Carriers.

This could be long, very long but I'll try to make it short(er).

Alanna was sick back in June. No fever, no cold but she had this awful cough. She'd have coughing fits and wouldn't be able to stop. After she ended up barfing because she couldn't stop I decided that she should see her doctor ASAP. The next morning she was seen and given some oral and inhaled steroids for 'pneumonia'. A little back story--Alanna gets 'pneumonia' every single year. Something that has puzzled Sean and I. Every time she gets it we have pressed her doctor(s) wondering if something else isn't going on. She also has had major bowel issues since she was 2. I was constantly pressing her doctor asking why? I won't go into details (who wants them anyway, ha!) I don't want to embarrass her! So fast forward back to June, two days of neb treatments and oral prednisone she wasn't ANY better if not worse. She couldn't stop coughing. Sean and I were supposed to be going to Boston for a midweek get away from the kids but we decided to take her back to her doctor before we left town. Because I took her in that morning we didn't get to see her doctor (which was a blessing) this new doctor ordered chest x-rays and wanted to have her tested for cystic fibrosis. I had a very overwhelmingly powerful and sweet spiritual experience when the doctor said they wanted to have her tested for CF. I knew that whatever was going to happen was going to suck because Heavenly Father wanted me to know he loved me and would watch over us. I've had that feeling before-when I was pregnant with Embree. So we took her with us on our trip. It took three days more to get her lung issues under control and she was tested a week or so later. That night we got the positive test results. Then I lost our expensive camera and our front door broke. It was a very trying time in our household. Luckily those two minor things were resolved the door magically fixed itself and we found the camera. Because Alanna has CF that means Sean and I have to each be a carrier. Meaning all of our kids HAD to be tested. (Sean gave me a high five--like we just won some prize--when the doctor at their first CF clinic appointment yesterday was explaining the genetics of all of this to us, we made the doctor laugh. Gotta have some humor in all this, right?) So back to the lab we went.

Embree getting her sweat chloride test.

Dallin all bundled up like it's winter for his!

This picture just makes me laugh. I was really wiping something out of my eye but I look like I'm holding a pretend pistol to my head. Trust me if you were there in that room with all 6 of us you would have begged for a real one. Really. They have to have electrodes on their arms for 5 minutes each then they have to "sweat" for 30, then they test the sweat that was collected on their forearms.

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This handsome young man tested positive too.

Sean and I knew if any of the others had it Dallin would. He has had the exact same bowel issues as Alanna for years. Now we know that it's because of pancreatic insufficiency. CF not only affects your lungs (an excessive build up of mucus) it affects your pancreas and intestines.

Sean and I took them yesterday to their first CF clinic. We got our pages of questions answered and got a bunch of blood work (8 vials each), urine, stool, mucus, and pulmonary lung function test. They are required to wear a mask everywhere but their room because it's dangerous for CF kids to spread "special" CF germs to each other. Though CF is NOT contagious to anyone under any circumstance. They'll meet with the CF team at clinic (the same clinic Embree goes to for her cleft lip/palate) next month then every three months unless they're not healthy. We still have A LOT to learn. (if you know anything about it or anyone who has kid(s) with it, let me know I'd love to talk to them!) As it turns out Alanna has all 9ish symptoms and has had them for years, she started exhibiting symptoms at 6 weeks old. Dallin has no lung symptoms right now only the bowel issues. Boy's with CF 95% of the time are sterile. Their doctor got them started on pancreatic enzymes (that they take before eating) they should completely resolve their bowel troubles and a special Rx CF vitamin.

Dallin and Alanna enjoying Mexican food after there clinic appointment.

Poor weight gain and being short is a major symptom for CF. They are both very small but Alanna is almost 8 and is only 44 1/2 inches and 42lbs! A dietion is on the team, we met with her to go over their diet. They need to eat more, which they are excited about!!

It's been a long couple of weeks. We've been bugged wondering why they haven't been diagnose until now. We've had to decide where to take them for treatment. We want the best care for them and have had to choose taking them to Boston Children's where they'd be a number. Or here where we're closer to home and our other kids and can have a relationship with all of the team members. (like we have for Embree) I know without a doubt I couldn't do this, life, without my husband and Heavenly Father. We have been shown so many tender mercies the past few weeks. I truly know God doesn't "let things happen to us" he loves us so much and feels every emotion with us. The purpose of this life is to learn and grow. Their is no other way to do this then through our trials. He's there for us we just have to turn to him. (which is a lot harder then it sounds) After a few days I felt like I've made peace with this. I went through a few days of intense anger, the kind where you want to shake your fist at the heavens and say "WHY". I was talking to Sean about this and said something to the effect of 'we can do this, we can do anything. Everything is meant to be and this is just that' I felt truly humbled. Then I said jokingly "bring it on" we can handle ANYTHING. Sean literally ducked and shhhed me. Smiling he said "don't say that". The latest Mormon Message on youtube has had a real impact on our testimony's. Watch it if you haven't. Also if you want to know more about CF go here. This was just too long to proof read. Sean, let me know what I spelt wrong ;).