Our Journey

For years, I’ve contemplated starting a blog to share my projects as an amateur DIY-er, my crafts, and my baking.   So many people have encouraged me to share these things, and that seed was planted.  But it wasn’t until just now that have I felt truly compelled to write. 

This blog is a trial.  I may never even share it.  It's taken months to publish just this.  I don’t know how this will turn out, like so many things in life, especially now. I'm reminded how we so often forget that we don’t know what the next day will hold, and that very few things are certainties in life.  I make no promises to entertain, or to have the “right” thoughts or perspective.  At times this will be my therapy, and at times it will be my mode of updating all of those who love us and our little one.

Many of you already know the difficult road that Cameron and I have been walking for the past few months.  We are so thankful for you.  Your prayers, thoughts, notes and calls, dinners made, availability, and comforting hands on our shoulders have been a true blessing to us.  For those of you who don't yet know, our story is here for you to read because you are dear to us.    

On May 1^st, Cameron and I got the delightful news that we were expecting our first, precious baby.  I shared the news with him through a scrabble game when he got home from school.  His response was a truly surprised, “are you SERIOUS?”.   We toasted with milk.  And so began our journey to parenthood, and one that would be quite different from what we’d expected and hoped.

Two months later, on July 5^th, at our 13-week ultrasound, our baby was diagnosed with a very rare birth defect.  When the resident (we were already in a high-risk office because of threatened miscarriage earlier in the pregnancy) told us that something was different about the baby and left to get the doctor, we knew that something was terribly, terribly wrong.   The doctor showed us on the ultrasound a big pouch jutting out from the baby’s tiny belly.  A large omphalocele .   (You can read about what that is here: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/childrens-hospital/health-info/diseases-conditions/digestive-disorders/hic-Omphalocele.aspx) 

The baby was too small for her to determine much else, just that the abdominal wall had not closed properly during the early weeks of development, leaving some organs outside.   The cause of omphaloceles is unknown.  She sent us straight to the genetic counselor, who explained more about the defect, and about all of the terrifying things that can accompany it.  The most frightening news was that it commonly occurred in babies who had chromosomal abnormalities such as Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18, two highly fatal syndromes.  

All of the news sent us reeling.  The very real chance of our baby not surviving for more than a few minutes, hours, or days after birth was completely devastating.  Even in the best-case scenario, we were facing multiple surgeries, months in the NICU, and a guarded prognosis.  The fear of not bringing our baby home cast a dark shadow over us for days, weeks to come.  I couldn’t bring myself to plan for the nursery.

A painstakingly long month later, we were able to have an amniocentesis to test baby’s chromosomes.  As scary as that test was (and I’m not even talking about the needle—I didn’t even look at that thing), we felt it was necessary for us to be able to prepare ourselves for what was to come, and to best plan for the baby’s delivery and treatment thereafter, if needed.   (Insert excruciating 3-day wait…)

Praise God, our baby’s results came back normal!   No Trisomy, no other detectable defects.  Wow, was that the best news we’ve had in months!  We were so relieved that the omphalocele would likely be our biggest hurdle.  Yay!!!!

Annnd we got another BIG, HAPPY surprise: after months of being certain we were having a boy, we found out that our little one is a GIRL!!!!!!!

So now you are somewhat up-to-date on our journey!  AND we ended on a happy note!   Please keep us and our sweet baby girl in your prayers!