A Blessed Day

March 23, 2009 - our exciting day began at 3:45 am. My water broke and the excitement began. Lee and I took our time getting our things together and headed for St. Lukes around 4:45am. By 6:00am we were in a room and the doctor on call came in to check on me. I wasn't having contractions - well - actually I was but had no idea! By 8:00am they had started me on pitocin and then it was just a waiting came for the rest of the day. At noon they started the epidural and it was all good from there. I couldn't feel a thing so I spent the rest of the day watching movies and resting. At 7:21pm - our wonderful doctor, Dr. Reiter, came in and made the big announcement - this baby was coming in 30 minutes. What? I couldn't feel a thing and here the doctor was saying I was ready to go! After a few big pushes Eleanor Crosby Lupher was born at 7:34pm weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces and 19 inches long. I was so worried I wasn't going to be able to see her or hear her cry - but as soon as she came out - Dr. Reiter laid her on my stomach and it was absolutely the most amazing experience. There was our daughter! Lee was such a trooper during the whole delivery and stayed right by my side and was the perfect cheerleader. Elle started crying the most perfect little whimper and of course - I was crying right along with her. After a few minutes - the Texas Children's nurses took her out of the room and got her cleaned up and stabilized. Meanwhile - I wouldn't let Lee leave my side because my doctor was still working on me. An hour later - Dr. Reiter was finished with me and the TCH nurses were finished with Elle. They wheeled her back in so I could see her before taking her over to TCH. There she was - our little miracle! Lee went with her to TCH while I was able to call some of our family members back to the room to let them know she had arrived and was doing ok. A little later in the evening, Lee was able to take everyone back over to TCH to see little Elle. I'm sure it was love at first sight for everyone! The day was truly a whirlwind but Lee and I felt so blessed that it all went ok. At 11:40pm - one of the Neotatologist came to our room and filled us in on Elle's progress - or lack there of. She had been stable when the family saw her and then she had taken a turn for the worse. She started having seizures and began to turn blue - this is what they call a Tet Spell. They didn't know if the seizures were caused by the medicine they had given her or what. Lee went with the neotatologist up to the NICU while I was confined to my bed - crying. Lee came back and said she was fine they just had her sedated. It's amazing how things can go from joyous to worrisome in just a matter of minutes. At 2:40am - they finally moved me from the labor and delivery floor to the maternity floor. They kept me on the labor and delivery floor for so long because of the massive amount of work the doctor had to do on me after delivery. I was still on the epidural and they were still having to check me for bleeding. It was such a long day and night! Lee and I didn't sleep very well - being woken up every few minutes to check vitals and all that good stuff. We called the NICU at 3:00am and they reported that Elle was stable and doing fine. Lee went and saw her this morning and said she looked good - but they still have her sedated. At 10:00am this morning - they finally took the epidural out and gave me the ok to get dressed and begin to move around. I have been confined to the bed since noon yesterday! This news was absolutely what I needed to hear! So - in the next hour or so - I am going to go and see our daughter for the first time since delivery and I am so excited! We are praying that each day gives Elle more strength than the day before. We pray for the doctors and their wisdom. We pray for peace and strength for Lee and me and the rest of our family members. We pray that the Great Healer will lay his wonderful hand on our little girl and protect her and guard her. We know that through God all things are possible!

What's In a Name

When we found out we were pregnant, we knew that we wanted to find out the sex of the baby. I was certain we were having a boy. We had the name picked out and we were ready to start planning for a little boy. Imagine my surprise when the doctor said "it's a girl!" From that day to now (2 weeks away from delivery) - Lee and I don't have a name for our little one. She is currently known as Little Lady Lupher and I have actually become accustomed to referring to her as Little Lady. Lee calls her Zula Lula Lupher. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what they want our little one to be called. We've heard everything from Consuela to Lisha Jr. I'm sure everyone thinks that we have the name set and ready to go and we are just keeping it a secret - but really - we have no idea what we are going to name her. Our list of names keeps getting longer and the time we have to choose a name keeps getting shorter! Lee is convinced that I will be so out of it after delivery that he will get to name the baby. I'm not so sure about that. I wonder how long we have to decide on a name after she is born?

Losing Control

For the past 4 months, my super brave brother in law and sister in law have been fighting a battle that no youg parent should have to go through. Their litte one, Witt, was born with a chromosomal disorder and his first four months of life have been plagued with various illnesses. He was diagnosed a few days ago with Pulmonary Hypertension...and then yesterday, it was discovered that he is aspirating when he swallows which means that everything is going into his little lungs. He had to have a feeding tube put in and I know my SIL is in pain. Not only to see her little one attached to all these machines but to also know that she can't feed him. I'm not a mom yet so I don't know the exact feeling she is going through - but it must be rough - to have that little bit of control taken away and not to know when the next time she will be able to feed him again. The doctors are doing everything they can for Witt - but what about her? I'm praying that SHE finds the strength to hold on and be strong during all of this. The easy thing to do would be to say "enough" - I can't do this anymore. It takes a strong and different kind of person to persevere and with the help of the Lord, I know both she and my BIL will make it through this very trying time.

Blog Envy

I have blog envy. I see all these beautiful (literally - they are beautiful) blogs and I just have to wonder how these people do it?! I want a pretty blog! Better yet - I want to learn how to create a pretty blog. That would be fantastic! Maybe one day...

Notes on a Pregnancy

I have finally made the decision to commit myself to a blog. I figured I would start with some notes from the last 33 weeks. The last 33 weeks have been filled with emotions. Lee and I made the decision the last week in April 2008 that we wanted to begin our family. August 1, 2008 - we found out that our wish had come true - I was pregnant! It was such a rush of emotion to see those little lines show up on the test. My heart was about to come out of my chest when I finally realized that I was indeed pregnant. I think Lee was in shock when I said those little words "I'm pregnant." The first few weeks were spent adjusting to the fact that I couldn't stay awake past 6:00pm and the thought of grilled chicken and vegetables made me sick. On September 25, 2008, Lee and I went in for a ultrasound. During the ultrasound, the doctor noticed that the baby's neck looked "thick." He immediately sent us for a second opinion. Lee couldn't go with me to the other doctor appointment - so my mom went with me. During the second opinion, the ultrasound tech did the ultrasound and then sent us to a room to wait for a genetic counselor. The genetic counselor came in and confirmed our fears - the baby did indeed have a "thick" neck which is a marker for Trisomy 18, 13 and Downs Syndrome. The shock was astounding. My mom and I sat there not knowing what to say as the genetic counselor ran through the gamut of " you are in the 97% for a baby with a genetic disorder" to "what are your plans going to be - are you going to keep the baby?" What?!! Of course we were going to keep the baby! This child - no matter what - is a gift from God! They drew some blood and mom and I went home emotionally drained from hearing such devastating news. October 10, 2008, Lee and I were in Connecticut for his wonderful cousin's wedding. We received a phone call from our doctor with the results of the blood work. The blood work put us at a 1 in 22 chance of having a baby with a genetic disorder. I was expecting 1 in 5 the way the genetic counselor had spoken - so I was thrilled with 1 in 22. Based on those numbers - Lee and I decided to go ahead and have an amnio done. I had the amnio done on October 23, 2008 - the day our precious nephew was born. It was the biggest needle I have ever seen - but the procedure was over in just a few seconds. Lee was such a trooper and actually watched the entire thing! I couldn't - I watched on the monitor as the needle came within inches of our little one. It was quite a scene to watch. We received the results of the amnio on November 6, 2008. The doctor walked in the room and announced that chromosomes 13, 18 and 21 all looked normal! He also announced that we were having a little girl!!! I started to cry - Lee was just beaming! It was such a wonderful day! Our doctor decided to send us for a Level II ultrasound - just for peace of mind after enduring the last few months of testing and being put through the ringer. We went for the Level II ultrasound on December 2, 2008. It was during this ultrasound that the doctor noticed something wrong with our little one's heart. He set up an appointment with a cardiologist at Texas Children's for December 16, 2008. I wasn't sure what to expect during the appointment with the cardiologist. He sat there and looked at the heart on the ultrasound for a solid hour. The whole time I was wondering what in the world he was seeing. After the ultrasound, he brought us into his office and showed us a picture of a "normal" heart. He then pulled out another picture and began drawing on it and said "and this is your baby's heart." She was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease - specifically a disease called Tetralogy of Fallot. I was absolutely torn. Lee stayed strong and was able to actually listen to what the doctor was saying - I don't remember a thing. It is such a shock to hear that you don't have a healthy baby! We left the cardiologist and began to digest everything we had just been told. The great news is that Tetraology of Fallot is fixable! We also learned that the thick neck that that had been noticed in September is also a marker for Congenital Heart Disease. And now here we are - about a month out from delivery and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little one. She is going to be perfect for us! God has created her exactly as he wants her and we are so thrilled she is about to join us. We went on a tour of Texas Children's and were able to see where she will be staying when she is born. There are a lot of " what ifs" surrounding her birth. We just have to wait and see what she is like when she is born to see how serious the situation is. Right now it appears that her pulmonary valve is almost completely restricted. That is based off of an ultrasound - the doctor's will know more once she is born. Lee and I feel so blessed that we have been able to mentally prepare ourselves for the trials and tribulations that are in the days to come. Through all of this, our faith has led us down a path I never would have never thought we would be traveling at such a young age. It has been absolutely "freeing" to know that we are not in control and the Lord will provide for us and protect us! I have found absolute comfort in Romans 12:11-12 "Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Full Belly Movement

Our little lady is getting bigger! She is like a whirlwind - I was able to catch a few seconds with the camera...

I can't belive it is August

I absolutely cannot belive it is August. School will be starting back soon and the glory of driving into work without having to go through school zones will soon be over! We are in the downward spiral of weddings - only three left! Lee has been working non-stop lately and I have been working hard too. It is 6:27am and I have been at work for an hour already! I love getting into the office early - I don't get to see our crews very often so I try to come in early one day a week so they can see I am still working here. They see my name on all of the memos that leave my desk - but they rarely get to see me. I guess I just like that face to face conversation. If it means I have to wake up at 4:00am one day a week - oh well! I will eventually get better at this blogging stuff - it just isn't the first thing I think about when I get on my computer!