family

Is Abortion Murder?

~ lovingbrielle ~ Leave a comment

I used to attend the Village Church when I lived in Denton. Matt makes an excellent argument here on the realities of abortion. I really don’t think I could say it better myself. I’m posting the whole article, but the video clip is really the best part. Everything he says is spot on and I think he makes an excellent point, that the majority of the one million abortions that happen every year are not due to rape or the mother’s life being in danger, but based on the baby being an inconvenience.

The clip is really worth your time.

P.S. When transferring this post over to the blog I just attached the video clip, not the whole article.

Daddy’s Girl

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Yesterday evening, when the garage door opened, Brielle jumped with excitement. The moment David announced he was home, she started dancing. She loves her Daddy! And last night she was so happy as David read her a bedtime story. I wish he could feel how she moves when he talks to her and rubs on my belly. She’s just so happy and gets so excited.

Brielle’s 27 Week Check Up

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We went to the doctor Friday. We received some bad, but not terrible news. My amniotic fluid is a little high, it’s still within a healthy range, but it’s creeping up there. High levels are 25 cm, normal is 10 cm, mine are at 20.85. That’s 4 inches larger than normal and 1-2 pounds heavier than normal (I think I have that right). Brielle is swallowing, but just not enough. We really need prayers about this. If I go above 25 cm I may go into preterm labor, be put on medication to stop contractions, and go on bed rest. If I get into 40-50 cm range Dr. B will have to drain off the excess fluid because I’ll have trouble breathing. Think an extra 8-10 pounds with a 4ish pound baby at 33 weeks. This isn’t a good solution, because the fluid will build right back up within a week and it puts Brielle at risk for preterm labor. So prayers please!

It was our first visit officially with SeeBaby Midwifery, the practice that Dr. Bootstaylor runs. It’s incredibly common in almost every country besides the US, to have midwives attend the birth at the hospital and only call in an OB GYN when forceps, vacuum, or cesarean are required. His practice follows that model, instead of the typical American model. So we will see a midwife for our general appointments and Dr. Bootstaylor after ultrasounds and for specialty check ups.

The technician took her time with the ultrasound and did her best to get the best pictures she could. However, Brielle is a wiggle worm! And would not stay still for clear pictures. So we were unable to get a view of her head since she had it hidden on my cervix. We were able to get pictures of the rest of her though. She’s growing just like she should. Her heart and lungs are healthy, her weight is on target, and she’s a wiggle worm! She weighs about two pounds right now and is the cutest thing!

Mom and Dad bought us an elephant heartbeat bear to record Brielle’s heartbeat in. They bought an elephant since she was going to the zoo to meet an elephant. So Brielle’s stuffed animal will be an elephant. The technician got a recording of her heartbeat, but of course Brielle would not stay still and moved in the middle of the recording. David and I liked that she did that, it captures who she is, and we’ll have that memory forever.

This video from the ultrasound captures Brielle moving around. She’s like this just about everyday. She’s a happy baby and loves to move her legs and arch her back. She also likes to keep her hands around her face. One hand fisted next to her mouth and the other near her brow, rubbing her face. She gets this from me. I sucked my thumb for forever, and even still sleep with my hands around my face. I also can’t sit still, ever. The way she’s moving in this video reminds me of my Uncle Scott Wolford when he was a young boy. He was kind of wild. Brielle is very much a Wolford.

Brielle’s Trip to the Zoo

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August 8, 2015 Zoo Atlanta Trip!

The day was really pretty when we got there. There was a slight breeze and it was under ninety degrees with clear skies. It warmed up a little more during the day, but we really couldn’t complain. Jen and Adam had given us free tickets into the park so that made getting in nice and easy. It was so nice of them to do that for Brielle. They’re the best! Right off the bat we started with the flamingos, or flingos as Aunt Tessa calls them. We wound our way through the park. David and I told Brielle all about the animals, some of them even looked and acted like her big sissies, so I made sure to tell her about that as well.

We made it to the Panda exhibit and then decided to take a break and get something to eat. Brielle was very hungry and was letting me hear about it. I mention a lot about what and where we eat because Brielle almost always likes or dislikes something and let’s me know about it. I found us a table inside, sat down,and she immediately started kicking me. Apparently she was only comfy if I was in a reclining position. David came back with food, pizza and Mac & cheese. There weren’t a lot of options. Brielle doesn’t even like pizza and was going crazy for this pizza. I think she was too hungry to care. And if I’d slow down, she once again, would start kicking me hard,”Hurry up Mommy, I’m starving!”

We rushed to the elephant encounter and got there just in time. We learned a bit about elephants, the herd, and Tara and Kelly, the two elephants at the zoo. We got to meet Tara. Tara was 9,000 pounds. She was very pretty, smart, and lazy. We learned a bit about Tara and she showed us some tricks and then we got to pet her. Elephants do not feel like I’d expected. I talked to Brielle while I loved on Tara. I wanted to include Brielle as much as possible. Then we got to feed Tara! We were given three pieces of lettuce and handed them to Tara one at a time. Tara is very food oriented so she was very appreciative.

Tara showed us some more tricks and then we took pictures with her. After that the encounter was over. David asked some questions about Asian elephants and African elephants, if they get colds (I think he was envisioning them sneezing), and if the elephants retire. To which the keeper said,”Tara has unofficially retired herself.” But that the zoo does not retire elephants like the circus does. Tara was reluctant to do things that required extra physical effort, unless there was food.

We finished up the zoo with the kangaroos and the petting zoo and then went home. I think Brielle had a lot of fun! Although we were both pretty worn out by the time we got to the car. Once we cooled down, Brielle started dancing. I think she was happy to be out of the heat, like father like daughter.

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Mommy and Brielle posing with the very sleepy kangaroos.
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Brielle and Mommy are feeding the elephant!
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Brielle fed an elephant!
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Daddy is having fun!
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Brielle and Mommy posing with the flamingos.

Brielle’s Third Day in Savannah

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Monday, August 3. Well, the morning started out a bit rushed. David forgot to set his alarm. We agreed to meet downstairs and checkout at 10 AM and David woke us up at 9:30 AM. No rush.

We had breakfast at this good old country place. It had good southern country cooking, David’s favorite. Brielle found my bladder fascinating so naturally I felt like I had to tinkle every five seconds and that made it pretty difficult to walk. The joys of pregnancy. I ordered stuffed french toast with strawberries, Mom ordered a breakfast plate with bacon and eggs so that we could each split. Dad ordered a ton of food, as did David. By the time they had each made it about halfway through their meals they called it, “Challenge not accepted.” Which was probably best, because we had a lot of walking to do.

We went to St. John’s Cathedral next. I didn’t know how Mom and Dad would feel about cathedrals. Some people enjoy looking at old churches, other’s don’t. They liked it. Actually extremely impressed. I walked around a bit and then sat down up front and cradled Brielle. The organ was playing and it was beautiful inside the church. She loved it. Brielle moved more and was more alert than she had been the whole trip. She was peaceful and happy, if that makes sense. It made me so happy to feel her. I’ve never given much thought to cathedrals, but feeling her move, hearing the organ, and taking in the beauty of the cathedral was incredibly moving. And I found myself again saying, “Lord, please save my baby.” I flipped through their church books. As I opened the hymnal it opened to “Lovely Infant” and I couldn’t think of a better or more encouraging hymn to open up to. David came and sat down with me and we loved on Brielle and spoke softly to her. We love her so much. Mom came and sat down with us and Dad took action shots with his camera.

We left just as they were beginning another service. It had just started raining as we were leaving. An older man stopped Mom & Dad to do this cute thing where he makes flowers out of palm fronds. He “marries” you or renews your vows and you pay a small price for the flowers. David and I did that our first trip to Savannah. So we didn’t feel it was right to do it again. Maybe we should have? I’m now regretting not watching Mom and Dad get their flowers. I don’t think I could have handled any more emotion though. I was raw, so raw from the church and the thought of losing my sweet Brielle. Mom and Dad bought David and I a flower as well, so that was nice.

We headed to the Juliette Gordon Lowe house. That was a really interesting tour. I don’t think Brielle got much out of it, but the rest of us did. I didn’t expect much because I’ve never paid attention to the Girl Scouts. But this definitely piqued my interest. At the end, the tour guide told me I’d have to have Brielle become a little Girl Scout. I didn’t tell her Brielle had anencephaly. It’s a nice thought though. It’s nice to think of Brielle growing up.

We then went to the Harper Fowlkes House. That was a strange tour. The woman who had owned the house was quite a feminist and had a very interesting story, but she had donated it to the Society of Cincinnati. Which is a society only for men, who were officers in the Revolutionary War. I told Dad it was her way of rubbing this in their faces, they had to honor a woman’s history and legacy because she left them a huge historical home. If I’m right, that woman is smart. I like her. I don’t think it was as nice of a house as the Juliette Gordon Lowe, but it was still interesting.

I had to hang out back and sit for a while because my feet were just too swollen. I think that bothered the tour guide, but whatever. We then went to the car and headed to Blick’s Art Store. Dad and I were the most excited about this. I restocked on some Micron pens, looked around, bought a sketchbook, and a new eraser since my old one had gone bad. Dad and I had a lot of fun. And they had giant canvases. Dad asked if he could have a drawing table for his office now that Tessa had taken her old desk. Mom said yes, and now Dad’s in heaven.

We had lunch at this great place. It was some sort of cafe near SCAD and Blick’s. I was having really bad pains, I think Brielle was letting me know she’d had enough. So once we ate, we got in the car and headed back to Atlanta. I tried to find some houses that I love that are just outside of the squares, but I couldn’t find them. I was so disappointed.

The girls (our dog children) went crazy when they saw Mom and Dad. I haven’t seen Emmy that excited in years. She was SO happy to see her Grandma and Papa again. We talked for a bit, I had some popcorn, which Brielle and the girls enjoyed. Dad and Mom found it hilarious how fixated Emmy and Rosie were on the popcorn and how they would take turns getting their piece. It didn’t take long before we all went to bed. I snuggled Brielle, the girls, and David (family snuggles). And we went to bed.