36 Weeks

'Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials...' James 1:2

Here is yet another high calling given to us from Scripture. For those os us in the midst of trials, it seems like such an impossible thing to accomplish. And on our own, it is impossible. If it were not for the LORD being on our side, it would be hard to look beyond each day and to find something to smile about.
Yet it is important to continue reading on in James 1, for verse 3 says:
'...for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.'
Our trials are meant to draw us closer to the LORD, to rely on Him and find our strength and comfort in Him and His Word. We may actually rejoice in our trials! and what a blessing this is. (We recently had a sermon on this passage and it was one that touched me, as I'm sure it did many others. I could write on and on, but I hope you get the idea).

Things here have been going well! I have now reached the 36 week mark, which is huge for me as the doctors initially did not think Noah would survive to 30 weeks.
We had another appointment and again there is no change with Noah, which is such a blessing! At this point he is content where he is, moving around a lot and getting high scores for his heartrate, movements, etc. and for that we are truly grateful.
I am now measuring to week, which is exciting. This is due in part to the fact that there is not such a large amount of amniotic fluid in myself, and also to the fact that Noah's bladder is no longer the balloon that it used to be, but has now collapsed. We were told yesterday that Noah can be delivered withOUT his bladder needing to be drained, which is something that I am grateful for. This takes some pressure off the need to hurry to the hospital when labour starts, and that's a relief.
The waiting game does continue as I still have 4 weeks till my official due date. Some days 4 weeks is just around the corner, and other days 4 weeks can't get here soon enough. We realize that we cannot fully prepare for what is to come, and have no idea what to expect, so our minds are full of different scenarios, which is difficult because the imagination is a great (and dangerous) thing!
With there not being any changes in the past couple of weeks, it is 'easy' to fall into thinking that there is nothing wrong with Noah, and when he is born we will have the healthy child that we pray for. But the reality is that we are still expecting a sick child. No matter what we think, no matter what the doctors may say or imply, there are some serious concerns with Noah, and those have not disappeared. Nevertheless, we must never lose sight of the Great Physician who is watching over Noah and remember that He is in control of the outcome.

As the days and weeks continue to pass by, we continue to pray for the peace, faith and comfort that we stand in need of to deal with what is to come. We also continue to covet, and thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. We can certainly feel them surrounding us during the difficult days.