He's gaining weight!

So when we first brought him to the doctor she said he had lost 8 oz. We took Kaydon back a week later and he weighed 2 oz less. He also had yellowish eyes which indicate jaundice, a disease that babies are prone to get if they do not eat enough right away. Well it has been 2 weeks since then and he has gained 10 oz. So he is now 8 lbs and increasing! Praise Jesus! The only downside is that with all of this eating he keeps pooping! I mean constantly. Not the normal stuff. This poop actually looks like mustard. Did anyone ask for Grey Poop-on? :)

Kaydon is here!!!

Born on Wednesday July 30th @ 6:37am, 7 pounds, 12 ounces & 19 inches long...Kaydon James is finally here!! He surprised us by arriving 2.5 weeks early, but I am not complaining =) This was really actually perfect timing for our family. Thank God for a safe delivery!!! =)=)=)=)=)=)=)

One More Preggo Worship Set!

...coming up this morning...Let's pray for stamina to make it through! Last week I was so wiped by half-way through the set, I felt like stepping off the stage to rest. Practice for 2 hours @ 8:30am, then playing back to back @ 10:30am for 45 minutes is exhausting for a 9 monther like myself. Yet, I am amazed that it was doable at all. At first I thought it was nutz to expect to sing & co-lead worship for so long within a pregnancy, but alas, it can be done!! =) We'll see what today brings =)

Tips for Saving Time

I love this list I found on BabyCenter.com. I'm so excited to get organized for soon coming future days with baby! Pass it on if it's helpful to you: 40 ways to save time and make life with a baby easier.

3.5 cm in 1 week??

That's how much my tummy grew since last weeks appt. I think that's incredible! Now I measure 37.5cm, which is right on with the amount of weeks I am (37weeks). I have been measuring about 2 cm smaller than my weeks up until now. The funny thing is I didn't gain any weight this past week, but my tummy got bigger...this pregnancy thing has got me so baffled! The scientist in me doesn't know what to do with all these anomalies. =)

I made a decision today to let go of trying to control this pregnancy & birth. I am so done with that. I can see now the beauty of this adventure, and I love adventure! So Kaydon & I will be enjoying the last 3 weeks we have together, and not stressing each other out! Dr. says she doesn't expect me to be going early since I'm not at all dilated. So we may indeed be sharing a birthday or KJ may be quite well-done when he finally does come out. But either way, I know God is in charge of this pregnancy, just as I have known since day 1 of finding out I was pregnant for the 2nd time. That assurance that God's running this thing is enough for me to rest and go on with life as it is. Thank God for revelation!! =)

Fatherhood is a trip

Never could I imagine that I would be responsible for such a little life and now the time has come. I am very anxious, nervous, scared, and excited all at once. This is crunch time and I am feeling crunchy. Every time I think that it is going to be me and this kid for the rest of my life it totally humbles me and makes me truly believe there is a God.

What do babies do in there?

Kaydon's been doing alot in my tummy...especially lately. What could he be doing in there? There's less & less room for his growing body, so it could just be that I feel his movements more strongly. But the movements are really funny, like sometimes it feels like a toenail is poking my skin from the inside out. Or sometimes I feel like he is literally tapping his little fingers within my lower abdomen...it's so cute. When I look at newborns, I realize they are all very active and move ALOT! So KJ, I'm sure, is just getting ready to do the same outside the womb.

Next Doc's Appt.

We see the doctor again on Friday. She will begin checking dilation & size of baby for more accurate measurements of his potential arrival. Now that we're on a weekly basis, time is flying by between appointments.

I am happy to say that I have gained about 20lbs over the course of this pregnancy! My little one seems to be growing well and getting lots of the weight I have gained.

One thing that has remained consistent throughout this pregnancy is that this baby is incredibly active - at least according to my standards! But I love it! It's a nice way to bond by feeling his movements, even the weird uncomfortable ones...something that only he & I share, which is very fun.

Kaydon, Come home!

We are so excited for this kid's arrival! His clothes are now folded, his crib is up, and there are even sheets & a blankie on his bed! Every new thing we touch or see gives us a more realistic picture of what it will be like with baby in house. Amazing all the prep that goes into getting ready for these little ones. Makes me ponder how God preps for us, his children, coming home to live with him...maybe that's why Heaven is such a wowing picture that we cannot comprehend fully. It's just what a parent does for his beloved child.

Baby Shopping Mode!

So I have now entered the zone - the baby shopping zone. With only 3 weeks til Kaydon's due date, I am working hard to ensure that we have what we need for his arrival, at least the things we consider essential. Tomorrow I hope to significantly move forward in this process through an afternoon of shopping!

And since I completely forgot to blog yesterday, so another post will follow shortly...

Early Morning, Feelin Good

Sundays have become very early mornings these days. Inspite of that, last night was a WONDERFUL sleep night, so I am rested up underneath all of the regular morning fatigue. Sleep will change once again when Kaydon arrives, but at least the lack of sleep won't be completely foreign to me with all the trouble I've been having with sleeping lately. Our tour of the hospital that we are to give birth in made me want to check in early just to enjoy the private little room and all its perks! For now, I'll stay focused on my bed & gather all the zzzz's I can =)

An Event–Filled Day

So it's 11:34pm & I am just getting this post in for the day. A very busy day! Had lots of help working out the stuff of settling in. I am so grateful for the responsiveness of those who have been pitching in and coming to my side in my moments of slowness & neediness. And Kaydon finally kicked for Auntie Cheryl (who threw his shower party)! So, again, quite an event filled day =)

Now off to bed to get up for the long haul to Lomita, and of course another blog in the morning!

A Waiting Game

Dr's appt went great - she says all is well. We are now just actively engaged in the game of "wait for it..." But of course, it's all about the hurry up and wait mentality, as there are still some significant things to do before we can truly say we are settled for the little one. It will be interesting to see how much gets done in the next 2 weeks of July...The goal is to have things in order by the last day in July. This is to encourage little Kaydon to come out Aug 1, the day after it all gets completed =) We'll see if he takes this first opportunity to listen to his mama! =)

Achy like a toothache

Have u ever had a toothache that made your whole body hurt? That's what I have going on right now...only its not a toothache, it's some random pregnancy related pain located in one spot, but making everything feel pained. This "spot" is largely responsible for the trouble I have "waddling" around and the inconvenience of sleeping through the night. In addition to the full of pee bladder that gets me up hourly, I am waddling through the dark very slowly racked with the pain of that spot. Last night was a tough one! Very little sleep after being in conference all day, and anticipating another day long conference + dr's visit this afternoon...Maybe the dr will have some insight other than "comes with the territory" =)

On a different note, several people @ conference confirmed (with no prompting from me) how small they think my belly is to be in my 9th month of pregnancy. I think I'm averaging about 5 months according to my look! Crazy. It drove me to ask Ramon "Are u SURE I'm 9 months pregnant?" He wittily replied "If your not, I want my money back". What a nut =) =) =)

In 30 Days...

(or hopefully less...)...we shall bear a son!! And he shall be called Kaydon James Mayo. I will be blogging mini excerpts daily until that day... Your comments are welcomed. =)

Swollen feet

Yvette's feet are swollen. They won't go down. I am at a loss. Anybody out there know how to manage the swollen feet thing?

Delivery vs. Postpartum

Maaannnn! Hospitals, doctors, the whole health care system is a mess. They give you this great delivery room that has a dvd player and all of this space and a comfy bed. The only thing is you have to pay for that. The post partum room-the one after that Yvette will stay in after the birth sucks! It's small and tiny but guess what our insurance covers that. Anyway I haven't blogged here in a while but I just had to get that off my chest. Health Care in America needs a rehaul! Obama 08! John Q 08! Somebody 08!

Doctor visit yesterday

Yesterday we had to do a check on Kaydon's heart to see if he had a defect or if it was just a little freckle. At the end of it we found out it was a little freckle and nothing to worry about. The cool thing is we got a DVD of him moving all around in Yvette's belly. It was a very nerve racking and scary experience waiting for the doctor to do the ultrasound and what he was going to say. Right then I sensed this tremendous feeling in me that no matter what he said I would give away anything to see that my son had the best life possible. It was overwhelming. After feeling that I just don't understand how dads can walk out on their kids or abuse them. I'm sure we have heard the stories about the guy in Germany who raped his daughter and had children by her. How could a father do that to their child? I don't understand :( and I just thank God for the love that he is giving me for my son and that he is healthy.

The slackers return to the world of blog =)

Yes, we are slacking in our updates, it is true! Thanks for your patience.

We had an appointment today and heard a very strong heart beat, which is always fun! I've gained only 8 pounds so far, but the baby is gaining weight right on schedule so the dr.'s not worried at all about this. Just before hearing that beautiful heartbeat, the dr. informed us that she wants to schedule a special ultra sound with a heart specialist in a week or too to check further into a dark spot that was discovered on a picture from the last ultra sound.

Please keep Kaydon in prayer, as we await the insurance approval to pay for the testing. We want to get in and get it done as soon as possible to cut down on opportunity to worry. Right now both Ramon & I are not stressing about it and we truly desire to stay that way and keep believing that everything is fine. Please pray for us as well to stay grounded and focused during this waiting time.

Tomorrow I give both finals for my classes (yay!), and hopefully turn in grades while on campus. The next day, I will be gulping down a (nasty, from what I hear) "sugary drink" on Saturday early morning to test for any signs of diabetes that occur during pregnancy. In 4 more weeks, our next appointment is scheduled for Thursday 6/12 @ 10:45am. We are also almost all set for Kaydon's baby shower on the following Saturday 5/24. So there's some winding down, but also some busy times ahead as well! Please keep us in your prayers!

the eternal significance of Kaydon and James

Well here it goes....

Kaydon is the American spelling of Kaiden which is Celtic and means warrior and also companion and it also sounds like Kaiden which in japanese means "the highest swordmaster". We think this is fitting because we want our son to not be a wimp and I don't mean that from a false macho standpoint. We want our son to be a fighter in more than just a physical way. We think his fight will have and has already had spiritual significance. Yvette feels his fight for life is apparent, as he has been incredibly active and has thus far endured this long road of "cooking in her her tummy"! More on the name here

James is derived from Jacob which is the biblical character whose name means supplanter or "one who grasps the heel". We think this is fitting because in the biblical story Jacob wrestled with God and received a blessing from him. Plus it is my Dad's name and we wanted to honor him in this way. It goes along with the whole fighter motif. Here is more on the name here

"And He Shall Be Called..."

"Kaydon James Mayo" or "KJ" for short =0) Finally, our son has a name! I will leave it to dad to blog about meaning and the biblical significance...

Its a.............boy!!!!! Now what's his name?

Ok so we know that it is definitely a boy now. Our ultrasound technician pointed it out and made it very clear. "That's 30 years of expertise." No doubt. So we saw his little kneecaps, his spine, his stomach and his face. He made kind of a funny face from what we saw. I wonder if that was my influence. So we are buying blue stuff and throw in a little green because thats our favorite color :) Now that gender is out of the way we have to think of names. We were so set on the baby being a girl we hadn't put as much thought to boy names as girl names. We will let you know the final decision.

Pink or blue onesy?

It's been a minute since we have been on the blog. Back from vacation in Philly and the question still remains. Is the baby a boy or a girl? Well it will be discovered tomorrow at 4:15pm. Pray that the baby is not shy and hide from us or moon us and not give us any 411 on the gender. Hopefully we can find out if most of the things we buy should be in blue or pink.

Appointment Changed

Our next appointment has been changed from 4/3 to 4/10. Guess we'll all have to wait a week to see who all is swimming around in my tummy! =) We'll be on vacation starting 3/22 until 4/2 so it's a nice distraction while we wait =)

April 3rd...Anatomy Scan

Next appointment is at 4:30 on Thursday April 3rd, in about a month. This is the ultra sound for anatomy / gender scan where they count all the body parts of baby and give an idea of what you may be having. We look forward to this one! It will be the day after our vacation time spent back home in Pennsylvania. We're praying for 10 fingers, 10 toes, normal amounts of everything else and 1 clear sign of baby's gender! =)

Weight Loss

At our last appointment, I found out that I lost 4 pounds instead of gaining the average 5 for this stage of the pregnancy. Dr. didn't seem too worried, just said try to eat more and not lose significant amounts of weight. For me it is a bit stressful because eating is not at all a favorite activity of mine these days. I just keep repeating in my head "it's not for u, it's for the baby, so grin and bear it!" It works to get me to finish a plate or eat more in general, but I suffer the consequences of bloating and discomfort with being too full later. My college roomate Christy says her mom (mother of 9) suffered the same thing with losing weight during her pregnancies, and they all turned out ok. Encouraging to know that this is not the first case, but I still am striving for at least a 15lb weight gain during these nine months, as that seems to be the low average of healthy weight gain for the baby's sake. So if u see me nibbling, remind me that the kid may be hungry even though mommy is not! =)

I need my sleep

Ok I just came to a sudden realization about babies. They wake up every two hours. I get really cranky without sleep. Does anybody know how to fight this or should I just take drugs?

Heartbeat!

Heartbeat! u make me feel so weak! Who sang that song? We heard the baby's heartbeat today. It was just like in Alias when Sydney Bristow was pregnant. Actually it sounded like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when they lock the ark in a crate. Woouwww...woouuwwww...wouuuwww. However it sounded it was music to my ears. It was beating so fast. Like a hummingbird at least that's what I remember from those national geographic documentaries :)

About Boy Names...

...I'm not as open as Ramon is to suggestion about names. I know we'll come up with it in due time. No hurry here =) For now I'm just working on getting my hubby to spell Symone's name with a Y instead of an I... =)

Boy or girl

Is it a boy or a girl? According to Yvette's woman intuition and our friend Dan's prophetic image the baby is a little person of the xx chromosome. The ultrasound technician said they saw the makings of what could be a boy (Yvette and I think it was just the umbilical cord. We already have a name Simone picked out but what if it is a boy? I don't know what do you think boy or girl and if it is a boy what should we name him? What about Killer? Now that's gangster LOL

Initial Signs of Movement

I am hyper aware at this point of the baby's potential movement in me. I've read that it happens between now and 20 weeks where you really begin to know which feelings relate to the baby's actual movement and what is just gas or hunger pains. The flutters and shutters are often happening in my tummy, but I am still waiting on that confirmation of when I actually understand how the baby's movements are unique to everything else in there. Exciting times!

Thursday's Appointment

Our upcoming appointment is happening on Thursday of this week, 2/28/08. We look forward to this one, for the further confirmation of how things are developing for the baby, and also because it could possibly be one of our last appointments with our friends Sandra and Sean. They are due in March, and are now going in to the dr.'s office every week! So exciting to have had them in this process with us, with their support, prayer, love, and just genuine excitement over the blessings of being pregnant. Please pray for these sweet friends as they enter this next stage of preparing for birth & bringing home baby!

Although the baby's sex organs are developed at this stage, we are not sure if we will find out the sex at this coming appointment or at the next. I am thinking it will happen closer to our next appointment, which should be around the 20 week mark. But of course, our dr. may suprise us by giving us info at this appointment coming up if she can tell what's going on in there. Either way, it should be only a few more weeks before knowing if we'll need to change Symone's name or not! =)

Second Trimester Benefits

So today I'm at 16 weeks! Quickly closing in on 4 months, I feel really good in this particular stage. No longer tired, no longer sick, & finally starting to look like there's a little human grow inside my tummy. Since they call this the honey moon stage of pregnancy, I can understand why it feels like the happy part with so many nice perks. Just gotta keep enjoying it as long as this second trimester lasts!

Pregnant Rocker =)

Playing guitar today at church was fun - I started to realize that my "baby bubble" now slightly pushes out the guitar when I wear it with the shoulder strap =) Just a funny little tidbit you don't think about until it becomes an issue. Kyle suggested a "maternity guitar" set up that I can just walk up to and play without attaching it to my body. Make ya feel like a true "pregnant rockstar" =)

Ready to be a dad

Yesterday my cousin asked me whether I was ready to be a dad. I had to be honest I told him no. Who is ready to sacrifice and give selflessly? It's one of those questions that doesn't really get done justice. It's like asking what would you do if...your wife was being attacked.....you were trapped on a deserted island....you had to choose between saving a baby or an old lady. So no I am not ready but I don't think anybody ever is.

On the other hand I am preparing myself for decreased sleep, more broken things, and a whole range of smells and sounds that I cannot control. So you may not ever be ready but it is always good to prepare.

baby detector

The one thing that i saw a lot of in Ethiopia (besides donkeys) were babies. I think I just had my radar on for babies. It was like I was a baby detector. It made me really miss home so i could be with Yvette and Symone. This was the first trip to Africa where I sensed an immediate longing for home. I guess that's what family does for you.They bring you home

Welcome home, Daddy!

Ramon was delighted to see the growth in my baby bubble since he's been gone. I was happy that he could tell there was a difference! Welcome home, sweetie!! We missed u so much!!!!

Content Little Ones

Baby seems content. All appears well in my tummy =) No more sickness, less & less fatigue. Overall peace. Baby has begun making an appearance as well in pushing her way out into plain view. She makes a cute little tummy bubble!

Elye is also living in the land of contentment. She's been sunning, eating fairly well, and enjoying all of the attention of having lots of people over lately.

I have probably been the least content of us all! I'm missing my sweetie very deeply, and am grateful that this trip is one of the shorter that we have taken in the past.

We are all missing daddy - me, Symone, & Ellye (our turtle) =) He returns tomorrow, but is probably flying now or will be very soon. Pray for daddy's safety & travel back home!

Happy 2nd Trimester =)

Starts tomorrow! =) Yay!

Next Appointment...

...is Thursday 2/28 @ 3pm. At that point I should be somewhere around 4 months or 16-17 weeks along. I don't know what we're doing at that one. I'm can't keep up with all the medical terms & baby jargon. Some kind of check up, I suppose.

At the last appointment we also discovered that the baby is measuring 5 days further along that I thought I was. So I am actually 12 weeks tomorrow instead of next Thursday, which moves my due date up to 8/9/08 instead of 8/15/08. That's actually a good thing cause I was having second thoughts about sharing my birthday with the little one =) I think it'd be good to have our own days for celebrating each others lives =)

All that Jumpin!

...Maybe that's why I'm still a bit sick =) Such an active little one! I also LOVED having our friends, Sean & Sandra there at the office with us during our appointment. It was so nice to be able to share the immediate joy with such supportive & selfless people. We love u guys and we're glad to share a doctor with you!

I also have to remember to give our wonderful dr. a thank u card for all that she has done. Time & time again, she comes through for us and saves us from extra and unnecessary emotional stress, often without even realizing she's doing it.

For example, yesterday our dr. gave us a quick 2 minute check-up with an abdominal ultrasound to check out the baby's heartbeat before the 1st trimester ultrasound where we saw all the jumping. What makes this so amazing to me is that our biggest concern for yesterday was that we wouldn't be able to hear from the doctor on the same day of our 1st trimester ultrasound screening.

So, in essence, instead of having to wait with that awful, agonizing feeling for days before hearing any news, we instead got 2 ultrasound pictures to immediately confirm the health & vitality of our baby, as well as 2 immediate verbal confirmations from both healthcare providers that everything looks great. We are so thankful! It's a good way to send Ramon off to Ethiopia, knowing that baby & I are doing great. =)

baby does kickworm

We just came back from the doctor and we saw the baby moving. It was kind of doing a reverse kick worm!(a breakdance move). It was so cool and the perfect celebration for this stage of the pregnancy. We are almost done with the first trimester!

On another note we saw the ultrasound and we couldn't tell if that was an umbilical cord between the legs or....something else. So I started picking out boy names just in case. I think colin is a cool name. It's irish and they like to fight and drink beer so that's kind of manly. I don't like to fight but I like dark beer. Anyway I am on a tangent. So let's just say it was a very good and eventful day

Jereek's Story

So my buddy Jereek (Che's hubby) told a story about "The Incredible Shrinking Woman." I however feel like "The Incredible Expanding Woman"...every inch of my body has been feeling like it's expanding yesterday & today. Could be Symone...but I think it's those pizza cravings that I've faithfully given in to...I'll be re-thinking the menu for my second trimester feedings...more grean leafies, more fruits, more protein! =)

Words From Friends

Angel, friend from Singapore, asked "Are you comfortable?" I replied "Yes, very." Then the next day, I suddenly knew what her question meant! I became quite "uncomfortable" and have been on & off ever since! Just some bloating & aches & minor pains. I guess she asked that question right at the turning point =)

Che Tiffany, nurse friend, asked "So, How's it going?" I replied "...achy...etc..." She encouraged me with these paraphrased words "Hang in there sis; as baby gets bigger, so do mommy's aches & pains!" That's comforting, believe it or not! It's always good to know when the aches are normal & not something to be concerned about.

Ramon, my hubby, is always answering my question of "Why do I feel like this?" with the simple, yet profound response of "Because you're pregnant." So wise, so deep! The truth is that childbirth does bring on pain! Somehow hearing that helps me to know that I can swing this for another 6.5 months, all by the grace of the Lord.

Thank u all my wise friends & family! =o) Keep that encouragement coming!

Our Appointment Is Upon Us...

So, we made it to the day before our final 1st trimester ultrasound with no major problems. It's tough to be confident because when we lost Mercy, we also had no real problems and were totally surprised at the results of that dr. visit. We're working hard to anticipate it with excitement, rather than dread, at least I am. I am so thankful to God that we have experienced no traumas in this waiting time & that the appointment is finally upon us. If you read this in time, please be praying with me/us all throughout tomorrow, especially around the hours of 4pm - 6pm.

Ethiopia and ruling the world

I will be going to Ethiopia in a week and I am really excited about this trip. The one big drawback is that I will not have Yvette or our baby Symone with me. One thing this has started to get me to think about is how much traveling I want to do while the baby is young. For sure I do not want to travel alone I mean sometimes you have to do it but I will have to have a cut off limit. I think at this stage in life it is better to be at home while most people are trying to rule the world. I would rather invest in my family. After all there will always be worlds to conquer but if you missed your daughter's first steps that's it. Even after you conquer the world your kids may resent you and all of it will mean nothing.

Dad feelings

After I finished preaching Sunday an overwhelming feeling of mushiness and joy came over me. I'm going to be a Dad! I kept thinking about our baby Symone and the times we will watch her grow up. Every time I looked at a kid after that it was just different. So I guess it has finally sunk in and I have Dad feelings. The question is "What kind of Dad am I going to be? Homer Simpson...Cliff Huxtable...Archie Bunker..Fred Sanford. Hmmmmm...it's funny how many dad figures there are on TV. Maybe I will take a cue from God. He's a good father.

Babies like cheerios

Ok I am back, its been a while since I have written anything on this blog. It is hard sometimes because Yvette seems to have alot more to say than I do. This whole baby thing is new to me. I do know that I loved seeing the baby's heartbeat. It looked like a little radar blip-you know like in those movies with fighter planes (the man's perspective :) So needless to say I am feeling a bit out of my league here and I am learning a whole lot. One thing I do know is that I always see kids eating cheerios and now yvette carries a sandwich bag of cheerios to work...so she is on the right track :)

Please Sign Your Name When You Comment!

...or else I won't know it was you! =) I am so encouraged by the expression of your thoughts & prayers for us. Thank u for taking out the time to share with us! =)

Nix the Nausea, Enter the Exhaustion!

Fatigue has taken me over, seems like my transition happened between the second & third month of pregnancy. I haven't had nausea for almost 2 weeks now & have been extremely tired for about a week and some days. I've also been experiencing aches & pains that I'm trying not to focus on. Everything seems fine & normal, & we're looking forward to getting back to the dr's office to confirm that on the 31st.

Today's Urgent Prayer Request

Thanks to my friends who were able to pray ASAP without asking questions upon receiving notification that I needed it. I began to break down in the dr.'s office today as the office scheduled me for an ultrasound with the one person I did not want to see again - the person who did Mercy's ultrasound. Quickly, my heart drifted back to the day we lost Mercy in that office, with that technician & I was losing hope quickly about today's ultrasound & Symone's little heart. I asked Ramon for a scripture, and he gave me Philippians - whatever is true & good...think on these things. Great choice. But of course I couldn't think of ANYTHING good at the moment, so I decided to send a desparate plea out to friends who are on text messaging to beg prayer of them. I know for sure that Emily & Melissa got the message and were praying because they were able to respond immediately. Thank you girls, and thank you to everyone who prayed!

Finally after waiting for what felt like an eternity, we were able to see our dr. first and explain the situation to her and she offered to perform the ultrasound for us & schedule our future ultrasounds so that we wouldn't have to go back to the person who did our original one. Praise God!! I didn't even realize that was an option, so I'm so glad the dr. took the time to explore it. We proceeded into the ultrasound room with the dr. & were completely blessed by everyone in the room & our experience was exceptionally above the original one. I am so thankful that I can cry out for help and be heard & receive response like today. Thank you all again! =)

Next Appointments

We are scheduled for 2 more appointments in January - both are on the 31st. The first is an OB appointment with our dr. @ 4pm & the second is for an abdominal ultrasound & first trimester testing @ 5pm. This testing is done between 11 - 13 weeks - we'll be about 12 weeks along at the time of the testing. The date is absolutely perfect because we were able to schedule both appointments for the same day back to back on a night that our dr. is on duty & available for questions. This is really important to us because we want the assurance of full disclosure available to us after every ultrasound / appointment. Typically the people performing the ultrasound give limited information and you must wait for the dr. to be available to review your records to get the full story. My concern was that with an ultrasound scheduled for a Thursday we may not be able to hear from our dr. until Monday or Tuesday of the next week, which is just a very long wait. In our first pregnancy, we were not aware that the ultrasound technician would withhold info from us and we were really devastated by the way we found out that Mercy's little heart had stopped beating before we could even see it going. So, all that to say, praise God that this time our dr. will be around and open for discussion on the day of our next ultrasound. We were able to fit both appointments in before Ramon leaves for Ethiopia in early Feb. That was a huge answer to my prayers and just an all around blessing to have him be around to experience each appointment throughout this process. These appointments are also scheduled at the same time as my last day of winter intercession classes at LA City College, which means my students should love me for giving them the final exam a day early. =)

Celebrating Symone's Heartbeat !!!

Go, baby, go! Dr. says baby is looking good and development is on schedule! We were mistaken to think that we could hear a heartbeat at this point, however we were able to see a heartbeat today! Quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've even seen in my life. Just a few more weeks to go until we are past the hump of this first trimester...please keep praying with us!

Postponed Ultrasound =(

Today's appointment for an ultrasound was canceled & postponed to Monday 1/7 @ 10:45am. Bummer! We were really looking forward to this one! Oh well...guess we'll have to wait just a few more days to listen in for those one or two little heartbeats! Please keep praying! We value it so much.