32 Weeks

Wow! What a few weeks this has been! This update is full of praises and prayer requests. My appointment with the GI specialist last Friday went well, and I am not going to have to have my gallbladder removed, at least not anytime soon. Jeremy and John David returned home safely on Tuesday. We missed them so much!! Even as we were rejoicing at their return, we found out that my grandfather, my mom's father, had passed away. He has been struggling with heart problems for years, and suffered a heart attack on Monday. Please pray for my mom and all her siblings. With Jeremy just returning from Wisconsin, and with my medical issues right now, we will not be able to travel to Indiana to be with my family. Per doctor's orders, I have spent the last two days on bed rest. My blood pressure is giving me trouble again. My OB is trying to decide how to proceed, and will probably be adjusting my medicine again. At this point in my pregnancy I need to be careful that I keep my pressures controlled, as that will decrease my chances of developing preeclampsia. The baby looked very good at my weekly ultrasound on Tuesday. I have another ultrasound and NST scheduled for this next Tuesday. I am definitely feeling the strain on my body, but with every passing week I am comforted by the knowledge that Luke is growing stronger. Thank you to all of you who have been praying. We have had some incredible answers to prayer lately, and I know that it is because of the great prayer warriors we have.

A few other odds and ends: Both girls have lost another tooth in the past two weeks, so we took a shopping trip this week to the Dollar Tree to spend all that tooth fairy money. John David is growing like a weed all the sudden, and has grown out of almost all his pants. His hair has lightened up even more with summer here, and both him and Kylie are sporting their flawless summer tans that make me so jealous. :) Me, I just get more freckles every time I'm out in the sun! We noticed last week that we have another nest of baby birds in the backyard. This one is home to robins, and is so high and deep in the bush that pictures are impossible. Plus, this momma bird almost never leaves the nest. I did get a peek at the baby birds tonight as the momma bird was off getting food. They are still pretty small, so I'm thinking they probably only hatched a few days ago. How exciting to have two nest of baby birds in our yard this year! Jeremy is currently outside giving the girls a lesson on riding their bike without training wheels. So far I have heard no screams, and we've managed to suffer only minor scratches. :) Kylie is picking it up pretty quickly which is no surprise, but Caitlyn is doing well too. They'll be riding on their own in no time! We are spending our 4th of July afternoon at friends' and are looking forward to the great time we always have at their annual 4th of July party. Hope everyone has a great 4th! Love you all and thank you to God Almighty who continues to see us through!