Surgery: a week later

It has been one week since my surgery. And what a week it has been. There have been many wonderful moments and of course some not so good moments. Here is what I know for sure, God is still good and He is my healer! I praise Him for all the blessings He has given this past week and even praise Him for the hard times. I know He has given me strength to get through this and is using the hard times to prune me and draw me closer to Himself. Glory to Him and Him alone!

I have so much to be thankful for! Instead of sharing the not so good moments I will follow my positivity strength and share the blessings! It is more interesting anyway! :) It is easier for me to make a list so bear with me, my bullet points and descriptions.

*Successful Surgery:God used Dr. Tate to successfully remove the cyst from my body (and unfortunately my left ovary too). It ended up being the largest cyst she has seen in a pregnant woman and was very glad to get it out.
*Went home same day as surgery:Dr. Tate said that the surgery went so well that she really believed that Baby Lee and I were ready to go home. So I recovered for awhile on the Labor and Delivery floor and then went home on Thursday evening. Praise the Lord!
*Incredible Nurses and Hospital Staff:God truly blessed me with such caring and kind nurses and staff on my very first hospital stay. From the first person we talked to in Surgery Admissions (Jemna, who had Dr. Tate do the same surgery on her) to the nurse who cared for me in Labor and Delivery (Irena, a hilarious Polish woman) God took incredible care of me through these precious people!
*Absolute peace through pre-op:I cried on the drive to the hospital on Thursday morning (as i read an amazing email FULL of scripture from my best friend Kelly) but once I got into the hospital and went through changing into the "gown", getting my first IV, meeting my anesthesiologist and OR nurse, waiting for surgery time, saying "see you later" and kissing my wonderful husband, seeing the operating room (it was so bright in there) and then finally "falling" asleep, I didn't feel scared or nervous. Your prayers were answered-I had absolute peace!
*Hearing Baby Lee's heartbeat:it was the first thing I asked about when I woke up in recovery. I will never forget that moment even though I probably wasn't all there. Irena was by my side, already checking to see if I was having any contractions and found our precious baby's heartbeat. I was so relieved and happy that I started crying and hyperventilating. The nurses had to calm me down. It was one of the most beautiful moments for me. Later in the day, my Mom and Grandma got to hear it for the first time. That was another beautiful moment for me, seeing my Mom's ear to ear smile!
*Having Mom and Grandma here:I cannot explain in enough words how much it meant to both Ryan and me to have them here! They were a great support to Ryan when I was in surgery. And they hardly sat down, constantly serving us by doing laundry, making meals and cookies (YES, I got my chocolate chip cookies), helping me get up and lay back down, grocery shopping, helping me walk, giving Ryan a break and making me laugh even when it hurt! Here is a pic of the 4 of us(Baby Lee was included too) the night before surgery.
**side note: isn't my Grandma Peterson gorgeous? she turned 85 on Monday August 23. She doesn't look a day over 55! I love these women so very much! I hope I take after them as I age!

Back to the blessings:
*Phone calls, emails, text messages, meals, cards and gifts: So many of you have called, emailed, texted, brought a meal, sent cards and gifts and come by to visit. This has meant so much to us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
*Healing: it has been slower than I had hoped but God is healing me everyday! I am slowly going off my pain medication and sleeping better at night. Continue to pray for complete healing and restoration so that I can get back to my full, fun schedule. To be honest, it has been difficult to rest. I know I need it and I know that when Baby Lee comes I will be begging for rest. But right now, I feel that I have so much to do and not enough strength or energy yet to do it.
*Ryan, the love of my life: with me incapable of doing a lot of things on my own, he has graciously and lovingly helped me with EVERYTHING this past week! I thank God so much for him and his unconditional love for me! He has been my greatest support and I have fallen deeper in love with him through this experience!

Let me say this again, we so appreciate your prayers! God has answered in amazing ways and we praise Him! Thank you for your love and support! It has truly carried us through some hard times. We love you!

One final thing: My next doctor appointment is on Thursday Sept 2. We are praying for a clean bill of health! I am ready to be on the Tabor campus the following week!

15 Weeks and Upcoming Surgery

The best part of having a high-risk pregnancy is getting to see our baby so often! It is truly a blessing from God to see how our baby is changing, growing and moving. And I LOVE hearing the heartbeat! What a gift God has given us! We know this baby ultimately belongs to Him so I will continue to dedicate our baby daily to Him and His care!

We had another ultrasound today to check on the status of the cyst. I went in with such hope that it would be gone, that God would have chosen me to take the cyst from my body through His supernatural healing. My faith has grown so much in the past month, learning more about Jesus as the Healer in the Word and God as my Healer now. God has also given me such peace and comfort, constantly surrounding me with His love! He has used so many of you to bring encouragement and hope! Thank you for praying in faith with us! We hope your faith has grown during this time too!

Unfortunately, the cyst was still on my left ovary. The good news is, it did not grow. Dr. Tate said today that she is so happy that it didn't grow because she was worried that it would in between ultrasounds. Praise the Lord! Even when I heard the news, I felt peace! Ryan and I, along with so many of you, have been praying for God's miraculous healing and I know He can still give that through surgery. I know that God has chosen this road for me. Am I super excited? Not really. Am I still afraid? Yes. But do I still believe that God is in control and that we can trust Him? Absolutely!

Surgery it is. This Thursday, August 19, 9:00a.m. mountain time. My surgery is about 3 hours long so I should be out around noon. Dr. Tate will keep me overnight to make sure Baby Lee and I are okay. She said that if I wasn't pregnant she would send me home, so I am thankful that she wants to take extra care of us! Ryan will stay the night with us at the hospital. I already told him that I wanted to eat chocolate chip cookie dough when I get out of surgery. :)

Here are the prayer requests we are asking you to lift up:
*peace, comfort and hope
*good sleep the night before the surgery
*peace for Ryan, my Mom and Grandma Peterson as they wait for me to come out of surgery
*Dr. Tate-that God would guide her already gifted hands
*Baby Lee-that he/she would be protected during surgery and after
*quick recovery
*opportunities to share with others what God has been doing
*Tabor Admissions team and my prospective students (I won't be there to welcome them on Wednesday and Friday)
*that God would be glorified through this experience and His kingdom expanded

Thank you again for your love, your prayers and your encouragement! I promise to write again after surgery when I am on the couch healing! :)

Healer by Hillsong

As I was listening to Pandora (online radio) today God brought this song to minister to my heart! Isn't it amazing how God knows what we need? He is constantly ministering to my heart these days....

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Simple, yet so profound. Touched my heart to the inner core. These words are so true and I am clinging to them for hope, peace and comfort today and in the days ahead! You are my Healer, Father God!

14 Weeks

I can't help it. Every time I go into Target or Wal-mart, I have to look at the baby things. Ryan is very patient and I think loves doing it too! We haven't registered for anything yet but we LOVE to look and dream! Since we aren't finding out the sex of our baby, it is difficult to find neutrals that I like. Ryan has no problem with yellow and green but I prefer primary or bright colors. We haven't figured out what theme we want yet either. Good thing we have about 5 more months ahead of us! We haven't been to Babies R Us yet but let me tell you, I can't wait!!! Wall to wall baby stuff!! What gets better than that when you are expecting your first child?

I have got to show you some adorable things we have already gotten. We are trying REALLY hard not to buy anything yet. But I had a gift card to Target so I thought it would be perfect to use on buying our baby it's first few things.
Do you see those red tags? That means I even got them on clearance! That is my kind of shopping! Burp cloths and bibs-must haves! I also got a Boppy cover (also on sale). I don't own a Boppy but I sure hope to! I have heard great things about them and am excited to try it out! And of course our baby has to have some Tabor blue. I just couldn't resist this when I was in the Tabor bookstore when we first found out we were expecting and it was still a secret to the world.
Some family and friends have showered us with gifts too. We are so blessed! Below are some gifts from my Mom and Sister; our baby's first Bible, and his/her first bib (it says Thank Heaven for Little Ones), and a gift for Ryan (my Mom said she didn't want Ryan to feel left out) a picture frame that says "I love my Dad." Thank you Mom and Sister for blessing us!
And our friend Jennie Cabrera came over the other day to bring me and Baby Lee some gifts. She gave me Hot Tamales (she says they are good for upset stomach), A&W Rootbeer and Reece's peanut butter cups....YUMMY! And this is what she brought Baby Lee. Absolutely adorable huh? Thank you Jennie for blessing us!

Surgery Date Set: Thursday August 19 9:00a.m.

Ryan, Baby Lee and I want to thank you for your prayers this past week. As I mentioned in a previous post, God has been doing such amazing things in us and through many of you! We simply would not be in this place today without your words of encouragement and your prayers! Thank you, really from the bottom of our hearts, for loving us and supporting us! We are truly blessed!

We met again with my doctor on Tuesday and have set a date for the laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst that is on my ovary. Thursday August 19 fits right between weeks 14-16 of my pregnancy which is the safest time to have this surgery. She went over the risks again with us but this time we felt so much peace and comfort which we know only comes from our Great God! The surgery is at 9:0oa.m at the Medical Center of Aurora. Please join us as we lift up the following things in prayer:

*healing before surgery even starts! As you know, we are praying in FAITH that God would heal this cyst before my surgery date. We believe He is the Great Physician and can perform a miracle if that is His will
*my last ultrasound is on Monday August 16, pray that the doctors CANNOT find the cyst
*peace of heart and comfort if surgery is in God's plan
*good sleep the night before the surgery
*peace for Ryan and my Mom as they wait for me to come out of surgery
*Dr. Tate-that God would guide her already gifted hands
*Baby Lee-that he/she would be protected during surgery and after
*quick recovery
*opportunities to share with others what God has been doing
*Tabor Admissions team and my prospective students: this August date means that I will not be able to welcome my new freshmen and transfer students to their fall semester. this is very disappointing to me
*that God would be glorified through this experience and His kingdom expanded

Ryan, Baby Lee and I love each of you! We thank God for you and the impact you have had on our lives! We are excited to see God continue to work; healing before surgery, protection during surgery, healing after surgery, problem-free pregnancy and the birth of a precious baby! Above all, we know that He is in control and we trust Him!

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Secret Revealed

As you may know by my previous blog entries, we took our first pregnancy test at the end of May. We decided to reveal our secret to our families at 7 weeks! I really wanted to tell our families in a creative way so Ryan and I brainstormed for awhile before we finally settled on two different ideas. We told my family first.

I headed to Kansas the weekend of Father's Day (i would be spending that week on Tabor's campus). I stayed overnight with my Mom on Friday night in Salina. She knew we had been trying for a baby so of course she asked if I was pregnant. And I lied straight to her face. (forgive me Mom). I had it all planned out when I would tell her, my sister and Dad and really wanted to wait for that. I attended Dallas and Megan Pruitt's wedding the next day (Saturday) and planned to tell my family that evening. I had asked my Dad to come to my sister's house to celebrate Father's Day with an ice cream cake. Dairy Queen ice cream cake has always been a favorite in my family, I think my Dad was more excited to eat that than to see me. ;)

My mom waited in the car (per my request) when I ran in to get the ice cream cake. I had them put it in a paper bag so no one could see it. We went to my sister's house, talked about life (i think my sister asked me if was pregnant too, sorry I lied Ang) all the while me feeling more and more nervous. Looking back, I don't know why I was nervous, I knew they would be excited, I guess I just wanted it all to be perfect.

Finally, I called everyone into the kitchen to dive into our cake. Dad did the honors while Mom and Angela went talking in another part of the kitchen. I wanted them all gathered around the table but I thought it would be a bit obvious to draw attention to that. So I stood by the table while Dad tore back the paper sack. Here is what he found:
He looked up at me with big eyes and said "Who's pregnant?" I raised my hand, smiled and then pointed to Mom and Angela and asked him to bring them to the table. They came, stared at the cake for a few minutes and started screaming. Here is what I saw:
I just love this picture! I do wish I was holding the camera horizontally so I could have captured my whole Dad and Sister's face but I am thankful nonetheless. The rest of the evening was filled with questions, giggles and lots of hugs! It was truly one of the best memories I will ever have with my family! The only thing missing was my wonderful husband. My family called him shortly after the secret was revealed to wish him a Happy Father's Day. Such a special time in my life!
My Mom hasn't stopped smiling! In the weeks to follow, she asked me every time we talked if she could tell this person or that person. I hated telling her no, I was having a hard time myself keeping it a secret. But Ryan and I really wanted to wait until we were close to the 2nd trimester to tell the world. I did allow my Mom to tell some other family members just so she wouldn't explode. It is incredible to speak so freely of our baby now! Thank you God for getting us this far, we trust You for the future months!

So how did we tell Ryan's family? We thought they were coming to visit us the weekend before Father's Day so we planned to tell them in person. However, a change in their plans challenged us to be creative once again. We didn't want to just tell them over the phone so we decided to send them a onesie in the mail. Ryan bought it (i was in KS for my job) and put it inside a card we sent to his Dad for Father's Day. Special instructions said to open it with his Mom. The card read: "You won't be the only one celebrating Father's Day next year. We have news. Call us!" I didn't think I would be home when they called but God worked it out that I had come back from KS just in time. It was so fun to hear their excitement over the phone! And get this, Ryan even bought a long-sleeved onesie-perfect since we are going to have a winter baby. If you asked him, he would say it was by accident but I don't believe in accidents, I believe in a God who has a purpose for everything!

On the Receiving End

First, I want to begin by saying we have been so encouraged in these past few days by the body of Christ! We know you all are praying, we have felt it! We are resting in God's presence, finding peace in Him and thanking Him for all of you! Thank you to those who have emailed me or facebooked me sharing stories of your own road with laparoscopic surgery. They have reminded me that I am not alone! Thank you to those who have emailed or facebooked me Bible verses and prayers. They have reminded me that our God has given so many promises and that He will take care of me and this child! Thank you to those who have called to ask how we are doing and to just tell us that you are praying! It reminds me of how alive our God is to move your heart to call, if even for just a few minutes. We have been reminded everyday, because of each of you, how vital every member of the body of Christ is! Thank you for carrying us through this scary, uncertain time!

In my quiet time today, God blessed me with a story about how vital friends who believe in His power to heal are! I was so moved by this story that I wanted to share some of it with you.
Scripture: Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:18-26 (Too long to type so grab your bible now and read)
Many things jumped out and spoke to me through these two versions of the same story:
*Jesus was sought out!
*These friends had faith that Jesus would save their friend and were willing to do ANYTHING to get him to Jesus.
*Jesus healed; spiritually first and then physically!
*Jesus revealed His power-so all could see!
*Everyone was amazed and they praised God! They said "We have never seen anything like this!" and "We have seen remarkable things today!"

To be honest, the part that spoke to me the most, that moved me to tears, is the last part of both of these stories. God healed this man spiritually yes, but also physically. These people immediately saw that he could stand and walk. Maybe this newly healed man spoke about his spiritual healing, the Bible doesn't record that. But the crowd didn't need this man to talk about his physically healing. They saw it and praised God! They spoke of His power! That is what I am praying through this situation that we are currently facing.

Ryan and I are praying and I ask all of you to join us, that God will heal me! As I have shared with you already, we believe that God is the Great Physician! We believe that just as He healed this man in the Bible that He can heal me! He has already healed me spiritually by giving me His Son Jesus and offering me eternal life. The best decision I ever made (marrying you Ryan is 2nd) was confessing my sins and asking Jesus to forgive me and be my Savior!

Now I am asking for physical healing. It is the desire of my heart to shout to the world that God and GOD ALONE, has healed my body of this cyst. It is my desire that EVERYONE will praise God for His healing! And if He chooses to heal me through surgery, I will still shout to the world my praise of God's healing! I believe there is power in prayer!