Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Surprise Baby Shower!!

Monday, the girls at work surprised me with a baby shower and lunch! It was such a surprise and so much fun! I am so blessed to work with such great people who care about me, the baby and Andy. We also got some pretty great gifts. :)

The past few days I have spent organizing the g-man's room and just getting things ready (I know I'm a bit early, but just can't help myself!) I will have to post more pictures soon.

Tonight, we had the opportunity of meeting with our friends Nate and Emily (the couple who are also pregnant with a boy who has SB). It was so nice to be able to talk with people who truly understand our situation. They have become great friends and God certainly answered our prayers by putting them in our lives.

In Gibblet news: he has been moving, kicking and hiccuping away! All is well there!

We hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving! Love, Andy and Leigh

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ultrasound and visit to the NICU

This morning Leigh and I had an ultrasound to check up on the Gibblet. It had been a month since the last one so we were anxious to see how he was developing. It was great to see the little guy again, this time he had the hiccups for a short time and we could clearly see him sticking his tongue out at us!!! They examined the head to determine if the size of the ventricles had changed. They did slightly get bigger. We were somewhat discouraged by this, but then were reminded that this is normal for a baby with spina bifida. In fact 80-90% of babies born with spina bifida have hydrocephulus and require a shunt to drain the excess fluid around the brain.

Basically we wanted the doctor to come in and say "well kids, looks like everything is ship-shape, no spina bifida today!" :)

As far as growth development he's right in the middle of the charts, which is great! His feet still appear to be straight and theres movement in his legs. The hole in his spine is fairly large. (we knew this already) but it was just hard to hear it again.

We were praying to go into this ultrasound and hear that nothing had changed. Unfortunately it did, but this is out of our hands and we continue to give it to God and pray for peace.

Shortly after the ultrasound, we were able to meet a neonatal doctor and tour the NICU at spectrum hospital. This actually made us feel much better. The doctor, nurses, and staff were so nice and encouraging and it was nice to see where our little guy would be staying after his surgery. It looks as if he will be there for a minimum of 2 weeks, possibly longer. For the first week after his back closure he will need to be on his stomach and we won't be able to hold him. This was, by far, the hardest thing to swallow. Lately we have been having far more good days than bad, however today was one of those hard days. Please continue to keep the three of us in your prayers.

Love,
Andy and Leigh (plus one) :)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

26 weeks






Here we are at 26 weeks!

No appointments the last couple of weeks, but we thought we'd post to say we are doing well. We'll keep you updated as things come up.

love

Andy and Leigh :)