Baby Update and Call to our Prayer Warriors

   We visited our specialist yesterday for what was supposed to be our last routine cervical length and ultra sound.  We will start with the good news first- our precious little bean is growing and developing beautifully. Two weeks ago (24 weeks), during a growth ultra sound the baby was measuring to be about 1 pound 11 ounces. This week they didn't measure for growth but checked vital organs and said all looks good. We could not be more thankful for our healthy active little bean. Here's a sneak peek inside my belly...

We are so in love!

   So then comes the not so great news... During my cervical measurement the doctor discovered that I have already shortened 1/2 centimeter. The actual length is not of concern YET, but the fact that it changed and that it also appears to be "dynamic." Dynamic is a term the doctor described to us to mean active, possible movement on the internal side of the cervix. So what does this mean for mom and baby? Well, we are now on modified bed rest. No picking Charlee up and staying off my feet other than to perform daily tasks. This will be the doctors orders until about 30 weeks at least. Next week we revisit the doctor for a cervical length, if there is any change the plan as it stands now, is hospitalization for observation and administration of steroids to speed up lung development in baby. We are praying that the measurement next week shows no change, but we are thankful for the wise care and plan that has been put into place by our doctor. We are also thanking God for his protection yesterday. As I said above, yesterday was supposed to be our last ultra sound and the specialist was going to discharge us. Had the cervical change not occurred when it did Josh, myself and our doctors would be none the wiser to a potentially very serious situation for mom and baby. We appreciate your prayers for our family more than you know.  I plan to update more regularly as I now have a good bit of time on my hands :-) Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your prayers.

9 weeks makes a BIG difference!

9 weeks and hair dye later...

 My silly very sweet girl

 "My belly"

Nine weeks brings lots of change! We continue to be grateful to the Lord for good reports from both my doctor and specialist. Our precious little bean is growing by leaps and bounds...literally I think he/she is leaping around in here. He/she is always measuring in or above the 90th percentile and a few days big. Charlee is starting to notice the physical change in my belly and has now started talking to "her baby" through "Momma's button." As you can tell from the above photos, she enjoys being a part of my weekly growth photos. 

We are thankful for any prayers that are being said for my health and the baby's. We are getting so excited to welcome this little bean into our family. Thank you for reading!

*** Also- I want to give credit where credit is due. A friend of mine and twin mom, Kathleen Davidson posted photos of her weekly growth through her pregnancy next to a chalk board similar to the one I am pictured with. I looked forward to her posts weekly and thought it was a wonderful way to log this journey. Thank you Kathleen for the brilliant idea!