Airdrie's Story: God has a purpose for every unborn child

This post originally appeared on our blog June 17, 2015 on the second anniversary of us finding out of a "problem" with my pregnancy. Today, October 24, 2016, marks Airdrie Abileen's 3rd birthday--praise be to God.

Just over three years ago our world tilted on its axis. We lived in Houston, Texas, I was 20 weeks pregnant with our 4^th child, and we had just been in to receive our anatomy ultrasound. This is the scan where the baby’s major organs are checked. We had the scan done at a special ultrasound clinic and our biggest decision that day was whether to find out the gender of the baby or not. We choose both and had the technician write the results on a yellow sticky note and I placed in my purse. 

The next day Mark and I were out trying to finalize the sale of our two vehicles and had stopped to eat lunch when my obstetrician called us. I quickly stepped out of the restaurant to more clearly hear. Just in time to hear the Dr when she said, “All the measurements look good with the baby and everything looks up to date... However, the technician did find a spot in the brain. You’re going to need a level 2 scan to address this.” 

Meeting Our Miracle: Airdrie's Birth Story Part 1

This post first appeared on our blog November 10, 2013, just a few weeks after the birth of our fourth child, Airdrie. At the time we were missionaries living in northeastern Scotland.


 It's been a while...Mark and I have lived several months in the past few weeks!
This post will be extensive, but full of pictures for those who enjoy the break in my ramblings! Also, I'm including birth details using words like "cervix, dilation" and "birth canal." If this doesn't suit your taste exit while you still can and visit our FaceBook page for the benign details of the past weeks. :)

Monday, and Tuesday October 14-15 my parents along with my sisters, Jillian and Catlin flew in to Aberdeen, Scotland so they could be a part of what we thought was birth week! I was scheduled to be induced at 4pm on Wednesday, October 16th.
*I was to be induced at 38 weeks gestation because at this point we knew our baby girl had Dandy-Walker Malformation in her cerebellum. When there are deformities present the risk of stillbirth in a infant left to go 40 weeks gestation or beyond significantly increases. We needed to get this baby here soon!

There was general shenanigans and fun as the aunts and grandma and papa revealed they had all packed in their carry-on luggage and all other suitcases were FILLED with presents from America! We had cake mixes, candy, Pumpkin spice---everything, maple syrup, Italian and Ranch dressing packets, and Halloween goodies.

Grandma also brought over a tin filled with buttons for the girls. They love this and love to scatter buttons ALL over the house!

Anderson, Party of 13

Recently (OK, over a month ago) we drove on over to Utah (Yew- tah for those non-familiar with the state) to visit Mark's brother and family. It had been 3 years since we've seen them and it was high time.

Matthew and Chandra live south of Salt Lake City with their 5 children. They head up the team of Plant Utah and do a great job of telling people about Jesus. They are planting a churches in the Utah Valley. 

While with them we stayed up extraordinarily late (considering we had 9 children between us all that would be wanting breakfast rather early), we laughed. 

Oh my goodness we laughed so hard. 

We made meals together, we played games together, and after the kids were in bed we drank bulletproof coffee together. 

(Don't get weird, it's coffee with coconut oil and butter in it. It is yumilicious--MY word.)

There were times I giggled knowing WE were the adults in charge.

While visiting we took advantage of fancy big cameras to take family pictures.

Matthew is a for reals photographer whose has owned a fancy camera for many a year.

I fancy myself a wannabe photographer. I've owned a big camera for a year.

I'll let you just rest on your own mercy when viewing the photos that Fatty and I have taken side by side.

Mark calls his brother Fatty, because in no way shape or form is Matthew fat. 

And ridiculous nicknames are an Anderson passion.

Right outta the shoot (chute, works also) Fatty gets a frowning 9 year old and a distracted 40 year old...

Doing the County Fair

I've shared a lot of what our life was like in Scotland, and rest assured I've taken a ridiculous amount of photos there to continue to share with y'all.

But I thought I'd swap things around and share with our friends in the UK a taste of the USA.

This may come as a shock to y'all, but we aren't big city people. 

I lived for 4 years of my life in Dallas and 8 months in Houston, Texas and those experiences fulfilled any small desire I had to live in a densely populated area. 

Sure, you have your pros, like a Hobby Lobby every 10 miles, Chick-fil-a, Chipotle, Pei Wei, Starbucks, Gigi's Cupcakes, Firehouse Subs, Whole Foods 

(Ok, well, I haven't ever been in a Whole Foods, but I have been gouged for groceries before, does that count?) 

but y'all not only does my wallet and waistline hate this, 

but there's just something about the country that appeals to me.

Here in USA it's the most wonderful time of the year--county fair time!

Bear in mind y'all a county fair tends to be small.

Each state in the USA has a LOT of counties. After the county fairs the winners go on to the state fair.

But county fair time is a super fun where my husband especially travels back his roots. 

Let's start this show off with a bang and focus on the little girl in the background instead of my boys closely examining the sheep.

Sing by the Sea

Right after Holiday Bible Club in Scotland we invited all parents, participants, workers, and dogs to a fun event called Sing by the Sea.

Sing by the Sea is held the Sunday evening following Holiday Bible Club at Roseisle Beach. 

There are pine trees all around and the dunes have spread into the trees making for an almost ethereal,  Lord of the Rings type landscape.

I loved it.

I felt my inner Arwen come out.

Quick someone get me a bow and arrows.

Patient Declined Termination of Pregnancy: Sally Pink's story

Two years ago this week our world tilted on its axis. We lived in Houston, Texas, I was 20 weeks pregnant with our 4^th child, and we had just been in to receive our anatomy ultrasound. This is the scan where the baby’s major organs are checked. We had the scan done at a special ultrasound clinic and our biggest decision that day was whether to find out the gender of the baby or not. We choose both and had the technician write the results on a yellow sticky note and I placed in my purse.

The next day Mark and I were out trying to finalize the sale of our two vehicles and had stopped to eat lunch when my obstetrician called us. I quickly stepped out of the restaurant to more clearly hear. Just in time to hear the Dr when she said, “All the measurements look good with the baby and everything looks up to date... However, the technician did find a spot in the brain. You’re going to need a level 2 scan to address this.” I felt the blood draining...I tried to ask coherent questions, tried to understand what the Dr was saying, but basically until we had the scan there was no telling what “spot on the brain meant.” This was Thursday and so we had to wait over an agonizing long weekend until Tuesday to attend the scan with a perinatologist.

That weekend I turned 31 and it was a horrible birthday, sad to say. I was consumed with worry. If you’ve never experienced it worry on this level it rips you in two. Sleep was the only respite from this disease that was eating me alive.

Comparison: what I'd do in my free time, if I had any

I have four children. 

I don't have free time.

But I sneakily take time from important tasks to pretend like I've got free time.

This is including but not limited to:

- laundry

- washing dishes

- grading papers

- mending (I know it's 2015 and this is like so 50 years ago and SO Cinderella, but it's true)

- the tapestries

- and the draperies

and oh yes, one more thing:

- bathing

I'm not proud of it, but I can place the last item well down on the list if the need to procrastinate arises.

So I thought I'd pretend like I had free time and imagine what I do with it:

I'd compare pictures of my children all at the same age.

So I did it tonight.

(Laundry, get thee behind me.)

April 2015 

Caedmon is 8

and he's eating candy money.

I'm sure there's a good analogy or hidden meaning here.

Easter-ing We Will Go

So recently we celebrated Easter here.

I mean, I know all y'all did.

But I don't know about how you celebrated it, so this will be a post about our celebration.

Thank you for your understanding.

First off, let me just acknowledge that our 18 month old singlehandedly did this in our school room.

She takes great delight in grabbing what she can and flinging it over her shoulder.

The crayon bucket is her special place that makes her happy.

This does not evoke such feelings in me.

Airdrie: the long and short of it

The past 3 weeks have been difficult for us, so I can't imagine what they've been like for Airdrie.
Here is the story of this on-going saga, but for those who aren't into a 10 minute read please just pray for our sweet girl, Airdrie.

One evening at the very end of January Mark was holding Airdrie and noticed she had tensed up and was shaking (not like a seizure, but in pain). Her eyes had tears streaming out of them, her face was red, and blood was running out of her mouth.
Airdrie had just bitten through her lower lip.

Our sweet girl has always had some kind of issue when it comes to pain. If she rolled over on the floor and hit her head on the radiator she didn't cry. Getting her vaccinations....she didn't cry. As a matter of fact I don't think it's an exaggeration to say we have never heard Airdrie cry out in pain. For this reason we became increasingly concerned as daily Airdrie would re-injure her lip by continuing to gnaw on it.

Airdrie's 1st Birthday

Let me tell you about a miracle that took place last month:

Airdrie Abileen Anderson turned one year old. 

The baby, who at 20 weeks gestation was found to have a brain deformity causing a heartless perinatologist to say, "Something is really wrong with this child", celebrated one year of living, loving, and thriving. 

God is good, indeed. 

If you're just joining us and would like to read the entire story you can start here and work your way through by newer posts.

So it is with profound joy that I can share with you the details of our precious baby's first birthday. If you've been along on this journey with us for the past 18 months, weeping, praying, and rejoicing with us, thank you. 

Enjoy this glimpse into the celebration of our God's great love and mercy.

A Year Ago

After yet another of Airdrie's physiotherapy appointments yesterday I spent a bit of time in thought, in retrospect of the past 12 months. More exactly what I was thinking and feeling a year ago, 7 months pregnant.

August 2013-- 3rd trimester

We had been in our new home country for right around 6 weeks and were still adjusting, but loving all the newness of Scotland and the adventure we were embarking on.

Airdrie's Eye Appointment

Finally!
Six months after first finding out that Airdrie had possible eye problems we saw a specialist today!

Airdrie June 2014
8 months old

Airdrie had an appointment with the orthoptist at the Children's Hospital in Aberdeen. An orthoptist is basically a physiotherapist for the eyes. The specialist we met with was so helpful in discussing with us the problems our AirBear has with her eyes.

Airdrie's Second Neurology Appointment

Yesterday Airdrie saw the paediatric neurologist for a follow up visit.

It was a good visit, as we really appreciate Dr. Stephen and her thoroughness and attention.

First, Airdrie is doing extremely well with interaction with people, smiling, babbling, laughing, etc and is right on target as a baby of 20 weeks. This is WONDERFUL news as it is evidence that the rest of her brain appears to be developing normally. It also is a great sign that her intelligence is not affected by the Dandy Walker Malformation. God is good.

Second, it is apparent precious AirBear has a "squint" which is what we in the US would call "cross-eyed". It is uncertain as to the cause; it could be the DWM or it could simply be a muscular issue within the eye. Either way there are steps to take to resolve the issue, some easier than others, but we are being referred to an ophthalmologist for further treatment in that regard. We are also unsure as to how much baby girl is seeing. We know for sure she is not blind, but there are also a few concerns we have in regards to her vision. Again, this will be addressed with the specialist. God is good.

Answered Prayers

It's been
- 19 months since we knew the Lord called us to Scotland;
- 1 year since we got a HUGE surprise that we were expecting our 4th child;
- 269 days since learning there was a problem with our baby's brain;
- and 263 days since our move to Scotland.

Our family has lived a decade or two in the past year. Each day with Airdrie is a day we cherish. I've never before celebrated milestones of a baby with such immense relief within my heart. Yet in the same breath we anxiously await those milestones that seem to be missing.

This Thursday we have a follow up appointment with the paediatric neurologist. Both Mark and I are so anxious to hear what the doctor has to say about Airdrie as well as proudly present those things she can do.
 In light of this and the encroaching anxiety we face I thought I'd timeline the prayers our family has seen answered in the past 269 days.

Christmas in Scotland

I thought I'd post about our Scottish Christmas and fill y'all in on the last week and a half of December. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Each day of December began by opening our advent calendar(s). We had our traditional candy-filled calendar and a fun winter scene PlayMobile toy calendar 

(I saved it from the Christmas sale at Kroger last year--90% off BOOM baby!)

Meeting Sally-Pink *Airdrie Abileen Anderson* Part 2

 If you're just now joining us and love a good 'ol birth story scroll down to the previous post and start there. If you just came to see pictures of our sweet girl and would rather avoid all the birth terminology and details then stay right where you are because we have pictures galore of our Airdrie-girl!

Airdrie Abileen Anderson came in to the world a bit reluctantly on Thursday 24 October. She was delivered by c-section and had some immediate troubles. We didn't know it at the time but when they rushed her over to the other side of the room they were "giving her a little help" meaning emptying her lungs and giving her oxygen. We later saw that her 1 minute Apgar score was a "5" and her 10 minute score was a "9."

Meeting Sally-Pink *Airdrie Abileen Anderson* Part 1

 It's been a while...Mark and I have lived several months in the past few weeks!
This post will be extensive, but full of pictures for those who enjoy the break in my ramblings! Also, I'm including birth details using words like "cervix, dilation" and "birth canal." If this doesn't suit your taste exit while you still can and visit our FaceBook page for the benign details of the past weeks. :)

Monday, and Tuesday October 14-15 my parents along with my sisters, Jillian and Catlin flew in to Aberdeen so they could be a part of what we thought was birth week! I was scheduled to be induced at 4pm on Wednesday, October 16th.

There was general shenanigans and fun as the aunts and grandma and papa revealed they had all packed in their carry-on luggage and all other suitcases were FILLED with presents from America! We had cake mixes, candy, Pumpkin spice---everything, maple syrup, Italian and Ranch dressing packets, and Halloween goodies.

Grandma also brought over a tin filled with buttons for the girls. They love this and love to scatter buttons ALL over the house!

Turn-Turn-Turn

She's turned! No version needed today, Sally Pink turned by herself sometime in the night. 
Thanks for all the prayers, we have a midwife doing a house-call Friday to make sure baby girl is still in position, other than that we wait until next Wednesday when it's induction time!

Momma and little spinning Sally Pink.

8 October Scan and News

In our scan today we found out some good news and bad news:
First the cyst and brain deformity are the same with no changes. This is the news we've had since June, we just have the name "Dandy-Walker" now to attach to it.

Next the good news: the ventricles that allow the spinal fluid to move freely around the brain are normal looking and are not showing any signs of blockage. This means there is not hydrocephalus (water on the brain). While we're not out of the woods from this condition it is a good sign that it has not occurred.

The bad news: Sally Pink has turned herself breech. Baby's should not do this at 37 weeks of pregnancy because of their size--the Anderson girls have not gotten this memo apparently. We had a few options and have chosen to have an external cephalic version (or version) done. A version takes place in the hospital with careful monitoring of the baby. A doctor will come in and essentially turn the baby with his hands so she is again head-down. This all sounds so familiar as exactly 4 and a half years ago I went through this with a little girl named Caithness! I'm grateful for that experience as we face a nearly identical situation now.

Tomorrow morning we will go into the hospital and have this done. If the procedure is successful we will induce Miss Sally Pink in the afternoon next Wednesday, October 16th. If the version is not successful we have opted to go with a Caesarean section. While attempting a breech birth is possible we feel that in light of the circumstances surrounding this precious girls' birth that a safer route would be a c-section.

Once Sally Pink gets here her cord blood will go for genetic testing to determine if her deformity is a result of a chromosomal problem. The first test they will do takes around 3 days to have results and will only check specific chromosomes. The complete test results will come back in usually 3 weeks. This means we have another month of possible uncertainties. We will continue to ask you, our dear family and friends, to keep lifting up our baby in prayer before the Father.

As Mark and I made the nearly 2 hour drive home from Aberdeen today we were discussing and processing all that has occurred. I told Mark I haven't felt "peace" in a long time, since June as a matter of fact. I feel as if I'm living in a dream--and not a good dream either. But then what if my view of what peace is is skewed?
I think my "comfort zone" is what I sometimes consider to be peace. Everyone is happy and healthy, there's no storms of life or trials...isn't this what I considered to be peace? But Mark said, "what about the peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4.7)? True peace, God-given peace, isn't about our comfort zone. It isn't about life going exactly the way we planned, it's about a peace that can only come from God and His Holy Spirit in us. True peace should "pass all understanding."
It's easy to have peace when all the world is as is should be. But when you hear the words, "We've found a spot on your baby's brain..." "The cancer has returned..." "There isn't a job available at this time..." that is the time that our faith is put into action. We find peace, not in the comfort of easy living, but in spite of the trials that surround us.

So above all, pray for a miracle with our baby girl, and next please pray that our family continues to seek peace that passes all understanding.

Mark & Jordan

The Latest with Sally-Pink

Today we went in to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital to see Dr. Fairly an obstetrician for another ultrasound and the results from our MRI in August.
First, the MRI confirmed to us what the ultrasounds have said all along. Our baby, whom we fondly refer to as "Sally-Pink" because those are the chosen names for her by her big sisters, has Dandy-Walker Syndrome (DWS).
In Sally-Pink's case this means she has a complete separation of her two cerebellar hemispheres and there is no connective tissue (vermis) between the spheres. The cerebellum is the back portion of your brain that is responsible for coordination and motor skills among other things.
With DWS there is a huge spectrum of severity and there is no way for us to know until after birth and possibly months later the degree of her handicap.

In the scan today Dr. Fairly confirmed there is no change to Sally-Pink's condition, but also that the rest of her brain looks completely normal and both her head and body are right on track as far as growth is concerned. This is good news for us as most of the time with DWS being caused by a chromosomal abnormality there is another malformation present in the body.
This is tentatively hopeful as 2 out of the 3 chromosomal problems most likely to cause DWS are "lethal" meaning she may not survive long after birth. We still are not and will not be 100% certain of this until the she is born, so please keep praying specifically about this.

We also saw a neonatologist today who talked about postnatal concerns and possible problems with us. Like I mentioned before there is no way the Dr's can pinpoint or even give us a range of Sally-Pink's handicap, we will just have to wait as she matures.
The greatest threat is hydrocephalus, or water on the brain. Because Sally-Pink still has a cyst present near her cerebellum this can block the cushion of fluid surrounding the brain leading to swelling and pressure on the brain. While this is a dangerous condition it is easily detected (by measurements of the head and ultrasound) and treated by a shunt.
The neonatologist also essentially said the science of the brain is inexact. Meaning that when God created this amazing, super-duper-duper-duper-duper (in Nessie's phrasing) computer of an organ He made it so that it can and often does compensate for loss or problems. The brain is incredible and can overcome great odds--to us: God still works miracles in what He's created!

What we did find out today is that we are going to meet Sally-Pink a little sooner than we originally thought. There is an increased risk for stillbirth with babies who have problems who are allowed to go full-term or beyond. Therefore Dr. Fairly is going to do one more scan in a fortnight (that's 2 weeks for all our American friends) and we will then schedule an induction for the next week. I will be at or around 38 weeks pregnant. Because I've had 3 natural births previously I will deliver with a midwife (obstetricians are not commonly used for antenatal care or deliveries in the UK) in Aberdeen with a neonatologist present. As with my past pregnancies I have gestational thrombocytopenia which means I have a low platelet count. It's never been an issue except a C-section isn't ideal when there's a risk of bleeding. Natural is the best for me and should be fine for Sally-Pink. We are excited about this and meeting our precious daughter so soon even in our uncertainty of the future.

Please continue to lift us up in prayer, specifically that this is not a chromosomal abnormality and that the cyst doesn't cause any problems.
In our household we are praying for a miracle--those who watch our story unfold can't help but see that we serve the One True God and He is mighty to save.

Most of all throughout all this, however God choses to write this story, that our family and this precious baby girl will glorify Him.