Big week this week for the Vedra Family. We would sure appreciate some prayers.
We are supposed to close on both houses this evening. We found out late last week that there are delays in the bank appraisal on our new house so we might not be able to close today. That could cause delays in moving, when we've already ordered the truck, made plans etc. Please pray that we hear soon that we WILL be able to close tonight!
Ellie is really sick with a fever and diarrhea. She has been lethargic since Friday (pretty much sleeping since then). I was hoping she would wake up better this morning, but she is still really warm and weak and out of it.
Thursday I have a high risk ultrasound. It was around this time in my pregnancy with Ellie that I started to measure large and carry extra fluid. We are going to check fluid levels on Thursday, which could be a clue to the health of this baby.
We are supposed to move on Friday and Saturday. Please pray we get to and that it goes smoothly!
Thanks for your support! I will keep you updated on the status of these things :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Family gathering
A couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to get together with my brother Jeff and his family. We had not seen them for several weeks while they adjusted to life as a family of six and the new kids from Ethiopia had a chance to adjust. It was a gorgeous day and the kids had so much fun playing outside!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Meijer Gardens
Here are the boys with their friend Gabe at Frederik Meijer Gardens on a recent trip. Check out all the turtles in the water!
Monday, May 11, 2009
New House
Whenever we thought about finding a new house that would work for Ellie and our family, my dreams always involved elaborate schemes, like Extreme Home Makeover or winning the sweepstakes. Instead, God often answers our prayers through normal means, like low interest rates, generous family members, and just the right house at the right time.
With thanksgiving to God, we wanted to tell you that we found a house! We signed the agreement late last week and hope to move the first week of June. The house is really great for us: good location, a ranch with open design, 4 bedrooms, finished basement, a nice big backyard, an extra garage, large bathrooms. We really think this house will work for our family for a long time.
Everything has just gone so smoothly: selling our house quickly, finding a new house, and plans to close on the same day and move directly from our house to the new one. All to be completed before the new baby comes!
Thank you for your prayers. We will keep you updated as moving plans are solidified.
Praise God for his blessings and goodness to us!
With thanksgiving to God, we wanted to tell you that we found a house! We signed the agreement late last week and hope to move the first week of June. The house is really great for us: good location, a ranch with open design, 4 bedrooms, finished basement, a nice big backyard, an extra garage, large bathrooms. We really think this house will work for our family for a long time.
Everything has just gone so smoothly: selling our house quickly, finding a new house, and plans to close on the same day and move directly from our house to the new one. All to be completed before the new baby comes!
Thank you for your prayers. We will keep you updated as moving plans are solidified.
Praise God for his blessings and goodness to us!
Friday, April 24, 2009
SOLD!
We still can not believe it, but our house sold in a little less than 5 weeks. Today we found out that it passed inspection and is officially sold! God is good and obviously has a plan, because we could not even dream of things moving so quickly and smoothly. Now, we need to find a house! The buyers hope to close on our house by June 1, so we will be out of this house in a little over a month. I really hope the new family loves this house as much as we have :)
We are looking at ranch-style houses in the Wyoming/Grandville area. It seems like the ideal location to us, as it is near our church, the homeschool building, a new developmental center that will be Ellie's school, as well as being near my parents and other friends. We are looking for a house that has room for our growing family, as well as the option to modify for Ellie's needs (ramping and bathroom). Yeah, it sounds exciting to you, but when you know you will be homeless in a month, it is a little nerve-wracking! But so far God has shown us He is in control and has a good and loving plan for our family.
In other news, Ellie went into the hospital this week to have a spinal tap. They took her spinal fluid to test for neurotransmitters and also for a few disorders that show up that way. Some of those disorders are somewhat treatable, so we wanted to rule them out. It actually was not as bad as it sounds. We were really nervous about the procedure, but they ended up doing it without sedation and it took like 15 minutes tops. Ellie had no discomfort after it. So all in all a good experience.
So, we have been super busy with the house and the continuing care for Ellie. Time is just flying by! I am like 22 or 23 weeks pregnant now. Things are going really well. The baby is moving quite a bit and I am always reassured to feel the kicks. I feel fine and am enjoying the changes that pregnancy brings. The boys are excited to move, mostly because all the toys I packed away in the garage will be out and played with once more. But really, they don't seem to be concerned about the moving at all.
We have felt the loving and supportive arms of God through these busy times. He has a plan and we rest in that. Thanks for your continued prayers and we will keep you updated on the house-hunt and eventual moving!
We are looking at ranch-style houses in the Wyoming/Grandville area. It seems like the ideal location to us, as it is near our church, the homeschool building, a new developmental center that will be Ellie's school, as well as being near my parents and other friends. We are looking for a house that has room for our growing family, as well as the option to modify for Ellie's needs (ramping and bathroom). Yeah, it sounds exciting to you, but when you know you will be homeless in a month, it is a little nerve-wracking! But so far God has shown us He is in control and has a good and loving plan for our family.
In other news, Ellie went into the hospital this week to have a spinal tap. They took her spinal fluid to test for neurotransmitters and also for a few disorders that show up that way. Some of those disorders are somewhat treatable, so we wanted to rule them out. It actually was not as bad as it sounds. We were really nervous about the procedure, but they ended up doing it without sedation and it took like 15 minutes tops. Ellie had no discomfort after it. So all in all a good experience.
So, we have been super busy with the house and the continuing care for Ellie. Time is just flying by! I am like 22 or 23 weeks pregnant now. Things are going really well. The baby is moving quite a bit and I am always reassured to feel the kicks. I feel fine and am enjoying the changes that pregnancy brings. The boys are excited to move, mostly because all the toys I packed away in the garage will be out and played with once more. But really, they don't seem to be concerned about the moving at all.
We have felt the loving and supportive arms of God through these busy times. He has a plan and we rest in that. Thanks for your continued prayers and we will keep you updated on the house-hunt and eventual moving!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Baby Update
Today we had the excitement of going in for a detailed ultrasound of the new baby. It was confirmed that we have another GIRL entering our family :)
The ultrasound went really well. Baby girl looks really healthy so far! The doctor seems really optimistic that the baby does not have the same symptoms as Eleanor. He thinks at this point the risk for the baby is really low.
She was moving a round quite a bit and we saw the mouth open and close a couple of times. We also saw her stomach which showed she has been swallowing. That was the most exciting part for me and Adam. We also saw the ankles which look really normal, as opposed to Ellie's "foot drop" which requires her to wear special foot braces.
The only thing to report was a very slight enlargement near her kidneys but it could be a result of an underdeveloped ureter system or something like that that a lot of babies have at this gestation. Doc was not too concerned, and I'm thinking it is one of those things that make people worry that really don't mean anything. We will pray for that issue to resolve.
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouraging comments so far. It really feels great to have the support of our family and friends. We put our trust in the Lord and in his goodness. We are so happy for the gift of another baby girl. We will keep updating as we learn more :)
The ultrasound went really well. Baby girl looks really healthy so far! The doctor seems really optimistic that the baby does not have the same symptoms as Eleanor. He thinks at this point the risk for the baby is really low.
She was moving a round quite a bit and we saw the mouth open and close a couple of times. We also saw her stomach which showed she has been swallowing. That was the most exciting part for me and Adam. We also saw the ankles which look really normal, as opposed to Ellie's "foot drop" which requires her to wear special foot braces.
The only thing to report was a very slight enlargement near her kidneys but it could be a result of an underdeveloped ureter system or something like that that a lot of babies have at this gestation. Doc was not too concerned, and I'm thinking it is one of those things that make people worry that really don't mean anything. We will pray for that issue to resolve.
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouraging comments so far. It really feels great to have the support of our family and friends. We put our trust in the Lord and in his goodness. We are so happy for the gift of another baby girl. We will keep updating as we learn more :)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
More News
Ellie News
We have received all the results from Ellie's recent testing. All negative-Surprise, surprise :) We also got her MRI results which showed that yes, she still has white matter loss, but no, it is not getting progressively worse. It was not a surprise to me or Adam, as we know she is not getting worse, but I think it will be a good piece of information for the doctors. We go to the neurologist next week to go over all the results in detail and make a plan from here.
Ellie also had her first visit to Genetics. They really should have been following her from the beginning, but alas, some things fall through the cracks. We really did not learn anything new at this appointment, but we now have another smart doctor following Ellie's case. The Geneticist has already contacted various colleagues around the US to see if they have any ideas about Ellie's diagnosis. We'll let you know if anyone comes up with anything.
Ellie had a cold the last couple of weeks, and we are very happy to report that she kicked it without any additional meds or even a visit to the doctor! She handled this cold very well and it brings hope to us that she will be able to continue to do that in the future. Yay!
The House
The house is now listed for sale! It was a lot of work getting it ready, but it was very satisfying to see the end product. You can see the listing here. Let us know if you know anyone who may be interested ;)
Other news
In other news, our family is expecting a new addition at the end of August! We are all very excited, but of course a little nervous as well. I am being followed closely by a team of doctors, but we are not sure they will be able to tell us anything, as Ellie's condition is not really detectable by testing. We trust in our good God and in his providence. We know that he has a plan for our lives, one that is for his glory and for our good, no matter the health of this new baby. Please pray for our peace and for this unborn baby.
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