Photo Update -- and Heartline plug :)

I'm taking advantage of a rare occasion in which internet is actually working at a relatively decent speed, so let's see if I can get a few photos up from the past few days:

Christina, waiting for her turn at physical therapy

Nathalie

On Saturday, I headed over to the Hendrick's to hang out for the day and attend their awesome Halloween party. That day went rather different than anticipated, with Esther from Heartline's prenatal program going into labor, but in the meantime, the Heartline folks proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they know how to party!  Heather posted photos here.

Hudson Hendrick, a.k.a. Super Dash
- he is making this face in every
picture I took of him.

 After the party, Heather and I headed back over to the maternity center, where Esther had progressed enough to no longer be smiling but not enough to keep her off i.v. meds.  She still had a long, hard night of labor ahead of her, but she did such an amazing job.  Her baby boy was finally born at 7:26 a.m. -- 31 hours after her water broke.  There were many complications during her labor, but God has provided an amazing nurse-midwife, Melissa, to work with Heartline; because Melissa was there, Esther was able to deliver safely, surrounded by people who love her.  Had Melissa not been there to provide her medical skills, Esther would have had to be transported to a hospital, where she would have received minimal medical attention and no support or encouragement.  Furthermore, had Esther tried to deliver at home, it's likely she would not have survived.  Praise God for Heartline!  This truly is a life-changing, life-saving ministry.  The level of care they provide for Haitian women is incredible; they so value each woman that goes through their program and treat every one with a dignity and respect that is practically unheard of in this country.  I've seen this firsthand, and I really cannot say enough about this amazing ministry.  Please, if you haven't already voted for Heartline to win a $50k grant to further their work here in Haiti, do it now!  It literally takes 2 seconds (assuming you have faster internet than I currently do; so much for the good internet I had earlier)!  Click here to vote.

Sweet Esther and her baby boy, about two hours after he was born.

born October 30, 2011 at 7:26 am -- 6 lbs 9 oz

Beth, doing the newborn exam, and Tara

Please pray for Esther and her baby.  Esther lost a lot of blood giving birth, and so she and the baby have been staying at the maternity center so that her recovery can be monitored.  She and the baby were doing well last I heard (earlier this afternoon), and if all continues to go well and the baby doesn't have a fever tomorrow, they will be able to return home tomorrow afternoon.