Update on Bryce

We arrived in Budapest Sunday evening after a very long drive. Our 5 hour trip became a 7 hour trip between feeding a hungry baby who got off schedule and waiting in line for a highway pass at the border. Monday morning we had an appointment with a pediatric GI specialist. Another ultrasound was performed and the cyst was still present. We then met with a pediatric GI surgeon. Both doctors agreed surgery was necessary within 1 to 2 weeks to avoid any complications. Their diagnosis is that the cyst is probably a duplication of a part of his small intestine. While it's not causing any problems now, it could eventually cause a bowel obstruction or it could rupture or something else. The surgeon described how he would perform the surgery and we took that information back to our medical consultants in the states. Both doctors in the states agreed with the proposed method of surgery here in Budapest (they did not agree with the method in Prague). We feel much more comfortable with the medical care Bryce will receive here in Budapest. There are still some variables about the surgery. How the cyst is attached to his intestine will determine how complicated the surgery will be. They can either remove just the cyst or they might have to remove the portion of his intestine where the cyst is attached. We won't know until they perform the surgery. So we are scheduled to take Bryce in for pre-op stuff on Monday, August 3 (my original due date) and then the surgery will be performed on Tuesday, August 4. Now we're just waiting until next week. Thanks so much for your prayers so far. Please continue to pray for Bryce and the doctors who will be treating him. We're confident in the medical care here but also very apprehensive about surgery for our son. We'll continue to keep you updated.

Here's more pictures from the last few days: http://thebeasleyfamily1010.shutterfly.com/

We're back with something new!!

The Birth Story
Okay, here's the story you've all been waiting for. Matt left town on Saturday, July 11 to help some of our partners in the city with their English camp. He was in northwestern Czech Republic near the Polish border. We joked before he left about me going into labor while he was gone and him rushing home for the birth of Bryce. Haha, wouldn't that be funny? Our friend here in the city even said he'd try to beat Matt to the hospital to change Bryce's name. HAHA. So Friday, July 17, I was laying down resting around 10:15 when I felt something strange in my pelvis, kind of like the baby moved weird or hiccuped or something. About that time, the buzzer downstairs rang for a delivery we were expecting. I stood up to answer it and by the time I had walked to the call box, I realized that my water had just broken. I thought, "No way, this is 2 1/2 weeks early!" I ran/waddled downstairs to get the package and came back up and called my doctor and Matt. My doctor told me to come to the office and I couldn't get ahold of Matt. I called a friend of ours and asked him to try to get ahold of Matt and headed to my doctor in a taxi. The doctor checked me out and confirmed my water had broken. I didn't have any contractions yet but my doctor put me on the fetal monitor to watch the baby. Contractions started and about 30 minutes later, the doctor drove me to the hospital in her car. In her car!! Anyway, our friends finally got ahold of Matt and he headed home. About 30 minutes after I got to the hospital, so did Matt. Whew!! Contractions were getting stronger so we headed upstairs to the delivery room. I walked. Up the stairs. In labor. Anyway, I got my epidural and we waited. I sat on an exercise ball, I laid on my side, and we waited. The doctor decided to get things moving a little faster with a little Pitocin and they did! Before I knew it, it was time to push. About 15 minutes later, at 4:58 pm, our little boy was there! The pediatrician took him to clean him up and clear him out. Then his daddy got to write our name down his leg and a number on his chest. Then I got to meet him! He is 7 lbs 6 oz, and 19 inches long and absolutely beautiful!

The Rest
Earlier in my pregnancy, my doctor discovered a cyst in Bryce's abdomen. We were sent to a specialist who told us the cyst was not a big deal, not involved with any of his systems and would probably go away on its own. We began to pray that God would remove the cyst and, over the next couple of months, it actually started to shrink. After he was born, they checked the cyst and discovered it was a little larger than the most recent prenatal ultrasound. The next day, Bryce was taken to a specialist in radiology to look at the cyst a little closer on the ultrasound. Two pediatric surgeons were watching the ultrasound as it was performed. From their observations, they decided the cyst was probably involved with his small intestine and recommended surgery. They weren't sure, but it could be a cyst that grew out from the small intestine or it could be a duplication of a part of his small intestine. We met with the chief of pediatric surgery Monday to discuss the procedure. After the meeting, we were uncomfortable with how the doctors planned to perform the surgery. Our company has a network of consulting doctors in the states for situations like this so we were put in contact with a pediatrician. We explained the situation and my wonderful doctor here got the surgeons' report, translated it, and sent it to him. His opinion was that surgery so soon and so invasive was unnecessary without further testing. So, our next step is to head to Budapest, Hungary. Our company has a network of doctors there and we have an appointment Monday morning with a pediatric GI specialist. We'll speak with him about the situation, get his opinion, and make a decision on what to do next. We'll try to keep everyone updated. Please be in prayer for our baby boy.

If you've made it this far in this post, click for a little thank you:
Bryce's Birth, Hospital, and Homecoming

Virtual Blessings

Saturday after Matt left for English camp, (for a week!) I threw a par-tay. It was awesome. I didn't have to cook or clean. In fact, I was all alone in our apartment. All the gals on my Mom's side of the family threw a small party to shower Baby Bryce with some essentials. So they all got together at my Mom's house and the guest of honor (me) was featured on my Mom's laptop via Skype. There was even cake and yummy goodies that they all ate while I watched.


Posing with the cake.


Posing with the cake and the grandmothers.


Checking out the spread.

Then they opened up the baby gifts and we all oohed and ahhhed and said, "How cute!"







Then we sat around and gabbed like ladies do at showers and then they all went home. It was so fun! My mom will fly over in two weeks loaded down with all the goodies and hopefully in time for Bryce's arrival.

Like I mentioned earlier, Matt is at English camp for the week with some of our Czech partners. He's having a great time, staying up too late, and waking up too early. He'll be giving three talks: two from the Gospel of John and one about the reliability of Scripture. He's also helping with the advanced English learners. I really wish I could be a fly on the wall in there! He's also getting in plenty of Ultimate Frisbee, soccer, and volleyball. Meanwhile, I'm here holding down the fort, getting ready for baby and trying to avoid cooking since I don't have a hungry hubby to feed. And relaxing. A lot.

It was work, I promise!

Last week, we traveled to a small island outside of Athens, Greece for our Annual General Meeting (AGM). AGM this year was special for several reasons. First of all, it was a gathering of all of our colleagues in all of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE - that would be people in countries from Greece to the eastern edge of Russia) and we haven't had that sort of gathering in many, many years. Second, it was the last AGM for the region formerly known as CEE. Our organizational structure is changing to include Western Europe and other European peoples. The purpose of the restructuring is to focus on people groups instead of geographical regions. You can read more about it here, if you are so inclined. Third, this was our last AGM as we will return to the states in early 2010 (with a little souvenir), so it was good to see people and say goodbye one last time. We had a really great time learning about how God is working across Central and Eastern Europe and seeing how our organization is planning for God to work in the future, despite economical hardships.

That being said, the conference also happened to be in Greece. At a resort. So we had to take advantage of the facilities and cool, breezy, 90 degree weather (last year, it was 110 in Greece).

Matt and some of our friends relaxing in the pool after a day of meetings. Yes, we are all very pale. We live in Central Europe. Our winter is 14 months long.

The view from the beach.

Matt getting some exercise playing waterpolo.

Matt's little buddy (and Bryce's future girlfriend), Bethany.

One of our large meetings. Lotsa folks.



Posing by the ocean (actually the sea. Aegean, I stand corrected).