Monday, May 5, 2014

6 Months. Asking for Prayer.

Well, hello again.  We meet again. I always look forward to these moments of solitude, where it's just me, my computer & my racing thoughts.  Honestly, it's calming....so thank you for continuing to read month after month.  For some reason you enjoy, which therefore makes me enjoy the process even more.  I love blogging for many reasons, but one of the top ones is sharing a piece of my life with all of you. 
 
 
 
 
 So here we are, 6 months into this journey of growing a baby.  And I just felt her kick as I typed that, she must sense I'm talking about her. 
 
You know that feeling where things seem to be going almost too perfect...too easy?  It's almost a terrifying feeling.  Well, that's been a feeling I've had in the back of my mind this entire pregnancy.  I tell you what, people scare the shit out of you when you tell them you're pregnant & they start sharing their horror stories from their pregnancy.  I have to admit something, I was scared shitless to get pregnant.  Excited, yes.  But scared to death.  I feel stupid now as that's totally not been my experience.  So if there's one thing one of you pretty ladies takes with you from reading my blog....don't let all those crazy women out there spook ya.  It's way frickin' cooler than you could ever imagine.
 
Anyway, I've had this looming feeling that the ball was going to drop.  SOMETHING was going to go wrong.  Well, this past Friday, the ball dropped. 
 
As you all know, my father in law had a very successful heart transplant on December 27th.  A few short months ago.  This past week, he was diagnosed with CMV, cytomegalovirus.  It is most common in people with a weakened immune system, transplant patients & pregnant women among the most at risk.  There are ALOT of people that carry the virus, but it can remain dormant within the body for very long periods of time.  It typically flares up when a persons immune system is weakened.  When I heard Sheldon had contracted the virus, I knew it sounded scary, but the transplant team assured the family that it was safe to be around me, with no risk to the baby.  I put a call into my doctor to be sure, and turns out, it is very dangerous to be around someone with the virus as it can be very dangerous for the baby if I were to contract it from Sheldon.  By the time I found this out, I had already spent a few hours with Sheldon on Friday in which I drove him to the hospital to get checked in to receive iv antibiotics for his infection as he had become severely dehydrated. 
 
After talking with my doctor that afternoon, I learned that this was serious & I needed to get labs drawn ASAP to check and see if the virus had been transmitted to me.  I went Saturday morning and got my blood drawn & now we wait.  As I type this, Sunday evening, time cannot seem to go fast enough.  My results will be in tomorrow, so until then, we wait....and PRAY. 
 
Jon also has to get tested first thing tomorrow & we're hopeful we'll get his results back by the end of the day Monday. 
 
On a positive note, Sheldon seems to be responding very well to his antibiotics & we are hopeful he'll be discharged from the hospital in the next couple days. 
 
This has hands down been one of the most terrifying experiences of our pregnancy thus far.  It's such a helpless feeling.....not knowing what's going on inside of you, not knowing if you have somehow inadvertently caused harm to your tiny little baby.    There are still many unanswered questions, which of course causes even more anxiety.  I keep reminding myself that in these times of trial, when "the goin' gets tough," to lean on God.  I think we forget sometimes that we are not in control of our lives, He is. 
 
My dear, dear friend had the scariest week of her life here recently when she was told her tiny little newborn may not make it thru the night. He was baptized the following morning & immediately began beating the odds, immediately.  This little man was on every machine the hospital had in their NICU.  Within 3 days, he had been weaned off his ventilator, chest tube removed & was sleeping in his mommy's arms for the very first time.  If that doesn't demonstrate the power of Prayer, I don't know what will.
 
 
 
 
 
 
So today, I ask you for prayers.  For Sheldon to have the patience to endure the road to recovery he's traveling on.  For Jon & myself to have peace knowing that our baby is in God's hands.  Lastly, for this sweet little girl growing inside my belly, please pray that she be protected from any & all harm.
 
 
Ok, enough with the doom & gloom.  Let's wrap this up with some fun fotos that provide a glimpse into our lives over the past month or so. 
 
 Here's some nursery before & afters. 
 
 
 
 
We celebrated this little guy's birthday a few weeks back!  I can't believe he's turning into a little man right before our eyes....tear.
 
 
 
 
 
This past weekend, we celebrated my Mom's birthday, and had the most beautiful weather we've had this spring!!
 
 
Card courtesy of BePaperie, Etsy
 
 
 
 
(If you dig Instagram as much as I do, hit me up at @annexenos)
 
I promise to pop in in the next couple days with an update on Sheldon & an update on test results for myself & Jon.  Until then, please don't forget to say a little prayer for all of us, especially the little babe. We appreciate it more than you know!