The LaGarde Family

We were supposed to have a birth class last night, but our birth instructor was up the entire night before, assisting, as a Doula, in a birth. So, luckily, we didn’t have it. I Say luckily, because we needed the extra time. Anyway. . .
Tomorrow afternoon, we will be going back to the dr’s office for April to get checked out for preeclampsia.Keep us in your prayers and for wisdom for the Dr.’s. This is coming fairly late in the pregnancy, so there isn’t too much to worry about. If she does have it, they will probably put her on bed rest. And the worse that could happen is they induce labor early, which April is fine with.

Something this could put a damper on is our Young Marrieds Retreat, which is happening Friday evening through Sunday Morning. We have been looking forward to this for a while, and April has been helping to plan it, so it would be a shame if we had to miss some of it.

That’s it for now. We will post another update after our appointment tomorrow.

(Dr.’s Visit)Today was the first of April’s weekly doctor visits. They also begin monitoring things much more closely. Her visit today went fine but there were a couple of things that they noticed and wanted her to come back on Friday for another look.

One of those areas was slightly elevated blood pressure, which by itself isn’t bad, but her weight had increased more than what they were comfortable with, so they want to check her for Preeclampsia. It is only found in 5 -10% of women, so the chances of her having it is slim, and even if she does, there are many things they can do to treat it. So, it isn’t anything to be too alarmed about. But they will keep an eye on it.

(Hospital Tour)
Also, tonight, we toured Paoli Hospital, which is where April will give birth. We choose it simply because it is one of the best maternity hospitals we could possibly go to, even though we pass two other hospitals on the way there. The tour was informative. It took about 45 -60 minutes. The nurse that took us around explained everything that will happen from the moment we walk through the doors to when we leave. The facilities were very nice. They highly encourage you to keep your baby in the room 24/7 once it is born, as opposed to putting it in the nursery. They are also very open in letting you do whatever you want during labor, which is nice. One limiting aspect is that they only allow you to have two people, in addition to the mom, in the room during the actual delivery, due to how crowded it gets. So, that means that it will be just me(chris) and our doula, Katie.

(Doula)
Yes, in case you didn’t know, we are using a doula. A doula is basically a non-medically licensed, professional birth coach. And let me tell you how much more relaxed we are to have her. It takes all the pressure off of me, and helps both of us to know that someone who knows what the heck is going on, will be with us. So, we are excited about having her there.
Here is a link to our Doula’s web page, and
here is a link to our doctor, in case anyone cares: Dr. Saberin-Williams I thought it was interesting that i found it.

(Cravings & Moods)
People have also been asking about how the cravings and the moody-ness has been. And to both i say very mild. For some reason she has been very into hot dogs lately. And the only time she has really been moody was last weekend when she freaked out that our place was not ready and cleaned out to make room for the baby. So all in all, things still have been calm.

Next on the list of things to do is pick out the paint for the baby’s room and paint it.

Thats it. I am tired, and an episode of 24 is waiting.

So i was thinking this morning. . . (yea i think, imagine that)
I love our family, as in our extended family. Family is so important and it is something that we should intentionally make important in this ever increasingly busy world, not to mention that God’s word commands us to. What brought this on? A combo of things, one we hung out with April’s family Saturday and then my parents Sunday. We are so blessed to have both sides so close to us. And they are all very excited to be a part of our baby’s life.
My mom is so excited, she bought us this out fit, or something b/c she saw it on sale at the grocery store. That tells me that she was thinking about us. She is such a great woman and we are going to be blessed to have her pour herself into our child.
My Dad is and has been a great dad. He provided us with a wonderful and safe place to grow up. He came over on saturday and help me move some couches, and other very heavy stuff around and out of our place so we can get ready for the baby. It meant a ton that he took time to do that.
April’s family is so giving and wonderful too. They would do anything for us as well, and it sometimes seems we hang out with them more than we hang out with our friends. It actually may be true.
Anyway, family is important. It is something to be cherished, especially if it is one as special as ours. Nurture it, don’t take it for granted, . . . ever. And as the birth of our first child approaches, I am seeing how imporant that is.