January 27, 2011

i am resting. we are waiting. it will be 24-48 hours before we get preliminary results from the CVS. those findings will tell us if the baby has: downs, trisomy, trisomy 21 or turners. the rest of the results wont come for 7-10 days.

now, the preliminary results might only test for 4 syndromes, but those 4 syndromes equate to 80% of all chromosomal problems.

1130am
my phone rings. it's sandy, the genetic counselor. she starts with: "i have great news!" the preliminary results are all negative! that is fantastic. she asks if we'd like to know the gender...heck yah! i put her on speakerphone. she tells us that we are having a baby GIRL! we both tear up. ask her a few more questions. hang up. then, embrace for what felt like 10 minutes. we were excited for the "good" news and even more excited about the idea of having a girl. and, a bonus, we already knew her name: Estella Ray.

from this moment on, we could send good thoughts to estella. prayers can be in her name. there is a different level of attachment when you know the gender and have a name.

also, because of our decision to fight, we decided to share our news with more people. we figured that the more people praying for Estella Ray, the better off she will be. we began to send out emails, make phone call, and, if you are reading this, establish a blog.

we want everyone who knows and loves her to stay updated. we want you to share your good/bad stories of similar issues. (personally, i get even more strength through others stories.) please send messages to Estella Ray. she will get strength through those who love her.

thank you for caring. thank you for listening. continue to look back for updates. we are hoping to get the final CVS results next week. pray for negative results, please. if those come back negative, we will be heading down a different "path." but, at least we'll be closer to knowing what we may be able to do to bring Estella Ray into this world.