From: Kraig
Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>
Date: Thu
Mar 10, 2005 3:49:14 PM
America/Detroit
To: Kraig
Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>
Subject: 03-10-05 Update from Kraig, Loren, Keren and Little One :)
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, I think we've been hoarding our good news to ourselves long
enough! It's high time we got the
word out!!!
First things first.... At least, I'd say this is the most
important info.... Our pregnancy
with Warnemuende Little One continues well. Last Thursday, March 3, we went in for the "big"
ultrasound. This, as many of you
know, was our major hurdle in this pregnancy. It was at that time with Keren that we discovered the potential
of her chromosomal abnormality.
The good news this time around is that anticipating this ultrasound has
not been a weight on us--I could tell lots of people were praying! I knew the date was out there, and that
it was significant, but I wasn't dwelling on it.
Anyway, last week we went in--Kraig, Keren and I, and even my mom
got to come as she's never had the chance to see a "live" ultrasound
(as opposed to those horrible grainy photos one gets that make your child look
like an alien!). We knew the tech
couldn't give us more than basic facts (which is slightly nerve-wracking), but
we did let her know right up front that this was something we were nervous
about and why. I think that helped
her a bit. It was also neat to be
able to show her Keren and say, "Yep, we're nervous, but look at this
miracle sitting here!" It
helped me focus on the fact that no matter what the outcome was, it would be a
blessing.
Well, we went through the ultrasound--it took about an hour, and I
had to go in with a full bladder (why do they do these things to pregnant
women?!), but we saw all sorts of great details of our Little One. And yes, we did find out the gender.... It looks like Keren is going to have a
little sister! Nope, we aren't
going to tell you her name until she's born, so don't even ask (though I can
tell you that at the moment we don't have any idea either! The big debate is the first
letter....Kraig wants another "K" and I really don't!). We also got to see exciting things, like when she spread her
hand wide and then started drumming her fingers as if to say, "Okay guys,
enough staring already!" At
the end of the procedure, the tech went out to run the report then came back
and told us we could go. We
figured that was a pretty good sign along with other things (baby's size was
right for her age, the hands waving, etc.) as with Keren we had to wait around
forever and then had to wait for our doctor to call us there to talk to
us.
I called our doctor on the way home (I wasn't about the let moss
grow there!), and heard back from his office later that evening. The news? "Normal, normal, normal;" in fact, I believe the
words on the report were something like "unremarkable fetal ultrasound"--beautiful
words!!! We're still relishing
them, and still getting used to the idea that we're experiencing a
"typical" pregnancy.
Keren is handling it well.... Of course, she has NO idea what is going to hit her this
July! (To say the least, we really
don't know either!)
Well, on to other news.
I told you back in January that Kraig was in the midst of job
interviews. In fact, soon after I
wrote he got a call from another company in the area and went in to interview
with them! He received a job offer
from the first company last month, and has now been, what's the term?, gainfully employed for about a
month. The nice thing about how
he's been able to start is that he is working part-time (or however many hours
he wants to put in), and will be able to move to full time when he has finished
his dissertation. This typically
gives him three days at work, and two days to focus on the dissertation. It's been odd having him gone such
regular hours, but Keren and I are adjusting. Keren was particularly cranky the first week Kraig worked--I
think she was going through "daddy withdrawal"! Kraig's adjusting to having a
"regular" job as well.
He does foresee that it may get boring, but there are plenty of things
to learn for now and he really likes the people he's working with. And who knows what other opportunities
will emerge.
As for the dissertation, it is moving along. Kraig's next deadline at this point is
to have the rough draft done by the end of April. I'm not exactly sure what the next step is after that. I think it's the presentation to his
advisory board. Whatever the case,
please keep praying! The end really
is in sight, it just has a tendency to move!
Keren and I are keeping busy as usual with therapy, etc. In February we started feeding therapy
again to work on Keren's oral motor skills. At the moment she doesn't mind fingers being put into her
mouth, and will put up with a toothbrush or nuk-brush, but as soon as food
comes within her sight-line she ducks for cover. We shall see where things go with this! This month and next we have a whole
slew of annual/semi-annual appointments which will keep us hopping.
We've been thrilled with the progress Keren is making, though
there are definite points of frustration when she seems to stop doing something
she had gotten the hang of. Part
of this is just they way things develop, and part is, as her physical therapist
has pointed out, a lack of motivation.
She might have the ability to do something, but won't do it because the desire isn't
there. An exciting thing to watch
this past month is her increasing interest in trying to get something, such as
a toy. Where before she would play
with it if you put it in her hands, she'll now see it and reach for it. Of course, it has to be something she
really wants, and those are tricky to find. It seems that mardi gras beads and kooshes are about the
best thing! Another thing that
we've noticed lately is that Keren is responding to commands more, particularly
if it's a game. Her favorite at
the moment is when one of us stands, holding her in our arms, and says either
"Backwards!" or "Sideways!" As soon as she starts to go the correct way, we let her fall
all the way (back or side), still holding her, of course! She grins from ear to ear and starts
giggling, and she definitely knows which command is which. Makes me realize that there are
probably a number of things she understands, but just doesn't have the ability
to respond correctly.
I've been able to keep up with MOPS and Bible Study, and even
painting class now and then. Our
Bible Study class continues well, and my sister Carrie will be able to be with
us through the end of the year now (I'm a little selfishly glad of that, as
it's great to team-teach with her).
She's still planning to head to Alaska for two years with SEND
International, but her target date is now in May--she's raised about 85% of her
support. We're praying the
remainder of her needs will come in quickly. The MOPS year still has a few months, which I'm glad of, as I'm
getting to know the women in my group better and better. Tonight we're headed for our second
get-together outside of MOPS--we're hitting Panera Bread for Mom's night out!
Other than that, we're just moving along. Keren and I had a fun weekend the other
week with my mom and sisters. The
five of us went up to Camp Barakel, a camp about three hours north of us, for a
mother/daughter retreat. The
speaker was excellent (it was my mom! :) ), and Jess, Carrie and I got to help
out a bit too with a mother/daughter question panel and testimonies. Keren was a trooper and even put up
with being bundled up and dragged out on a cold sunny day to take a few runs on
the tubing hill! She seemed to
like the ride down, but did not
appreciate the cold!
Nope, the website still isn't updated and I have gobs of pictures,
too. I'll try to get onto that!
Until then, or until our next update, farewell! Hope all is well in your lives! I love sending out these updates,
because I get to catch up with so many of you.
May God bless you!
Love,
Loren for the gang