Checking out.

Its Monday the 30th at 4:00pm and we are leaving the hospital. We are so glad to be heading home.
I'll share more information with everyone here soon.


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Rest in Peace Isaac Crowe

With the deepest sadness in our hearts, we say goodbye to our son Isaac. 
We really can't say more at the moment, our hearts are broken.



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4:55am The Dr. Is here

We have started pushing.
Chelle is doing real well.


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4:20am 10cm.

We are fully dialated. Its finally time.

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1:00am. 9cm

Chelle is on her third epidural and has now reached 9cm.  We are very close now.


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10:05pm. 7cm

I slept for 60 minutes and awoke to learn that we are now dilated to 7cm.
The nurse is putting together the birthing table.

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8:30pm. Still 6cm

Still waiting.
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Our Home Away From Home

This is where we have been spending a lot of time lately.


We will be happy to go back to our other home.

3:00pm New News

We are 5! 5 centimeters dilated! We felt like we would never hit this milestone. Dr. Tejani came by and shared some other news with us that we are also very happy to share.
The Kerotyping test results have come back. Against all odds, the results came back showing no sign of chromosomal defects! Remember when they were almost certain that we were looking at a chromosmal defect? Well, they were wrong. I don't mean to revel in there misprognosis, but if that assumption could be wrong, I'm hoping the others may as well.
Dr. Tejani has headed home to nap and is planning on coming back around 7. We hope to be at 10 centimeters at that time so we can get this show on the road.

In addition, we just received a special visit from Judy and Jacqueline! Baby J3 wanted to come by and make sure that baby bird would come out and play. Jacqueline has grown so much. It was just 7 months ago that she came out of Judy to join us in the world.

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Friday 10:45am

What a difference 90 minutes of sleep and a shower makes.  I feel like a new man.  We all were able to sleep here in the room a little this morning.
At 7:00 Chelle was only dialated to 2 centimeters. So she sent mom, dad and I home to take care of Crockett and Clementine and get cleaned up. Chelle was able to sleep some more while we were away.  Thank the Lord for Epidurals (sp?).  Speaking of that she got the Epidural this morning at 4:00 and has had a much easier time resting since then.
The nurse just came in and checked and Chelle is now dialated 3 centimeters.
She is feeling fine and continueing to be a trooper.
For those of you keeping track....
We are 32 weeks pregnant
Chelle's water broke 34 hours ago
We induced labor 26 hours ago
Her contractions are 2 minutes apart
And I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have been selected as her husband

Oh one more update:  right now on the Los Angeles news we are seeing our second runaway police chase. Its just like yesterdays.  Well, it is the land of the fruits and nuts.


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Middle of the Night in Long Beach Memorial

There is a slumber party in our room and I can't sleep. So I have had the opportunity to walk the halls of the hotel and talk to God. It's very quiet here. Not much information to pass along. Chelle has finally dozed off to sleep and the nurses are keeping a close eye on her progress.



Look at all the sleeping beauties. 3 of my favorite people. My wife, my mom and my dad.
Everyone had suggested to me that we try and rest when the opportunities present themselves. I made the mistake however, of drinking a milkshake at 9:00. Sugar and stress keep me awake.


When my parents learned of our situation, they packed the minivan and drove the 9 hours from Reno to be with us. You would think we could come up with better beds for our guest.


Here is a shot of Chelle and I earlier in the evening. No this isn't movie magic, it's just a mirror.


Beautiful Bella

10:00 and Some Grandparents

Well, my folks have arrived. Its so nice to have them here with us.
Our new nurse has brought in an additional chair that can morph into an uncomfortable bed for the people that have to wait through the night. It appears that we are going to be those people tonight.
Chelle is ok, but is very tired of laying in this bed. She has been laying here for over 13 hours and is ready for a change of scenery.
I am getting very punchy. As I attempt to write this update, I find myself staring at this Blackberry and I keep fading out. When I was younger I could go without sleep and be fine. I guess those days are gone. I'm stupid when I don't sleep.  Good thing they have Starbucks coffee here.
I'll let you know where we stand in a few hours.

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It's 5:30
Chelle is only dilated 1 centimeter. We may be here for a long time.

I'm not a 100% certain this will work, but I thought I would try to upload a photo of us here in room 21. We are very fortunate to have each other.
Speaking of fortunate, mom and dad Crowe are on their way here. They left Reno this morning at 11:00 and should arrive here around 7pm.
Mom and dad Shaffer are looking at changing their flights and coming this way very soon to.
Thank God for family!

Waiting

Chelle and I are at Long Beach Memorial. We have been here since 9am. It's 1:00 pm now.
Chelle is on an IV and is having her contractions monitored. The nurse has been very sweet and comforting.
It is now just a matter of time although it may still be quite awhile until the delivery. We have been encouraged to discuss several difficult issues, but we are still clinging to hope.

 
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Heading to Long Beach Memorial Now

We have been admitted to Los Alomitos hospital and have ran a few test. Although, the results show a heartbeat, it is very weak.  In the event that anything can be done, we've decided to go to Long Beach Memorial to induce labor.

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The Water Has Broken

Its 12:45am and Chelle's water has broken. We have spoken to Dr. Tejani and she has scheduled us a bed at Los Alamitos Hospital for 7:00am. Chelle has had no contractions so far. If she does start getting them, we can go to the hospital sooner. We haven't felt the baby move in the last 24 hours so the prognosis is not a good one. 
Please pray for peace for us since we are both very concerned and scared. 

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Nothing new to report

Hey guys, sorry we haven't posted anything since Thursday night. We have been exhausted and have tried to lay low and spend as much quality time together as we can.
We really don't have anything new to share at the moment. Our next appointment is this Friday morning and that will mark week 32 of the pregnancy.  We should have the results of the final test from the Amnio. I will post that along with any other new information.
Once again, Chelle and I want to tell you all how much your prayers and emails have meant to us. We are so very blessed to have you all praying for us. We just know that God is listening and we are excited to see what he will do.


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The Fantastic Dr. Loo

This afternoon we met with the cardiologist, Dr. Loo. The man is a saint. He spent a little over two hours with us. We feel very blessed to have such talented doctors assisting us with this ordeal. Unfortunately, the news that Dr. Loo shared with us after spending an hour looking at our baby boy's heart was not very pleasant. It's his professional opinion that our son's heart is badly enough damaged that surviving the next two months in the womb is unlikely. If he does make it through the delivery, the chances of him having a long life (a few weeks or months) are extremely slim. Mind you, this is dependant upon the advanced Amnio test results still coming back showing no chromosomal defects. Which is still something the doctors doubt will happen.

Chelle and I realize that this is an emotional roller coaster, and are trying to remain grounded in our faith. This is challenging to say the least. We will continue to trust in God and allow him to be in control of this. We truly are powerless. We have no choice but to rely on Him.


Once again, we can't thank you enough for all the prayers and words of encouragement. They mean more than you probably realize.

FISH RESULTS

For those of you checking every 10 minutes for updates, get this... The fish test came back clear!!!!!  This is the preliminary test for chromosomal defects.  According to the results our little guy does not have downs syndrome or trisomy 13 or 18 (not sure of the spelling of any these medical terms). 
Now just as the doctor has warned us, I'll share that this is just a preliminary test.  The results from the one that takes a week is more accurate. The doctors seem surprised by this outcome, but guess who isn't?  Chelle and I.
Keep praying, God is listening.
More to come. We see the cardiologist at 1:30 pst.


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Back to the Doctors Tomorrow

Thursday morning we meet with Dr. Tejani our OBGyn to hopefully get the results from the FISH test that was done from the Amnio taken on Monday. (There is also another test being performed but the results won't be available until next week.) We are hoping for better news, but in spite of the news we are still trusting God for a miracle.
In the afternoon, we meet with Dr. Loo, the baby cardiologist. He will look at our baby's heart to determine what options the medical sciences provide pending the results of the Amnio. Our dear friend Dr. Elaine Shoji has been extremely helpful communicating with specialists like Dr. Loo and the Perinatologists on our behalf. We are incredibly grateful for all of her help. She is our good friend Josh Conway's step mom (who incidentally just became a grandma to baby Jacqueline. See cute pics of her on their blog listed in the links to the right.)


Chelle and I can't tell you enough how much it has meant to us receiving the comments, calls, emails and most importantly the prayers! It really does make it easier when you know others care and are asking God to intervene. We pray for blessings for you and look forward to celebrating the birth of our son with you all very soon!

Simply said... God is cool!

Check this out! I just got a phone call from a wonderful guy named Brian. We shook hands with him and his wife during the "shake hands with your neighbor" portion of the church service we attended on Sunday. During the service God gave him a scripture for us. He wrote it down in the church bulletin not certain what to do with it. At the conclusion of the service, Chelle ran into his wife while in the restroom and she commented to Debbie that she was pregnant and alluded to the fact that we had just received bad news. When Debbie returned to Brian she told him that she had seen Chelle and that she was pregnant, a fact that he had overlooked. Brian then looked for us because he knew the word for us was most certainly from God and he had to share it with us, but we had already left.
Brian contacted the pastor of the church to see if we had filled out a visitors card (which we had) and asked if he could contact us. He was obedient to the Lord and called me and this what he shared.
"Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God," Romans 4:19,20
WOW!!!! Is that not a clear cut sign from God that we are to remain faithful in spite of the "reality" of the situation. There is no medical reason in the world that Abraham and Sarah should have been able to bear children, but they did and his name was Isaac.
We WILL NOT loose faith that we too can have a son against these odds!!!

We are home for now

Chelle and I were sent home from the hospital this evening.
Its very difficult to put into words, but the prognosis is really bad. The "high risk" baby doctor told us that it is surprising that our baby is still fighting.  They really don't expect our little guy to make it. We are choosing to believe otherwise. 
I'm writing this from my phone, so forgive me for not giving too many details. I will try to describe the situation at more depth tomorrow.
In the meantime please continue to pray for peace for my precious wife and that God continues to complete the good work he started.


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In the hospital

Its 1:00 pst. Chelle and I are at Long Beach Memorial. They are admitting Chelle to perform test including an amnio.
When Chelle talked to the doctor she was told that they didn't hurry because there is not much chance that our baby will live. We refuse to believe that. Please continue to agree in prayer with us.


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Faith

Thursday morning, when Chelle and I went to the OB/GYN to learn the gender of our baby, we had the doctor write down the news and put it in an envelope for us to look at later in a more romantic setting. Since the visit had turned negative, we opted to wait until we had a more positive outlook. After Friday's less than reassuring appointment, we continued to wait to view the contents of the envelope. Saturday as Chelle and I mourned the news that the doctors had given us, we felt a little better that we didn't know what we were having and somehow that helped us to be less connected to the whole thing. Its very hard to explain the feelings that have been going through our brains, but not knowing "who" our baby was made the possible 'worst case scenerio' somewhat easier to deal with.
This morning Chelle and I continued our new church search. We visited a cute little church down the street called The Lighthouse Chuch of Long Beach. The message could not have been more perfect. It was on Faith. The pastor quoted several verses dealing with God's desire for us to have faith in Him. Both Chelle and I are believers and think we are faithful, however I realized our choice to avoid looking in the envelope was proof of my lack of faith.
I am aware that many of our friends and family that are reading this blog believe as we do, but I also know there are others that don't share our same convictions. Well, Chelle and I are taking this opportunity to publicly declare that we BELIEVE that our God is going to miracuously heal and deliver our baby. We desire that through this difficulty that God be glorified and we pray that if you don't believe in Him, that through this display of His power you soon will!
And with that, I'd like to introduce our Son.






The Joy that Chelle and I feel with the news that the 'baby bird' is in reality our son is now fuel to the fire of our Faith. Please continue to agree in prayer with us and look forward to the arrival of our miracle child.

Life is Beautiful


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The Unborn Child

Father, in Jesus' name, I thank you for my unborn child. I treasure this child as a gift from You. My child was created in Your image, perfectly healthy and complete. You have known my child since conception and know the path that he/she will take with his/her life. I ask Your blessing upon him/her and stand and believe in his/her salvation through Jesus Christ.

When You created man and woman, You called them blessed and crowned them with glory and honor. It is in You, Father, that my child will live and move and have his/her being. He/she is Your offspring and will come to worship and praise You.

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise You for the great things You have done and are continuing to do. I am in awe at the miracle of life You have placed inside of me. Thank You! Amen.
from the book "Prayers that Avail Much" by Germaine Copeland

Prayer Request

Chelle and I received bad news yesterday from the doctor about the health of our unborn baby. We are still very uncertain about all the details, but want to let you know what we have been told so that we can have as many prayers as possible requesting a miracle.

Thursday morning at our Ultra Sound while we were hoping to learn the gender of our child, the doctor saw what she thought to be fluid in the chest. They scheduled a more powerful Ultra Sound for Friday to get a more detailed analysis. That analysis uncovered three major problems. The fluid in the abdomen is most likely caused due to a major heart anomaly. The heart is swollen and is probably in cardiac arrest. There is a hole in the cerebellum where the spinal chord meets the brain. The combination of these equate to strong chance of a chromosomal defect. The doctors’ claim there is not much chance of our baby being born healthy. This is where your prayers can help. Please agree with us in requesting a miracle.

We have an appointment schedule for Thursday, April 19^th with a specialist. If the heart is in cardiac arrest, they may need to perform an emergency c-section and operate on our baby.

We have faith that God can overcome all of these challenges and heal our child.

Please join us in prayer.

I will post periodic updates here.

Feel free to leave comments of encouragement for my adorable and precious wife.

Happy Easter Baby Belly

So Beautiful! I'm very lucky, I hope our child takes after his/her mom.