A Week in Words

Baby Update:


Last Wednesday we went in for our second amniocentesis, to see if baby Maisie’s lungs were finally developed. The plan was to get the okay from Dr. Jazayeri, and head over to St. Vincent Hospital that same day. He predicted that she was between 9 and 9 ½ pounds. (He did say there was a margin of error. “You could have a 7 ½ pound baby…but then, you could also have an 11 ½ pound baby. She’s just getting big either way,” was how he put it) Again, the phone call we got was not what we had hoped for. This time, however, we were a little more grounded to begin with, not expecting much. The first amnio, the week prior, produced a number of 19, when we needed it to be 54. This time, she was at 26. This was obviously an improvement, but not near where we wanted her.

I have an appointment to check my “readiness stats” on Tuesday this coming week. Then, on Thursday the 21st, I am scheduled for a 9:30am C-Section. She’s getting so big, and with the medical issues on both her and my ends, it was recommended that a c-section be done. If she needs medical attention, we don’t have to wait hours and hours until I deliver her. She’ll be out in no time, and off to the NICU if needed. So there you have it, the light at the end of the tunnel. God willing, we will have a baby on the 21st, unless she decides to surprise us sooner. We are just praying that it is God’s will to deliver a healthy baby, with no complications.


Knowing now that I’ll have a long recovery time, Aristana and I have cooked, baked and frozen more food, to take some burden off of Mike. At least we have a few days to prepare for the big day.




Happy Birthday to Natalie!
A quick shout out to our niece/cousin Natalie Kiel on her 8th birthday, which was January 14th! Man, time flies! I see a lot of the same personality in Natalie and Aristana. Independent, and not afraid to take charge. We love you girl! We hope you had a great day!


Aristana’s First Star Struck Moment…
Okay, I’ll give a little background, although I’m not sure it will do justice to setting up the story. When Mike and I first started dating, we went to the Cup O’ Joy Christian Coffee House, to see a great singer/songwriter, Ronnie Freeman. I was struggling with my personal faith journey at the time, and his music practically grabbed me from my chair and spoke directly to my heart. Since then, I have been such a huge fan, using his lyrics as a guide for my faith.

Throughout the years, we have never missed one of his shows (he comes 1-2 time a year). His music has been a background through our relationship, and our marriage. When Aristana was born, Ronnie’s songs became her lullabies, as I rocked her to sleep each night. As she grew, she eventually started singing the words with me. Now, every night, we pray as a family, Aristana and I read a couple books, and close the night out with singing a couple Ronnie Freeman songs.

This year, Ronnie came back to the Cup O’ Joy on the 15th of January (last night). I was sure I would have to miss the concert, being that we were supposed to have a baby by now. I’m pretty sure God helped set this one up. We were able to go…and Aristana, for the first time. Unfortunately, Mike got a fire call about five minutes before we left for the venue, so Aristana and I had to go alone. Looking back at the evening, I feel God wanted it that way. One more night, just me and my little buddy…no baby, just us.

When we got to The Cup, Ronnie was busy signing his CDs from the previous show. We went up to him, and I introduced Aristana to him, letting him know what an impact he’s had on our lives, and Aristana’s life. I asked if he was going to sing “The Only Thing,” since that is her very favorite song. He said it wasn’t on the playlist, but he would see what he could do.

Aristana stared at him through the whole show, and was absolutely awesome. Near the end, he said, “Before I forget, I took a request. This is for my new little three year old friend.” (She was standing on my legs at this time, so she could see better) He looked over, and did a cute little wave, and she waved back, realizing that he was talking to her. All of a sudden she got so giddy and started the same giggle she had when she saw Santa this year. Everyone was laughing, and staring at her. She started to sing along with him, and did pretty well with the words. I cried like a baby…knowing how many times I looked to his lyrics for strength and faith…knowing how far I’d come, how blessed I am, and aware of the blessings yet to come. He was singing to my little girl. It was a phenomenal experience, and I am so thankful to him for doing that. He made that little three year old friend’s day. She hasn’t stopped telling everyone about it since. Not to mention, I think we’ve had to sing that song about 483 times in the last 24 hours. To hear the song, click here...hope that link works.

Sorry, that was a long one!

Hopefully I’ll be updating this from the hospital at the end of this coming week. Please keep us, especially baby Maisie, in your prayers!