Our Little Ainsley

On February 27th, 2010, Ainsley Vivian Burnham officially joined our clan and made us a family of four instead of a family of three. I should have known by the forced drug-free birth that having this child would prove to be an adventure for Jay and I. To start, Ainsley arrived two weeks early when I swore up and down I would go to full term. Then, because my labor progressed so quickly, my labor was drug-free (not by choice--I was at 9 cm by the time we got to the hospital). She also has given us a bit of a scare because her kidneys are enlarged and already have small cysts on them which doctors have diagnosed as ADPKD (Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease), a disease that runs in my family on my mother's side. Both Ainsley and I have the disease which means that cysts grow on the kidneys which may or may not lead to loss of kidney function. Most people don't show signs of the disease until into their 40s, so we have to keep a close eye on Ainsley and consult with a pediatric nephrologist at the U of M. I don't show any early warning signs of kidney trouble, but I'll also have to monitor my blood pressure and creatnin levels.

For the past 11 weeks, I have seen both Eli and Ainsley grow and change so much. Eli is learning to share attention and time with his sister, as well as learning to deal with the pains of being two years old. And although Eli likes Ainsley (proof is in the numerous kisses and tickles he gives her), he is adjusting to not getting his way all the time. Ainsley, on the other hand, has gone from being a scrunched up little newborn who doesn't do anything but eat, sleep and poop, to an active infant who kicks her legs, coos, and smiles.

It has been quite the adjustment being home with two kids versus one, but I've been lucky enough to have decent weather while I've been home, making it easier to keep Eli entertained.