The Finish Line?

Dare I risk announcing the doctors think Elliot will be home tomorrow???

They've been saying for about two weeks now that it would be very soon, but we kept having setback after setback that would push us back another day. We thought for sure after he pulled his feeding tube out two weeks ago he'd be home, but then he lost weight.

Then last Friday we thought Saturday would be the day, but then his heart rate dropped during a feeding. Apparently there is a 5-day rule once that happens, which makes tomorrow the day. We have been praying nonstop that we are at the finish line.

Dr. Munoz seemed very positive when we saw him earlier today, so we are very hopeful that as of this time tomorrow Elliot will be free of all the wires, have finally seen the sun and be loved on in his own home. Please pray with us for Elliot's continued health and happy homecoming!

In other news, it has been a while since I've posted, so there is a lot to catch up on. Elliot is now 6 pounds, 5 ounces and is really starting to fill out! His cheeks just kill me they are so cute... reminds me so much of Adele when she was first born. He's also extremely alert! He just follows you around the room with his eyes. He's so curious. I can't imagine how bored he must be staring at the same walls all day!

He also passed his second hearing screening! He failed his first one, so we were nervous he might have some issues with his hearing as can be common for children with Down syndrome. Praise God he passed the second one making this no longer a concern.

Since I've last posted we received more information about the AV canal defect in his heart. He will eventually have to have open heart surgery to correct this defect. Luckily, this defect is not presenting any major issues at this point, but the cardiologist will continue to monitor it as he grows. We've read that overwhelming this surgery is done before six months of life, so we know this is on the horizon.

Other than that, Elliot is doing so well. Over the past six weeks, we have experienced such a range of emotions, but overwhelmingly, we have experienced such joy in navigating this new world. Elliot is our perfect boy - the boy we have prayed over since the moment I found out I was pregnant. We are just so excited to get home and really start this incredible journey in raising him!

Again, thank you for your prayers, messages and support. We really do appreciate it! Here's a pic from this past week of our little diva being a great big sister!

Making Progress

Last week was a big week for Elliot! He hit the 5-pound mark and weighs five pounds, three ounces - a pound above his birth weight. He also was moved out of his isolette and has been regulating his own body temperature for five days now with no problems. So those are two HUGE praises.

The only hurdle left is eating. Little guy is working hard on his feedings. He starts every bottle now and finishes about half of them, which is a huge improvement. As soon as he starts finishing all of them, we'll be able to bring him home. How sweet that day will be!

As much as I love and appreciate the doctors and nurses at Woman's, I'm so ready not to see that place every day! It's been a crazy summer for sure and I can't wait to get back to some sort of normalcy.

Whenever I visit Elliot, there is always some quiet time where somehow all of the other babies stop crying, the beeping machines seem to go into a lull and the nurses give us some space. I use this time to pray over my boy. The prayer is always about the same and it covers his mind, body and heart. It's not all that different from what I pray for Adele, but obviously there are some pointed differences. I would love to share with y'all what's on my mind when I say this prayer every day.

• Mind: I pray that somehow, some way he will not be held back academically. I am not naive. I realize the chances of him going to college and becoming a degreed professional are extremely slim, but I do pray that we find resources that will help him keep up with and excel in his schoolwork within his abilities. I pray that he can be ready for mainstream kindergarten with minimal aids and down the line is able to hold a steady job where he can feel successful, fulfilled and independent. 
• Body: I pray that he develops physically. I've read a lot of information on how long it takes for Down syndrome children to sit up, crawl and walk. It breaks my heart to know that many of his little friends will be running circles around him while he might still be struggling to sit up. I will accept whatever comes our way, but I do pray that we are sent physical therapists that will help us help him achieve his milestones at the front end of the statistics that I've seen.
• Heart: More so  than what I've prayed for his mind and body, I pray that Elliot's life is full of love. I pray that Justin and I cover him with love every day. I pray that our love for Christ shines through us to him and encourages him to build a personal relationship with Jesus. I pray that the love of Christ fills his heart completely and that he will fully understand what this love means. And though I realize through the scriptures that not everyone is meant to marry, I do pray that (one day far from now) he finds a special girl one day that will love him for who he is and vice-versa. And, if that girl is out there somewhere I pray all of these things for her heart too. 

I pray about a lot of other things too for both Adele and Elliot, but what's listed above is usually what I focus on. I have come to treasure this quiet time in the NICU when it's just the two of us and I can just pour out my heart over him. In a way I might actually miss it and will probably always look back fondly on this prayer time once he's home.

Whatever My Lot

I have a confession. I was scared to go to church tonight. Justin called on his way home from work and said he really wanted us to go. I just now have started feeling up to walking around, but I immediately began searching my brain for excuses. We'll have to rush through dinner. I was on my feet a lot today. My c-section incision still really hurts. But, the truth of it was that I was terrified of being hugged, having my shoulder patted or anything of the like that would make me melt into a ball of tears. Yes, the normally bubbly, peppy Melinda was frightened of being loved on.

Ultimately, Justin convinced me to go. As soon as we walked into the lobby people were so happy to see us and I admittedly also was happy to see everyone. I was hugged and I did not crumble. I somehow managed to stay strong through all of the questions and checking Adele into the childcare.

However, as we took our seats, they started singing "It Is Well With My Soul." Now, on a normal day this song would get me weepy, so today it really hit me. In that moment, I felt like I could have written that song (if I had that kind of musical talent). I hope that "whatever my lot," I can always reflect the lyrics of that hymn.

So, despite the minor breakdown during worship, church was a good decision and I'm glad Justin pushed me to go. It really was nice seeing everyone and being reminded of how loved Elliot already is! It was also so fun to see Adele running around with some of the other girls after the service... that child is such a bright spot. I can't tell you much I missed her while I was in the hospital.

In other news, Elliot is doing really well! I posted a couple of my favorite shots from this week up top. He's really such a cutie. He's gained a total of four ounces since birth so he's up to 4 pounds, 7 ounces - I'm convinced at least two of those pounds are from those cheeks! Check those out - reminds me so much of his big sister. They've also been able turn down the temperature in his isolette, which means he's getting better at regulating his temp on his own. Feeding still remains his biggest challenge. He's not really showing any consistency in how much milk he takes and rarely finishes a bottle, which means he gets the remainder through a tube. The doctors keep assuring us that he's progressing well and reminding us to be patient.... that he'll be home before we know it! What a great day that will be!

Also, Justin and I just want to say thanks for the outpouring of love, encouragement and prayers we have received since Elliot's birthday. Even though we knew we wanted to be totally transparent with Elliot's birth story, we honestly did not know how people would react to our news and my candidness about the experience. But, of course, God is great and it is clear that he has surrounded us with wonderful, supportive people throughout our lives. We've both been so humbled by the phone calls, texts and Facebook messages from everyone... including people we may not have spoken to in years! We really do appreciate it all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Elliot's Birth Story

After a crazy month, Justin, Adele and I are so excited to welcome Elliot Lee Wood to the world! He was born at 11:20 p.m. on Monday, July 7 weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces. Take that all you doctors that said he would only weigh 3 pounds! Elliot's birth story is definitely one for the ages and we thank you for following along with us on this journey. As some of your already know, our journey is far from over.


After three weeks and three days in the hospital, Dr. Adam did her final scan on Monday evening around 7 p.m.. The blood flow in my placenta had drastically deteriorated since my last scan and she said it's time for this baby to come out. It just so happened that my OB, Dr. Ball, was on call that night, so we made the decision to have the c-section as soon as possible.

Everything went really fast at that point. They immediately hooked me up to IVs and took my blood sample. Before I knew it they were rolling me back to the operating room and I was getting my epidural. Justin was by my side the entire time. I was surprisingly very calm throughout the whole thing. Then I heard his sweet cries and Dr. Ball called out, "Hey there little guy! You're sure mad at me!"

The neonatalogist gave me one quick look at him before she took him for assessment. Justin of course went with her. Before I knew it, they told me how much he weighed and that he was breathing fine on his own. They wrapped him up and put him on my chest while Dr. Ball finished the surgery. He was so beautiful and I remember thinking how much he looked like Adele with his big eyes.

Since he was born at 34 weeks, they took him away after a couple of minutes because he needed to go to the NICU to finish all of his screenings. I was completely out of it any way from the surgery. My blood pressure was going crazy and I think the meds they gave me just knocked me out. I have very vague memories of the recovery room and when they finally got me back to my room for the night. All I know is for some reason I felt a cloud over everything. I held my beautiful son and saw his sweet face, but I just felt like something was wrong. Justin was in and out of the room. The nurses were acting strange. I knew in my stomach something was happening. Once the nurses cleared out of my room for the night, Justin was standing over me. I was totally in and out at this point, but I remember asking Justin, "Did Elliot make it?" He said, "Yes, but..." I cut him off. I told him I couldn't take whatever it was... that as long he was alive I was OK and that we'd talk in the morning.

Little did I know, I wouldn't wake up until early afternoon the next day... they must have put me on some crazy drugs! When I woke up, Justin was there. We talked a little bit and I said, "OK, I'm ready for it." That's when Justin told me that Elliot has most of the markers for Down Syndrome and that the neonatalogist was certain that Elliot has it.

The wind was knocked out of me. This was supposed to be the easy part. The last four weeks in the hospital suddenly felt like a cake walk. My mind was flooded with thoughts from "it wasn't possible, I saw his beautiful face" to "I'm dreaming... this isn't my life." I wondered what this would do to Adele's childhood, to our marriage, to my career. I wondered if he would ever have the mental capacity to accept Christ. I was in sheer panic mode. I was honestly terrified of what would come next in my life. I looked at Justin and I could tell that he had been battling these same thoughts since he heard the news last night. This is not what we pictured was going to happen, but, after the first few moments of shock, I knew that Justin and I would pull together. I knew that this was our son and we were going to love him to pieces. This was not our plan for our family, but it was definitely God's plan. And we were going to embrace it.

After I got the news, I wanted to see him. My nurse and Justin wheeled me down to the NICU where I held my sweet boy. He wasn't as small as I was expecting and he looked absolutely perfect. His little tongue was poking out of his mouth just like any other newborn's. His little hand wrapped tightly around my finger. I loved every part of him and I knew everything was going to be OK. Justin had a turn and like I've thought so many times over the last few weeks, I felt so much thankfulness that Justin was my husband.

The next two days are kind of a blur. Since Elliot was six weeks premature, he was put in the Level II NICU right away. His lungs were strong, but he needed help eating since his swallow-suck reflex isn't developed. He also was having problems regulating his body temperature. All of these things are normal preemie issues and have nothing to do with the Down Syndrome. While I was in the hospital we visited with him and held him as much as we could. We met with what I call a ton of "ists" ranging from a Geneticist to Speech Therapist to Occupational Therapist to Neonatalogist. All of them were amazing and gave us lots of great information about Elliot and what to expect. Everyone is in agreement that our first step is getting him home.

I was released on Thursday. While I hated leaving my boy, it felt so good to come home after almost a month. I immediately ate real food and took a nap on my couch with Macy. I read Adele stories before bedtime. And at the end of the day, after the longest four weeks of my life, Justin and I were finally able to sit in our bed and just hold each other while we cried our eyes out. We cried about our time apart. We cried about the unknown ahead. We had our pity party and then we decided together we were going to move forward. We both already knew we were head over heels in love with this kid and nothing was going to change that.

Justin said something that night that will always stick with me. He said, "I can't believe God thinks so highly of us that he blessed us with this special child." It's become clear that God has prepared us for this. He gave us a strong love and commitment toward each other. He's given us a comfortable roof over our heads. He's put us in a community where we are surrounded by loving family, friends, neighbors and church family.

It's no accident that God gave us Elliot. It's not the luck of the draw. It's not timing. God gave us Elliot for a reason and we're up for the challenges ahead. As I've already said, we're going to love on him no different. Adele is still going to be an amazing big sister. These things won't change. We are not naive. We know that there are going to be hard days, but with God, we are going to raise Elliot and Adele the same way we have always planned... in a loving home centered on Jesus.

We thank everyone for all of their prayers over the last month. We thank everyone who will continue to pray for our family. If you are praying for us, we pray first and foremost for Elliot to continue to progress so we can bring him home. They are predicting 2-3 weeks. Pray that Justin, Adele and I make this transition to a family of four with minimal challenges. Pray that Justin and my marriage continues to stay strong on the road ahead. We love all of you and again thank you for journeying with us during this time.

33 Weeks & Thankful for my Husband :)

We made it to 33 weeks today! I'm so thankful that Elliot is still in there baking away trying to grow as much as he can. Remember, the doctors are saying 34 weeks is our goal, so we are almost at the finish line!

I don't have any real updates today. It's just been more of the same, which is a good thing. So I thought I'd take the time to brag on my husband. If you're anything like me, when you picked your spouse, you had all of these images of all of these happy, blissful times. On my wedding day, I was imagining years ahead of summer vacations at the beach, children opening Christmas presents among the twinkling lights, our future little girl dancing on Justin's toes... I was picturing all of the "better" and "health" part of our vows and none of the "worse" and "sickness" part. 

But God never says our lives will be perfect, does he? We can look at Job to see that. Now, don't get me wrong. Through all of this I still feel extremely blessed, but I would be lying if I said the past couple of weeks haven't been hard. As I've said before, the hardest part is being away from my family. There is something so comforting about lying my head down next to Justin every night, so going to sleep alone among the hospital sounds has been quite the adjustment.

But Justin has handled all of this like a pro. I have no idea how he is balancing work, taking care of a toddler and making sure I have everything I need, but he is. Through it all he has managed to make sure I see Adele whenever I can and on the nights they can't make it up here, he is sure to FaceTime. When he visits, he brings up clean clothes and takes home the dirty ones. He brings me watermelon and KitKat bars and catches me up on life outside of the hospital. Since I'm the one that typically handles taking care of Adele, he's had to quickly take charge of dinner time, bath time and bed time and he's doing it wonderfully. And how can we forget he has a demanding full-time job on top of all this? Thankfully his work has been incredibly flexible during this time, but Justin being Justin hasn't taken much advantage of this... even bringing his laptop to the hospital if he comes to see me for lunch.

I see everything he's doing for our family and I thank God that Justin came into my life. I thank God that while I was thinking of decorating my future house and baking cookies with my future kids, God sent me a man that would that not only take care of me during the happy times, but the hard times as well.

I know this hasn't been easy on him, but Justin has taken it all in stride. He's reminded me everyday that I'm in here why I fell in love with him and why I love him more every day. So, to wrap things up... thank you Justin for being such an incredible husband and awesome dad! I'm so grateful that Elliot will have a Godly example of what a husband and father should look like. I truly thank God for you everyday and pray for your continued strength through this. I can't wait until I get to be your little spoon again! 

32 Weeks & 4 Days!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Dr. Adam knocked on my door at 6:30 a.m. to wheel me down to the ultrasound. They weren't kidding when they said she'd see me first thing in the morning. Regardless I was glad to see what was going on with Elliot!

The blood flow from placenta to baby is holding steady at the not great, but not scary stage, so we're happy about that. As promised they checked his growth and as they expected he's falling off of his growth pattern. He was in the 23rd percentile two weeks ago; this morning he was in the 15th and weighs 3 pounds and 4 ounces.

So what does this mean? It pretty much solidifies their earlier estimate of a c-section at 34 weeks. They will do another growth scan on Monday, July 7 (I'll be 34 weeks and one day) and if he's dropped to the 10th percentile or below, they will most likely do the c-section the following morning. My doctor said that based on their experience, they fully expect him to be at or below the 10th percentile. She added that he could always surprise us, but that I should probably mentally prepare myself for it to happen that week.

In the meantime, I'm to continue doing what I'm doing, which as you know is a fine balance between napping on my left side and watching TV. But seriously, the hospital has been great. No real complaints other than I miss my family!

Justin and I again want to thank everyone for their continued prayers! It's been a whirlwind for sure, but we've appreciated all the help. I've also enjoyed all of my visitors... I don't know what I'd do if I was all by lonesome every day! If you are praying for us, please keep it up! It's working! We are realistically expecting to have him that week of July 7, so while we would welcome a surprise, we're really praying for peace with the doctor's decision, a healthy delivery and hopefully a short NICU stay.

Again, thanks for all of your well wishes and we'll keep you posted!

32-Week Mark :)

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

We have successfully made it to the 32-week mark today! Dr. Adam (the perinatologist) did another ultrasound yesterday and everything looks stable - not any better, but not any worse, which keeps me on the 34-week delivery goal she's set. Meanwhile little Elliot's heart rate continues to show no signs of dips when they do the monitoring, which is great news. Dr. Adam is going to do another ultrasound on Wednesday to check the placenta flow again, but also this will be the first time she'll focus on Elliot's growth since it will have been almost two weeks since the initial scan that put me in the hospital. During that scan he was only 2 pounds, 15 ounces, which put him in the 23rd percentile. It's important that he stays on that growth pattern because if they see a significant drop on Wednesday's scan (meaning he's not getting the nutrients he needs to grow) that can be another factor for an early c-section.

The days at the hospital are passing quicker than I anticipated they would. I'm getting into a routine of eat, watch TV, play with my phone, read a book, nap, heart rate monitoring. The nurses and doctors at Women's Hospital have been amazing. I can't imagine going through this at any other hospital! That being said, I've really been struggling emotionally the past couple of days. I sit here looking at a calendar and realize how much longer I have to go without tucking in Adele at night and waking up next to Justin with Macy somehow having pushed me off my pillow in the middle of night. Today my sister had her baby and it pains me that I'm not up at the hospital with her.

I just really miss my life. I'm getting tired of having them having to take my blood pressure every four hours and asking me if I've pooped today, lol. I've cried every day I've been here. I realize the longer Elliot is inside of me the better, but that fact doesn't make it any easier to feel so disconnected from my family and friends. I just pray for patience during my hospital stay and that the time continues to pass quickly.

OK, end of pity party :)

I used Romans 12:12 at the beginning of this post because I feel that it perfectly reflects this moment in my life. I am so joyful in the hope that Elliot is going to be born at 34+ weeks and that he's going to be such a fighter when born. I am (trying to be) patient while staying at the hospital for at least two more weeks. I pray faithfully and continuously every day for Elliot's growth, my health and Justin's strength while we wait on Elliot's arrival.

I will try to update after my ultrasound on Wednesday. Until then thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts you've sent our way! Justin and I have felt them for sure :)