Update on Luke: 36 weeks!

I think it really hit us this week that Luke is almost here. It's crazy to think that we have less than 3 weeks of life just being "the two of us." The biggest part of me wishes that we could just skip over the next few months of hospitals and surgeons and just be at home with our perfect little baby boy. However, I know that the Lord has a lot of showing off to do in the next few weeks and I know that every hard day will be more than worth it in the end.

Last Wednesday at our appointment with Dr. Tabb, he found a small spot of fluid on one of Luke's lungs. He explained to us that pleural effusions can occur in babies that are completely healthy and most likely was not associated with his heart defect. Many times these pockets of fluid go away on their own and are nothing to worry about, however if it continued to increase in size that it could be a sign that something else is going on and Luke would need to be delivered in order to find out what was causing the problem. He had us come back on Monday so he could keep an eye on our little guy. We went back on Monday and the fluid was still there but had not increased in size. Dr. Tabb said that everything looked fine and that we would just continue to monitor it.

We go back again on Friday and then next week will start checking for dilation. The current plan is just to wait and see how things progress. They don't really want to "set a date" because they want Luke to develop as much as possible on his own. When we get close to 39 weeks we will probably discuss induction, but until then I'm supposed to take it easy, rest and eat...all of which I am doing plenty of!

Please continue to pray for us. It always helps me when praying for others to know specifically WHAT to be praying for, so here are ways you can lift us up:

1. Pray for God's healing in Luke's life. Obviously, we all want to see Luke's heart be completely whole. We know and trust that God is in the process of healing our little baby and we choose to accept that healing in whatever form the Lord chooses to provide it to us.
2. Pray that Luke continues to grow and develop and that the fluid in his lungs will disappear completely.
2. Pray for Benson and I. The closer we get to Luke's arrival, the more Satan tries to attack our spirits and emotions. Recently, we both have had a lot of difficult days but have overcome them thanks to your prayers. We truly can feel the peace of the Lord!
3. Continue to pray for our friends Stephen & Sarah Gardner. Many of you know them, but they are a special couple and their family has meant so much to both Benson and I. God is working a miracle in Sarah's life and we would greatly appreciate you continuing to lift her and her baby up to the Lord. You can read about her story at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarahgardner.

We love you all and thank you for all of your words of encouragement and support!

Kristin