We believe in the big man upstairs...

Ah yes, another trip to and fro...blah, blah, blah. I'll spare you the details of the times and traffic and weather conditions. We had a 1:30 appointment today, both of Jeanine's parents made the trip with us but just she and I went in for the ultrasound and fetal echocardiogram. We saw Dr. Mann, whom we saw once before. Things were a little slow today, we didn't get into our appointment until almost 2 and after the ultrasound it took a bit for the doc to come in and give us the results. At any rate, last week the doc said this week's measurement would be very important to see if the weight discrepancy had increased and what that might mean for us going forward. We were both feeling a bit discouraged by his emphasis on the reality of the situation and asked for prayers for the gap between the two babies to be closed. You may remember that two weeks ago, the last time they were measured for size, they were 46% different, Danny Manning weighing in at 325 grams and Spud coming in at 175. Today, the heart functions continue to be solid, the bladders continue to show up and function, and now for the weights: Manning weighed in at 437 grams (1 pound = 454 grams) and Spud was at 261. Now for you quick minded mathematicians, you will note that the size discrepancy this week is just over 40%. Dr. Mann didn't say anything about the decrease in size discrepancy, but seemed quite amazed that over this many weeks the babies have been "holding steady." In her experience and the evidence of the medical studies, patients who have been diagnosed with placental insufficiency of this severity at this early stage have mostly lost one or both babies. She was happy to see that our babies "had not read the book" on this thing yet. We told her that we believe in the big man upstairs, and she said she's right there with us. What a gift to have someone who's so optimistic, at least in comparison to last week's doctor. She said she hopes we keep cooking along! She also remarked that she doesn't think we'll make it past 32 weeks - that the babies will be here sometime between 28 and 32. That's a reality check...daddy duty in two months?!?!

So where are we at? Today's visit put us at 21 weeks and 6 days. We'll go back next week and the week after that (if all goes well) for our last two times to CHOP. At that point we'll be referred back to our perinatologist, Dr. Garber at 24 weeks. Technically, at that point the doc says the babies could be delivered if necessary but there's a huge risk of developmental disabilities if they were to be born then. That risk drops significantly at 28 weeks. After we finish with CHOP at week 24 we'll be going for two appointments weekly here in North Jersey - one at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck where the fetal echocardiogram will be done, and one with Dr. Garber in Clifton, who will assess the situation and make a recommendation, hoping and praying that nothing needs to be done before 28.

Step by step now...two more weeks in Philly, praying that God continues to close the gap between Danny and Spud (we still don't know gender, just for the record...or at least we're not telling ;)). Then at least four weeks in North Jersey, with two weekly visits: to the hospital and to the perinatologist. And then, God willing, four to eight more weeks until these babies join the outside world! Where does that put us on the calendar? 2 weeks is July 9 (end of Philly), 6 weeks is August 6 (28 weeks), and 4 to 8 more weeks beyond that is anywhere from September 3 to October 1 (Jeanine's birthday). I keep thinking that Labor Day will truly be labor day - September 7, which would be just over 32 weeks. Maybe time to start the baby pool?

Prayers for this week: keep praying that the gap will be reduced! I was doing my calculations in the observation room today, figuring that at a rate of 5% every two weeks, it will take 8 weeks for the two to be at even strength and size. Wouldn't that be a tremendous miracle? Keep praying for Jeanine's appetite. It's still a struggle for her to get down large portions of good protein...but so necessary both for her and the babies. And pray for our transition...Jeanine's parents go home Sunday morning and they've been a HUGE help, both physically and emotionally. Their departure will be a challenge for both of us.

Wow...a long post, but there's so much information today and most of it is good. There's still a long way to go (at least 10 weeks, we hope!) but God has definitely shown up today. Thanks for your prayers, we could not make this journey alone. Next week's appointment will be on Wednesday at 2 PM. Hope to post later that day...