Meet Max!!

Can you see him and his perfect little face?? :)

He is 19 weeks this coming Wed, and he is about 7 inches long and 7 oz big! I just started feeling him kick and move this week, bringing me the joy and "reality" I've been waiting for. I am so in love with him, I can't hardly describe this new level of love God has shown me!!

Well, Jordan and I were thinking we should get going on blogging this crazy experience. Where to begin?? Well, it only took two months to get pregnant, and that can be almost as surprising as taking a long time to get pregnant. My first trimester was just fine, I couldn't complain! I found that the secret is just to keeeep eating, otherwise I'd get super duper sick and nauseous. But, all that snacking only gained me about two pounds in that first 12 weeks.

Now I'm in exactly halfway through my second trimester...and the story gets interesting!! At my first ultrasound at 16ish weeks, they saw something interesting. That thing turned out to be a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). What the heck is that? Right...I know. It's something like this...

What is a congenital diaphragmatic hernia?
"Congenital" means "born with." The diaphragm is the breathing muscle that separates the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm develops when the fetus is about two months old.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is the absence of the diaphragm, or a hole in the diaphragm. This can occur on either the left or right side, but is most common on the left.
The contents of the abdomen, including the stomach, intestines, liver and spleen, may go through the hole and into the chest. The contents prevent the normal development of the lung (pulmonary hypoplasia) on that side, and may affect the growth of the other lung. After birth the infant will have difficulty breathing if the lungs are not developed enough.

Are you KIDDING ME???? You are supposed to get pregnant and have a happy perfect time!?

But God has His own plans, and I believe in his perfect plans! So, things were scary. As we researched, we learned that the average survival rate of babies with this issue is 50-60%, but God has bigger plans! We found a doctor in Gainesville, Florida, who specializes in this particular issue. For example, "my" perinatologist (high risk pregnancy doc) is the best in AZ, Dr. Mills of Phoenix Perinatal Associates, and he's seen about 10 cases in his whole career. Dr. Kays, in Florida, has seen 120 cases in the last 10 years! This doctor's success rate is 92%! So, we have now realized that this is NOT a matter of life and death, but a matter of getting through a very tough time after delivery.

SO, I'll be induced two weeks early, and I need to be in Florida about two weeks before that. Then, surgery, and an averge of a 6-10 week recovery period. I'll be IN Florida for almost three months!!! Wow, huh? Well, God is GOOOD, ALLLL the time, not sometimes. I feel confident, just a little shocked...it hasn't sunk in. So, I'll be updating this blog as we plan and get new information. Then, in Florida, as boredom sets in, I'm SURE you'll hear from Jordan and I a lot. :)