The Great Adventures of Big G, Middle G & Little G!: 10 weeks.

I do have my weekly belly post & quiz at the end but I need to share about something pretty powerful that happened to me today [with a little backgroud info!].

In Oct. 2007 I was involved in the adoption of an adorable blond hair, blue eyed baby that my coworker and I named Jacob. [normally we don't name the baby but the birthmother did not even want to know the gender of the baby and an adoptive family was not involved yet, therefore we could not send him to an interim care family without a name, so we chose Jacob! Once an adoptive family was selected they decided to name him Noah and give him Jacob as a middle name because it was such an important part of his adoption story!] About 9 months ago I learned that Noah was suffering from a very rare form of brain cancer. The cancer was removed and he began his chemo treatment right away. The chemo ended a couple of weeks ago and Noah had an MRI as part of his routine checks. The doctors discovered the cancer had returned in his brain and they needed to remove it as soon as possible. Noah had surgery on his "boo boos" on Thursday and the doctors were able to get everything (again). They are thinking they may try some type of radiation treatment with Noah but they were really hoping he would be at least 3 years old before they do that - problem is he won't be 3 until Ocotber so they aren't sure what the next step will be.

My coworker and I went to visit Noah today. I felt like I was in a scene from a movie.. babies, children and teenagers with IVs, tubes, caged beds, masks.. it was heartbreaking. Seeing Noah with his bald, swollen head, swollen eye, IV tubes and sad face was so painful. As a mother I just wanted to take all of his pain away and put it on myself - I cannot begin to imagine the feelings his parents have. We talked with his mother and she was so strong and so brave about everything. She shared that she really felt God placed Noah in their family because he knew Noah would need to be in a family full of "fighters" and God knew that, even though Noah is not 'biologically' their son, he is their son regardless and they will fight for him until the very end. They have been praying that Noah can go home soon - he hasn't eaten since last Wednesday so eating is definitely necessary before they will release him. He has also had some fluid on his brain which they have had to remove and the doctors are hoping the fluid and swelling will subside before he heads home. His mom shared that she does the day shift while her husband works then he comes in after work and does the night shift so one of them is always with Noah.

I seriously just wanted to crawl into a corner and cry.. it took every single ounce of strength I had not to completely break down in front of Noah and his mother. It made me feel like all the 'issues' in my life are meaningless.. it made me realize how lucky I am and how lucky my family is.. it made me realize how so very thankful I am to have 2 beautiful, healthy children and another on the way. Noah and his family really put things into perspective for me today - more than they will ever realize.

There was also a 3 month old baby across the hall from Noah who has cancer, his name is Jacob. Noah's mom shared that Jacob was born with the cancer. I just kept thinking about Gabby and trying to comprehend how a family could cope with their new infant having cancer. As we were leaving Noah's room I made the mistake of looking into Jacob's room - an image I won't ever forget.

Okay, I guess you get the jist of my powerful experience.. I'd like to ask for prayer for Noah and his family, please.

Gavin is doing well - he does not seem to be phased by the 'no more school/day care' situation so that's pleasing. It's been working out fairly well, although my hubbs still doesn't get the amount of sleep he should be getting. Gavin has grown into quite the little athlete. On Saturday we enjoyed some time outside and he played baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey and golf! He is also still loving his big brother role - so sweet!!

Gabby is wonderful!! She is such a cutie pie and is growing like crazy! She smiles and laughs all the time - especially for her daddy - and she seems to really enjoy sitting up and checking out all the scenery. She is grabbing for toys and is getting stronger each day. We are hoping to start cereal soon!

Here is my latest Gum Drop weekly quiz!

How far along: 10 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: +1

Maternity clothes: just pants, not shirts yet.

Sleep: well I talked to my midwife about sleeping on my belly and she said it's fine as long as I'm comfortable, so I gave it a shot last night - didn't work, my chest hurts way too much to sleep on my tummy [sorry to the men that read this!] - so it's back to the boring side positions, which haven't really failed me, I just have to get up all the time to pee and pray that Gabby sleeps through the night, it's really been unpredictable the past couple of weeks with her - one night she will sleep for 11 hours, the next night it will only be for 7 (which I know is still great so I shouldn't complain!)

Best moment this week: hearing Gum Drop's heartbeat at my prenatal visit on Monday - 175 bpm!!!

Movement: no, hopefully in another 7 to 8 weeks!

Food cravings: none the past week - this root canal has thrown my appetite off a little since I can only chew on one side, it's very annoying!

Gender: I'm still stuck on boy! [AND, I think Steven and I have agreed on a boy name! The girl name is not working out so well but I know we still have lots of time!]

Labor Signs: oh my no - but I was just talking with a client today about labor and delivery and I really feel like I just went through it yesterday - I don't know if that's a good thing for this baby or not!

Belly Button in or out: innie.

What I miss: wine, running, energy, feeling "sexy" [again, sorry to the men - and my 12 year old niece who I know reads my posts but I have to be honest!]

What I am looking forward to: a bridal shower on Saturday for a good friend who is getting married in May and celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary this weekend =) my parents are keeping the kids overnight for us, we won't know what to do without any kiddos!!! [baby related - watching my tummy grow! I definitely feel like I'm getting bigger earlier on with Gum Drop and I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that my uterus did not shrink completely back to it's 'normal' size after I had Gabby.. not a big surprise considering Gum Drop started growing in my tummy just 6/7 short weeks after she was born]

Weekly wisdom: "stress less, pray more."

Milestones: He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.