A Serious Matter

A few weeks ago we had a blood test done on Zuri for Williams Syndrome.  We met with a geneticist up at Primary Childrens hospital up in Salt Lake.  Williams is a rare genetic disorder that most closely resembles Downs Syndrome (from my research)--but almost opposite.  A child with Downs Syndrome, when told to draw a bicycle, will draw a crude outline of a bike.  A child with Williams Syndrome, when told to draw a picture of a bicycle, will draw the frame, the chain extended beyond the tires, pedals attached to nothing, and a person under the bike.  The parts are all there but not connected correctly.

When I heard about Williams Syndrome, I thought it would be like all the other tests that they have wanted to do, I would do a little research and be able to completely dismiss it.  The more I learned, though, the more I began to see similarities in Zuri.  Now, to be fair, the geneticist said that he thought Zuri had a 5% probability of having Williams, he was even borderline on testing for it.  Anyhow, after learning more about the disorder I became very worried that she might actually have it.  I went through a couple of dark days.

J, bless his heart, was finally able to convince me of how silly I was being, and how she really didn't fit the mold of Williams Syndrome.  It was a very interesting time because I am not prone to worrying like that, but I guess when it comes to your child, sometimes you can surprise yourself.  I am not necessarily a sunshine-and-daisies-all-the-time type of person, but I like to think that I am more optimistic than not. 

Well, all my worry was for naught.  The Doctor called us on Tuesday and told us that Zuri "is normal."  Meaning, she doesn't have Williams.  Hip-hip hooray!  They did find indicators of low levels of two of the hormones that regulate growth, so we will be visiting an Endocrinologist at the end of April (earliest appointment).   We also have a test with the GI doctor at the beginning of April.

We have debated whether or not to tell people about what is going on--in fact, we have kept most of the testing very quiet.  It isn't that we don't want people to know, it is more that it is just such a personal thing, and we don't want anyone to treat Zuri any differently.  She is small, yes, but she is normal.  We have followed her pediatrician's advice to the 'T.'  He is not overly concerned because she is growing, she has stayed fairly consistent along the charts.  There have been a couple of times when she has jumped ahead and then leveled out again, but she has never dipped below her birth percentages.  We are doing the testing now to basically dot the I's and cross the T's (as he puts it), so that if there is something that we can catch it early.

I was also very small.  I barely weighed 30 pounds going into kindergarten, and I have turned out just fine.  Now that I am a parent (and going through the exasperating time of trying to get Zuri to eat), I hear a constant stream of "that's how you were," "you ate like a bird," and so on.  So, do I think anything is wrong with Zuri? Again, I will reiterate, no.  She is small, that's all; just like I was.

Sunday Dinner

Sunday we had dinner at the Lucero's.  Funny story about that night; about an hour before we left, I noticed Zuri's diaper was pretty wet, so I changed her.  About ten minutes later she decided to have a bowel movement, so I go to change her and realize we don't have any more diapers in the diaper bag.  No problem, because I always keep spare diapers in the car...only there were no diapers in the car!  Still not sure what happened to all of them.  Luckily, Corie was able to find a cloth diaper and we made it work.  Wow, I don't know how people used to manage with them (kudos for those that still do).  I was so worried that she would leak through before we made it home--but when we got home she hadn't even wet the diaper yet. *Whew!*  I am definitely looking forward to this summer and getting her potty-trained!

Zuri got to mingle with the horses (well, mules actually) that night--and oh how she loved them! 

She also got an Easter dress--isn't it adorable! She was so spoiled--she also got a little pony! Of course she has to have a ball in her hand (picture below)--she absolutely loves balls.  Her favorite game is similar to fetch/catch.  She doesn't have the coordination to catch yet but she loves throwing and even retrieving the ball.

She was fascinated with the Easter snow globe.  I love the look of concentration on her face.

Zuri got to spend time with her Auntie Shawnie, and Auntie Shawnie's phone.

Finally!

It worked!  We are finally able to get pigtails in Zuri's hair again.  She is no longer pulling at her hair--cutting it definitely helped.  It is growing in nicely and I can start doing things with it again.  I think her hair is going to be a lot like mine in that it has the natural curl but can easily be straightened.  The back is already starting to curl on its own again.  Zuri is starting to look so grown up.  I can't believe she is already almost two!  Where does the time go?

Here are a few pictures.  I had just gotten her hair done and I was trying to get her to sit still for a good shot of her pigtails.  Naturally, she took off running--and I chased her with the camera.  These were the best I could get!

Sicky

Zuri is pretty much over her cold.  It makes for a much happier child, that is for sure.  Last Sunday she came down with a pretty nasty cold which turned into an ear infection by Wednesday.  She refused to eat or drink anything for three days and we were starting to get really worried.  It is amazing the power of antibiotics though, because by Friday she was mostly herself again--although still eating very little.  She is getting her appetite back but has lost over half a pound in the meantime.  *Sigh*  She still has a pretty mean sounding cough and a runny nose, but otherwise she seems just fine.  Last week was definitely a rough week!

J is doing well in school--keeping busy with his classes and school work.  He is taking 21 credits this semester, and I think the load is getting to him.  He loves his classes and some are only being offered this semester so he took on a big load.

As April nears, we are both getting really excited for Georgia.  We are looking forward to the change and the adventure.

Promotion

So today I received a semi-promotion at work.  I have been asked to work on the Questar accounts.  What this means is that I am one of two collectors working exclusively with our most valued client, Questar.  There are three companies assigned to collect for Questar and we are toe-to-toe with them in collections.  If we get ahead then we get major bonuses.  If Questar decides that they don't want us to collect for them anymore than our company will go under--it is that big a deal, and because of that, they only had one collector working Questar--until now.  I know there was talk of me becoming a team lead, but with me leaving in a month and a half, the training involved wouldn't make sense, which is one reason I was really surprised they wanted me to do the Questar accounts.  Questar is also harder to collect on than our other accounts, so I have quite the challenge ahead of me!

I have also been told that I am guaranteed a position there when we get back from Georgia.  Nice job security, especially since a few months ago I was afraid that I was going to be let go.  Crazy how things go, isn't it?

Funny kid

A few nights ago I went in to check on Zuri while she was sleeping and this is what I found:

It was so funny I had to get a picture.  What is even more funny is the fact that when I tried to put her leg down, she put it right back up--without waking up!

Dad's quick visit

My dad surprised us this week with a visit.  Well, I guess J knew about it beforehand, but I only heard about it Thursday.  Dad was helping Jori move out here to Utah and spent Friday night with us.  Jori will be staying with us for a few days until she can move into her new apartment.  Dad left earlier today.  Quick trip, but it was nice to see him.

Zuri was pretty funny.  She wanted to spend all her time with my dad.  She kept getting toys and giving them to him and then getting on his lap.  They also went for a walk together where Dad showed her all the fascinating trees and plants around our apartment.  She loved it!  I grabbed my camera for a couple cute shots!