Dear Elijah

Elijah,

Today was a huge milestone, you made it to term. You are such a strong little boy who has already overcome so much. Tomorrow is also a big day for you, it will be the day you meet us. I can't even express how excited I am to see you. Your big sister is also very excited to meet you, she has been hugging you through my belly the last few days, I know she loves you very much. It has been a long road and a hard battle, but you have proved that you are a fighter. I don't know how much time we will get to spend together, but I want you to know that every moment we spend with you will be the best moments of my life. Your family loves you so much and no matter what happens in the next few days or weeks, your life will be celebrated. You are such an inspiration, and the best son I could ever ask for. You are beautiful.

Love,

Momma

Love

35 Weeks

Today I met with my OB and went over the ultrasound from last week and had an internal done to see if I had made any progress. As expected I am completely closed and not effaced at all. We were a little hesitant about doing an induction without me making any progress, but after going over the ultrasound it is obvious that Eli's growth is really starting to slow down. All of his measurements are in the less than tenth percentile, some lower than three, he is to the point where it is considered Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). As much as we want to wait until 39 weeks to do anything, we are afraid that he may not survive that long. After talking to my OB and Jon it looks like we have decided to induce when I reach term (37 weeks) which will be next Friday or Saturday, I will be calling in tomorrow to schedule the time. I was expecting this, but nothing can totally prepare me. This is going to be a stressful week for me, but I feel a little better knowing when it is going to happen. I'm so scared, but I know that he will be beautiful and well worth going through all of this.