aaaaaaaand the Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

We are SO excited to announce that we are having a baby GIRL!

Travel Plans and Little Baby Update

It's hard to believe that in one week from today we will be boarding an airplane to start the long journey back to America. We are anticipating meeting with you, sharing stories of how God is working in Papua, Indonesia, and preparing for the birth of our Little One.

When searching for international tickets our thoughts were a bit different this time. This time I wanted the fastest way home! In that past long layovers and multiple stops didn't bother us, but this time is different. I just want to get there! Our journey will begin on Thursday, July 25. We will fly 2,335 miles from Sentani to the capital city, Jakarta, where we will overnight because other connecting flights cut it too close to our international departure time. Friday, July 26 we will depart at 2:15 in the afternoon. We will fly 2371.5 miles from Jakarta to Taipei, an island nation off the coast of China,  where we will hang out for about a three hour layover. We will leave Taipei at 11 PM and fly 6066.8 miles and arrive in Seattle, Washington in time for dinner on Friday night at 6 PM. My mind can't comprehend the time travel that will happen sometime between Thursday morning and Friday night.
Prayer: I don't know if anyone actually anticipates LONG flights, but this girl is NOT looking forward to the last and longest leg of the flight. Please pray that I would travel comfortably at six months pregnant. Pray that I would be able to sleep on the flights. On many flights I have not slept or slept very little. This is a small thing (but it could be big for others) pray that I would be able to sit on the aisle. This would allow me to get up easily to walk around or to go to the bathroom without disturbing Josh or others.

We will be spending August in Washington. Sometime in September we will be moving to Texas where we will "settle". We've graciously been offered a house on two acres. We are excited about the change of atmosphere. Our house in Sentani shares walls with neighbors on three sides. Although we don't have a dog, we always know when visitors, strangers, or by passers are outside because the neighbor's dog alerts us. I'll be honest I think our entire neighborhood is on less than two acres! One thing we are still in need of is a reliable automobile in Texas. Could you help us brainstorm about possible solutions? Do you (or someone you know) have an extra reliable car you would be willing to lend, rent, or sell to us? Would you pray that God would provide a car for us?

Quick Baby Update: I'm feeling movement! This is real! Our Little One continues to grow and develop, and we continue to pray that the ventricles in the brain would decrease in size. A few days after we arrive in Seattle, we have a sonogram scheduled to check any progress. Pray that we would easily be able to make appointments in Texas with an OBGYN.

Looking forward to SEEING, HUGGING, and CHATTING with you soon!

Baby Update- Post Singapore

Thank you for your prayers, words of Truth, personal testimonies, and support during this faith-building time.

During this whole experience we have seen the Lord preparing the pathway ahead of us. Here are a few (NOTE: there were MANY "God-Things") examples:
- Before we left, I contacted a doctor we had previously consulted with about a referral for an OBGYN. He immediately responded saying his wife is an OBGYN and she would see us Thursday morning. He and his wife share an office space.

- An affordable guesthouse had one room available during a conference. This is a big deal because hotels in Singapore are expensive. A "budget hotel" room can still cost around $100.

-Nothing is ever "quick" in Indonesia when it comes to travel. A flight from Papua to the capital city of Jakarta takes at least six hours. Although all our flights were delayed, we did not miss any of our connecting flights.

Thursday morning we went to the doctor's office and waited until she could see us. She was such a sweet woman who brought an overwhelming amount of peace with her to our consultation.

 

The ultrasound machine was finely tuned giving us a much clearer picture of the baby. We could see a healthy baby wiggling around. The machine was so detailed that we could see the blood flowing in and out of the heart's chambers. She did say she was concerned about the ventricles in the brain and did not feel that she could make any decisions. However, her colleague specializes in this area and suggested we visit him. She thought he would be out of the office but tried to make the appointment as soon as possible. It turns out (another "God-Thing") that he was in the office and had time to see us that afternoon!

We continued our journey to the National University Hospital's Fetal Care Center, where "all the pregnant women go" to get ultrasounds done.

 

 A second ultrasound was performed. Once again, we saw our sweet Little One sleeping. After the technician found out that I take afternoon naps, she was not surprised that the baby was sleeping and wasn't able to easily get pictures of the spine.

The doctor saw us and after checking measurements said there were four possibilities.
1. I could be infected with the virus toxoplasmosis. It is said to be carried by housecats, which is why it is recommended that pregnant women avoid litter boxes. This virus has an oral antibiotic.
2. I could be infected with the virus Cytomegalovirus (CMV). This virus is said to be passed around by children. There is no antibiotic and hopefully passes with time.
3. The dilated ventricles can be a marker for Down's Syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities.
4. It is possible that the ventricles are just dilated, but fluid and size will decrease as the baby grows.

After a blood test, results were negative for toxoplasmosis and CMV. We declined the genetic test checking for chromosomal abnormalities, but all doctors seemed fairly confident that there were no other markers of concern. We were lead to believe that overall the baby is healthy, and at our next ultrasound in America we will monitor the measurements of the ventricles. If the measurements from our first sonogram were accurate, after one week the ventricles have already decreased in size!

We continue to trust the Lord as the Great Healer, knowing that His plan is good for our Little One.  We continue to be amazed at how the Lord is using YOU in our lives. Your prayers have been answered in ways we can't even begin to explain or understand. Please continue to pray with us that the ventricles will decrease in size, that the clog will be opened up so the cerebral fluid can flow freely, and that through all of this God would receive the maximum amount of glory!

 

Update

Friends,

Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement and personal testimonies of the Lord's goodness in similar situations. After carefully researching and speaking with doctors, we will be travelling to Singapore this week. Consulting another doctor will give us better results to bring back to America when we return on July 26.

Our plan is to leave Papua on Wednesday, June 26 at 11 AM. We will arrive in Singapore that evening. Thursday morning we will meet with an OBGYN and have another ultrasound. Friday will be reserved for any follow-up appointments. We will board a plane to begin the long journey back on Saturday, catch an overnight flight from Jakarta to Papua, and arrive home on Sunday morning.
Please continue to pray that the Lord would receive the maximum amount of glory in this situation, pray that our little one would continue to grow and develop the way the Lord has planned, and please continue praying peace over us.

-Amber and Josh

Baby Harrington Update/Prayer

We went for our first ultrasound on Tuesday night. After signing up and waiting in a hot room with many other pregnant ladies, we finally caught a glimpse of our precious one. The doctor spoke English well, and we felt very comfortable asking him specific questions about the baby's growth and development. We saw the four chambers of the heart, the heart beating strong and fast, a complete spinal cord, and even urine in the bladder. He said the baby is measuring around 19 weeks. We loved seeing the little one moving his/her limbs. We did not find out a gender, because the baby was being modest.

Everything was great, until the doctor spoke the words, "Ms. Amber, there is something I am concerned about." He went to a view of the baby's brain. The doctor continued to explain to us that he was concerned about a dark area he saw on the brain. During the course of the discussion, he told us the baby may have "fluid on the brain" or hydrocephalus. This condition is caused when the body's cerebral spinal fluid cannot flow outside of the brain due to blockage.  The fluid builds on the brain and may cause damage.

We left the doctor's office with a mix of emotions-so grateful we could see a baby but crushed because something may be wrong and there's nothing we can do. Friends, it has been a difficult past few days. We are trusting in the Lord's goodness and love for His children to provide peace. We wrote to our midwife and explained to her everything that had happened. Her recommendation is to go to Singapore for a follow up ultrasound that can give more clear answers. We are now waiting on a second opinion from a doctor who serves here. Of course it is possible there was a mistake in the reading of the ultrasound. God makes no mistakes in His special designs of creation. Please pray that if there is fluid on the baby's brain that it would decrease, that the blockage would open up and the fluid would flow properly. Pray for peace that we would take necessary steps to ensure the best care and provision for both mother and baby. Regardless of the outcome, Baby Harrington will be loved by a Creator that has fearfully, wonderfully, and creatively made him/her. He/She will be loved by a mom and dad who have waited for God's timing to provide an addition to their family. They will be loved by you, who have partnered with us on this journey through joyful times and difficult times.

Unexpected expenses can be difficult to talk about, but we feel like this is something that we should bring to you as prayer partners. Would you pray that God would provide financially for any expenses that may be needed for a quick trip to Singapore? Would you consider giving gifts to Wycliffe on our behalf to cover these expenses? If you are willing to give towards this trip please send gifts to:  

Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200

Include a note attached: “For Josh and Amber Harrington #214391”
You can also give online: www.wycliffe.org/Partnership.aspx?mid=124E53

Thank you for your love, prayers, and encouraging words during this challenging time.

Summer, Baby Update, Good-bye

I'm hoping to be more faithful on posting things about our plans and summer activities.

A couple days after the last day of school, I headed to Singapore so my good friend could have some medical checks done. It was fun to travel with her, and we have many funny stories and new sayings. All her tests came back clear, so we're praising the Lord for that. It was neat to watch the Lord bless her during this time too. The perk of eating great food and shopping helped a lot too. One of the blessings from that trip for me was an "easy" answer regarding my visa. My work visa through the school ended on the last day of June, so that means I would need to be out of the country by July 1. We had originally hoped to stay through the summer to help out at Yajasi, but didn't know how it would be possible. Yajasi and HIS were working together to try to extend the visa for 30 days while I was in country, but we wouldn't know if this worked until two weeks before my current visa expired... for some of you two weeks may be enough time to plan and prep for a move around the world, but for this girl it's not! So the trip to Singapore allowed me to leave on an exit permit and re-enter on a visa on arrival. It's good for 30 days, and we're told that there should be no problem extending it for 30 more days. That gives me 60 extra days in country and allows us to stay during the summer! We have tickets bought and we hope to leave Jakarta on July 26 and arrive in Seattle on July 26... yeah, how does that work??

Baby Update:
Our little one continues to grow. We hope to go for our first ultrasound next week. I'm so excited that it's finally "my turn". I know that sounds so selfish, but things are just different here. The equipment is older, so it's really best to wait longer to get good results. I have other friends who are not as far along as I am and have already had multiple ultrasounds. It's great for them, and I am so happy for them but I'm definitely ready to "see" our little one! I haven't noticed any movement, but I'm told that it will happen soon and continue for the next 30 years or so :)

The Dark Side of Summer:
Yes, there is a dark side of summer. Summer is the time when many people leave! Today our good friends Joel, Elaine, and Esther boarded a plane with no plans of returning. We have watched Esther grow through the last four years. We have welcomed their family like they were our own. Elaine's laughter and her ability to relate to me emotionally will be missed. We will miss cooking our food with the hopes that it meets Joel's cuisine critiques with passing marks. I'm thankful that we were able to go to the beach together, travel to Bali, pray together, celebrate birthdays together, and just share life with each other. We will miss you!

Sharing Cokes together

Sharing important moments in life together

Birthday Cookouts

 

Birthday dance parties

Motorcycles around Lake Sentani

Esther's first snow- Washington State 2011

 

Cuddles in Washington

Hiking together

"Camping" in Washington

 

"Camping" in Washington

Blueberry face

Esther turns four!

Texas cake made with love!

Trick-or-Treating with friends who love her

Shopping in Bali

Paintball with the guys in Bali

Kuta Beach- Bali 2012

Boo Radley can't even talk about Esther leaving! He will miss her!

Breaking the Silence

After nearly two months of no posting, we're breaking our silence.

I'm not sure about how other teachers around the world feel, but it seems like the second semester is busier than the first. Meetings, activities, lesson planning, standardized testing, projects, retreats, and life, oh yeah, and life keeps going. It really feels like the second semester can best be described like this:

Part of the training of a professional teacher is to learn how to stay ahead of the avalanche that's coming on your heels. You're "safe" when the final day of school passes, and you're locking your front door vowing you're not leaving for any reason for the next month.

You may remember last month that I got really, really, REALLY sick. I mean siiiiiiiick. When living in a foreign county it's normal to have frequent tummy problems (*if you're living in a foreign country and experiencing these "issues" daily for weeks or months on end, no it is not normal- go to a doctor, quick!*) We ate at my favorite place in town. I ordered something I had eaten before, just the way I like it. Well early the next morning, I decided, as absolutely everything that was in my body from the past year emptied out, that I was never eating that dish again... ever. That decision was confirmed throughout the entire day during the same situations. I spent the following day agreeing with myself about the previous day's decision as I laid in bed with no energy. After watching hours of movies, sleeping, and nibbling on crackers I had enough energy to teach my classes the following Monday. (Just between you and me, I did NOT have enough energy to make it through the day, I barely made it back home where my pillow met me for the next two hours!)  For the following two weeks I was completely exhausted. No energy. Tired. Tired. Tired. That stomach thing wiped me out. Obliterated any amount of a secret stash of energy I had.

I (still) believe I ate something that disagreed with my entire body. I (still) believe that it wiped out all my energy for the following weeks. My body was starting to do other strange things... or maybe I was just beginning to notice. I couldn't believe that it could be true... I woke up at the 3 AM, unable to sleep, and really had to go to the bathroom. I read the directions (so thankful they were in English and Indonesian), sat on the floor (just like in the movies), wondering,"could it really be??? no... it can't be. or could it???" Then lines started to appear. I don't read lines, I read words! I was quite confused... so what do you do when are confused about something? Obviously you take a picture and show it to a friend. duh. (I guess in my case, you eventually show it to the entire world.)

 

Needless to say, neither one of us could sleep after that moment. I showed my friend, who happens to also serve as a midwife, and I tried to describe the scene to her.

Here's the conversation (the way I remember/interpreted it):
" Yep, it sounds like you're pregnant."

"Are you sure? I have a picture."

"You have a picture? Great! Let me take a look."

After just barely catching a glimpse of the screen, she says," Oh yeah, you are. No doubt."

Crash!!!! That was my jaw hitting the floor, and then imagine a few nonsensical words tumbling out of mouth... but I was thinking," How does she know?? She just glanced... I have been STUDYING every inch of that picture for the past six hours!"

I managed to get "Are you sure?" out.

She answered with a simple smile and "Yes."

 

It turns out I was about 8 weeks along when we found out. Josh and I both met with her to ask questions and to get information. I felt like I was there, but I wasn't processing anything she was saying to us. I've seen the look before in the eyes of middle school students- they are there, but they're not... We were still in shock. Not because we were disappointed, but woah we are gonna be parents.  Just typing that I had a mini-panic attack.

 

Yesterday we met with her a second time. Twelve weeks, a milestone in the baby developing world. A milestone for me and Josh. We heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. I hope to never forget that moment. I'm going to attempt to write it here in description, so later years from now when I'm reading back through this I'll laugh and reminisce about this sweet time. We meet with her right after school. We go back to our normal room (do you have a normal room by your second visit?) where we chat about more questions or concerns that have come up in the past month. She says," Okay let's see if we can hear the heartbeat." I basically jumped up onto the examination bed, ready to hear it. My dear sweet husband had more questions, so hearing the heartbeat was tabled for a bit. It was a good discussion that I was only half listening to, because we were about to confirm that I actually was pregnant. There were moments throughout every day when I would question, because I didn't "feel" different. Every symptom I have I could blame it on something else that involves just living overseas. The moment she put that "hear the heartbeat" instrument thingy against my skin, my sense of hearing magnified by a million and I was hearing EVERY noise in the room, across the street, and maybe even across the island... every noise except the heartbeat. I was hearing the clock on the wall pound away the seconds, cars driving around the parking lot, the kids in the waiting room playing with toys, and my blood flowing through my main arteries. Then finally after chasing our little one around, she said," There it is." with a giant smile on her face. Relief. Joy. Happiness. flooded me. Thank you, Lord. Our little one's heartbeat was healthy, strong, and fast- just the way it should be... knowing this increased my heartbeat! Josh had a proud smile on his new daddy face, and I had a smile full of love for this two inch baby that makes me hungry and tired all the time.

 

We love our little one's heartbeat. Already I pray that our little one's heartbeat would beat healthy, strong, and fast for the Maker who is forming our little one in their momma's womb.