Norah is officially kicking it into high gear in terms of growing.

Our appointments this week caused a lot of anxiety, but also brought us so much joy. We two appointments, and the first one involved an Anatomy Scan and meeting with a perinatologist. The second was the standard NST & BPP.

Sometimes life isn't tied up with a bow. Sometimes it's messy and broken.  

We've been told, "Your strength is inspiring." and, "You guys are so strong." 

You need to know just how fragile that "strength" really is. 

There are times when God reveals himself through precious, tender moments. There are also times where He chooses to send His message in such a blinding or deafening manner that His presence is absolutely unmistakeable.

Last Friday wasn't the 'painted sunset sky and nature's holy beauty' type of moment. 
He left our ears ringing.

In the midst of what was easily one of the most terrifying moments of the pregnancy, He was shouting at us, "You can't do this alone. Stop holding so tightly to the idea that you have any sort of control. Why are you afraid? I've got this. Now let me hold you."

It was an incredibly painful way to receive it, but the message was clear. 

And this is where I say "And with that, we soldiered on. Facing each new battle unafraid, fully clothed in the armor of God." Right?

Right?

God's doesn't do on/off switches.

This was our first week of having twice-weekly assessments to monitor Norah's progress and how she's handling the remainder of the pregnancy. Getting to see our baby girl multiple times a week sounds fun and awesome, right? We thought so too.

We should really know better than to assume anything.

Time for our first marathon appointment. I even packed snacks, guys. We were the definition of prepared.

Or so we thought.