The Fourth Day of July in 2007

Tuesday afternoon, Chelle and I drove over to the Fullerton Amtrack station and boarded the north bound train. It was so much fun to see the sights and not have to be responsible to navigate the route and deal with traffic. I really wish I had thought of this when I was driving to Santa Maria twice a month back in '05. We even scored a table so I was able to set up my portable office and continue working.


Chelle on the train to Santa Barbara


Christian on the train


Downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean as seen from the train


Chelle pretending to be a flight attendant

We ended our north bound excursion in Santa Barbara, where we were picked up by the young Shockro. We also collected Greg's friend and co-worker Vincent and his girlfriend Oeffa (they are a sweet couple from Ireland). We headed over to Brophy Brothers in the Harbor and met up with Megan, Greg's father Mike and his wife Deb. We had a few drinks and got caught up and then went to the hotel to check in and get cleaned up.
At 8:00 we all went to dinner at the Sage and Onion where we met up with Wendy. We nearly had the place to ourselves. It was amazing. Chelle and I ate here with the Greg, Megan, Jennifer and Mike when we went sailing in Memorial Day 2005. The food was as great as ever and everyone really had a fantastic time.


The whole group at the Sage and Onion


Greg and his sister Jennifer - Liz and Jeff

The next morning we met back up at Brophy Bro's for brunch. We were then joined by Jeff Hoskins and his girlfriend Liz. After eating we loaded onto Mike's sailboat. The Harbor was alive with activity. There were people everywhere filling their boarts full of food and beer.
We went out on our first sail and unlike the last time I was on this boat, I didn't get seasick. Yeah! Unfortunately though, Deb, Jen, Oeffa and Vinney all did. I didn't get any pictures during the sail and since so many were fealing ill, we were not out to sea very long. However, back on dry land the festivities continued until the last firework exploded.


Vincent, Greg and Christian


Chelle and Liz - Vincent, Oeffa, Jennifer and Greg


Jennifer and Chelle - Deb, Chelle, Megan and Wendy




M'Belle - My Bella with Megan


Chelle down under


Mike and Deb


Happy Couple

My digital camera started misbehaving so I didn't get any pictures of the fireworks. They were awesome and seeing them from the deck of a sailboat added to the experience. After the fireworks ended, Greg, Megan, Jen, Chelle and I walked the two blocks to our hotel and got in a quick sleep before going back to the Amtrack station in the morning to head home.

Impromptu Sunday Evening in Laguna Beach

Last Sunday Chelle and I were lazying (that's right, it's a new word) around the house when we got a phone call from Mike and Angela. They were headed down to Laguna Beach to hang out and get dinner. We jumped in the car and headed down to meet them. We ate dinner at Las Brisas under the stars, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was so fun.


Wouldn't they make a good picture if they ever get married.


Chelle and I


Angela and Linney


We've been here for over two years and we still feel like we are on vacation.

Trent is the Man!

GreenLightGo School

I had the opportunity to help my friend Trent out with his Green Light Go School.

Check it out!

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Our cute puppies love to cuddle on the pillows

my cute puppies love to cuddle on the pillows
Originally uploaded by christiancrowe

Crockett and Clementine are at a kennel back in California while we are here in Austin and we miss them. Just posting this cute picture I took of them with my Blackberry make me feel better.
We'll be home tomorrow babies!!

(just in case you're reading this, be good dogs and play nice with the other animals.)

A Nice Break with friends in Austin


Jono and I hangin at the Hula Hut



Chelle and Jamye across the table from Jono and me.


Luke met up with us at some Mexican place.



Jono and Chelle on the patio at Mean Eyed Cat.


Cool painting of Johnny Cash. The bathroom doors are labeled as Johnny and June.



Glad to be able to relax with friends in Texas.

Getting back to normal

I have decided to get back to posting. We have obviously gone through some real difficulties, but Chelle and I are determined to get through and progress.
This song was recently featured on the new Jeep commercials and it has a happy vibe to it and also pays tribute to getting through difficult seasons in life and moving on.
So I post it here, and now I intend on getting back to posting the things that we celebrate; time with friends and family, and enjoying the beauty of our lives.

If You Can Give....

Many people have asked Chelle and I if there was a charity that they could donate to on behalf of baby Isaac. Our good friend Trent is heading up a non profit organization that we want to support and we would love it if you can help as well.

I've known Trent for 14 years. He has wanted to do something like this for a long time. We met when he was playing percussion for Michael W. Smith and he provided my band Versus with rehearsal space when we first moved to Nashville. Trent was responsible for creating, opening and running Rocketown, the teen dance club/outreach in Nashville, and has consulted others in opening several other clubs around the country. Now Trent has partnered with the Dream Center in Los Angeles. I took a tour of it last week and I am amazed at what they are doing there.

Please read the message below, check out his website and if you feel led give. www.greenlightgoschool.org

April 30, 2007

At the present time, your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. 2 Corinthians 8:14

Dear friends & family, You don't have to work in the music biz to see what we're up against. ya just need to have kids...or a TV...an i-pod...etc. to clearly see that THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS! It's sad that most of the media (music, TV, movies) that we ALL consume is created without the involvement of Christians. Yet it's one of the most powerful ways to reach the world! Think back to how YOU were affected, good or bad, by certain songs, or movies, ....or rockstars you imitated. (send me pics!) So...here's the simple punch-line >>> We need more of JESUS (Christians) in music and media! (and NOT the kind that does more harm than good) Gosh...why haven't we thought of this earlier? Well...I have...and many of you have. In fact many talented people have attempted to "go there"...but very few have had the unique training needed to first identify the path God has for them, then provide ways to effectively integrate them, to make an impact in our world. This is why we created GreenLightGo. As many of you know, The Dream Center in Los Angeles has invited GreenLightGo to become one of their ministries. Bobbi & I are both excited about the opportunities this represents for our entire family. (Spence plans to attend the summer program ...Sid's next?!) The Dream Center is a great ministry that reaches out to the lost and hurting in Los Angeles. Each year hundreds of young people come to the Dream Center on missions trips, or to attend the discipleship-training programs. Through this new partnership, they will now have a music & media program for young people who have a heart to become "media-missionaries", and GreenLightGo will have a great campus with dorm rooms, a recording studio, video editing suites, and live productions each week. The Dream Center is currently providing all of these facility resources, however...we need to raise $25,000. to cover our start-up expenses, and promotional/ teaching materials. We would also like to provide scholarships for a few students hoping to attend. [Summer tuition is $3,000 per student]

I'm asking you to please pray about how you might be able to help us. Whether as a guest speaker/teacher, a volunteer, or a financial giver... your gifts will provide for these now...that in turn - through the impact they make - the world will be supplied with what it needs...and (if you're a parent) our kids will be supplied with what we all need! Above all...please pray for us. Your prayers and support are truly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless, Trent Matt 28:19 "Therefore GO!..." -- Trent Dean | Executive Director GreenLightGo At The Dream Center 2301 Bellevue Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90026 ofc. 213.273.7078 cel. 818.264.9230 trent@greenlightgoschool.org greenlightgoschool.org dreamcenter.org

DONATIONS You can donate through PAYPAL on our website here> Donate to GreenLightGo OR with a check written to: GreenLightGo Mailing Address - Attn: Trent Dean /GreenLightGo The Dream Center 2301 Bellevue Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90062 To sponsor a student, or to donate "gifts in kind" such as computers, music gear, dorm/office furnishings...please contact us for more details. **All donations are tax-deductible** -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Pictures

It's been awhile since we have posted any photos on LaCrowe, so I am posting a few just to ease back into the swing of things. (pun intended)



Poppa Shaffer and the short but lovable Chelle on her swing.

While Chelle was in the hospital her dad hung her favorite porch swing. I gave Chelle this swing for her birthday two years ago when we were living in Nashville. She has wanted to enjoy it in every place we have lived since then, but there has never been any place to hang it. Butch, being the genius he is figured out a way to mount the swing so it is sturdy and will cause no harm to our wonderful landlords home.



Crockett is getting so big. Here we see him demonstrate how he can be a good boy.



Here comes Clementine to join in the fun on the patio.


This is the little hang out where we will be spending a lot of time this summer.

This was another little surprise that the folks put together for Chelle to enjoy when she returned from the hospital. We hope that all of our friends and family can come enjoy the wonderful California weather with us. We will make margaritas during the day or enjoy a nice glass of Shiraz in the evening. Come spend time with us. We'd love to see you.

New Domain

To make it easier to access this site I've gone ahead and added lacrowe.com to my list of domains. Now all you have to type is www.lacrowe.com to get here. I figure the few seconds you save not having to type ".blogspot.com" will add up over the years and allow you extra time to take a vacation somewhere around the time you retire.

The other domains that are in my possession thanks to godaddy.com are:
www.christiancrowe.com (my website)
www.rockingeek.com (my geeky blog)
www.crockettandclementines.com (someday we will use this for our dog clothes line)

Enjoy the extra time! :-)

Much love from Christian and Chelle Crowe.

Today was rough but beautiful

Today Chelle and I dropped off the last of the parental support. My folks were here from Thursday until Tuesday, Chelle's parents were here from Saturday evening until this morning. After we dropped them off at the airport, we went to the mortuary to finalize the arrangements for little Isaac's body. It made it easier to know that his soul was already in a better place. We believe that our little son was so important to God, that he couldn't wait to get him into heaven. We know how valuable he was to us in the short amount of time that we had him.
After making the arrangements, Chelle and I felt a big relief. We went to breakfast and then to celebrate the day with some well needed margaritas. It was an absolute beautiful day in southern California. A fact that didn't escape Chelle and I.
Once we were home, we continued to celebrate his entrance into heaven. Chelle and I listened to music and even danced a bit together in our back yard. We feel so good to know that God is in control of our lives and we can enjoy the peace that surpasses all understanding. I realize this is hard for some people to comprehend, and we pray that you to will someday realize this. We are all in God's hands whether or not we choose to relinquish control to Him. If not, please do. God is so much better at deciding our fate than we are.
As Chelle and I danced in the back yard, I played iTunes DJ and as we heard this song again, we became even more aware of the lyrics. I don't know if this band understands the beauty of the lyrics that they wrote, but we do. Please listen once again, and understand that we may not understand the miracles that happen, but God knows what he is doing.

Life is Beautiful


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Home now

It's now Wednesday morning and I am ready to share the events that have transpired since Saturday the 28th. I know so many of you have been checking frequently to see how things are going, but I have needed a few days before I could update you on what has happened up til this point. Since we have been sharing this here, so many of you have been going through this ordeal with us and it has meant the world to us. We know that your prayers have helped us get through this and for your love, prayers, and support, we can't thank you enough.

After being in hard labor for over 48 hours, Chelle began to push around 4:30 Saturday morning. With the help of Dr. Tejani and the lovely nurse Daniella, she pushed for over two and half hours, but was making no progress. Finally, the Dr. and the nurse went out in the hall to confer then came back to say it wasn't working and its time for plan b. They gave us the choice of using the vacuum and forcepts or performing a C-section. They attached a sensor to Isaac's head to monitor his heartbeat, and although it was very weak, it was still beating. We needed to know that we were doing everything possible to save the life our child, so we decided to operate. This was a difficult decision to make because the Dr. did not seem to display any positive outcome for Isaac and the last 3 hours had been very painful for Chelle.
They brought me a paper surgery outfit to put on and then rollled Chelle away. A nurse was going to come back and get me when it was time. About twenty minutes later, they came for me. I was seated on a stool by Chelle's head and allowed to hold her hand and keep her calm. She was breathing through an oxygen mask and was very drugged. As I was holding her hand, I could feel her body being moved around violenty as the doctors worked on her. Through her drugged state she was complaining that she was feeling things, so they gave her even more drugs. (Chelle had them stop the epidural drip earlier during labor so she could have more ability to push, even though it was very painful for her)
At 8:06am they got Isaac out and although I was trying not to look at the surgery going on, I could definitely tell that they were removing him. I held my breath until the doctor came over to me and informed me that there was no audible heartbeat. They gave me the option to go over and see the baby, but I chose to stay where I was and continued to hold tighlty onto my wife. A few minutes later they took me from the surgery room anyway. I was taken back to my folks to tell them our sad news and they called Chelle's parents who were driving to the airport to fly out here.
The next few minutes seemed longer than the previous three days since all I could do was pace the hallway until they finally rolled Chelle back into the room. Waiting for Chelle to return really scared me. The thoughts of possibly loosing her were so unbearable, that I couldn't take the few minutes of uncertainty.
Our doctor explained to us that Isaac had been stuck so badly and no amount of pushing would have moved him further. It was a good thing we had chose a C-section, since attempting to remove him with forcepts could have damaged Chelle even further and they would still have had to do a C-section after all. I can tell you now, that if the Doctor and nurse had not made us make a decision to try something different when they did, my beautiful and determined wife would still be there pushing. She is such a trooper and a fighter!!!

Chelle was out of it the rest of Saturday. Only waking up for very brief moments to look at me and see that I was still there by her side. Saturday night Butch and Betty arrived and fortunately Chelle was awake when they got to the hospital. Betty opted to stay with Chelle in the room that night so I could go home, shower and sleep. It was awful being apart!
Sunday Chelle and I saw our little boy. Initally, we didn't want to name him or have to make a decision with what to do with his tiny body. One just cannot describe how difficult it is to be faced with these decisions - hopefully none of us will have to face this again. We sought the counsel of others to get through what seemed like the hardest choices we would ever have to make. Even though it was excrutiatingly painful, we are very glad we can say that we won't look back on this time with regret. Chelle thought he looked like me and I saw her in his little face. We held him together and sobbed. We prayed over his little body, but were very aware that his soul was in heaven and he was in peace. He would have had many challenges to overcome and would have spent a long time in the hospital had he survived. Now he is able to rest and we are able to put our lives back together one day at a time.
Although, we were supposed to remain in the hospital until Wednesday, Chelle chose to come home Monday afternoon. We attempted to create an oasis for her back at the house, with a new backyard patio set and her dad hung her favorite porch swing. (I'll take pictures and post soon.)
Also, when Chelle came home we had both sets of wonderful parents plus the puppies to give her the best possible care.
The last few days have been the hardest Chelle and I have ever had to go through. This certainly isn't what we expected. You have all been so great to have in our lives even if it was only through comments left on the blog. Just to know that you were praying and caring for us has made a huge impact. We have been reunited with friends from far away and other amazing things have happened during this time.
Chelle and I had hoped that no matter what happened, that God would be glorified. We prayed that believers' faith would be strengthened and that unbelievers would see God through all this. We cannot be sure how God worked through our son Isaac to impact your lives, but I know that Chelle and I have continued to build our faith and we feel even closer to each other, our family and God through our son's brief time here. We hope you do to.
Lastly, let me just say, Chelle and I know so many of you want to talk about this with us on the phone. Please give us time to grieve and figure out how we feel. It is great to recieve comments here, and emails. But if you choose to call us, please know we are simply not ready to discuss this at this time. I have been very candid on the blog in hopes to keep everyone informed and as close to us as possible. Chelle and I feel we have all been sharing in this experience together and we recognize that it is hard for all of us! No one has all of the answers, there simply are none. Please respect our wishes to look to the positives in this situation. We have one another, we have our faith and we have our future to look forward to!
We need you all to know that we love you so very much and treasure having you as friends. Thank you for allowing us to discuss this difficult time when we are prepared and not until we decide that time has come.

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.