Great News

We found out on Wed that little Will does not have cystic fibrosis. In fact, he is not even a carrier. He had as much a chance of having the disease as not being a carrier for it (25%). It was a huge relief to find out that he will never have to think about CF in his life.

We discovered back in March or April that both Brig and I were CF carriers and that each child we had would have a 1 in 4 chance of having CF, and a 50% chance of being a carrier for the disease. We opted not to get an amnio to find out whether Will was sick, since there is nothing that can be done to treat it during gestation and the amnio does present a risk to the fetus. The worry over his possible medical condition was a dark cloud hanging over us the entire pregnancy. I thought that I would be able to handle whatever befell, but after Will was born, I knew that hypothetically dealing with that disease and actually watching your child struggle with it were two very different things, and that I would be devastated if he were sick. It has been a tremendous relief that all is well.

He has, however, failed both of the hearing tests administered on his right ear. I am not feeling too terribly concerned about this, though. The IUGR and the CF both turned out not to befall us, and I think out luck will continue to hold. Poor doctors probably have to be alarmists because of the legal profession (I am convinced that was the reason behind the IUGR diagnosis. Also, after concerns that my little boy will suffer a terrible and debilitating illness that would certainly take his life before he reached 40, and possibly much much younger, a hearing impairment in one ear really seems like no big deal. Nothing we couldn't handle.

Two Boys

Andrew approaches me when I am holding Will sometimes and says, "No, Mommy, hold both boys" (or "two boys"). It is sort of unbelievable that I really do have two boys, and one of them is old enough to say so.

We all miss Brig's mom very very much since she left me all alone :) last Tuesday. Andrew has even mentioned that he misses Momo. We bought him a little truck that came with a working toy drill. The idea was that Will had gotten him the gift, but when we quizzed him on who the gift came from, he replied, "Momo." She got him so much stuff that he thinks every gift is from her.

Andrew's adjustment is, I am sure, perfectly normal, but that doesnt really make it any less stressful for me. He acts up often during the morning. I think we are both a little stir crazy, too, since we dont really leave the apartment. The other day, I had to plop him in his room after an incident of misbehavior. The heartbroken and devastated look on his sobbing face as I marched out the room , pulling the door behind me, made me feel terrible and guilty. He is still so little, too, and all of this must be so overwhelming. When I went back in 3 min later to resolve things with him, I took him in my arms and began telling him a story about a happy boy and his mommy. At this point, Andrew interrupted me and said, "No, Momma, Andrew not a happy boy. Andrew a sad boy." My heart broken. I asked him why he was said, expecting silence. But he replied, "Andrew miss a Momma." It was so sad. Fortunately, Baby Will sleeps pretty well and independently, so Andrew and I have a lot of time to play alone during the day. Andrew does take an interest in Will, too, and when Will has slept for too long, Andrew will announce, "Andrew miss a baby Will! Wake up, Baby, wake up!" and begin streaking for the room where little Will lies sleeping.

This photo was taken when Andrew returned home from Church and demanded to be allowed to hold Will.