Countdown: T minus 18 hours

THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE:

I can't start without first thanking each of you from the bottom of my heart, for your continued prayers and encuraging words. God is doing miracles already today and there is no doubt in my mind that He is hearing each of those prayers. Please keep 'em coming!!!!

I got about 6 hours of sleep last night. That was miracle #1!! Gracie slept like a total log all night long ........... miracle #2. Mom drove me to Northside this morning while Laura stayed at the house with Gracie. We ran into some traffic but made it there in about an hour: miracle #3!

I had my 18th (and hopefully final) ultrasound, and Jamin looks fantastic: miracle #4. They estimate he weighs about 5 lbs 14oz. Then Dr. Mann came in to do the amnio, at which point I was so terrified I was trying not to shake. It went well and we survived: MIRACLE #5!!!! It hurt pretty badly, but only lasted for like 30 seconds. I kept my eyes closed, focused on holding very still, and just prayed through the whole thing. So I didn't see anything scary, but my mom reported it was not a pleasant site to observe. I was then hooked up to the NST monitor for about 20 minutes after the amnio, just to make sure the baby was doing okay after the procedure, and all looked well.

On the way home I called Laura to check on Gracie. She reported that Gracie woke up in a fantastic mood and seemed to be feeling really good, she ate a banana and some water for breakfast: MIRACLE #6!!! What a giagantic relief!

I then got a call from James telling me that WWIII was avoided and our family drama appears to have reached some peaceful resolution: MIRACLE #7!!!!

So much has turned around in the last 12 hours .... oh the Lord is at work!!

I've been resting and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible since I returned home. Laura went back to work and mom has gone home, so it's just me and Gracie for now. She is perky and energetic like her "normal" self, and has had a piece of bread and more water and a lollypop in the last hour.

Please continue to pray for us. We are expecting to get a call with amnio results sometime between maybe 4:30ish and 6:30ish tonight. At that point we will get Gracie handed over to her Grammie, and James and I will head back to the hospital for admission.

Please pray for: mature lungs, minimal confusion receiving amnio results and coordinating admission, and decent sleep for James and I tonight. Also please pray for traveling mercies for my sister, who will likely end up on a red-eye flight tonight from Colorado back to GA.

God is in control of all of these details and so much more! We are so incredibly grateful for your prayers!

I will update more tonight as things change ...........

Limping to the Finish Line

Or really, it would be more accurate to say:

DESPERATELY CLAWING OUR WAY TO THE FINISH LINE.

We now have just two days left until Jamin's arrival, and let me tell you, we are being pummeled from every angle. Please forgive me if this post comes across as super whiny. I'm trying not to whine, truly I am. But I am so overwhelmed, seriously I just need to vent for a moment.

My contractions are growing ever more frequent and painful with each passing hour, every time I think they can't possibly get any worse .... they do. I am contracting about every 6-10 minutes, even though I'm now on the maximum dosage of terbutaline. I also have significant pain way low in my cervix, which does not go away despite hours of laying in bed. I'm guessing that I have to be continuing to dilate. If Jamin is not halfway outta me by the time I arrive at the hospital Thursday night I will be shocked.

Being on the max dosage of terbutaline has me geeked outta my mind. Man, that stuff is nasty. I was on it for nearly 5 weeks with Gracie, and now 12 weeks on/off with Jamin ...... but seriously I am still shocked sometimes at how awful it can make you feel. I am constantly trembling, heart racing, and sometimes have difficulty catching my breath. It's also doing a number on my already problematic blood pressure. Needless to say, sleep is pretty much out the window at this point.

I am still checking Gracie's little head twice a day for nasty bugs. So far we seem to be in the clear, THANK YOU LORD. But Doctor Kaufman says we're not quite out of the woods until Friday. So I'm optimistic, but afraid to declare victory too soon on that one.

My babysitter, Brandi, has landed herself in the hospital now .... complications with her blood pressure and potassium levels. Please pray for her and baby Savannah! Her absence is sorely missed, as I haven't had any help here at the house all week and I am pretty much totally unable to do anything by myself right now.

"THE" family issue that I've been praying about is not resolved, in fact it's only grown a million times worse. I was up at 4:00am this morning having a panic attack over this whole mess. I am trying not to break under the stress, but I'm close.

And last but not least .......... the coup de grâce ............ Gracie woke up at 7am this morning vomiting. James took her to the doctor, where it was determined that she has an unidentified stomach virus. We have no idea at this point how long she will be sick or when she will be passed the contagious point. She has not developed a fever yet, which is the yardstick by which the doctors generally determine the contagious period. We were instructed that if she has no fever and no vomiting by tomorrow, she is fine to come to the hospital to meet her brother on Friday.
But if she has any fever or any vomiting tomorrow, then she has to stay away. I haven't even had the heart to tell her yet .......... she will be DEVASTATED. As I am. All we can do at this point is wait and see.

In the meantime, James and I are washing our hands so feverishly that the skin is ready to fall off. We are praying that she recovers quickly, and that neither of us contract it. We are feeding her small sips of pedialyte, which seems to be our only option as she was throwing up water earlier today. If/when she keeps down the pedialyte for 8 solid hours, then we can try some bread or applesauce.

I am desperately begging for your prayers!!! We are so overwhelmed and my brain can hardly function at this point. I truly want to just break down and cry for a bit, but I don't even have the energy to do that.

Please pray for:
1. Gracie: no fever, hold down foods, recovery by tomorrow, no head lice.
2. James and I: no stomach virus, a few hours of sleep, maintain sanity.
3. Jamin: mature lungs by tomorrow!
4. Pregnancy complications: amnio tomorrow morning with no problems, normal blood pressure, contractions and cervical pain under control, NO SPONTANEOUS LABOR.
5. Gigantic family thing: resolution before WWIII breaks out.

Okay, that's all my brain can handle for now.

Preserving the Journey

Well let me just start by saying that I am one lucky girl. I have been so fortunate to have TWO very talented photographers capture a few of my pregnancy moments. The resulting images tug at my heart strings and thrill my mind to know that a little piece of our journey will be preserved forever.

Andrea Vantrees is a photographer from Douglasville. She came to our home and photographed the whole family. She was so much fun! Here is a peek at the results:

Right now Andrea is working through the painstaking process of digitally removing the ugly tummy bruises from each picture. By the time she is done, no one should ever know about my love-hate relationship with Mr. Heparin.

Check out Andrea's website to see more: http://www.andivanphotography.com/index.php?splash=1

Happy Valentines Day!!

So it turns out that spending every moment of every day stuck in bed makes it pretty much to impossible to do any meaningful shopping for your Valentine. Sorry honey. This is the best I'm able to do under the circumstances.

TOP 5 REASONS I LOVE BEING JAMES' VALENTINE:

1. James always makes me laugh. Always. He has this knack for taking extremely scary or stressful moments and making an inappropriatly hilarious comment to break up the tension. For instance, if we're at the doctor's office waiting nervously for test results, he will complain that there's never anything to read at the OB other than "Modern Vagina" Magazine, or he'll start analyzing the breastfeeding poster. It's like his goal in life is to make me smile.

2. I never EVER worry that he will trade me in for a younger, hotter wife. Because somehow he still thinks I'm young and hot, and he tells me so all the time. I have no idea how he believes this to be true, but I'm just glad that's the way it is. He even thinks fat and pregnant is still sexy. Go figure.

3. He is insanely loyal and protective of his 4 girls. God help you if you try to mess with his wife, his daughter, his mama, or his baby sister. A ferocious torrent of carnage and destruction will be released upon you.

4. James is an awesome dad. He has learned the difference between Littlest Pet Shop and Puppy in My Pocket. He fully grasps the importance of owning a ballgown and tiara to match every princess, and he will gladly stand in line for over an hour to meet Ariel. He isn't afraid to be the only man in attendance at the Glass Slipper Ball. He lives to make us happy.

5. Through all the trials and obstacles we've faced in recent years, especially during the times when I am overcome with worry and fear, he always tells me, "We'll be alright". And 99% of the time, I think he actually believes it.

Honey, you are a fantastic husband and father and I love you dearly. I pray that Jamin inherits your soft heart and your strong mind. And your sense of humor. And your lips. And maybe not your legs ... ya know, for the boy's sake. But all the rest. I pray that one day he will grow up to love his mother as much as you love yours, and to love and care for his own wife the way that you do me. Of course, I will have to take her down and arm wrestle her for his affection .... but we have several years before we have to worry about that. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Gracie wanted to write a "Valen-time" too. I typed out exactly what she told me:

Dear Daddy,

Happy Valentime's Day. I love you. Will you be my valentime? When I grow up I want to marry you. We will live in a tall building in Big City. We will read magazines and play on the computer and eat macaroni for dinner every night.

Love, Gracie.