Thank you all for your good thoughts, positive energy, and prayers. My sister is 6cm dilated and 100% effaced, which means Kimora Michaela will be here soon! Baby girl is estimated to be 4lbs (but is probably 3lbs). She is 33 weeks.

Please continue to wash Raquel, Ray, and Kimora in your prayers. Please pray that the steroid shot has given Kimora’s lungs the help they need. Please pray that He guide the doctors taking care of my sister and niece. Please pray that Raquel has a safe delivery with no complications. Please pray for His comfort and peace to surround them and so that His presence is known by them as they bring their daughter into this world and care for her. Please pray for Kimora as she moves from her mommy’s womb into this world, that she may be healthy and strong and resilient.

Please lift my sister, Raquel, her husband, Ray, and their baby girl, Kimora Michaela, up in your prayers, and send good thoughts and vibes their way. They are at Labor and Delivery at Kaiser. Raquel’s water seems to have broken. Kimora’s due date is not until June 26.

Please pray that if Raquel’s water has broken, that the doctor’s are able to do all that is needed to care for Raquel and prepare for Kimora’s arrival. Please pray that if an amniocentesis is needed, that it is done well by able hands. Please pray that if steroid shots are needed, that they do their job in developing baby girl’s lungs. Please pray for the Lord’s comfort and peace to wash over Ray and Raquel, that they may feel His presence and know He is walking with them.

Thank you.

My LifewithLouie <3

Last September, after sleeping in our backpacking tent for six months, we decided to buy a mattress. We walked into Mattress Discounters and we’re allured by the Tempurpedic mattress, and even bought a queen-sized bed. We asked if it would be okay to put on the floor, and we were told yes. We asked if we needed to buy a foundation for it, we were told no, only if we were getting a bed frame. This was our first major purchase and we went all out with buying a protective mattress pad and nice sheets. We were so happy to be sleeping in a bed instead of blankets piled on sleeping mats at the bottom of a tent. Before that, we slept on two twin mattresses on the floor.

This is what the mattress looks like after two weeks of treatment (vinegar, baking soda, vacuuming, vinegar+hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, vacuuming). Most of the spores seem to be gone now, and we are left with all of these stains.

Fast forward a few months and the rainiest weather San Francisco has had in a couple years, and Louie discovers mold growing on the bottom of the mattress. He calls Tempurpedic to ask for advice on how to clean it and is informed that you need a foundation to prevent mold growth and there have been a lot of complaints, especially in San Francisco. And there is nothing they can do because the warranty is void without a foundation. He’s told to take a photo and bring it to the store. Louie goes to Mattress Discounters and is told by one sales rep that he should know better and expect things to get moldy in San Francisco, and that she’s had to throw a lot of things out due to mold damage. First of all, has she ever thrown out a thousand dollar mattress? And second of all, if you are selling a product in San Francisco, is it wrong to assume that you know what your talking about? Another guy tells Louie that he can’t do anything because the purchase is “locked” after 90-days and to call the Mattress Discounters customer service line. Louie calls and is told that you can put the mattress on the ground, to which he responds that he called Tempurpedic who told him that the foundation is a must. She gets off the phone to talk to her boss who tells her to email Tempurpedic. When Louie follows up the next day, she tells him there is nothing they can do because the warranty is void and Tempurpedic said you can put the mattress on the floor, but there is a risk of moisture damage.

This past Monday, I sent an email to Mattress Discounters’ main customer service email explaining the issue and asking for a replacement mattress. I think it’s only fair since their due diligence should be to (at the very least) warn us of the possible moisture damage caused by not having a foundation. If the sales rep had told us that, we would have spent the extra money to buy a foundation, instead of risking damaging our mattress. I gave them until Friday to respond, and did not receive one. So yesterday, I called at 11:04am (they open at 11) and got sent to voicemail. So, I left a message. I did not get a call back.

I’m pretty sure we’ve passed the limit the “in good faith” part of trying to resolve the issue. So now, I’m going to call the credit card company tomorrow, and see if we can just stop making payments. We have about $400 left to pay off (the total for everything was around $1700, including tax, the mattress cover, and bedsheets).

And where are we sleeping?

Well, we are back in our cozy tent until we can figure something out.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see this on YouTube so quickly (I did search for it). I wanted to share this video of Legaci with you because I am so proud of these guys, and because you really get to see them on camera (they are the four guys on the left singing backup for Justin B.). I think it’s so cute that they’re doing choreography and was laughing (in a good way) whenever they were on camera. My brother-in-law is the one in the gray fedora.

Before you watch, I did want to say, It should have been Conan O’Brien! Sigh. I think Calvin and Rainbow would have enjoyed it better. The funniest thing was “Bieber or Die”; I like the Chuck E Cheese part (go YouTube it if you haven’t seen it!).

Micah, Dom, Del and Chris, I stayed up late to watch you guys and will blame you if I’m super tired at work tomorrow!

P.S. I will be posting the “Walking with You” Thread’s of Hope, Pieces of Joy bible study lessons 4, 5, and 6 tomorrow. So yes, Kelly, I will be caught up this week .

Something that I’ve been wanting to share, but that I’ve kept quiet until it became a reality, is the recent blessing received by very important people in my life. The beautiful thing is that this happened on March 5th. Do you know the importance of that day? That day is Calvin’s birthday. Louie and I were on our way to see our chiropractor, Dr. Kim, when he got a phone call. He heard the words Calvin is a blessing, followed by the news that Legaci was asked to perform with Justin Bieber.

I’ve known Legaci for almost as long as I’ve known Louie. I’ve watched them perform at local showcases, festivals, and competitions. They sang at my sister’s sweet sixteen party and my grandmother’s funeral and were part of my wedding. I’ve spent so many weekends watching them practice, making fun of them, and seeing them grow into the men and artists they are now.

These guys are like brothers to me—in the good ways and in the annoying ways. And I am so proud of them.

Tonight, Legaci will be performing with Justin on the Kid Choice Awards. The show in on Nickelodeon and starts at 8pm Pacific/7pm Central/8pm Eastern. Will you watch and see how amazing they are?

**Updated** It looks like regular Nickelodeon is airing it at 8pm. We’re watching it now because Louie’s parents have Comcast HD, which is streaming live.

And one more thing—

The Justin Bieber song that they covered, that got them noticed… it’s called Baby. Calvin’s 1st Heavenly Birthday and Baby. How’s that for a sign that my baby boy is doing wonderful things in Heaven?

Here is the video, in which they collaborated with fellow YouTube artists, Cathy Nguyen and Traphik: