Amaya is doing well. She was weighing in at about 3lbs 2oz at our last ultrasound, about 5 weeks small for her age. I would never know it with the force of these kicks she gives me. LOL. Each one is a delight and i love to feel her move, but she likes to give me some pretty good jabs in the ribs. Aaron jokes that he can feel her do gymnastics because there are times she is just all over the place. It is amazing. We are now set to induce on the 18th of August and are getting anxious as the time approaches, it seems like it just snuck up on us. I guess all pregnancy’s are like that the 1st 8 months seem so slow and than all of sudden it is just a matter of weeks. Our next ultrasound is scheduled for the 3rd of August. We thank everyone for your prayers and love and ask that you continue to lift Amaya up in prayer, and know and trust God for a miracle. God has opened many doors to talk with women of children with this diagnosis and I have been blessed by each one. I continue to pray that God will use Amaya’s life, as I know He will, to reach the hearts of so many others out there.

“13 For you created my inmost being:

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me

were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God does not make mistakes, He has ordained and created all life for a plan and a purpose.

15-”Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 17-You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your postions; and stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Go out and face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you.” 20-Have faith in the Lord and you will be upheld; have faith in the prophets and you will be successful. Jehosphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of his holiness as the went out at the head of the army saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 29-The fear of the Lord came upon all the kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Isreal. And the kingdom of Jehosphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
This is ever so true, so often in todays world we look at the physical. What seems impossible to men is not impossible with God. This is by far the biggest battle we have had to fight in our Christian walk and it is not always easy to know that God is bigger. We had an ultrasound on June 30th, and though things were still the same the doctor was much more blunt. They are giving Amaya no chance of survival, he even talked about delivering her now to ensure that we would be able to hold her alive. They say the chance of her not making it through the pregnancy is high. I am 32 weeks and she weighs about 2 1/2 lbs, we said we were not willing to take any chance away from her by delivering her so early and so small, but his response was that “There is nothing we can do to increase her chance of survival, she is going to die anyways” . Well in the natural that may tend to be true, though we have found children that are living with trisomy 13. But we have a God that is bigger than any medical condition and willing and able to completely heal.

Please continue to stand with us and believe and pray for a complete healing. I believe that God is going to do this to show His mighty works and wonders that are still available today as long as we look to Him. Our next ultrasound is on the 21st and we are planning to induce or a scheduled c-section for the 18th of August. Thank you all for your prayers and love for us and Amaya.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the pupose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”

Yesterday we had our third ultrasound. Amaya’s heart looked perfect! Her structure is all there, pumping blood correctly and strongly with no evidence of calcification! Everything was flowing in and out as should be with no problems. Also her uterus had no apparent blood in it, indicating that whatever was causing a blockage is now gone. Her kidneys were still enlarged, but we were told for the first time that that would cause her no problems. Her kidneys can still function with no problems! What an awesome report. We were not able to see her face as she kept it hidden the whole time, so no new news on her cleft lip. Her brain is still the same, not separated in the front, but just as God has healed these others we are believing and trusting for a full miracle. God continues to give us strength as we lean on Him. He is so faithful to give us scripture, words and comfort as we trust in Him and not lean on our own understanding. He is awesome and we give Him all the glory, His plans always surpass ours.

Thank you all for your prayers and your faith, please continue to pray and trust God. He is awesome and knows exactly what He is doing. We got some cool 4D pictures, a perfect one of her foot. I will have Aaron put them on when He gets home.

`God is always faithful and continues to give us scripture. These scriptures were given to me last week. It is so awesome to know God is always sensitive to our needs and gives us comfort and assurance that we can rest in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Daniel 4:2-3 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.

Thank you all for all of your prayers for our family. We have really sensed the Lord closeness to us as we’re walking through this season of our lives. Gina has her ultrasound in three weeks, and the pregnancy is going good. We have been encouraged and strengthened by the many cards and flowers we received these last few weeks, so thank you!

It has come to our knowledge that there will be a convention on Trisomy 13 - Patau Syndrome held in Chicago this summer. So it is our hope to try and attend that. We will be making a trip to Texas in mid-may, and then to Oregon and Washington in June. We hope to be able to see all of you then on those trips.

This Wednesday we had our 2nd ultrasound. The doctors are not optomistic at all, but we trust the Lord and committ Amaya into His hands daily. These are the medical findings that need specific prayer.
Her brain did not seperate completely (semilobar holoprosencephly)

She has calcification in three ventricles of her heart (echogenic focus-cardiac)

Cleft lip (will not know about pallete until birth)

An apparent blockage in her female anatomy, causing her uterus to fill with blood

Enlarged kidneys

With all of these abnomalities, as they call them, they are still presuming she has Trisomy 13-Patau Syndrome. Please continue to lift her up in prayer and pray specifically for these areas. God is the creator and the great physician, we know these are not too big for Him. At the 1st ultrasound she also had spots on her bowel that were not apparent at this ultrasound. Praise God, one healing at a time. God has been faithful to give us strength and we are walking in His grace moment by moment. It seems each day He gives us a knew scripture, word or song to meditate and lean on, it is comforting knowing he is always by our side. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask that you continue to believe and trust God for Amaya’s life, just as we do.

13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth– 15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.