From our last email update . . .

Our meeting with the perinatologist in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic yesterday (the 4th of April) was very encouraging as we found out that each baby has a separate placenta, which greatly reduces their risk. (There are a couple of major reasons that I won't go into because I'd be sure to get it wrong, being no specialist myself). He did discuss quite honestly the risks to my body and health, but I was surprised by how low the rates of common complications actually are. So I left feeling more optimistic than previously. He was blunt about how difficult it will be for my body to physically carry five babies, and the biggest prayer is that the babies stay in long enough to be not just viable but healthy longterm. He said 29 weeks would be the minimum; anything over that would be a huge "win" for all concerned. Two things I have going for me are that Isaac was a big full-term baby, so my organs have already experienced some hard usage, and I didn't develop preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure) during that pregnancy. 

The healthier the babies are, the sooner we can return to PNG, Lord willing!

In His Hands,

Carrie, for all 8 of us

P.S. I love this picture just sent to my parents by the man who took it in Lomalinda, Colombia, 1978(?). I must have been about one-year-old. That's the old Evangel airplane in the background! Maybe one of the quints will look like me; I just hope none act like me - I was a handfull! Of course, my dad could keep me in my place with one hand alone . . . ;)

Mini update on the quints

Taken today in Shenandoah National Park, Stony Man Trail
 (No, Mom, I am nowhere near the edge - it's an optical illusion!)

The perinatologist from the Maternal Fetal Medicine office in Charlotte wants to start checking me weekly in about two weeks to verify the babies are staying put. I would be 13 weeks along at that point. If he sees anything of concern he might do some preventive surgery (bar the EXIT door!) and/or put me on bedrest. I assume those weekly checkups will continue with my perinatologist in Dallas. My first appointment with them is June 13th. Thanks for all your prayers!!

I am definitely feeling less sick and more energetic - hence the above picture. We're in the Shenandoah Valley visiting our good friends from Ukarumpa, the Schanelys, who have since relocated here. After our short hike/walk and light lunch at Skyland Lodge, we headed back to the Schanelys' for a LONG nap . . . well, for me at least. :)

Gavin has this week off as the helicopter is in a different location, so we've made the most of it, as you can see! It's so good to reconnect with Travis and Jennifer and meet their adorable daughters.

Climbing and flying

Gavin's parents are visiting us for a few days and we had a good time at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.  Aside from the whitewater course there, they also have a bunch of climbing walls, ropes courses, and zip lines.  Gavin's dad treated us to a day there and we all had a great time.  Isaac loved the climbing wall, zip-line, and the free-fall jump especially.  Carrie enjoyed watching Isaac (and the two of us) have a great time with it all, but was pretty worn out with all the walking around.

They were getting ready to do the Olympic trials there for whitewater the next day, so were getting all set up for that.

Some time in the mountains

We spent the weekend with Gavin's parents and his aunt and uncle where they live in Black Mountain.  It is a beautiful time of year with all the dogwoods and azaleas blooming everywhere.  Isaac really enjoyed our hike up Lookout Mountain. (We could even glimpse Billy Graham's house in the distance.

The blooms are everywhere and gorgeous

Strange wildlife lives in these NC trees!

April Fool's!

I (Gavin) was at the Sun 'N Fun Exposition and Fly-in this past week in Lakeland, FL.  I flew the R44 helicopter down with a colleague.  Our organization had a tent set up along with New Tribes Mission, Mission Aviation Fellowship and Liberty University.  We spent the week there telling passersby about the need for Bible translation, overseas missions, and how they can fit in.  The helicopter was there on display and I spent my time telling people about it and showing kids how the controls work.

The guys from Liberty, having heard the news about the Jones "Quints" showed their sense of humor when they added a few passengers and their necessary equipment  to the helicopter before I arrived in the morning.

Five babies in the copilot's seat, five bibs on the
 cyclic control, and five sippy cups in the back seat.

The For Sale sign says "See Liberty University.  Make an offer."

My first question for the guys was why the five dolls were ALL GIRLS?  Apparently that's all the store had at the time. 

When they took off for breakfast, though, we put up a sign at their booth advertising free full ride scholarships to the first five people to sign up.

A quick background about the Jones family

Picnic time up on Lone Tree in PNG, 2011

In order to avoid having to have every post approved, we are going to refer to the organization we work with as "the organization."  If you would like to know who we work for and more background information, please see our other blog http://gavincarrie1.blogspot.com.  Here's a bit of history on us.

I grew up in Merced, CA. I spent two years in Lomalinda, Colombia, South America with Wycliffe Bible Translators from 1983-1985. I went to Merced High School, graduating in 1995. I then went to LeTourneau University and graduated as an airplane pilot and mechanic in 1999.

Carrie was born in Lomalinda, Colombia and grew up there.  Her parents, Neal and Jane, Peterson, were missionaries there with Wycliffe.  (We were next-door neighbors for 6 months when we were 6 years old!) She returned to the US when she was 16. She moved to Dallas in 1995, where her family still lives. She went to Dallas Baptist University and graduated in 1999 with a Biology degree. She has since gotten her Master's in Epidemiology/Public Health and has done all but her thesis toward her Doctorate in that field. She is serving in several roles here in PNG with her -- HIV/AIDS awareness, Community Health Board with local villages, and, most importantly, loving mother to our son Isaac.

We got married in 1999 and we have one son, Isaac, born in 2004. In 2005, we came over to Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific to serve as a pilot/mechanic and Public Health worker.

We serve in PNG to support Bible translators who are putting the scriptures into the as yet unwritten languages of PNG (still more than 200 languages here do not have a single word of Scripture in their language!) In 2007, God provided for me to fulfill my lifelong dream to be a helicopter pilot and I have had the amazing privilege to serve in PNG flying helicopters.

If you would like to contribute toward our ministry, please go here.

Thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support!

Gavin, Carrie, and Isaac Jones

Ultrasound #3: All's good!

On Tuesday we went in to have another ultrasound after some significant bleeding a few days before.  It was pretty exciting to see all 5 babies there still with strong heartbeats!  One of the first views we had of one of the babies showed him waving his arms and legs.  Incredible, considering they're only the size of a grape right now (nobody's told me what kind or size of grape, though).  I've imbedded just a bit of the sonogram.  Toward the end you can see five black oval-ish areas that are the five baby sacs.  Pretty incredible.