Family Pictures

We had a Maggard family reunion this summer and it was a blast.  I need to download all the pictures and post about it still, but I wanted to at least make sure we had all the family pictures from the weekend for now.

First Grade

Mikayla started first grade on August 10.  I was hoping she would slide right in and adjust to a new school easily, but it's been a very tearful start.  She came home happy the first day, which was much more than I could say about the start of kindergarten, but man is it hard to send her off to school watching her bawling.  Once she's there I think she does okay, it's just going to take time.  New starts are hard!  At least her fashion crew made sure she looked fabulous going into the first day!

Muddy Bums

The kids love it when it's irrigation day for the pecan trees.  Hopefully the neighbors don't mind naked bums too much!

Baby Sister

Meet our little miracle due to make an arrival on Halloween!  We are excited to be expecting baby number 4!  This pregnancy has been crazy since day one and has been so different than all of our others and I wanted to write about it all for my journal so here it goes... At our first ultrasound there was no sign of a baby or a heartbeat. We had a miscarriage last year and it was pretty devastating to have a repeat so quickly. We were told to prepare for another miscarriage, but also warned there was a great possibility we had an ectopic pregnancy and things could get bad quickly. While we were devastated, and perhaps a little angry this was happening again, we knew everything was in our Heavenly Father's hands. 

The next day I went in for another ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. Right away the ultrasound tech said "Do you see that?!?" and I replied, "Yeah! It's a baby!" Then she pointed out the heartbeat, totally strong and beating away. The tech asked what exactly the doctor say on the ultrasound yesterday because she couldn't make anything out from the pictures. I told her that was the problem-there was nothing there. She said she had no idea what my doctor saw the day before because there was no way a baby that big could grow over night. I've thought a lot about that comment. I'm not so sure she's right because I truly believe that what we experienced was a miracle. I saw the ultrasound screen when it was empty, when there was no sign of life. I saw my doctor try and try to find some little piece of good news to give us and it just wasn't there. At the same time, I also know that God is a God of miracles and that miracles haven't ceased. Anything is possible with Him! While this kiddo has given us nothing but reason to worry from day one, I am grateful each time we find that little heartbeat again because it reminds me over and over that God is working miracles in MY life and He works miracles in each of our lives because He loves us so much. This all happened the Friday before Easter and it was the greatest Easter blessing I could have asked for. A very real assurance that the atonement works in each of our lives in ways we would never expect.

I had hoped that was the end of the drama for this little one, but little did I know, it was only beginning! At our next few appointments the heartbeat was almost impossible to find. Each time I waited to hear those precious beats and I would wait and WAIT, getting more and more nervous. I don't know why this baby's heartbeat was so crazy to find, but luckily after a while the doctor would find it and I would breathe a major sigh of relief once again. It's seriously been so crazy!

At our anatomy scan we instantly fell in love with our little baby that kept waving away at us. Dustin and I were excited for a surprise baby, but the girls were DYING to know what gender it was and asked about a million times if we could find out so we gave in and peeked. We found out that most likely we would be having a little girl, but the baby's legs were crossed the whole time and it was hard to tell for sure. When the ultrasound tech left the room she asked us if we had done genetic testing? I knew right away something was not right. The tech brought the specialist in with her and the doctor explained our baby had a bright spot on the heart (Echogenic Intracardiac Focus) and that if in connection with other problems can indicate in increased chance of Down syndrome. I asked if we there were any other issues visible and if we should be worried, but the doctor said if it were her she "wouldn't lose any sleep over it". While that was easy for her to say, I was stressed. We were in Tucson so I called my Dad and asked if he would give me a blessing. The blessing brought no definitive answers, but a little more peace than I had been feeling. The next few days were a roller coaster of emotions, not because it really mattered whether our little one had Down syndrome or not, but because of the unknown. It's really hard to explain...you know you'll love your little one unconditionally no matter what, but it's just a lot to try and comprehend.

We had a week before we were out of time to do genetic testing and we debated greatly whether we wanted to get it done or not. Dustin left the decision up to me and I decided it would be best to get it done, only because it would help me better prepare. It took about a week before we found out the results, but all the tests came back negative. There is still a chance that something could be missed, but with the genetic testing, and no other issues on the ultrasounds, chances are pretty good everything is just fine. I also found out at the same appointment that my placenta was too low and we had to watch that and make sure it moved or we would have to schedule a c-section when the time for delivery got closer.

Last week at my 24 week appointment everything looked good and the doctor found the heartbeat right away! It was my first appointment without any kind of "drama" and I was so excited! Yesterday I went back for another ultrasound to try and see the remaining structures of the heart that they haven't been able to see (it's taken 3 tries!) because little lady is curled up in a ball all the time. The tech I had yesterday was so good and I wished I had her every time. She assured me that they see the EIF's on the heart all the time and they have to disclose it, but usually it was nothing to worry about. I wished so badly the tech I had the day they found the spot had been so honest. The tech and doctor that day just left us worrying and really provided no helpful information. 

It's been a roller coaster.  We've been given lots of chances to trust and rely on prayer.  While I didn't necessarily "want" these experiences, my love for our little one has only grown as I realize how lucky I am each time we get to hear her heart beat and see her moving around on the ultrasound screen.  Life truly is a miracle.

8 weeks:

18 weeks: 

21 weeks:

25 weeks:

4th of July

Small town parades, fireworks and time with family are the best way to celebrate the 4th of July!