The Story of Our Life

Every day that we are here on earth seems to be a part of a chapter of the stories of our lives. There are some sad chapters, some happy ones, and some that fall in between. We can’t always control how the chapter is written, but we can make a choice in how to tell it. I wanted to share with you the latest chapter in our life.

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I knew deep down this one was going to be different. I was scared in a lot of ways because you just don’t know what God’s plans are. The last few weeks have been a roller coaster to say the least. But God has been faithful, and proven His power over and over.

Yesterday, I had my follow-up ultrasound to just give us a peace of mind that everything was how it should be. But we soon found out it was not (at least not how WE thought it should be.) It appears that Baby Vaughn is suffering from gastroschisis. This is a birth defect in which the intestines are growing outside of the body. I was upset to say the least. But my doctor reassured me that if this was indeed what we were dealing with, it was fixable. However, I am now being transferred to the care of a perinatologist. They will do a Level 2 ultrasound in a couple of weeks to give us a definite diagnosis, and to see if there are any other defects present. The baby’s heart rate was also high, so this will be a point of concern as well.

I have to tell you that God gives us the most awesome blessings in the midst of trials. I was set to go by myself yesterday, seeing that we already knew everything was fine. My best friend Amy was supposed to be watching the shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center, but it had been postponed until Wednesday. She texted me out of the blue and asked if she could go with me. See, God had gone before me and worked out the smallest detail so that I didn’t have to hear this news alone.

Obviously this news changes things a bit. It will change everything about my pregnancy-my doctor, my hospital, the care of my baby. But you know, Jesus walked this road before me, so He knows how I feel. My first instinct was to pray selfishly that nothing would be wrong. That this baby would be perfect. But then I realized it is not my baby, not my story. I had made the decision in the beginning to give this baby to Him. This is His story to write and to tell. Rob and I have chosen to be grateful that God has chosen us to tell His story and to share all that He has done and is going to do. Will it be an easy road? Absolutely not! No parent wants to hear that their child is not “normal.” But we are not on this journey alone. Just as God was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and just as He was with Daniel in the lion’s den, He is with us as we navigate the road ahead.

Please pray for us that we will be obedient to what God would have us do with the story of our life.