The Journey of Faith

Smiles and Coos!

2010-03-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thought you might like seeing her in action. Can you believe she's 3 months already? Time flies by so fast!

Pictures, physical therapy and the hearing test

2010-03-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Practicing lying on her side during physical therapy. Look at those chubs!

She has lots of personality.

She started trying to suck her thumb. Sometimes she gets it in, sometimes she doesn't.

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. Faith continues to grow and is as cute as ever! In February she got her 2 hour hearing test at the hospital in Portland and passed with flying colors! Although it was a long test, we were very happy with the results.

She also started her physical therapy recently. Just some tips and tricks the PT told us to use to get her on the right track. So far she is doing great. And the kids love the time we get to focus on her exercises. Because it's mostly a time to play with her. A visit with the doc showed a good growth and she's around the 50th percentile for both her height and weight for a baby with down syndrome. All in all, lots of good news.

Our Little Love Bug!

2010-02-11T20:56:00.001-08:00

Faith is growing healthy and strong. She is now a good 9 lbs. One of her new found talents has been cooing and smiling. She has many awake moments, whereas before she slept almost all the time. Having older siblings who love and adore her are her constant entertainment and she will quite often affix her eyes on them. The only thing she's battling right now is thrush (yeast infection in her mouth), but I have been treating it with some homeopathic medicine and it is slowly subsiding.

Everyone at our church has fallen in love with our little "love bug". I bought a new outfit for her that suits that saying. Thank you all for your prayers and support once again. She is an amazing little girl! Here's a sneak peak at that outfit:

She's so alert now!

Cheeks "R" Us

Her new Valentine's Day outfit

A little cuddle time with mama. I LOVE IT!

Yippee! Faith doesn't need open heart surgery!!!

2010-01-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all your prayers! Faith does not need open heart surgery!!!!! The hole closed on it's own. What remains are 2 holes that are normal in newborns, but usually closes around 3-4 weeks of age. Even if they were to remain open, when she is 3 yrs. old, they would only need to catheterize the holes to fix it and not have any open heart surgery at all. God is faithful.

The only other hurdle left is her hearing in the left ear. They did a newborn screening test for her hearing and her left ear failed it. So we need to go to Portland where they have better instruments to test her there. Please pray that her hearing is normal and that it won't affect her communication later on.

Love you all,

Gizelle

Eyes Opened

2009-12-28T19:07:00.001-08:00

Finally caught a picture of her with her eyes open

More pictures!

2009-12-28T19:03:00.001-08:00

Sleeping soundly at the hospital on day 1!

A cute close-up with her new blankie.

Time to go home :D

Swallowed up by her car seat. My pinky is her fav pacifier.

At home all cozy.

Faith is born! 6 lbs. 11 oz. & 19 in.

2009-12-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry this took so long to post. It took a while getting use to a newborn around the house once again as well as all the holiday busy-ness.

Faith was born on December 17th at 4am. It was an easy and absolutely smooth labor and delivery, Praise God! She was in my arms 4 hours after we got to the hospital! Vibrant and strong as ever. The doctors said her muscle tone was great and she now is nursing very well (with only a little difficulty the 3-4 days). They still here a slight heart murmur from the hole in her heart, but are still hoping to see it close on its own before her 1st month check up with her cardiologist. Only a bit of jaundice remains and is slowly subsiding. She is a very good baby and absolutely loves being held (which we all love doing anyway). All in all she has amazed us all! I often find myself just staring at her and pinching her chubby cheeks. God is SO good!

Thank you for all your prayers. He is and has held her in the palm of His hands.

Enjoy all the pictures!

Epidural is in place. What a helpful tool that is! See how happy I am.

Fresh from the womb!

All cleaned up. Our very own china doll.

Big brother and sisters finally meet her

A pro at being the big sis.

Another ultrasound... We're cleared for delivery!

2009-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

We got home safely from our trip to California visiting my side of the family. The following day the doctor had me get another ultrasound because she thought the baby was in a sideways position (transverse) and had to see if they needed to turn her before she delivered, but praise God she's in the vertical position, head down. :D She's measuring a little small, but everything else seems fine. As you can see in the picture she has cute chubby cheeks already. She was hiding behind the placenta and smiling. What a cutie she is! Also the Dr. cleared me to deliver anytime from here on out (already 37 weeks!). Preferably not this weekend while John is 4 hours away doing ministry up in Washington, but after that would be great!

We still covet your prayers for the hole in Faith's heart to completely close before she is born. This will really help her to nurse well and then physically develop faster.

Blessings, Gizelle

Prayers answered. Praise God!

2009-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for praying for the cholestasis issue. I got the lab results yesterday and they told me I only have a mild form of it. My liver enzymes are only a little higher than normal and I won't have to be constantly monitored. I just need to keep up with the medication the Dr. prescribed until little Faith is born. :D

Also, another answer to prayer... God provided us with a van last month. Through gifts from our family and friends we were able to purchase a pre-owned van in excellent condition. Now we can tote our whole family in the same vehicle when the baby arrives.

Throughout this pregnancy the Lord keeps reminding me of His constant faithfulness and provision in our lives. At times we do not understand the circumstances (or why we have to go through them), but then God reveals Himself to us in a more glorious way then had we not gone through those things. This is why we have named our little one "Faith Celeste" meaning Faith Divine. It is only from faith in knowing He will be who He always has been that we can have this heavenly peace... the kind that does surpass understanding.

Gizelle :D

Urgent Prayer Request: Cholestasis of Pregnancy

2009-11-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

So I went into the Dr. yesterday because I've been severely itching from head to toe (literally), even my palms, soles of my feet and even my eyes for the past couple of weeks. At first I thought it was an allergic reaction to taking different vitamins or immunity boosters, but after I stopped those it still kept happening. So much that I had lots of trouble sleeping and would be very fatigued during the day.

Anyway, they took a blood test to check on my liver because she thinks I might have this condition called Cholestasis of Pregnancy. It means that the bile salts from my liver are leaking out into my system and also into the baby's placenta which can be poisonous to her. The risks for me is pretty low (just itching and maybe Jaundice until I deliver the baby), but it is very high for the baby. There is a possibility of still birth, pre-term labor, or meconium poisoning - which means I would have to be induced early, maybe right after we get back from CA when I will be 36 weeks. The Dr. has already put me on meds to flush my liver out, but we won't know for sure if I have Cholestasis until the lab results get back in a couple of days.

All this to say --- Please pray!!!!

Pray that the results come back negative for cholestasis.

If it comes back positive:
- that I deliver at full term (37 - 39 weeks) so she will not have lots of problems when she's born.
- that the meds would clear out all the bile in my liver.
- that the poison would not get into the placenta
- And that my itching would stop or decrease.

God has done so many miraculous things already for our little Faith and I think this is just one more thing that we need to get through to prove how great our God is!

Love, Gizelle

30 week ultrasound

2009-10-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

Today was our 5th ultrasound and the good news is ---- I am clear to give birth at our local birthing center instead of an hour away! The hole in Faith's heart was still detected, but was no cause for concern to our pediatric cardiologist. Dr. King will check up on her heart after she is a month old to determine whether or not surgery is needed. We are still praying that the hole will close on it's own.

This was my first time having a 3D ultrasound and we loved it! It was such an amazing thing to see. It's crazy that at 2 lb. 3 oz. she can look so healthy. Faith's character is already beginning to show. Every time the ultrasound tech would put the wand on my belly, Faith would punch it back. She stuck out her tongue a couple times (as evidenced above), covered her face with her hands and then later on added her feet simultaneously. Either she didn't like getting an ultrasound or she is very playful. All in all she was so absolutely adorable. We are still in awe of God's great little gift to our lives.

Prayer Requests:

- Once again please keep in prayer the hole in her heart - for complete healing.

- When she is born she will be able to nurse well and gain weight. It is very difficult for babies with Down Syndrome to nurse because of the low muscle tone in their mouths and they tend to sleep through feedings which leads to weight loss. Heart issues also make it difficult to breath well while nursing.

- No one in our family gets the swine flu. Currently one of the kids in Justice's school has it. Pregnant women and young children are most susceptible to getting it if exposed.

Thank you all again, Gizelle

27 weeks and growing!

2009-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

27 weeks along now and am feeling it!

Answer to prayer:

Praise God my insurance now covers chiropractic care. Definitely an answer to everyone's prayers :D My visits to the chiropractor have decreased my sciatic pain as well as my migraines.

Prayer requests:

Next ultrasound is scheduled for Oct. 15th and we are praying for a complete closure of the small hole that is in Faith's heart. Another needful prayer request is for a van to tote all 4 kids. Our little faithful 5 seater won't cut it anymore. So... we must take the plunge into the mini van kingdom.

Praise:

A good friend has offered to host a baby shower for us, which will be held on Oct. 24th at our church. Even though I have 2 other girls, I gave away all our baby items when we moved away for missions. Thus, we are very grateful for this added blessing. Thanks Amanda!

Praise God!

2009-08-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry this update is 2 weeks overdue. We just recently returned from our Youth Group's annual Bike Trip from the San Juan Islands where I cooked for 75 people for 8 days. Fun times.

2 days before we left for this trip we had another ultrasound. This time a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. King, was present to view the echocardiogram on Faith's heart. We also had a very experienced ultrasound tech who had been doing this job for 25 years. Prior to Dr. King's arrival the ultrasound tech took pictures of all of Faith's major organs (brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, etc.). As he was viewing all her organs he was a bit puzzled to see no major defects in any of the organs. "I see no defects that are common to babies with Down Syndrome," were his exact words. There were no signs of fluid in her lungs or under her skin. He also said that she is growing at a good rate for a baby with DS. PRAISE GOD!

The one thing the cardiologist saw was a very small hole in her heart. Normally these holes either heal themselves in the womb or a few months after birth. If it still were present beyond that, it would be very operable and wouldn't affect her for the rest of her life! In a couple of months (Oct. 15th) I am due back for another ultrasound to check up on the hole and see if it has healed. If so, I may be able to deliver at our McMinnville hospital (only 5 minutes from where we live)!

Before this news John and I prepared ourselves to hear of major defects, lots of surgeries and so on. It was more than we had hoped for. Thank you all once again for your prayers. We know that God is listening and is making a miracle of this. Someone to glorify Himself by.

Prayer Requests:

- The hole in Faith's heart would completely close and that they would see that in the next ultrasound (Oct. 15th). Then I'd be able to deliver close to home.

- Continued strength for John and I. John's ministry is the busiest and most fruitful in the summer and he has not had much time for rest. With that I have little breaks from my duties with the kids and taking care of our home. So, I get tired very easily.

- My sciatica flare ups and constant headaches. When I have sciatica it can be very difficult to walk. In my last trimester I end up using a cane. It would be nice to not have to use it this time. I've never had constant headaches during any of my pregnancies, so this is a first for me. They get to the point where it is hard for me to even be awake and the only way to relieve myself from them is to sleep, which can be very difficult to do with 3 little kids running around.

Blessings to you all, Gizelle and John

Baby Movement

2009-07-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

This week I finally felt the baby move. Very light cute little kicks. I know it's normal for pregnancy, but it was so reassuring. :D

Good News!

2009-07-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for your prayers. The Lord is definitely answering them. Today was my first visit to St. Vincent's hospital and it was a very good experience. I am so glad we decided to transfer care to this facility. Not only were they helpful, but also very hopeful.

The ultrasound went very well. Our new Dr. (David Able - good name) was very supportive. He said that from what he saw he could not see fluid in the baby's lungs, but said that it could also return later on. It's interesting because they kept on mentioning that the baby was still too small to diagnose exactly how she's doing and whether or not any fluid is affecting her (whereas at OHSU they made it seem so certain from their findings). She is growing at a normal rate for a DS baby (a little shortie, but that's normal for my kids) and is very, very active. As we watched the monitor she moved all over the place (it's good she's still small). There could possibly be no heart defect at all, or at least a minor one. But we will not know for sure until August 6th (my next ultrasound with the pediatric cardiologist="baby heart doctor"). By then the baby would be at a stage where the Dr. could see definite heart defects and whether or not the baby needed surgery once delivered. If no heart defects are found I could actually return to my original doctor in town and possibly deliver at the birthing center that is closer to home. To top it all off the risk of miscarriage is lowering the farther along I carry the baby :D

What a difference between the 2 hospitals! The environment, the doctors, the outlook on the baby's life and condition - it was like night and day. God is so GOOD!

A special thank you to my good friend Erin Timm who drove me to the hospital and kept me company while John stayed back to oversee VBS for our church.

First update on our newest addition - Faith Celeste Marr

2009-06-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

John and I are blessed to have another little one in the family. I am now 14 weeks pregnant with another baby girl. Along with this great news is also a huge prayer request. Our precious little one has Down Syndrome (DS). I know that many of you will have lots of questions, so we have created this blog to help everyone understand what has been going on and everything that has led up to now.

We had been trying to conceive since last September. I then got pregnant and soon miscarried after 6 weeks in January. Then finally in April we got the best news (via 2 lines on a pregnancy stick). We had decided to keep things quiet about the baby until I was 3 months and had a lower risk for miscarriage.

I had my first prenatal visit at 9 weeks and no heart beat was found with the normal doplar, so I was given an early ultrasound (which the picture above was taken at). Through that ultrasound we were advised to go to OHSU to get a second opinion as they saw extra fluid in the nuchal sac behind the neck which is indicative of chromosomal abnormalities and/or congenital heart problems.

The OHSU ultrasound was not as we hoped. Not only was the nuchal sac enlarged but the baby also has fluid in her lungs and under her skin. The doctor was very concerned for the baby's health and she said it seems as if the baby is undergoing heart failure because of all these signs at such an early stage. She believed the baby to have even a more serious birth defect than DS (ie Trisomy 13 or 18). Also that I am very likely to have a miscarriage at any time during the pregnancy and there is no chance that the baby would survive more than a year if I went to full term. So immediately she offered to terminate the baby. Of course, we declined and would never have come to that conclusion. We then asked to take further diagnostic testing to see exactly what type of birth defect she has. They called us with results in 2 days and told us that she has Down Syndrome, but nothing more severe. Praise God!

Although her birth defects aren't as severe as we had thought, the baby is still at risk. I may still miscarry or have a still birth. She might be having heart failure. But we have hope and are looking into a third opinion (one with a more pro-life view and approach). So we have decided to transfer care to St. Vincent's hospital. I am scheduled for another ultrasound on July 6th and we are praying that her health has improved. After that they will do an echocardiogram on the baby's heart to see how serious her condition is.

All this to say, we covet all your prayers. Please pray for the baby's health and that she comes to full term. Also that she would be high functioning once born and has a good quality of life. Please also pray for our family, peace and strength. We know without a doubt that God is in full control and has given us this precious baby. And we trust that He has her in His hands. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and for all your support.

Blessings, Gizelle