Our Forever Family: July 2010

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Baby Girl Albert's Name!

So when we first got pregnant we started thinking of names. This time with names we thought more about the meanings of them. So the first name we picked out for a little girl could not have fit any better. We were waiting to see if there might be another name before we share, but every time we think of her or pray for her this name sticks!

so, we are naming our sweet little girl....

Eva means "gift of life" and we have Faith that she will be alive in our arms!!

Now when you pray for our sweet little girl you can pray for her by name! God has given us another great gift and we are so thankful for her!

Love,

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

We are so excited to announce that we are having a GIRL!! I think we are still in shock. This pregnancy has been different than the other 2. I have been a lot sicker but I am embracing it and wouldn't change it! When we did the gender US with Landon it took almost an hour because he would not show us anything. I prayed the night before that would not happen with this one. The sweet lady at First Glimpse fit me in because she knew I wanted to find out before my surgery.

I was so excited to find out that I could not sleep the night before and for some reason I was so nervous!

So we started the US and of course our little bundle of joy had her legs crossed! But after a bottle of water and lots of poking and rubbing the belly- she moved and showed us her glory! The sweet lady told Van and then Van told us "I'm having a Sister!" Tears flooded my eyes! I was so excited! And then Van pushed the big blue button and turned off the sonogram machine!! Ha!

We would have been happy with whatever God blessed us with but I think God knew it needed to be a girl. To be honest I was really worried how I would have reacted if it was a boy. I would have been happy but I think I would have felt like I was replacing Landon. We have lost so many boys in our past that I was worried I would have put that baby boy in that category. Some of you may think how could you do that but after so much loss your mind and emotions start to do things to protect you. God knew we needed a change, God knew exactly what He was doing and I am so thankful for that!

So without further a due here is our Sweet baby GIRL!!!

Baby Update!

We went to the doctor this past Tuesday and found out that the Cerclage (stitching of the cervix) is back on the table. The specialist and my doc went back over everything and feel that it would be better if I did have it done. We lost our first baby - at 17 weeks, so the surgery was planned very quickly to place it in my 17th week and no later. I was shocked at the news and a little confused. The specialist explained all the complications that could happen if they placed it with me being diagnosed with Preterm Labor. And now they want to do the procedure! They were honest and said they really could not tell if my early delivers were due to incompetence cervix or preterm labor. So I am getting treatments for both. I started the weekly progestrone shots this week also, they reduce my chance of preterm labor by 30%. Another reason they want to go ahead and stitch my cervix while I have not dilated or have shown any signs of preterm labor is it is safer to do it now than have to do a "rescue cerclage". That is when I start to show signs of labor they place the cerclage then. This causes a high risk of infection- which is not good.

The Cerlcage is planned for Monday morning. I need prayers for my nerves and for the recovery. Pray no infection happens- if that happens it could cause me to go into labor. I can not imagine losing another baby. I pray every morning that my body stays strong and that this isn't the last day I have with my precious baby. This journey has been a huge emotional roller coster but God does give me peace when I allow Him too. To receive anything from God you have to be open to it and fight the devil out of your thoughts and emotions. The devil is powerful but I know my God is bigger than it all!

I will be on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy-wow! I knew it would come but when it is really here it makes me nervous! I have been on semi-bed rest for awhile now. Right after my surgery I will be only leaving the house to go to the doctors. After that we will be playing it by ear with the docs. I am due December 19th. Pray I make it to term! Thanks for every one's prayers and continue to pray for me and baby!!

Love,

The Journey!

I have been married 7 years to my best friend and the love of my life!! We started trying for a family soon after marriage, but to our dismay things were not going as we planned. We went down the fertility road for about 2 ½ -3 years. Then we turned to Adoption to plan for our forever family! This is how our journey begins with our boys! We got the phone call November the 8th, 2007 and to our surprise we were chosen by a Birthmother to parent her 2 boys!! Our first son, Van Ericson, came home to us November 12th, 2007 when he was 14 months old! I cannot begin tell you how excited and in awe we were to finally have a family! Van is our first miracle! He just turned 3 years old September the 9th. On January the 9th, 2008 our second son, Spencer Travis, was born. We got a phone call the day before we were going to bring him home telling us his Birthmother decided to parent him. Our hearts were extremely broken! For a very long time afterwards I found myself waiting for a phone call telling us to come pick up Spencer. I am still hoping to this day we get that phone call! In late January 2009, Travis and I decided to put our paperwork in for the 2nd adoption. Then a miracle happened! I was pregnant!! I was pretty far along when we found out. Due to my conditions I had nothing to go by to tell me I was pregnant except God telling me to take a test! We were shocked and so excited! Then everything started going wrong. I started to bleed, but to our surprise our baby seemed to be ok. Two days after seeing the doctor and being reassured everything seemed to be good, it happened. I started to miscarry. The miscarriage was a horrible experience in so many ways. We tried making it to the hospital but I lost too much blood and started passing out. The ambulance had to take me the rest of the way. We lost our precious baby around 1 am March 18th, 2009 at 17 weeks. About 2 months later I became pregnant AGAIN! Another miracle! My pregnancy was going perfect! I had no bleeding and nothing major to be concerned about. But to our dismay our 4th child did not make it to term. I went into pre-term labor. Our precious son Landon Thomas was born September 17, 2009 at 4:51pm. He was 24 weeks gestation. He was so early and could not make it on his own. Landon was 1 lb 2 oz, 11 ½ inches long. He went to be with Jesus that same day. We miss him so much and not a moment goes by that we don't think of him. What we would give to hold him one more time! Landon will be forever missed! Then in April of 2010 we found out we were pregnant AGAIN! Another Miracle! I was on bedrest for almost my entire pregnancy, a cerclage was placed and I had weekly doctor visits and shots. Our little GIRL, Eva Faith arrived safe and healthy December 3rd 2010!! A week after given birth to my daughter I had to be admitted back into the hospital with breathing problems.I had to be placed on the ventilator. My family was told I wasn't going to survive and if I did it would be a very long recovery. Well my GOD is bigger and He healed me and I was albe to be home for Eva's first Christmas!!This is not the journey that Travis and I would have chosen for ourselves but God has given us this journey and we are trying to learn from it everyday! In the beginning we would ask the question “Why God?” but now our question has changed to “what purpose God?” (To know more about the day Landon went to be with Jesus click below on 10/28/09- The Day it Happened.)