Cystic Hygroma- Such an Ugly Word!

About five weeks ago, we found out the surprise of a lifetime- I am pregnant.  I knew that I had not felt myself all summer long and thought I just had a case of amoebas or parasites, which can be a common missionary thing.  So, to find out the pregnancy news at 8 weeks pregnant, was well, completely shocking!  Our kids are older, ages 12, 11, and 10.  We had not planned on having anymore children.  I am so grateful for the friends I went to and the truth that they shared with me during that time of shock.  They reminded me that ALL children are a blessing from our Heavenly Father, but they also gave me space to process.  They reminded me that my roller coaster of emotions was normal.  In a podcast I listened to by John Piper about receiving unexpected news, He shared, "take time to grieve the loss of your plans and dreams, but when the grieving is over, dry your tears in sweet surrender, knowing God's sovereignty is greater and bigger and we can trust Him." So, after absorbing the shock and accepting this as God's plan for our lives, we decided to tell others.  Our baby announcement looked like this:

Then, yesterday, in a routine ultrasound of 13 weeks, we heard news that no expecting parents want to hear.  There is something wrong with the baby.  Our baby has a very large Cystic Hygroma and abdominal adema. A what?!?   I had never heard of such a thing.  Immediately, words like miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities were thrown out there.  He encouraged us to read more about it on the internet but also know that many babies have had a cystic hygroma that disappears and turn out to be fine, although ours is extremely large.  The internet is full of a lot of terrifying possibilities.  We are scared.  There are so many questions about the baby, his/her future, our future.  However, in the middle of those fears, I found myself singing... "Your name is Great and Your heart is kind....whatever may pass and whatever lies before me....Let me be singing when the evening comes."  I can't imagine trying to go through something like this without the hope of Jesus.  We KNOW that Jesus is able to heal and make our baby whole.  We also KNOW that He will not leave us nor forsake us.  And I have fashioned my heart to praise Him.  After all, He is the Giver of Life and this is His child.  He only gives them to us to hold a little while.  Granted, there are many possibilities that I would praise Him through a tear streaked face, but none the less, there are 10,000 Reasons and more to Praise Him!  So, if He heals, I will praise Him .  So, if I never get to hold this baby in my arms, I will praise Him.  If this baby has to endure pain and suffering, I will praise Him.  Not because I will feel like it....but because He is Great and He is kind and I know He loves us and He loves this baby and He is worthy of Praise!

Please pray for Baby Pizzati.  Pray for Rene and I that we will lean into each other and pray for our other three treasures as they process this journey with us!