After a very intense last 4 hours, he is born!
He’s healthy, happy, latched, and loving life.
We haven’t even weighed him yet, but eye-ball estimates put him in at around 6 pounds. He was born at 5:08pm, pacific time.
Many, MANY thanks to all the encouraging emails we have recieved from people. You’re prayers and encouragement are so valuable to us.
Many many pictures to follow!
It’s early (or late). 5:20am. we have been able to sleep on and off, disrupted by nurse visits, restlessness, contractions, and uncomfortable beds (even with all those shaping/tilting/lifting options).
Sarah’s contractions are still a little irregular, ranging from 3 to 6 minutes apart, lasting from 30 to 90 seconds. they aren’t too strong yet, but definitely strong enough to prevent deep sleep.
we only attended one week of birthing classes. luckily we learned the signs of labor, and got some critical questions answered… but we currently know very little about breathing patterns, pain management, and what to actually DO during contractions. so between naps and contractions, i’m flipping through a few books trying not to read about everything that can go wrong to find some helpful instruction.
slow breathing. massage. mental focal points. signaling breathes. repetitious prayers. these things really seem to be helping. ok, now i just gotta find the strategy for the next phase… Sarah, what page are you on?
The hospital staff here at Group Health Central has done a great job of helping us to get comfortable. It’s now just past midnight, and Sarah has been sleeping in her robotic bed that moves in 12 different directions to create whatever shape she desires. She has an IV drip for fluids and antibiotics, and has two monitors on her belly — one for tracking contractions (which she can barely feel most of the time), and the other for monitoring Micah’s heartbeat.
The heartbeat ranges from 130 bpm to 160 bpm, more than double Sarah’s. The staff really like his heartbeat. the variance shows he is healthy, apparently! That’s really encouraging to hear for a pre-termer (he missed “full-term” by 3 days, not bad!).
Here’s his heartbeat, as recorded by the crummy mic on my Treo:
Hopefully some pictures will be coming soon…
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my proud honor to introduce you to the future: Micah Riggio!
Isn’t he cute! i’m so in love already. for those who aren’t used to ultrasound images… this is not a practical joke! there really is a baby in that picture. this is a profile view, with the outline of his face visible near the center. his hand is near his mouth, but you only get one slice at a time so we see his wrist, rather than fingers. the dark “C” shape in his chest is his little heart which beats about twice as fast as his mommy’s.
Brace yourself for many more photos, once we get this baby air-born!
My oh my, it has been a full year!
Sarah and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on the 9th. We had a few folks down to her parent’s place on the water in Gig Harbor. It was also to celebrate my lovely wife’s birthday (on the 12th), and my 27th birthday (on the 7th). We had a great time barbecuing, boating, and drinking (most of us, anyway). So now I’m 27. When i was a kid, people used to ask my parents how old i was… if my dad spoke up first, he would say “He’s 27, but he’s a midget!” So for many years, i vaguely wondered what its like to BE 27. Now i shall find out! But for the most part, that doesn’t change much.
But everything is different now.
Italy partied with us as they won the World Cup finals game (Forza Italia!) on that same day — bringing to conclusion an exciting month for the whole family as we have been following the games. Sarah’s parents and younger brother and his wife met up with us in Germany last month to watch Ghana whoop up on everyone’s favorite super power (i love how level the soccer field is). We had a marvelous time seeing the German countryside, and spent a week on the Mediterranean in the Italian Riviera, where we met up with Sarah’s older brother and his wife. How i miss that gentle sun and clear, cool water. Seeing how Europeans live made us feel like we could do just fine in the little house we just bought that many people told us would be too small for us.
Buying the house was a big deal. We kinda had a self-taught crash course in financial planning (as we decided if it would be economically feasible), real estate (as we sorted out what and where), credit scores (as we looked for financing), investments (as good friends and family came along side us to make it all possible), and the grace of God (as door after door opened, leading to the house we prayed for). It was an incredible process. We became home owners the day before we left for our 3 week vacation.
But i suppose on a day to day level, it won’t be much different — the mortgage is more than rent, but it is within our budget. We have expanded responsibilities with the yard, investors, and a new neighborhood. But I’m looking forward to the maturation that these will bring. A lot will be differnt, but owning doesn’t really change everything…
BUT… 
More than all the exciting things we have done in the past few months and year as a married couple, one thing changes the future more than anything else. Sarah is pregnant! We are gonna have a baby, some time in early March! We are totally excited, and are already finding ways to love this little being growing in Sarah’s womb.
… I thought you might like to know. It’s been a great year!
Well, after thinking, praying, weighing the options, Sarah and i decided that i should go to Pakistan to assist in setting up shelters for homeless earthquake victims.
The quake left 3 million homeless. Pakistan’s national army has been heading up the reconstruction, but their resources have quickly become tapped out. They continue to call for international assistance. FrontRelief, the organization i will go through, has had contacts in Pakistan for many years, and has a good working relationship with the government. FrontRelief has about 1,500 shelters that could be set up immediately if they had the personnel to distribute them. Rather than further taxing the efforts of those already coordinating so much, they are offering to bring in people to assist.
It is a very exciting decision. The hardest part is definitely thinking of spending that much time apart, especially since we are still feeling very “newly-wed” still. My work situation should provide enough flexibility to let me take the time off, and we are trusting that the money will be provided somehow.
The plan is currently to leave on the 28th of Nov, do one day of orientation, 2 days of travel to Pakistan (20 hours of flying, plus some time zone shifts), 14 days of in-country work setting up shelters where mountain-dwelling families can spend the winter, and then returning for one day of debrief. This time line is one of the earliest teams going. We want to leave as soon as possible to start to get things set up before the weather worsens (and so i can be back for some of Advent, my favorite liturgical season). If i can assemble my own team, we might be able to leave a day or two earlier.
So, first of all, i am looking for a team. Culturally speaking, women can’t really do this kind of work in Pakistan. I want to bring three other guys with me, men i know and trust with whom i can face the mountains, the cold, and the hard work. Guys, if you are reading this, you need to consider coming with me. The need is urgent. This is what we are made for.
Financial contributions are also appreciated. This isn’t a funded position, and we are covering the costs out of pocket. Please consider giving to this unique relief effort.
More news to come soon!!
+brooke
There has been much i have wanted to write about recently, but this trumps them all (and provides activation energy!).
Do you remember the earthquake in Pakistan on Oct 8th? It was bad, in some ways worse than the tsunami.
Relief supplies are coming in, but so many badly affected regions are high high in the mountains (higher than helicopters can operate), or behind blocked roads that may not be cleared before winter sets in. The Pakistani government has not been ablt to get the materials there.
So FrontRelief is looking for delivery teams:
Emergency in Pakistan: men needed now
I just received a phone call from a FrontRelief leader in Pakistan. My emotions overflowed with the sense of the urgency in his voice. Here is what he told me:
This is an incredible opportunity and a desperate need. WE NEED MEN HERE, NOW, to get into the valleys where all the houses have been destroyed, and where until now no relief people have showed up. We could save thousands of children’s lives. I can’t sleep. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I’m calling all the pastors I know. January is too late. It can‚t even wait until Thanksgiving. The winter snowstorms are coming, and we must get there first. We have portable shelters to set up. This shelter is amazing, far superior to tents. The shelter will last through the winter. And the materials can be re-used to help build permanent homes in the spring.
We need men now. They will work in teams of two to four, with an interpreter, for 2-6 weeks. They will travel in small trucks into the valleys to assemble the shelters. The clever design of the shelters means that they can be assembled in a short length of time. This rescue will change the lives of all who can come and help the survivors.
I am appealing to you to let others know of this emergency. Can you or someone you know respond to this emergency?
Respond by [address deleted, reply here if you are interested], and we will send you an earthquake-response team application which we will expedite as quickly as possible.
Yours for saving lives,
Jose Rodriguez
US Director, FrontRelief
Sarah and I are considering if i can go. I think that amongst my friends, i could get a whole team together.
So for those of you who have any flexibility with work schedule, please consider coming. Two weeks isn’t that long to be gone from home, but can make a huge life-saving difference to countless families in the Himalayas. They need the help.
Well, i’ve had this blog set up and ready for content for a week or two now, but didn’t really know how to start it off. I wanted to kinda avoid the “blogging about blogging” intro, and jump right in, but that doesn’t make it easy to get going!
So let me start with an update, since it was over a year ago that I last publicly posted what I was doing with my life.
First and foremost, I have gotten married! I love Sarah deeply, and greatly enjoy being married to her. She is gorgeous, intelligent, holy woman who i look forward to getting to know more completely over the years. I’m not worthy!
I have been working for myself, doing small office network administration, and web design and programming. I love having the flexible schedule and getting to work from home. But i haven’t paid any taxes yet, so I still need to do some work on the business end of this business.
Sarah and I live with an animal. The beast is a beautiful beagle by the name of Mia. Mia was an engagement present to Sarah (and so were all my many hours of puppy-watching while Sarah works), instead of the traditional African-exploiting over-valued punch in the bank account.
We live in a studio apartment (#601) in Seattle, with a fantastic view of Puget Sound. Our neighborhood is called the “Central District”, is historically black, and is avoided by many people we talk to (”I just couldn’t live there”). We love it.
I was confirmed in the Catholic Church last January, and we attend St. Joseph Parish. It’s the church in which we were married. We both enjoy many wonderful things about being Catholic and being active in this parish in particular.
That pretty much sums it up! I’m sure I’ll be touching on all these points in subsequent posts, but don’t hesitate to let me know if you want to hear more on anything. I will try to keep this blog fun yet meaningful and personal.
Thanks for reading!
+brooke
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