26 Weeks...

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
"Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?" -Psalm 56:3-4,8b

The past few months have gone by in a blur. The next three are going to as well, I am sure. I was thinking about the road ahead and realized that what we are about to experience is humanly impossible. It makes me afraid and I cry A LOT. Then all of the doctrine and lessons we have learned come to mind: It is not our strength to get us through, only His that will be the strength we need: PERFECT STRENGTH. Philippians 4:13 takes on a whole new meaning when you realize that promise... We can do this, but only through HIS STRENGTH. So I need not be afraid, because He hold us in His hands. (John 10:28)

I was also reminded of another part of scripture I came across when I was going through something several years ago. (Thanks to Lori Cunningham.) It is the second part of Psalm 56:8. The Lord holds our tears in a bottle, and He records them. I asked myself why? Why would He hold onto them? Times of heartache and saddness, but also joy and happiness... why hold them? My opinion is that one day when we get Home to Heaven, He is going to give us the bottle and show us the record, and we will get to annoint our Savior's feet with our tears, just like Mary did. (Luke 7:36-50) I know I will be first in line. I pray that every tear cried would be tears that honored my Savior in this life. When it was hard and the burden was so heavy,I pray, that the tears I cried were in a cry out to Him. For all that He has brought us through so far, and will continue to bring us through, I DESIRE to annoint His feet with my tears to thank Him for being a faithful God who loves and cares for us... Philip, myself, and Malachi.

May our lives bring Him all glory and praise.

Love you all, and thank you again and again for the prayers and support!

Love,
April (for all three)

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

25 Weeks!

So I can't believe that I am already into my 25th Week of pregnancy. It is so crazy to think that in just about thirteen weeks we will be holding Malachi in our arms. Part of me is so excited, yet part of me gets anxious. I am glad to know that the Lord is holding us all in His hands.

Last week was camp, and I barely made it. By Friday night I had to go home and sleep in my own bed. It was a great week of seeing family and friends though! Plus Monday, July 23rd, morning I awoke to feeling Malachi poke me in the belly! I woke Philip up and was so excited! It was an apparent "poke" and not just a tingle or ping. I am so excited. Now he is moving and I LOVE it! It lets me know he is doing alright in there!

We met with the midwife on Friday, July 20th for just another check up. Monday July 23rd we met again with Dr. Freeman. He said that there was no change, good or bad. He said that Malachi's blood flow through his heart looked good. Just the same old, same old. We really like seeing Dr. Freeman. He always makes us feel hopeful and at ease. I am glad we are seeing him through this. We are seeing the "high risk" doctor, Dr. Giles at Lake Erie Women's Ctr on Thursday, August 2nd. We'll get more of an idea into the plan for delivery, and other details. We will be meeting with the Cardiologist we'll see in Pittsburgh sometime in the next few weeks. Dr. Freeman said he is very good.

A lot ahead, but trusting every step of the way. Love you all and keep up the prayers!

Love,
April
Romans 8:28

22 Weeks...

I am amazed at how the time has flown by. Before we know it our little Malachi will be born. I actually had a dream that he was born last night. He had Philip's eyes. The labor went really easy, only he was born in August! YIKES! I have about four months to go. Then we will begin our new lives with our beautiful baby boy! It is going to be a rough jouney, but we are confident that the Lord will be our strength. The thought of placing Malachi in the Lord's hands, seems easier said than done, but when I finally did, I had an amazing amount of peace wash over me. There is NOTHING Philip or I can do to help him, other than pray. We can ONLY trust that the Lord will take care of him.

I think I felt Malachi move for the first time on Thursday, July 5th. It felt like his little hand was brushing against my tummy on the inside. It was a pretty incredible feeling, but quickly went away once I touched the spot. I sing to Malachi every chance I can, and rub my tummy to let him know that I love him. I long to hold him in my arms and kiss his precious face. I have so many questions and concerns after Malachi is born: How am I going to feed him while he is in the hospital? Will I be healed enough to be by his side? Will my labor go easy on him, not to hurt his heart? How long will we be in Pittsburgh? Questions that will be answered in time, but for now I just pray about them.

We have our next appointment with the midwife next Friday, July 20th. It is our last appointment with them, since now we will have to see the doctors due to Malachi's condition. I will miss them, they are so personable and very kind. We will meet the doctor who will deliver Malachi in Pittsburgh on August 2nd. I am glad to get to see him, I have MANY questions to ask him!

Please keep praying for our beautiful baby. The road ahead of us is going to be bumpy, but the Lord will be our shock absorbers! :o) Thanks to you all for your prayer and support. We look forward to introducing our son to you in about four - five months!

Love,
April

"I can do ALL things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Malachi Philip Preston...

We're having a boy! It is such exciting news! And we are thrilled! His name is Malachi Philip Preston. It was incredible finally knowing what to call him, but we were shaken with some unexpected news. When we left the doctor's office on Tuesday night, all we knew was that he only has two chambers in his heart. They couldn't say if he was going to live or die. We went to see a Pediatric Cardiologist on Friday named, Dr. Freeman. Thankfully he could offer us some much better news. This is a letter I wrote detailing Malachi's condition after seeing Dr. Freeman:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." Psalm 103:1, 14

Dear Friends and Family,

We, first of all, would like to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and encouragement these past few days. We appreciate it far more than you will ever know!

This morning we were unsure of what we were going to hear from the doctor. After a VERY LONG hour and a half ultrasound, the doctor finally told us what he was seeing. Malachi has a single functioning ventricle. He has both arteries coming off of the one ventricle: one going to the lungs, and one going to the body. Dr. Freeman stated that the Aorta is a very large artery, and looks good, the Pulmonary Artery is obstructed, causing it to narrow. He stated that while Malachi is in the womb, the artery would not be a threat if it were to close up. When he is first born he may need to have a tube placed between the Aorta and the Pulmonary Artery to help with sufficient blood flow. His first surgery, or second, depending on if he needs the tube put in, will happen when he is a few months old. They will be diverting the Jugular Vein straight to the lungs, relying on gravity to make it function. The final surgery (we pray) will be around 2 – 3 years of age. It will be to link the veins returning from the rest of the body to the lungs.

Dr. Freeman stated that Malachi could go on to live a fully healthy life. He said that once Malachi is born the surgeon will be able to fully asses his condition and determine the best route. He recommended that we deliver in Pittsburgh, so that Malachi could receive immediate care.

We are completely overwhelmed by the news! It does sadden us to think that our little baby boy will have surgery at such young ages, but we are so thankful that he will live! God has completely spared our son's life. Without HIS strength and love there is NO WAY we could have made it through this. And His same love and strength will be there through the long road ahead.

I was reminded by a very dear friend of mine that the Lord loves Malachi far beyond what we ever could, and He knew in Eternity past what would be best for him. We are still putting Malachi in His hands, and know that the Lord will work all things to His glory. Please continue to pray for Malachi, that he will not face any more complications. We look forward to the day when we can hold him in our arms, the miracle that the Lord has given us!

Please continue to pray for our little baby boy. We'll update with anything new. Thanks again! We love you all!

In His arms,
Philip, April, and Malachi

19 Weeks!!!

So this is a picture of a 19 week old baby. We will see our baby a week from tomorrow: June 26th, 2007, and find out if we can call the baby a "him" or "her." I look forward to being able to call either by name.

Philip celebrated his 27th birthday, and worked hard on his big day. We put together the Kitchen, and got some more boxes cleared out of our bedroom. He also got to celebrate his first Father's Day.

I read that I should be feeling the baby move now, but have a hard time distinguishing between cramping and baby moving. It will be nice when the movement is more apparent. I can't wait until next Tuesday! We'll get to see him or her!

That is all for now.

Love,
April (for both)

17 Weeks!

According to what I read online our baby weighs about 4.97 oz and is about 5.12 inches long! We had another appointment yesterday. The midwife was able to hear our baby's heartbeat with a Doppler now. The heartbeat was very fast, and the baby kept trying to hide behind the placenta. It is such an incredible sound to hear. I get excited every time because it is just that reminder that our baby is healthy and growing. I am still amazed that I am carrying our child. It feels so unreal, and at times I still think I am going to wake up from a dream.

I can't really deny the fact that I am. I am showing, and having to purchase maternity clothes. (I wore my first maternity dress to the wedding this past weekend.) I was encouraged to hear that I and our baby our healthy. Except for a few "big macs" now and then, I think I am doing alright at eating good for our baby.

I am still working, and Philip has been attending Paramedic school. I am so proud of him in so many ways. He is my hero! I love him beyond words! How exciting it is to think that in about four months we will be looking into the eyes of our child that the Lord has allowed us to make together. It is so incredible.

Well, I think that is all I have for now. Our next appointment is on June 26th, and we will find out if we are having a boy or girl!!!! We are so excited and can hardly stand it! :o)

14 Weeks!!

Yes, I am officially 14 WEEKS! Our baby has a fully functional thyroid gland, and could possibly begin sucking his/her thumb! I am amazed at how quickly our baby has grown... already 3.42 inches! We had our first sonogram on Monday, May 7th, and got to hear and see our baby's heartbeat. (We only saw one.) It was incredible. How amazing it is to know that I am carrying apart of both Philip and I. To have someone that truly makes us bound as one. It is so incredible. A couple of my friends have told me that I am about to enter into the next few most wonderful months. (3 - 7 months.) I am already starting to get more energy and the nausea is slowing fading. I am looking forward to it being gone completely. I am excited to see what the next few months hold. It is also great to know that I will be getting more energy when we have so many weddings and things going on. The Lord certainly has the very best timing! :o)

Philip has been accepted into Paramedic School at Tri-State Business Institute. He starts May 16th!!! He will have a year and a half of school. (Graduation due September of 2008.) We are thrilled, and are amazed at how the Lord has provided Philip with the opportunity to do what he really wanted to do to begin with! Everything has fallen into place, and we are so blessed beyond words! (That means we won't have to live in Mike and Jan's too much longer after the baby is born!) We are very thankful for them opening up their home, but we will be ready to have our own space once the baby comes. God is so good!

Love,
April (for both)