28 Weeks Down!

Today Jeff was off work so we got to celebrate "28 weeks down" with each other! Not only have we made it to another important milestone, but we have entered into the last trimester of pregnancy! Today Dana brought us some DVDs of when Jeff was born to around age 2! Jeff was such a cute baby and I am hoping little Tripp looks like his daddy when he gets here. We are starting to get really excited about his arrival and I cannot wait to hold this little man! He is going to have so much love in his life, I hope he can handle it when he makes his grand appearance.   

Our favorite nurse was working last night and she told us she was still amazed at what God has allowed to happen in our little boys life! She was our nurse when we came in at 22 weeks and she said at the time she was not sure we would make it to the first important milestone, 24 weeks! His little life has already become an example of the sovereignty of God to so many people and I could not be more thankful for that! I have been having a pretty good amount of contractions, but at this point they are not to worried because of my cervical length is where it should be. Tripp's heartbeat is great and they said it doesn't look like the contractions are bothering him to much. Our perinatologist has signed off on us so now the only doctor who has to see us daily is our OB. We are waiting for our OB to get back in town to see when she believes I will be able to go home, but I have been told by several of my nurses I should plan to be here until at least 33 weeks! One of the nurses told us she is nationally known and probably the best OB they have here so we should rest in the fact she knows what she is doing! Even though being here is hard, I know none of this has surprised Father.

Tripp has some really cool developments happening this week:

• He should be weighing 2.2 pounds by today (he currently weighs 2.10) and be the length of a large eggplant.
• He is blinking his eyes now and has fully formed his eye lashes.
• He should continue to gain 6 oz a week until 37 weeks!
• He can form dreams because his sleep goes into the REM stage now!
• He now has a 98% chance of survival and a 90% chance of no neurological issues if he came this week.

We continue to thank Father for everyday that he gives us! I cannot wait to meet my sweet little peanut but I know he will not come until the day that has been ordained for him to arrive! To God be the glory!

April 24th!

I have been having contractions off and on since Monday night. It had me very worried since it has been about two weeks since I had any. So, last night the doctor decided they would do a cervical length ultrasound today. Before I went over the nurse tried to "prepare" me by saying there was a good chance I would be back on magnesium if my length had gone down more! I began to worry, because that's what I do! However, Father showed his power again today! When the doctor measured my cervical length he was shocked. My cervical length not only grew, it is not the thickness of a healthy pregnancy cervix. He told me he did not understand how it keeps getting thicker and thicker, but I told him God is good! You would think by now they would not be shocked at what my God has done. 

They also measured baby Tripp today, which I have been looking forward to! They tried to measure his length but he had his arms and legs folded up around his head. It it always a interesting to see what position he is going to be in! They were able to get his weight and he is a whopping 2 pounds and 10 ounces. The doctor was also shocked about his size. They said typically at this point the baby weights 1.9-2.0 pounds. I have a feeling he is going to be a BIG baby! He continues to move non-stop, I LOVE feeling him move. I started feeling a new kind of movement this week and they told me it was him hiccuping! I am still amazed every day at the details God puts into a tiny life in development! Father is an awesome creator! To God be the glory!

27 weeks down!!

Monday marked 27 weeks down!! When we first came to the hospital our doctor was hoping she could get us to 26 weeks before our son delivered. God has been SO good to us through this process. He has given us 5 weeks more with our son growing inside that doctors were not sure would happen! Tripp continues to be active. I have to be on a monitor for an hour every morning and every night. In the mornings he is pretty easy but at night they have to come in and constantly chase him to keep him on. I told Jeff I really hope this does not mean he is going to be a night owl! 

This past weekend was probably the hardest weekend I have had throughout our pregnancy. I really began to have a "Sarah pity party!" I told Jeff I was ready to come home and have all of this over with. When Jeff left Sunday night I read my Bible and began to pray. Father spoke to my heart and reminded me of all he has done. I began to feel convicted about complaining. There are ladies on either side of me who were both put on magnesium to stop their labor. The nurse said they were both really early babies. One is still here holding on, one was moved because her child was born. I am not sure of her outcome but I'm sure it's not great. I remember those moments when Jeff and I were told we were probably going to lose our baby and how heartbroken I was. We have come to a much safer place in his development, but I have to stay to keep him growing strong. I believe this is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I know the reward will be great!

 It's neat to me how Father uses stranger I meet around the hospital to encourage me! I meet a lady yesterday who has a story similar to ours and her daughter came at 33 weeks. She weighed almost 5 pounds so she was never separated from her mom. They had to spend one week in the hospital and then they went home. She began to tell me of how God worked their situation to allow their daughter the time she needed to be healthy! I think we were having a "little church" while waiting on our coffee :) Please pray with me that I will continue to have a positive attitude and I will not forget this is for God's glory! Yes, it's hard, but Father knows that and he is allowing me to go through this. In his word he tells us that "he will not put more on us than we can bare." I am trusting that even in these moments when I want to give up Father is saying because of me and my great mercy you can handle this!

Before I go I will share some major developments for Baby Tripp this week!

• This week they will stop measuring Tripp from crown to rump. Now he is measured from crown to toe, which is the "final" growth chart he graduates to before birth!
• Tripp should be at least 15 inches long this week.
• Tripp should be weighing between 2-3 pounds this week and gaining 6 oz a week for the rest of the pregnancy!
• Tripp's taste buds have formed now, and he can tell the difference in the food I am eating, now he can tell me what he wants to eat through cravings :)

Every week when I see his developments I am blown away at how much God puts into creating our life. Not one detail is left out and they are timed for just the right moment! God is good! To Him be the glory!

April 17th..... Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

Today is my sweet husbands birthday! Last year we had a fun filled day exploring Atlanta, this year he gets to come cuddle in my twin size hospital bed.....how things can change in a year :) When I was thinking about his birthday this morning I realized how much more thankful I am for Jeff's parents. My mother-in-law posted a sweet newborn picture of him that brought me to tears! For 25 years Jeff's parents have poured unconditional love into his life. I love hearing their stories of his childhood and his personality as a child. Most importantly I love hearing Jeff tell me how his parents displayed Christ in his life and how he wants to do the same for Tripp. I know Father had his hand on Jeff's life, but he also blessed him with parents who knew the importance of raising a child to know and love God! Jeff and I both have been so blessed to be born into families who love God. While thinking about all of this I could not help but look back over some verses I have been praying over our son's life, Jeremiah 1:5-8  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then I said, Ah, Lord God! I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth. But the Lord said to me, Do not say I am only a youth; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord." Every day I think over how much responsibility Jeff and I have in Tripp's life. Before he was ever formed in my womb God knew he would be. He knows what every second of our son's life will become! I am just pleading with God that he will be a strong man who does not fear speaking truth! Jeff and I joke that I do not hold back when I say things.... this gets me in trouble a lot (I'm working on this.) I am praying my son has that same boldness, but channels it for speaking the gospel! I do not know what God will do with his life, but the plan has been put out. He may be called to live in a small town and raise lots of babies to know Christ, or he may be called to go somewhere I may not get to see him ever again this side of eternity. I just pray his life brings glory to Christ!! To God be the glory!

26 weeks down!!

I get really excited every Monday because it means we have made it another week on this crazy journey! Our little peanut is still growing strong and nothing is changing really for me except my blood pressure. The pill they are giving me to keep me from having contractions was actually created as a blood pressure pill. My blood pressure tends to be on the low side, but now it is staying in the 80's/50's. I need prayer that it will come up a little more. If my BP does not stabilize then I will have to go back on Magnesium and will not be allowed to get up at all! I really do not want to lose my one hour of wheel chair freedom every day :) I know Father is in control of my body and that he will only allow what is best for baby and me, but this journey continues to test my faith and trust in our sovereign Father!

 People keep asking me what I do all day... well, I spend a lot of my time reading.  While reading I came across these verses that I think sums up this entire pregnancy experience and I am trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into the nursery. The verses are "Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of he Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10. Jeff and I were shocked but excited when we found out about this baby! We began praying over his life and have begged God to create him to be a man who lives a life worthy of the Lord and to please him in all that he does. I know Jeff and I have a huge responsibility that will be coming in a few weeks and we praying that we will be parents who "preach" the gospel to our son through our life! I am so excited about being a mommy, but the responsibly also scares me to death! 

Before I go I thought I would share this weeks development! I love reading about his new accomplishments every week and just makes me worship Father for all the care in detail he put into all of our lives. 

• Tripp weighs a least 2 pounds now and is at least 9 inches long! I am sure he is much bigger... he is a Morton baby!
• Tripp's eyes now open and shut!
• Now that Tripp can see he will be able to respond to a bright light hitting my stomach by kicking! 
• Tripp is now inhaling and exhaling small amount of amniotic fluid.
• The network of nerves in his ears are far more developed then they have been and he is able to hear and potentially recognizes common sounds. I do believe this one to be true, when Jeff comes to see me at night and starts talking Tripp starts kicking up a storm!! I think he knows his daddy is here :)

We are so thankful for everything the Lord has done and continues to do in a our sons life! To God be the glory!

4/13/14

It has been a week, but God has continued to show his power through all of the crazy ups and downs that we have been going through. Jeff suggested we change the nursery theme to an amusement park because we feel like we are on a wild ride that is never going to end. In the famous words of Jeff's friend Jeff Davidson, "this can only last 9 months!" This statement has actually brought us a good laugh when we start to grow anxious of this whole process. 

On Wednesday the doctors did another protein test. This test will tell them how likely it is that I will go into labor in the next two weeks. The test came back negative! So, according to "medical science" we should not be going into labor for the next few week. I also had to have another ultrasound to check my cervical length. When we were admitted on Tuesday my length had gone back down to a 2.8 and my cervix had dropped. The new ultrasound showed that my cervical length had gone back to a 3.2 (that is something that keeps baffling the doctors, it's not suppose to get thicker after it starts thinning!) I love every time they look at me with total shock, because I get to remind them that God is in control! I think some of the doctors are starting to catch on because one of them told me Wednesday "prayer must work!" I am not really sure why we are going through all of this, but I do not doubt it is being used to share the gospel with people around us. 

This weekend has been good for me. Jeff comes down during the week when he gets off work for a few hours, but it is still so hard when he leaves. However, on the weekends he stays the whole time. He seriously is the best husband in the world! I pray that all my single lady friends are blessed with a husband like mine...... he was worth the long wait :) He is so patient and is always asking what I need without any complaint. I have also gotten to see lots of family this week/weekend, Jeff and I have been blessed with so many people who love us! 

One of the most exciting things for me this week is that my doctor approved a one hour wheel chair ride every day!! I technically am suppose to have a nurse with me, but I begged for Jeff and I to have some time to just be outside by our self. I have a really cool nurse that sent us out the back door and gave us her number to call when we needed back in. It was so nice to see some of the gift shops and spend time in the gardens they have here! 

I know I say this a lot, but we are so thankful for all of your prayers and encouragement! We love each one of you! To God be the glory!

Checking in to Hotel Kennestone....

This past Tuesday was my "big adventure" out of the house for our weekly OB appointment. I look forward to Tuesdays just for the simple fact I get to sit up for a couple of hours and breath fresh air! God has been teaching me how much I take the simple things like fresh air for granted! When we were getting ready to leave for the OB I told Jeff  I didn't feel like I would be coming home, and I was right. When my OB checked me, my cervical length had began to thin again and my stomach is painful to the touch. She told me what I had been dreading..... "you will be in the hospital until the baby comes!" I will say Kennestone is the BEST hospital I could be at though! I have never had a medical staff that has so much knowledge and compassion for their patients! It's neat just to see how Father brought us through the frustrating process that brought us to a new practice and an amazing hospital. It reminds me constantly of his sovereignty!




When I was checked into the hospital they did a lot of blood work and hooked me up to the monitors. On Wednesday when my OB made morning rounds she told me my white count was elevated and that I have an infection somewhere, they just don't know where yet. However, I am not running a fever so for now they will just monitor me. The specialist for the baby came by as well to talk everything over with us. Today I will be having another protein test and another cervical length ultrasound. At this point I have not had to be hooked back up to magnesium which is amazing!! So, as long as the protein test comes back negative I will get to stay on my pills for a little while longer. When my OB came by for nightly rounds Wednesday she was very positive. She told me now that we are over 25 weeks we are at a much better place with viability and Tripp's viability goes up 2-3% more each day he stays in. She also expressed she was shocked we still had a baby inside, she said when I went into labor at 22 weeks she didn't think we had much of a chance. She said it is usually considered medically impossible to stop labor at that point  because my body had not developed the receptors the allow all of the medicines to work. She told us we truly had a miracle inside, but we knew that :). I told her we had thousands of people praying for us (many we have never met) and that God has allowed us to get to this point! I cannot figure out what her beliefs are, but she is seeing the power of God's sovereignty and the power of saints going before the Throne for a sister-in-Christ! She is a VERY smart doctor, but has a really closed off personality. However, through this process she has become a lot more personal with Jeff and I and I can see a completely different attitude coming from her. I am praying that Father will open up conversations where I can share the gospel with her.




We had a visit from nurse Christy yesterday, she was my nurse the very first night I was in the hospital. She let me know she had thought about me every day and that she and her mother had been praying for us everyday. I have been blessed with so many nurses who profess to be Christians. I am so thankful Father has surrounded me with so many encouragers!


Again, I wish I could thank each of you personally who have prayed, called, emailed, and sent text messages. We have been overwhelmed with how much our little boy is loved by so many already! We love you guys! To God be the glory!

25 weeks!!!

We have made it to 25 weeks!! I thank Father everyday that our son stays in my womb, because it is another day of vital development. He is such an active little boy, he has started kicking so hard it moves my whole belly! Jeff and I talk to him everyday and it so sweet when he kicks back. I'm sure he is just wanting the loud noise to stop, but I like to think he knows how much we love him. I cannot wait to see his little face! Tomorrow is my outing to the OB's office. I look forward to Tuesdays now because I get to leave my bedroom and get fresh air! Jeff usually picks up something for dinner and we have a little date in the car on the way home.

We have been busy at the Morton house the past few days. When I say "we" I really mean my husband has been busy and I have been in the bed watching him work. This weekend Jeff and my father-in-law worked on our attic. This is exciting for me because now we have most of our stuff moved out of the nursery and Jeff can start decorating! Yes, I did say Jeff would be decorating, but I will be directing from another room :) I have shown him enough Pintrest pictures that he could probably decorate nursery's for a living now. I am so blessed with such an amazing husband! We have decided to go with trains for the nursery! I bought some really cute bedding from the Pottery Barn that has little trains hand sown in. Also, when Jeff was little he had a train track around the top of his room and his parents ran the train for him at night when he was going to sleep. Jeff is going to build a track around the top of the nursery and we are going to use the same train he had as a little boy. I am excited to see how it will all come together! 

Before I go I will share some development fact for 25 weeks!

• Tripp should be around 9 inches long by today!
• His capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood.
• He is forming air sacs in his lungs.
• His nostrils that have been closed, but will begin to open this week which allows him to take practice breaths.
• His vocal cords are functioning now and he should begin to have hiccups soon. 

I love to see how something God has created is developing with so much detail! It just amazes me that God can take cells and turn them into a human. He is such a mighty God! To Him be the glory!

April 3, 2014

Jeff has been able to work from home the past 3 days and I LOVE that he has been here. I feel more comfortable when I know he is close to me, even if he is downstairs working.This schedule has certainly made my first full week at home a much smoother transition. For the past few weeks I have been studying Timothy during my personal study time. Today I began II Timothy chapter one, and it was MUCH needed. Two of the verses that really stuck out to me were " For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying of my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 2 Tim. 1:6-7. I had a really bad dream about our baby last night and woke up early not able to go back to sleep. I began to fear and doubt the outcome of all of this. As I was laying in bed all I knew to do was pray and it was so cool to see how Father gave me instant peace. This journey is defiantly becoming a faith building journey in my life. God has moved in such a mighty way, we praise him, and then here comes my fear. Then it goes on repeat.... God continues to move in a mighty way. we praise him, I begin to have fear. However, scripture is telling me that God did not give me a spirit of fear. I know it is human nature to fear the unknown, but I need to remember Father gives me a spirit of power, love, and self-control. Anything apart from those are not from him. So as you guys are praying for baby Tripp please lift my fear up to the Father. I do believe that Tripp will not come into this world until the day Father has appointed, and whenever that day is it will be for God's glory...... I am REALLY having to learned to rest in that. To God be the glory! 

April 1, 2014

Today we went back to the OB to get everything checked out. She told me my cervix has not changed at all and that we are in a good place. She did tell me I was still to stay in the bed except to use the restroom and take a shower every other day. We will be a weekly patient for a while, if not the rest of the pregnancy. The good news in that is Jeff does not have to give me a shot!! I think he might have been a little disappointed with that :) So, I guess my weekly excitement will come from going to the OB (never thought that was something to get excited about until now :) I read a great quote by Charles Spurgeon today, he is one of my favorite theologians "A man at peace with God dreads neither the ills of life nor the terrors of death; poverty, persecution, and pain have lost their sting when sin is pardoned. What is there that a man needs to fear when he knows that everything comes from the Father's hand and works his everlasting good?" I needed this reminder today. Fear is something that gets me from time to time. I am a planner and I like to be in control of things. With this bed rest there are a lot of things I worry about. A reduction in income, added doctors bills, if our son will continue to grow and stay in. Then, I feel guilty because I know that God has done so much and he has continued to bless Jeff and I beyond what our minds could ever understand. I was stressing last week about what would happen with my job, well today started a promotion and raise for Jeff that we did not see coming. The extra income on his paycheck will be enough to cover insurance without making an impact on our  monthly budget. Oh, and his extra monthly amount comes out to $333! Why I even worry is beyond me, God is teaching me more and more to trust him in ALL things. There is nothing that we have been given that did not come from his hands and he works these thing for his everlasting good! I am learning to rest in that hope everyday! To Him be the glory!