A new role...NICU mommy

Last Friday we welcomed our little girl, Audrey Elaine into this world. She passed her first due date and was still transverse, so we decided at that point she would probably not turn. We then scheduled a c-section for Friday, August 3rd. She was 7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long. She's a perfect little baby.
When she was just three days old a nurse noticed an abnormality in her heart rate. An ultrasound was ordered and thus it was found that she has coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta. I thank God we were still in the hospital when this was discovered. They immediately started her on medication to keep her extra duct open so she would still receive blood flow to the lower part of her body. Since we're from Rochester they were able to transfer her the same day to Mayo by helicopter. I was also able to be discharged the same time she left.
For the last few days she has been in the St. Mary NICU. I didn't really like the idea of returning home without her, but I know she is in capable hands. Other than the heart issue she is very healthy. She is able to nurse whenever I am there. She likes to sleep a lot like any newborn and hates having her diaper changed! She looks rather big compared to the other babies around her. Tomorrow morning she goes in for surgery.
....It's now Thursday morning. We left her about 2 hours ago. Now begins the wait.
She was asleep and looking very peaceful when we left her. By tonight or tomorrow morning she should be free of her breathing tube. I'm praying for a quick recovery. Hopefully by this time next week or a few days before that we will be able to bring her home.
Last night after the services we took the kids up for a quick visit. Due to the late hour Kathy was very tired and cried on the way back to the van. She didn't want to leave!  She really wants Audrey to come home and kept saying, "I want to look at her!"  It was such a sad picture! She's having a hard time understanding why she has to stay in the hospital.
We have canceled the rest of our west coast meetings. But God is still taking care of us. We just heard that another church has taken us on. God is still blessing.
The movers came on Tuesday and now most of our worldly possessions are on their way to Scotland.
Through all of this I also thank God for an understanding husband.  He has been such a great help with the kids and with other things. My recovery has gone well, but with all the moving about my feet haven't had much of a chance to return to their normal size. They are very swollen and this has limited my ability to do more to help much longer than I had anticipated. When I'm not at the hospital I'm sitting in the recliner at home with my feet up.  It's good to have his mom right by to help us out also. 
It's been a trying time, but through it all God has been good and will continue to be good! Don sent an e-mail to our supporting churches and other friends. We have a large network of people all over the USA praying for us and Audrey, especially today.  What a blessing to be part of the family of God!!!

...and another week has come and gone

It's Monday again and that means another doctor appointment.  Last week on Thursday and Friday I was experiencing a lot of discomfort - back ache, pressure, etc. Saturday I felt great again. Yesterday I felt pretty good with occasional contractions. With all this taking place I keep hoping things would pick up and start happening, but no not yet. So here we are at another appointment. Since we have reached one of the first edds they may begin doing a stress test to see if all's still well with the baby. The waiting is crazy, but I know the end will come. She can't stay in there forever! I'm also not sure if she's turned yet. I believe she's done quite a bit of growing in the last week and so it's become more difficult to figure out how she's laying. I do have a pretty good idea that she is still transverse.
In other news we've been keeping the kids pretty busy this past week. We took them to the Mall of America on Tuesday and they had so much fun!  After looking around in Legoland they were able to go on a few rides. It happened to be Toddler Tuesday so the points for the rides were half price for them. On Friday we took them to the fair to see the animals. Saturday we went to a birthday party for their cousin Nolan. They had so much fun and slept soundly that night.
Don preached last night since it was the fifth Sunday of the month. We had a Mexican Fiesta fellowship afterwards. I believe Kathy is like her mom and loves tacos. She ate two and wanted a third.
Wednesday is already the first of August and next Monday the movers come. It won't be long and we'll be on our way to Scotland!

So, when's the due date?

After my ultrasound I decided to check my calendar to see if my dates were correct since the ultrasound estimated due date(edd) was off by 3 weeks. I did find that my dates were off by a week. This moves my new edd to the very end of July/beginning of August. Still, from the two ultrasounds I have two other dates that are more toward the middle of August. So, in all this confusion of edds, I have decided that when she is ready she will come. Also, she is still in the wrong position which is transverse right now. She does move around a lot, so I know she can do it if only she would decide to.  I am certainly ready for Audrey to join us and hope it won't be too much longer. The waiting continues...

Getting closer

We are down to the last!  I have about 2 weeks left, more or less and I'm hoping it's less!!  I have had my first appointment and so far things seem to be against me having a successful vbac, again. With 2 weeks left, Audrey is not in the right position yet. I have an ultrasound today to check things out and see where she is, but I feel she is still not where she should be. I know with God all things are possible and I'm praying for a last minute miracle. It'll be fun to get to see her inside once more before she's born. I'm hoping we'll see her in person in the next week!
As far as housing in Scotland, as I mentioned previously we did not get the house we were looking at, but another one became available. It is 5 miles from Tain. It is much bigger than the first with lots of storage, a two car garage, patio, fenced-in yard and....a dishwasher!!!!  We'll see what happens:)
Today it is raining.  I'm hoping this cools things down really nicely. Being pregnant during the summer is not the most pleasant thing. Now towards the end I have a hard time getting comfortable at night anyways ad then to be really warm on top of that makes for some lost sleep. Only a little while left though!
With the move to Scotland fast approaching I'll have to think of a new name for this blog. We won't be traveling anymore so the name won't be very fitting. Hmm...

Another Week Closer...

...And another week has gone by. We've gotten a lot done and yet there is still plenty to do! We were not able to get the house in Tain, but another nearby is available. We know God will provide us with the perfect house to fit our needs.
We have begun packing up more of our things. It's not much, mainly toys, books and clothes. We have a shipping company lined up and need to make up our inventory list of the boxes we will be shipping over. It's pretty exciting that the time is getting nearer, but then again it's kind of bitter-sweet.
We're also a week closer to the baby being born. I bought a car seat today at a local consignment shop, since we had gotten rid of the one used by Kathy and Harry. Still looking for a traveling bassinet.
With the summer heat comes a different experience  than with the other two, who were born during the late winter/early spring. I am ready for this little one to join us! I know I can't say this enough. Not just because I feel big and warm all the time, but the time seems to be going by slowly. Being on the road the time seemed to pass so quickly, but these past two weeks seem to have taken forever! I always had the next destination as goal in mind. That would go from Sunday to Wednesday to Sunday, etc. Here the next event we're waiting for is Audrey's birth and that's still 4 weeks away.
Next week we'll take a nice little break and go visit Don's sister and her family in Sioux Falls.

Back "home"

We have arrived!  We are back in Rochester, MN, our "base." It seems rather strange, but Rochester has become the city our home church is in, but it doesn't quite seem like home anymore. We are so close to our departure to Scotland that I'm looking towards that as home now. It is nice to be in a steady place now and get back into more of a routine. I also love seeing  our church family again and will surely miss them all when we leave.
A week before we got back to Rochester we were able to visit my parents in southern Illinois. We had a great visit there!  I was able to see my brother Thad and his family - probably for the last time for a long time.  Before they went home we all went to a fort that was near where my parents live. What fun just hanging out with family and being goofy! I have enjoyed these quick stops at my parents' house while we've been on the road. I know I'll see them only once more before we leave. I thank God for my parents and the way they raised me!
I've now reached 35 weeks. Countdown continues!!  I was able to find a doctor that will give me the care I desire. It took me three days of calling, but God is good! The hospital is up in St. Paul which is 1 hour and 20 minutes away, but my labor is not short, so I think we'll be okay.
We may possibly have a house all ready for us when we get to Scotland!  I am so excited about the way God has provided!!  The Cashner family that we will be working with is moving into another house and they were able to talk with the owner about renting to us. We have been in contact with the realtor and it looks like we may be able to rent it. Again, there is a lot of paper work involved, but we are getting it done as quickly as we are able to. I can't wait to set up house again!  I'm looking forward to getting there and meeting the people, shopping in the shops and settling back into a steady routine with the kids.
Some prayer requests:
-we have applied for insurance for the rest of the pregnancy and haven't heard anything as of yet
-we'll be able to rent the house, Lord willing
-safe delivery of Audrey, due in 5 weeks
-after she's born we'll need the social security card and a passport quickly
-...simply that all the remaining paperwork we need done between the time she's born and our departure is taken care of
- we need to find a good moving agency to send our boxes over
We appreciate your prayers!!

A few more weeks...

I have reached 31 weeks!  I can’t believe I only have 9 weeks left or even less! I was able to have an ultrasound at 29 weeks.   My friend Brittani gave me a list of places that do ultrasounds. I found a really good place in Edmond, OK. I was able to get a DVD of the session since Don wasn’t able to go with me.  We were going to wait and be surprised, but at the last minute decided to find out what we’re having. Can’t wait to meet our second little girl!  This has definitely been a bit different from the other two pregnancies as far as the time of year. I am usually always cold and frequently cover up because Don likes the air on high, but often now I’m the one feeling warmer.  I can tell I am smaller than I was with Kathy and the ultrasound showed the baby may be small. I am very thankful for this!  This may be a positive for me trying to deliver without a C-section this time.

We are a month away from our return to Minnesota. I am getting anxious to return!  I have enjoyed our many experiences on the road and I know we have a few more weeks of traveling after the baby is born. I am looking forward to the rest and opportunity to be settled for a while. We will still have much to do. The main thing will be packing up our things that we haven’t packed up yet. Then after the baby is born we have the rest of our paper work to file. The day will come when we won’t be living out of suitcases! 

Harry and Kathy are extremely excited about the new baby. The other day Kathy wanted to hold the baby and kept telling me to take it out!  She’s really looking forward to this baby sister. I hope she does well. She still cries and gets upset if I hold other babies. I think there will be extra mommy and Kathy times after the baby is born! They’re both getting so big. They’ll be great with her.

Don tries to find things to do with his time now that his making phone calls to set up meetings is pretty much done.  He’s already been planning a few things with his dad and brother to do when we get back.

So, two more weeks before we head to Missouri and then two more weeks after that and we head home.  The time is passing quickly!