Hello bloggy world!
It is a gorgeous day in Denver today. The whole month of April has been... well, spring-like, unpredictable, and pretty cold. So it is a beautiful change and makes me want to LIVE outside. I spent a couple summers working at Trout Lake Camp during college, and one of my favorite aspects was the sheer amount of time spent out in the fresh air. Love it. And good weather days like this one don't hurt for my painter husband, who feels like he's been on the same exterior job for the entire month because of the wind, cold, rain, and yes.. snow! But work is a blessing.
Today marks week 33 for my pregnancy and pictures would show that I am undeniably carrying a little human out front. And she is ACTIVE -- I even asked my doctor at the last appointment about the amount of movement I've been feeling, and was assured that there is no such thing as too much movement from baby. I would beg to differ in the middle of the night when baby is having a dance party while I'm trying to catch some zzz's, but it is somewhat reassuring to continue to feel her movements.
A bit of an update on her condition - our last ultrasound a couple/three weeks ago showed that she is in the 75% for size, so we are thankful to see that she's bigger/stronger as we approach June. A couple weeks ago we also had an echocardiogram, and found that the VSD - the hole between the right and left ventricles - is still wide open. We're thankful for this, because if it stays open, the chances for the first surgery needing to happen are reduced. However, the cardiologist expressed concern in the connection of the pulmonary artery to the heart. There is usually a narrowing that happens, which would encourage the passive blood flow that her heart will be working with for the first 6 months to make a choice between the pulmonary and the aorta. If it remains wide open, the doctors may decide in the first days/weeks that she'll need to have surgery to essentially band off and narrow the pulmonary.
So... we still don't really know what to expect. Surgery is planned for 6 months and 3 years, and possibly in the first days or weeks, depending on how she adapts to life outside the womb, and breathing for herself. We'll have another ultrasound in a week, and another echocardiogram a couple weeks after that, and then it will be really close to go-time.
We're hanging in there. In one sense, there is nothing we can do but wait and try to get ready and prepare as we would for any birth. We've already been super blessed with the support of friends and family and a couple of baby showers have started our nursery off to a very cute and girly beginning! This girl has no idea how loved and anticipated she is already...
On the other hand, this has been very difficult for us. I get tired of being gracious in response to (well-meaning) people whose flippant assurances of God's faithfulness and nature as The Great Physician leave me feeling empty. I encourage others to pray for baby's miraculous healing, but find that I can't do it myself. I don't know that I could handle it if I hoped and planned on God healing her, and then He didn't. It is easier for me today to just go through the motions and prepare for what seems to be on the horizon for our new little family, rather than to depend on the supernatural. And even admitting that is very difficult for me as I realize it may not sound like I've got it together spiritually. Well, I don't, and find myself turned off to the "positive and encouraging" faith walk-ers that do not seem to have a dose of walking through the valley of the shadow.
That all being said, we do have hope. We continue to be thankful for the quality doctors we've come in contact with, and are grateful to live close to all the appointments this spring. Our families have been there for us, loving us and praying for us. We know that we are blessed more than we deserve to have an embarrassing number of quality friends and support people in our lives who check in on us. Nick and I are so thankful to have one another, and though this has been a tough year, we have only been brought closer together as a couple. And little baby girl is growing and will be with us soon and we are so excited to meet her.
Pictures to be posted soon...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
We're ba-ack!
And now to the two people who perhaps still check in from time to time, SURPRISE! Greetings from the Pitrones! We have much to update...
We arrived home to Denver the beginning of November, sick as dogs. After blood work and stool samples and a whole lot of laying around and re-hydrating, we were on the road to recovery. Thankfully neither of us had a parasite, though we still don't know what plagued our system for those weeks.
The piece of the puzzle that we weren't sharing was that while in Guatemala we discovered that Anna was pregnant - an awesome blessing, but it also freaked us out quite a bit. We'd had a miscarriage early in the summer and were pretty jumpy the second time around, particularly because I was not able to handle the smell of much of anything, and there was very little I was able to feel comfortable eating. That was the main reason for our early return to the States, as we didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the life of the little one.
We lived with Nick's parents for the first two months after returning, and generally had the goal of getting healthy again and getting baby checked up. Beginning of January we moved into a new apartment, and I began substitute teaching and teaching private voice and piano lessons, while Nick began bids and gearing up for another season of painting.
At the end of January we had an ultrasound to let us know that we are having a little baby girl! Very exciting for both of us! Yet at the same time we learned that Baby Girl Pitrone has some major heart defects that will need to be addressed immediately upon birth. For those of you aware of the anatomy of the heart, I'll explain that on our baby, the tricuspid valve didn't form, so there is just a wall in its place. Blood is able to access the right side of the heart due to another defect, the presence of a VSD or ventricular septal defect. And finally, the two main arteries out of her heart are switched around, "transposition of the great arteries". Three surgeries are required to fix the problem; one at birth, one at six months of age, and one at age three.
This has obviously been a very difficult month for Nick and I as we think of and prepare for what is to come for our baby. We've been encouraged by contact with others who have been in similar situations to us, and have experienced "success" for their children. Ultimately we realize that there is nothing we can do... and in realizing our powerlessness to protect our baby girl, we can do nothing but attempt to rely on the Lord for strength. Some days this is easier said than done, though I understand that for those who today have children, it continues to be a struggle throughout their lives.
Today I am fine. Yesterday I was not. The day before I was fine. There are moments when the weight of decision-making is heavy upon me. There are times when I'm sick of how unfair life can be. Other times I am able to think more logically and acknowledge that for every statistic, SOMEONE has to be the 1 out of 16,000.
We'll do our best to keep folks updated on what we learn as we get closer to the due date, in the middle of June. From what we understand now, I'll be able to have a regular delivery whenever it begins, and then baby will be taken down the hall to the NICU to be observed for a few days. After I am discharged from the hospital, they will transport Baby Pitrone to Children's Hospital for the first surgery, if it is necessary. There is a chance that she will do okay without it, which would obviously be a huge prayer request from our perspective.
Even though we're back in the states and not too far away from many of you, we would love to make you feel close and keep you an important part of our life. We need you.
Love from Nick, Anna, and Baby
We arrived home to Denver the beginning of November, sick as dogs. After blood work and stool samples and a whole lot of laying around and re-hydrating, we were on the road to recovery. Thankfully neither of us had a parasite, though we still don't know what plagued our system for those weeks.
The piece of the puzzle that we weren't sharing was that while in Guatemala we discovered that Anna was pregnant - an awesome blessing, but it also freaked us out quite a bit. We'd had a miscarriage early in the summer and were pretty jumpy the second time around, particularly because I was not able to handle the smell of much of anything, and there was very little I was able to feel comfortable eating. That was the main reason for our early return to the States, as we didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the life of the little one.
We lived with Nick's parents for the first two months after returning, and generally had the goal of getting healthy again and getting baby checked up. Beginning of January we moved into a new apartment, and I began substitute teaching and teaching private voice and piano lessons, while Nick began bids and gearing up for another season of painting.
At the end of January we had an ultrasound to let us know that we are having a little baby girl! Very exciting for both of us! Yet at the same time we learned that Baby Girl Pitrone has some major heart defects that will need to be addressed immediately upon birth. For those of you aware of the anatomy of the heart, I'll explain that on our baby, the tricuspid valve didn't form, so there is just a wall in its place. Blood is able to access the right side of the heart due to another defect, the presence of a VSD or ventricular septal defect. And finally, the two main arteries out of her heart are switched around, "transposition of the great arteries". Three surgeries are required to fix the problem; one at birth, one at six months of age, and one at age three.
This has obviously been a very difficult month for Nick and I as we think of and prepare for what is to come for our baby. We've been encouraged by contact with others who have been in similar situations to us, and have experienced "success" for their children. Ultimately we realize that there is nothing we can do... and in realizing our powerlessness to protect our baby girl, we can do nothing but attempt to rely on the Lord for strength. Some days this is easier said than done, though I understand that for those who today have children, it continues to be a struggle throughout their lives.
Today I am fine. Yesterday I was not. The day before I was fine. There are moments when the weight of decision-making is heavy upon me. There are times when I'm sick of how unfair life can be. Other times I am able to think more logically and acknowledge that for every statistic, SOMEONE has to be the 1 out of 16,000.
We'll do our best to keep folks updated on what we learn as we get closer to the due date, in the middle of June. From what we understand now, I'll be able to have a regular delivery whenever it begins, and then baby will be taken down the hall to the NICU to be observed for a few days. After I am discharged from the hospital, they will transport Baby Pitrone to Children's Hospital for the first surgery, if it is necessary. There is a chance that she will do okay without it, which would obviously be a huge prayer request from our perspective.
Even though we're back in the states and not too far away from many of you, we would love to make you feel close and keep you an important part of our life. We need you.
Love from Nick, Anna, and Baby
Saturday, October 30, 2010
In Guatemala City, waiting for departure!
Hello Folks!
This has been a whirlwind week! We were able to connect with the missions trip from our church in Denver, Mission Hills, as they worked in a community very close to Huehuetenango. So fun to see familiar faces in a very unlikely place! We spent half a day with a couple from Mission Hills before they headed home, and were able to chat and connect and debrief a bit together. There is something very comforting about sharing these crazy experiences with others that we can connect with later.
Friday we took a bus to the capital... a trip that of course again was epic... 6 hours instead of 4, but not because of the landslides this time. There is a bike race in the country that shuts down some roads and slows traffic, so we heard the race, "play-by-play" for three hours on the radio in the bus. A very haggard looking couple walked into the lobby of our hotel, which we'd found online for $70 a night... hoping against hope that it was worth the money and not super sketchy.
Well, it is AMAZING here. Bellboys wearing tuxes and gloves, huge fresh floral arrangements, and waiters in the restaurant that uncover your meal with a verbal "voila!" And a bath... clean, bubbles and all. It has been a huge blessing to us to finish up our trip in this setting.
Finish the trip? But what about Costa Rica? I know, I know, that was the plan. Last week we made the decision to shorten our time away, and are not going to Costa Rica at all. Instead, tomorrow we will be flying straight home to Denver. As we thought and prayed about it, it was very clear that we needed to do this. We've both had our share of sickness, but during the last two weeks, Anna has been particularly sick and losing some weight. We've been living in a place that is very uncomfortable, without many or any conveniences, and for health and sanity we decided that it would be better to get home to get checked out and to recover. Ah, beans and rice and rice and beans. And chicken and rice and beans. And black beans and red beans and zucchini. And tortillas and beans. I'm not sure that they'll be missed for a very long time.
We still plan to post more pictures and video and our thoughts after returning to the U.S. so we hope that we don't lose you all immediately! We need a few days/weeks to process this trip, and come to some conclusions. It has been a grand adventure, perhaps more adventure than we'd expected! Pray for logistics of travel tomorrow, Sunday. Oh, I'm so excited to be home...
This has been a whirlwind week! We were able to connect with the missions trip from our church in Denver, Mission Hills, as they worked in a community very close to Huehuetenango. So fun to see familiar faces in a very unlikely place! We spent half a day with a couple from Mission Hills before they headed home, and were able to chat and connect and debrief a bit together. There is something very comforting about sharing these crazy experiences with others that we can connect with later.
Friday we took a bus to the capital... a trip that of course again was epic... 6 hours instead of 4, but not because of the landslides this time. There is a bike race in the country that shuts down some roads and slows traffic, so we heard the race, "play-by-play" for three hours on the radio in the bus. A very haggard looking couple walked into the lobby of our hotel, which we'd found online for $70 a night... hoping against hope that it was worth the money and not super sketchy.
Well, it is AMAZING here. Bellboys wearing tuxes and gloves, huge fresh floral arrangements, and waiters in the restaurant that uncover your meal with a verbal "voila!" And a bath... clean, bubbles and all. It has been a huge blessing to us to finish up our trip in this setting.
Finish the trip? But what about Costa Rica? I know, I know, that was the plan. Last week we made the decision to shorten our time away, and are not going to Costa Rica at all. Instead, tomorrow we will be flying straight home to Denver. As we thought and prayed about it, it was very clear that we needed to do this. We've both had our share of sickness, but during the last two weeks, Anna has been particularly sick and losing some weight. We've been living in a place that is very uncomfortable, without many or any conveniences, and for health and sanity we decided that it would be better to get home to get checked out and to recover. Ah, beans and rice and rice and beans. And chicken and rice and beans. And black beans and red beans and zucchini. And tortillas and beans. I'm not sure that they'll be missed for a very long time.
We still plan to post more pictures and video and our thoughts after returning to the U.S. so we hope that we don't lose you all immediately! We need a few days/weeks to process this trip, and come to some conclusions. It has been a grand adventure, perhaps more adventure than we'd expected! Pray for logistics of travel tomorrow, Sunday. Oh, I'm so excited to be home...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wait a minute, Pesos? Where are we...
This past week we decided to get a little R&R up in old Chiapas Mexico. The place where we're staying at we were told is about two and a half to three hours from the border crossing of Mesilla. Our driver did it in less than an hour and a half and that is taking into account a ten minute stop while they were clearing some debris and detritus from the latest landslide. I will say that I only thought we we're going to die twice on the way up. From the border it's about another three or four hours to the town of San Cristobal de las casas. A very beautiful town full of beauty, intrigue, mystery and a lot of tourists. It was nice for Nick to actually be shorter than a few people for a change. He also bought a very poorly made and decorated "gallo" from a kid who came into where we were having breakfast and unloaded his wares on our table before we got our food. I liked his persistence and also the lesson in naming all of the animals in Spanish. He was very good. We were there from Tuesday to Friday and it was a nice break where we got some rest and could eat whatever and whenever we wanted; including some tacos from an Argentinean restaurant and some tasty pastries from a French bakery. We were able to visit a museum dedicated to a local indigenous people group called the Lacandones. We had the privilege of talking with a friend of theirs and also of the people who worked with them for years translating the Bible into their language. For all the years that they were there they didn't have one convert. The Lacandones worship drinks that are more or less made of fermented honey and tree bark and the only way to commune with the gods. Also the people of the tribe were obligated to follow what their leaders said and both men were hardened to the Gospel. It wasn't until the 90's that a leader of the tribe named Chan Kin accepted the Lord two weeks before he died, he was 104 years old! What a testimony to the power of the Spirit of God! After our long trip we are now back in Huehue, safe and sound. Hope you enjoy some fotos from our trip.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fundacion Salvacion
It's been a couple weeks since the last update, and we have been quite busy. We started serving at an orphanage here in Huehue called "Fundacion Salvacion". We work in the mornings until about 1 with "bebes and ninos", usually the younger children, while the older children are in school. The orphanage is home to over 100 children and young adults. What is unique about this orphanage is that it is also home to children who do have a parent, usually a single mom, but the family cannot afford day care, so the children live at the orphanage for the week, and then are picked up by their moms to spend the weekend with family. So it is a unique mixture, and honestly, I don't know all the stories of the children we are working with.
It has been a huge blessing to play with and hold the little children who are all very much in need of love. We've heard some heartbreaking stories of how the children came to the orphanage, and I've been all the more challenged to put my love of God into action, however that might look on any given day, whether at the orphanage, in Guatemala, or elsewhere.
On Friday I was playing with some kids on the playground when a girl about 10 years old came up and sat down next to me. I greeted her and asked her what was up, and that is when I started to see her lip quiver and tears well up in her eyes. "Uh-oh" was sadly my first thought, as I realized I was not going to be able to communicate too well. I'm all over the vocab of playing with 2-3 year olds, but this looked like it was going to be more of a challenge. So, in broken Spanish, I said the equivalent of, "My name is Anna. My Spanish is not good. But I talk to you. How are you? Are you hungry? Are you sad? Talk with my husband? He speaks Spanish." Well, she definitely seemed to be nervous to talk to anyone else, so we went on a little walk. Now that was a challenge, as it is pretty awkward to walk around with a crying girl and not know what is going on or what to say or how to help.
But we walked, and I did what I could. I would point to an object and ask "How do you say this? What is this?" and she would give me a word. A miniature Spanish lesson! All was going pretty well, until we came to a picture of a butterfly on the wall. "Como se dice?" I already knew that in Spanish, the word for butterfly is "mariposa", but why not. Well, she gave me an entirely different word! So it was through that exercise that I learned that this girl didn't speak Spanish! At least not as her first language. She is from an indigenous area where she grew up speaking one of the Mayan languages. And here she was, surrounded by Spanish speakers and no friends. She'd been left at the orphanage a week before, and I don't know the story except that she was really broken up about it. What a scary time for her. I was humbled and very blessed to be able to hold her hand and hug her and call her friend when all around her was scary and new.
Another highlight of our time there has been that I have made a Swedish friend! There is another younger woman volunteering at the orphanage for the next 6 months who lives just a few kilometers from Upsala, Sweden, where many immigrants to East-Central Minnesota came from. I've also been to the city on choir tour, so we were able to connect a bit IN ENGLISH about our favorite Swedish foods and traditions. Quite fun!
We're planning to get away for a few days next week to the city of San Cristobal, just inside the border of Mexico, about a 5 hour bus trip from here. It has been a bit intense living in a place that lacks most of the comforts that we're used to, so we're going to spend a few days as tourists, to recuperate and regain sanity. Internet service has been super slow, so we've not been able to upload video, but if our situation changes, we'd love to show you all our current digs. :)
Prayer for upcoming travel and health and food issues would be so much appreciated. Much love from Nick and Anna
It has been a huge blessing to play with and hold the little children who are all very much in need of love. We've heard some heartbreaking stories of how the children came to the orphanage, and I've been all the more challenged to put my love of God into action, however that might look on any given day, whether at the orphanage, in Guatemala, or elsewhere.
On Friday I was playing with some kids on the playground when a girl about 10 years old came up and sat down next to me. I greeted her and asked her what was up, and that is when I started to see her lip quiver and tears well up in her eyes. "Uh-oh" was sadly my first thought, as I realized I was not going to be able to communicate too well. I'm all over the vocab of playing with 2-3 year olds, but this looked like it was going to be more of a challenge. So, in broken Spanish, I said the equivalent of, "My name is Anna. My Spanish is not good. But I talk to you. How are you? Are you hungry? Are you sad? Talk with my husband? He speaks Spanish." Well, she definitely seemed to be nervous to talk to anyone else, so we went on a little walk. Now that was a challenge, as it is pretty awkward to walk around with a crying girl and not know what is going on or what to say or how to help.
But we walked, and I did what I could. I would point to an object and ask "How do you say this? What is this?" and she would give me a word. A miniature Spanish lesson! All was going pretty well, until we came to a picture of a butterfly on the wall. "Como se dice?" I already knew that in Spanish, the word for butterfly is "mariposa", but why not. Well, she gave me an entirely different word! So it was through that exercise that I learned that this girl didn't speak Spanish! At least not as her first language. She is from an indigenous area where she grew up speaking one of the Mayan languages. And here she was, surrounded by Spanish speakers and no friends. She'd been left at the orphanage a week before, and I don't know the story except that she was really broken up about it. What a scary time for her. I was humbled and very blessed to be able to hold her hand and hug her and call her friend when all around her was scary and new.
Another highlight of our time there has been that I have made a Swedish friend! There is another younger woman volunteering at the orphanage for the next 6 months who lives just a few kilometers from Upsala, Sweden, where many immigrants to East-Central Minnesota came from. I've also been to the city on choir tour, so we were able to connect a bit IN ENGLISH about our favorite Swedish foods and traditions. Quite fun!
We're planning to get away for a few days next week to the city of San Cristobal, just inside the border of Mexico, about a 5 hour bus trip from here. It has been a bit intense living in a place that lacks most of the comforts that we're used to, so we're going to spend a few days as tourists, to recuperate and regain sanity. Internet service has been super slow, so we've not been able to upload video, but if our situation changes, we'd love to show you all our current digs. :)
Prayer for upcoming travel and health and food issues would be so much appreciated. Much love from Nick and Anna
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