Eleyna Julia Bennett was born on May 29, 2008, at 8:30 AM. We got to American Fork Hospital around eight and she was born almost immediately afterwards. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 inches long. She has lots of dark hair which was a surprise! We are so thrilled to be parents again! More to come later...
Congratulations!!! She is absolutely beautiful! Wow, fun to see her wearing PINK....that's a change for you guys! :) What a sweet girl and congrats again!
What a beautiful baby! Nice work on the all natural... and you can still smile in the pics? What a sweet addition to your lovely family. I especially liked the pic of your 2 kids togehter, so cute. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Em...WOW! Just got done talking to your Mom (and asking all the details!) and couldn't wait to run home and see the pics! I've been stalking-you-by-blog every day and just hoping to hear the good news, so I am so excited to see that she is here!
Congrats to your darling little family! She is gorgeous... and Eleyna is the perfect name for her! :)
Hey it's Beka O. I love the pictures of your sweet Eleyna. She is so angelic. Looks like big brother. Congrats on such a quick delivery. You are amazing!
Congrats. I linked to you from Charlie's blog. You are a great inspiration. I am glad that I got the opportunity to learn about you and your family. Keep up the good work and your family truly is beautiful.
She is beautiful! Seriously, it's like she's already posing for pictures-the picture of her with you and Bryson is gorgeous! You look great too! How is it that you don't look scary after labor like the rest of us?!
"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)
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.
24 comments:
Congrats! She is a beautiful little girl and that is a great name. We hope everyone is doing well and recovering quickly.
Love,
Dave and Katie
she is gorgeous! Like the name choise as well. I am so happy for you guys. Congratulations!
Congratulations!!! She is absolutely beautiful! Wow, fun to see her wearing PINK....that's a change for you guys! :) What a sweet girl and congrats again!
What a beautiful baby! Nice work on the all natural... and you can still smile in the pics? What a sweet addition to your lovely family. I especially liked the pic of your 2 kids togehter, so cute. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Congrats! She is beautiful! You have a lovely family. Hope you are doing well. We can't wait to see more pictures!
Congratulations to you guys! I am so happy for you! Hunter looks so happy in that picture giving his sister some cuddles! She is beautiful!!
Em...WOW! Just got done talking to your Mom (and asking all the details!) and couldn't wait to run home and see the pics! I've been stalking-you-by-blog every day and just hoping to hear the good news, so I am so excited to see that she is here!
Congrats to your darling little family! She is gorgeous... and Eleyna is the perfect name for her! :)
My mom thought that since she was born on my birthday, you might name her Jacobina. I like Eleyna a lot better. Congratulations!
Congrats! She is so cute and I love her name. I hope you are doing well!
Congrats! She is so cute! And man, you look great in the hospital...
She's so cute! Good work!
She is soo cute Congratulations! I especially love the one with the mouth wide open! I love babies!!
Hey it's Beka O. I love the pictures of your sweet Eleyna. She is so angelic. Looks like big brother. Congrats on such a quick delivery. You are amazing!
Great job!! You have a beautiful family! Welcome to the "natural birth club"!!! :)
She is so cute!!! I'm glad to see that you guys are all doing well and loving your new addition. I can't wait to meet her in person.
Congratulations!!! She reallt is such a pretty baby! I am so happy for you guys! Good luck with having a bew baby in the house. We love you!
Strong work you two. You and your family are a HUGE inspiration to us and we love checking in to see how you all are. Keep up the great work.
Rob, Charlie's dad.
Congrats. I linked to you from Charlie's blog. You are a great inspiration. I am glad that I got the opportunity to learn about you and your family. Keep up the good work and your family truly is beautiful.
She is beautiful! Seriously, it's like she's already posing for pictures-the picture of her with you and Bryson is gorgeous! You look great too! How is it that you don't look scary after labor like the rest of us?!
Wow! Newborns are never that pretty- What a doll! Congratulations you guys.
-April
i'm so jealous! she is adorable. i want to come visit...let me know when you get in the flow of things. i don't want to bug!
Congrats!! She is so cute and tiny! I hope everything is going well!
Emily! What a beautiful baby girl!! I am so happy for you guys, and Hunter is looking so cute as well. What a cute little family you have! :)
EMmie-
CONGRATS! How exciting! Mom and baby look so beautiful...too beautiful for just delivering a child! Not fair:)
Post a Comment