I spoke to Mike a little while ago (Janelle was sleeping, thankfully!) and he sent me these pictures of MJ. If any are blurry it's probably because I took them...I'm not the photographer in the family. But Mike asked me to thank all of you again for your prayers and emails of encouragement. God answered your prayers for no c-section and for a healthy baby. Mike and Janelle are grateful for your care as yet another evidence of God's undeserved goodness to their family.
Baby MJ and Mommy are both doing great. Janelle is feeling very good and MJ is healthy and content. Soon they will be transferred to the postpartum room. Right now Caly is getting acquainted with her new little sister and Mike's parents are getting to hold their new little granddaughter for the first time. Mike and Janelle want to thank all of you for their prayers. They are so grateful!
The only pic I have right now is one I snapped with my phone, but we'll post more as soon as we are able...
Well, the epidural worked the second time...so well that she's been playing Solitaire on her phone while contracting. Then, just a few moments ago her water broke on its own. Nurse says she is completely effaced and ten cm. Shouldn't be too long now!
Not much to report except that unfortunately the epidural didn't seem to take. She's in more pain than she was before, but hopefully they'll be here soon to give it to her again.
Just saw the doctor. He's given the order for the epidural so she won't have long to wait now. After examining her charts the doctor thinks she might not be as overdue as she thought. He thinks the due date was probably more like August 29 or so. That's good news. Janelle would continue to appreciate your prayers that she will be able to deliver naturally. But of course, she is trusting God for whatever the outcome, and still joking around in between contractions. Oh, and they will break her water around 1pm or so.
Talking to Caly: "Baby MJ's gonna be here today!"
Mike helping her through a contraction...
Here are the first pics...
Chalkboard in MJ's room....
In the waiting room...
Hooked up to the IV and all ready to go....
Checked in at the hospital at 8:46 am and were assigned a room a few minutes ago. Janelle has started to have some contractions about ten minutes a part. She's already wants an epidural! More updates and pics soon....
My little Tori turned two weeks old yesterday. She’s doing very well—loves to eat and sleep and let her big brother Jack put her passy in her mouth.
It’s impossible to adequately thank all of you for your prayers over the past two years as we wondered if we could have more children, then during morning sickness and finally as I faced a high-risk delivery. Thank you for caring for me in trial and for rejoicing with me in the blessing of this little one. Your emails of encouragement and congratulations mean so much to me and I intend to save them to show them to Tori one day.
Several of you have kindly inquired about the somewhat abrupt end to the birth-day coverage two weeks ago. I am so grateful for your care and concern. As you already know, I ended up needing a D&C procedure following Tori’s birth. The placenta had attached itself to the c-section scar and needed to be removed. God was gracious and the procedure was successful.
However, in the process I lost a lot of blood (about twice as much as women normally lose in childbirth). This was further complicated by the fact that I was already anemic going into delivery. So the next day, the doctor ordered a blood transfusion and put me on an iron regimen. In addition, a number of potentially serious concerns surfaced within the first twenty-four hours of Tori’s birth—related to both my and Tori’s health.
In the midst of the transfusion and tests and consultations with various doctors, Mom, Janelle and Kristin were so busy helping Steve care for Tori and me that they were unable to update the blog.
While the nature of the potential concerns is probably not appropriate to mention in this context, we were very grateful to receive back favorable test results on all fronts within about thirty-six hours. And both Tori and I came home from the hospital only three days after she was born.
My recovery has been slow due to the anemia. I still have a ways to go before my numbers reach “normal” range again. But I am thanking God for His faithfulness in preserving my life and giving us a healthy little girl. And I am thankful to you for your prayers.
Hope you enjoy these pics Janelle snapped of my little girl!
Steve just sent me some pics from today. Enjoy!
Hey y'all, sorry for the delay in getting an update posted today. We have been in recovery mode and busy taking care of our girls. Nicole and Tori are doing well and resting up after yesterday's delivery and subsequent procedure. We simply cannot thank you enough for all of your prayers and encouragement. Your kind words and e-mails have been a blessing to Nicole. I was on the night shift in caring for Nicole last night so I don't have new pics for you, but I just heard that Steve has been snapping away this afternoon so we should have more for you in the near future.
