Posted by: Grandad

The time is 1:00 P.M. CST Carleigh has still not arrived. Grams is on the way to the
hospital to be with Andrea and John. I will update as soon as possible, but I will be going to the hospital also around 2:30. PLEASE KEEP CARLEIGH, ANDREA & JOHN IN YOUR PRAYERS.

I thought I had better update and say that Carleigh hasn't come early... yet. I am on pins and needles wondering if I will go into labor before Monday. It's a strange feeling sitting around just "waiting" for your water to break. You're afraid to go too far from home, ESPECIALLY in the opposite direction of the hospital -- but then as soon as you stay home, nothing happens!

I forgot to mention that when I went to the doctor on Thursday I showed her my feet. They are VERY swollen. Most of me is VERY swollen! I told Deb that it's a good thing they are delivering on Monday because I would probably explode from all my water build up! LOL Anyway, back to the feet... I have what is called "Class 2 Pit Edema". I'm not sure on the spelling, but what it means is that if you push on my skin it leaves a pit! It reminds me of the divots that are left on a golf green after the golf ball hits. Once the "pit" is there, it takes it awhile to fill back up. I am guessing that's where the "Class 2" comes in. It doesn't really hurt -- it looks worse than it feels. Even sitting with my feet propped up usually doesn't help. At least I know that my feet will be "normal" again someday. I won't feel like a moose forever! :o)

Carleigh is doing just fine. Moving around... having a great time...

Please note: Carleigh will be in the NICU after she is born. We don't know how many days she will be there, but Mommy is staying with her till she comes home! Since I am the only one who does her webpage, it may be awhile until the next update. :o)

Carleigh's Daddy just had a wonderful idea! I have placed special "Dreambook" links on each page of Carleigh's site. Please pay close attention to Carleigh's Dreambook, because Daddy, Grams, or Grandad will be posting updates until Carleigh and I are out of the hospital! This way our Internet friends can keep track of our progress and I don't have to teach everyone how to make a web page!!

Well, today is the due date, and Carleigh's still in the tummy. I went to the doctor today. Carleigh's heartbeat is 154 and I'm dilated to 2! I never made it to two with B until they hooked me up to the Pitosin. She was sleeping (I think!) until she was rudely awakened by the doppler! LOL Now she has been moving like crazy ever since! I think she is taking after her Mommy -- NOT A MORNING PERSON! :o) Since she is taking her time about arriving into this world, the doctor has decided to "roust" her out of there. Carleigh's birthday is going to be Monday, November 8, 1999. I kind of like knowing, so I can be prepared, but I'm not looking forward to inducing. It took such a long time with B and I don't want Carleigh to have to endure that. So Monday is the day, unless, of course, she comes this weekend. So to all of our family, friends, and new-found Internet family and friends, send lots of extra
prayers our way. Our little miracle is about to arrive!

Posted by: Daddy

Well it is about 6am and we are getting ready to go to the hospital. Andrea didn't get much sleep last night between being nervous and having cramps. (I was just nervous) We
ask for your continued prayers for Carleigh. We know that it is in God's hands and he well do what is his will, but he does create miracles Carleigh is one of them.

We've been to the doctor again and there is NOTHING new! I was sure I had dilated more, with the cramps I have in the middle of the night - but I guess not! Carleigh's heartbeat was 154 and we forgot to ask what my stomach measurement is. She has dropped REALLY low. We can tell because my stretch marks that are high on my stomach are not stretched tight anymore! I asked my doctor how far she would let me go over my due date. I know going very far over is not a good idea. She said if I didn't go into labor by my appointment next Thursday (which is also my due date!) she would check into the schedule for the next week. So I guess it's another week of waiting and wondering. I am not worried because I know she is just having more time to grow, but it makes me nervous wondering if my water will break, if I will have contractions, or how the whole process will start. I guess I'll just wait and see -
and during that time I'll enjoy all the little kicks that she has been sharing with me and I'll also spend more time at home enjoying my little guy.

Yes, we're STILL home! This child has a mind of her own!!! :o) Not that I'm complaining, because every day she stays put is another day to gain weight. I would love for her to be nice and "chunky" when she is born! :o) My friend, Deb, has been saying that she feels Thursday (tomorrow) is the day. Another friend, Jean Ann, wants it to be Friday, because that's her birthday! We'll see if either of them are right! Carleigh has still been really active. I think she is enjoying being home with her brother. If he lays beside me she gets SO excited! I know she can hear his voice and all of his jungle animal sounds. Sometimes I think he is so loud that he scares her! :o) I'll be back with an update after the doctor visit on Friday -- unless of course, she decides to arrive by then! B has a Halloween parade to be in on Saturday. Maybe she is going to let him have his fun before she makes her grand
entrance into this world!

We're still home! I think that Carleigh knows I have a lot to do, so she is waiting for me. It is very ironic that when I had to quit work to go on bedrest with B we were changing between the third and fourth quarters at school and I had grade cards to do. Well, now, we are changing between the first and second quarters, and once again, I have grade cards to do!!

I had a nice "private" shower on Saturday given by my fellow third grade teachers. They got some adorable clothes for Carleigh, a Baby's First Christmas ornament, a kit to make her handprints, and even got ME an outfit to sleep in!! They are so great and have been treating me like I am a member of each of their families. My mom ("Grams") went to the shower with me. She and "Grandad" got Carleigh some clothes too. They also got her a pink shawl/afghan and a snow baby ornament.

I always said I would never "pink" my daughter to death and when I open the door to her closet I can't help but laugh! PINK EVERYWHERE!! I honestly can't wait to see her in all that pink! B has learned so much since we found out about Carleigh. He's learned a lot of new words, especially "Carleigh", and of course, he definitely knows the color "pink"!! :o)

Well, the next time I write I may have a baby in my arms! :o) Little Miss Carleigh has decided that she just may not want to wait till November to arrive in this world! We are already seeing signs of her pending arrival. We called the doctor today and she said to call if I started bleeding or go to the hospital immediately if my water breaks. If things go like they did with B, my water will break in 2 days! So now the emotions really kick in. I am excited that she is almost here, but worried about how it will be "getting" her here, and then what will happen after she is here. I guess only time will tell and now is the time that we are talking to God the loudest. I know He will listen...

We're back from the doctor...again!! They couldn't get me in on Friday, so we went today. There was lots of new news today!! First of all, Carleigh's heartbeat was 152 - back to our good old "comfortable" spot! My doctor measured my stomach at 34, which I don't really think it got smaller, it's just the difference in people measuring. I'm not worrying about the measurement anymore. Why worry?? :o) And now the big one... I'm dilated to between 1 and 2!! This is a scary concept for me because we want Carleigh to wait until her due date. With B, I dilated to one and stopped. I was at one for a whole month with him. But I've passed that one mark, so I'm kind of nervous!! Anyway, Carleigh's bag is packed for the hospital. The punkin seat is going into the van IMMEDIATELY and we're going to be ready for anything. The doctor asked how B was delivered in relation to his due date and she told me not to expect this baby for another two weeks. I hope that is true... that way we'll make it all the way to the due date! Next appointment... October 29!!

We have just returned from another victorious trip to the doctor. We learned something interesting today. They have me as 37 weeks instead of 36, which would be right, since November 4, my original due date, is 3 weeks away. My stomach measurement was 35, which I wondered about because it didn't match my 37 weeks. The Nurse Practitioner told me that Carleigh had dropped and that would account for the smaller number. She has dropped WAY LOW, but she's not coming anytime in the near future. We were happy to know she's head down, but that I'm not dilated. We want her to stay in there as long as possible. :o) Her heart rate was 150. I was glad to see it back up in that 150-160 range. That 140 two weeks ago was almost too much for me!! We went shopping afterward and FINALLY found her dress for our family Christmas pictures. I have been looking for the perfect burgandy dress for months now. It will probably be too big, but I know she will look adorable! She and her daddy are wearing burgandy and B and I are wearing navy. A perfect family picture for our perfect family of four!

We're back from another trip to the doctor. My stomach growth is right where it should be - 34 for week 34! I got kind of scared when Lauren told us her heart rate. It was 140. Lauren said not to worry because it's in the normal range, and when I think about B's heart rate, it was everywhere between 142 and 180. But with the "possible" heart defect hovering over our heads, it scared me knowing her heart rate wasn't in that 152-160 range as it has always been. Optimistic Mommy isn't going to worry though. Carleigh keeps kicking me to remind me she is ok. We are sad that our favorite nurse, Lauren, won't be there to see us anymore. Actually, she is moving to the perinatologist's office. We promised we would visit her there. I think it would be very nice to take our perfect little girl to see our favorite nurse and the doctor who gives us nice ultrasound pictures! :o) My next appointment is Friday, October 15.

Carleigh is still doing great, but this has not been a week for good news. I found out yesterday that my Godfather has cancer. It was a very unexpected thing, although I guess cancer is always unexpected.

Then tonight I get online hoping to hear from a new friend about her baby. Melissa found Carleigh's site and emailed me because her own Erin has Trisomy 18. When we first met, Erin was about 4-5 weeks old, and doing well. In my email tonight though, sweet Erin had gotten sick all of a sudden and passed away on September 20. She was eight weeks old. Not exactly something I wanted to hear, but I am glad Melissa told me about it. She told me never to delay anything. She said make a list and check it off fast because you never know what tomorrow will bring. That is true anyway, whether or not you have a Trisomy baby. And even though you know that it can happen, you still aren't prepared when that day will come. Melissa, I know you will be reading this soon. We are thinking about you lots! Keep in touch!

On Friday, we visited the pediatrician. It was our prenatal visit to let her know what is happening with us and that we want her to be Carleigh's doctor. It was SO NICE finally visiting a doctor that was positive and on our side! Our pediatrician knows the seriousness of our daughter's condition, but she did not ever "harp" on the negative. She promised us that she will do everything that is necessary to help Carleigh. She also told us not ever to give up hope because we won't know exactly what we are dealing with until Carleigh is born. For the first time since all of this started, I walked out of a doctor's office with a smile on my face, rather than with tears in my eyes. Thanks, Dr. Floyd! :o)

We're back from the ultrasound. We didn't see exactly what we were hoping to see - hence the beautiful ultrasound picture and "Please be patient... God isn't finished with me yet" at the front gate.

We saw the Spina Bifida again. We were hoping it had "vanished", but it hadn't. We saw the sack on her back and can see that it is in the lumbar-sacral area. The perinatologist thinks 7 vertebrae are involved. (The original thought was 6.) We saw her brain, and though he didn't specifically say so, we believe that she does have hydrocephalus. Both feet appear to be clubbed, but this is the least thing to worry about. All of this information is what we already knew. We wanted him to look for more "defects". We were so excited to see her little hands open. I even was yelling "WOO-HOO!! Something good!!" (I think all the medical people involved got tickled at that one.)

They didn't find any of the other defects I had mentioned before... then came the scary part... the heart. During our ultrasound in July, her heart was too small to see. For this ultrasound, her heart was too big to see. He said there is a "possible" defect, but with the shadows from her rib cage, he cannot be sure. He said that 90% of Trisomy 18 babies do have heart defects. He will put it on my chart and that will alert the doctors to do a test once she is born. So, being the optimist I am, I choose to believe her heart is ok. Why worry about a problem when there might not even be one there? She is a bit shy of 3 pounds right now. The peri said that if my original due date (Nov. 4) was right, she is running 2 weeks behind on growth, which is right for the Trisomy 18. But, if the ultrasound due date (Nov. 15) is right, I believe she is on target. I guess we will have to wait and see how much she weighs when she is born.

So how do I feel about this? I am very happy that they didn't find more "markers". When they tell you that your baby won't live, what worse can they tell you? I went in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I still believe in miracles. I have a beautiful profile picture of my little girl and she is just as beautiful as my little boy. As John said, "God is finished with her hands - she can open and close them." So, Everyone, please keep praying, and please be patient... God isn't finished with her yet!

We've been to the doctor for week 32! Carleigh's heartbeat was a beautiful 154, still in her normal range. My stomach measurement was 32. A 32 measurement for 32 weeks - perfect!! :o) I asked the doctor for an ultrasound. I know my jaw must have dropped to the floor because she didn't say "no", she didn't argue, she didn't downtalk my idea, or anything! She said, "Ok, let Lauren call the perinatologist and set up an appointment." I am scheduled for an ultrasound at 1:00 THIS Wednesday! I am going to have to change it though, to better accommodate our schedules, but I will update for sure after the ultrasound... Good or bad... we're praying for GOOD!!!

John and I have been talking and have decided to make some changes. We feel these changes will help Carleigh. We originally didn't want any more testing, because the doctors can't do anything, so why find out everything and worry about it? Well, now that we are within 9 weeks (yes, NINE weeks) of her arrival, we feel it's necessary to know about all of those things, so that we can prepare for her arrival. I go to the doctor on Monday. I am going to request another ultrasound. I want to know how much my baby weighs to compare her size to B's at this gestational age (Trisomy babies should be much smaller than what he was), I want to check her Spina Bifida and her head shape, and I want the doctors to look for Trisomy 18 "markers" - which would be defects that I have mentioned before, such as in Susanna's case.

If Carleigh has a heart defect, I want to know it so I can find her a good doctor. We want to give her the best start possible. I know another ultrasound is probably not going to be full of roses. John and I are prepared for the worst. We still believe in miracles and know that God will do what is best and we also know that the doctors might not tell us what we want to hear. It's something we need to know though. We heard another song that is our situation totally. I'll have the words up as soon as I get them. :o) I'll update again on Monday after I see the doctor.

Well, we've made it to the third trimester. I am currently 30 weeks pregnant and often wondered if I would ever make it this far. The third trimester is bringing me both happiness and fear. I am happy that I have Carleigh kicking me each day. Happy to be spending precious time with her. The scary part is wondering what is happening to her right now. I know that Spina Bifida does the most damage to a baby in the third trimester. I don't even want to think about what the Trisomy 18 is doing to her. Things are becoming a little more realistic for me now. I think of the bad things and the good things. I know that I need to be prepared for the bad things, but it's hard to believe anything is bad when she is acting normal now.

On a good note... I went to the doctor today. Little Miss Carleigh still has that steady 152 heartbeat. I was so relieved when Lauren found her heartbeat right from the start. I knew she was ok because she had been moving today, but there is always that element of fear. My weight gain and measurements are good also, so it appears to be a "normal" pregnancy. (I guess as normal as you can get with Trisomy 18!) Also, I did have a blood test today. Nothing to do with Carleigh, just me. I became anemic while pregnant with B. Since we aren't having tests, I fear being anemic and not knowing it, then going into labor with Carleigh. I want me to be as healthy as possible, so I can devote all my time to my little girl.

It's been a busy few weeks. I've been planning for school and today was the first day. Carleigh has been doing just fine. She is constantly kicking and moving around. She moved today, even though I was on my feet a lot! That really surprised me, as our son didn't move if I was on my feet all day.

Last night was wild. We were startled awake by the phone at 1 a.m. A major part of the business district of our town had caught fire. The call was to let us know that John's place of employment was one of the ones burning. We immediately panicked, got out of bed, got dressed, and went to check it out. Thankfully, the pharmacy WASN'T on fire and John still has a job. But 8 other people lost their businesses. It was a really sad time.

Life in a small town... One amazing thing about living in a small town is the sense of family. Everyone knows everyone and you have a real support system when times are hard.

Now the bad part... (you knew that was coming) THE RUMORS!!! I heard a good one today! "You know, it's so sad that this is happening to John and Andrea. The saddest part is that every baby they have after this one will be the same way. You knew that B being born healthy was a miracle, didn't you?"

HOLD IT!!!! Let me get a few things straight. I know that all of you believers know the truth. All of you have been to this site and know the facts. But here goes! (I'm in an uproar, can't you tell?!) First of all, any baby that we have after Carleigh will not have Trisomy. It is a random thing and any other woman has just as much chance of having a Trisomy baby as I do.

Second of all, ANY child who is born healthy, I consider to be a miracle. I mean, look what you start with. That little group of cells goes through dramatic changes to become a little baby. Lots of things could happen along the way. B did not have Trisomy because he was not the 1 in 8000 who got it. This is not something that John and I pass to our children, so no, all our "future" children are NOT destined to have Trisomy. B is a miracle to us. He is the son we always wanted. Carleigh is a miracle too. She is the daughter we always wanted. The miracle that we are praying for Carleigh is for the diagnosis by the doctors to be wrong. For her to not have complications that will take her life. For her to share her life with us...

John and I hit the ROOF when we heard this RUMOR. I just wanted to set the record straight...

A Precious Moments Friend of mine from Wyoming made a special page on her site for Carleigh. She has never met us, but wanted to do something special. That something special has turned into something very popular because in less than 48 hours there have been over 200 visitors to Carleigh's prayer page! Be sure to click on the link at Carleigh's Corner where the Precious Moments baby is. Thanks, Missy!! You brightened our day!!!