2 Month Old Pictures

Ethan at exactly 2 months old.

Bennett at exactly 2 months old.

First Smile Caught on Camera

Trip to Aunt Sonja's house

On Saturday I took the boys to Des Moines to visit my aunt Sonja and my mom's side of the family. Let's just say, it was a learning experience for us all...I learned that I will never attempt something like that again by myself!:) We had fun, it was just a little stressful, especially the drive there.

Erin and Keziah and Ethan and Jamie. Ethan has no fear in the water. It is so much fun to watch my little fish swim!

Our lunch date with "Mo"

Ethan loves to buckle his high chair over and over again. On Friday, he loved buckling "Mo" in for lunch and snack. He is so proud of himself when he gets it buckled right!

Here is Mo joining us for lunch!:) He is excellent company and really loves lasagna and blueberries, although he is a pretty messy eater!

More pictures of Bennett and Ethan

The beginnings of a smile! Still can't catch him in the act.

Favorite indoor activities: drawing and tractors

Notice the t-shirt as he is swinging a toy at the camera with a mischievous look on his face!:)

Bennett is 2 months!

We had Bennett's 2 month appointment today. He weighs 10 lbs. 9 oz. and is 22 inches long. He has grown 5 inches in 2 months!!! He is at the 25th percentile for his height and weight. I can't believe how quickly he is growing.

Our appointment went pretty well, except we waited almost an hour to see the doctor, and by that time Bennett was done with being at the doctor's office. He screamed the entire time Dr. Nau was examining him and talking to me, so I couldn't hardly hear what he was telling me.

His echocardiogram was good, they just found a tiny hole in Bennett's heart. Dr. Nau thinks that this will just heal on its own, they aren't even able to hear it, so we should not need to do anything further.

Bennett is smiling, cooing, and doing all the right things, so we are good until 4 months, unless he gets sick. By the way, the shots were awful. Shots make mommies cry too!

Ethan's Favorite Word and a Daring Escape

Ethan's favorite word has become "no". I swear he has a quota that he must meet every day. At dinner tonight, he repeated it over and over again without a reason. Most of the time, however, there is a reason, and he means it.

Yesterday I was up checking on Bennett, and noticing that it was REALLY quiet in the dining room, I looked to find Ethan making his way down the steps to the family room! Ethan has not quite mastered steps yet, especially going down steps. He stood down on the bottom step looking up at me with the proudest look on his face. What a stinker! Reminder- check the gate from now on.

What a beautiful day for a walk, especially with my two boys! Ethan LOVES being outside, as you can see by the absolute joy on his face. Bennett was busy having the hiccups for the third time today, so he didn't enjoy it as much, but isn't he just so sweet. I can't believe how much he has grown. He will be 2 months old tomorrow. He is smiling and cooing like crazy. We have his well-baby appointment on Thursday, I can't wait to see how much length and weight he has gained in the last couple of months.

Ethan had major bed-head today after his morning nap. I just had to take a picture of it!:) I think it is about time for his first haircut.

Background Information about Bennett

On December 20th we had an ultrasound to find out the sex of our baby and see how things were progressing. At that time, our doctor noticed that our baby boy was not growing right. His legs and arms were measuring at least 4 weeks behind. His chest was smaller than normal and so his heart was tilted in slightly. The doctor at first glance felt that he may have a type of dwarfism, but he needed some help with a diagnosis. So the day after Christmas we went to Iowa City to talk to a specialist. They did an ultrasound and an amniocentsis to see if they could make a diagnosis. During the ultrasound, the doctor wasn't really finding anything that my doctor hadn't seen, with the exception that the baby's right arm bone was curving slightly. With this thought, they tested for a type of dwarfism where our little one would not survive. He would be still born or pass away soon after birth.

The other type of dwarfism that they tested for is the one that people most commonly think of when they think of a little person. The doctors however, did not think that this is what it was because usually this type does not show up as early and as severely as ours is.

Bennett's tests came back a week later and he did not have either of the two types of dwarfism that they tested for. His chromosomes were normal. There are over 200 types of dwarfism, so it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. In some types of dwarfism, individuals can live full, long lives, just with health concerns. There are also other kinds where Bennett won't make it.

On January 16th we went back to Iowa City for another ultrasound. At that point, everything looked very similar to how it did in December. His arm bones made 3 weeks of growth, his femur bones in his legs made only 2 weeks of growth. They were now about 5 weeks behind. His heart, brain, and kidneys all continued to look normal. His hands and feet and facial features all continued to look normal. His abdomen was about 2 weeks behind. When they look at the severity of his growth they have a ratio that compares the size of his abdomen to the length of his femur bones. When that ratio is at or below 0.16 they have been able to say that it is most likely lethal for the baby. 3 weeks ago that ratio was at exactly 0.16, now it was at 0.17. Very most slightly better. In looking at his chest, the doctor felt that he should have enough room in there for his lungs to develop.

On February 13th, we had another day in Iowa City. Bennett's femurs were continuing to fall more behind. They were about 7 weeks behind. The ratio that I shared with you before that compares his abdomen size to his femur length was back at .16, so he was right at where they have seen in the past that the dysplasia is lethal for the baby. His organs continued to look normal, but his chest size was not keeping up to where it should be. His heart is occupying the majority of his chest, where in normal babies it usually is about 1/3 of the entire size.

At this time, it is very likely that we will not have a diagnosis until after he comes into the world.