Update: continue to believe!

Four weeks from today to go and counting! I'm now at 36 weeks and I wanted to give a little update from my last post about Baby Girl being breech...she is still in the "frank breech" position (jack-knifed with her feet up by her head) but I found out that it is the most common breech position and NOT strange! It still doesn't seem all that comfortable in my mind, but it made me feel much better knowing that she was not in pain and that it was not abnormal. Praise God!

I am so thankful for that reassurance, but I am also thankful for the opportunity to journey through all the feelings and fear that it produced. It helped me go to a deeper level of trust with the Lord: to trust Him with her health and safety and to trust Him if something is wrong, believing that He placed this sweet baby with us for a reason and is entrusting us to take care of her and will equip us to do it. God is worthy of my trust as He has proved this over and over to me.

Since she is still breech, now what? We're doing a combination of things...some "at home" techniques that include laying upside down, putting music and light at the bottom of my stomach, ice packs up near the top; a form of acupuncture that does not use needles but uses heat on pressure points to release the energy and get everything flowing (this was definitely a new experience for me!); I'm going to a chiropractor on Monday to undergo the "Webster technique" which basically aligns my spine and relaxes the muscles of my uterus and pelvis, giving the baby room to move; on Wednesday I go see my midwife and if she still hasn't turned by then, I will make an appointment with my doctor to do an "External cephalic version" which basically means she will have me lay on the table and will manually turn her from the outside. We're still believing that the Lord will make it happen - whether supernaturally or using any of these techniques.

So once again, I'm asking you to continue to believe for her to turn head-down and facing my back! Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers - they are very much appreciated!

Believe with us!

Sorry that there are not any new pictures of me to go along with this post, but this is a slightly different update...

Baby Girl is BREECH (head up, rear end down) and in a jack-knifed position (folded over forwards with her feet up by her head) - this is not good! If she stays in this position and does not turn in the next 3 weeks, I have to have an automatic C-section. My midwife said there are a few more techniques that we can try to get her to turn, but she doesn't think it will happen since she's so scrunched in there already. And since I've been preparing for a natural, vaginal birth, this is not exactly how I would like things to take place. I realize that I cannot control how this birth will happen and of course we will do what's healthy for Baby, but please believe with us and ask the Lord to turn her! I'd love for the doctors and midwives to be shocked at how big God really is and how He can do the impossible!

The jack-knife position is a little scary too...not because it's hurting her, but because she has been in this position for every sonogram I've had since 20 weeks. I don't know if she changes positions and then goes back to that one or not; I feel her moving around, but can't really tell what anything is besides her head and back. Last night, I woke up at 3 am terrified that there was something wrong with her legs...like maybe she CAN'T bend them and that's why she's always in that position and that's why she won't turn. My fears of the unknown and a possible disability were overwhelming. I spent a good hour in prayer and battle before my heart was again at peace. Everyone keeps telling me that maybe she's just flexible and that they're sure everything is fine...well, yes, there are far worse things that could be wrong, but I want to believe God for her perfect health! I don't want to settle for just assuming that things will be fine.

The Lord has definitely been teaching me about faith over this pregnancy...real faith...not just the kind that knows in your head, but the real, gritty kind that fills your gut and leaves you feeling absolutely secure in the character of God. I've been up and down and all over the place, but God is so gracious and patient with me as I learn to progressively trust Him and believe that He is growing my meager faith. I know that things may turn out very differently than I imagine, but please believe with us for the following things...

1. That Baby Girl would turn and be in a head-down, posterior position
2. That we would be able to have a natural, vaginal birth
3. That Baby Girl would be healthy, whole and without disability
4. That I would have the courage and grace to face whatever comes; that I would trust the Lord and His plans for me; that my faith would be stretched as I believe for things that are not yet seen

Thank you my friends! I am so grateful to know that I can post this and that people all over the country will pray for my family! I am so blessed!

only 7 more weeks!

My sister-in-law and my parents both called me yesterday and threatened to put embarrassing photos on the web if I did not post something today. So here's a photo taken last week (32 weeks) in our back walkway by the garden...which was more like a jungle until Sheila (Ron's mom) came and cleaned it up for us. Now we can see the lovely tomatoes and melons that are growing!

I only have 3 more weeks of work left and only 7 more weeks until my due date - it's very surreal and difficult to wrap my mind around. And although I'm sad to leave High Point and 963 Missions because I love the people I work with, I am very excited for this new adventure!

For the many of you who've asked, no, I haven't even started on the nursery yet. We have some people staying with us indefinitely, so sometime after that, we'll paint and decorate. We've got the supplies ready to go, but it will be a bit longer before we begin. Surprisingly, I'm not freaking out about it :)

More to come later...