BIG news...and big prayers needed!!

Yep...that's right!! We're EXPECTING!! :) We are due in June 2009. If you are trying to do the math in your head, I'll save you time...Isaac and his little brother/sister will be around 16 months apart!! :) This came as a bit of a surprise to us, but we are absolutely thrilled with the idea of having our little ones so close in age! We know it'll be a challenge...but we are excited nonetheless.

We had an ultrasound 4 weeks ago, and the baby looked wonderful. However, there was a mysterious growth attached to the lining of the uterus. We have been praying like crazy for the that growth to have disappeared. And at our follow-up ultrasound today, it was completely GONE! We were amazed at how God answered our prayer! The baby was dancing around, waving its arms and legs. It's heartbeat is nice and strong. Everything looked wonderful except one thing...

And that's what our hearts are focused on now. Here are images from this morning's ultrasound:

It may be difficult to tell exactly what you're looking at. The baby has two arms and two legs and looks perfectly fine except for that bulge near its belly. Usually by this time (10 weeks, 2 days) the baby's intestines should be developing inside the abdominal cavity. The ultrasound has revealed that they are growing on the outside. This is called Fetal Omphalocele (you can click for more info). There have been cases where this disappears by the time the baby is born, but more often it requires surgery after birth. Also, more than HALF of babies with this congenital defect also have other birth defects (in the spine, heart, digestive tract, urinary system, limbs, etc.). The extent of the defects and abnormalities can depend on the size of the omphalocele. Cases can range from mild to quite severe. And one study I read, showed that the majority of parents who were carrying a baby with severe omphalocele chose to terminate their pregnancies.

We have been referred to a fetal specialist and will get a level 2 ultrasound in January. They are also recommending all sorts of genetic testing (which we chose not to do with Isaac). Those will be done in December. Wow. This has been an emotional day to say the least! It feels very strange to know that something MAY be wrong with our little one. And that we have to WAIT for 8 weeks before we'll know anything else. I can tell you right now that it's going to be a long 8 weeks, but at least I have a cuddly little boy to help take my mind off things! And if there is anything that I know FOR SURE...it's that we love and serve a God who is Just...and Faithful. I trusted Him to remove that growth...and He DID! Now we will focus our prayers on this different growth. Will you join us in praying for our new baby??

We are praying for a miracle. We are hoping to go to our next ultrasound to find that there is NOTHING wrong with the baby...that the omphalocele has completely disappeared. We are trusting that God has a plan for this precious little life inside of us. If part of that plan does include this omphalocele, then we pray against any other birth defects that commonly accompany it! More than anything, I am sure that this experience is going to make us stronger in our faith and help us depend more on the Lord. We are hoping that others will see God's amazing work throughout this pregnancy...and see how He truly does answer prayer!