Ultrasound Two - Email 5

Hello everyone, this is Brian.

We just got back from our second ultrasound. It was fun seeing both of the boys moving around and to see such amazing differences from when we arrived on Friday night. The smaller boy is starting to pee a little more - while they would like to see more, they are encouraged that his sac is growing. The larger baby is still as active as ever and it makes it difficult for the doctor to get accurate readings. But they can see that there are still abnormalities in his heart rate and are hopeful this will turn around in the coming weeks.

The doctor's exact words were that they were "mildly optimistic". That isn't the resounding confirmation that we were hoping for, but it is hope... something we had so little of just a few short days ago. And those words also don't tell the entire story. God is not done moving, and we are not done praying. And these past 3 days have provided us with an understanding about the power of prayer and an appreciation for the mystery of prayer in phenomenal new ways.

When we arrived back at the room this morning, Aleisha repeated the words that have brought us this far - stand firm against the attack. As we step forward, we know that the road is still difficult for our sons, but we now have new understanding of how to stand upright with hope and courage having taken this journey to Belgium. And we know there is great reason to not just be optimistic, but to be expectant.

Tomorrow afternoon we get to go home and grab hold of Cece and squeeze her hard. We have missed her so much, but she has been very well taken care of by our family back in Czech. I have been thinking a lot about Cece and how God brought her into our lives. It seems he has a knack for making miracle stories in how he expands our family. We can't wait to tell all 3 of our kids how God brought them to us - these are stories worth cherishing.

I told Aleisha I was having trouble finishing this email. I want to find some way to express what each and every one of you (and the countless who aren't even on this list) mean to us. I am convinced that there are not words. Your emails, your messages, your hope, the scripture you have sent, the ways you have put into words the emotions we are feeling, and most importantly... your yearnings on the behalf of our boys. Thank you. We love you.

We earnestly ask you to keep praying for our boys.