Little Rachel's At It Again

Hi Everyone,

We hope all of you are well.

It's been another one of those days. Today's exam revealed that Rachel's hand had come out some more. In fact, Sonia felt that the doctor didn't have to go very far at all before touching it.

Apparently the doctor actually nudged the hand back in a bit. We'll see how Rachel reacts to that new sensation!

We saw Dr. Sakamoto today and it looks like there isn't much else we can do at this point from his perspective. Sonia and I are at least glad that the other doctor did what we felt was the common sense thing to do (to try and push the arm / hand back into Sonia's cervix). Thanks, Dr. Kawana!

I really hate to say this but I think our doctors are giving up a little bit. With the increased chance of infection, they aren't inclined to test Sonia's blood more frequently for increased bacteria count (the results of which come back in a day) which means an infection could have over a one week head start before they try to treat it with a stronger IV antibiotic. They also said that even if there was no infection, they were not inclined to give Sonia mangesium sulfate to stop or slow the contractions which might give the babies a few more days.

I've been scrambling looking for and trying to contact a few places in the U.S. that are supposedly good at this sort of thing but between fear of malpractice (consults over the phone are apparently a no no) and the fact that Sonia isn't there for them to examine, we've had little luck.

So, looking back, I have to admit that Sonia and I found it pretty darn hard to stay upbeat today. I think this month has been a very very long month for both of us. That being said, I think that perhaps God wants us exactly where we are now. Sonia and I don't really have the strength to keep up a stiff upper chin which means we are ready to completely surrender to Him. The tough part of course is surrendering to Him but not just giving up entirely.

One thing happened that I would view as a hopeful sign. Late this afternoon Sonia lost a meaningful amount of water after going a few days with almost no leaking. We hope and don't think Isaac's bag is leaking. We are of the opinion that He answered our prayers and somehow some fluid was able to accumulate for Rachel between her contortions and arm serving as sort of a plug. With the new hand extension and perhaps Dr. Kawana's loving nudge of Rachels hand back into the cervix, Rachel may have moved just enough for the water to release. We are praying that the water reaccumulates and that the prior accumulation was able to help Rachel at least a little.

On top of that, while a hand outside of the cervix is definitely not a good thing, Sonia now feels little Rachel sort of tickling her from inside. As it has been so difficult for Rachel to move and for Sonia to feel her up until she started kicking yesterday, the ticking is a sweet and gentle reminder that our wonderful and brave little girl is still trying as best as she can.

On a lighter note, I want to let everyone know how proud I am of my patriotic little Sonia. I had purchased a few cases of mineral water the other day to keep her hydrated. Proving that I'm more a cheapskate than a patriot, I actually bought FRENCH evian type water because it was a pretty good deal. Prior to that we were using AMERICAN and Japanese bottled water. As soon as we made the switch, Sonia's mom started noticing that Sonia wasn't drinking as much. Today, Sonia's mom secretly starting giving her some AMERICAN water instead and like magic, she was backing to drinking lots and lots! That's my girl!!! Ah, the red neck in me rears its ugly head yet again.

God bless,

Jong