Today we are sad

Last night at a little before 9:00 pm we lost our baby. We were surprised, because things had been going so well. We had just had an ultrasound on Christmas Eve that showed that the region where the placenta had pulled away had shrunk to half its size, and the baby was very active and healthy. As difficult and shocking as it was, we are glad we lost the baby here at home and not in a sterile hospital room surrounded by strangers.

I'm not going to any more detail about what happened other than to say that Beta was a little boy.

Today Lisa, Ian, and I are spending the day together as a family, celebrating the rich blessings that God has bestowed on us. Why this happened we may never know, and nor do we need to. We feel His comfort, and we trust in His goodness, which is all-sufficient.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

Good news! My doctor took me off bed rest on Thursday after only one week! When he found out that it had been almost a week since any bleeding, and when he heard the "whooshing" sound of a strong heartbeat, he decided that I'd had enough lying around and is letting me resume "light" activity. Praise God!

So, I have another ultrasound and an appointment next Wednesday and Thursday in order to keep tabs on things, but the situation seems to be looking up!Thank you, all of you out there who have been praying and sending encouraging notes. I have never felt more loved and supported than in the past week.

Lisa's first ultrasound was not scheduled for another 2 weeks; however, some events today necessitated an emergency trip to the OB/GYN. There is good news and bad news. First, the good news. Say hello to ß (Beta):

The baby's heartbeat was strong and normal, and developmentally everything looks on track. However, there is a problem. It seems that the placenta has begun to pull away from the uterus in one spot, causing quite a bit of bleeding.

The upshot of this is that Lisa's pregnancy has just jumped up pretty far on the "high risk" scale, and that Lisa is now confined to bed rest for the foreseeable future. There is nothing to be done other than pray and wait. Our doctor told us that he has seen babies in this situation come to full term, but that there is simply no way to know what will happen.

So, we covet everyone's prayers right now. Regardless of the outcome, we know that God is in control, and that is good enough for us. Even if we can't understand why certain things happen, we fully accept whatever He allows.