IT'S A....

HEALTHY BABY!!

(You didn't think I'd tell you the gender yet, did you?  hehe)

Last night, neither Sean nor I slept very well.  Maybe it was the homemade lumpia we ate at 9 o'clock, or maybe it was anticipations of Monday morning.  But as I was lying awake, tyring to take captive every anxious thought, Romans 15:13 came to my mind once again.  

I've written about the significance of this verse in my life probably a dozen times.  And here it was again.  The same prayer that my daddy prayed over me when I was 16 remains a fervent prayer of my heart today:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Oh, that was what I needed last night... hope.  Hope that our baby would be healthy.  I need joy... as much joy in this pregnancy as I had with Whitney.  I've been guarding myself too much to feel that.  And peace... peace that passes understanding.  Peace that says even though everything in my past tells me to worry, I don't need to.  Yes, I love that verse.

So on to the ultrasound... I love my doctor.  As soon as the nurse took us into the room, he was right there behind her, ready to do the ultrasound.  Before he started anything, he took both mine and Sean's hands and prayed over us.  That was the only point I cried a little all morning!

He talked me through each step, making me feel more comfortable, and when he put the gel on my tummy, he drew a big smiley-faced baby... it made me laugh.  He checked all the major organs, the spine, the face, the brain, the heart... everything.  He said the amniotic fluid was sufficient (which if you remember, Whitney had virtually none).  There were no bright spots on the heart and it had all four chambers, pumping away.

The only cause for a little concern was that baby is measuring a little bit small.  Just a few days behind where my original ultrasound dated me and still well within the margin of error.  But my doctor was not the least bit worried... he said that early ultrasounds are the most accurate, as babies begin to develop at different rates the further along in the pregnancy you are.  So, I am going to trust my doctor and not freak out that the baby is a little on the small side.  He said its most likely genetics... I'm pretty tiny myself.  I asked if we would need to check the development a little later, and he said no... it really wasn't that big of a deal.  So.... I"m trying to adapt that attitude, too... nothing to worry about.

One thing that was interesting is the baby has really long legs!  The legs measured a week or more longer than everything else!  Again Dr. G said this is a good thing, because most chromosomal abnormalities result in shortened limbs.  (I keep repeating to myself "I will not Google 'problems with long limbs', I will not Google 'problems with long limbs.'  Google is the devil!)  The baby wasn't very active, but I could tell that his/her muscle tone was much better than Whitney's was.... Whitney's arms and legs were very tiny.  From what I could see on this little one's legs, there looked to be a bit more muscle on them.  So again, I'm trying not to worry that the baby wasn't moving very much... beacuse just a few minutes ago he/she was moving around and I could definitely feel it!  Maybe baby just isn't a morning person (much like mamma).

So now... we wait until Christmas to find out what we're having.  Dr. G didn't take a picture of the "goods" but he did write down the gender and we will open it on Christmas!  I'll be sure to update when we know!

There are things that I could obsess over and find to worry about, but I am going to try my hardest to just put my trust in the One who is creating this little miracle, and trust in the Doctor whom the Lord has brought into our lives to care for us at this time.  I am going to be so sad if we have to move before he delivers us, but then again, that would be a good thing because it would mean we have a new ministry!  So here's my biggest prayers from here on out:

* That baby will grow at a healthy rate, and stay on target for growth

* That Sean and I will stay vigilant to take captive every thought of doubt and fear Satan places in our heads

* A healthy pregnancy

* That we will find a ministry soon, so we can get established with another doctor before we get too close to delivery 

Thanks so much for your prayers and all the love and support we've felt this past weekend!  I really appreciated all your notes and messages and prayers.... WE FELT THEM!  

One more thing I just have to add... I know that our God is the same God today that he was a year ago when we got Whitney's diagnosis.  His love and mercy and goodness never changes.  And I am so thankful that he is the same in the hard times as he is in the good times.