We've really been here a week already?

A week in this place where we look out the window and know we are definitely a minority. In this place where I get my daily thrills pulling out into traffic on 94. (But seeing Rachel light up when we walk in the door is even better) In this place where for a moment I wasn't sure I had the right country's currency for the drive-thru (we must be feeling a little out of place!). Yet there are commonalities here too - we are among many families with medical issues who are housed in this hotel. We even rode the hospital elevator the other day with a relative of a relative of the S______ in __________!
Anyways, we had a good day. Emily started off her monitoring with a round of hiccups and generally performed well for the nurse. Still looking forward to Monday's inducement with a little anxiety. Renee and I spent some time at an art museum on the U campus. Had short but quality time with the kids and helped get the programs ready for the wedding tomorrow. Got Joshua dressed up in his suspenders and bow tie, black pants and shoes and white shirt - dashing. We are excited for Ryan and Emily. God has definitely placed them together and they balance each other well.
Pray for us that we make it safely through the wedding!
Grace, Joel

Thursday.

Thursday proves also to be uneventful (so far). We went in for our daily non-stress test and then the scheduled ultrasound (with a possibility of being induced). Emily is doing great, She weighs about 5 3/4 pounds, which is more than I (Renee) expected. No signs of heart failure, she is active, she is doing that practice breathing thing. The doctor was completely unconcerned about Emily Grace. See you on Monday! was what she said as we exited the room. Monday is our scheduled induction.
So Joel and I are off to where the rest of the family is for some homemade burgers for supper!
Thank you all (again) for praying and all of your encouragement, emails, and phone calls. The Church of Christ is truly an amazing thing.

Suspenders!

We found suspenders! Where else but good ol' Ben Franklin in _________? You don't need to solicit the Hutterites, thank-you Dad.
What a joy to see the kids again today! Although Joshua said he wanted to stay with Bill and Evelyn, I think deep down he was glad to see me, and later on Mama too. Rachel didn't hide her excitement. We had a fun day with Papa stopping at the big lake for lunch and a park later on. We all came together at Pat and Clyde's (the in-law's in-laws) for supper. Pat is so sweet and generous and the kids warmed up to her quickly. We look forward to time to just play with the kids over the next few days after our morning appointments at the hospital down here. Its a 35 min drive, but the kids are in a good place, and with Neena and Papa. Thankyou again and again to Bill and Evelyn back home! And may Emily arrive at exactly the time the Lord has for her. He is good.

.Tuesday.

Renee went into the hospital (The Maternal Assessment Center) for her daily appt this morning. There was some delay, but once in, everything seemed to be normal with Emily. Until the doctor walked in. Uh-oh. 'So can I go home?' No, they wouldn't let me go back to the hotel, there was a slight concern with Emily's heart rate/beat. It seemed to be spiking up and down in a sawtooth pattern which was a small red flag. After about another hour of being monitored, they let me go. It seems that with this Anomaly that kind of pattern is not a concern, but to be expected. So Renee will be in tomorrow and then an ultrasound on Thursday.
Joel, James (Renee's dad), Joshua, and Rachel are not back yet, but Debbie (Renee's mom) and Renee will be meeting them in a few hours in Hugo (North of Minneapolis). Hugo is where Pat and Clyde live, Ryan's future parents-in-law. It will be nice to get to know them and spend the evening with them. Tonight Joel and Renee will travel back to the hotel, and everyone else will stay at the in-law's place.


Anyone know where I can buy a pair of black suspenders for a three year old? Joshua needs them for the wedding on Saturday.

Memorial Monday

So instead of saying nothing at all (no news is good news, right?) we thought it would be more fun to give a recap of our day, waiting for Emily to be born. (Something new to read!)
This morning we had our daily 'non-stress test' at the hospital to check on Emily's heart rate/beat and contractions. Everything is fine, very quiet. Then Joel and I met Alfie and Maria at the Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, then on to the Quaking Bog (Don't ask me where that was, I don't remember). We went out to lunch and had a good time with them.
Joel and I came back to our hotel, and Renee's parents were there! Hurrah! They had arrived at about noon and were recooperating in our hotel room from an all night drive. About an hour later Joel and James (Renee's dad) left to go get Joshua and Rachel back in __________. They will arrive there sometime tonight, pack (don't lose that list Joel!!), spend the night, then pick up the kids in the morning and head back down to Minneapolis. Now, Emily will NOT be born during this time right? Right. So right now Mom and I are just chilling in the hotel room, talking and figuring out what to do for supper.

.Sunday night.

Thank you to all who've been writing comments. I encourage you to read what others have wrote as well. We are definitely surrounded and lifted up. While we are encouraged, there are still times of deep pain, loneliness and grief. And I think that's okay because God keeps us from absolute despair. I think He cries with us. But He also has that giddy hope of knowing the end of his story and knowing how we all fit into it. And He lets us in on that hope now and then too.
We woke up this morning and each read Psalm 34 (which we read at our wedding) without seeing what the other was reading. Then we go to Bethlehem Baptist where John Piper encourages us to meditate and delight in the words and emotions God expresses - in the Psalms. We met Amanda (Renee's friend from high school) there and had lunch with her at "the Bad Waitress". At 2:00 p.m. we were at the hospital to listen in on Emily - all was well. Slept well this afternoon. Tornadoes in the north cities. (How do people live in such a dangerous place? Take me home!) Tomorrow we hang out in the park with Alfie and Maria. But this evening things might get rolling - contractions are coming but not regularly yet. We'll see. Thanks for praying! Joel.

Maybe not today...

Well, our doctor decided to not rush things along, by inducing Renee. Emily's better off inside at least until June 2nd. But they don't want us to go home - its too far away. So we are being moved to the Sheraton down the street and will come over to the hospital once a day to check on Emily. God seems to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve! So we're off to the hotel to take a nice long afternoon nap. Thanks for your prayers, Joel and Renee.

In Minneapolis!

Emily Grace wants to come a little sooner than expected. Friday evening contractions started coming so off to the _________ hospital we went to check things out. Emily was indeed coming so an ambulance ride to ______, a chat with the doc, a helicopter ride to Abbott Minneapolis, lots of nurses, and a short night's sleep later, finds Joel and Renee waiting for contractions to pick up again. We are going to have a baby today, they are not sending us home! Joshua and Rachel are in good hands, thanks to Bill and Evelyn!

Stay tuned!

Last Trip to Duluth.

Yes, you read that title correctly! Today, Tuesday, was our last trip to Duluth to check on Emily and see how she is doing. She is doing just fine, no signs of heart failure and the heart is still beating. On Thursday Renee will be 37 weeks (out of 40)! We are almost there! Everyone can praise God right about now.

A big thank you to Bill and Evelyn (and Anna, too!) for watching our kids all day so that Joel and I could run errands along with our ultrasound appt.

Next week is the 'big week'. I'll explain a little here, but you can find most of the details under 'June Bug's Countdown'. (Scroll down a little, and you will see it on the right.)
We have an ultrasound appt at Abbott in Minneapolis on Thursday the 29th. They will see how Emily is doing and if she is doing fine we will be induced on Monday June 2nd. If she is not doing ok, then we will deliver her (by induction hopefully) that day (Thursday).
Keep checking our blog for updates, this is the best way to get info on how things are going. Joel or I (probably Joel!) will be updating our blog as often as possible.
To communicate with us please email us (or comment on the blog if you wish). We would love to hear from you!

Again, a big 'Thank You' to you who are reading this and for everyone who is praying for us.

Be sure to check out the new pictures by scrolling further down the blog!

Less than three weeks left!

Emily is showing no signs of heart failure. We can't tell anything about her lungs and will just have to wait til she's born. (O God let her cry out! )
Only one more Duluth visit to check on Emily! Then the next Thursday (May 29) we'll be in Minneapolis for an appointment at Abbott Hospital. Friday (May 30) is a wedding rehearsal (Ryan and Emily), Saturday (May 31) is a wedding, Sunday we rest, and Monday, June 2nd at 7:30am we start the process that ends with meeting Emily. At least that's our plan, and the schedule we wrangled around and fought for with the crazy hospital system in Minneapolis. There's still a chance they'll want to induce sooner than Monday, when they do an ultrasound on Thursday. We hope not, because we'd like to be at the wedding! But we've gotta be careful not to get too uptight and stressed about getting things our way. There's so much uncertainty with Emily, the kids, the wedding, extended family, etc., that we're tempted to try and control some of it. But in all our planning we have to realize God's got His fingers (and heart) in all of it; He's in control. He's already lived, and is living the end of the story He's walking us through.

Thanks to Joe and Heather and baby Isabel and big black lab Jack for babysitting. Rachel and Joshua have been doing incredibly well with different babysitters each week. Not a tear was shed. Even naps are taken in places strange to them. What a blessing!

Joshua has not had a potty accident in days! He's even waking up with a dry diaper. He goes to the bathroom on his own accord. Whew!
Rachel's still adorable. Daddy's girl. She still has only two teeth and is learning to understand discipline and not liking it much.

Joshua and I (Joel) went backpacking! We both carried backpacks 1/4 mile from the car to Thompson Falls on the Bally Creek Rd. Josh was non-stop questions and insights, but the best part was sitting by the falls, sharing an apple and pumping water through the filter, with his little hand on my leg, just being quiet. We camped out one night, through which Joshua slept like a rock and Daddy froze! (It snowed yesterday!)

Please pray for us as stressfulness of the weeks to come seem to grow each day. Thank-you.
Joel.

Getting Closer

These trips are becoming routine. We have to remind ourselves that each Tuesday we travel to Duluth to receive an ultrasound is a blessing. Each trip means that Emily Grace is still alive and in Renee's womb, exactly where everyone wants her to be. And it is where she is now.
Today went fine, no signs of heart failure, though we had a small 'scare'. The walls of the heart are particularly thin now, due to the swelling of the heart. But the Cardiologist gave the thumbs up, saying that is typical of Ebstein's Anomaly, so we are home now, grateful for another week.

Emily Grace weighs 4lbs 4oz now. (a month ago she weighed 2lbs 9oz) On the growth charts she is a little behind but her growth curve does not turn away sharply, it is steady and predictable. We are hoping to deliver in four weeks, which means she will probably weigh between 5.5-6lbs at birth. Small, but good.