Test results, teething & Santa

After a few months of waiting, David and I received the results for our genetic testing. For those who weren't aware, we had decided to have ourselves tested to see if one of us was a carrier for this chromosomal deletion, had a deletion of our own, or possibly had an addition to a chromosome. We primarily wanted to know so we could have some closure as to what may have caused Hattie's chromosomal deletion, as well as our family planning in the future. The results came back completely normal - neither of us had any abnormalities, meaning Hattie was simply one in 100 million! It is absolutely good news that the results came back normal, but it almost seems wrong to us to celebrate or even be 'happy' about neither of us having a chromosomal abnormality. It felt wrong to think, "Oh, well that's good news because we probably won't have another baby like Hattie" because she is such a blessing to us. Even at six months, after all she has been through, we know we wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, we will probably be nervous about the next pregnancy..I'm sure any other parents would be. We have a lot of prayer and decision-making ahead of us when we decide to move forward with more children. But with the results of our individual genetic testing, we felt more closure rather than relief or happiness. Hopefully all of that makes sense. 

Moving on!

Hattie is still working hard on lifting her head up during tummy time as well as grabbing toys. She has started sitting in my lap, and supporting her own head—which is HUGE! She is still developing her own little personality, and making us laugh every day. Her giggles are contagious! She is ALMOST 12 pounds... woohoo! Not quite on the charts yet, but we are getting there! She got sick for the first time a couple weeks ago, and just was not eating. What she did eat, she would throw up almost immediately. This lasted for a few days and we were worried something else might be wrong. Well, after about four days she finally started eating well and holding everything down. Then David got sick and was puking for a solid three days. Not fun. Fortunately, Hattie gained back the weight she had lost during her sickness and is continuing to pack on weight! Bring on more leg rolls! 

I do just need to brag for a minute… because what Mom doesn’t love bragging on her little one? Hattie is SUCH A GOOD BABY. I like to think that God made her extra sweet for us, because He knows that we have had a little bit of a harder time than your average first-time parent with all of these extra Doctor’s visits (40+ in the past 6 months... not an exaggeration). She was an angel on the plane to and from Dallas, she sleeps through the night, and she rarely cries. I looked in her mouth one day, and she had two TEETH! I expected at least a few fits here and there while she was teething, but she never let us know she had two teeth breaking through her gums. No fussing, no crying... she’s a trooper. I think since she's been poked and prodded for the first few months of her life, teething is a walk in the park. We were pumped when she got her first two teeth and we're moving onto solid foods (starting with prunes). Ok, bragging is over (for now).

When we found out that Hattie was going to live a different life than we expected, we knew there would be times when we might become a little "sensitive" or even defensive. Things that people say are processed differently when you have a special baby. Things that I have said in the past about people or situations would probably trigger my Mama Bear instincts nowadays. So that being said, I've already bragged, now I need to vent a little bit. 

Before we boarded our plane, this lady at the airport commented on her size, and would just not let it go. “Oh she’s SO SMALL for her age…was she a preemie?! Wow she’s just so tiny… aw poor thing" I wanted so badly to tell her everything Hattie had been through, but I refrained. To anyone else, Hattie probably looks like a 2 month old, maybe even a newborn, especially when her eyes are closed. But then she opens those big baby blues and people are surprised - "Oh, how old is she?" It's taught us to be patient, to be kind and to be gracious. Just another way Hattie is making us better by the day. 

Wrapping up -  David and I get our first night away together this weekend—just the two of us since Hattie was born. David got us tickets to the Sean McConnell concert and a hotel in Boulder for my birthday (the guy that sings “Beautiful Rose”) -- We can’t WAIT!! It will be some much needed R&R and time together as husband and wife vs. mommy and daddy for a weekend. 

Oh! And if you haven't seen...Hattie got her picture made with Santa. She loved him.  

Love y’all!!!

-Abby