The Sentence That Made Me Love Him Even More

"We've just said yes to God, and we know He will handle everything from here." ~Britt Fisk

I love that Boy from Texas.  Even when he is giving me wet willies or putting the Brita back in the fridge empty or claiming he didn't know that he used the last of the toilet paper.  I always love him. But a couple weeks ago, there was a sentence uttered that made me love him even more.

After doing a second trimester genetic screening to check the baby for issues like Down's Syndrome or Cystic Fibrosis or Spina Bifida, we got a phone call that sort of knocked the wind out of us.  "Your baby screened positive for Down's Syndrome.  Don't panic, there are a lot of false positives on this test, but you'll need to come in and take another definitive blood test to find out for sure."  Felt like someone punched me in the stomach.  I am not at an advanced maternal age, we have no family history, and our ultrasound was clear.  This news was a complete shock.

The next 24 hours were a blur of internet research, prayers, and worry.  Our doctor informed me that I had researched and analyzed this issue and the screening test better than anyone he had ever seen.  I said thank you.  I cried over the perfectly-timed words of my blog friend, Maureen, who explained that her daughter's Down's Syndrome limitations were actually a gift.  I appreciated the explanation on saying yes to life written by my sweet friend, Britt.  I struggled to pray the right words and to maintain the right attitude....that the baby be healthy, but if we were called to this, that we would have the strength and grace we would need.

At one point, The Boy from Texas asked the very simple question, "What happens if he does have it, what can they do?"  The answer was fairly simple.  Nothing.  You either have a baby with Down's Syndrome or you do not have the baby.  Without missing a beat, The Boy from Texas forcefully responded, "Well then if he has it, we will have a baby with Down's Syndrome and we will love him and he will have a good life with us."  And suddenly, I didn't need to worry about praying the right words anymore.  Because The Boy from Texas had articulated it better than I ever could have.  With one sentence, he summed up so much of what we were feeling.

In the end, after taking the second test and waiting 10 agonizing days for the results, we received confirmation that The Baby from Texas does not have Down's Syndrome.  The initial screen was, indeed, a false positive.

Today, we ask that you join us in praying.  Prayers of thankfulness that The Baby from Texas is healthy.  Prayers for those who are in the waiting period to learn their results.  Prayers for those parents who are called to raise a child with Down's Syndrome.  And especially prayers for those babies whose parents might not be as willing to embrace this diagnosis as my sweet husband was.  All children are a blessing, regardless of how many chromosomes they have.  Lord, hear our prayers.