Our First Shower!

Hello! Jay and I just got back from our trip to Massachusetts. We had a wonderful time. We spent some time in the city for the first day (Thursday) and then headed out to Leominster for the rest of the time (until Monday) to spend some qt with Jay's family.

On Saturday we had our first baby shower hosted by the Wynne's at their home. It was so exciting! There were probably around 30 friends and family members that attended. We felt so blessed! The Wynne's and their best friends, the Fagerstroms, set up tents in Neal and Mary's huge back yard to hold all the chairs and the food. Neal cooked an amazing brisket to go along with the delicious side dishes from everyone. Neal even set up a horseshoe court near their beautiful fish pond, as well as a volleyball court. The girls, Christine and Rachel, put up 'Baby Boy' decorations in the tent and in the house. They had cute teddy bear favors to pass out and an adorable teddy bear cake. We felt so grateful for all the hard work that everyone put into making that day so special! Liam got some cute clothes and a few other items...but mainly we got gift cards so that we wouldn't have to travel with a bunch of stuff. Gift cards are so helpful! We are very thankful.

Here are some pictures of our trip.

Boston

The beautiful gardens near downtown.

Me (at 24 weeks) with the rose bushes.

Jay on Mr. Duck w/an ice cream cone!

The Wynne siblings on a cliff off the north shore of Massachusetts.

Shower decorations!

J & D at our first shower...and Liam too :)

Us and Jay's parents.

The cute teddy bear cake.

Opening gifts...oh ya, that is Liam's first bat - a Red Sox bat! GO SOX!

Some of Jay's college friends, Steven and Christine (Steven was in our wedding). They are sweet friends.

The whole family on Sunday evening playing mini-golf - it was so fun.

Love,
Danielle

20-Week Appointment

We had the big anatomy ultrasound appointment on June 21st which was really cool because we got to watch Liam for a longer period of time. He just seemed so happy and content in his little home. The technician started to name off the positive things she saw. She noticed he has all 3 chambers in his heart and his stomach and bladder were working well. He also has all his fingers and toes. When we looked closely to his face and mouth area (and actually saw his tongue), she ruled out cleft lip. Liam was opening and closing his hands which she said is a good sign he won't have Down Syndrome since they tend to keep their hands closed. He also had the hick-ups (that was cute to watch) which she said was good because it makes his lungs strong. So overall we were very happy. We just waited for the official good-health report. Then I received an email two days later stating: Your fetal ultrasound was normal. There were no visible abnormalities in the baby or placenta. Woohoo! Thank you Jesus.

I am doing pretty well. I had a small scare with my platelet level (platelets are what keep your blood clotting so that you can stop bleeding when needed). Since my Internal Medicine doctor, Dr. Williams, has taken care of me and my thyroid disease for 6 years now, I trust her to keep monitoring it. So when Dr. Beard (OBGYN) runs blood work on me, they will fax over my lab results to Dr. Williams' office. Right before my 20-week appointment, Dr. Williams’ nurse called me about the previous blood test and noticed that my platelet level was in the normal range, but low. So she requested I get a CBC (Complete Blood Count) done at my next appointment. I was a little worried about this since I have a major surgery coming up in November…I wanted to know for certain that my blood will be able to clot during childbirth. So Jay and I covered this in prayer. We recently got my results back and it turns out that my platelet level went back up! Woohoo! As of now, the uncertainties are gone!

Another praise - We found a pediatrician! It's so neat to see God's hand in this. I actually have a few friends that go to a practice in Memorial City. I looked them up on the internet and read all the doctors' bio's. All five of them wrote where they go to church and how they actively serve there. I was extremely impressed and called to make an appointment with one of the two male doctors (we prefer Liam to have a male pedi). It turns out that neither of the doctors are taking new patients. I was a little discouraged about where to go from here because I was so excited to find a Christian, male pediatrician. Well I asked my friend who takes her boy to Dr. Pielop (one of the male doctors) for his email to get a recommendation and she suggested I just leave a phone message for him. So I did and I asked him for a recommendation for another Christian, male pediatrician since he wasn't taking new patients. I also mentioned that I go to Second Baptist (I saw in his bio that he attends there as well) and that I know a few couples that have him as a pediatrician. Well surprisingly Dr. Pielop called me back and offered me to have my lil' boy come to him! I was so excited. I'm thankful God guided me to him and to leave a message. Jay and I have a meeting with him in August and I am confident we will love him.

Well here are a few pictures of Liam at 20 weeks and one of me with my friend Melissa...one of my many friends that are pregnant. I'm so grateful to have girls to go through this journey with!

Liam's profile:

Liam's leg:

Melissa and I at her baby shower. Our boys will be only 8 weeks apart!

Love, Danielle