

3/13/12 4:00am *just now posting since we really debated posting this...*
I woke up (or really just didn't sleep) so excited that Tisha and Jim were able to attend our ultrasound and NST appointment bright and early yesterday morning.  Grey even (kind of sort of) showed us her face, more than she ever has, which was so sweet since they were there.  She was impressing the photogs in her life!

Taken through my placenta, so it's blurry and distorted, but you can make out a nose and eyes! :)

Our specialist discovered a disappointing trend though; my placenta is not nourishing Grey as it is expected to.  They were only able to discover this because of the weekly monitoring and ultrasounds we have had, which is such a blessing.  We were able to see the graphs that depicted this small decline in my placenta's "work ethic", which has hindered her growth as well.  Since our last weigh in nearly a month ago, Grey only gained 2 ounces (so much for me thinking she gained at least a pound or two...all that weight gain was just me?!).  All that medical jargon boiled down to this: our specialist said that when a placenta is not functioning to its fullest, a baby does not have the "reserves" it needs to withstand pressure and problems in the womb.
[Completely my own theory after hearing all of this, and I am just journaling here...but I am wondering if this may have contributed to Holden not being able to make it through his cord deficit.  I wonder if my placenta was beginning to deteriorate during the end of that pregnancy?]

Although I felt like it was a huge blow, I am grateful for a few things:  Namely that God is in control above all else, and that He has given my doctors wisdom and the technology to discern all of this.  We are in the best Hands (God's) and hands (hospital staff) possible.  Also, this was the first time the Shuffields could make it to an appointment with me, and I can't think of a better time for them to be there...although of course I would have loved a completely positive appointment and experience for them!  They are beyond supportive and loving, and spent the entire day spoiling me before we had to check in at the hospital.

Tisha and Jim stayed with me all day yesterday, ran all of my errands, spoiled me a LOT (so excited for new bedding and a lamp for our new guest bed/quarters in the office!), and took me to lunch and a pedicure.  Tisha picked out a bright pink, since it'll be my last pedicure before our little girl arrives. :)  Grey even got in on some spoiling and ended up with a few shopping bags of her own!  It was a perfect ending to my "civilian life" before I was checked in to the hospital for good.  They made a day that could have been depressing for me a fun one.  Chet wasn't able to meet us in Lubbock until about 5:30, so having them with me was perfect.

Tisha and I snapped phone photos on our phones of each other getting pedicures.

We checked in to be monitored at 5pm last night, and I won't be leaving the hospital until Grey arrives.  We will get at least three NSTs a day.  It could be a week to a couple of weeks here...our doctors are hopeful Grey will be cozy inside of me until the very end of the month.  I know her birthday is something that was planned before we were all even born, so I am trying not to stress about it.  

After we got settled in to our room (with a beautiful view by the way!), we got our first round of steroids at about 6:00pm.  Tisha and Jim left around 6:30, and Carrie (my sister-in-law) brought us dinner.  Grey has actually rocked all of her NSTs so far, which is very comforting.  The nurses and staff are epic, and we could not ask for a better place to stay.  We feel at peace, and I am glad they are doing everything they can to keep our little one and me healthy.

Thank you Rebecca for these two passages I will have memorized in this version during my stay here:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Each time he said, "My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness."  So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Spring Break 2012

Spring Break this year is going to be quite uneventful for us.  My last day of work until Grey arrives was yesterday, since Spring Break starts this upcoming Monday, and I'll have many trips to the hospital for monitoring the week (or two) after Spring Break.  Other than a couple of doctor appointments, and Chet working of course, I will be resting and laying low.

It's been rainy and cold, so we have been able to get caught up on a lot of inside stuff today.  I officially wouldn't be upset if Grey decided to come this weekend!  ;)  All of her clothes and blankets have been washed (several times each) and I feel more than ready now.  We've added some last minute touches to the nursery and completed the projects I was waiting on.  I am realizing that I am actually glad I was slow to get all of her stuff ready, since I'm guessing these next couple of weeks will drag on as it is.

I'm planning to get caught up on Holden Uganda work this week; I have a feeling cuddling my little girl may get in the way of HUF to-dos in a little bit.

Grey Update:

• We get to feel her hiccuping about every other day, and I LOVE it!  
• Her movements consist of more "rolls" and "turns"than kicking, but I have been reassured by several nurses that this is normal at this point in gestation; she's getting squished in there.  During Holden's pregnancy, I was blissfully happy for any movements, and did not stress over what kind they were.  Now I find myself obsessing over each little movement.  Poor Grey probably gets more jabs than necessary from me, always waking her up to move.  :)  
• The "baby growth chart" I get emailed weekly said that she was approximately 5 1/2 lbs. on Thursday.  I hope that we get to compare this to her actual weight on Monday's appointment.  I personally think that guess is pretty accurate though...meaning she should weigh a little more than that on Monday.    
• My stomach has grown considerably in the past month.  Last week, my doctor measured me four centimeters ahead of the prior week (and re-meaured it a couple of times to confirm).  I think Grey and I are both going through a growing spurt, because I am eating more than I have throughout this entire pregnancy.  (And that's a LOT!  I never have a small appetite!)  On Thursday's weigh-in, I noticed I had gained the "max" amount I ever thought I would already.  Grey's worth a permanent 200 lb. weight gain, so I have decided to not stress about pounds.  They will melt away in my mind when I look into my daughter's eyes.  <3

God is good.

Sitting on the North Carolina beach this summer, I could not even picture us in March.  Here we are.  

But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.  Nehemiah 9:31

A Happy Nursery!

This nursery definitely has nothing to do with me, although I would love to take credit!  Three friends (all three are co-workers too, which is fun) came together to create a nursery that made me cry (on several occasions during the set up process).  It is over-the-top beautiful and sweet for our little girl.  Seeing her nursery put together makes it all so "real" to me that we will be bringing Grey home, Lord willing, so soon. 

I feel like a nursery has been a two-year ongoing project in our home.  It took a lot of time for me to accept creating another nursery, after very tearfully taking one down that had never had a baby rocked in it.  If it weren't for the three amazing women who are mostly responsible for Grey's nursery (and Grey's daddy for painting it), I think it may still be an empty room today.  I was talking to a fellow Hope Mommy about nurseries at the beginning of this pregnancy, remembering how Holden's nursery was such a focus in my life during his pregnancy.  It is amazing how our eyes and hearts can be re-focused in an instant.  Beginning late in my second trimester though, I had strong urges to still have a place that my little girl felt loved, secure and at peace in.  A nursery for her was definitely a must.

I looked at custom bedding online for quite some time, and decided that the months it would take to arrive was just frustrating and would result in a nursery being done when Grey was probably 2 months old (read above...that slacker in me didn't look into bedding until way too late).  I loved the fabrics from this collection and showed them to Daphny.  Well, Daphny did so much better than ANY place I could ever order from online...I believe the bedding "sets the stage" for the rest of the nursery, and I am completely thrilled with the way it turned out!  [For anyone reading this, worried about the safety of a bumper, Daphny made sure to use the safety bumper pads! ;)]  The quilt has the softest minky rose material on one side, and all the fabrics from the collection on the other side.  Daphny even made me (or Grey when she gets a little bigger) a standard-size pillow case to enjoy!  She cared about every detail being perfect, and as you can see - it's exactly that.

The first thing done in the nursery was the decor!  My dear friend Tressa, my go-to friend when I was working on Holden's nursery, who never tired of my million design, color and pattern questions, is the beautiful friend to thank for Grey's nursery being put together!  Tressa is patient, brilliant and helpful.  Tressa knew how stressed out I was about putting a nursery together this time, especially being on bed rest.  (Okay, let's be honest with myself...I cannot design and put together anything cute without being on bed rest...but bed rest made it even more of a stressor!)   Tressa completely took over the entire nursery project, and within a week (no joke!) she painted an old mirror, bookshelf and doll chair we already had, made the curtains, re-did two lamps, created a cool focal point polka dot "G frame", and bought and designed nearly all the decor, ETC!  She secretly got a key to our house from Chet last Monday morning, and while we were gone to the doctor in Lubbock she (and her sweet family-thank you Brantley, Abbey and Terry) spent the entire day creating Grey's nursery.  I walked in the door completely unaware that she had been working on it, and literally squealed like a little girl when I finally saw it.  Then I cried.  (The excitement actually made me get some pretty serious contractions all night...) ;)  Tressa made me feel like I was able to hire a famous designer from HGTV for Grey's room!  She even came back tonight and helped me unload, rearrange and organize ALL of our baby stuff until WAY past her and Abbey's bedtime!  Talk about a true friend!  (Check out her other creations at Hodge Podge Designs on Facebook.)

Note from Tressa that was taped to the back of this beautiful plaque (tears):

We had invested in very nice baby furniture with Holden, and knew we would obviously need to use it with this little one. Chet and I both loved the dark, rich wood for Holden's nursery, but I really had a difficult time wrapping my heart around the exact furniture for Grey. The furniture was a big part to blame for me not wanting to create a second nursery.  I remember how difficult it was to watch Chet take it all down and wrap it up for storage. (One of the top five worst days in my life.) We wanted it to be a little "different" for her, so she could have her own furniture that I would not refer to as "Holden's furniture".  Another amazingly gifted friend, Terrisu, offered to transform Holden's furniture into Grey's furniture. It's breathtaking! When she offered to paint it, I knew she was amazingly talented, yet I still did not fathom it would turn out so lovely.  They are heirloom quality in every way.  It was hard to believe they were the same pieces we gave her to work with!  Terrisu also set up the furniture without us being home, completing our nursery; even placing the bedding on the crib so that we walked into such a sweet room this evening.  Can I just say blessed?  Take a look at the beautiful pieces, Grey's furniture, she created.

When I asked Terrisu for permission to write about her and her furniture business on my blog, this is what she asked that I write. You can clearly see where her heart is - sharing God's blessings:
"It's a God given talent that is used by my husband and I to honor God. It is very humbling experience and an honor to serve Him through others and to see the transformations. After all, He has transformed us all with His Love!" ~Terrisu M.

Each drawer has Scripture written in it.  The Manns prayed over us, Grey and the nursery before they left.  Wow.

I feel as though this nursery could be in a magazine... it is a happy place that I pray and hope Grey will spend days and years creating memories in.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart Daphny, Terrisu and Tressa!  You are gifts.

Check out some photos (took with my iphone this evening...we will take better photos with our camera hopefully this weekend or next week, but I am too impatient not to share):

 White crib and bedding (plan to have Grey's newborn photos on canvases from Shuffield Photography hanging over her crib)

 Gorgeous quilt

Bumper

 The details

Bookshelf

 Dresser/changing table with red mirror (eventually we will have a basket of "essentials" on top)

 Nightstand and "view"

 Cute doll chair redone and curtains

 View from the entry door and "G" hanger from Jessica

 Closet is a big work in progress still :)

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. Psalm 144:15