Hello family & friends!

It’s been awhile since we last talked to everyone so..here’s the news:

Most of you have known for a while that Kc is pregnant with our number 1 and that we were planning to spend this summer in Alaska, having the baby there. However, many of you don’t know that we got stuck here in North Carolina for the summer (which is a great place besides being stuck) – this is because things have been amazingly crazy here…

About 4 days before we were supposed to leave for Alaska, Kc woke up bleeding- turns out she has a high risk condition called placenta previa. If you want to know more about this condition you can read the stuff at the bottom of the page or the websites listed there. That said, Kc has been in the hospital for almost the last 3 weeks (normally they stay in the hospital the whole time, but we live across the street from the hospital) but since she has been stable the whole time, so the doctors finally let her come home today (6/16). This is great for her because she can finally get some sleep without pills or someone poking her with a needle. Thankfully, Mama Brock is in town to help. Still, Josh and Mama Brock now must take care of her- taking care of a big baby in preparation for a small one? 🙂 So now, really the big thing for us is that we still have 3 weeks till little PJ is ready to be born- so we are praying that the placenta will move out of harm’s way. Next best is that there will be no more bleeding and we’ll have an easy C section when PJ is good and ready. The doctors are planning to do an amniocentesis in about 3 weeks and then do a C section if everything checks out ok. Other prayer needs: Kc is in need of some patience. Josh needs ice cream and a good cup of coffee. Seriously, pray for God’s provision, patience, protection, and peace (all the good Ps).

We have named the belly Paul Joshua and call him PJ because an early ultrasound indicated he is a boy. Since then, two more ultrasounds say girl and two more says boy. 3 vs. 2 sounds like boy it is- We still call him PJ, but we may have to change what that stands for!

Kc’s cell is 336-671-0327 and Josh’s cell is 336-671-0127, but also our email accounts work: Kc@websmitten.com or jjinwaco@yahoo.com. Josh is busy now trying to figure out what the heck he needs to do to help out and get ready for the baby (please no unsolicited advice unless prefaced by “I tried this and it worked well for me.”). He is riding his bike all over creation and sleeping in besides. He had a good job lined up in Anchorage, but the commute is now a bit much! 🙂 His current job includes Kc-sitting (she requires 24 hour surveillance), a vocation shared by Mama Brock. He has finished the first year of med school successfully and this is his only summer off- so we are trying to make the most of it.

Other news is Kc is launching her web business as her primary work – www.websmitten.com. If you need a website or computer help, she should be available again come August. (We have moved personal web pages to www.morrisscoop.com. For some of that site you will need a username and password to access. Email back if you are interested and we will give you one.)

We’ve had an amazing amount of support from our new friends and church here. We’ve also had a lot of long distance phone calls and even a couple of care packages. We had no idea we had such great friends and family (okay we had a few ideas.). Thank you, thank you, thank you! It has been very encouraging.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world. We’re trying to stay in touch with everyone personally. Please drop us a line or give us a call whenever the mood strikes!

Love,

JJ, Kc and PJ Morris

Josh’s explanation of placenta previa: the placenta (the baby sustaining organ made during pregnancy) is covering the cervix (the opening between the uterus, where the baby is, and the vagina, the way the baby gets out). The effect is that the baby can’t get out. This isn’t really a big deal, because they can get the baby with a C section in about 8 minutes or so- the problem is on the way to delivery: contractions can cause bleeds (hemorrhaging) which get progressively worse as they can rip the blood vessels of the placenta, which are not supposed to be over the cervix. The fear is that momma or baby could be compromised and may bleed out if not near the hospital. Obviously that’s bad, but don’t be too alarmed- there is a wide range of possibilities seen with this condition, everything from only one minor bleed with a full-term healthy baby and a scheduled C section, to several major bleeds with transfusion and emergency C section with premature baby. Women do not die of this usually in developed countries anymore- C sections are routine and we have good prenatal care.

These two websites (lots o’ good ones out there) have more info:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000900.htm

& http://members.aol.com/nofoolkc/