A Visit to meet Carson!

Last night Leigh and I had the opportunity to visit our friends Nate and Emily and were delighted as they introduced us to their new little guy, Carson. Nate and Emily are the couple we met this fall who's baby also has spina bifida. So up we went to the NICU (the very place we will be staying in a few weeks) to meet the little guy. What a cutie!! We were very pleased that Nate and Emily could spend some time with us. As they fed Carson, we were able to discuss the whole process of how things unfolded the last couple of days for them. We were both very encouraged from the visit, it put a picture in our head of what it might be like and in reality didn't seem as scary as we have been thinking for months. But yes, Nate and Emily have assured us there will be moments of joy and moments of discouragement, but they kept stressing its SOOO much easier having the little guy with them. We seem to think thats how it'll be for us as well. So we continue to pray for little Carson as there are still a lot of unknowns but things look very encouraging at the moment. check out their blog if your curious. http://babyboybush.blogspot.com/.

In other Gibbs household news...our furnace is on the fritz! Perfect, right. As I type ,the thermostat reads a balmy 57. I'm bundled up in 3 sweatshirts and a winter hat. Leigh, however has welcomed the cool temps and has finally stopped sweating :) No worries though, we've got a guy coming out this afternoon to fix it.

In Gibblet news... We have our final ultrasound with the high risk doctor this tuesday. Please pray that The G-man is getting bigger and that no major changes have poped up. We look forward to seeing what he's up to in there. :)

love Leigh and Andy (+1)

the count down has begun...

Happy New Year everyone!!! We are coming off an incredible holiday season and want to keep everyone posted as to how things are going with us and The Gibblet. So let's start with the Gibblet... He seems to be behaving pretty well these days and judging by Leigh's increased wearing of her "comfy pants" he seems to be getting bigger! :) In fact Leigh's belly has been showcased often throughout the holidiays and at Christmas gatherings. Although hesitant at times, I'd say the Gibblet performed well when a hand was placed on her belly. As far as the two of us, we've had an incredible holiday, and on a number of occasions we've said that we can't recall a better Christmas than the one we've just had. The time spent with friends and family just seemed more rich and meaningful. A direct result of the changes Leigh and I have experienced since this past fall.

However, at the moment we both feel a bit unprepared, anxious, etc. Not sure why really...but it kinda hit us both this evening. I think it's a normal feeling as the time of the g-man's arrival is less than a month away and it's becoming more and more real to us. Anyway, it was just a little hiccup in our continued journey to build faith and courage, and as I type this now am feeling much better.

In other news...Our friend's Nate and Emily are scheduled to have their little guy this tuesday Jan 6!!! We've been thinking and praying for them a lot this weekend. Please keep all of them in your prayers this week as we look forward to meeting baby boy Bush! On a number of occasions Leigh and I speak of how incredibly helpful it has been to have met the two of them. They have been a great support group and a nice addition to our spina bifida club :) hehehe! We can't wait for our little guys to meet.

love Andy and Leigh :)

Hello from the Gibblet!

Today we had our ultrasound and check-up with the high risk doctor and things are going well! The gibblet is weighing in at 3 lbs 7 oz which is right where he should be at almost 31 weeks. As always, he was being a bit of a stinker and making it difficult for the ultrasound technician to get her pictures, he was moving around like CRAZY!! We didn't mind though. It is always so much fun seeing what he is up to in there. He is still trying to figure out how to suck his thumb (we're pretty sure that he got his thumb in his nose instead of his mouth!) and just like last time he had the hiccups. All of his organs and bones that they measure are right on track and where they should be. His ventricles (which is where the fluid in his brain collects) are a bit bigger at 14 and 15 but again, this is to be expected and not too much of a change from last month. He is still considered to have mild hydrocephalus which we are very thankful for. His feet are still looking straight and moving around (mostly kicking me in the ribs!) Andy and I are both feeling encouraged and upbeat with this appointment, much better than last month's. Please continue to keep us in your prayers we certainly felt them today!

Love,
Leigh and Andy

30 Weeks

So according to our schedule January 29 is 7 short weeks away! Its funny, I've just recently starting thinking about how its going to be having a little guy living with us. Leigh and I have been pretty good "housemates" for a couple years and it will sure throw a wrinkle into the flow of the house. But it'll be great, challenging, but really great! We've continued to furnish his room and if he was home tomorrow, he'd be pretty comfy there. So Thanksgiving came and went really fast and now Christmas approaches. Last time I looked under the tree, it appears the Gibblet has the most gifts :)

So next week Tuesday we have another ultrasound appointment. Not really geeked about it, we almost feel it unnecessary, as we know it'll be hard to hear the news again. But, it's always so cool to see the little guy moving around, waving, kicking. Its a very cool moment we get to share with our son. Please keep us in your prayers as there will be a certain level of anxiety going into the appointment.

Last weekend Leigh had a shower given by Leigh's mom, her sister and my mom. Let's just say the Gibblet scored big time! Clothes, toys, shoes, and several other baby devices that I'm very unclear on how to use and/or operate in a safe manner for a small baby. But Leigh's a great teacher. :)

heres a few pics..enjoy


love andy and Leigh

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

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) :)

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 :)