Where the Wild Willingham's are...: August 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

IVF & PGD

John and I are so happy to share that we get to start our family! We have wanted this day to come for a long time but have not had the means to make it happen, But thanks to lovely and genereous parents we are now able to!

As all of you know my Dad has Muscual Dystrophy. MD is a x-linked genetic disorder, which means it is passed from on generation to the next on the x chromosome, so that makes me a carrier of the disease. That means if John and I were to conceive natually our sons would have a 50 /50 chance of having MD, and our daughters would have a 50/50 chance of being carriers of MD.

MD =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_dystrophy

Up until a couple of years ago, we didn't think that there was anything we could do, and we would just live with the possiblility that our sons could have MD. Thanks to Shelley and Cory and their hard work, patience and research we now know that there is something we can do!

Through

IVF =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilization

And

PGD =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preimplantation_genetic_diagnosis

we can bring healthy kids into this world! And we start the whole process September 3rd, and we couldn't be happier! So keep us in your prayers that everything will work out great and we can be pregnant by october!

Monday, August 17, 2009

California knows how to party...

So this weekend we were excited to have our cousin (who shall remain namless), come and visit. Well things don't always turn out as planned, and due to a recent outbreak of the swine flu, she wasn't able to make it...so we decided to IMPROVISE...which included taking a spur of the moment trip to sunny california...more specificly vallejo (six flags) and one of the most ridculous cities this side of the Mississippi!! Apparently this city is soooo special you have to pay a toll just for thinking about going there!!! Here is a look back...

We arrived at six flags early saturday morning ready to ride this ----> The Medusa...well we get there and get in, we start our way up the big incline...then stop...uhhhh...ok its normal...just waiting for the previous ride to finish...waiting...then we start back up...then stop...alrighty then...maybe this isn't normal...so 30 minutes later, sitting on the incline, or sunbathing as i liked to call it, we are all being evacuated off and we get FREE tickets!!!so not the best way to start a day at a theme park ...

*a quick note...there are a few if any times when asking about your saftey when the reply is "you should be alright" ummmm..."i should be alright" isn't what you like to hear sitting on a giant rollercoaster while its broken and you're strapped in!!...maybe we should get off...ya that's a better answer...."check please"....nevertheless we went on to our next ride.

Next up was KONG...hahaha (devilish laugh)...which can be seen here

----->
and we really did have our feet dangling like that!!! no joke...

but i'm not really sure what it had to do with, im assuming King Kong...unless it means you will be violently thrown around, dissoriented, and want to vomit when your done, then it all makes sense...

Another favorite was the mighty ROAR...wich sounds like a nice and
happy relaxing ride....Think again!!!!it was a freakishly intense

wooden rollarcoaster!!! as you can see pictured to your right ---->

Then we got to see some really cool animal shows...Shouka the killer whale, Merlins dolphins and Odin's temple of the Tiger...First up was Shouka...we'll just let the pictures do the talking...and for those who are wondering...we were in the splash zone and we did get splashed...and we liked it...YEEEA BOOII!

Shouka gettin' her ball touching on...

She ain't scared to show off the goods...

Here are the dolphins...

Here is the...nice kitty...ok maybe he is a 5 year old Bengal tiger...and weighs 400 lbs...and could rip us all to shreds!!! I don't know who that guy is...but he is ca-ra-zy

uhhhh ya...that's about 8 ft tall...wouldn't recommend this...

You've heard of jaws...well meet claws...original...i know...

This is Taj...one of the oldest elephants in the world!!!! she was born in 1940!!!!that's 69 years old!! She looks enthusiastic and happy to be there doesen't she....

Next we went somewhere else....

I Wonder what bridge this could be...

hmmm.......

Still can't figure it out?

ahh yes....the Golden Gate Bridge...the bridge of dreams, fantasy, and freezing cold windy weather!!!! It was fun to go on the bridge and freeze...I'll just let the pictures do the talking...