Just wanted to post a quick update and let you all know that all of my lab work came back normal, which means I do NOT have an autoimmune disorder. This is the best news that we've received in a long time. We are so happy and so thankful. God is good! What all this means is with all the information that we now have regarding Gavin's condition, there is a 10% chance that we could have another baby with the same problems as Gavin. The reason that it is 10% is because once you have had a baby that has had some anomalies to the extent that Gavin did, you will always be considered to be at a higher risk. When we get pregnant again we will be followed very closely by both an OB doctor and a perinatologist. I know that time will be both exciting and terrifying, but I know that I serve a big God who will help me to handle it. Hope everyone has a great week-end.

Love to All,

Melissa

Moving On!

Good morning! I hope everyone is well. Things are going well for us. Ellis started a new summer session for school yesterday and has been busy with that so far. I have been off for the last few days and have been working on housework, laying out by the pool, and working out. I haven't posted in a while so I thought that I would give an update on how things are going here for us. Last Friday I had a doctor's appointment with an internal medicine doctor so that I can be worked up for autoimmune disorders. This is one of the things on our "checklist" since Gavin's passing to do to prepare us to make a decision on whether or not to try again. Due to Gavin's diagnosis the doctor's were concerned that I may have an autoimmune disorder specifically lupus that could have caused Gavin's problems. The doctor I met with on Friday was very thorough. He spent over an hour with me. He asked lots of questions, did a thorough physical exam, and took Gavin's reports home to study over the week-end. At the end of our meeting on Friday he told me that he did not feel that I have anything autoimmune, but that he would look over everything over the week-end and order labs. Sure enough his office called me yesterday and he had spoken with Gavin's doctor and ordered the labs. I went to the lab this morning and had the lab drawn and was told that the results should be back in 24-48 hours. About 10 different labs were ordered. I am thanking God for the good news from my exam and praying that all of my labs will come back normal. I am ready to finish up with the last thing on my checklist so that I can in a sense move on with life. For the last 7 months I have dealt with the passing of Gavin, but have also had a hard time in trying to move on. I don't mean move on as in forget about Gavin. I mean move on as in accept that this happened and know that God is in control and know that just because this happened once does not mean that it will happen again. I've felt a lot more positive lately and have had a peace about the autoimmune disorder. I've had a peace that I am normal and do not have any autoimmune disorder. In the beginning I was sure there had to be something wrong with me, but I'm realizing more and more that I did not cause this and that horrible things happen to good people. I believe that once I get all the lab work back that I will be able to move on in one way or another. My prayer is that I will be jumping up and down praising God that nothing is wrong with me, but if something does come back positive then it's also a time to learn how to deal with it and to move on. I am so thankful that I have a husband who is understanding. Although he is so understanding and supportive, I know that it is weighing on him because it has been hard for me to "move on with life". He is so positive and knows that God is always in control, that I think it's hard for him at times to understand why I'm not. I need to be more like him in this area. I don't know what I would do without him. He tells me I'd be crazy without him and he's probably right. I will keep you posted as I find out my lab results and "move on with life". I hope you all have a good week!

Love to All,

Melissa