Friday, October 28, 2011

Henry the Iguanadon

Lizard decided to use her sewings skills to make Hank a costume.
He is an iguanadon.



He decided to give Lizard a kiss, perhaps to thank her for his costume.

Model and Designer
Hank seems to like his costume. It is made of a very light-weight and comfortable fabric. (We think all the fashionable dogs will be sporting similar attire in 2012.) The first thing he wanted to do after trying it on was to go outside to our fence and show it off to his best friend, our next-door-neighbor's dog Zoe.

Two Smiths Go to War!


This post was written by guest blogger, Historian Smith.

Last weekend, my dad and I traveled to Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg, Virginia to attend the Civil War Adventure Camp. We were issued uniforms and equipment, including cartridge cases and canteens, which we filled from water barrels at the campsite.












My dad was  made a corporal and I was a private. We both joined the Union Army.


Our first task was to learn military commands and practice loading rifles. After marching around a field all day, we were gratified to hear that a hearty dinner had been prepared for us, consisting of hardtack, apples, cornbread, donuts, and beef stew. Dad said it was the best beef stew he ever ate, although he couldn't be sure it wasn't Dinty Moore. It just goes to show you how good food tastes to hungry men. Unfortunately, when we went up for seconds, there was nothing left. They told us we were lucky to get beef stew at all since soldiers of that era usually ate salt pork and hard tack for most meals. I had a loose tooth, and it came out when I bit into the hardtack! After dinner, we walked to the Hart Farm barn and received a lesson on civil war medicine.


Then we went to our assigned sleeping quarters, a bunkhouse, and started a fire in the wood stove. Wearily, we got into our bunks and fell asleep.

We were awakened early in the morning by a bugle and hurried to don our uniforms. Then we were given our breakfast rations. We didn't have much time to eat our jerky, hardtack, prunes, cornbread and cookies, so we had to finsh eating while we were marching.
Back at the Hart Barn, we learned how the military used flags to communicate. The next thing we did was to march to the earthworks, where we fired rifles and cannons. Afterwards, we split into two groups and participated in two mock skirmishes. At about ten o'clock we marched down to the edge of the woods and shot a mortar.

Finally, we were given honorable discharge papers and drove back to Richmond. It was awesome!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A China Plate for Lizard

When my children were small and I would look into the future and imagine them as pre-teens and teens, you may have noticed me shudder a little. I've never been particularly comfortable interacting with young people that age, even when I was that age myself! So it has been a surprising joy to find myself embracing and cherishing this time as my older two children (and their friends) begin the process of leaving behind their childhood days.

Much of that process for our son Historian, about to be 13, has been championed by my excellent husband, while my oldest girl, Lizard, who is about to be 11, is sweetly and joyfully transitioning into a young lady, with much parental prayer and gentle (most of the time) guidance from me.

In recent weeks, she and I have been going to the Starbucks at Target once a week, to enjoy a warm drink (or a very cold Icee) and perhaps a sweet treat while we complete a mother-daughter devotional. Each week, the book, Growing Little Women for Younger Girls, invited us to dig into scripture together, gleaning God's will for a growing girl's life; share stories and secrets; and pray together. Our weekly devotionals also included suggestions for fun and memorable mother-daughter activities. Once we bought an inexpensive mirror for Lizard to decorate (with lizards of course) and wrote the words "Reflection of Jesus" on it to remind her that Christ's love in her heart is always more important (and beautiful) than outward appearance. Another time, we planned and served a backwards dinner (dessert first) to show that when you are a true Jesus-follower, you may seem "backwards" to the world.


Upon completion of the book, I promised Lizard that we would have a very special celebration, just the two of us. The idea for this event came from another book I read about six months ago, Gentle Passages: Guiding Your Daughter Into Womanhood. I first heard about this book and the china plate event from a friend who writes one of my favorite blogs. You can read about the special day she shared with her daughter here.

In Robin Jones Gunn's book, she tells a story about giving a young neighbor friend a china plate as an illustration of II Timothy 2:20-21. Inspired by her (and my friend's) story and the accompanying scripture, I chose a local herb farm and tea house as our destination and began planning.

Lavender Fields Farm, in Glen Allen, VA, provided a truly tranquil setting on a lovely October Saturday. Unbeknownst to Lizard, who adores surprises, I signed the two of us up for a wreath-making class.


Our wreaths, which should last up to six weeks, if frequently watered, are made out of all fresh cuttings.

Lizard, who has a naturally artistic eye, made a beautiful wreath.

After our class, we walked over to the farm's tea house where lunch was waiting for us. Due to the type of business license the farm has, they are required to serve meals in disposable containers. For our purpose, I'd pre-arranged to have a setting from Lizard's china, that I'd secretly brought with us, laid at her place.


Steady Man and I bought the china a few months ago, from a Craig's List posting, in anticipation of this day. It is amazing how beautiful china sets, often barely used, can be inexpensively purchased from private listings and thrift shops. We were fortunate to find a ten-piece setting in Lizard's favorite color. It is called Haviland, Blue Garland. It is important to note, however, that buying an entire china set, is not at all necessary to replicate an event like this. It just takes a single exquisite china plate.


After Lizard recovered from the shock of being told that this delicate china was hers to have forever, I explained to her that she is like a piece of fine china, set apart not only to shine but also to serve. We laughed and agreed that neither of us wanted be like the disposable paper plate, stained with food, on which my lunch had been served. We talked about many more things on this theme and Lizard's eyes twinkled as she considered her value and her purpose as a young woman pursuing God.


Later, after we'd cleaned up, we read the message written with indelible ink on the back of her plate: My dearest "Lizard," You are a treasure. Always shine for and serve the One who created you. II Timothy 2:20-21. Love, Mom

In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. II Timothy 2:20-21 (New Living Translation)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Foaming Monsters

The girls and I are enjoying using Usborne's 100 Science Experiments as one of our science texts. Last week they made "foaming monsters."

First, they took construction paper, googly eyes (love those!) and plastic soda bottles (yes, we recycle!) to make their monsters.

After giving each monster a large drink of vinegar (to fill the bottle about halfway) and a generous squirt of dishwashing liquid, each girl added several drops of food coloring, because colored foam is even better than white!


Swirling the monster to mix the food coloring into the vinegar.

Next, we wrapped large pinches of baking soda in two squares of tissue and stuffed one into each monster's mouth.


Can you see the foam beginning
to form?


















Foamtastic! This wasn't an explosion as we guessed, but a slow build. It seems the combination didn't sit too well in our monsters' tummies.

What's going on?
When you mix vinegar and baking soda, it makes carbon dioxide. The bubbles in the carbon dioxide cause the dishwashing liquid to foam so much that the solution spills out of the monster's mouth.


Butterfly the Equestrienne

When you have a child who struggles to accomplish (or who will never accomplish) the things for which all good parents await and celebrate: first words, first solid food, first steps, potty training, learning to read, learning to tie her shoes, learning to share and so on, there is an understandable heartache that you carry. However, there is also a special indescribable JOY, a thankful elation, when you witness that child doing above and beyond what you hoped or dreamed they could accomplish. That joy revisited us this past weekend in Lexington, Virginia, as we watched our daughter, Butterfly, who has spina bifida, compete in the Therapeutic Horseback Riding Association of Virginia event.

Butterfly's equestrian gear included paddock boots, jodhpurs, garter straps, show shirt, show collar with pin, show coat, hair net, and riding helmet with faux-velvet cover.

Butterfly's riding center did everything possible to make their riders feel celebrated. Butterfly's photo hung on one of the horse stalls at the event.


 Butterfly was a great sport posing for photos in her riding regalia.

We were blessed to have many out-of-town family members join us for the event including Butterfly's cousin. I regret not getting a photo of the entire family.



More decorations outside our horses' stalls.


Butterfly has mounted Rebel and is ready for her first competition.

Notice that Rebel has his mane braided. His tail is braided too.

Butterfly waits to begin the equitation round.


 We reminded Butterfly to keep focused and not get distracted by her cheering section. An equestrian should always look in the direction she wants her horse to go. In this case Butterfly is asking Rebel to track left (and she is completely ignoring her cheering section). What focus!


Butterfly received a blue ribbon (first place) for equitation. I wish you could have experienced the bubbling-up, tears-spilling-over joy we felt as we watched Butterfly ride. The ribbon was just icing on the cake for incredibly thankful and proud parents.


Butterfly and Rebel after their blue ribbon event. Rebel did a wonderful job too!

Butterfly also competed in pole bending, trails and dressage. 

She received red ribbons (second place) for pole bending and dressage and a yellow (third place) for trail.

Butterfly's total points earned her the title of "Reserve Champion" (second place overall) in her class. Check out that giant ribbon!

Butterfly made a new friend, T, who also competed for Galloping Acres. T received Champion (first place overall) in her and Butterfly's class. Way to go!



On the left are some of the riders and helpers from Galloping Acres. On the right is Shannon Lawson, director of the therapeutic riding program at Galloping Acres. We are so thankful to have them in our lives!

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40: 28-31

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Reaching for Life from the Womb: Part Two

The following e-mails chronicle the time between Hannah's in-utero surgical repair of spina bifida until the day before her birth.


Subject: RE: Hannah at 26 weeks
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 14:13:31 -0600
Hi loved ones!
Today's ultrasound found Hannah active and cooperative
for imaging. Her ventricles remain perfectly normal (no
hydrocephalus to date). Praise God! And keep praying!
The doctor indicated that he was already seeing slight
improvement in her hindbrain herniation but didn't
expect to see significant change for about four more
weeks. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Love, Amy

Subject: Hannah at 27 Weeks' Gestation
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 6:46 PM
Hello Prayer Warriors!
Our doctor's visit went very well today. Hannah's
ventricles remain normal (no hydrocephalus) and they
are definitely noting some reversal in the hindbrain
herniation, but anticipate continued improvement over
the next few weeks. They looked at amniotic fluid
which was normal and checked her legs for clubbing
and, so far, they are fine. The sonographer also noted
that Hannah's head size is more normal for her
gestational age now. She explained that Hannah's head
had been a bit small for her gestational age a month
ago (something of which we had not been aware). She
suggested that the movement of the brain to a more
normal position (not so compressed into the spinal
column) has allowed her head size to catch up somewhat
to the "norm."

We also toured the NICU and saw a 5-day-old baby born
at 24 weeks' gestation... a miracle child. So tiny and
yet still so perfectly created by the Creator... The
doctor said she was already breathing on her own and
was doing very well.

Pray for our five-day-old friend if you please. And
whatever you've been praying for Hannah, please
continue because our Lord is listening and so
gracious! Obviously, we pray that all of Hannah's good
news will continue and we pray that God will prepare
us for whatever the future may bring.

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and
knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for
making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is
marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I
was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven
together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I
was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your
book. Every moment was laid out before a single day
had passed." Psalm 139:13-16

Love,
Brian, Amy, Evan, Elena and Hannah

Subject: Hannah at 28 weeks' gestation
Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 1:50 PM
Greetings!
God blessed us with another encouraging doctor's
appointment on Friday! Hannah's ventricles, although
slightly larger than last week, remain in the normal
range which means she has not developed hydrocephalus
to date! Her brain continues progressing to a more
normal position. The doctor was particularly pleased
to see cerebral fluid now flowing at the back of her
skull which is a great indicator of improved brain
position!

When looking at her feet, Dr. Thomas informed us that
he was pretty sure that one of Hannah's feet was
clubbed, but while we were asking him questions about
this, Hannah turned her foot and Dr. Thomas said, "Oh,
see there, now she's showing us it's not clubbed." Dr.
Thomas still believes, however, that both of Hannah's
feet are hyper-extended. This would mean that the
muscles in her legs that are receiving more nerve
stimulation (those muscles that receive nerve stimulus
from higher on the spine) are overcompensating for the
less stimulated muscles and are pulling her feet into
a flexed position. Of course, the doctor can't be sure
given that Hannah already has proven to be a jokester
with her clubbed foot trick. If her feet are
hyper-extended (the doctor actually said he would have
expected her legs to be in a more severe condition
than hyperextension given her lesion level and
gestational age), the condition can be corrected after
she's born by spending a few weeks in short leg casts.

The doctor was also able to put us at ease about some
of the abdominal pain I've been experiencing. It turns
out that after three babies, the ligaments holding up
the uterus are just protesting, "not again!"

The most shocking thing that happened this week
regarded our appeal process to our insurance company,
Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Some of you might remember we
were told that our case would be reviewed by Alcoa
this week. That was misinformation. We still had to
wait for an "independent" doctor hired by BC/BS to
make a recommendation (next we appeal to Alcoa). We
received the denial letter from that doctor's review
earlier in the week. We weren't surprised at all.
Their reasoning is because in-utero correction of
spina bifida is too new and is considered
"investigational." Furthermore, they noted that we had
two other options for "treating" Hannah. This is the
part that shocked us. Here is part of the letter (the
grammatical errors are theirs and not ours):

"This is a review of a pregnant woman and at 21 weeks
gestation sonogram indicated a fetus with spina bifida
and hydrocephalus. The plan of treatment recommended
is intrauterine surgery with spina bifida repair. The
request was refused on grounds that such surgery is
regarded as investigational. Pregnancy with this
problem are usually treated in one of two ways: The
parents may choose pregnancy to terminate prior to 24
weeks, or the baby be delivered by cesarean section
when mature and then undergo closure of the spina
bifida defect..."

It is heartbreaking to us that our country has become
so callous about human life that it is acceptable at a
business level to suggest (after the fact even) that
we as parents would have made a better decision by
killing our differently-abled daughter. So with that,
permit us to remind you of the Bible verse we chose
for our last e-mail. We like to read it with Hannah's
name as the voice speaking. You can use your
children's names or you own and you will be blessed by
it.

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and
knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for
making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is
marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I
was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven
together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I
was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your
book. Every moment was laid out before a single day
had passed." Psalm 139:13-16

Thank you for your continued prayers!! We are forever
thankful for you all!

Love, Amy and Brian

Subject: Wiggling Toes at 29 Weeks' Gestation
Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2002 10:10 PM
Praise God for another good doctor's visit!
Hannah's ventricles were unchanged since last week.
They are at the upper end, but still within, normal
range. Continue to pray that God will defy the
statistics and the doctors' predictions and spare
Hannah from hydrocephalus and shunting.

Her brain position continues to improve. I asked the
sonographer how close to normal it was and she
replied, "pretty close." Pray with us that it will
reverse to completely normal. Also, her head size is
now normal for her gestational age. We had not
realized that her head was misshapen until they told
us yesterday that it was now normal. The better shape
would be explained by the improved brain position as
well as good fluid movement.

The most exciting thing we saw was Hannah's toes
wiggling! She wiggled the toes of one foot on five
separate occasions in the short time we watched. While
the doctor would not go so far to say that this means
Hannah will have use of her legs or even just her
toes, we and he found this, to quote Dr. Douhl, "very
encouraging." I had specifically prayed before our
appointment for some gesture of encouragement because
I had had some discouraging days recently. God was
gracious and blessed us with wiggling toes!

Her feet still seem to be hyper-extended, but we are
still praying that if it pleases God, He will reverse
the condition.

My mom is driving back to Cincinnati today for another
time of respite and visiting at home. Aunt Ruby and
Uncle Mike are here with us this weekend and Brian's
mom and brother, Justin, will celebrate Christmas with
us. Jill Wells has been such a gift from the Lord to
me in all the years I've had the privilege of calling
her "friend." She has agreed to play "nanny" for us
the third week of January when my mom will be
vacationing in Florida. Besides Jill's presence, two
incredible things are scheduled to take place Friday,
January 24, of that week: Brian will turn 34 and
Hannah will turn 34 weeks! While Brian turning 34
years is wonderful, 34 weeks for Hannah would be
phenomenal! Doctors say most babies born at or after
34 weeks have little complications and are even likely
to go home at the same time their mothers are
discharged. So please keep this date in mind as you
pray for Hannah's continued growth right where she is!

We are so joyful to be celebrating Christ's birth. God
came as a baby, as prophesied in Isaiah, to be tempted
and live a blameless life, to take the punishment to
death the cross for our sins, so that we might be
declared innocent before God. When life becomes
overwhelming, we are always able to rejoice in this
knowledge.

Have a fabulous Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Thank you once again for keeping us in your prayers!

Love,
Amy, Brian, Evan, Elena and Hannah

Subject: Hannah at 30 Weeks' Gestation
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 4:23 PM
Today's doctor's visit brought more encouraging news.
Hannah's ventricles actually measured slightly smaller
than last week, so we are thrilled that the
several-week trend of increasing ventricle size has
stopped and perhaps even reversed. Thank you for your
prayers. The sonographer said Hannah's cerebellum is
"almost perfectly normal" with good fluid flow at the
back of the brain which is fantastic. The two doctors
in the office were smiling and used words like "great
news," and "magic" (but we all know better than that
don't we?}

We would love to hear how you celebrated Christmas. We
had a wonderful time with Nanny Smith and Justin. I
(Amy) was able to attend church for the first time
last Sunday. Laney still loves to play dress-up and
wants to be a “wirewider” (firefighter) when she grows
up. Evan has finally accepted preschool as a fact of
life and is as crazy about trains as he ever was.
Brian is glad to be on vacation until the New Year (as
are we) and couldn't be more thrilled to have gotten
THREE golf clubs for Christmas.

Have a blessed New Year and continue to hold us in
your prayers and we will also keep you in ours.

Love, Amy and Brian

Subject: Hannah at 31 Weeks Gestation
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2003 12:15 PM
Hello All!
We do not take for granted that we will receive good
news about Hannah's condition each week. So it is with
as much joy and thanksgiving as we felt with our first
bit of good news about Hannah that we report on the
good news we received yesterday.

Hannah's ventricles remain normal (7.9 and 7.2 mm for
those of you who understand that) which means no
hydrocephalus has developed to date. As her skull bone
calcifies, it is getting harder for the sonogram to
get a good look at her cerebellum, but all continue to
be pleased with the much more normal position of it.
We watched Hannah kick her right foot (which again,
isn't a guarantee of a good nerve connection). We also
saw her flex her hips several times which we all felt
strongly was of her own will and not simply a reflex
from upper body movement. Praise God! We thank you for
your continued prayers for Hannah's healing!

I received an adjustment on my anti-contraction
medicine this week after some mild pre-labor symptoms
on Wednesday. The medicine did its job well and we
continue to pray for many more weeks of pregnancy.

We had our first conversation about a potential
delivery date. Dr. Celebrezze would like to do an
amniocentesis at 36 weeks' gestation to check Hannah's
lung maturity. If the lungs are doing well, she'd like
to do a c-section the following day. That would put us
somewhere around February 11. Please pray for wisdom
and God's grace regarding delivery.

We have been notified that the Alcoa Benefits
Committee will review and decide on our appeal for
insurance coverage on either Friday, January 10, or
Friday, February 14. A doctor selected by Alcoa has
been contracted to make a recommendation to the
committee on our case. Our appeal papers are currently
with him/her and the date of the Alcoa review is
dependent on the return of those papers accompanied by
the physician's recommendation.

We discovered that our home health care (monitoring
and anti-contraction medicine service) was also denied
by Blue Cross/Blue Shield. We were told that this part
of the fetal surgery process is almost never denied
because once the surgery is done, even the insurance
agencies that denied the surgery itself want to see
the baby go as close to full term as possible. So ours
stands out as one of the few to deny even this. The
cost for the service is $480/day! This would amount to
around $50,000! Praise God that Dr. Bruner from
Vanderbilt has an agreement with Matria that they will
provide services gratis to his "financial hardship"
patients in exchange for his referring all of his
fetal surgery patients (most of whom do get insurance
coverage) to them for home health care. AMAZING!

We've been blessed to have Brian's mom, Steph, and
brother, Justin, with us over New Year's. Not only did
they provide wonderful meals and entertainment, they
also cleaned my house from top to bottom, which it
sorely needed.

I simply am not capable of writing brief e-mails, as I
previously promised, when it comes to our amazing
journey with Hannah. I hope they do not become tedious
in any way to you. THANK YOU again for your love,
support and prayers. We pray each day that God will
return to you the blessings you've given us many-fold!

Love, Amy and Brian


Subject: Hannah at 32 Weeks' Gestation
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 3:46 AM
This week's doctor's appointment was more routine than
usual. But even just the doctors' taking for granted
that Hannah will not have developed hydrocephalus,
that her brain continues to look good and that there
is no worsening of what appears to be hyperextension
of the feet, is truly a blessing. What a contrast to
visits where the expectation is to relay increasingly
discouraging news! One of the verses I read and
reread during my personal Bible study this week has
special meaning for us, "God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but a spirit of power..." II Timothy 1:7. We
pray that even when life bring us (any of us)
discouraging news that this truth will resonate with
us just as profoundly.

Many of you will remember January 10 as a possible
date for Alcoa's review of our appeal of insurance
denial. Unfortunately, we have received no
communication about our case since the notification of
the possible dates. We assume that our case was not
reviewed, solely on the expectation that we would have
been notified if it was to happen. So perhaps February
14 will be the date of review. Regardless, God is in
control and has good reason for even the timing
(delayed or otherwise) of the appeal!

I have a friend, Janet, here in Pittsburgh who is the
hospital now anticipating delivering her baby boy at
35 weeks' gestation (this Tuesday)if amniocentesis
reveals mature lungs. Please pray for her and her
little boy's health and vitality. She would love to
bring him home with her when she is discharged, but
is, of course, first concerned with his well-being. We
appreciate your prayers for their family.

Thank you for remembering Hannah in your prayers! We
are forever grateful!

Amy and Brian

Subject: Hannah at 33 Weeks
Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 9:42 AM
Dear friends and family,
 This week's doctor's appointment was another
encouragement to us in many ways. Hannah's ventricles
measured the smallest we've seen them since we were at
Vanderbilt. We are so hopeful that the Lord would be
pleased to spare her from hydrocephalus. Also, from
everything they looked at, there was no indication
that I would go into labor anytime in the near future,
but we realize that there isn't usually much warning.
We do have a specific prayer request this week: Of the
many ultasounds we've had done, Brian and I can't
recall ever seeing Hannah's legs move at the knees or
even at the hips. You surely understand our hopes
regarding her being able to walk some day. May God be
glorified in all of her accomplishments!

Thank you for your continued prayers! It's hard to
believe that within a few short weeks, we'll be
holding our Hannah in our arms! God is so good!

Amy and Brian


Subject: Hannah at 34 weeks' gestation! Awesome!
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 10:17 PM
Hello Dear Ones!
Things are certainly happening these days in Hannah's
world. We had an eventful and somewhat nerve-racking
couple days, starting Wednesday, with too many
contractions, lots of remonitoring, bed rest, and
extra doses of medication. We are hoping that a
permanent medication rate adjustment did the trick and
will keep Hannah happy where she is for a couple more
weeks.

At our doctor's appointment, we received a wonderful
gift! You will remember that last week we asked for
your prayers about Hannah's leg movement. At this (our
very next) appointment we saw both legs move from the
knee! While this is no guarantee of leg function from
the knee, we are thrilled. What a birthday gift for
Brian! And THANK YOU MORE THAN WE CAN SAY FOR YOUR
PRAYERS! God was pleased to show all of us that he
cares and listens to our earnest prayers!

Hannah's ventricles remain normal. We cannot express
what joy it would be to see this be a permanent gift
to Hannah. Unfortunately, Hannah will be considered at
risk for developing hydrocephalus anytime in her first
year of life, so we will covet your continued prayers
about this whenever you remember our family.

Finally, the sonographer noted a significant decrease
in amniotic fluid (putting it at the low end instead
of the high end of normal). What this exactly means I
can't easily explain or even understand. It has to do
with placenta function, as well as Hannah's ability to
practice breathing. If the fluid level continues to
drop, they will want to go ahead and deliver as Hannah
would fare better out of the womb in that case. From
now on, we will be going to the doctor two times a
week (Tues. and Fri.) to monitor amniotic fluid,
contractions and continue with ultrasounds.

Several have asked for an update on my friend Janet.
She delivered a 6 pound 7 ounce boy with strong lungs!
Thank you for your prayers.

As far as our insurance appeal, it will take place
February 14.

God is so gracious to this undeserving Smith family!
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS! We hope that you are
sharing our refreshed awe at God's mercy and love.

Love, Amy and Brian

 
Subject: Hannah at 35 weeks' gestation
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 9:48 AM
Dear family and friends,
God is delighted with your prayers! You'll remember
that two weeks ago, we asked for prayer for Hannah's
legs and at the next appointment, we saw them move for
the first time on the ultrasound. Last week, we
asked for prayer about low amniotic fluid that could
force us to deliver earlier than expected. Five days
after our request to you, the amniotic fluid nearly
doubled to the amazement of all! Thank you!

Hannah's ventricles measured yet again smaller than
ever before this week (6.8 mm) and we continue to hope
and pray that she will never need to be shunted for
hydrocephalus.

Since we last wrote, I've needed to have my medication
adjusted again, but all seems to be quiet now. We are
still planning to have an amniocentesis on February
11. If Hannah's lungs are mature, we will have a
c-section on February 12 (36 weeks and 4 days'
gestation). The reason the doctors want to deliver
early is that there is a risk that my uterus will
rupture at the 13-week-old scar if I go into labor
which could be life-threatening to both Hannah and me.
If Hannah's lungs are not mature by that date, we will
wait one more week and repeat the procedure. Please
pray for a safe delivery at God's perfectly appointed
time and wisdom for us as we are bombarded with
information and questions from the medical team at
Allegheny General.

In eager anticipation of introducing Hannah to you and
of hearing of your life as well,

Amy and Brian


Subject: Hannah at 36 Weeks' Gestation
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 18:07:01 -0800 (PST)
Hello all!
We are thrilled to know that our little girl has
reached 36 weeks' gestation. There were times that we
thought we might go earlier, but God was time and
again merciful, knowing, we suppose, that her parents
were not ready! Hannah's weight today was estimated to
be 5 pounds 3 ounces, give or take 12 ounces. We are
still scheduled to have an amniocentesis on Tuesday to
check for lung maturity. If her lungs are mature,
Hannah will be delivered by c-section the following
morning (February 12). We ask for continued prayer
regarding the right time for Hannah's birth. Also,
once she is here, we will be inundated with doctors
(neurologist, urologist, orthopedist and so forth),
information and potentially requests for permission to
perform various procedures. Please pray that God will
grant us wisdom during this time, as well as the
ability to separate ourselves from all the medical
stuff and relish in our daughter!

Thank you again for your many prayers for Hannah. How
pleased our Lord has been to show himself to us in
response through his many miraculous gifts to Hannah.
We are forever grateful to you!

We pray for God's blessings to you!
Amy and Brian

Subject: Re: Hannah Lee to be In Our Arms February 12!
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 09:42:29 -0800 (PST)
Hello everyone!
At our doctor's appointment this morning, it was
agreed that tomorrow would be the best time for
delivering Hannah. We had been praying that the
decision regarding a delivery date would be taken out
of our hands and, in God's faithfulness, it was. My
amniotic fluid has decreased again (although still
within the acceptable range) and the placenta is
showing signs of age. Our doctor said that with these
two factors even in a "normal" pregnancy at 36+ weeks
gestation, they would opt to deliver. As a result, we
didn't even have the amniocentesis to check for lung
maturity.

We will be admitted at 5:30 a.m. and are scheduled for
delivery at 7:30 a.m. Please join us in praying for a
safe delivery, for Hannah's lung maturity, the general
health of her brain, spine and bladder, as well as leg
function. Brian will try to send an e-mail some time
tomorrow with the happy news of Hannah's birth.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers!

Love, Amy and Brian