EMYSON AND CO.: IT'S A GIRL!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

IT'S A GIRL!

We had the big ultrasound this week and it was confirmed-to our delight-that we are having a little girl. Everything appears to be normal and she is right on target for her growth. I hope her feminine sensibilities weren't injured during the ultrasound, because the doctor made a comment about her having a big foot! It was so fun to see her in my belly moving around and playing peek-a-boo from behind her little hands. Poor Hunter won't stand a chance once his sister realizes he has the potential to be the best "dress-up dolly" ever. I am sure, despite his mellow temperment, that we can expect some fierce protesting from Hunter when she tries to make him play house. We can't wait for her to get here! My due date is May 27.

7 comments:

Babata said...: Congratulations!!! (on the baby girl and the blog...but mainly the new addition to your family!! smile) We are so excited for you and Bryson. Also, I love the blog...very, very cute!; January 16, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Lexi said...: How exciting! I can't wait to see a little mini-Emily. Hope you are doing well!!; January 16, 2008 at 1:57 PM
behka said...: I love your blog! Thanks for the invite! Hunter's going to love having a sister. And I really like the name Rebecca...Ha Ha.; January 16, 2008 at 2:13 PM
Andee said...: Em! I was just thinking about you and I checked my email and there you were. I am thrilled you're blogging so I can read all the updates and see your beautiful pictures. Yay for a girl! From the foot I'm sure she's a Durrant! Love you Em.; January 16, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Kristen said...: Yay it's a Girl you will have so much fun dressing her up...not that boys are not fun because they are but girls have way more accessories! I think the blog looks great I am just glad you are doing it and the more you do it the more you figure things out you will have lots of fun! THanks for sharing!; January 16, 2008 at 4:16 PM
Suman Family said...: Hi Emily! Congrats on the baby girl! I am loving having a girl! I hope everything is going well for your family. Hunter is getting so old! I can't believe how much time has passed. I am so glad you have a blog and we can keep up on you and stay in touch. Talk to you soon!; January 21, 2008 at 6:41 PM
jenni kaufusi said...: congratulations from hala and jenni kaufusi. That's so exciting that your having another baby, and a little girl will be so much fun.; January 31, 2008 at 7:28 PM

Words to live by

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived." ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley (emphasis mine)

Lissencephaly

The following is a "quick" explanation of lissencephaly, the condition our handsome Hunter was born with.

Lissencephaly is a malformation of the brain in which the brain surface is smooth rather than convoluted. In man, the surface of the brain is formed by a complex series of ridges and valleys. The ridges are called gyri or convolutions, and the valleys are called sulci. In children with lissencephaly, the normal convolutions are absent or only partly formed, so the surface is smooth. Lissencephaly is usually diagnosed based on interpretation of either a CT or MRI scan of the brain. (Hunter was diagnosed from a CT scan.)

Lissencephaly is only rarely suspected at birth or soon after. Some of the problems parents are likely to notice first include failure to develop visual tracking, poor feeding and weight gain, and seizures. In most children, slow development is recognized between 2 and 6 months of age.

Hunter's specific lissencephaly syndrome is called isolated lissencephaly sequence (ILS). Children with ILS have profound mental retardation with abilities limited to brief and inconsistent visual tracking, brief smiling and some spontaneous movements. They are floppy (due to low muscle tone) and significantly less active than normal children. Head control is poor and they often arch their head and trunk backwards. Seizures are a part of everyday life. Anti-seizure medications can help keep the seizures under control, but total control is nearly impossible to achieve. A child with ILS has a much shorter lifespan than normal.

After some genetic testing, we discovered that Hunter's lissencephaly is the result of a genetic abnormality. He is missing a very small piece of chromosome 17. Since neither Bryson nor I have any missing genetic material, Hunter's condition is not hereditary. (Therefore, the chance of any of our other children having lissencephaly is virtually nonexistent.) In Hunter's case, what happened can be compared to a smudge on a Xerox copy. Genetic material, for whatever reason, simply wasn't copied correctly.

I know people wonder if we are able to have meaningful interaction with Hunter. Parenting Hunter is very interactive and meaningful! Not just anyone could step in and know how to read his cues, but I know that we know Hunter and that he has a personality. It is such a joy to care for him. He is the snuggliest, sweetest boy ever! Knowing that our family is going to be together forever, and that we have the chance to embrace a resurrected Hunter someday, makes the tough days worth it.

If you want to know more about Hunter's life, check out his blog.

EMYSON AND CO.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

IT'S A GIRL!

7 comments:

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