It's a ....!

Nathan and I had decided early on that we were going to find out the gender of our baby. Our 20 week sonogram was scheduled for December 4th and we thought that we would use an idea from our mentor couple. They had told us about asking the sonogram technician to write down the gender on a card and then open it for Christmas.

We took a purple elephant card and handed it over to the tech and waited patiently for 21 days. The morning of Christmas, we woke up in bed and being the girl that I am, I begged to open it right away! Nathan opened the envelope and I opened the card in front of his eyes only. His expression gave it right away.

Nathan was convinced that we were having a girl, and he slowly and surely convinced me too. We had given in to the old wives tales and we both thought that we would welcome a baby girl in April.

Well in fact, his expression of shock at the card told me that we are in fact having a BOY!

We waited until 4PM EST/3PM CST to tell the rest of our family the great news. Here is a video of us sharing the joy of our future son, their future grandson, great-grandson and nephew.

Visiting the Chi

Nathan and I were fortunate to spend the Christmas holiday with his family in Itasca (right outside of Chicago). We left Tuesday afternoon with our luggage in the trunk and Lyla and Kenzie in the back. They did not last too long, though. After a lot of crying, we let them out to roam as we drove through VA, MD, PA, OH, IN, and IL.

We arrived around 1:30 AM central time, but the rest of the trip has been filled with great conversation, catching up, wonderful meals (thanks Don!), movies, and best of all - relaxation.

For Christmas dinner, our friends Carson and Nickie, who recently moved to Elmhurst from Portland, joined us. It was a treat to see them, and Nickie made a fantastic torte to complement Hilary's delicious apple pie.

(Carson, Nickie, Meredith, Nathan)

Thank you Sandell family for always making us feel so welcome and relaxed. We love you tremendously.

(Nathan, Meredith - 5 months pregnant, Hilary, Rosa, Connie, Don)

Faithful Prayer

Nathan and I went in for a scheduled ultrasound for the baby on December 4th. We were really excited and thought this was just a chance to see our baby. Everything, for the most part, went well. Our little one did want to show his or her face during the photo shoot - I guess this baby is a little camera shy.




Everything seemed fine, until the very end of the appointment when the doctor came in and told us that our baby has two choroid plexus cysts on the brain. We had no idea what this meant except we heard "genetic disorder."

On Monday, we went for the four-month check-up at our doctor's office. Dr. G also brought up the cysts and told us the following:

1. There are two choloid plexus cysts that are in the center of the brain.
2. The cysts are not big (i.e., the techs did not even measure them) - this is a good sign.
3. There were no other markers for a genetic disorder.
4. The cysts are considered a minor structural abnormality for a gentic disorder (not a major).
5. 1% of babies have the cysts and almost 100% of those cysts go away.
6. Without the cysts, the baby would have a 1 in 400 chance of having a genetic disorder - - BECAUSE of the cysts, the baby now has a 1 in 100 chance of having a genetic disorder( ie., 0.25% to now 1%, or 4x more likely).
7. Just because the cysts go away, the chance of a genetic disorder is still 1 in 100 - it is because the cysts were even present that the risk is increased.

They gave us a couple of next steps that we need to consider and pray about. The first would be to have an amnio test that would show for sure the chromosomal make-up of the baby. The risk with this is that there is a national average of miscarriage of 1 in 200.

Another option we have is to have another ultrasound at week 26 or 27 and see if the cysts are indeed gone. This would show us further progression, but again, our baby could still have a genetic disorder.

Our final option is to do nothing and wait until the baby is born. Both Nathan and I are leaning towards this option because it is the only option that solely relies on prayer and faith in God's will.

So, we ask that you please join us in praying for our baby's health and that no matter what, Nathan and I are faithful in following God's will. Thank you for your love and support!