Happy Birthday, Sara...

"Happy Birthday, Mom!"

Twenty-nine years ago, on her mother's birthday, Sara was welcomed into the world in Pasadena, Texas. September 30, 1980 marked the first day of the "life changing" saga of Sara Sullivan.

Sara's "Celebration of Life" services this weekend were beautiful. The service on Saturday began with the 1000+ people in attendance singing praises to the Lord. We sang Sara's favorite song, "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever." Then, Sara's youth pastor, Chris, started the service by having everyone SMILE! Sara was known for her smile and this was so fitting! After discussing Psalm 23 (walking through the valley of the shadow of death), Chris encouraged people to not just remember Sara's life, but to be different because of knowing Sara. Then he talked about the legacy that Sara left behind. A dear friend of ours sang "Legacy" as the service was coming to a close.

"LEGACY" by Nichole Nordeman

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy and accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such-n-such...it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need and 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

Click the link to hear the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbi4nSrhRxo

After the song, Chris gave an invitation to the group, allowing those who wanted to experience the peace that Sara had, to accept Christ as their Savior. Many raised their hands and accepted Christ on Saturday afternoon.

Here is a neat story about a life that was forever changed this weekend. Some of my details might be a little fuzzy, but you will get the gist...

On Friday night, there were lots of people at the church for the viewing. The line to see Sara's body got backed up and the queue of people started to wrap around the outside of the church building. There was a football practice going on across the street and the long line of people got the attention of a guy named Mike. After the practice concluded, Mike walked over to the church to see what the crowd had gathered for. After asking some questions, Mike learned about Sara and somebody gave him the blog address. After reading the blog on Friday evening, Mike was back at the funeral on Saturday, as a complete stranger. Sara's story had struck a cord within Mike's heart and during the invitation at the end of the service, Mike chose to follow Christ. SARA, YOU CONTINUE TO REACH OTHERS AND CHANGE LIVES!

In a previous post, I was disappointed about Sara being unable to donate her heart because of the cancer and chemo. As I thought about this for the past few days, it became apparent that everyone that Sara has impacted has a small piece of her heart. She has been "donating her heart" for the past 29 years...and continues to do so.

I hope and pray that Chloe will develop a heart like her mother's. Chloe will forever have a reminder of her Mom with her "Heart Tattoo" birthmark on her right arm.

Heart Birthmark

It has become more apparent over the past week, that September 22, 2009 was Sara's time to go. As Chloe and I were driving back to San Antonio on Tuesday morning, I was doing lots of thinking. I started thinking about the timing of everything that has transpired over the past 8 months. The timing of us finding the lump in Sara's breast, the timing of Chloe's conception, the timing of the chemotherapy treatments, the timing of the first bleeding complications. Then I prayed and thanked the Lord for Chloe's premature birth. Think about it...she was not supposed to be born for another 3 weeks.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Sara, on your birthday, we remember you and the multitude of happy memories we have with you. I can only offer you kind words on this day. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for choosing me and giving me an incredible 5 years of marriage. Thank you for our baby girl. Know that I will do my best to raise our daughter in a way that would make you proud. I LOVE YOU!

Lord, thank you for knitting Sara's life together and for perfectly orchestrating her 10,584 days on Earth.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. --Psalm 139:13

P.S. Happy Birthday Momma Sheryl (Sara's mom). I love you, too!

Grandpa Larry (my dad)

Funeral Details...

The visitation and funeral will be held at:

First Baptist Church - Deer Park
438 East 8th Street
Deer Park, TX 77536

Visitation will be on Friday, September 25 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm.

Sara's funeral service will be on Saturday, September 26 at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to:

Sara Sullivan Memorial Fund

You can send donations via paypal at http://tinyurl.com/sarastrongmemorial

or

Write checks to: Sara Sullivan Memorial Fund

Randolph-Brooks FCU
PO Box 2097
Universal City, TX 78148

Also, one of Sara's dear friends will be compiling a book of "Sara Memories" for Chloe so that she can read about what an amazing woman her mother was.

You can send letters to Debbie Dunn at dunnz@aol.com or send handwritten letters to:

Debbie Dunn
500 Riders Trail
Austin, TX 78733

See you this weekend. God Bless.

Heaven Bound...

Sara's final test to check for blood flow to the brain was completed around 11:00am this morning. The results came back and there was no blood flow. Soon thereafter, the doctor declared Sara as brain dead.

After some discussions with the Organ Donation Team, Sara was only able to donate her eyes. Based on her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, her heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver were unable to be donated. Sara would have wanted to continue giving and I WANTED SOMEONE TO HAVE HER HEART!!!

After we had our time with Sara this afternoon, the doctors came in and removed the ventilator. The entire family was with Sara until her heart stopped beating.

The reality of the situation has yet to sink in, but Sara is now with Jesus and for this I am thankful...and at peace! I will miss my best friend and am sorry that Chloe will not be able to know her mother, but Sara's legacy will live on through our MANY happy memories with her. Chloe will know her mother through the impact Sara had on so many lives. She was an AMAZING WOMAN who touched the lives of everyone she came in contact with!

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for us. It is completely clear to me that the Lord was calling Sara home at this time. No matter what her diagnosis had been, it was her time to go. She delivered our miracle baby and we spent a few days at home as a family. I have never seen Sara happier, and I feel as though those few days were like heaven on earth.

Memorial services will be held this weekend in Houston. Once details finalize, they will be published on the blog.

Once again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR OUR FAMILY.

I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. --Psalm 121:1-2

Where we stand...

I will start out by telling you that the prognosis for Sara is looking VERY grave. I got a call from the ICU doctor this morning at 4:00am advising me of Sara's change in status. A little after midnight, Sara had a spike in her blood pressure, followed by a drastic drop in blood pressure. Drug intervention was required to raise her BP to a normal range. Soon thereafter, her body began ridding itself of all fluids (diabetes insipidus). The doctors explained that this is typically what happens when there is brain stem compression. They took Sara downstairs for another CT scan to look at changes in her brain. There was more brain swelling than before and more fluid was compressing her brain. The doctor asked me how far I lived from the hospital, and I knew things were not good. He told me I did not need to come in immediately, but I knew today was not going to bear good news.

Once I got to the hospital, the doctor told me that when they hooked Sara back up to the EEG machine, there was hardly any brain activity (indicative of impending brain death). They explained that she had experienced cerebral herniation (the brain stem is compressed into the base of the skull) apparently cutting off blood flow to her brain. Once her blood pressure had dropped, the doctors removed the sedatives and anti-seizure medicine to help keep her blood pressure up. The doctors decided that they want to do a final test in the morning to test for blood flow to her brain. If there is no blood flow, the doctor will declare "brain death" and we will move forward with the plan to process her organs for donation.

I still believe that God can perform an amazing miracle tonight and raise her from her apparent brain death. Please join our family in prayer for that.

I cannot believe that it has come to this point (nor can the doctors), but tonight before I left, I told Sara, "Chloe and I will be okay and I want you to go in peace." This was one of the most difficult sentences I've ever spoken, but it is the TRUTH!

I have much more to share, but the bed and the baby are calling. Please pray.

The latest...

The doctors are still working to pinpoint a diagnosis for Sara's condition. All of Sara's tests came back with good news yesterday. There were no clots in her extremities and no hole in her heart. The doctors are having a difficult time diagnosing Sara's condition because all of her tests appear to be normal. The symptoms were pointing to eclampsia, but they are not considering Sara's blood pressure to be excessive. The majority of the team of doctors working the case think she has "post-partum angiopathy." PRES, RPLS, and post-partum angiopathy are all very similar in that there is swelling/seeping of the blood vessels in the brain.

The radiologists seem to think that they have spotted a clot, which would point towards a stroke. This afternoon they are going to do an MRA. This is a test of the arteries going into the brain to look for a clot (done in the MRI machine). There were no clots in the veins, but they want to rule out clots completely.

After a long discussion with the lead doctor on the case, we discussed lots of "risk vs. reward" considerations with the tests. He said all of the tests they have done are "minimally invasive" and carry a small amount of risk (i.e. the rewards outweigh the risk). Once the tests begin to get risky, we have to decide on whether the risk is work it. For example, the neurologists think that she might have some excessive cranial pressure, so they want to drill into her skull and place a pressure transducer on her brain. This is extremely invasive and carries a large amount of risk. (I just got off the phone with the Neurosurgeon at Wilford Hall and he does not think that there is any benefit to placing the transducer in her brain).

The problem that Sara has is that none of her labs and blood work show a glaring problem. If some of her counts or numbers were completely out of bounds, it would be a simple problem to diagnose. All her tests have been right where they should be for a healthy person. I got a little frustrated with the doctors yesterday and I asked, "How long are you going to continue to run tests before starting treatment?" He told me he is reaching his "comfort level" and is ready to start treating the most likely case. The problem is that the treatment options for stroke vs. PRES are completely different and treating the wrong one could have devastating results.

The plan right now is to stop the sedatives tomorrow and wake her up. Everybody wants to see if she is able to respond and move all of her extremities. In her current sedated state, no harm is being done. The neurologists explained that her brain is currently on standby. The concern is that if she starts to have another seizure, there could be more damage to her brain. If she seizes, they will put her "back under" and let the brain rest for 48 hours and try to wake her up again.

I will update tomorrow regarding Sara's wake-up. Pray that there are no seizures and that there has been no permanent brain damage.

ICU Update

I left the hospital at 7:00pm last night to go home and see our baby and get some sleep (I was getting delirious).

I got a call from the ICU at 2:30am giving me an update. Sara had another seizure last night that was difficult to break. After that seizure, Sara was intubated to protect her airway in the event of subsequent seizures. She was also placed on heavy sedatives and anti-seizure meds to keep her comfortable and to prevent more seizures. This required them to put her on a ventilator. I had been getting my much needed sleep until that call.

It was difficult to see Sara this morning on all of her "life-support" equipment. We still believe that this is just a temporary state as they decide on a final diagnosis/treatment plan.

The tests that still remain to be done include a full body scan for any DVT (deep vein thrombosis). After that, they are going to do another scan of her heart. There is concern (among the docs) that a clot could have passed through a hole in her heart and ended up near her brain. I don't think this is a factor based on her clear echocardiogram a few weeks ago.

The OBs are still trying to rule out eclampsia as the cause of the seizures. Sara typically has very low blood pressure (100/50). When she was admitted, her blood pressure was 150/90. The docs are currently collecting urine to do a 24-hour screen for protein and other electrolytes which will allow them to confirm or rule-out eclampsia.

The Neurologists are leaning towards Sara having Posterior Reversible Encephalopothy Syndrome (PRES). Another discussion talked about Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopothy Syndrome (RPLS). I'm not going to describe them here...you can google them if interested. Key words are REVERSIBLE. This is why I'm a little anxious about getting a diagnosis and treatment started. The anti-seizure and sedatives are keeping her blood pressure down which is needed to prevent future seizures.

I just had a discussion with one of her doctors about continuing to run different tests vs. getting treatement started. He assured me that they are treating her as they continue to search for an exact diagnosis. I was glad to hear that.

Most of the test results should be back by the end of today and hopefully we can get the correct treatment started soon.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive during our latest trial. The outpouring of love and support is amazing.

Continue to pray for a correct/timely diagnosis for Sara's condition and healing for her mind and body.

The Storms are Raging...

Sara and I thought we had crossed the final hurdle when we brought Chloe home on Tuesday night. We were wrong. Last night, Sara started acting very confused and then started twitching. As I realized that something was wrong with her brain, I called 911. As the EMS were on the way, she started convulsing and ended up in a full blown seizure. Sara and I were taken to the nearest Emergency Room via ambulance and left Chloe with some of our good friends.

Sara continued to "seize" last night and they gave her lots of drugs to alleviate the head pain and relax the tremors. After a CT Scan and an MRI, the results were inconclusive. The doctors didn't think that it was a tumor and started leaning towards a stroke. We spent the night in the ER and ended up getting transferred to Wilford Hall this morning. The move could not have happened sooner.

The doctors are doing a full "work up" on her and at this point, they don't think she had a stroke and agree that it is not a tumor. There are still numerous other conditions to rule out before the docs can pinpoint an exact diagnosis or cause. We should know more tomorrow.

Our family came in from Houston and Austin and are taking good care of us.

At this point, Sara is in a semi-comatose state. Please pray for a COMPLETE RECOVERY and for Sara to come back home ASAP.

The blog will be updated as soon as we know more.

Life is GOOD...

Chloe has continued to thrive during her first 2 days under our direct care. When we were walking out of the hospital with Chloe, I told Sara, "I cannot believe they gave her to us. Now we are 100% responsible for her well-being." It seemed like a fairly daunting task, but she is doing great.

Her day consists of sleeping, eating, and pooping. The doctors encouraged us to wake her up every 3 hours to feed her. Being a preemie, they said that she probably would not wake up crying when she was hungry. We are tired, but having her at home is TOTALLY worth it! She's eating like a champ and is gaining weight.

Sara is still having her headaches, but they seem to be getting milder. I have a call in to the anesthesia office at Wilford Hall to discuss "epidural induced headaches" and what we can do to alleviate them. I'm 99% sure that the needle sticks to her spine are causing them (I did lots of reading yesterday).

Here are some pics of the little one.

Behold, children are a gift from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. --Psalms 127:3

AMEN!

CHLOE IS HOME!

We brought our baby girl home this evening. We are tired, but here are a few pics until we can update more later.

Bath with Momma

Doctor that delivered Chloe

Going Home!

Chloe's Crib

I cannot tell you how happy we are to be together as a family in our own home! Tomorrow will be the first time in 30 days that I do not drive across town to the hospital. Hallelujah!

She's growing...

Our Little Miracle

Chloe has been gaining weight for the past 3 days. The doctors continue to be impressed at how well she is doing. We are hoping to have her home very soon!

Here are a few of our favorite pics from the past few days.


Sara slept great last night and woke up feeling like a new person. She still has to take some drugs to alleviate the headaches, but the medicine really helps. We think the 3 large needle sticks to her spine (2 attempts at the epidural followed by the spinal anesthetic) could be the culprit for causing the headaches. Hopefully they will subside soon.

Chloe had an echocariogram today to check out her heart. Based on the fact that Sara received Adriamycin (chemo drug) during her pregnancy, they wanted to make sure Chloe's heart was not damaged from it (potential side effect).

Echocardiogram

There are not too many cases of pregnant women receiving chemotherapy, so the effects of chemo on babies in utero are unknown. Her results came back and her heart looks great.

I went to work and flew today, but found myself REALLY missing spending time with my girls! I am not working for the next 2 weeks and look forward to lots of family time!

Please pray for Chloe's continued growth and for Sara's headaches to cease. Thank you.

Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. --James 1:17

Bonding...

Holding Hands

Sara and I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few days with our new daughter. Tears were flowing last night when it was time for us to go home and leave Chloe at the hospital. I reassured Sara that she was in good hands and that we would be back early in the morning. It was still very tough on both of us.

The nurses put Chloe's feeding tube back in yesterday afternoon. The sucking reflex develops around the 34th week of gestation, and Chloe is right there developmentally. She is able to breast feed and take a bottle, but was only eating enough to stay hydrated...not gain weight. She tends to go to sleep before she has eaten the required amount. She is down to 4 lbs, but the docs are not concerned...yet. After she goes to sleep, if she has not eaten her required amount, she gets the remainder via the feeding tube. When they took it out on day 2, the docs told us not to consider it a "setback" if the tube had to go back in. We still want it out!

Sara developed a horrible head ache and was vomiting last night and today. After getting to the hospital this morning, she fed Chloe and then needed to go home and go to bed. She called her mom and sister to come get her and take her home. As they left the hospital, Sara puked again and decided to call the OB Triage Nurse. They had her come in and did some blood work. All is well, and they think her headache was caused by tension in her back and neck. She has gone through a lot in the past few weeks. She got some drugs and some sleep and is feeling much better.

Today, Chloe and I had some good "daddy - daughter" bonding time. I gave her a bath and got to feed her throughout the day. As soon as her bath was finished, I got her dressed and fed her. Moments later, she puked all over herself. I think she is going to teach me a lot about patience.

Thank you for your continued prayers and we look forward to introducing Chloe to you.

Our Baby...

Here are some pics from the past few days with Chloe.

1 Day Old

2 Days Old

Sara and Chloe

Our Fam

Chloe is doing great and just moved from the Level III NICU (intensive care) to the Level II (step-down) Unit. She is in an "open crib" without the incubator. She is done with feeding tubes and is eating fairly well. Those are 2 big hurdles that she had to overcome before she gets to go home (regulating body temperature and eating/gaining weight).

Sara will be discharged tomorrow and we are excited about getting to spend the night together in our house. No words yet on when we can expect Chloe to go home, but the move out of the NICU today was HUGE!

For all of you who have called and emailed, we truly appreciate all the words of encouragement and you reaching out to us. Don't take it personally if you do not get an immediate response.

Thanks for checking up on us.

Welcome to the World...

Details about yesterday...

Soon after I got to the hospital yesterday morning, Sara's contractions started getting very uncomfortable. The doctor did an exam and she was not dilated. After continuous bleeding for hours yesterday, we had another discussion with the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) Doctor. Basically, MFMs are the OBs for Complicated Pregnancies. He told us that if the pain got unbearable, or her bleeding got worse (i.e. Sara needing transfusions) they would induce labor. Sara was passing golf ball sized clots every 45-60 minutes throughout the day. I kept asking, "How do you determine when there has been too much blood?" I thought there had been enough!

Around 8:00pm, Sara opted for the epidural. After the needle was in her back, they administered a "test dose" to make sure the needle was placed correctly. All of a sudden, Sara's neck started hurting and they put her on oxygen. Then, Chloe's heart rate plummeted to 60 beats/minute (baseline was 140 beats/minute). The nurse looked at me and in a concerned, elevated voice, said, "Go get a doctor!" Moments later, we were ripping Sara's leads from the wall and RUNNING her bed down the hall to the Operating Room for an emergency C-section. As I was getting dressed in my scrubs, from the other side of the OR door, I heard them say, "Her heartrate is back to 130 and she is stable." Huge sigh of relief...

About this time, another Emergency C-Section tore into the OR with doctors and nurses huffing and puffing from running the hospital bed down the hall. The other lady was more critical and there was some controlled chaos going on as the doctors went back and forth between the 2 operating rooms.

As soon as Sara was prepped and numb, the docs let me come back and watch the C-section. I saw them pull her uterus out and set it on her stomach. Then, there was one more slice and I saw our baby girl. She was blue and not moving or crying. Sara said, "How does she look?" I took a big gulp, and in my most reassuring voice I said, "She looks good." The OB passed her off to the pediatricians from the NICU and they were gone with Chloe. The next few moments were fairly tense as we waited for any news. I asked to go to the NICU, but they told me I had to wait for them to come get me. Within 3 minutes, our nurse came out and said, "She is 4 lbs. 7 oz and has pinked up and is coughing and sneezing." She then took our camera and got some pics of Chloe for us. As they were sewing Sara up, I went and shared the news with our family at the hospital.

Within 30 minutes, I was meeting our baby girl in the NICU.

Meeting Chloe

One of the pediatricians came over and told me that she was doing great and that she was not breathing when they got her out (thus her blue tint). I learned about the APGAR Score last night. Basically, the APGAR test is a test on newborns to see how prepared they are for entry into the world. It is scored on a 1 to 10 scale and the first test is done at 1 minute and the next at 5 minutes after birth. The test checks the baby's Activity, Pulse, Grimace (Reflex), Appearance, and Respiration. At the 1 minute check, Chloe scored a 2 (not good). By the 5 minute check, she was at an 8 (very good). She was on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine until around 4:00am (to keep her lungs inflated) and was off of all oxygen by 7:15am this morning. She's a fighter!

Soon after Sara was wheeled back upstairs from Surgery Recovery, she got to see Chloe for the first time. Talk about an incredible moment. Our family of 3 was all together...AND HEALTHY!!!

Sara meets Chloe

(Mask on face is CPAP device, IV in right hand, blood pressure cuff on right leg, PulseOx on left foot, Heart Rate cords on belly)

First Family Photo

We got to hold her for the first time this morning. Another incredible moment! We cannot thank you enough for your prayers for us at this special time in our lives. We are forever grateful!

Day 1 - No more oxygen

First time holding Chloe

Chloe Grace...Welcome to the World!

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. --1 Samuel 1:27

Chloe Grace is here...

Sara had a C-section and Chloe was born at 9:55pm. She weighed 4 lbs. 7 oz and is 17.5 inches long. Everybody is doing GREAT.

Thank you for your prayers.

She's on the way...

Sara started contracting last night around midnight. I got a phone call at home at 2:00am from Sara letting me know the update. The phone rang again at 6:30am with the news that they were going to be moving Sara over to the Labor and Delivery wing.

After a day full of contractions and bleeding, we are playing the waiting game. The doctors are not going to stop labor, but Sara could continue in the phase of labor for a long time.

We will update the blog when Chloe is here! They are hoping that her body progresses naturally, and that they won't have to do a C-section, but they are prepared either way.

Five Years and Counting...

Sara and I had an "unforgettable" 5th anniversary at Wilford Hall. Even though it was not where we would have liked to have been...it was another memorable step on our journey together! Our dinner consisted of pizza and pasta from the gourmet restaurant called Pizza Hut...seriously. However, it hit the spot. Some of the ladies from our squadron brought us some sparkling cider and dessert which "classed up" our Pizza Hut meal.

5 Years - Wilford Hall / San Antonio, TX

As I attempted to sleep on the floor next to Sara's hospital bed (on an air mattress), I started thinking about our past 5 years of marriage. Where we've been and what we've done...how my love for her has grown stronger and stronger with each year...how amazed I am at how she has continued to SHINE through this past year...how honored I am to call her my wife!

I cannot pinpoint why I was unable to get a wink of sleep...maybe it was the fact that Sara gets up to go to the bathroom every hour...or maybe it was the bright orange light that was shining under Sara's bed...or maybe it was the green LEDs flashing on her bed control (right next to my face). Maybe, IT WAS THE FACT THAT I WAS ON THE FLOOR OF A HOSPITAL ON MY ANNIVERSARY NIGHT!

As Sara stated in the last blog, it is against the rules for husbands to stay the night in the Antepartum Ward. Sara asked her doctor if it was going to be a problem if I stayed, and he told her it would probably be okay. However, he made sure she understood that there was to be no "extracurricular activities" as he put it. The final decision was up to the night shift nurse, and she was awesome.

We watched a movie and just enjoyed spending time together. We are so ready to be back together under the same roof!

We don't have much news to report. Chloe will have another growth scan on Wednesday. The plan is to let Sara continue to progress with the pregnancy until around 36 weeks. If labor hasn't begun by that point, they will look at inducing. The docs could induce anytime, but we want to be able to bring Chloe home soon after her arrival (hopefully no NICU time), so we are going to push it back as long as possible. The reason that Sara is still in the hospital is just in case there is a complete placental abruption. They would need to do an emergency C-section in that case. Not likely, but we are opting to be more conservative and plan for the worst case and hope and pray for the best.

Here are a few pictures from our past anniversaries.

4 Years - Misawa, Japan

3 Years - Slide Rock State Park / Sedona, AZ

2 Years - Korean Folk Village / Suwon, South Korea

1 Year - Sheppard AFB / Wichita Falls, TX

Fall of 1998

We are amazed at all that we've experienced since we met each other 11 years ago. We look forward to the future together as we begin the new chapter of life called PARENTHOOD. Keep praying!