So Jacob and Dylan left for "our" Florida trip on Sunday!  I say "our" because it was supposed to be me with all three boys but with my recent health issues we decided it best I stay home with Sam!  So they flew with Noni to be with Great-Grandma and Aunt Tess for the week!  I must say I am pretty jealous! They are riding around in Grandma's convertible with the top down and are staying at the Hard Rock hotel swimming in the awesome pool!  I am happy they are getting some good bonding time with family and I am SO grateful that God has blessed them with safety and a great Noni!  Me and Sam so far have just enjoyed each other's company.  I had my high risk appt this morning and had Summer's anatomy scan!  All looks great!!!!!  She is measuring at 13 oz and right on track!  We discussed my medicine and what the second half of this pregnancy will most likely bring.  He pretty much told me to prepare for bedrest in the end as usual! He did assure me that girls are much different than boys in that they aren't typically born with as many breathing issues as boys and that she could be born as early as 35 weeks and be ok and not in the NICU.  But we will see.  No reason to stress over it now!  I did finally hire a maid and am looking into a part time Nanny/Mommy's Helper so I will be fully prepared if I do get put on bedrest again!  For the next 20 weeks were just taking it day by day and relying on God to get us through.  He is our power, our strength, our force and our shield!  Below are some of Summer's 20 weeks pictures!


                      Side shot of profile and her knee bent with her foot pressed up against the side.

Her beautiful profile

She definitely a GIRL!

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

WOW... what a troubling last couple of days it has been.  A most of you know blood pressure has always been an issue for me in pregnancy... but not usually until around 34 weeks or so.  With al three boys I was on bed rest and with all three I delivered early bc of this issue.  Well with Summer it started A  LOT sooner!  At around 14 weeks it started creeping up there. At my last appointment 2 weeks ago they referred me to a high risk dr and wanted to see my back in two weeks to monitor it.  It has been running steadily high but not high enough for them to really worry I guess.  They did tell me if the bottom # got above 100 to call them right away.  Well..... Monday all day I didn't feel right.  I kept feeling flustered like all the blood was rushing to my face, I was lightheaded and just plain wore our for no apparent reason other than the child I was carrying.  After an exhausting trip to the grocery store where I also felt terrible I got home to feel worse.  My arms and hands were tingling which was frightening.  I took my bp on an electronic machine I have at home and yup it was HIGH!  I called the drs immediately and like I assumed they sent me to the hospital.  It was still high when I got there-167/102.  Long story short I was given blood pressure lowering medicine in an IV which helped pretty quick and they checked Summer via sonogram and she looked perfect.  Now they were only worried about my heart.  I have a pretty common condition called Mitral Valve Prolapse which causes palpitations which worsen during pregnancy...I  also had similar problems with Sam! Well, I was was having PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions) of my heart every third beat which was following a pattern called Trigeminy something.  It was apparently showing a pattern that concerned them.  They ended up admitting me for the night to monitor my heart and my bp.  By Tuesday around lunch I was headed home with a prescription for the medicine for me my heart and bp and have an echocardiogram scheduled for Friday.  The meds should now make things better and more balanced... hopefully!!!  I will still see the high risk drs bc the medicine I am on can cause low weight in the baby so they will monitor her more closely!!!  Let me just say pregnancy doesn't agree with my body for sure!  We are both doing ok now but would greatly appreciate any prayers for wellness, strength, healing and guidance that you can give!  I know God will help us through this and with our AMAZING, loving and helpful family all will be OK!!!!!!!!

Who's Boss...

Man oh man this girl is really showing me who is boss already!!!  This has been a tough pregnancy!!  I try my hardest not to complain because God truly has blessed me again with one of the greatest gifts ever and it does take a toll on a woman's body to build and grow a baby from scratch! I prayed and prayed that it would be God's will for us to have a daughter and I know He wouldn't give me something I can't handle or that He didn't have planned for me!  I had another doc appt today!  Baby girl sounded great but Mommy on the other hand already has high blood pressure!  As most of you know I always battled hypertension in all my pregnancies and have ended up on bedrest with all three of the boys BUT never this early and never till atleast 34 weeks along! I am only 17 weeks and am truly scared to death what this means for the rest of my pregnancy!  The doctor didn't seem too terribly stressed over it and didn't limit my activities or anything but does want to see me in 2 weeks instead of 4 to check it again and he is sending me to the high risk doctors for the pregnancy!  I will keep everyone updated but what matters most is the baby seems healthy and is growing great!  Like I said whatever challenges lay ahead for us and for our family and this pregnancy we can handle!  God is by our side and will guide us through this with love, strength and confidence! Please pray for us though!!!  Oh and last but not least... we decided to name her Summer Grace!