30 Weeks and Counting..

I just wanted to thank all of you that are reading this and praying for our family. Without your prayers I do not think that I would be sitting here enjoying little Addy's kicks and punches while I am writing this. As of today, I am 30 weeks and 4 days.. and for us, I feel that calls for a celebration! In these past several weeks, we have learned two things: that our little angel is a fighter and she got her mom's feisty genes. Anyone who has read about Trisomy 13 or that is familiar with this syndrome may know that most T-13 babies do not carry to term, if they do not miscarry in the first place. Well, here I am at 30 weeks, and all I can say is that Addy is a fighter! 

Last Wednesday we had another ultrasound, and Mark's parents were able to be there in person to see their granddaughter. They were so thankful to be there and I know how much it meant for them to see her in person. They also got to see how feisty she has become! Every time the ultrasound nurse pushed on my belly with the wand, she would kick out at it to push it away. She certainly gave everyone some laughs! Another night Mark decided to "play" with her and pushed on my belly a little with his hands. She got so mad that she shoved his hand all the way out, leaving Mark completely shocked! All of these little things remind me of the reason that we chose the hard route.. the reason we chose to carry our precious little girl. Not one day goes by that I regret our decision to not terminate the pregnancy. Every night as Mark lays there talking to her and enjoying her "soccer games" I thank God for the little blessing that is inside me. As much as we pray for a miracle to happen and for her to come home, we are so very thankful for the time we have already been given with Addy. For anyone out there that is in a similar situation or will be in a similar situation in the future, I will say this: even though it is the harder path to take, you will never regret choosing to carry your little one to term. The doctors and other outsiders may tell you otherwise, that your child is "incompatible" with life, but I believe it is the opposite. That child will change your life and everyone's around it for the better. 

Updates on Adalyn
The ultrasound last Wednesday did not show a lot of changes. They still saw the "asymmetry" with her heart indicating the hypoplastic left heart syndrome, along with enlarged kidneys. One positive thing they saw was that it does not look like she has a cleft lip or palate, which took some worries off because if she does survive it will not be as hard for her to eat. She is also measuring in the 2%, which means that she is pretty small (typical of T-13 babies). 
Prayer Request: Even though Addy has managed to fight for this long, we do not know how much longer it will be before I go into labor. We are asking everyone to please pray for her to be able to fight for at least another 8 weeks or so. Thank you!

Last week we got to spend five days with Mark's parents and brother in Boston, and two days out on Cape Cod to finish the week. It was so nice to be able to spend time as a family and to explore the sites around Boston and the Cape. We saw some historic sites and also relaxed on the beach for a few days. Again, Addy got to see and do some new things, which we are very thankful for.