18 Weeks

We had another visit with the pre-natal specialist this Tuesday.  She reported that he is stable, and shows no signs of distress at this time.  She said that his heart looks fine for now, and that he is getting most of what he needs from me at this time.  She referred us to a neonatal cardiologist that we will see in the next couple of weeks.  He will be able to assess his condition as he grows.  With Trisomy 13, the heart is a concern and often has defects.  

She allowed us to video the ultrasound.  This was very special to us, because he was moving around and sucking his fingers!   Hopefully we will be able to see these things after birth as well, but we have no guarantee that he will live that long.  We are trying to celebrate every day of life that we have!  

16 Weeks

For those of you who have not heard yet, we got some very sad news almost three weeks ago now.  We learned that our 4th child has a condition known as Trisomy 13, and he is given a very poor prognosis.

I am now 18 1/2 weeks pregnant and as the truth settles, there is great sadness, but comfort  in knowing that we have the love and support of family and friends.  The greatest peace that we have is  that this world is not our home.  "In this world, you will have sorrow, but take heart, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 ) .  We also know that if we are absent in the flesh, we are present with God.  Our little baby boy will never be alone.  He will always be loved.

We set up this blog to for those of you who want to walk with us.  It will be a way for us to communicate with you about the details of what is happening.  We don't know how long our little boy will live, but we want to cherish every minute.

We have decided to name him "Josiah", which in Hebrew means "Jehovah Heals".  We know that God is capable of a miracle in his little body.  If He chooses to do this, we will be grateful.  If he chooses to take him to heaven, we will accept that as well.  Just as we have cared for our other three children, we plan to care for Josiah,  if his life is short or long.

Because we have made nicknames for all of our little guys, you we will interchange "Joey" with "Josiah" as we talk about him.    When you ask about him, please feel free to use either name.    We love them both!

We are SO thankful for all of your cards, texts, e-mails, calls, meals, and mostly your prayers.  We do really feel supported by prayer and love.  We are blessed with such support, and we are so very grateful.  Thank you............