15 April 2011

21 Weeks with answered prayers!



Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
Psalm 77:13-14

I am now 21 weeks and the girls are growing! We had an ultrasound today at the perinatologist, where they checked both girls entire anatomies once again. They are doing so amazing. Praise God! They are measuring at 22 and 23 weeks, ahead of schedule. They are now weighing 1lb. 2oz. These girls are going to be big and healthy. We were so thrilled to watch them on the screen and hear good news. Erik and I were both a little nervous once we got into the ultrasound room. The last time we were here, was the day we lost our sweet Ephraim. We continue to struggle with grief and anxiety. We both know the grief process really well by now and we know that emotions will come and go. We continue to communicate with each other, cry when we need to, yell when we need to, and just sit in silence when we need to. We both feel overwhelming peace from the Lord and we know He will see us through this. I read the following, comforting, words this week; "Though Jesus knows our triumphant outcomes, though he sees the joyful ending just around the bend, he still gets down in the middle of our sorrow and holds us close, mingling his tears with our own."

As I spent time with Jesus this week, I felt very reflective. Being on bed rest gives me a lot of time to read and journal my thoughts. A particular song continues to come into my mind...a song that makes me cry intensely and at times I can't even listen to it. I heard this song on christian radio and the lyrics are so beautiful. The song is titled, Blessings by Laura Story. If you haven't heard it, I encourage you to go to K-Love online and find it. I am going to put the lyrics below. I continue to reflect on these words and on the journey the Lord has placed before me. I encourage you to read the words and I pray the Lord will speak to you through them. I'm crying just reading them now...geez.

Blessings - Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

(Chorus)
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Chorus

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Chorus

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise




On a lighter note....
Bed Rest 101 - My Essential Bed Rest Items



This is my handy little table that holds all the items I need to get through a day on bed rest...minus food of course.

The top shelf holds my bible (pink!), bible study books, my journal, and my TV and DVD remotes. The second shelf holds several fiction books, a few non-fiction books all about babies, my cell phone (a life line), and my crossword puzzles.

Underneath that I have my kleenexes....I've turned into my mother, who blows her nose at least 20 times a day. Finally my water bottle. They want me to drink 90oz. each day....do they remember I have a bladder with babies pushing on it? Haha!






Thank you all you loyal blog readers. Thank you for praying for our babies. Keep it up! Please continue praying for the girls growth, for my health, and for Erik and I as we continue on this journey through joy and sorrow. God is the only miracle worker and I love seeing him at work!

Love to you all,
Jamie

4 comments:

  1. I have a question. . . if you have to drink 90 oz of water/ day, how is it considered bed rest??? Wouldn't it more like naps between bathroom rest? Just wondering. . . .LOVE the Blog!! And you 2--oops 4-- of course!!

    Love, Diane Frey (almost Thompson)

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  2. Jamie and Erik,

    I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of Ephriam. I am glad to hear that your girls are doing so well and hope that they continue to do so.

    Jamie you are so inspiring with how strong you are through all of this. <3

    Denise

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  3. Love you and am so grateful to have this look into your life and the journey to bring these very lucky little girls into the world. Huge HUGS from the PA family connection :)
    Amy

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  4. LOVE seeing the baby bump!!!
    and your bible/book stash :) I love Karen Kingsbury books too!

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