Random events and photos...

First - pregnancy update :)
We have an appointment on May 10 to have the big ultrasound (YAY! I LOVE seeing the baby!), measure the baby's growth, and find out the gender. Yes, we are finding out. I don't feel strongly one way or the other, but I'm happy to find out. No, I don't think this is a tragic decision that will take away the wonder and mystery of the birth process. I have been shocked by the responses I've had from friends, family, and coworkers, ranging from, and including many responses in between, "of course you'll find out!" to "oh.... you can't wait, huh?" to "WHAT?!?!?! I CAN'T believe you would DO that!" followed by a 10 minute spiel on the tragedy of not having a surprise at birth. Seriously, people, chill out. If you're freaking out about this, how are you going to handle other parenting decisions James and I make? I'm just excited to see the baby again! I think ultrasounds are one of the COOLEST things about pregnancy :)

Yes, we've talked about names. We've talked about names for the past 5 years :) The current plan is to have one or two names picked out and then not actually decide until the baby is born. I know this is sad for those of you who like to monogram everything, but that's the plan. We're avoiding the unnecessary input from everyone else on the baby's name, while at the same time leaving our options open until we actually meet him/her.

So, after the May 10 appointment I'll post the ultrasound photos (now that I think I've figured out how to scan them in so they actually look like something) and a "belly shot" (fully clothed) for your viewing pleasure :)

In other news, I turned 28 yesterday. My Mom was 28 when I was born. I always thought that was late to start having kids and I wanted to be a younger mom than my Mom was. Hmmm. Disclaimer - I never thought my Mom was OLD... certainly not. I just wanted to be youngER. God certainly has a sense of humor :)

Mom and Grace and Poppy all bought me some maternity clothes in March in honor of my birthday, and Mom and Grace both sent me another package this week! You guys take such good care of me! Grace decorated an Old Navy tank top - photo below.



Mom Barnes sent me mugs and dessert plates that match my kitchen! They're so pretty! I've been using them for breakfast every day this week! See photo below :)



More pregnancy news - the last appointment was a little tense because I switched from my OB (who has a 40% C-section rate!) to a group of midwives. These midwives deliver at St.Luke's hospital down town (whose maternity ward is actually owned by Texas Childrens). It's a fantastic set up and I'm really excited! But they're concerned that my blood pressure is too high for this early in pregnancy and that since I'm overweight I may have diabetes. If my BP is too high and I get diabetes they might have to switch me back to an OB :( Well, the conclusion after this appointment is that my BP is normal (we switched to a longer cuff and that seems to have fixed the measurements!) and I don't have sugar problems at this point (they did an early test). However, my stress load is too high so I have to take some time off from school and start prenatal yoga classes. All in all, a conclusion that I can live with!

My friend Kathy, who has delivered twice with the Womens Specialists of Houston, is due two weeks after I am :) So we've started taking prenatal yoga classes together, which is great, and on my days off I sometimes go hang out with her. Last week we made strawberry jam! SOOOOOO delicious! I went and bought buttermilk so I could make buttermilk biscuits to go with it. (yesterday's "birthday biscuits" are pictured on the green plate Mom Barnes gave me in the above picture) YUM!

In other news, my concert was this Thursday - it was great! The kids did a fantastic job! We even called Al (percussion guy - see Katy's blog link on the right) at the end so the kids could all say HI to him.

Today, I'm playing in a wedding of a couple who was divorced and has reconciled and is getting re-married. They are new to our church so I don't know them very well yet, but I hope I get the chance to sit with Gabriela and tell her how encouraging and exciting her re-wedding is for me! God is SO GOOD. BTW, please continue to pray for my parents' marriage.

After the wedding James is taking me to the Symphony to hear Berlioz's Symphanie Fantastique. One of my favorite pieces :) James is so sweet to me to take me to the Symphony for my birthday!













My mini-garden is doing well. We ate broccoli and another tomato last week, and the mint and parsley are exploding! The basil smells WONDERFUL and the tomato plants have flowers all over them. The bell pepper plant has one flower :) I think the orange tree and broccoli pots aren't draining enough so I need to ask James to drill more holes at the bottom.


Praise God for ALL of the blessings he gives us - especially those that surprise us and those of which we are unaware!

Please Pray for Katy & family

I'm writing this morning to ask all of you to continue to pray for my friend Al's wife Katy. Al is the percussion teacher at my school and his wife has been in critical condition for the past three weeks after delivering her third child. Praise God the baby is healthy and Katy is still alive! Al keeps a blog updating how Katy is doing (the link is under my blog list to the right).

For those of you who don't know about the situation at all, Katy had a very rare complication with type A strep. This particular problem only happens in 0.02% of all cases of women who even have that strain of strep to begin with. Usually it's dangerous for the baby, not the mom, so doctors/midwives test women going into labor and if it comes back positive the mom takes some antibiotics to protect the baby. Well, Katy's test came back negative three times. However, after baby Arielle was born the strep "kicked in" and attacked her uterus and colon.

After a few days she started having a lot of pain so she went to the ER. These events followed (if you have a weak stomach, please skip this paragraph, especially the end!): renal failure, septic blood, dialysis, toxic shock syndrome, emergency surgery (removal of colon, uterus, part of bowls = only 5% chance of making it through surgery), medically induced coma, naturally occurring coma, blood complication (I forget the name - blood thins and clots at the same time causing major clots in the extremities and the rest of the blood is so thin that it seeps through porous membranes, skin included), possible stroke during coma, MRI showing no stroke, woke up from coma and was coherent and able to respond to questions, lots of pain = medically induced coma, move to new facility (Dallas), dangerous situation with toxins from her extremities leading to the amputation of all four limbs (one arm below the elbow, all others just above the major joint). After last Friday's amputation surgery she was able to wake up and respond again to questions and conversation. She had follow-up surgery for the amputations on Monday and again today. She isn't breathing on her own yet but they are hopeful that she will be able to by next week so they are delaying a possible tracheotomy. They are now looking in to being able to move her back to Houston.

So again, please pray for Katy, Al, and their family. They have a daughter in high school, son in young elementary school, and the new baby. The outpouring of support for this family has truly been amazing. Katy and Al are both self-employed and uninsured so this is a very stressful time financially as well (there are details of how to contribute financially on Al's blog if you are so inclined).

I've been the main contact on campus up until Al started blogging, so pretty much any time I walk through the hallway I get stopped and asked for an update or for a listening ear while the faculty tries to cope with this situation. Please pray that I would have the words God wants them to hear from me when I speak with them. A few of our students found out the details yesterday and one came to my office with the horror of it clearly on her face. This is what I told her, and what I tell you as you think and pray for Katy:

When I found out last Friday about the surgeries Katy was having this week, I started praying for several things: First, that God would put Katy on my heart throughout the day that I would be reminded to pray for her (physically and spiritually); Second, that after I finish each prayer that God would protect my mind from obsessively thinking over the details and that He would protect my mind as I sleep that I wouldn't have nightmares about this; Third, that God would fill Katy with love and forgiveness and compassion for Al to prepare her for when she finds out what has happened to her and that ultimately this would lead to their salvation; and Finally that God would protect the new baby in order that her family would love her and bond with her and blame her for her mother's illness.

Thank you for your prayers for this family. Praise God for his sovereignty and that he will be glorified in everything, even when we don't understand.