A blessing in disguise

Blessings seem to come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes we can identify them right away but other times it takes a ripple effect to recognize it as such. I've had several blessings in my life lately but the ones I reflect on most recently are related to my pregnancy. This pregnancy has been full of all kinds of ups and downs. The first down was at the very first ultrasound. I was about ten weeks along and it appeared that the baby had developed a condition called gastroschsis. This is a condition in which there is a hole in the abdominal wall that is causing the intestines to form outside of the body. It was a concerning thing to hear but we were told that it was an easy procedure to repair the problem, once the baby was born, and he should not have any lasting complications from it. The doctor made plans to do more frequent ultrasounds and to check on the problem often so that we could be prepared.

A few weeks later I had my second ultrasound and they could no longer see a problem. It appeared to have corrected itself but it was still too early to know for sure, I had two more ultrasounds over the next several weeks and they both confirmed that the condition had been resolved and was no longer anything to be concerned about regarding the gastoschisis. But....there's always a but.....another more severe problem was discovered and I was immediately placed on bed rest at only 20 weeks. Of course it was late on a Friday afternoon right before labor day and my doctors were out of town or involved with deliveries. I had to wait through a long three day weekend at home with very little information and understanding of what was going on.

On Tuesday morning I went in the see a specialist in high risk pregnancies. Upon examination it was determined things had continued to get worse over the weekend and that I would need to have surgery because I was starting to dilate already. I was admitted to the hospital that very afternoon and had the operation the following day. After a 6 day stay in the hospital and a successful procedure, I was finally allowed to go home. Once home the trials continued as I was to be on bed rest for an unknown amount of time. Dave was my hero during this time. He went above and beyond in making sure I had everything I needed and was as comfortable as possible. My Mom was also great at helping out daily along with several individuals from church. After 8 weeks of bed rest I was finally allowed to resume my normal activities.

Throughout this entire ordeal I have been to more doctor appointments and ultrasounds than i ever wanted to. I have been unable to work or go to school so it has put a few things behind schedule but I wouldn't trade all the money in the world or all the education I could get for the little boy that will soon be joining our family. Most individuals who are diagnosed with my condition don't find out until it is too late and have endured the pain of a miscarriage or two. When the baby was first diagnosed with gastroschsis, it saved his life. Having the extra ultrasounds caused us to find the more serious issue before it was too late. I am very grateful that we had the blessing of what seemed to be a trial at the time. We still have a couple weeks to endure through til my next surgery and Baby Baggs arrival  but it has all been worth it and will continue to be so when we get to finally bring our little guy home.

Our Story

It all began on the evening of February 12, 2013...Dave picked me up that night for our first date. We went out to a new restaurant in town to enjoy a steak dinner. After dinner we watched the latest James Bond movie and became inseparable from that time on. A lot of people would describe our short courtship as a whirl wind romance. Three short months after we began dating, Dave and I took a trip to Utah to meet each others families. He had met my parents already but no one else other than that. Once we had fulfilled the "meet the parents" formalities we quickly became engaged on May 18th. Unbeknownst to most, we had already had a wedding date set for weeks prior to our trip down south. For us it was perfect. We knew what we wanted and figured that there was no reason to wait. Therefore we were married on August 10th in a nice secluded park in Great Falls, MT. The day was perfect. The weather could not have been better and things could not have gone any smoother. We had lots of wonderful family members and friends that made the trip to join us on our special day. I don't think I had ever felt happier prior to that moment in time.

Life has continued to be fantastic since that time. Dave and I were able to spend a few days in the beautiful town of Couer d'Alene, Idaho. We stayed in a really unique hotel that had once been a mansion and then converted into separate quarters. We spent time hiking at Tubbs Hill Park, drove around the lake, ate at all the restaurants we could that we don't have near by, went shopping in East Spokane, found a Cabela's in Post Falls, enjoyed several walks on the beach, and many trips to downtown Couer d'Alene. Once home, we started back to the daily grind. Dave headed back to work with the Highway Patrol and I prepared to start the physical therapy assistant program at school. Everything was going according to plan as we began our life together. 

The Big Day

Dave at the Lake

Hiking at Tubbs Hill Park