Dependence

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. It's a boy!! It was a long day.

Our baby has been diagnosed with probable Thanatophoric Dysplasia. This is a skeletal disorder marked by short arms and legs as well as small ribs and chest. Unfortunately, the small ribs and chest create an issue for proper lung development. As long as our little guy is inside my body he is fine. However, when he is born he will not be able to breath on his own. Survival is very rare and comes with very severe medical issues. There should be no pregnancy issues so I should carry him full term. They cannot confirm the diagnosis without more testing. We are unsure of our plan of action right now.

We are at a loss of words and even unsure of our thoughts at the moment. I will write more later about details and our thoughts. I guess right now we just ask that you pray for us, Cort, and our son. Specifically, you can pray for the following:

1) That God would preform a miracle and heal our son. This is our heart's desire.

2) If God chooses not to heal him, pray that I will get to hold him alive when he is born. I know it will be hard but I want to hold him breathing. I feel him move in me now and know he is alive and I want to see him and remember him that way.

3) Pray for us as we figure out how to respond and handle these next 4.5 months. We know that all things are for God's glory and long to see that in this. Pray that our hearts can follow what our head knows. We want to respond over these next months truthfully but in a way that glorifies our God. We do not know what this will look like.

4) Pray for continued dependence on God. We have no strength on our own to deal with this. Pray that we would cling to Him in this time.

5) Praise God for Cort and the current life of our new son. We want to rejoice in God's blessings. Pray that we can maintain some normalcy for Cort and enjoy this special time in his life right now. Praise God for everyday that our new son lives.