Trying rice cereal

We are on day 2 of TRYING rice cereal (per spoon...she already LOVES it in her bottle)...I say "trying" because I'm not really sure how well it's going!  ha  What I am sure about is that I have a little baby growing into a big girl!  She'll be five months old very soon.  I wish I could just say STOP and pause these moments...it's all happening too fast!  I am LOVING every second of being momma to this precious girl!  I thank God for blessing my life with her!

Mother's Day

I LOVED celebrating my first mother's day with my sweet miracle baby today!  It was one of the most special days, and I will never forget it!  It was especially special because, before we had Grace, I thought today would probably be a very hard day for me, a day I would not be able to celebrate.  But through God's mercy and grace, I got to truly celebrate.  Being a momma is the best thing in the whole world!  I love it and I LOVE my precious angel. 

My heart has also been heavy today because of those who have not been able to celebrate today.  Those who have lost their mommas, those who long to be mommas, those who have lost their precious babies.  I'm so sorry because I know today was a hard day.  Please know that I have remembered you today and will be praying for you, sweet friends. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Grace Elizabeth is here!! 7 lbs 1 oz. She is beautiful. She looks just like her ultrasound pics. Momma is doing great also and enjoying spending time with Grace. Grace is doing good and showing that she is a fighter!
Sent from my iPhone

Waiting

By this time tomorrow, I will know my baby girl Grace!  I still cannot believe it!  Many, many people from all over the world are praying for our family, and we are so thankful.  I just wanted to post our latest pictures of our family :)

Daddy and Momma :)

39 weeks!

 36w4d - getting chubbier and chubbier :)

 37w4d - sweet lips!

 38w4d - one smushed little girl!

Birthday Week

Happy birthday week, my sweet Grace!  Your daddy and I are celebrating you this week as we wait to meet you Friday!  I cannot believe we are so close to getting to meet you and see your sweet face!  We are praying extra for you this week, that God would continue to use your life to give Him glory, and that He would heal you.  We pray that He would guide us as your parents as we make further decisions for you after you are born.  We pray that God would be with your "team" of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, etc, and that He would be with our family and friends as they can't wait to meet you.  We pray for continued peace throughout the week as we prepare for you.  We pray that we will get to spend the most time with you as we can, as we celebrate your precious life.  Most importantly, we pray for God's will to be done through our family.

I feel so blessed to be your momma.  I feel chosen.  Thank you for changing my life.  I love you to the moon and back!

Carrying Grace

We got back tonight from our Thanksgiving celebrations.  I worked Thurs from 7-3 while Chad celebrated the holiday with his family in Magee, and as soon as I got off work, we went to Pontotoc to celebrate with my family.  It certainly wasn't the same this year as years in the past.  Chad and I have a different perspective now with all that has happened in our lives over the past few weeks.

I guess I should give a brief update.  We had an appointment with the ADU Wed.  We got to see our precious baby girl on ultrasound.  She is beautiful!  The person that did the ultrasound was so sweet...she did a 4D ultrasound for us!  We got to see Grace in greater detail than we have before...we determined that she definitely has my nose!  She was just waking up for us during the ultrasound.  She is such a sweet girl!  Anyway, we met with Dr. B after who basically said no changes since our last appointment.  Then we met with Ms. J from the palliative care team.  The meeting was great.  We did learn about another diagnosis for Grace, which is agenesis of the corpus callosum.  I told J that we had never heard of this diagnosis before, either that no one has ever told us this diagnosis or we have been too overwhelmed with information/emotion that we haven't heard this diagnosis.  Basically, with the two diagnoses (encephalocele and agenesis of the corpus callosum), Grace could have up to severe neurological delays.  J suggested that we plan goals for the pregnancy, Grace's birth, and after Grace is born.  She suggested that we plan for the best outcome, the worst outcome, and a middle outcome.  I asked her what she thought about what the neurosurgeon had said the day before, and she said she thought that he focused just on the encephalocele, not on both diagnoses.

So Chad and I celebrated Thanksgiving knowing what we know.  Chad said he felt angry and like he didn't have anything to be thankful for this year.  Sometimes the grief we have is overwhelming.  I can't say I didn't feel the same way at some points during our Thanksgiving celebration.  But I chose and am choosing to be thankful for the life that is inside of me.  I know it's different for Chad and me, since I am carrying Grace, but I choose to celebrate her life.  She is alive.  I can feel her.  I am constantly reminded of her life.

I do not understand why we are having to go through this.  Is there really an answer to why?  But I trust that God is in control.  He will carry us through this.  He is carrying us through this.  Because, despite what anyone thinks or says, it is only because of Him that we are able to live through this.

So even though I sometimes feel angry and like I don't have anything to be thankful for, I choose to be thankful that He chose me to carry my baby Grace.  Because no one could love her like I love her.  No one else could be her Momma.  I pray that He receives the glory.