Water Broke!

Around 6am my water broke. It wasn't anything drastic, but subtle. But since I noticed a difference, my nurse got the Dr. on call to verify that the fluid was in fact from ruptured water. So at first I was disappointed and freaking out a little, but then I realized I was wanting 'my will' to be done...I wanted it to be so that I was still stable w/no water breaking...I wanted it to be so that I'm here until April w/no changes...so I give it to God now, like I had before. I can't get all worked up about this, because if my son comes, he comes and it is because God will allow whatever happens to happen. Such great progress has been made in the 4 weeks I've been here on bedrest in the hospital and all the doctors & nurses are amazed.
So there is the possibility I can be stable for several days & even weeks, but it's all up in the air so-to-speak. So since about 10:25 am, the Dr. had me moved into Labor & Delivery (L&D) so that I can be on the monitors for several hours, which they cannot do in the room I was in at Maternity Services. However, they hope to have me back in the room I was in this afternoon...as long as there's no significant changes on the monitors. (The monitors show the baby's heart rate, movement, and my contractions).
I haven't eaten breakfast but they said since I can't really feel the contracting that much, I can have a regular lunch!
It's noon and Leon isn't here yet, but he's on his way. My mom got here about 11:15 am.
So, I'm just hangin' in there...Hangin on to God's Grace. :o>
---Please pray that I can gain more time being stable for Malakai to grow more.

Hangin' on to God's Grace

Although I've been here on bedrest for only 3 1/2 weeks, it feels like more than a month. But by God's Grace, I'm not going crazy; By God's Grace, He is sustaining me, Malakai is still growing healthy, my care here has been great, and by His Grace I have a husband and family and friends who love me and pray for me. Could I ask for more?

"But He said to me, 'My grace is suffiencient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therfore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." {2 Corinthians 12:9}

I want to thank all of you who have sincerly kept Malakai, Leon & I in your prayers! It is powerful to pray and the fruit of your prayers is evident in our son not being born yet. Praise God!

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." {1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}

"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance" {Philippians 1:18-19}

Today's prayer request: That God will continue to comfort Leon, while I'm absent from home.

29 Weeks Pregnant!

Baby & I have made it to 29 weeks as of Wednesday! Malakai's doing great and he gets all his points at each ultrasound, which are 3 times a week; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The tech measures the amniotic fluid, checks for movement, the heartbeat, the pulse of the umbilical cord, and practice breathing. As for Malakai's practice breathing, he's been stubborn with showing that right away. So sometimes the tech has to use a device against my tummy that makes a buzzing noise so that it alarms the baby a little and causes him to contract his abdomen, which shows his practice breathing. The buzzer is perfectly safe though. Eventually, Malakai shows us his practice breathing and that gets him all his points for the day!
Lately Malakai seems to flutter his legs in my tummy, as if he's swimming. :o> I love it!

Same 'ole routine

I've basically begun a routine of how my day begins. By after 6am, when the nurse brings me my due medication, I give Leon a morning call before we start our day. After that, I'm usually freshened up and have my makeup on by 8:30, just in time for breakfast. Then, after or during breakfast, I email Leon & check other emails and get on Facebook. By the time I know it, lunch is delivered. Around noon, I'm due for my meds again. Sometimes I'll read a little or listen to a biblical teaching after lunch. Lately, I've been working on a cross-stitch project that they provide here in the hospital. It's a picture of 3 peas in a pod on a little bib for Malakai. I've never done cross-stitch before, but it seems to relax me when I'm working on it. Depending on if someone's here at the time, I'll go outside on a wheelchair for some air around 2pm or 3pm for about 1/2 an hour. When 6pm rolls around I'm due for my meds again. Dinner is served between 5pm & 6pm. After dinner I'll figure out something to watch on TV. Then, around 8:30 Leon & I will talk on the phone for a while. When 10pm rolls around, I'll fall asleep when the news is on. Each day I'll do things a little different, but for the most part...Up at 6am, in bed after 10pm.
~*~*~*~
During the day on Friday, a friend of ours from church came to bring some dinner for Leon & I. She made an awesome spagetti w/meatballs and rolls with some oil & vinegar to dip 'em in. Her little package included our eating utencils, bowls, and even some sparkling cider and candels! It was so delicious.
This weekend Leon decided not to take the train and drove down instead. So he was also able to go to the store for some things he needed at home, while he was here in Albuquerque.
On Sunday, our friend's Kelly and Agnes came to visit us for a while and we had a good talk with them. It was good to see them here, since we hadn't seen them in quite a while. During the afternoon, Leon & I watched Nacho Libre but didn't do much else except keep each other company. Then, it was time for Leon to leave...which is always a sad time for us because it's so hard to be apart after having such sweet time together over the weekend.
Today I had my ultrasound and little Malakai did better with showing his practice breathing. Although, he decided to take a nap while the tech was checking him so it took some time for his movement to be checked off on the list of things they look for.
~Today's prayer request: That God will comfort Leon & I while we are apart from one another and for Leon's bosses to be more understanding and sensitive about our situation.

28 Weeks Pregnant!

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant! Yaay! Things have been stable and staying the same but (this may be TMI), I'm getting over a bladder infection I had over the weekend, which I've been taking antibiotics for. That was miserable and a little scary because it can cause pre-term labor.
So I was having an okay morning today, but it got even better when Leon surprised me with a visit around 11:30am! Apparently, he planned on surprising me since Monday and used a sick-day to take off from work. This morning, I called him around 6am as I usually do but he didn't let on about his little plan. I had the biggest smile when he snuck in the door :o> His mom was off of work too, so she brought him to see me but she left him with me while she went furniture shopping. What a sweet afternoon!
Although Leon had to leave by 4pm, it's that much closer to seeing him on Friday for the weekend!

Another Day Blessed

Two more days and on Wednesday, I'll be 28 weeks pregnant! The Dr. says getting to that day will be another milestone.

Today, my mom came by for the afternoon and brought my grandma Lena to visit. It was sweet to see her today! My friends from church, Mark & Karen Skoog came by too and were able to meet them. I had a good time enjoying the outside air again today...it was such awesome weather too!

So when we were outside, we saw a couple of guys in a Channel 7 vehicle getting out some camera equipment. We wondered what story they would be covering. A while after I got back in to my room, one of my nurses asked me if I'd mind getting a picture taken of my wrist band getting scanned with their scanner for their "Robot" medication system and it would only be of my arm. (Every time a patient gets their meds, the nurse verfies which meds to give and then scans in each pill from the packet it's in). So, my mom said jokingly "I bet those Channel 7 news guys will be the one's to take the picture"...I'm like, "Yeah, right!" Then about 20 minutes later, in came those Channel 7 guys. Ha! All they had to get was a clip of the nurse scanning my wristband on my arm though. Sooo, my arm will be featured in a news story that will air on Sunday night's 10pm news. Funny, huh?!

Weekend with my Wife

Friday had finally come...the day I left Santa Fe to go see Sonya in the hospital, after a week without being with her. I decided to take the Railrunner after work and a co-worker of mine who already rides it, showed me the ropes of the commute. All I had to pay was a buck to take the Park & Ride bus from work to the station at the South Capital complex. Yeah, the ride took longer than a vehicle commute, but it was pretty smooth. It was kinda funny watching how people loose their balance as they walk through the train...When I got to downtown Albuquerque station, my grandma who came to Albuq. also, was able to pick me up. I arrived to Sonya's room around 7pm & it was so awesome to see my wife after being away from her for a week! She welcomed me w/open arms of course and we spent the night catching up. Not that we didn't do that during the week on the phone, but it's just different face to face.

So far, the weekend has been a relaxing time with Sonya. Not a thing to do. I kind of needed this rest for quite some time. On Saturday, the Dr. gave the okay for her to get some fresh air for 1/2 an hour so I wheeled her outside on a wheelchair. It was disappointing though, to see that there were a few people outside smoking where there were clearly big signs that said "This Is A Smoke-Free Campus", having no consideration for patients (or my wife) who want to go outside for FRESH AIR! We just rolled to another area & enjoyed some people-watching. That fresh air was good for Sonya and we were told that she can have a 1/2 hour each day of being outside!!

Today, I'll be getting a ride back home with my mom who will be visiting Sonya for a while. But it will be hard to leave Sonya again. :o( I'm basically going to keep working to accrue more hours until it's time for our baby to be born. I hope to see Sonya at least more than once during the week though...besides spending weekends with her.

My prayer request is that God give me comfort while I'm away from Sonya and Malakai...and that this trial will pass with God's Grace.