13 DAYS!!!!

13 days!! Lord willing, Truett will be making his appearance in 13 days! EEEEK!!!!!

I know it’s been awhile since Harry or I have blogged, but as you can imagine, life has been crazy and isn’t slowing down. So I may repeat some things I’ve already said, but I’m going to try to update y’all the best I can!

We have a cesarean scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 10am. Having a day set was reality for us. This is really happening. We had something to look forward too. I had an urgent cesarean with Anniston so that, plus the circumstances with Truett are why I’m having another one this time.

We’ve continued having our routine doctor appointments with Dr. Million. We cannot express enough how amazing she has been! Each visit she encourages us and lets us know that yes, this will be difficult, but in the end, everything will be okay. And she’s right, it will be! We have faith that the Lord will get us through this.

On February 22, my amazing friends and family threw us a “Shower of Love.” I’m going to be honest I was SUPER nervous about the shower. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want people to feel awkward or uncomfortable. My friends did an outstanding job and everything was perfect. Thank you for each hug, prayer and word of encouragement. Often times we don’t know how to respond, other than saying ‘thank you.’ So, THANK YOU for all your love and support shown to us.  

I’m feeling lots of different emotions these days! As if I didn’t think about it everyday before, it often overwhelms me. I think about checking in the hospital, them taking me back into the OR room, how Harry will handle seeing him, how am I going to handle seeing him. What will happen when we go back to our room? How emotional will our family and friends be? What will little Anniston think when she sees her “babay?” We are so excited but also very nervous because we have no idea what to expect.

This past Sunday, our church, LifeSpring Church (www.lifespring.cc), had a Life, Love, Acrania Day in honor of sweet Truett and us. It was overwhelming to see so many people in their “Team Truett” t-shirts supporting us and praying over us. Harry shared, as well as his Dad. The words spoken were so sweet and sincere. A service I will never forget. On everyone’s way out they were encouraged to take home a luminary to light that evening in honor of Truett and use the hashtag, #teamtruett or #lifeloveacrania. Harry & I were in tears at all the pictures that flooded social media that night. We seriously couldn’t keep up with all the notifications. We are so grateful for LifeSpring Church!

Today was my last routine doctors appointment, bittersweet for sure. We got to hear Truetts heartbeat and he put on a little show for Dr. Million, dancing and kicking all around! Next time we go to North Florida we will be entering Labor and Delivery! I’m not really sure how I feel about that at the moment but I know the days ahead are going to fly by!

Many people have asked how they can pray for us specifically. First and foremost, please pray for little Truett. We want him to be with us as long as the Lord allows, but we also want him to experience as little pain as possible. Pray for me that on the morning of April 7th I will be calm and experience God’s peace that can transcend all my understanding. Pray for Harry that God gives him the strength, wisdom and peace that he will need to be there for Truett and myself. Pray for Anniston that she will always remember meeting her little brother and the impact that he has had on the lives of others and that she will one day be able to share his story too. Pray for our doctors and nurses that day also. Dr. Million and Dr. Hatfield will be with me along with lots of nurses and staff. Pray the Lord gives them the knowledge and wisdom to do what they know is best and also that someone’s life will be touched because of Truett. Lastly, pray for our family. Sometimes I feel like they’re overlooked. Our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins have all been here for us since day one and I know that this has affected them too. Pray that Lord comforts them during this time in a way that only He can. Pray God gives them the strength and energy to be there for us and each other.

I know we’ve said this numerous times before, but thank you. Thank you to this little small town, that we call home, that has bent over backwards for us since our diagnosis on September 25, 2014. We wish we could thank each one of you personally. We will never forget how you’ve touched our lives during this time.

I apologize, I know this is getting long, but one last thing…. We would LOVE if everyone who has a “Team Truett” shirt could wear theirs on Tuesday, April 7^th and even post a picture using the hashtag, #teamtruett or #lifeloveacrania. We want to do whatever we can to share awareness about Acrania and show our love for baby Truett that day!

Much Love! <3

Kristen

Tom Brady and Truett

Like many of you, Kristen and I watched the Super Bowl on February 1^st. I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan of either team. However, I believe Bill Belichick is one of the more intelligent coaches in professional sports. He and Tom Brady have done something remarkable with that organization. It’s hard to count the New England Patriots out when it comes to the playoffs. However, after the first four games of the season, people did just that.

New England opened the 2014 season with a loss to their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots hadn’t lost a season opener since 2003 when Drew Bledsoe and the Buffalo Bills beat them 31-0. After the first four games this season Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were 2-2. Many people wrote them off. Don’t mind that there were still 12 games to be played. Tom Brady was finished. Bill Belichick’s era was coming to an end. The life that the New England Patriots had known for so long was now over. No one believed in them, except, themselves.

You can call me crazy if you want to. I told my wife and a small group of friends before the game what I am now about to tell you. I believe with all my heart that there are some similarities between Tom Brady/Pats and our son, Truett. I believe that God spoke to my spirit concerning this.

No one has given Truett a chance. Very early on, Kristen and I didn’t even give him a chance either. His life was going to be over soon after it began. I do believe that God has led us here. I believe He will continue to lead as long as we follow. We may lose some games early on. People might write Truett off saying there is absolutely no hope for him. But I believe in God. I believe God is stronger. I believe God is greater. I believe God is wiser. I believe God is gracious. I believe God is kind. I believe God is love. I believe God is able. I believe God! And because I believe God, Truett has a chance. Truett has a chance to be healed. Truett has a chance to live. Truett has a chance to grow. Truett has a chance to be loved. Truett has a chance, because I believe God.

You can’t simply discount the New England Patriots after four games. That’s crazy talk. It’s the New England Patriots. They find a way to win. They find a way to succeed.

You can’t simply discount God after you receive some devastating news. That’s crazy talk. He is the creator of life itself. He spoke the world into being. He is the defender of the weak. He is the rock. He is salvation. Time and time again Jesus did things that were impossible. Blind men can see. Dead people are now alive. Crippled people now walk. These things, according to man, are impossible.

We left our friend’s house after the halftime show. My mom was watching Anniston at our house and we didn’t want to be out too late and make my mom stay late. We got home and Kristen went to bed. I normally would have gone to bed as well but it was the Super Bowl. Not only was it the Super Bowl, but, I personally felt like I had something riding on this game. At the end of the third quarter the Patriots were down 10 points and things weren’t looking good. The Seattle Seahawks had scored 17 unanswered points and it seemed as if the Seahawks were going to repeat. But, they were playing the New England Patriots. You can’t count the Patriots out just because things don’t look good. The Patriots took the lead with a little over two minutes left in the game.

Then I began thinking of Truett. I started thinking about what God had spoken to me. If you ask anyone in the medical field they will tell you that Truett has no chance at all for survival. We asked 3 different doctors what they would do if they received the same diagnosis we did. All three said we should terminate the pregnancy. We spoke to four or five other people in the medical field. We received four or five more votes to terminate the pregnancy. Early on, people wrote off the Patriots. Early on, people wrote off Truett. Truett has now been alive in his mother’s womb for about 30 weeks. When his skull was supposed to develop, it did not. Around 20 or 21 weeks we found out that Truett has “hardly any brain tissue left” (Dr. Million). He still has a good strong heartbeat. Kristen and I still get to feel him moving around inside her belly. Sometimes Anniston gets to feel her little brother kicking her while Kristen is rocking her to sleep.

I have to admit, when Russell Wilson threw that deep pass to Jermaine Kearse, I had some doubts. I guess I didn’t believe what God had said after all. Seattle had the ball inside the five yard line. It was too easy. The game was over. It was going to be too difficult for the New England Patriots to stop them from scoring.

But, the miraculous happened. Even when I doubt, I believe. I can’t tell you what I felt inside my soul when the game was over and the New England Patriots were Champions. No one in that organization knows us. They don’t know Truett or his story. When the game was over I felt like Truett was a champion. The Patriots defied the odds. With their backs against the wall they won, they conquered. I believe Truett will live longer than people think he will. I don’t know if that will be a few days or weeks or how long that might be. But, the miraculous can happen. Truett may not ever have a skull and his brain can be forever gone, but the miraculous can happen. Truett will live. We look forward to spending as much time with him as possible. You see, Truett and Tom Brady really aren’t that different, you can’t count either one of them out.

Thank you all for your continued support of us through this journey. We love and appreciate you very much. I wish we could give everyone a hug and let you know how important you are to us. Please continue to pray for Truett, Kristen, Anniston and myself. I pray that through our journey and through Truett’s life, you will see Jesus in all of us. Here are a couple of verses that are very close to me.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 ESV)

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. (Romans 4:20 NLT)

It's a BOY!

Hello again! Ok, so I know this post is LONG overdue, but to be real with you…blogging makes me nervous!!! I’m not a writer and I feel like the stuff I post doesn’t make sense, or people are going to get bored with what I have to say. I usually postpone my post until my husband finally says, you REALLY need to blog tonight (and gets a little pushy). So here I am. I hope and pray during the next few months I get the courage to blog a little more. To tell you how we’re feeling that week, let you know how doctor’s appointments go and to keep you updated on how we’re preparing ourselves.

Lets rewind a little bit. On December 15, we had our first ultrasound, since our diagnosis, with Dr. Fareed (our specialist). I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I guess I thought I was really going to be able to see what Truett looked like. Maybe get a glimpse of what he will look like at birth, see exactly what they mean when they say the words “no skull”. I’m not sure. I do know that Harry and I were both anxious, very anxious; hoping and praying for a miracle.

The tech performed our ultrasound, as she did last appointment. She took tons of pictures! She would tell us everything she was seeing, and of course we could see too, sort of. I don’t know how those people read those things!! She would say, “oh, heres a leg, do you see that?” We’d reply, “nope, don’t see a leg!” Haha. It really is amazing though what they can see. We just trust what they are telling us. After she took pictures for about 30 minutes, she left and Dr. Fareed came in. She didn’t have a whole lot to say. And I mean that in a good way. She asked us if we had any questions for her, which at the time we were just nervous and processing so our answer was no. She explained that nothing had changed but other than that everything looked perfect. We had some small talk for a couple minutes, and then we were on our way.

Once she left, I don’t remember exactly what Harry said, but something along the lines of him being disappointed that there wasn’t a miracle. I know he was upset, but he didn’t show it. As much as I was devastated we didn’t get this “amazing news”, we really did. Everyone always says, how worse can it be? Oh, it could be a lot worse. I would have been devastated to hear something like, your baby also has this or that, or this is wrong so we’re going to have to deliver today. I am grateful that I get to continue to carry Truett for three and a half more months. I am grateful that he is happy and growing inside of me. I am grateful that thus far I have had a normal, healthy pregnancy. I am grateful for the kicks I get to feel each and every day. Things can always be worse, so for that appointment, I am grateful. 

Ever since I have known about the diagnosis, I have really tried to just not make it a big deal and sort of keep quiet. I don’t want the attention; although I am SO SO SO thankful for all that has been done for us so far. So when I started think about how we would “reveal the baby’s gender”, I wasn’t really sure. I had mixed feelings about it all. I knew I didn’t want a big shindig, but I didn’t want to ignore that the fact that I am pregnant either. With all that being said, as you know from the pictures, we had a small gender reveal party at my brother and sister in law’s house for family the next evening. It was such a sweet time with family and LOTS of laughs. Our little Reindeer (Christmas themed, red for girl, green for boy) Scratch Off’s revealed that baby Hatcher #2 was going to be a BOY! We both thought it was a boy all along, but confirming it we were both thrilled! Truett Michael Hatcher is on his way peeps!

 Like I said earlier, I’m not a writer. All I can do is say what’s on my heart and hope and pray for God to receive all the honor and glory from this journey we’re on. I’m expecting the next few months will continue to be difficult as we prepare physically and mentally for Truett’s birth. We ask that you pray for us specifically in the next few months. Pray that God reveals himself to us through this process (We still wonder everyday, why us). Pray that God will comfort me as I continue to feel Truett’s kicks and movement each day. Pray that God will give us the strength we need to make funeral arrangements. Pray that God will continue to be with our doctors, Million and Fareed, and each of our nurses (as I’m sure this delivery will not be an easy one for them). Pray that with each appointment we continue to hear Truett’s heartbeat (our next appointment is Monday, January 5th at 9:20am). Pray for our family, as this is also a difficult thing for them to see us go through as our parents, siblings and friends. Lastly, pray for our sweet Anniston. She is too young to know what’s going on, but she does know that Mommy is carrying a baby. When you ask her where Mommy’s baby is, she lifts up my shirt and kisses my belly. Pray that God will use her little brother’s story in her life one day when she grows older.

Love and hugs to each of you! <3

Kristen 

Here are a couple pictures from the gender reveal party:

The Day I Found Out...

…my wife was pregnant; I wasn’t exactly excited. Kristen was nauseous and vomiting for a few days now. I knew she was pregnant. She knew she was pregnant. Anniston probably knew her mom was pregnant also. However, I was still holding out hope that maybe she was sick with a virus or something. I got in my car around 8pm and went to our local Walgreens. I told the associate that I needed to buy a pregnancy test. He replied, “Must be something in the water, this is the fifth one I’ve sold tonight.” I return home to Kristen. She comes out of the bathroom with a positive test. We take a second test. Second test was also positive. Anniston was not even a year old. What were we thinking (insert jokes here)? The excitement that Kristen was experiencing was soon removed by my poor attitude. I began to think about our life. We need a bigger vehicle. We live in a 2-bedroom home; both rooms are occupied. Maybe it will be a girl and they can share a room. What if it’s a boy? We need a bigger house. We need better jobs. Honestly, I was very stressed and saw this as a negative impact on our family.

Kristen was upset that I was upset. So I had to take a few deep breathes (several times over the next few days). I remember something I said to Kristen the night I found out she was pregnant. After my rant was over, I said something to the effect of, “let’s wait and confirm everything with the doctor before we start planning anything.” Kristen was very excited for another baby, not necessarily this soon, but nonetheless, excited. I, however, have had several premonitions, weird feelings, whatever you want to call them before and after the pregnancy. The first one I will not share yet. The second was that night when I just had a “feeling” that we shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

Let’s fast forward a month or so. We had our pregnancy confirmed by our nurse. Kristen has already shared that with you. A few weeks later we had our first appointment with the Dr. Million. This was my third weird “feeling” (if you want to call it that). I recall sitting in the exam room with Kristen waiting for the doctor to come in. The ultrasound machine parked next to the exam table where Kristen was sitting. I took a picture of the machine and commented to Kristen, “look how old this equipment looks.” It was the same equipment that was used on Anniston and that turned out okay. I’m not sure why I even noticed the equipment. I wouldn’t even be able to recognize new equipment versus old equipment. But I did notice it and mention it to her. Dr. Million examines Kristen and the baby. We were sent to see Dr. Fareeduddin that day to confirm the diagnosis of acrania. Dr. Million told us, “I want you to see a specialist because they have newer, nicer equipment and can see things better than us.” That may not mean anything to most of you but if you are a parent I think you can relate. Parents get “feelings” when things aren’t right. I don’t know how to explain it or even if it makes sense.

Our next appointment is December 15^th at 9:30am. This will be with Dr. Fareeduddin and we will have another ultrasound. We’ll find out if our baby is a little boy or a little girl. Each appointment I get a little anxious. I’m afraid that one day we will not hear that little heartbeat. We ask that you continue to pray with us. We pray for healing for our little baby. Jeremiah 32:27 reads, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?” Our precious baby has a Lord and that Lord is the creator of everything and life itself. We pray for healing. We pray for a miracle. Thank you all again for all you do for us. We appreciate each call, text, email, comment and letter.

Thank you! Harry & Kristen