MRI Results

We received the results from Gavin's MRI this week. According to the MRI Gavin does have a Dandy Walker variant with borderline ventriculomegally. He has had the borderline ventriculomegally (increased size of ventricles in the brain) since we first saw the perinatologist. I'm thankful that it hasn't worsened. Gavin's brain was otherwise normal in structure. Gavin's spine is normal which means that he does not have a neural tube defect. He has normal lungs and normal eye structures. He does still have the short femurs and humerus' bones in his arms and legs but the doctor does not think that he has a skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism). It was also noted on the MRI that Gavin has extra fluid around his neck and chin and that he has extra fluid in his abdomen. According to the report Gavin could have a bowel obstruction, but the doctor said that this could change because Gavin is still so young. The newest concern is that Gavin has Hydrops. Hydrops is extra fluid/swelling that occurs in the fetus. There are several different causes for this but we are unsure of why he has this. Hydrops can cause babies to be very sick at birth and some do not survive. Right now Gavin's heart size and function is normal which is very important with the Hydrops because the Hydrops can lead to heart failure. The only thing to do regarding the hyrdrops is to watch Gavin very closely with ultrasounds to make sure that it isn't getting worse. If the hydrops were to get severe then Gavin would have to be delivered early. I'm staying positive but I am scared for Gavin. We have an appointment scheduled for January with a neurosurgeon who will look at the ultrasounds and MRI results. Our doctor wants him to be informed about Gavin's Dandy Walker variant and borderine ventriculomegally. Thanks for all the prayers and please continue to pray for us and with us. I will continue to keep you posted as we find out new information. A sweet friend from work sent me a few Bible verses to encourage me as we go through this scary/stressful time. I thought that I would share them with you. Have a great week-end and stay warm.
Philipians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.
Love to All,
Melissa

24 Weeks

24 Weeks

Hope everyone's week is off to a good start. I have worked the last few days, but now I will get to be off for two days. Things have been going well. Today I plan to decorate for Christmas and spend some time with a friend. Tomorrow is our fetal MRI. Please say a special prayer that things will be better than expected. We should get the results by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. On Friday Ellis was able to feel Gavin for the first time. It was exciting for me and for him as I have wanted him to be able to have that experience. I have attached a few pictures that we've taken around our house lately. Enjoy your week. Will post again soon.

Love to All,

Melissa

Philipians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Thanksgivng!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a great day. I started cooking in the morning and Ellis and I prepared our own Thanksgiving lunch for the two of us. We had a great meal together. Later in the afternoon we went over to Ellis' moms house and spent time with all of Ellis' family. We enjoyed our time over there. We played Phase 10 and enjoyed the company of everyone around us. This year I am especially thankful for a God who hears and answers our prayers, my amazing husband is always there for me, and my wonderful friends and family who continue to amaze me with the care and compassion that they show us each and every day as we go through the scares and struggles of Gavin's health. I am so blessed to have the amazing support system that I have and to know that even in the darkest moments our friends and families are praying for us and our willing to do whatever they can do to help us get through it. I have been off for the last three days and Ellis hasn't had school. We have actually been able to spend a lot of time together which is always great. We love to be together and to actually be able to do things that we enjoy and not have to worry about school or work. The only thing that would have made our Thanksgiving better would have been to be able to see my parents and Gerrit and Rusudan. We look forward to the time when we will see each of them again. I hope you all enjoyed your time together with your family. Remember to take time to thank God for your blessings not only this week but everyday as we have so much to be thankful for.

Love to all,

Melissa

The Latest News on Gavin

Sorry this update is so late. It is hard for me at times to discuss the reality of what is going on with our sweet Gavin. Our last doctor's appointment for Gavin was on 11/18/10. We had a comprehensive ultrasound and the doctor noticed that not only are Gavin's arms and legs short, but so are his ribs. She is very concerned for Gavin. The small amount of good news that we received at our doctor's visit is that Gavin did not have any hydrocephalus. He does still have the Dandy Walker Variation, but it hasn't changed in size. The doctor is perplexed at what is going on with Gavin because he doesn't fit many different syndromes that have some of these characteristics. She is now concerned that Gavin has a form of skeletal dysplasia. We sent off some of my blood even though skeletal dysplasia is usually not genetic and also some amniotic fluid to look for three different types of skeletal dysplasia. If these tests come back negative it just means that Gavin doesn't have any of the three types that the doctor thinks are most likely for him due to our history and his anomalies. It doesn't mean that he doesn't have a different form of skeletal dysplasia. This was a hard doctor's appointment for us as they all seem to be hard lately because our doctor told us that there is a lot about Gavin that we will not know until he is born. This is very scary for us, but we continue to remember that God is control. There will be a plan to have the NICU at his delivery because the doctor is worried about Gavin's airway at delivery. The doctor also found that I have polyhydramnios which is too much amniotic fluid. We will continue to monitor this, as this is something else that could cause problems for Gavin and I. Please continue to pray for us. I do pretty well most of the time, but do have days where I am extremely scared for our sweet Gavin. We continue to pray that God will do more than doctor's could ever imagine for our sweet baby. I know God never gives you more than you can handle, but I lately I have felt that He comes awfully close. I'm very grateful for my amazing husband and wonderful friends and family who have been there for us. I will have an MRI on 12/1/10 to look at Gavin's brain and spinal cord. Please pray that we will get good results from this. We should also get the results from the skeletal dysplasia tests by next Friday. Thanks for all the prays and support.
Love to all,
Melissa

Our Prayers Continue to be Answered for Gavin

Earlier in the week we found out that the all of Gavin's chromosome's are normal. Praise God for the great news. During the amniocentesis they also send lab to look for nueral tube defects such as spina bifida. There are two tests that are sent. One of the tests is a positive or negative for a nueral tube defect and that test came back negative. The other test is a number. This test came back high. The doctor is "perplexed" as to why one would be high and the other be negative unless it's related to the Dandy Walker Malformation. Due to the concern I will have an MRI to look at Gavin's brain and spinal cord when I am around 24 weeks. Currently I'm 21 weeks 5 days. The doctor also said that she is going to look to make sure that the anomalies that Gavin has do not go along with any genetic or metabolic syndromes. We have a doctor's appointment on Thursday and she said that when we come we will discuss this. If there are certain genetic syndromes that they are concerned about then they can test the amniotic fluid that they already have in the lab for those. Please keep praying. I know God is hearing our prayers. We continue to get good news although the doctor's are still very concerned about Gavin. It is so hard for me, because I want someone to be able to tell me that my baby will be okay, but I know the reality is no one can tell me that. I still have good and bad days, but the good days definately outweigh the bad days. I feel like I am on a rollcoaster, that I never wanted to be on, but I know that God will and has already taught me a lot through this experience. I know without God, my amazing husband, my sweet friends and family that I would never be able to get through this. Please keep praying that Gavin will be "healed" and that other's may see Christ through this experience. I am supposed to have a doctor's appointment with my OB today. They plan to check my thyroid levels and my cervix to make sure they are both normal. I am also going to Care Now at 0800 when they open. I'm not feeling good and I think I have strep throat. I don't know if my OB will want to see me if I'm sick. I've only been able to sleep 3 hours tonight due to a sore throat and not being able to breathe very well out of my nose. Hopefully I can get some antibiotics today and start feeling better before I have to work over the weekend. Thanks for the continued prayers. I will continue to keep you posted as we go through this journey with Gavin.
Love to all,
Melissa

Simpy Fondue and Bass Hall

Last Saturday Ellis and I went out on a date. We went to Simply Fondue and to Bass Hall to see Cirque de la Symphony. We had a great time. Simpy Fondue is a really neat atmosphere. The food and the service was great. After dinner we went to Bass Hall to see Cirque de la Symphony, which was a great show. It was a cirque de solei (?spelling) with the Fort Worth Symphony playing. It was really neat. It was so nice to get out and spend the evening together. I think we've decided that we need to do it more often. I've attached some pictures. Have a great weekend.

Melissa

Pictures of Our Week

My first art project for Gavin's room

Our sweet dogs

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

20 Weeks

Just wanted to post a few pictures of whats been going on here. I've tried to stay busy on my days off so that I don't worry/stress so much about what is going on with Gavin. I've learned that I have much better days if I stay busy. I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start. Ours is going well so far. I'm excited because tonight Ellis and I are going on a date. We are going out to dinner in dowtown at this placed called Simpy Fondue. We've never been there but have heard that it's a great place. After dinner we are going to Bass Hall. We are going to see Cirque de la Symphonie. I've heard that it's a really neat show. Enjoy your weekend. I will post when we hear about the other test results. Please keep praying!

Love,

Melisssa

God has heard our Prayers!

Just wanted to give a brief update on the latest news that we have received from the amniocentesis that I had done last week. On Monday the doctor's office called to let us know that the FISH is normal. What does this mean? This means that Gavin does NOT have Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 13, or Trisomy 18. God is so good. I know that He is hearing our prayers. We are still waiting on other results from the amniocentesis that will tell us if Gavin has any other chromosomal abnormalities. We should have those results within a week. I am still very concerned about the small amount of fluid on Gavin's brain, but I know that all I can do is pray that God will take care of it. We will have another ultrasound in two weeks that will follow up with the length of his arms and legs and the amount of fluid on his brain. I want to thank all of you for praying for us and for our sweet baby. We love him so much and know that he is already loved by so many of you. Please continue to pray as we do have a long road ahead of us. We are so greatful for all of the support from our family and friends and for the prayers from so many people that we don't even know. It means so much to us the way that so many of you have reached out to us during this difficult time. I am especially thankful for Ellis. He is my rock. He is so strong and so compassionate. I don't know how I would get through this without him. I am so blessed to have him as my husband and Gavin is so blessed to have him as a father. He loves both of us so much. I am trying so hard to be strong through this, but I'm not always successful. I have good days and bad days. I try to stay busy so that I don't spend my days worrying so much, but as hard as I can't stop thinking about this little guy. I am 20 weeks this week, which means we are half way there. Now that is exciting. I have been feeling Gavin move so much over the last couple of days. Sometimes I think he is trying to tell me that it's going to be okay. I love to feel him move around. I can't wait for the day when Ellis will actually be able to feel him. I know that will put a huge smile on his face. Hope everyone has a great week. I will continue to keep you posted on Gavin as we learn new things.
Love to all,
Melissa

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His loving kindness is everlasting.

Prayers needed for our sweet baby Gavin

Hi all! As most of you know, Ellis and I have had a rough week. We had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and during the ultrasound they found anomalies with Gavin. Our doctor referred us to a perinatologist that we were scheduled to see on Thursday. Wednesday night was one of the scariest nights of my life. We were terrified as we didn't know a whole lot about what was going on with Gavin, but were told that by our OB on Wednesday that she was concerned Gavin had a chromosomal sydrome such as Down's Syndrome. Thursday we went to our doctor's appointment. We had a comprehensive ultrasound done and met with the perinatologist. On the ultrasound she did see that Gavin's arms and legs are short. They are only measuring 17 weeks and we are 19 weeks pregnant. His heart looked normal from what they saw, which is a huge blessing. He has a small amount of fluid behind his cerebellum (which is part of his brain) and they are concerned that he could have a Dandy Walker Malformation. Babies with Down's Syndrome often have increased skin on the back of their neck. When they measured Gavin's it was 5cm, which is normal but high normal. Due to the findings the doctor suggested that Gavin may have Down's Syndrome and that we could do an amniocentesis to know for sure. So we had the amniocentesis done and part of the results will be back on Monday. Those results will tell us if our sweet baby has Down's Syndrome. We continue to pray along with so many of our friends, family, and people who we've never even met. Gavin is loved and cared about by so many people already. Ellis and I are doing okay. He is my rock and I am so thankful for him. We are both scared and nervous, but we both know that God is capable of doing anything. We know that God is hearing our prayers because at the ultrasound on Wednesday they thought that Gavin had a club foot and that he was also missing bones in his fingers. At our ultrasound yesterday Gavin's feet our normal and he has all of the bones in his fingers. God is good. I have moments were I am okay and then I have moments were I just break down and cry. As an NICU nurse I feel like I am living one of my worst nightmares. It is so hard because we love Gavin so much and want him to be healthy more than anything. No one is ever prepared to go through this, but my hope and prayer is that when we get the news from the amniocentesis on Monday that we along with the doctors will be pleasantly suprised by the results. We know that God will not give us more than we can handle. On a more exciting note, I have been feeling Gavin move this week. I felt him for the first time on Sunday evening. It is an awesome experience to feel his little tiny moves inside of me. Please continue to pray for all three of us. We need all the prayers we can get right now.
Love you all,
Melissa

17 Weeks!

17 Weeks

16 Weeks

Hope everyone's week is off to a good start. Our week is going great. Yesterday mom and dad came through Dallas and I was able to go have dinner with them. It was great to see them. Today we had a doctor's appointment and then Ellis went to a preseason Maverick's game with some friends from church and I went to our lifegroup. Tomorrow we will be back to reality as I go back to work and Ellis goes back to school. Our doctor's appointment went well this week. We had an ultrasound and my cervix is longer than it has ever been, which is great news. The nurse practioner teased me and told me that I had a "dynamic" cervix because it has been long then shorter and now longer than ever. I like to think that it's answered prayers and God looking out for me. We really don't have a lot going on here. Just wanted to update on our latest doctor's appointment. Hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather.

Love,

Melissa

IT'S A BOY!

Hey! Hope everyone is having a good week. We have had an exciting week here. On Monday we went to the doctor for a doctor's appointment and an ultrasound. We had the ultrasound first on found out that we will be having a BOY. We are really excited. I think he knew that he was being watched because he was putting on a performance. He "waved" at us a few times, put his hand on his chin like he was thinking, and he was moving his legs all around. He has a really sweet profile. Now when I look at his profile I think he looks like a boy. We have been thinking about names for a boy and we are almost positive that his name will be Gavin Isaac Spencer. It seems more real now that we know he is a boy and he is not an "it" anymore. It is so amazing how we both can be in love with him already and we haven't even met him yet. The doctor said that he is measuring perfect for his due date and that everything with him looks good. I think that I have posted before that we are watching my cervix really close to make sure that it doesn't shorten and that I don't have to have a cerclage and go on bedrest. In the last two weeks my cervix has shortened by 0.5cm. Right now it is 3.5cm long and as long as it stays greater than 3cm we won't have to do anything. The doctor wasn't too concerned. She said that we will continue to monitor it every 2 weeks and that it could be because I had two different ultrasound techs and they could of measured a little different. It does make me a little nervous, but I know that God will take care of both of us. Other than that I have been looking and thinking about how we want to decorate his room. It is exciting to know he is a boy so that we can start planning for him. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Have a good week-end.

Melissa

Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than

we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.

Hope everyone's week is going well. Things are going great here. Sunday we went to church and then went to a wedding. Today I went out to lunch with a good friend and tomorrow our life group from church starts up again. We are doing a series called "The God Questions". I am really looking forward to it. We didn't meet over the summer, so it will be nice to get together again.
I'm 14 weeks this week, which is really exciting for me because that means that we are now in the 2nd trimester. I feel like I can take a deep breath and a sigh of relief since the 1st trimester is over. The 1st trimester is when most miscarriages and such happen. I know that things can happen at anytime, but I also have faith and know God is in control. This week our sweet little baby's reproductive system is the site of action. The baby will also start to produce hormones by the end of the week as the thyroid gland begins to function. The palate or roof of the mouth will also be developed by the end of the week. We go back to the doctor on Monday for another ultrasound and visit. This will be an exciting visit because we will be able to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl as long as the baby cooperates. I am so excited to find out what it is so that I can call him or her by a name and begin picking things out.
Hope everyone has a good week. If I don't post before I will definately post on Monday after our doctor's appointment and hopefully I will have some exciting news to share.
Melissa

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. -Philipians 4:4-5

13 Weeks!

Hope everyone's week is getting off to a good start. We had a great week-end and a great beginning to our week. My parents were in town through the week-end and left this morning. It was so great to see and spend time with them. We didn't do a whole lot other than play lots of Phase 10, but it was nice and relaxing. We are so blessed to have all of Ellis' family close, but I would love to have my family closer. I tried to convince my parents to move here while they were visiting, but I don't think I was very successful. Maybe when the new addition arrives in March the convincing will become easier :).

On Monday we had another doctor's appointment and an ultrasound. The ultrasound was great. It is so amazing how much he or she has changed in the last few weeks. Today you could actually see the legs, arms, hand, nose, and the facial profile. It was so awesome. I am getting the frequent ultrasounds to make sure that my cervix isn't shortening. If that happens it can cause preterm labor. So far my cervix is measuring longer than normal which is great. We also heard the heartbeat again today. I think I will always love hearing that sound. Hopefully at our next appointment which is in two weeks we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl. God is so good. I don't know how anyone can have this experience and not believe in God.

I hope everyone has a great week. Enjoy the pictures!

Love,

Melissa

Happy Monday!

Hey! Hope everyone's week is getting off to a good start. Our day has been great. I worked a few extra hours this morning and Ellis started school today. He is excited to get back in the swing of the things. We have life group tonight which we always enjoy. We are 11 weeks pregnant today. Only 2 more weeks and we will be into the second trimester. It seems to be going by so fast. If we are lucky and the baby cooperates we will get to find out in four to five weeks whether it's a boy or a girl. This week our little baby is the size of a lime. All of his or her organ systems are in place, the ears are moving up and to the side of the head, fingernails are developing, and the reproductive organs are growing rapidly. By the end of the week our little fetus will have recognizable male or female parts. He or she weighs approximately a third of an ounce. Hope everyone has a great week. I have attached a few more pictures of our dogs. Hope you enjoy.

Melissa

Meet the Newest Addition to Our Family

We have a new addition to our family. Her name is Lucky. She is a yellow lab and she is 9 months old (just 3 months younger than Sadie). We got her for free from someone that I work with. They loved her but they are very busy and didn't feel like she was getting the time and attention that she needed. She has been here for several hours now and so far things are going well. Lucky and Sadie play really well together. They have played and played and played. I think they will be really good for each other. Anyways here are a few pictures of the two of them. I tried to take a good picture of Lucky but she won't sit still long for me to get a picture. Hope everyone is having a great week-end.

Melissa

Welcome to Our Blog!

I decided to start a blog so that our friends and family far away can see what's new with our life. The latest most exciting news is that we are expecting our first baby due in March of 2011. Today we a little over 10 weeks. Things are going well so far. We've had a few ultrasounds already and things look great so far. Last week we had a doctor's appointment and we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. We had seen it on the ultrasound, but we had not heard it before. It was one of the most amazing sounds I've ever heard. It's those little big things that are so reassuring. The doctor had started me on Synthroid because my thyroid levels were a little abnormal at our first visit. I had my lab redrawn last week and now my labs are normal with the low dose synthroid that I am on. God is so good. In the beginning I really stressed myself out with worrying about all the things that I can't control (I guess that comes with being an NICU nurse), but I know that God is in control and all I can do is take care of myself. I have reminded myself over and over again of Phillipians 4:6-7-Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I hope this post finds you all doing well.