David's graduation

HE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's awesome

We are so thankful to everyone who reached out to us with love and concern this past week. I wasn't able to respond to everyone who emailed, texted, or called me, but I felt your love and prayers with us yesterday as we went for our second ultrasound.

We met with the genetic counselor first and she asked us a million questions and prepared us for the ultrasound. There were three people in the room looking at the ultrasound and all three agreed that there were no signs of echogenic bowel! We were both relieved and filled with joy, and I felt my body loosen and exhale, releasing all the worry and fear it's been holding on to since Monday.

We cried. We gave each other a high five. And then, as a special treat, the ultrasound technician let us see our baby in 3D...

We love you, Bambeano!

Tonight we are going to bed with heavy hearts. The genetic counselor called me today and talked with me about our ultrasound results. The good news is that all major baby parts (heart, lungs, and brain) look great. The bad news is they identified "echogenic bowel," which is an unusally bright appearance of the baby's bowel on an ultrasound.

The counselor was kind and pastoral. She told me that, most likely, nothing is wrong with the baby and he will be born healthy and fine. However, echogenic bowel is a soft marker for things like down syndrome and cystic fibrosis. We are scheduled for a second ultrasound on Thursday and a follow-up appointment with the genetic counselor.

We are trying not to worry, but that is nearly impossible. We love him so much and the thought of him not being healthy feels like too much to bear.

What I know for sure is that we have been immediately surrounded by a community of love and support. We are loved. This baby is loved. And right now, we feel like we are being carried.

Of course, we are praying that everything is fine and Bambeano comes out healthy. But, as a dear friend told me tonight, if he's not totally healthy it won't change anything. The people who love him now will still love him.

We love you, Bambeano!!!

Today is a good, good day

Today is a good, good day. It is sunny and sort-of warm here today. David has the day off so we walked the dogs to REI, got Starbucks, and sat by the Platte River talking about all things baby.

David is less than 2 weeks from graduating and I am 9 days away from finishing my last full quarter of seminary. Just as surely as spring is promising to arrive, our seemingly never-ending time as full-time students is coming to an end.

I have amazing, wonderful, and loving friends who are planning baby showers for this baby.

And, I am feeling pretty darn good about having a boy. We have started calling him by name (it's still a secret!) and he is starting to feel oh so real.

I feel totally and completely blessed. Life is good.

Peru Connection

My friend, Lorissa, has decided to go to Peru this summer with Global Volunteers Network. I'm so proud to be her friend and so proud of her for taking this big step. To offer her support and encouragement (or just to see her really beautiful blog!) click here.

Dignity, Not Detention

Monday night our JustFaith group at Trinity was part of the monthly vigil outside the immigrant detention center in Aurora. The American Friends Service Committee recently launched a national campaign called, "Dignity, Not Detention: Preserving Human Rights and Restoring Justice."

Over 300,000 immigrants are detained each year in a secretive web of 350 private, federal, state and local jails at an annual cost of more than $1.7 billion to taxpayers. In Aurora, driving without a license can land an immigrant in detention. Immigrants can be detained for months, or even years, without any meaningful judicial review or access to a lawyer. While detained, immigrants face mistreatment by guards, denial of medical care, and separation from family members and loved ones.

The campaign calls for an end to detention expansion and seeks to expose how profit-driven expansion of the detention system is inhumane and unjust. The campaign has 4 main goals: reduce detention spending by the Obama administration, demand the use of secure release options as a meaningful alternative to detention, restore due process to immigrant laws, and end expansion of enforcement programs (i.e. ICE access) that are contributing to the growth of the detention system.

Monday night we gathered on the corner of 30th and Peoria to hold signs and light candles. We affirmed our belief that the immigration system is horribly broken and that, as people of faith, we are called to seek justice for all God's people. After a brief period on the corner, we then walked along the sidewalk to the detention center that is tucked back away from the street. We stood outside the center's windows and we alternated singing with chanting. We chanted, "Dignity, not detention" and we sang "We Shall Overcome" in both Spanish and English.

There were enough of us present that eventually detainees started coming to the windows to look out at us. They waved to us. We waved back. We were separated by glass and bars and razor fences. We sang louder.

One of the men in our group walked up and down the sidewalk slowly so that the immigrants could read his sign. In English it said, "You are not forgotten" and in Spanish it said, "I'm thinking only of you."

It was horrible and wonderful all at the same time. And it was humbling. I've been spending so much time lately thinking about jogging strollers and car seats and this baby...I couldn't help but wonder how many of them had babies at home who were missing their mamas and daddies. It makes my heart sad.

To read more about the campaign or to sign the "Dignity, not detention" statement, click here.

The cover of this month's Sojourners. "Citizen or criminal?"