Where Two or More Are Gathered

Update, Sunday 2/21
Please start praying. Renee has been admitted to the hospital with internal bleeding due to a detached placenta. Please pray that the doctors can stop the bleeding and stabilize Renee before it becomes too serious. I'll update as I know what's going on- it's hard to get all the details from MD to TX!

Update, Friday 2/19

Hi there Everybody,
I spoke to Renee this afternoon and they were blessed with a very successful ultrasound. They were able to see the baby and get some more answers, and I know they're both so happy about that.
The baby does have several markers for a chromosomal disorder - what that is, is not clear yet. Often in these cases, it's a matter of genetic testing after the baby is born. It has been determined that the baby will not survive, but there is really no timeline. Renee sounds cautiously peaceful and is really now just wondering what will happen next.
Renee does not, however, have any issues with her placenta and will not be on bedrest! This is a wonderful piece of news because she'll be able to get out there and stay busy and won't have to be sitting all day, turning things over and over in her head. This will give Shawn and Renee the opportunity to seek healing and really do what they need to do to talk this out, spend time with the people they love and stay active, and that's a huge blessing.

Now, more than ever, Shawn and Renee need your prayers. Please pray that God just holds them so tightly as they prepare to meet their baby. This is going to be so, so difficult for them. Please pray with me that God can really bind them together and help them to cling to one another and the Lord as they each mourn separately and together.
And please pray for this little baby they're about to meet. Babies do experience many, many things in the womb and this darling baby has much to experience on his or her journey to the outside world and beyond.
God never gives us more than we can handle, but we never have to handle it alone. Please continue to offer your love and support to Renee and Shawn and their sweet, sweet baby. We will continue to send meals to the family, so that they can focus on everything they need to focus on and still have meals together. If you're in the area and would like to contribute, please email me. If you're NOT in the area but would like to contribute by having a meal delivered, you can email me for that too! As we think of ways to reach out to these wonderful parents and their boys, we'll continue to update.
I'll continue to update you as I know more. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.


Update, Tuesday 2/16

Hello Everyone!
Wonderful news! Renee and Shawn will be heading downstate to Johns Hopkins THIS WEEK for a high-level sonogram and additional testing. This is absolutely an answer to SO many prayers!
Renee was able to get in touch with a specialist today and had the great blessing of actually speaking to the DOCTOR at length about the baby and her own safety. As is stands, Renee has now been ordered to do absolutely nothing until she's seen on Friday and will be seen first thing in the morning.
Renee's appointment yesterday was positive in that the baby's heartbeat is strong and steady- Praise Jesus!
We are so, so happy to hear about the immediate response of this wonderful doctor. Regardless of the outcome of the appointment, getting Renee and Baby T out of the hands of her current providers was the most pressing issue and that has been resolved! Most importantly, Renee is going to be in the care of a doctor who realizes that Renee's greatest wish is to see this pregnancy through to the natural end, whatever the outcome; what a gift! She is more than willing to help Renee continue to choose life and that's what is giving Baby T the greatest chance right now - what an answered prayer!
As you continue to pray for Renee and Baby T, please keep the following intentions in your hearts and prayers:

• That Renee be able to rest as much as possible this week
• That the trip downstate is swift and uneventful
• For the personnel performing Friday's tests, that they can find real success in this ultrasound and get plenty of helpful pictures
  
• That Renee can get some information on dating her pregnancy so that a plan can be made for getting that baby out safely!
  
• That they find enough fluid to keep Baby floating long enough to grow a little longer
• That Renee's hemorrhage is still at a manageable size and can handle some more steady growth for Baby

(And I have to add, I'm really super hoping that somebody finds out the gender of this baby...but I suppose that's a little selfish, now, isn't it? :-)

Friends, this has been a very, very positive week. Your prayers are not going unheard. Getting this appointment for this week was nothing short of a miracle! Let's just keep our eyes on the prize and pray that this upcoming sonogram is hugely successful!

(And a special thanks to Katie and Jesse this week for getting meals to the family- your friendship is such an example! Thank you!)






Original Letter - Friday 2/12


Dear Readers, I need your help and prayers.

Andrew and I have known Shawn and Renee for many, many years. They're truly like family to us, both so willing to give and love without reward. Shawn works as a Resident Director for a state university and they have made great sacrifices to enable Renee to stay at home with their two boys, Benjamin and Jacob. Seeing Renee blossom into the amazing homemaker she is has been so wonderful. She delights in her time with the boys and is really an astounding role model for so many. Her constant cheerfulness and silliness is endearing and always so refreshing. Renee and Shawn are eternal optimists and keep the people around them full of hope. You'll never leave them withot taking a sunny outlook with you.

Renee is 22 weeks pregnant with her third sweet baby and has been given very scary news. It turns out that Renee has very low amniotic fluid, putting the baby at serious risk. Due to the lack of fluid, they have been unable to get informative sonograms or an amnio to figure out the extent of the danger the baby may be in. Renee also has a placental abruption that is there but it sort of lying in wait, if you will. The baby is in serious danger, but no one really knows how much or has any sort of timeline. Renee and Shawn are just hoping to get that sweet baby to a point where they can safely deliver and move on with a true evaluation of the baby's health. They have been told that it doesn't look hopeful, but all things are possible in the Lord, as we know so well. Under advisement of termination, Renee has great strength and is giving that baby every chance in the world by choosing LIFE.

Shawn and Renee sound so peaceful and are just waiting for a miracle. They need every prayer you can muster, night and day, to feel the hands of The Great Physician during this ever-so-delicate pregnancy. Their trust in the Lord is strong and they know that every single prayer is heard.

Will you pray with us? I'll do my best to update you as things become clearer for Renee and Baby.

Every day that he or she is safe inside Mama is a day closer to a possible delivery. Renee is on pretty strict bedrest, but her spirits are high.
If you live in the Western Maryland area, please join the list to deliver a meal. No time for a meal? Drop a batch of cookies or a distraction for the boys. You can email me or leave a comment here to get on the list! If you live in MD, VA, DC, PA or WV, please join with us in searching for resources to fight for Baby 3. Renee and Shawn need to hear success stories and positive percentages!

Above all, please pray for this baby with the same passion you'd give in prayer for your own child. By storming Heaven and offering ourselves in fervent prayer, we can surround Shawn and Renee with strength, love and support as they face the challenges and decisions they have ahead of them.

You'll never meet a couple better-equipped to face the challenges that life hands them, and we know that God will never give us more than we can handle. But He never intended us to handle these things alone. We belong to each other and Renee and Shawn belong to us. Please pray, and ask those around you to pray - there is nothing we can't handle with the power of prayer and love for one another.