Doctor's visit

We went to see Dr. Natour on Wednesday, May 19th. I am approximately 24 weeks now. Of course, we prayed for a miracle but we didn't see one. Dr. Natour has really been a true Godsend. She answers all of our questions with patience and sincerity. If she doesn't know the answer, she finds out for us. She did a sonogram and things had changed a little. Baby girls kidneys have grown to cover the span of her ribcage, so about the same size of her entire tummy. We could see the pockets of fluid in the cysts covering the kidneys. There is still little to no fluid surrounding her tiny body. (In the picture above, the ribcage can be seen in this direction (<) and the right kidney can be seen.) Poor little girl has no idea that everything isn't normal. She is kicking and punching around in there like crazy. So at least she seems happy. She is breech right now and Dr. Natour doesn't expect that she will turn around on her own. Therefore, it appears that I will most likely have a C-section when the time comes. We asked if we could donate her organs and will be finding out the answer to that soon. Dr. Natour wasn't sure if the kidneys might be toxic to the other organs, which would make them useless to another baby. I thought I would be a little more upset than I was but it was actually very exciting to see her on the monitor. That's our little baby and these are some of the few pictures we will have of her for our lifetime.
Bryan put it best, "When I am able to think really clearly,
I realize Eden's little body/life is not ours. None of our lives are ours.
God needs her now. For Him to take a life this soon means he really
needs her for greater things. Plus we will get to see her again when
we are lucky enough to be brought into Gods kingdom. We should feel
honored that OUR baby is being chosen to be by His side.
She's THAT special!!"

This verse has really helped me lately.

Isaiah 41:9-13 (New International Version)

⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹ "All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.

¹² Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.

¹³ For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

In verse 10 alone, the Lord promises strength, help, and protection. He gives two commands: "do not fear" and "do not anxiously look about you." Among Satan's subtle and successful traps is the art of distraction. The Evil One knows that fear can choke faith. He works hard to make unsettling circumstances a person's sole focus. Once a believer's attention is diverted from God, natural human tendencies take over. In the absence of prayer and worship, anxiety and doubt grow unobstructed.

Staying focused on God can be hard. The flesh prefers to seek security by thinking through all possible angles: our tendency is to weigh what we think could happen against what "experts" say will happen, and then to evaluate possible ways of preventing our worst fears from coming true. Instead of becoming more confident, we begin to realize how powerless we are.Thankfully, we serve an almighty God who says, "Surely I will help you" (v. 10). You can count on Him.