A Very Relaxing Christmas

Sarah, Kyla, Ellie, and Kate in their new Christmas jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Hansen!

We had a nice dinner with Mom and Steve, Michael, Rebecca and their Family on Thursday night to celebrate the special holiday. We had dinner, opened pajamas, and listened to Uncle Mike read the story of the birth of Christ. It was a fun evening!

Christmas Day this year was laid back. We were up at seven, and at 8:45 when Taylor called, we were still in the process of opening presents. We had a fantastic visit with Taylor, just over one hour long! We floated around on cloud 9 after the phone call.

Here we are (minus me - I am taking the picture) talking with Taylor on the phone. We recorded the conversation on the digital voice recorder to listen to later. Taylor has a great Spanish accent! He had difficulty figuring out the English words to say. Below is a picture that Taylor sent of himself taken while he was talking with us on Christmas Day.

After the phone call, we finished opening gifts, then ate Christmas brunch. The rest of the day was rather lazy. We had a visit from Grandma Sharon (Grandpa Steve was home sick). I finally made it into the shower around 4:00 p.m. We made peppermint bark cheesecake for Sunday (Boy was it delicious!). We ended the day with a fun visit from Elder Levi Jumonville and his companion.

The Jumonville Family lives in Kansas and are some of our best friends. Their oldest son, Levi, is serving in the Salt Lake City South Mission (Spanish-speaking). We thought how jealous Taylor would be when Levi had the opportunity to meet and hold his new baby brother before he had. When Taylor called, William would not even make a peep; we were trying to get him to make noise, but he wouldn't! We will have to capture the cute noises on the Flip video. What a great day!

William is enjoying his Christmas present ~ a Baby Einstein gym from Santa! He loves the mirror the most. In fact, when Larry was putting it all together, he moved the mirror away from Will to show Ethan how it looked, and William screamed louder than he has ever screamed before! He settled right down when Larry put the mirror in front of him again. Funny kid!

Our First Visit to PCMC

There is no describing the feelings a mother has when she receives a call from the pediatrician explaining that her newborn's third round of newborn testing continues to show abnormal results. It is a feeling of numbness, as painful as it is to hear. It is a feeling of loss, from what should have been. It is a feeling of hope, that maybe, just maybe, the test results are a fluke. I received this phone call on Thursday afternoon. Our dear pediatrician, Mitzi Conover, called with the most positive voice she could muster, shared the news with me, and reiterated that we are going to get through this together.

So, Larry, William and I made our first trek to Primary Children's Medical Center on Friday to meet with Dr. Ashley Warnock, our new genetic/metabolic specialist. This was the first of a lifetime of visits to PCMC for William. We had a very productive visit with the doctor and left feeling encouraged and changed. Let me explain what is going on...

William has a metabolic disorder called MMA, or Methylmalonic Acidemia. William's urine test showed a high level of the methylmalonic acid. The normal range for this acid is 0-5. William's level was 315. Larry and I were freaking out a bit about how high this level was until the doctor explained that William is on the low end of the spectrum, where other children may be in the thousands with this acid. William's body is doing one of two things: it is either not processing Vitamin B12 or he has an enzyme that is mutated and not working correctly. Children on the low end of the spectrum may never experience any symptoms, or they may be lethargic, have a poor appetite, vomit, and have poor muscle tone. William won the prize yesterday of being the strongest newborn that Dr. Warnock has ever seen. That was super encouraging for us! Children on the high end of the spectrum could have mental retardation, learning disabilities, organ failure, or comas. We feel so hopeful by the news we received.

The phlebotomist tried to draw blood out of each of William's arms but had no luck.

The IV team came in and inserted an IV in his foot. They did a "drip" draw.

That is why Will has three colorful bandages on his body.

He was not a happy camper!

So, what is the plan for William's future? Yesterday, Will and I both had our blood drawn at PCMC for further testing. Will also gave another urine specimen (much easier this time around). They are testing me for low Vitamin B12. I could be the culprit (and yes, I have been very hard on myself about this fact...Larry, his mom, and my mom have all reassured me that whatever is going on is NOT my fault). William begins his Vitamin B12 shots next week and will have them weekly for the next two weeks. Then we will take our second trip to PCMC to visit with Dr. Warnock again and re-test for William's levels. This will tell us if he is responding to Vitamin B12 injections. If he does respond to the injections, he will continue receiving them throughout his lifetime. We will find out more information the first weeks of January. We also found out that this disorder can cause extreme dehydration if William gets sick. So, we have to keep him away from anyone that is sick. If he begins vomiting or has diarrhea, we have to immediately take him to the hospital to have an IV put in. We call the genetic specialist on our way to the hospital so that he/she can respond to his needs. I think this is the scariest part of the whole thing for me. How do I keep my little angel safe from germs and people who don't care if they spread their germs everywhere?

I feel at peace with what I know about William's condition, but I get so emotional when I think about it for too long. My little boy has a genetic disorder which came from his father and me. We are carriers of the disorder. How did none of our other children acquire this condition? I will be spending a great deal of time learning more about MMA and what I can do to make William's life as normal as possible for him. He has already reached milestones such as smiling and opening his hands to grasp things. I know in my heart that he was sent to our family at this time for a reason. Larry said to me yesterday, "You know, I have been thinking. Dr. Warnock said that they have only been testing for this disorder for four years in Utah. Maybe William had to wait to come to our family for so many years because the testing wasn't available yet for his condition. The Lord wanted him to have all the help available to live a normal life." I agree with Larry. What if our little angel came to us a few years after Sarah? We may have learned too late about his disorder, after seizures had started or learning disabilities were already in place. I will be continually grateful to my heavenly father for sending me this precious baby at this time in my life when I am mature enough to handle this challenge and to guide little William with so many loving helpers. The Lord will give me nothing that I can't handle. I also know that I will need to lean on Him regularly for comfort and help. I am also grateful for a wonderful, loving husband who will be a constant support for me as well.

One Month Already?

Happy one-month birthday, William! Where does the time go? I am so grateful for time off from teaching so that I can enjoy this special time with our little one.

Some updates about Will:

*He started smiling this week! So cute! Now, if I could just catch it on camera.

*He sleeps the very best in Daddy's or Mommy's arms. What are we going to do about this?

*Having been labeled "Failure to Thrive," we had to visit the pediatrician once each week. After adding a little bit of formula to his diet, Will gained 10 ounces last week. Hooray!

*His newborn screening test (second round) came back abnormal, so we spent some time at the hospital this week for additional testing. Do you know how hard it is to get a newborn urine specimen? I will let you know the results of the tests later. Needless to say, I was a basket case when Will's pediatrician called me to tell me of the abnormal results!

*William hates his baths! He also dislikes being changed and undressed at all.

*Will has "magic socks!" When we change him, we take off his socks (so that we won't have to change those as well). He screams until we put the socks back on. The kids call them his magic socks.

*He loves his car seat and riding in the car. Another hooray! He is a great shopper which has helped as Grandma and I have been out finishing up Christmas shopping, etc.

*William is such a content little guy. We hope he continues this way!

True Blue

Isn't it nice when a picture says it all? Miranda received her acceptance to Utah State University for next fall, and she is elated! She put on her Utah State shirt and big smile just for this picture! She has had her heart set on becoming an Aggie for years; I suppose that Larry and I did do a little bit of encouraging over the years. We are so excited for you, Mandy!

Our Future Missionary!

Isn't this the sweetest picture? I had a "picture" in my mind of what the shot should look like, and our photographer, Katie Bachman, did a perfect job editing it and bringing tears to my eyes! Baby William was only four days old when the picture was taken, and his big brother, Taylor (Elder Moore), had just passed his one-year mark on his mission. In 19 years, William will be donning the missionary attire and setting out to serve somewhere in the world just like his big brother.

Baby William

On November 16, 2010, our handsome William Allen Moore was born (7 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 1/2 in). After an uneventful labor but grueling delivery, sweet William entered his new world of doting brothers and sisters and never-ending noise and commotion. One of the first things we noticed about William is that he definitely looks like his big brother, Taylor. He looks like a little, old man!

He is such a calm and cuddly baby boy. He loves to be swaddled. He loves listening to his mommy's and daddy's voices. He is a big eater! He has a strong dislike for being undressed, having a bath, and having his diaper changed.

So, life in our home has changed dramatically, and Larry and I will learn to make it through the days on very little sleep. The older kids are getting used to the baby wails in the middle of the night, and they are all very good helpers! I suppose that is one of the perks of having our "little surprise!" Baby Will has a whole house full of mommies and daddies. We will keep you posted on his progress!

Sarah learning how to hold William!

Ethan in awe of Baby William!

Miranda bonding with William!

Apprehension and Excitement!

The house is totally quiet; Sarah is still asleep. As I sit here and ponder the many emotions running through my mind, I realize that at this same time tomorrow (Tuesday, November 16th) I will be at the hospital for another life-changing event. What will life be like with another little one around? How am I going to handle this all as a full time working mother? I continually look to other sources to help console my ever-worried mind on this subject. But inside I know that if I put my trust in the Lord and go to Him regularly in prayer, I will be fine. I have so many helpers this time around, and Larry has been amazing. Looking at the little socks and diapers, the newly decorated nursery, and the baby gear popping up all over our house, the excitement builds! I will share our experiences of his birth and first days at home, and I will ask for advice from many sources, I am sure. Twenty years ago we had our first newborn. Tomorrow, we will have our fifth. Life sure is crazy!