Heartbreaking statistic...

There is a statistic that has haunted me since I met our sweet Grace face to face. I had read this statistic multiple times before, but for some reason the Lord has really broken my heart for this cause in a big way the past  few months...  Did you know that 92% of babies that receive an inutero diagnosis of Down's Syndrome are aborted?  Please just stop reading for a moment and let that sink in...  The thing that made this statistic so real to me, stopping me dead in my tracks, is hearing people say to me or my family members something to the effect of "that's great that you didn't abort Grace" or "I'm so proud of you for going through with the pregnancy."  It honestly never ever dawned on me that that is a very real consideration for people.  My heart breaks all over again every time I talk about this subject because I know so intimately the feeling of intense fear and disappointment that comes with the news that your child will not be "perfect" (by our earthly standards).  For the 92% of people that are overcome with that same fear and chose to terminate their pregnancy must mean they are unaware that God doesn't make mistakes and that His grace IS sufficient for us.  That means that enduring what feels like a miserable, impossible, or disappointing situation is not only possible with God, but He has a way of making those situations one of the most joyful journeys you could imagine (in a way that only God can do).  Don't even try to calculate or imagine how He can do that because He tells us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (our little finite brains can't even fathom what He is capable of).  I know that this is true because that's what God tells us in the bible, but also because I have lived it during the past 2 months.  When Grace was in the hospital we saw her intubated, with a cpap machine on, go through open heart surgery, and so much more.  Through those 6 and a half weeks she was in the hospital, we just plugged along, some how finding joy each day (some days more than others :-) and weren't completely over come by the site of our daughter who was covered in tubes and hooked up to multiple machines and monitors.  As I was organizing some of the hospital pictures on our computer, I couldn't even look at the pictures of her with the cpap machine on because of how uncomfortable it must have been and how she must have felt during that time, etc.  I'm amazed that at the time that was our "normal" and God's measure of faith that He gave us, fit the exact portion needed to not just "make it" or "get through it", but to be able to find joy along the way (there is always something to be grateful for- you may just have to search a little (or a lot) harder and longer at times :-).
I apologize if this is tough for you to look at, I know it's tough for me...

In addition, my heart breaks when I think about the loss of a precious life, being made in the image of God (just like you and I), and the rich blessing those parents will miss out on.  I'm not saying for a second that it is easy, nor am I passing any judgment on those people who do choose to abort their "Up's" baby, but instead I want to hug them and share with them what my sweet husband and Sister's in Christ told me...  "we can do 'Down's' and we can do it well", "God only gives these special children to special people", "it will be hard at times, but it WILL be GOOD!," and one of my favorites "we don't 'have to' have a Down's baby, we GET too...we are the chosen ones!"  In case you couldn't tell, the last one was my coo coo husbands response right when we got the diagnosis.  I love his love for God's will no matter what :-).

I shared this with y'all because you are all sweet friends to me (whether I know you personally or not) and I pray that if you ever encounter someone who has received an "Up's" diagnosis that you might be able to better understand the extreme fear associated with the diagnosis and the hope that can be found in Christ alone.  I would love to talk to or pray with anyone that needs hope and support, so please let me know how I can serve you or someone that you know.

On a lighter note...  Here are a couple of pictures from our first Halloween as a family of 5!!!

 Abby and her best friend since birth, Ju Ju...

Grace with her new BFF, Noah...