Life in the Womb

Arthur’s diagnosis is what every parent fears hearing in that ultrasound room. It has been two weeks since we received the devastating blow. My days go well when I live in the present. Today, I am pregnant with a sweet baby boy. When my mind wanders into the future, speculating what might happen in the coming months, dwelling on the days he won’t be with us, I am filled with deep sorrow and anxiety.

Today, Arthur is alive and kicking (literally kicking, I can feel him moving throughout the day and he gave a big kick the other day while we were riding in the car) in the comfort and warmth of my body. Maybe it is because we have been busy with traveling, but thankfully I can say I have been able to spend some time the past week and a half living in the present. In these two weeks, I have thought often about the value of Arthur's life and how I can make the most of it as he grows inside of me. The story of the pregnancies of John the Baptist and Jesus has come to mind:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Luke 1:39-45 ESV

In this passage, Mary had gone to visit Martha after being told that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. The baby (John the Baptist) inside Elizabeth actually responded to the events happening outside of her body. The baby boy leapt for joy! I'm so thankful this little moment is recorded in Scripture. I receive weekly updates during my pregnancy that inform us how the baby is developing, and at this point in my pregnancy, doctors and experts say that babies can hear things from outside their mother's body. I love that science confirms what the Bible has already said to be true.

Since we learned of Arthur's condition, I am grasping in a whole new way the truth of this verse: "So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12. I want to make the most of my days, of Arthur's days. I desire to have a heart of wisdom, the ability to live with my priorities in alignment with the heart of God. I have been sharing my life experiences with Arthur these past two weeks, and I want to do so for however long we have him. If he can really hear my voice, I want him to know what is important in this life and in the life to come. For those that know me, I have always loved taking pictures and documenting memories, and when it comes to Arthur I long for you to know him. And if not in person, then it is here on this blog that I can share these special moments and memories with you, dear friends and family.

Didn't have the time or resources on hand to fully dress Arthur up as a cow, but this is us on Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A, July 14th. In typical American fashion, many of my experiences I will share with Arthur will be connected to food.

Arthur with his cousin Campbell. She seemed to be leaping for joy!

I don't always spend $6 on an ice cream bowl... but for my special little man? We're giving him the good stuff. The smell of freshly baked waffle bowls made it hard to resist. Kilwin's in Blowing Rock, NC.

At the top of Staghorn Falls.

This boy has loved himself some Dagwood's this summer. We ate there at least 10 times. And I don't feel bad about it. Sadly, Dagwood is located only in Myrtle Beach, where we spend a few weeks each summer for our job with Campus Outreach for the Summer Beach Project.