A Flint Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Flint side of the family in Spokane. Matt's cousin, Melissa, lives there. Gramma Dottie and Melissa's parents, Alan and Lorrie, came up from California and we all drove over from the Seattle area.

Thanksgiving day was wonderful. We played games and hung out together then had an amazing meal at dinner time. It was good to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often. Then Friday we all just hung around, some people went for a walk, some went shopping and some of us just stayed at the house. Then of course, there was more great food :) as well as more game playing and hanging out in the evening hours.

I also got to see my Grandma and Grandpa Rima a tiny bit since we slept at their house. Then on Saturday morning we had breakfast with them and hit the road again to head back home.

Overall it was a great weekend with time spent with family and many thoughts of all the things we are thankful for. Most of all, I am thankful that even when life is hard, there is always SOMETHING to be thankful for. Sometimes you just need to slow down and count your blessings, as cheesy as it may sound ;)

The Past 2 Months

So, this has by far been the most heartbreaking, faith testing and hardest 2 months of our lives. By God's grace we are still here and moving forward. Though for me life has lost a bit of its luster, I know that it will not always be this way. Every day God gives us the strength to get through, be it with tears or laughter. Losing Parker has been very difficult but we are looking forward to the future and having more babies and telling them all about their big brother, Parker Ellis, who was only with us for 9 short months but changed our lives and hearts forever.

We wanted to let everyone know that we have gotten most of the autopsy results back now and the cause of death was determined to be "placental insufficiency". So basically, the placenta stopped functioning as it should and was not getting Parker the nourishment that he needed. They said it "aged prematurely". However, they do not know what caused the placenta to fail in this way.

The good news is that in subsequent pregnancies there are ways of checking for this problem to make sure it is not happening again. My next pregnancies will be considered high risk. So, I will have more ultrasounds, more check-up visits (especially towards the end), regular non-stress tests and they will be generally keeping a very close eye on the baby and I. They will also consider inducing me as soon as the babies lungs are fully developed even if everything is looking good. Especially if there are any concerns.

As far as getting pregnant again is concerned, the Dr said that we can start trying again as soon as two things happen. 1. 3-6 months go by after the delivery date (which was Sept. 21st) 2. I lose all the weight I gained in the last pregnancy. So, right now it has been 2 months and my weight watchers stuff should be coming in the mail any day! I am also starting to exercise again now that the Dr. ok'd it. So, we are already praying and planning for the next little one God blesses us with, whenever that may be. Though we are hoping for sooner rather than later :)

We are having more and more good days, having fun with friends and spending quality time with each other. We went to Whidbey Island over Halloween weekend to spread Parker's ashes and relax together for a few days. It was very good. I have also been able to fly out to MN to visit my family, thanks to a very generous gift I received. So, things are settling into a new normal for us and we are getting excited for the future and all the possibilities it holds. There is a lot of hope there. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really couldn't have gotten through such a tough time without you all.

Thanks be to God, our father, the one who loves our little boy more than we can know... The One who comforts and strengthens us daily.

This is us with Parker after I delivered himThis is us on the Deception Pass bridge where we spread Parker's ashes
Me with my Dad on my trip to MNMy Mom and I on my trip to MN

Just Need A Little Time...

Hey Guys, Just wanted to let you all know that there will be more blogging to come, but I just need a little time. Don't really feel like writing right now :) But, we'll be back soon, folks!

38 Weeks

As of this past Saturday, I am 38 weeks pregnant! So close to having Parker in my arms!! As of last Thursday, I am 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced but, not fully engaged. She said that when she pushed on his head it would bounce away and then back and if he was fully engaged he wouldn't really move. The contractions have been about the same since then, so we will see what, if anything, more has happened this Thursday at our next appointment!

I am feeling much less stressed out, since our house is in order and mostly clean. What a difference that makes to me! I really do take after my Mom in that way :) It is very hard for me to relax in a messy place. So, having Parker's room in order and all of our living spaces clean and tidy has done wonders for me. I am SO glad that my husband is so willing to help me out and take responsibility for things that I just can't do anymore! He is such a blessing to me. He cleaned the shower for me yesterday and I can't tell you how happy I was! It is funny, some of the things I used to do without thinking about it, that my body just can't do at this stage of pregnancy.

On another note, I am SO looking forward to this Friday!! Mom and Dad will be arriving! I'm so excited to see them and for them to see us and our place and be able to spend time with them :) They will be here until October 10th! So, that gives us a lot of time together and gives me a lot of help and support while figuring out how to care for a newborn!
It will be especially nice for me, since Matt will not be able to take much time off. We found out that he does not qualify for FMLA leave, because he hasn't been with the company a year yet. So, any time he does take off will be PTO and we are trying to save as much of that as possible for our trip to MN this December.
Seth, his girlfiend, Laura, Hilly and Sammy will also be coming out for a little bit after Parker is born and we can't wait to see them!! It has been way too long... I love it here in the NW but I do miss my family a LOT and I feel so blessed that they will be able to be here to share this with us.

Matt's work is going really well and he has plenty to keep him busy, sometimes more than enough! So, that is good. You can be praying that the merger goes smoothly... If you were not aware, his company, Malcolm Pirnie, has been bought out by a company called Arcadis (sp?). So, things will start changing in the near future, though it looks like not too much at first.

We will try our best to keep you all updated in the coming weeks and will get picture of Parker up as soon as possible, after he graces us with his presence ;)

36 Weeks and 3 Days

35 Weeks

34 Weeks

Now I am 34 weeks pregnant. (as of today, it is 34 weeks and 3 days!) We are doing well, trying to enjoy the time we have left of Parker being on the inside ;) Though things are getting more awkward by the day! There is almost constant swelling in my ankles, feet and hands, it is very difficult rolling in and out of bed, I'm going to the bathroom every 15-20 minutes, sometimes more if he is sitting just right ;) But, when he moves around, shakes his little bottom and trys getting comfy, I know it is all worth it, yes, even the stretch marks! He doesn't exactly have the most comfortable life right now, either, as the "walls" are closing in a little more each day! So, we are managing it together! Matt is now able to watch him move around and can either excite him or calm him with a touch. It is very exciting to think that in 5 1/2 weeks or so we will be able to hold him in our arms and cuddle him! We are both ecstatic and overwhelmed by the responsibility of parenthood! Praying daily that God will bless our little Parker with good health and a smooth transition into the world and also bless us by giving us all the tools we will need to be as good of parents as possible to him. What an Awesome God we have.