James and Audrey:Our Family

My mothers' day Present

2009-05-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Nana Elise came right on time. Just in time for mothers' day 2009. Mothers' day was May 10 and she was born on May 7th. She was the perfect gift for mothers' day. I could not ask for a better gift. She was a real present sent from Heaven. She is such a good baby and has made my motherhood experience thus far a great one. There are some bumps along the way but the joy that she brings up overcomes everything. She is not fussy( except when she has gas problems) and does not cry unless she is hungry. she is so sweet and content. She now weighs 7.4 and is 20 and half inches long. She still eats well and she got her first real bath on saturday after her cord fell off. She loves getting baths. She does not like the soaping part but she loves the warm water during rinsing. She also likes to be massaged. I learned about this baby massage that the chinese do with olive oil and that puts her to sleep. At the moment she is sleeping about 2 hours stretch and then it is time to eat. It was very frustrating when she started having her gassy episodes at night normally around 10pm which started when she was a week old. We did not know how to soothe her. She would be very uncomfortable and gassy. No position or anything would help. Now we are better at knowing what to do. I take her upstairs before it is 1000pm, give her a sponge bath and put her in her crib and dim the lights which works most of the time but not all the time. Sometimes playing some calming music works. Her pediatrician approved for her to get Mylicon( gas relief medicine) which I use as last resort if all natural attempts fail. That always works but I hate to give her medication so I try all other tricks first. So far she is healthy and everything is well. We thank God for our blessings each day.

Our Little Princess is finally here-Introducing Nana Ahenfoa Elise Corey

2009-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

It is so surreal. It still feels like a dream. I do not want to click my heels in case it is a dream. Our baby girl is here and she is perfect. God has been so good to us. On May 7th around 2am, I started feeling some cramping but I did not thing anything of it. I went back to sleep and then around 330am I had been to the bathroom and returning to bed when my water broke. I could not believe it. I was joking around at work that I was not showing up for work that day because I was going to have the baby. Well, it turned out to be real. James was so excited when I woke him up to tell him we had to go to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at around 500am. My contractions were strong but tolerable. I did not want to get an epidural because I wanted an all natural birth. James helped me use breathing techniques to get through the contractions. Apart from the contractions, I had very bad cramping in my legs and a very severe heartburn and this was making my labor even worse than it was supposed to be. My nurse, Ruth, was very helpful too. She gave me massages, encouragement and she was doing energy kinesiology which was surprisingly very helpful. James thought the use of energy kinesiology was weird and funny. It was helping me so I did not mind it at all. At about 1000am, I was 5cm dilated and the pain was unbearable so I opted for an epidural. I was so disappointed with myself and felt as if I was putting myself before my baby's. The epidural helped me relax and took all the pain away in about 15 minutes. I could feel the pressure of some of my contractions but no pain. I felt numb from the waist down and was afraid I would not be able to push since I had no feeling. At 1200 noon, I was 8cm dilated. At 200pm, I was still 8cm dilated and the baby's heart rate was dropping with my contractions. The doctors were concerned that I had not progressed in 2 hours so they gave me Pitocin to help make my contractions stronger and progress my dilation.I was also given oxygen to prevent the dropping in the baby's heart rate. I was upset because I knew the epidural had slowed down my labor, caused the drop in heart rate and was scared it was going to cause other complications. After I received the oxygen and pitocin, everything was fine. At 4pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push. I was scared and anxious about the pushing to the point that I was shaking. I thought it would be horrifying and long. Fortunately, it lasted only 15 minutes in 3 contractions and Nana Elise was out. She is the most beautiful and precious baby we have ever seen. She was born at 418pm on Thursday May 7th, 2009. She weighed 5.15 and was 19 inches long. She did not cry much when she came out. She is very calm and content. She is a good eater, and a wonderful baby. We are so in love with her.

Home stretch...almost there....

2009-04-27T10:21:00.001-07:00

We almost there...we now have 2 more weeks to go. In the pictures, the one I'm wearing grey and black was when I had 4 weeks to go. The picture with the brown dress was yesterday and now we have only two weeks to go. We feel like we are ready. We can't wait to see Elise. It is going to be life changing. People who have kids always tell us it is hard work but they always end it with " but it is worth it". To be continued, I have to go to work.....

Baby Shower

2009-03-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last saturday, James and My sister Sandra hosted a baby shower for us. It was supposed to start at 6pm and end at 10pm but you know how Ghanaians can be with their timing....Well, let me explain. Ghanaians abroad turn everything into a party. Bridal shower, baby shower etc is a BIG PARTY. Men are invited to everything....there were men at my bridal shower and at my baby shower too. Having a the start time as 6pm means 10pm. So the baby shower did not get busy until around 10. There was a lot of food, drinks and merry making. I was so impressed with how it turned out. There were a lot of friends and gifts except for a few friends who disappointed me. You know how there are some friends that you expect to be at everything. We got a lot of gifts for Elise and we just wanted to say thanks to all my friends who cooked the meals( Sandra, Elsie, Ewurakua, Mimi) and the cake( Yram). Also thanks to Aina who did the decorations. And above all James and Van who ran so many errands getting drinks and ice and plates etc. It was a great night and we all had fun.

Ha Ha Ha Hooo- 10 more weeks

2009-03-05T15:39:00.001-08:00

If you are guessing what Ha Ha Ha Hooo means, well that is one of the breathing patterns we learned in our birthing classes. I started my birthing classes on tuesday. Well, we only have 10 more weeks to go so we have to get prepared. The first class was so exciting and I was looking forward to that. We met a bunch of couples just like us. I think there are 6-7 more couples in the class. It is an interesting mix but we are all going to be first time mothers. Interesting enough, we are not the only mixed couples. We always get excited when we see that. There is an American/Japanese couple, American/Indian couple, and then us, American/African. We are all due in May. Running from May 1st to May 28th. It was so funny because we were all checking each other's belly out wondering when the other is due or what they are expecting. I guess the instructor noticed this and mentioned it too so before the class even started we all introduced ourselves and talked about our expectations and our due dates. Some bellies were tiny, other were huge...everybody is built differently. One thing we all had in common was excitement and anxiety at the same time. All the husbands were very supportive and did not look like they had been dragged there. They were actually enjoying the breathing and excercises. The class was very informative and now it is up to me to practice my relaxation breathing and my Ha Ha Ha Hooo!!!!!!

7 months and counting---

2009-02-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Oh wow, it is already 7 months. Well every 4 weeks is a month so we are counting on a ten month schedule. That means we have 3 more months to go. Before I got pregnant, I thought it was supposed to be 9 months but I found out otherwise. Well, I have been enjoying my pregnancy thus far. I had not been sick since my first trimester until about 5 days ago. I felt like I was back in my first trimester. I think I was coming down with a cold or something. Well, it lasted for 2 days and it was over. I was scared my third trimester was going to be like my first, but thank God it is over with. We feel much more relaxed now, we comprising James, Elise, and I. We found a babysitter that we are all very pleased with. She lives right next door to us. We have known her since we moved to this neighborhood and have been friends for a while. We feel more comfortable with her and we feel we know her more than anyone else. I am still growing but many people find it hard to believe that I am seven months now. They claim they cannot see anything. My sister Sandra, thinks the baby does not have enough room in there. I think she has plenty because she does not stop moving. She moves 24/7 and sometimes she makes my belly look weird with her movements. She is doing great in there and Mummy and Daddy are also doing great out here. I saw my doctor last monday. Everything is fine. My blood test and everything is fine. Elise is measure what she is supposed to be, my gestational diabetes test was negative, and my weight is fine too. I have gained about 16 pounds so far and know I will gain more. I thank God so much for this smooth ride. I went to a party the other day and everyone commented that I look healthy and good. Well, I guess all my healthy eating and exercise are paying off. One of my friends commented....you have a superstar pregnancy....that was nice to hear. I have put up pictures that I took last weekend. I know you are all not here so I want to keep you updated so you can recognize me next time you see me. My belly is almost missing in the pink dress but the red dress really brings it out.

Antepartum get-away

2009-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

It was so nice to go away for a while. James and I decided to take off some romantic time to enjoy our time alone in this romantic cottage at Williamsburg, Virginia. That is the first British Colony in America. The place is beautiful and wonderful. We also visited Jamestown which is the first English settlement in America. The museums and historic sites were amazing. We stayed in a cottage that almost felt like home. We went to the movies, swimming, for ice-cream, for breakfast, lunch and dinner and we went shopping too. They had these outlet malls with great deals so we did some wise shopping. We took this trip because it is probably going to be our last trip or vacation alone for a long time. And even if we get to go away alone, we have to make so many plans before we can leave home. This time we just got up and left and we did not have to carry diapers or formula or strollers. We wanted to do this for one last time. I'm glad we did because we had a fabulous time.

Fat or Sexy?

2009-01-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been getting a lot of compliments about my glow, my hair, my figure etc. Of course James does not let me go a day without making me aware of this. There are days that I donot feel pretty/sexy at all. My waist line looks different and my chest is huge and this makes me feel huge. I have read many times in pregnancy books to feel sexy and never to feel fat but sometimes I just can't help it. Most of the time I feel pretty though. When I go to the gym, I don't see any pregnant women around and I feel like all eyes are on me. Some people look shocked to see me lifting weights, doing abs exercise etc. I am very careful and I research on what is safe to do and I know what to do so as not to hurt our baby or myself. I feel so much better when I'm active and not just sitting around. When I don't go to the gym, I feel weak and sick and when I do I get this boos of energy that carries me through the day. I've always been a health conscious and I feel that now is even more important time to be health conscious. I am sharing my body with the most precious being and so I have to keep it right. I try to eat right and do things right. I think that is the best gift I can give to Elise at this time.

Making Plans

2009-01-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

I would have loved to stay at home with Elise all the time after she is born but we cannot afford to do that at this time. It breaks our hearts to even think about he fact that we have to leave her at a daycare at some point. I am going to be working mostly 3pm to 11pm and James works from 8:30am till 5pm. We are going to make this work out and make sure we or either of us is with her most of the day so we are sure we are raising her ourselves and not somebody else. Since I work at 3pm, I will have the opportunity to be with her all morning until around 2:30pm before taking her to a daycare/nanny/babysitter. James can then pick her up around 5:30pm when he gets off work. So she will be at the daycare for roughly 3hours monday through Friday. The good thing about nursing is that I am off sometimes during the week so she would not have to go anywhere that day. James is also off on fridays until around 4pm so on Fridays I will try to work 7am-3pm so I can come home and be with her. Well, you are probably asking how James and I will see each other...well, I'm off on the weekends, I get some days off during the week, and there are times that I have to work 7am to 3pm so I will see him when he gets home from work. The days I have to work 7am to 3pm will be bitter sweet because Elise would have to be at the daycare from around 8am-4pm. James will drop her off on his way to work( around 8am) and I will pick her up after I'm done with work( around 4pm). I say these days will be bitter sweet because, even though we will be leaving her for the most hours at the daycare/nanny/sitter, these will also be the days that we can all be together as a family for dinner and be able to put her to sleep together, say night-time prayers together, read her bedtime stories together and get to kiss her goodnight together.

We are already sad that we may miss some milestones such as her first crawl because we we both at work. We love our little girl and we want to do the best that we can for her and be the best parents that we can for her. We have been searching for a babysitter/daycare/nanny for a while now. You may think that's too early but all the good ones get filled up quick and they have long waiting list sometimes up to two years so you have to look early. I have been to a couple of centers. Some I love, and some not so much. Some are E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E, in fact, most are expensive. I have a lady from LOCATE CHILDCARE OF BALTIMORE who is helping me with the search. She asked me for our preference and our philosophy and our values and sent us a profile of possibilities. During the month of January, I have been going to center after center trying to find a place we feel comfortable with. I always have so many questions and very critical when I visit these centers. I watch how the staff interract with the children, I watch the teacher to child ratio, I check out how clean and how the place smells. I look at the colors and paintings and pictures, I examine how the caretakers dress and how long their fingernails are. I ask if they have an evacuation plan in case of fire or flood, I find out what activities the children get during the day and if they take them out to play.

I also check how they change diapers and what they do for infection control such as sanitizing toys and changing areas. I look into how they store formula, breastmilk, or any food for the kids and the kind of extra foof they may provide for the kids. Most of the daycares have an open door policy where you can just walk in at anytime to observe. I especially like the ones with the one-way glass where you can watch the caregivers and the children without them knowing you are there. If we are to leave our child with someone, we wat to make sure it is safe and comfortable. At the moment, wer are still not sure if we want a home babysitter, a nanny, or a daycare center. All these have their pros and cons but we are looking for the place or the person that we both feel the most comfortable to leave Elise.

Mini Baby Shower

2008-12-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday December 27th, the Corey family had our christmas party. There was so much food and fun. It was great to see everybody. We got the chance to talk about Elise to everybody. They saw our ultrasound pictures and everybody fell in love with her. We all exchanged christmas presents and it was so fun. After the official christmas party, they had a surprise mini baby shower for us. That was so thoughtful. We received such great gifts. Elise got her first outfits, bibs, stuffed animals, onesies, blankets, brag book etc. The outfits are so tiny and so cute. James' mom gave me James' baby bood that talks about the very first contractions she had with James, to his first sunday school, to when he lost his first tooth, etc. That was the greatest gift I received. She also gave me James' baby blanket. Last Christmas, I received some of James' baby blankets and his favorite Scooby Doo when he was growing up and I'm glad that I received more of those. Elise also received a huge,pink pony from Maria. It is such a beautiful pony but we could not carry it with us on the plane because we had so much stuff. Elise already has almost a closet worth of stuff. We need to get her a closet. I use the big walk-in closet in the master bedroom and James uses the other closet in the second bedroom which is now going to be Elise's room so I guess he has to move...No just kidding...we will just buy another closet from Ikea or some other furniture store for our baby girl.Yesterday, when I got home from work, James had laid out all of Elise's clothes and separated the bibs from the blankets and from the stuffed animals and so on. That mad eit so clear to me that she needs her own closet. she cannot share with mummy or daddy. Talking about Elise's room, we are planning on having a nursery with a Safari theme. You know with paintings and pictures of Giraffes, monkey, birds etc. We want it to feel like an african safari in there. She is going to see so much of america that we thought we would surround her with some african spirit this way.

New Year, Big year, Big movements

2008-12-31T11:47:00.000-08:00

Its the last day of 2008. 2008 was a great year for James and I. It started out well. Great things happened in the year and it also ender with great thinkgs. As usual, I have to go back and write about what happened a couple of days ago when I was so busy to write. I was so busy traveling and visiting family. On christmas eve, I missed the candle light service at church because I had to work. On Christmas day, we got up around 6AM because we had a flight to catch at BWI airport. We were on our way to Reedsburg, Wisconsin to see my in-laws and the rest of James' family. This was an exciting trip because we had not been together with the whole family at christmas since 2004. We wre so excited to be there and so was Elise. I guess the joy of meeting her grand parents and aunts and uncles made her very active. She started making really big movements over the weekend. It felt weird but wonderful. Everytime I feel her move, it brings a smile to my face and my heart rejoices. I had been feeling little flutters every now and then but over the weekend, they were no small movements. James was so thrilled to feel his daughters movements. When James sang at church on Sunday, she kept moving and moving. She likes the sound of her father's voice...so does mommy. Everytime James kisses or rubs my belly, she moves.

Maternity Clothes

2008-12-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

I am growing bigger and bigger everyday. I have been fitting into my pre-pregnancy jeans and can still fit in them but they are no longer comfortable because they all range from size 0-3. I loved to wear my pants tight before I was pregnant but now they are getting so uncomfortable. My work pants are size 5 so they still fit alright. My favorite jeans was a size 0. Well, yesterday, it was so cold that I needed to wear long Johns under my jeans. That is when reality hit me- I need maternity pants!!!!! After James and I went to get ourselves a new video camera in preparation for Christmas with the family in Wisconsin and also in preparation for Elise, we went to motherhood maternity to get some new jeans for me. They are so comfortable and it has a big band. They are not exactly cute but they work. I'm happy I made that transition. Yesterday, our christmas tree and lights went up. We have been so busy that we got to that late. I made a photo album from all of our ultrasound pictures of Elise. The album was a wedding gift. Now it is the home of the very first shots of our precious Elise. It is under the christmas tree because it is the sweetest and the biggest Christmas present ever- not from Santa but from God. Today, I went for a tour on the Johns Hopkins Labor and Delivery unit. The environment is calm and the rooms are welcoming. I think I like it.I know its kind of early to do that but I want to do those things before my christmas break is over.

Elise

2008-12-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Oh, I haven't written anything in days. Well, a lot has happened. Well let me begin with Why we chose Elise. Elise means " an oath or promise or vow to God". It can also mean consecrated to God. The name Elise just came to me one day. It was like a revelation from God. I was so bitter about not getting pregnant early enough that while in a conversation with God one day, the name just came to me. And I said to God, if you give us a little girl , we will name her Elise. I quickly went upstairs and looked up the meaning. I loved the way it sounded and the meaning of it. James and I had been discussing names even before we got pregnant and could not agree with one yet. When I mentioned Elise to him...he fell in love with it too. I had only heard of one person called Elise...Kimberly Elise...she is and actress but Elise is her last name. I recently met another person called Elise and I work with her. Well we cannot wait to meet our Elise. We love her to death. We also wanted to give her a local and native Ghanaian name. James and I both believe in making sure our children know and are part of both of our cultures. James really wants to name her Adwoa, or Afua, or Ekua which are all names that are derived from the day a child is born in Ghana. So Elise will have one of those names depending on which day of the week she is born. I wanted more than just that and wanted a unique native name. I could not choose any other than " Ahenfoah" which means Royalty. That is my beloved mother's name. So now we have both agreed on those....unless we change our minds.

A boy or a girl?

2008-12-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I've always dreamed of having a little girl first and then a boy after. I really wanted a girl first but James and I both just hope our baby will be healthy. We went for another ultrasound on December 19th at 1pm. This was the ultrasound to determine any structural abnormalites and the sex of the baby. Jennifer, the technician asked us if we wanted to find out the sex. James was quick to say yes. I wanted to know it too. Oh my God, the baby was so active and flexible and kept moving. It was so amazing. This was the first time we had seen our baby looking like a real human being. The last time we saw the baby, it was just a blur with a yolk sac. This time it had bones and everything. It was even waving at me. Guess what? It is a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I can start using "she" instead of it. That was so exciting. I would have been grateful and happy and joyful with a boy but I just preferred a girl first. James was also very excited. She was playing with her toes, and then her umbilical cord. At one point, she was scratching her back, it was so cute. She was even drinking and we saw her little chest and belly moving. She first had her fingers closed and then she waved at us. She would not turn around so Jennifer had me jump around a couple of times but she only turned slightly. We had to let everybody know that we were going to have a little girl. We are already so in love with her. We count our blessings everyday and we are so grateful to God for giving us such abundant grace and love. Here are a couple of the very first shots of our baby girl...Elise...

Almost Christmas

2008-12-21T16:23:00.002-08:00

James and I just went to downtown Baltimore to do some christmas shopping last saturday. We got stockings stuffers for our family christmas party in Wisconsin. After that we went to the Indian Buffet at Indian Delight. I think the spices did something to the baby. The baby was 18weeks at this point and I could feel some movements like butterflies but I'm not sure what it is. I can't wait to really feel it and I couldn't wait to find out the sex. The first picture is at 5months and the second picture is at 4months. I probably look bigger in person.

The Early Experience

2008-12-21T16:23:00.001-08:00

It wasn't until thursday, September 18th 2008, that we were able to get another ultrasound. I went through so much trying to schedule this appointment. I guess everybody needed an ultrasound at that time. They were fully booked. Finally, around 1pm on this day, we saw our little angel for the first time. It was nothing but a yolk sac with a heart beat but it was the most beautiful creature we had ever seen. It felt so wonderful, no words can explain. It measured 6weeks and 1day old. The lady performing the ultrasound asked me if I was getting sick and I replied....NO.... I should have knocked on wood. I did not start getting sick until around the following weekend. I would get so nauseous and weak I could barely do something around the house. I could't cook...I couldn't clean...I couldn't exercise....and all I did was throw up. I hated all kinds of food and smells. I even hated how James smell. I did not want him close to me. I had just changed jobs and at this time I was working on the geriatric psychiatry floor at Johns Hopkins. My new co-workers probably thought I hated the job because I was so miserable. The pictures here show when Audrey was just weeks pregnant. Oh the swimsuit one was just days or maybe one week pregnant.

Being a nurse at that time was the hardest thing to do. I hated the smell of all the pills I had to give my patients and watching them take the pills was so difficult because it made me want to puke. The worst part was when I had to assist a patient get washed up. The smell of all perfumes or colognes or body gels was so overwhelming. Not to mention the smell of my patients' urine and poop....Yuck...It was a battle to even brush my teeth in the morning because I hated and still hate the smell of mint. I stopped brushing my teeth at night because I just couldn't bring myself to do that twice a day. I knew all the bathrooms at Johns Hopkins Hospital just in case I had run in and puke my guts out. This was horrible but James was always there to help me get through it. He did all the cooking and the cleaning and the running around. And oh...he had to make a lot of runs to the grocery store to get me my cravings. I could only eat the things that I craved. It started with pineapple and then I hated pineapples, then I was craving all sorts of unhelathy Ghanaian dishes like palmnut soup, but of course I was too weak to make it and James doesn't know how to make that so I lived on cerelac for a while and then all I ate was mangoes. I could eat mango after mango after mango. I don't know what I would have done without James during those days. He helped me so much and showed me so much love and never complained about anything and I love him for that ( I always love him).

Onthe 29th of September, James and I went for another OB appointment. We heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. We had see it the first time around but this time we could hear it. The heartbeat was strong and 156BPM.

On November 6th, on my sister Sandra's birthday, we had another OB appointment and everything was fine. I was feeling better at this point. My morning sickness was history and I had my energy back. I was back to doing all the things I used to do including going to the gym and eating my salads etc. My life was normal now. Well not all that normal but special because my body is the home for a very special baby and thus I have a lot of restrictions.....I can't wear my favorite heels, I can't eat too much of my favorite tuna salad sandwich, and I can only exercise moderately and lift weights moderately. But that is okay because my life has so many things that make me feel blessed and special and fills my heart with joy. Everything means so much more to me now. I see christmas lights and I cry...weird?

On December 9th, I went for my OB appointment alone because James had to work. I missed him so much. He is my support person and not having him there created a void. I felt the cold gel on my abdomen, then the wand. Very soon, I heard our baby's heartbeat nice and strong and again it was 156BPM. It felt so wonderful and again, words cannot explain.

Our Journey

2008-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening to us. In April 2007 we decided we wanted to start a family. This idea was mostly exciting to us but we were nervous at the same time. We went back and forth with this idea until we got serious in September. We thought getting pregnant would be very easy because we are young. However it took us longer than we thought. When it did not happen for several months, we got frustrated and scared. Research says, one in five couples suffer from infertility. Were we going to be the one in five? Of course not. We had so much faith in God but there were many times that we got discouraged. It was difficult to answer and sometimes heartbreaking when people would always ask '' When are you going to have kids". We would always find an answer but the fact was, we were dying to say something like ''in 9 months". Well, my doctor kept saying it will happen when it happens so relax. It was easy for her to say.

I really started getting nervous when my doctor said if we tried for a year without success we would have to look into what the problem is and perhaps start fertility treatments. "What? Are you kidding me? No, fertility treatment is for 40-year olds, I'm not that desperate yet" I would tell myself. Well our year mark was coming up quick. We gave up trying because it was frustrating. We took a couple of vacations to Ghana and Canada in May 2008 and August 2008. When we went to Ghana in May 2008, James stayed to volunteer for the West African AIDS foundation while I returned at the end of May. James was gone till July 21st and came back to Baltimore right in time for our wedding anniversary and my birthday. We went to Toronto and Montreal for our anniversary and had a great time. It was so fun. But unfortunately we had to return to Baltimore in early August.

On Wednesday, Semptember 3rd, I woke up with an excrutiating abdominal cramping. I never knew how cramps felt like so to me this was severe and unbearable. I sucked it up and went back to sleep and then to work at my oncology unit the following morning. On thursday, Semptember 4th, I continued to have excrutiating abdominal cramping that kept me awake all night. I woke up wailing and crying. I tried to wake James up but he was still sleeping. I took some ibuprofen and decided to call my OB/GYN in the morning. I knew she would ask me " are you pregnant?". I knew that was not possible but I decided to do a home test anyway. I stared at the test strip. The first line appeared, then there was a second line. Oh My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe my eyes. The test was positive. I was so overjoyed that I forgot I was having pains. I was so excited and crying uncontrollably. My heart was filled with joy.

I told James the next morning and his heart was filled with joy too. We just hugged and kissed. We were so grateful to God for his grace, mercy, and blessing. I called my OB/GYN about the pain and she told me to go to the emergency room if it was severe. I kept telling myself the pain was not bad until around 2:30pm. I finally went to the ER but the pain was gone by the time I got there. Isn't that how it always works? In the ER they told me they needed to rule out ectopic pregnancy ( that is when the baby is implanted in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus). That scared me. I could not rejoice about our baby anymore, I was just worried. They did some urine and blood test and an ultrasound. The ultrasound did not show any signs of a baby in the uterus. This worried me more. My HCG level was 300 and they expected it to double in 48 hours if it was a normal pregnancy. I was asked to come back to the ER on saturday. That was the longest 2days ever. I was so nervous at this point. At work on friday, I told Karla about this. Karla was the first person to know about the baby. It was cold and rainy on saturday. James and I went to the ER. My HCG level had more than doubled and we were happy with this. This meant the baby was in a condusive environment and growing well. Thanks be to God. The first picture with Audrey in yellow was when we went to Ghana this May. We were at Kakum National park with Audrey's childhood friend Maame Ama.