While We Wait

It's offficial, at least mostly official.  Baby Hawk will arrive via c-section on August 23rd at 38 weeks.  After my most recent scan and ob/gyn appointment the decision was made to wait an extra week to ensure lung development.  I go in for an amniocentisis at 11:00 AM on the 23rd, and was told to have my bags packed and to be ready for delivery.  The amnio is one more safety net to make sure that she is as ready for delivery as possible.  We are so excited to meet our little lady and enjoyed watching her rub her eyes and kick the ultrasound tech during the scan. 

Many people have asked me why our doctors are waiting to deliver.  At one point there was talk of delivering as early as 35 weeks.  The tricky part of dealing with hydrocephalus is weighing the pressure on the brain versus the regular development of a baby.  Since our baby will be having brain surgery shortly after birth (anywhere from a few days to a week), it is important that she is as developed and ready to fight as possible.

So, now we wait!  Here are some snippets of life while waiting for Baby Hawk:

We celebrated Joey's 32nd birthday with friends . . .

and cupcakes. . .

and a piñata that ended up on fire. . . 

and friends that hold flaming pinatas for the birthday boy to hit.

I had a baby shower.

Yes, that is a box of mayonnaise, and yes, I am so excited about it.  If you are from the south or have lived  there, you have most likely experienced the wonderful condiment that is Duke's mayonnaise.  I hate mayonnaise, but I love Duke's!  I received this thoughtful gift from friends in Virginia.

We also had a visit from some of our very best friends from Central Asia/Switzerland (we lived with them in K-town).

It was so fantastic to have them with us, even though it was only for a short visit.  But we've learned that with friends all over the world, it's important to take any moment you can get!  I should also point out that all of these pictures are from one giant weekend of parties and celebrations.

We capped off this full weekend with a Sounders game

Baby Girl is a fan already!  She kicked the whole game!

I don't think that this post would be complete without mentioning that while we celebrate birthdays, visiting friends, and upcoming BIRTH days; we are also mourning and processing through the loss of friends and colleagues in Central Asia.  We were thankful to have our friends from that part of the world with us when we all received the news of the tragic loss of a medical team in Afghanistan.  As I've talked to other friends that are back in the states working through this news, a common conversation has been how difficult it is to grieve with our community while being away from that community.  Transitioning back to life over here has been difficult and ongoing; we really miss life over there.  And as we sit in the comfort of our little apartment over here, we grieve with our loved ones over there and all over the world.  I can't think of words to express this type of emotion.  As Joey said, people have been trying to put words to grief and loss for thousands of years and nothing is quite adequate.  Senseless tragedy is always senseless and tragic. . . In light of God's sovereignty, we mourn the loss of friends that were great storytellers, exceptional volleyball players, selfless givers, and fun to have at poker nights.

And to make this post even more full of news, my younger sister had her baby yesterday afternoon.  Padraig Gordon Brooks was born via c-section at 2:32 PM, 7lbs 10 oz.  He's one cute little guy and we are all so in love with him already.