In Easton's hand was a bowl of Cheerios and marshmallows that Ali had made and a James the Train kid tattoo in the other. I want to pause and tell Ali that Easton loved that snack and ate every bit of it! He wouldn't let daddy try any of it either lol. Easton wanted his tattoo on, so James put it on a side of his arm and he loved it. He heard daddy say, "That is cool!". So Easton then repeated, "cool!". We kept wondering where that tattoo came from, and then remembered it was from the treat bag that Easton got at Maverick's Thomas birthday party the afternoon before the scary evening hit when the journey began. Seeing it on his arm made me smile and be grateful of how far Asher and I had gotten through God's beautiful grace since that day Easton was full of joy with that treat bag in his hand.
Easton then came to me and said he wanted to color. So he got my markers as I got a paper pad and we colored together at the side of my bed. I decided to draw a heart and told Easton it was Asher's heart which we could again hear beating strongly on the monitor. He smiled and told me to draw another heart, so I did and he did it was his. It made my heart melt as together we had drawn both his and Asher's heart together. As Easton continued to explore with different marker colors and scribble on the paper, I thanked God for giving me this moment with Easton and just smiled in gratitude as I saw two hearts on the paper, two brothers who already share a special love and will soon become brothers who will cherish time together.
After we ate dinner, James took a shower while Easton and I received a Skype call from my sister. Lacy and I wanted to see how the Skyping worked as most likely I would be skyping from here to give my Maid of Honor speech at her reception. It worked OK, but had a few glitches such as freezes. So, when we practice Skyping again in a week from where her reception will be, we hope we can fix them. Easton joined us and smiled at Lacy. To make him smile even more, Lacy put her dog Charlie on Skype. Easton laughed and said he wanted to go see Charlie. It was so cute watching him Skype with Charlie. I have included a picture of them Skyping below.
Also that evening, my nurse Jackie entered the room before her shift was ending. She had been such a blessing to me that day because she knew I needed to find someone to alter my dress so I could wear it while I Skyped and someone to do my hair and makeup so I would still feel part of her wedding. If I had to sit in my gown, hair all crazy and full of knots, with no makeup, I think me not being able to be at my sister's wedding would really get to me. If I could still look part of the wedding, I would be much happier. That way when I Skype my speech, I will really feel like I am not that far and still part of the wedding party. So Jackie is contacting an alteration lady nearby that the nurses say is amazing, plus she talked to one of her friends here that is a nurse who has a good friend who owns a salon and thinks he would do my hair and makeup for me. As we await to see, I am so grateful because God truly works through people to help us in all ways. I may not be at her wedding, but I will still be dressed for it while I got to continue this beautiful gift of fighting for my miracle!
Before I went to bed, I continued to read another awesome book that Donna let me borrow. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down, and just got done reading it an hour ago. I was in the middle of a chapter, and as I turned the page, there stood another God Moment in front of my eyes. It brought me chills and comfort in knowing God is right here with Asher and me. There was an old bookmark, it had yellowed due to its age, with the quote that God has and continues to surround myself with throughout this fight. The quote that was on the bag that Jackie had brought me those first weeks, the quote that was on the plaque my parents gave me that hangs on my wall under a Jesus picture, the quote that was on the magnetic bookmark the lady who I never met brought me, and now it was staring at me on an old bookmark hidden in the pages of this book. "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. God was reminding me to stay strong and know He has a beautiful plan for Asher and I. He was blessing us in so many ways. I just thanked God for this beautiful God moment. He was right with Asher and I!
As it was finally time for bed, Easton climbed on the bed all excited to have another slumber party with mommy and daddy. I looked at him and told him he forgot to give me his gnite kiss and hug. The cutest thing came out of his mouth, " I can't reach you, Mommy." I then gave him my puppy dog face and he crawled off the mattress and made his way to me with a smile. He hugged me and kissed me in the sweetest way and said " love you mommy". I couldn't have asked for a better gnite from him. Easton makes my everyday so special.
Throughout the night, I was put on the monitor from 11 to 1. At around midnight, I was woken up to my nurse telling me that I needed to shift because his heart rate dipped. I turned and turned, but then Asher moved so she couldn't find him on the monitor. Another nurse came in and tried. Then a third nurse came in, and I told them that usually he moves low, as they kept going up high. The nurses with me last night haven't been with me much, so I helped guide them. They went low, and there he was. I felt relieved as it was nerve racking, especially seeing three nurses nervously trying to find him and hope his heart rate went back up. However, I wasn't too nervous because I felt God with me and this has happened before. Thankfully he stayed on and didn't dip, and from 5 to 7 am, he again stayed strong. God and Josh were looking over us! The nurse came in at 7 and said she felt better as she didn't know that I had experienced it before. She wasn't fully aware as she didn't have me but 1 other time. I smiled back, and again felt so blessed that God was protecting us with all His grace.
My day nurse then came in and I asked her if Donna was working. She said she was and I told her to tell Donna that I had a God moment to share with her. A little later, Donna came in and I told her about the bookmark I found. She didn't know exactly where it came from, but said it was definitely old. She thought that was so neat and definitely a God Moment. I told her it was in there for a reason. 😊
It was then time for my ultrasound. I went wondering what my fluid levels would be, as I felt I had leaked more lately. They have been giving me IV fluid each night, but I was still curious. As the ultrasound began, we felt Asher wiggling and kicking. It was such a blessing to feel! He had a great heart beat, and then she began measuring my fluid. Tuesday it was 4.6 cm. She measured it twice, and I had missed what she had said the first time she measured. But after she measured twice, she told me she first got 6 cm and second got 5.5 cm. My eyes widened. I had gained atleast 1 cm.... which was a beautiful blessing! I sat quietly with a smile and thanked God for another miracle! No wonder why I was leakimg more, I had more in there!
I then got back to my room, got monitored and ate. Then there was a knock and a lady had mail in her hand for me. My Aunt Diane and Uncle Larry and cousin Isaac had sent me a beautiful card. I loved the saying on the front: "Like a flower grows in the warmth of sunlight, may you grow and be strong in God's love." In the inside they each wrote a heart warming message letting me know they are praying and God and Josh are right here beside Asher and me. Larry also included a powerful prayer card called the " prayer of the unborn". I have never seen this prayer and it is a prayer that Asher would say inside my womb. It brought tears to my eyes and I am excited to add it to my prayers. Thank you Larry, Diane, and Isaac for the thoughtful card, kind words, and meaningful prayer. It truly means so much to me! Your prayers are felt each day!
I want to add a special thank you to Kristina who is watching Easton today. He was excited to see his buddy Josiah this morning! Thank you for all your help and blessing Easton with another fun day. You mean so much to us, and we can't be more grateful to have you in our lives!
Dear God, what beautiful blessings You bring to my everyday. Your presence surrounds Asher and I each and every moment. You give us the strength we need to fight. I know You are right here holding our hands and guiding us down the most beautiful path filled with your everlasting love and grace. I can't be more grateful for all the God Moments you send us each day. You are a Mighty, Loving, Merciful, Miraculous God. I am so blessed to have You in my life and love You above all things! Amen.
All of you mean the world to us. We are so blessed to have you here surrounding us with your endless comfort, love, and prayers. Each day we get stronger through the beautiful works of God and all your prayers. Let us continue to fight this fight with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints by our side. May all of you have a blessed weekend! We love a of you so much!
So glad he enjoyed the snack! That's one of Mav's favorite snacks. 😉 What an awesome God moment yesterday with the bookmark. It's so comforting knowing God is right there carrying you along the way. Thank you for keeping us all updated!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Ali