It's (probably) a girl!!!

Our level-2 ultrasound yesterday was highly encouraging. 10 fingers, 10 toes, two eyes (free of cateracts, no less), strong heart pumping blood at 150 beats per minute, good growth, and according to the doctor, free from visible birth defects. That was great news, since the last time we met with a doctor we were given the news that it was a 1 in 41 chance that this child would have some sort of chromasomal defect, most likely Downs' Syndrome. After meeting yesterday, the doctor said that she saw no signs of Downs' or any other defect, and while that is not a gurantee it is encouraging. She said that our likelihood of problems now are at least 1 in 80 if not better.

Praise God for His faithfulness and in answering our prayer and the prayers of all who have been holding us up!

And I feel inclined to make mention of the fact that Sandra and I feel blessed with this child, regardless of her chromosomal condition or any other problem that may occur. If the Lord of Life blesses us with a child of Downs' Syndrome, we feel more concern for the difficulty that child will have throughout life, knowing that people are not always kind and that we will most likely not be available to protect her. But as far as blessings go, Downs' or not, we recognize God's grace on us and would love and cherish *any* child given us for earthly care.

So, having seen that this child is most likely a girl (the doc said she was about 95% sure) we move forward with naming her. Most likely, we will go with Jadyn, which means "God has heard."

He most certainly has, and most certainly has blessed us.

Ultrasound today

We have a level-2 ultrasound scheduled for this morning. It should be incredible to see how God's handiwork is taking place in Sandra!

Because we are old, there is an increased risk for chromosomal disorders with this child. That is what drives this more intense ultrasound today. Based on the nuchal translucency test we had performed, we were told that our risk for Downs' Syndrome with our new child is increased from 1 in 270 (the average of women over the age of 35) to 1 in 42.

But I put no faith in odds-makers.

This pregnancy was never supposed to happen, according to odds-makers. Once again, we are reminded that God alone is the giver of life, and He does as He pleases. Miracles happen every day. And if He sees fit to bless us with a child with Downs' or any other issue, so be it...Blessed be the name of the Lord! If that is the case, it is exactly what is best for us.

So, I'll post more, and hopefully pictures when I return. More as it happens...

Programming

In addition to being a music snob, I am a systems/network administrator for a local government agency. I'm studying to attain my degree in (currently) Business Computer Information Systems at St Cloud State, and taking a Programming in C course currently.

Tonight I studied recursion, and once getting my head around it I find that it simply makes sense. The most difficult thing to understand as far as I was concerned, is that a recursive function will "wait" for a return that does not include a function call. In other words, when I say:

return n * recursiveFunction(n-1);

It will attempt to solve that function and continue waiting until the recursiveFunction returns a value.

I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me, but I guess it only matters that I know how to get the result I need...

...good night...

Gilmour today..."On An Island"

Thanks to Geoff, I'm enjoying some David Gilmour solo work today.

Gilmour will forever be one of my favorites. I read a quote one time about Gilmour that said "nobody plays the silence like David Gilmour." I tend to think that is right on the money. In the world of super-fast guitar diarrhea and punk-rock no-talents that can barely play 3 chords, it's good to know that guys like Gilmour are still putting out amazing albums like "On An Island" and receiving recognition for the accomplishment.

Check out davidgilmour.com for clips of his latest album and a truly enjoyable listening experience.

More Clapton today...

Today's early morning listening choice is Eric Clapton's "Reptile" album. It starts with a really cool, delicate piece called "Son and Sylvia" which just really is pleasing to the ear. It reminds me that one of the things that makes a great musician is not simply the technical aspect of being able to play cool scales or to write weird, challenging chord progressions. It's the ability to write pieces that stick in a person's head, that make their way from the ears, through the brain to the heart, where it incites an emotional response.

This is one thing that Clapton excells at, and what makes him Clapton. I haven't listened to him in a long, long time...and I'm glad to hear his stuff with fresh ears again.

More pointless thoughts and opinions as they happen...

Currently listening to...

Eric Clapton and B.B. King
"Riding With the King"

This is a fantastic album. Two greats, one album, all amazing...

For my money, I could listen to Clapton play the blues all day. It's what I always want from his albums, so when he puts out stuff like this, I can't listen enough. His rock stuff is good and cool, of course (he *is* Clapton, for cryin' out loud) but his blues stuff is just plain cool...

I'm back

There's nothing in here yet...