Welcome to the blog!

Alas, the Luke-blog has transformed into the family blog. Yes...things are a-growing and a-changing 'round here! We are happy to officially announce that we are expecting our second child in August! And yes...for all of you who are wondering, we WILL be finding out the sex this time! But you'll have to wait until mid-April for that news. We ( err....I should say its more ME) are admittedly hoping for a girl this time, but I must say that even a TERM baby would be just fine with me. No preemies this time around, thank you!

So with all these changes, life has certainly been interesting for us! We are THRILLED beyond words to know that a new baby is on the way! When we first found out, Ty and I were both feeling a bit nervous and worried as we thought of what this time around might bring for us, but we are certain that God is watching over us and taking wonderful care of the situation. A dear friend reminded me recently that God is not a God of worry and fear...He is a God of love and provision. How true! I take those words to heart these days.

As for the medical side of this pregnancy, so many of you have asked about my risk of developing pre-eclampsia again and what my OB is doing to keep tabs on things. Well, for starters, several months ago I was tested for any underlying conditions that may predispose me to have a greater propensity for pre-e. There are several genetic disorders, namely clotting problems, that put women at a higher risk. However, I thankfully did not test positive for any of them! Yay! :) With no predisposing factors, it remains a guessing game as to how this pregnancy will turn out. The truth is, we just don't know. IF pre-e develops again, it will most likely develop EARLIER than it did with Luke (31 weeks) and IF it happens again, it will just depend on the severity as to how I will be managed. Some moms develop mild pre-e and can remain at home with regular monitoring by their OB's. Others can be managed in the hospital on bedrest and medications. And still others, like me the first time around, progress so rapidly and severely that the ONLY option is for delivery. So, the plan at this point is to just keep a very close eye on things and PRAY for a term pregnancy! In terms of prevention, there are several studies out that show some positive results (i.e. less occurrence of pre-e) with low-dose aspirin therapy and/or calcium supplementation. From the things I have read, there is more support for the aspirin therapy than the calcium, however, both can be taken with very minimal to no negative side effects, so my OB placed me on both since before we conceived, along with, of-course my regular pre-natal vitamins. Keeping our fingers crossed that it helps!

And then there is Luke. We talk about 'the baby in mommy's tummy' all the time and I've been showing him pictures of me pregnant with him, as well as those from when he was born, but I know that he still doesn't quite get it. When he see's pregnant women out and about, he always says "bee-bee", so he obviously gets that part of it, but since there is hardly a belly to speak of in our house, it hasn't all fit together. It will....in time. And speaking of belly.....there actually IS a bit of a belly to speak of....but I KNOW it's not baby yet, since the baby is only measuring in at 1/2 an inch right now! I seriously look like I'm already 4 months along though, and for my 8 weeks, that's pretty funny to us! Not sure if it's muscle-memory from before, the effects of the relaxing hormones that run rampant in pregnancy or just good 'ol bloating, but whatever it is, it's pretty obvious to me! I can still wear my regular clothes (thank goodness!) but I'm starting to feel a little self-conscious about my poochy. I'm looking forward to the obvious belly, instead of just looking pudgy! :)

As far as OUR plans for our family go, this will be our last baby, so I am relishing each and every moment of this pregnancy. I really do not take any part of it for granted now after Luke's birth, for I know that at any moment, things can change. We will count it our blessing if you would remember us and a healthy, TERM pregnancy in your prayers over the next several months. We were witness to the miracles that happened when you all prayed for Luke and we know that prayer really does work, so if you wouldn't mind, we covet your prayers!

So stay tuned to the blog....I will be attempting to update here much more often that I did Luke's old website, since now it is more of a family affair than just one focused on Luke. Our pictures can still be found over the the right, but I will be starting a new 2007 album soon. I'm off for now! Thanks for peeking in on us and sharing in our multiplying joy! :)