Almost to the 3rd Trimester!

As I was sitting on our couch watching Formula One with Mark (we only have one TV) I got to thinking... I will be 28 weeks this Thursday! Obviously I have been very involved in this race.. sorry Mark. So, I decided that I needed to share this news! In a normal pregnancy, it would not be such a huge milestone, but in our case, the fact that our little fighter has made it this long is a miracle. Of course it is hard to get accurate statistics on these types of pregnancies, but from what I have researched and talking to others in our situation, it is very rare to carry a full trisomy 13 baby this long. Most of these babies will have miscarried already.. but not our sweet Addy! In fact, her kicks have gotten so strong that sometimes I watch my whole belly shift! Today as we were sitting in church, she decided that she was very interested in the pastor's sermon on enjoying the seasons of blessing in our life. Mark saw me looking down and as he did so, he got to see a little punch-kick combination. He just stared and smiled. 

Speaking of church today, this specific sermon really got me thinking. Our pastor kept talking about how we are in a season of great joy and that things are going well, especially with our church expanding. He talked about his family and their adoption of twins, and also about other happy moments. The message was that we should be strengthening our faith in times of great joy, and not just in periods of struggle and sadness. He said to enjoy the "autumn before the winter". I kept telling myself that this message was not meant for me, because I am not in a period of great joy and blessing. But then, as I got to thinking about it, we ARE in a period of joy and blessing. Our precious Adalyn is a joy to us and such a blessing. As angry as Mark and I get at times that our child has to go through this, we have managed to bask in God's glory and love because He has blessed us in so many ways. Although I may never know exactly why He did this to us, I do know that there is a reason she was given to us and that something amazing will come from this. 

On another note, it has been a week since I have been back in Boston. Mark and I got to fly home for our friends' wedding, and I got to spend a full nine days back in Dayton. It was so wonderful driving on "normal" roads with friendly drivers and not getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of living around Boston. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with family and friends. I got to go out to breakfast with my parents, go shopping with my mother and grandmother, go out with friends, and have a picnic with our whole family. We have not been home since we found out we were pregnant, so it was so nice to see everyone and I embraced every hug and warm smile I received. It was very hard to say goodbye, but we are looking forward to the next time we get to go home. 

Lastly, we are asking for even more prayers than ever. Even though Addy has managed to make it this long, every day I wake up fearing that today might be the day that I go into labor and may lose our precious angel. It is so hard waking up like this, and I continue to pray to God that He gives us longer with her. We are also going to meet with a funeral home this week, to make arrangements just in case she does not make it out of the hospital. It is going to be so hard walking into a place like this, because nobody should have to plan their child's funeral. It is supposed to be the opposite and our children should be the ones burying us. But, we have been put in this situation for a reason, and we are continuing to ask for strength and courage to get through these obstacles. We continue to thank everyone for all of the amazing support and prayers that are given to us, and we know that we would not be able to get through this without these things and our faith. To all of you reading this who have supported us and prayed for us: Thank you.

This is the necklace my Aunt Kathy had made for me. It has Adalyn's name on it along with both of our birthstones. I absolutely love it and will wear it every day. Thanks Aunt Kathy :-)

Here is just some evidence at how much support we have gotten. Between the cards, edible arrangement, and the phone calls, words can not express how thankful we are. Again.. thank you everyone!