Still a tad buggy, but it lives!


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Okay, I know I've been scant on the details regarding Crystal, so here is some more info. I'm not going into gory detail. You can look up some of this stuff on Wikipedia if you want.

For those of you who want more info about why Crystal is hospitalized, it comes down to 3 conditions.

1. Partial Placenta Previa.
2. Vasa Previa.
3. Succenturiate Placental Lobe.

None of these are an immediate threat, but they each carry their own risks. The partial placenta previa would put Crystal on bed-rest, but the succenturiate-lobe and the vasa previa require continual monitoring. Only 1:3000 deliveries have the succenturiate, but the mortality rate of those pregancies is between 50-90%. Couple this with the fact that 95% of vasa previa cases are discovered post mortem, and you can understand the concern.

The fact is, though, that Crystal is healthy; as is Caroline. Because these conditions were caught early enough, Caroline's chances have improved exponentially. Crystal has been taking her hospital stay very well, and her attitude is that she'll do whatever it takes to deliver a healthy daughter. Her spirits are high, and she's a favorite patient among the nurses on her floor. She has been quite the inspiration to me!

Crystal is getting some out-of-bed privileges. She has a Wednesday morning support group she can attend off-monitor, and she can sit in the "daddy room" with monitoring (where she can play some XBox games). She just has to keep pressure off her abdomen. She can also have visitors, and she is under no dietary restrictions. Best case scenario will be her staying until mid-April, but Caroline can come – literally – at any second.

That's really it for now. If anything changes, I'll let you know. Until then, updates would be something like: "Crystal stayed in bed today. Watched cake shows. Checked out Facebook. Baby got hiccups," and little else. It's a waiting game, but it's a small price to pay for the wonder of having our first daughter together.

This past Wednesday is commonly referred to as Ash Wednesday, which begins the observation of Lent – a time of fasting and prayer leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Christians demonstrate solidarity with Christ by sacrificing something of import to them, but, in the modern day, these sacrifices have become trivial – giving up television, chocolate, video games, or other such conveniences. What do we do to be one with our God? Around the world, various faiths have different rites and ceremonies – some painful and dangerous – to show their commitment to their god or gods. What is God looking for in our devotion to Him and the way we demonstrate that devotion?

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My sermon from last Sunday:

Lately, we’ve been revisiting the Old Testament in our Bible classes, and we understand that, while we are no longer bound to that law, studying the triumphs and failings of God’s people can benefit our own spiritual growth. As Paul writes in Romans 15:4: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

I want to take some time in this lesson to look at a few individuals from the Old and New Testaments. What will we see in them? Will we see characters to judge and condemn, or will we see reflections of ourselves – the same faults, the same misplaced priorities, the same desires, the same misdirection, and the same stumbles we all share? If we can see ourselves in them, then we will be able to see our reflections in one another and handle the sins in our lives and others all the better. Read More…