God is Good!

These posts are starting to get a little boring without pictures, and I apologize. I really need to invest in a camera of my own, so I am not depending on someone else to send pictures to me. I will see what I can do:)

We have had a great week! It started with a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, and Faith had a good strong heartbeat. We have set the date of our c-section for May 11th. Wow! That will be here before you know it. While I was in there, I scheduled an ultrasound for Wednesday morning.

That afternoon, we met with the funeral home to make all of the arrangements. I have dreaded this day since November 15th, but knew we needed to be prepared in the event our Faith is called to Heaven. Rob and I were overwhelmed with the details, but also the thought of the cost. I prayed before we went in there that God would just show up, lift us up, and give us the strength to get through it. When our friend came in to talk to us, she shared with us that they were waiving all of their fees, and that we would only be responsible for minimal costs. Praise God! What a blessing. It just goes to show that in the middle of a terrible tragedy, He is still there. It’s as if He said to us, “Hang on! I’m right here. I have it all under control.” The rest of the appointment was so peaceful, and we really felt the comfort of Jesus right there with us.

Wednesday morning, I picked up Amy and went to my appointment. If you’ll remember, the last one was very hard. I didn’t share this with you then, but I can share with you now. As a symptom/side effect of this limb-body-wall complex (Amniotic Band Syndrome), the baby typically shows signs of scoliosis. Faith had a SEVERE case of it. She was folded almost completely in half, with her legs over her face.

However, yesterday, God showed us how he works, even in the smallest of details. I was prepared for the worst! But, when Faith showed her little face on that screen, her body had been straightened out. Her legs and feet were where they were supposed to be. What a blessing! We could see all of her beautiful perfect little face, and I just thanked God right then and there for being there with me. I am also excited to report that from the beginning, she has measured far behind where she should be. Yesterday, she was only measuring 1 week behind. While it does still appear that her diagnosis is the same, God has worked in some miraculous ways!!! Her stomach and bladder appeared to be normal this time, which was far different than the last. I was able to get a 4D picture of her face, and I will treasure that FOREVER! She looks just like SaraGrace:)

You know, we don’t know what our Savior has planned for her. But we are not giving up hope that He will heal her! In just 6 short weeks, our baby looks completely different, and in a great and miraculous way! But if it is not His will that she remain on this earth, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is using her and her story to impact people for Him. What an honor to be a part of Faith’s story!!!

We will return to Shands today for a follow-up ultrasound from our original diagnosis. And if we are given the same fate as we were before, maybe the next Momma and Daddy who face this terrible situation will not be left to make uninformed decisions.

Our exciting day ended with Cade bringing home STRAIGHT A’s on his report card. He is such a little genius:) Thank you for your prayers for him. He has had a much better week, and I know it is because of the prayers being lifted on his behalf!

I would like to let you know that this Sunday, our church, as well as many others will be observing Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. This time will be a time to celebrate the miracle of precious life that our Creator has blessed us with. During our journey, we have learned so many statistics, but the one most devastating, is the number of babies that are terminated because we do not deem them to be perfect! Did you know that the majority of pregnancies that test positive for Downs Syndrome are terminated? That is astounding! I know that our Faith may not be perfect in the eyes of the world, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is perfect in the eyes of Jesus. She is just who He created her to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

But the wonderful thing about God is His unending love, mercy and forgiveness. For those who are living with the regret of decisions made in the past, please know that anything that is laid before Jesus is never unredeemed. Jesus Saves! Jesus Forgives! He can use you and your story to change the lives of others.