Starting this weekend, I will likely be offline for a few days. For those of you who know me personally, you already know why; for my readers from afar, I'll explain briefly.
My wife and I are going in to the hospital Sunday morning to have our third child, a son. He is not expected to live for more than a few hours, if even that long.
Since about 18-20 weeks along, he has had essentially no amniotic fluid around him, though our doctors haven't been able to conclusively explain why (an extremely long, frustrating, and painful story all in itself). However, the details at this point are irrelevant since the act of breathing amniotic fluid in utero is what stimulates the bulk of a baby's lung development, and without that fluid the lungs will be underdeveloped to a fatal degree. The precise cause of these circumstances is purely academic; the effect is all too real.
Needless to say, the past few months have been pretty awful for us, and we're now coming to the culmination of this long and emotionally brutal road, only to begin what is likely to be a different but equally brutal road of recovery and healing.
I say I will 'likely' be offline because I have no idea how we will handle these next few days. I'm taking some time off from work to spend with my family, but in some ways having something like this blog to focus on -- even temporarily -- may provide some welcome distraction. So, this blog may remain completely untouched for a few days, or it may see an explosion of content and brilliant analysis the likes of which have never before been seen on the face of the Earth (or somewhere in between). I just don't know.
Regardless, it's in God's hands, and we know that even if we don't understand why we've been chosen to deal with this, He will carry us through it. For those of you who pray, please pray for our littlest son, my wife and myself, and our two older kids, as well as our family and friends as we all go through this difficult time together. We are very blessed to have a huge support network embracing us already, but I'll take any extra prayers that any of you want to toss up on our behalf! I'm not too timid to ask you to pray for a miracle -- a perfectly healthy little boy -- but if that's not in The Plan I would ask for grace and strength for all of us as we move forward, no matter what happens.
I sincerely thank you...
2 comments:
I cant imagine the pain of losing a child.
I just lost my mother and I have been lost off an on for the last month and a half.
God be with you and yours.
You are in my prayers.
God be with you, your wife, and your children. He DOES have a divine plan, and He knows that you and your family will be resilient and overcome this challenge stronger yet.
You all are definitely in my prayers.
And I look forward to your return.
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