Week 27 Begins...

Tomorrow begins Week 27 which is one week closer to our next milestone! The Lord is continuing to make miraculous improvements every step of the way!!!

Last week, we met with our Pediatric Cardiologist for another echo cardiogram to check our little girl's heart. God is so good...for there was significant improvement within her heart that surprised both him and my doctor! The right side has begun to contract (not quite normal, but better) and a major improvement is that the blood flow is now going in a forward direction which is normal AS WELL AS there is no longer excess fluid around her heart AND the flow through the umbilical cord from the placenta to her is smooth which is good! The Cardiologist was so excited with the improvements that he called my doctor while she was still in a meeting. However, she still has a leaky valve on the right side of her heart. The improvements that have now been made was over a two week time period as she has grown inside my womb which is just another proof that God is in control and can do the impossible!

Dan and I just had a meeting today with our doctor, the Cardiologist and one of the Neonatal doctors to discuss a game plan for this stage in the pregnancy. It was good to have everyone on the same page and we know that TIME IS CRITICAL!!! So, I have set the bar high and we hope to make it to 36 weeks which would be the end of April. We are very hopeful that we will make it to 30-something weeks.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Keep the prayers coming because they are working!!!! We ask that you pray for the girls to stay inside my womb at least through April as well as pray that over time our smaller twin's heart will no longer have a leaky valve and for complete health for both of the girls!

Exciting moments of Week 26:
1. The miraculous improvements of our little girl's heart within a short amount of time!
Also, the babies are moving around a lot more daily which is very fun to feel!
2. My dear friend and "sister", Betsy and her adorable little girl, Olivia flew in from Arkansas and came to visit me along with her mom and sister. Thanks to Bets, I now have a clean and organized hospital room!
3. Visits from neighbors as well as friends from church including Rachael, Hattie and Justine from youth group.
4. I am knitting for the first time a beautiful teal wool scarf thanks to Sarah for the wool and for Joan's daily instruction.
5. I finished two novels so far and I went to my weekly class with all eight of us women on bed rest (biggest class I have gone to so far).
6. Busy weekend with family visiting...Mom & Dad, Uncle Pete & Aunt Sharon, my in-laws along with my brother and sister-in law, Joel and Janet as well as my Aunt Mary and our friend from church, Jeannie.

Dan and I are truly blessed with all of the support including meals or gift certificates for restaurants...especially for both of us as Dan is too busy to cook and it is such a treat for me to have non-hospital food! If you still wish to provide a home-cooked meal, our meal coordinator, Grace Welham is currently on vacation in New Zealand. So, I ask that during this time you contact Jerry & Judy Buser at #608/831-9465 or jbx2@tds.net and they will manage coordinating and delivering meals to us.

Stay tuned for more updates as time goes by. Blessings to you and your family!
~Jenny

Week 25 Update

Another week has past and we made it beyond our first milestone of 24 weeks!!! Our next milestone is 28 weeks...so keep the prayers coming!!! The babies and I are doing very well and so far everything is stable. It has been decided by my doctor and us that we will have a meeting in two weeks to check the status of the babies as well as meet other doctors to discuss a game plan for that stage in the pregnancy. Our goal is to get as close to term as possible so I plan to be here until at least the end of April...God Willing!!! I have incredible nurses that I have be-friended as well as other staff such as my occupational therapist who keeps me busy with daily excercises (don't worry, I am not training for a marathon) that I do in bed as well as activities such as arts/crafts/knitting etc. I have established a daily routine which helps pass the time and I refuse to get sucked into daytime TV! :)

This past weekend, my doctor and nurses approved our dog, Micah to come visit me whenever, so my parents brought him back to our house and then Dan came with Micah. It was such a fun visit and he always puts a smile on my face. We allowed him to lay next to me and he was so well behaved while he was here at the hospital...we are so proud! I also had my first class last week so I got to meet a couple of other young pregnant women on my floor who are also on bed rest. It was a great opportunity to share our stories and learn from them how they have survived bed rest since I am one of the newbies and they have been here for quite some time. I look forward to attending future classes which are held once/week.

My room has brightened up with beautiful bouquet of flowers thanks to Rob, Luann and my in-laws as well as an adorable cookie bouquet from Mike and Karen. I have also received other nice gifts such as a basket full of goodies and magazines from three families who are special clients of Dan as well as a journal from Carl and Charlene which I am grateful for. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers every step of the way! Dan and I are truly blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives.

Our prayer requests remain the same and we know that all of your prayers so far have made a difference for the better during my pregnancy. Also, I have a new email address while I am at the hospital which is sandridgejennifer@yahoo.com. Please use this email address for future reference since I do not have access to my other email addresses.

Stay warm and be safe as you travel in our record breaking weather conditions. Have a Happy Valentine's Day and Blessings!
Jenny

New Home - St. Mary's Hospital

News update....the road that I am on has curved and led me to a new home for the duration of my pregnancy. As of last Thursday, Jan. 31 I am now admitted to St. Mary's Hospital so that they can closely monitor the babies and my pregnancy. The main reason why I came into the hospital late last week was because I was experiencing some minor contractions (tightening of the abdomen) so they have me on medication to manage the contractions as well as an antibotic for a urinary tract infection. Thankfully, the contractions are what they call false contractions meaning that they are mild and I don't feel any pain or have any other signs of going into labor at this time!!!

Since my time here, I have met a wonderful set of doctors and nursing staff who are all curious to hear my pregnancy story since it sure has been eventful and quite rare. They help me to keep the hope alive and are taking good care of me. My doctor says they gave me the best room on the floor with a double bed (instead of a normal hospital bed) so Dan can spend the night when available as well as a nice window view of their courtyard.

This past weekend, we had some family and friends visit...parents, our friends Bob, Katie and their kids Isaac and Maya from Duluth, our friends, Nathan and Grace, my aunt Mary and cousin Audra as well as a group of our friends from church who prayed with me...Matt & Sue, Mary & Terry, Mike, Judy & Jerry. My friend, Sara from Seattle also sent me a personalized notebook of resources, activities and things to make me laugh. One of the sections that she wrote in the notebook was called "Reasons to be thankful for bed rest." One of the points that I wanted to share with you is bed rest makes you appreciate the little things - a cardinal outside the window or a beautiful snowfall. This is so true and it happened to me this weekend, I got to see blue jays and morning doves as well as a light snow fall right outside my window. :)

Continued Prayer Requests: that our little girl's heart would heal (the right side is still not contracting like it should) and that Lord willing I will carry the girls close to term. Our pediatric cardiologist said that there are surgical treatment options for her heart, but that will not be an option until she is much bigger and close to term (since heart surgery is major for anyone let alone a newborn). We are putting all of our trust and hope in the Lord and only He can make all things possible.

If you wish to still provide meals for Dan during this time or during the duration of the pregnancy, please still contact Grace Welham (her contact info is posted in the blog below), we greatly appreciate it! I also welcome visitors here at the hospital, however, I ask that you call me first to schedule a time the day of since I do nap quite a bit more now that I am on bed rest.

My contact information at St. Mary's Hospital:
Room 1122 (1st floor)
Direct room number: #608/259-3373

It means so much to Dan and I to have all of your love, support and most importantly prayers during this time. We love you all dearly.

God bless you,
Jenny

Bed Rest Highlights

Bed rest as you can imagine has been a challenge for me being outgoing and usually having lots of energy and on the go! However, I have been very humbled during this time on bed rest as I have felt very loved and I know that I need to take advantage of extra needed rest for the babies and I.

Some highlights while on bed rest that I wanted to share with you so far...

• Visitors (various family, friends and neighbors) have come every day to provide meals, household assistance, movies and laughs! :)
• Beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered the first day back at home from Uncle John and Aunt Judy (they are still in full bloom)!
• Hand Knit Prayer Shawl with a rosary ring attached made by a sweet woman who I have never met but she felt that it was for the twins as a remembrance of all the prayers made for us!
• My friend Mary began to teach me how to crochet a baby blanket (I still have more to learn before I complete this task)!
• Unexpected visit and homemade chocolate chip cookies from Kandl, one of my student employees.
• Famous delicious cucumber sandwiches from "Grandma" Joan! :)
• Full afternoon spent with my friend, Grace who is our meal coordinator and plans to visit weekly.
• Unexpected "girls" morning pajama party with my friend and neighbor Ali and her mom.
• Mantle full of cards from family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.
• A new pink cell phone with blue tooth that I enjoy using daily.
• Kisses and company from Micah our golden retriever.

Last, but not least...breakfast in bed every morning (varying from 5am-7am weekdays) and being pampered by my amazing hubby!!! :)

So, don't feel too sorry for me, so far I can't complain!

Jenny :)

Week 23 Update

The prayers keep coming and we feel the love and support by all! Yesterday, we had another doctor's appointment for an ultra sound. There are improvements to be thankful for which are that our bigger twin is 1lb. and our smaller twin is 14oz. (just two oz. smaller), both babies have plenty of amnionic fluid in their sacs and our doctor confirmed that the TTTS syndrome has stabilized...PRAISE GOD! Also, the blood flow through the umbilical cord to our smaller baby girl has improved and is normal.

Prayer Requests:
Our smaller baby girl still has heart complications and it may be a structural defect that is causing the right side not to contract like it should. We will see our Pediatric Cardiologist next Tuesday, Feb. 5 to check her heart again and discuss any progress. We pray that her heart condition will not worsen so that she and her sister can remain inside my womb for as long as possible! We are now a week away from our first milestone of 24 weeks, however, please pray that the babies will remain in my womb to at least our next milestone of 28 weeks or later. The doctor is seriously considering having me stay at St. Mary's Hospital beginning later next week (Week 24) until I deliver. This way they can closely monitor the babies and if something were to happen I would be right there.

The other main prayer request is that my cervix will cooperate and remain closed, even though it is shorter while I am on bed rest (either at home here or while in the hospital)! Please also pray for Dan during this time as he continues to take excellent care of me on top of managing his own business! I am truly blessed to have him as my husband and best friend...the Lord has united us even more during this time as we continue to battle this through and carry our cross. Both Dan and I do not feel alone and we continue to lean on the Lord as HE IS IN CONTROL.

Please keep the prayers coming and stay tuned for more updates in the days/weeks to come!
May the Lord shower you and your family with abundant love, peace and joy!
Jenny

Offering Meals

Many people have contacted us to help in various ways, such as providing meals. Dan and I now have an extra freezer to store meals for the upcoming weeks/months while I am on bed rest.

We gladly welcome meals or other household assistance. If you are interested and willing to provide a meal, please contact our friend, Grace Welham at gcwelham@yahoo.com (prefer email) or call #608/358-1241. She is our meal coordinator during this time so she will be able to answer any questions or help plan a meal for a designated date.

Thank you so much for your willingness to help Dan and I during this time. We are so blessed to have many wonderful, caring people in our lives!

Blessings and love,
Jenny

As you know, Dan and I received a double blessing in early September as we are expecting twin girls!! My pregnancy has not been dull to say the least as it was a surprise to learn we are having twins and recently I was diagnosed with having Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). This is a syndrome that may occur for identical twins since they share the same placenta, which is the case for our twin girls. Basically, one of the babies was receiving her sister's amniotic fluid and nutrients so the other baby was not growing at a normal rate. To give you a brief update, on Jan. 7, we headed to Cinncinati Children's Hospital to receive treatment at the Fetal Care Center, which is the center for twins as they are one of the top in the world as well as the best in the nation to treat this particular syndrome! I received phenominal care during our time there and undergone laser surgery to treat the syndrome. The surgery went as well as they could expect and there are already some significant improvements with the babies. The babies currently have close to equal placental share as well as amniontic fluid :). They continue to grow...one is 14 oz. and the other is 12 oz. (she is catching up to her sister). Their brains are normal and the larger twin's heart is normal (slightly thick wall of the heart, but that should go away over time). The smaller twin's heart is working, however, the right side of her heart is not contracting like it should so the left side is doing all of the work. We meet with our pediatric cardiologist in two weeks to monitor her heart and see if there is any improvement.



Also, my cervix has shortened since the surgery so I am on strict bed rest. I can shower occasionally and get up to go to the bathroom, but that is all. The rest of the time I am laying on our couch in the living room with a station of my necessaties next to me (bible, laptop, phones, basket of books, magazines, remote, cooler, prayer shawl and blanket).



Prayer Requests:

We truly appreciate all of the love, prayers and support from our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers!!! During this time, we specifically ask for continued prayer that my cervix will remain closed so that the twins can stay inside my womb and continue to grow as long as they can. Our next milestone to achieve is 24 weeks (I am currently at 22 weeks for their gestational stage)...two more weeks to go to make it to that milestone! Also, we ask that you pray for healing of our smaller twin's heart before I deliver!


Verses that have pierced my heart during this time: Psalm 26 and Jeremiah 29:11.

Dan and I continue to trust in the Lord without wavering and we grow in our faith and hope that the twins will be delivered in His time and healthy!


Feel free to visit this site for future updates about our little angels! We love you all dearly.

Blessings to you and your family,

Jenny & Dan