Our precious daughter

We are so bad at keeping up with our blog. A lot has happened since the last one. We left off last time with the trip to Africa and finding out that we were pregnant. We had an awesome time with the Suresh family and my mom in Gridley over Christmas. Derek took them snowboarding for the first time, which they really enjoyed. We spent a few days playing in the snow and some days seeing the sights, like the Jelly Belly factory and the fish hatchery. We had such an awesome time, we really miss them. Derek had to return to Reno the day after their departure to get to his wintermester in Reno. We've enjoyed living with Denise and Jessica, although it's taken me some time to get used to the cold. Derek goes to school all day on Tues and Thurs. I usually go with him so that I can sit in the institute and work on my MCAT practice. I'll be taking the MCAT on April 24. Wish me luck! I find it more difficult to concentrate and retain information when I'm suffering from pregnancy brain. I've been looking hard for an opportunity to shadow a doctor, but so far, none have arisen. My application for the airforce scholarship for medical school is in, and now they're just waiting for my MCAT score and for me to be not pregnant anymore so that I can have my mandatory physical. In more important news, Derek and I found out that we're having a girl, which we're both excited about, and also on a less happy note, that she is going to have Alfi's syndrome: an extremely rare genetic disease that causes mental and physical handicaps. It was very hard for me to hear the news at first, although Derek has taken it very well. Over the past few weeks, however, we've come to see what an amazing blessing a special needs child is. We've talked to many families who have children with different special needs and have joined a support group for Alfi's syndrome parents. We know that having a special needs child will require a lot of sacrifice on our parts, but we are going to try to be the best parents that we can. Most of the parents we talked to have told us how their special son or daughter is like an angel in their lives - that their siblings tend to be much more compassionate and service oriented, and that they as parents are more humble than they would otherwise have been. We are excited for the challenge and the blessing, and we know that we will love our little daughter all the more. We would appreciate everybody's prayers however, not just for us but for our daughter. Alfi's syndrome is very different from child to child and can range from mild to severe, which we will not be able to tell until she starts to develop after the first year or two. God has a plan for us all, and now we'll understand that to an even greater degree!

Info about Alfi's Syndrome: http://www.rarechromo.org/information/Chromosome%20%209/9p%20deletions%20FTNW.pdf