David's family came to visit us while we were staying at my parent's house last weekend to meet baby Jude. The girls really liked holding him and were so gentle and sweet.
Showing posts with label baby fenn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby fenn. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
22 Weeks Down
I feel like each week is coming faster and faster. I'm 22 weeks- more than halfway. It freaks me out every time I think about it. I can't even think about the actual delivery or the fact that I will be BRINGING HOME a child at the end of this. It's not real and probably won't be until it actually happens. Along with the surreal-ness there is of course excitement, worry, wonder. At our last appointment where they confirmed he was a boy, the nurse had a hard time letting us hear the heartbeat because he was moving so much. He barely ever holds still during ultrasounds. Here he is arching his head back.
As far as how I'm feeling (I'm still not used to people asking me that wherever I go), I am doing really well. I sleep decently well, but for some reason I can't nap during the day anymore. I get heartburn every day but it's nothing that some tums can't fix. I get migraines a few times a week, but it's not the end of the world. And I crave hamburgers almost every day.
We did have a bit of a scare recently. A few weeks ago I got a call about one of my blood tests they had done at the doctors. Apparently I have the mutated gene for cystic fibrosis. It's not a big deal to have one mutated gene- it doesn't mean anything. The only issue is that if David also has a mutated gene, then our child has a 1 in 4 chance of having cystic fibrosis. The doctor told me all of this on the phone while I was out shopping by myself. My head was swimming with questions-- first being, what the heck is cystic fibrosis??
We looked it up on wikipedia when I got home. I did remember the doctor asking us on our first visit what our heritage was, which I thought was odd because no one had ever asked me that before. I told her we were both European descent. Apparently she asked because cystic fibrosis is common among caucasians, specifically those of Jewish descent. So back then I hadn't thought anything of it.
So back to what we were worried about... we figured out that David had about a 1 in 29 chance of having the gene for cystic fibrosis. I started to figure out what would be involved if our child was born with it. I don't think they can figure out if the baby has it until after it's born. It's basically a lung disease and often requires the baby to have surgery soon after its born (I was already crying by the time I read that). They usually have to get a double lung transplant at some point in their short life (expectancy is about 37 years). It seemed like someone with cystic fibrosis can lead a semi-normal life. They have to work at making sure their body is breaking up the mucus built up in their chest and lungs by moving and exercising a lot. Anyway, this is something we both did not want for our child. It broke my heart thinking that this could be something they'd have to deal with.
David had to get a blood test to find out if he was a carrier of the gene. I was thinking it would be at least a week before we got the results, and every hour until we got the call from the doctor my mind was filled with worry. As I've talked to people about cystic fibrosis, I've heard a lot of encouraging stories of families with one child with cystic fibrosis. They were encouraging stories that made me feel a little bit better about the possibility. David and I both knew, however, that if we were both carriers of the gene, this baby would be our only biological child, whether or not he had the diseas. People we have talked to have not felt the same way if they were in the same situation. They have felt like it was worth taking the chance multiple times, and that the outcome would be fine either way. Choosing to have children is a big deal, and there are always risks, but for our family, we both agreed that this risk wasn't something we were willing to take with more than one pregnancy if David was a carrier.
When it comes down to it, none of this even matters, because we did get the phone call 3 days later that David was NOT a carrier, so our child has no chance of having cystic fibrosis. However, since I am a carrier of the gene, our baby could possibly be a carrier. It also means that one of my parents is a carrier, so some of my siblings could also be. I've brought it up to them about getting tested before they get married (or even sooner). In a relationship, something like this can be a HUGE deal. I think it's good to know before you decide to have children...something I wish was brought up to us or we were made more aware of. That's mostly why I'm writing this much information down. I don't think they used to test for this disease at all. I just want everyone to be informed for their own sake and sanity...because I almost lost my mind waiting to find out.
We are happy this little bump in the road is over with. I'm sure there will be plenty more as time goes on. For now we are enjoying all of the kicks that both of us get to feel :) I think this baby boy is going to be hyper just like his dad.
 |
| We joke about whether baby boy will have a Fenn chin or a Faught chin. |
We did have a bit of a scare recently. A few weeks ago I got a call about one of my blood tests they had done at the doctors. Apparently I have the mutated gene for cystic fibrosis. It's not a big deal to have one mutated gene- it doesn't mean anything. The only issue is that if David also has a mutated gene, then our child has a 1 in 4 chance of having cystic fibrosis. The doctor told me all of this on the phone while I was out shopping by myself. My head was swimming with questions-- first being, what the heck is cystic fibrosis??
We looked it up on wikipedia when I got home. I did remember the doctor asking us on our first visit what our heritage was, which I thought was odd because no one had ever asked me that before. I told her we were both European descent. Apparently she asked because cystic fibrosis is common among caucasians, specifically those of Jewish descent. So back then I hadn't thought anything of it.
So back to what we were worried about... we figured out that David had about a 1 in 29 chance of having the gene for cystic fibrosis. I started to figure out what would be involved if our child was born with it. I don't think they can figure out if the baby has it until after it's born. It's basically a lung disease and often requires the baby to have surgery soon after its born (I was already crying by the time I read that). They usually have to get a double lung transplant at some point in their short life (expectancy is about 37 years). It seemed like someone with cystic fibrosis can lead a semi-normal life. They have to work at making sure their body is breaking up the mucus built up in their chest and lungs by moving and exercising a lot. Anyway, this is something we both did not want for our child. It broke my heart thinking that this could be something they'd have to deal with.
David had to get a blood test to find out if he was a carrier of the gene. I was thinking it would be at least a week before we got the results, and every hour until we got the call from the doctor my mind was filled with worry. As I've talked to people about cystic fibrosis, I've heard a lot of encouraging stories of families with one child with cystic fibrosis. They were encouraging stories that made me feel a little bit better about the possibility. David and I both knew, however, that if we were both carriers of the gene, this baby would be our only biological child, whether or not he had the diseas. People we have talked to have not felt the same way if they were in the same situation. They have felt like it was worth taking the chance multiple times, and that the outcome would be fine either way. Choosing to have children is a big deal, and there are always risks, but for our family, we both agreed that this risk wasn't something we were willing to take with more than one pregnancy if David was a carrier.
When it comes down to it, none of this even matters, because we did get the phone call 3 days later that David was NOT a carrier, so our child has no chance of having cystic fibrosis. However, since I am a carrier of the gene, our baby could possibly be a carrier. It also means that one of my parents is a carrier, so some of my siblings could also be. I've brought it up to them about getting tested before they get married (or even sooner). In a relationship, something like this can be a HUGE deal. I think it's good to know before you decide to have children...something I wish was brought up to us or we were made more aware of. That's mostly why I'm writing this much information down. I don't think they used to test for this disease at all. I just want everyone to be informed for their own sake and sanity...because I almost lost my mind waiting to find out.
We are happy this little bump in the road is over with. I'm sure there will be plenty more as time goes on. For now we are enjoying all of the kicks that both of us get to feel :) I think this baby boy is going to be hyper just like his dad.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Halfway There
We both can't believe we're already halfway there. I can't believe how much pregnancy affects every aspect of my life. I knew it wasn't going to be the easiest thing in the world, but I find myself having headaches every day, my back hurts, and stretch marks are already stressing me out. Little kicks make me feel better, tho.
Baby bump (it looks bigger from above)
We shop in the clearance section of every store.
Farrell's ice cream
My attempt at being healthy with a smoothie.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Time is flying
Last weekend we got to welcome my little brother home from his mission. And when I say little, I mean younger. I am definitely the shortest person in my family now, even tho I'm the oldest sibling. Funny how that worked out :) We are so happy he's home and so proud of all of the amazing service he did for the people of Nicaragua. His accent is funny, and he's really tan, but he's still the same goofy boy he was.
We decided when we found out we were pregnant that we would wait until Kyle got home to tell him we were pregnant. I started to get worried as the weeks got closer and I wasn't showing as much as I thought I would have been. The true test came when he hugged me and looked down at my belly and said, "What's that?" Relief! I said, "Your nephew." It was a little much to take in right then, but he is really excited just like the rest of my family. Yay!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...
Beautiful BOY. That's right, we're having a boy. On a whim on Monday night we decided to try to find out what the sex of our baby was. I'm 16ish weeks (my doctor thinks I'm a little further along, or at least I'm measuring that way) and we heard about a place down by the beach that can determine what the baby is around this stage. Within about 2 minutes, the technician was telling us there was a reason we couldn't decide on any girl names...we were pregnant with a little boy. The funny thing is since the first ultrasound, whenever I looked at it, I thought it looked like a boy. Don't ask me why...it's not like you can really tell. I was still surprised, because most of my life I just assumed I'd have a girl first. Maybe I thought that way because that's how my family is; I'm the oldest.We didn't care either way what the baby would be. We have 4 (and a half) amazing nieces that we adore. My friends have very cute little boys that I love. And I think it is the coolest thing in the world that we don't get to pick what the baby is...it's just this amazing surprise.
So I'm getting used to saying "he" and the thought of raising a boy child. David keeps coming to random realizations, and it's the cutest thing ever. Last night on the couch he realized, "Father and son! I get to take him camping!" So. Cute.
This is a really special time in our lives and I hope we never, ever forget it.
What I want to know from YOU is...did you have a boy first? or second? or at all? Was it hard to raise a boy? If you have both a girl and a boy, are they different? I am kind of nervous because it's foreign to me!
baby boy photo by me
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