1 Year Ago Today, Plus 7 Month Pic!

One year ago today, on Halloween of 2013, Jon, Wyatt and I walked in to a routine sonogram to catch a glimpse of our new precious baby at 19 weeks.  What was supposed to be an exciting, fun day turned into a slightly worrisome day when we were told that there was something wrong with our baby.  We were referred to a high risk clinic to find out more information.  So tomorrow, November 1st, marks one year from the day that we were told that our baby was not likely to survive and were given very specific instructions on what to do "when" we miscarried.  And we were told it would probably happen in the next week or so.  This month has taken me down memory lane over and over again...especially all the sights and sounds.  Last year I watched, with joy, my precious boys jumping in leaves with a loved baby in my belly, knowing she may not make it.  This year I got to watch the boys playing in the leaves with Maggie on my hip.  Last year I watched all the leaves on our tree die and fall off...but first they turned a vibrant red and it was a beautiful sight to behold.  Just like the tree, we found beauty in the precious time we had with Maggie before she left us.  This year she got to see the leaves change colors with her own two beautiful eyes.  Last year we went trick or treating with the boys while trying to put the worries out of our mind for an evening so we could focus on giving the boys a fun experience.  This year I bought THREE costumes.  We may not trick or treat for very long because all five of us are all alive and healthy enough to be blessed with the common cold!!  I am in tears writing this.  We are so, so, so blessed.  During that time of pain there was so much beauty and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.  I will never be able to stop thanking and praising Jesus for my wonderful husband, my precious Wyatt and Jack, and our little miracle Maggie.  She was 7 months old on October 24th and she brings us so much joy.

Video of Maggie's Story

Here is a testimony video of Baby Maggie's miracle story!  Click the link below and enjoy! :)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=300199093498742

6 months old, family pic, and an invitation to YOU!

6 MONTHS OLD!!

Maggie was 6 months old on September 24th!!  She's such an adorable, happy and content baby.  Her brothers absolutely adore her and they are so sweet to her!

FAMILY PICTURE!!

On October 10th we had a fun day celebrating Jack's 2nd birthday!  What a special little boy!  We are so blessed!!!

AN INVITATION TO YOU!!

On October 18th at Crosspoint church in Hays, KS, Maggie and I will be speaking at their women's fall refresher.  Well I guess I will be speaking...Maggie will just sit there looking cute. ;)  I am going to tell about Maggie's story and everything God has done in our lives through that situation.  Also, my mom will be singing!

It starts at 10:30 am and there is a lunch following for anyone who attends.  If you live in the area, Maggie and I would LOVE you to come!  We would love to meet some of the wonderful people who followed her story and prayed for her.  Hope to see you there!

Crosspoint Church

1300 Harvest Rd.

Hays, KS 67601

1 Month Old!!

Maggie is 1 month old today! Can you even believe it?!?  For those of you who have not heard the full story of Maggie's journey, here is a glimpse into an amazing, real-life miracle:

•19 weeks:  "This is not a baby who is likely to survive.  Sorry.  If you are still pregnant in a week we will do another sono."

•20 weeks:  "There is so much fluid that IF this baby ends up surviving the pregnancy, the lungs just wouldn't have room to develop."

•Almost 22 weeks:  "You guys seem to be pretty optimistic...you may want to tone that down a bit."

•The next day:  "It appears she has a viral infection.  The liver is infected, the fluid doesn't seem to currently be hurting anything, and I'm seeing overlapping sutures in the skull, a sign that her brain has shrunk.  I have only seen that in babies who have already died.  She could possibly survive, but if she does, damage has already been done and there WILL be issues [with the brain].  One of your options is that you have two healthy kids at home and maybe you just don't want to deal with this right now..."

•25 weeks:  "Things look about the same and I don't think there will be any issues with the lungs developing and I think there is a good chance she will at least survive the pregnancy!  We will do an MRI to see how much damage has been done to the brain so we can get an idea of what to expect."

•Almost 29 weeks:  "Wow, the fluid is almost gone!  Liver looks about the same and we aren't seeing the issue with the skull but that could just be the angle so it doesn't necessarily mean improvement.  We will see what the MRI shows."

•2 days later:  "The MRI shows the brain to look VERY NORMAL!"

•31 to almost 34 weeks:  "The tiny amount of fluid in the abdomen still remains and is still not a major concern.  Her liver looks the same which we expect to see for the rest of the pregnancy because the calcification is a sign that there has been an infection, kind of like a scar. We will have to wait until she is born to find out whether or not any infection remains."

•Almost 35 weeks:  "The fluid is gone!!"

•35 until almost 40 weeks:  "Since her brain looks normal, the fluid is gone, and we see signs that the infection is going away or gone, we are at best case scenario for the situation as far as we can tell with her still inside.  Now we just have to wait until she is born to see if she will have any medical issues.  We will have a NICU team at her birth and we will run all necessary tests to asses her health and determine what treatments she will need."

•March 24th, 2014 at 10:52 am, 2 days before her due date:  "Congratulations!  She is 7 lbs, 7 oz and 20 inches long.  She is healthy enough that she can spend some time with you in your room before we take her up to the NICU for observation and testing!

•Over the next several days:  "There are no signs of viral infection of the liver or brain.  Her diagnosis is prenatal perforated bowel.  Bowel contents caused the infection and fluid in her abdomen.  This condition has healed without medical intervention.  We can't explain what happened with the brain.  You have a completely healthy baby girl!"

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)

We are so blessed that God gave us our precious miracle and we are so blessed that so many of you prayed your heart out to our Savior on her behalf.  We were also so blessed to have God's peace throughout the whole journey (even when we knew God may choose to take her home) because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  If you have not ever experienced this peace and would like to know how, I would LOVE to talk with you.  Please email me!!  mandie-lou@hotmail.com

3/31 Update

I'm going to steal my mother-in-law's wording from Facebook because she summarized it very well:

"Maggie is doing very well. She came home from the NICU yesterday. They will recheck her bilirubin level again today. She is eating, sleeping, and pooping! She is very alert when awake. There are no signs of viral infection of the liver or brain. Her discharge diagnosis was prenatal perforated bowel. Bowel contents caused the infection and fluid in her abdomen. This condition has healed without medical intervention. We have a healthy baby girl thanks only to God's marvelous grace. I give Him all the glory!"

(Her bilirubin levels were still good today so we will not need to check again until next Monday.)

Back in the NICU

Well unfortunately Maggie is back in the NICU. This time it's due to her bilirubin levels. They are elevated to the point that they wanted to get her in for phototherapy. They don't seem overly concerned but it's something that they wanted to address right away. Feeding, peeing, pooping, and hanging out under the light are the things that will bring her levels down the fasted. We'll be in overnight for sure, but hopefully this stay won't stretch out for days.

Papa T and Nana D got to meet Maggie for the first time today! They pulled into town just in time to meet us at the hospital...theygot to hold her for just a couple of minutes before we had to whisk her away to the bili light. Pray Maggie comes home quickly so she will get more snuggle time with them before they have to head back home!!

Pictures and Visits

PICTURES:

Click here to see Maggie's Birth.

(My birth photographer and her daughter had influenza so she was unable to attend. My mom took over the job.)

VISITS:

A lot of people are asking when they can stop by and visit...I would LOVE to have visitors and show Maggie off, but just make sure and text, call, message or email me first to let me know when you would like to stop by so I can make sure it's a good time. I also want to make sure I don't have too many people showing up at once so I get to spend time with each person who visits!  -Amanda

PS...click here for Baby Maggie's Journey's Facebook page.  "Like" to follow our posts on FB.  I am much more timely on posting updates to Facebook than I am to the blog.