RAISING JOEY

Sigh of relief!

Thankfully Leah’s kidneys seem to be ok. After two ultrasound techs and two doctors looking at the ultrasound, things are ok. There’s a little extra fluid in her kidneys but nothing to raise concern. The one doctor said this could just be a sign that she may have more UTI’s than a typical baby would. But wow, do I feel so much better knowing that there’s nothing majorly wrong with my little girl. Thank you to everyone for their thoughts & prayers!!

Favorite Ingredient Friday

Spicy Grilled Cheese

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large skillet over low heat. Spread butter or margarine onto one side of two slices of bread. Place both pieces buttered side down in the skillet. Lay a slice of cheese on each one, and top with slices of tomato, onion and jalapeno. Butter one side of the remaining slices of bread, and place on top buttered side up. When the bottom of the sandwiches are toasted, flip and fry until brown on the other side.

For more Favorite Ingredient Fridays, go visit Overwhelmed With Joy!

*Previous Favorite Ingredient Friday recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
• Egg Salad (FIF Salad Edition)
• Strawberry Limeaide
• Taco Seasoning (FIF Healthy Eating Edition)
• Mom’s Watermelon Salad & Rocket Pops (FIF July 4th Edition)
• Deviled Eggs
• Banana Pudding Dessert
• Mom’s Marshmellow Fruit Salad (FIF Memorial Day Edition)
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Monkey Paws (FIF Breakfast Edition)
• Chili Pasta Skillet

Playpen fun!

Need a Joey picture fix? Here ya go!!!

Wow, I’ve got the best OB group! My doctor just called me  back. He personally called the high risk office and got me an appointment for tomorrow at 1:00. I was not looking forward to worrying all weekend until Tuesday. And my doc said if there is anything of concern that he will fit me in his schedule tomorrow after the ultrasound if needed. Thank you Dr. B! I feel so much better now!

Here’s Leah!

It’s a tough one to make out, but it’s her face. She wasn’t couporating for the ultrasound tech when she was trying to get a good view of Leah’s face but I see her!! Look at those chubby cheeks!

Another update… I just talked to another doctor at my OB group. He was the one who gave me Joey’s prenatal diagnosis and he was going to try to get me in for the ultrasound sooner than next Tuesday. He said I shouldn’t have to wait that long, so keep your fingers crossed he can get me in today or tomorrow.

Lovely…

I just got off the phone with my OB’s secretary, the soonest the high risk office can get me in for an ultrasound is Tuesday at noon. Until then, even though I’m sure it’s nothing, I will sit here and worry. This is going to be a fun weekend…

Leah ultrasound

I went today for an ultrasound to see how much Leah weighs. Well, little Miss Leah or should I say big Miss Leah is already 6 lbs 6 oz!! And I have 4 1/2 more weeks to go?! Wow… Joey was only 5 lbs 9 oz and both Patrick and I were both in the 6 lb range when we were born.

The ultrasound tech did see some extra fluid on Leah’s kidneys that brought up a little concern. They said it’s probley nothing since the amount wasn’t excessive but I have to go for a high risk ultrasound tomorrow to have them looked at a little closer. Say a little prayer tonight that it is nothing (which I’m sure) but still just say a little prayer for Leah tonight.

Has anyone ever delt with extra fluid & the kidneys with their baby while pregnant?

I’ll do my best to scan the ultrasound picture into the computer tomorrow morning so you all can see her beautiful profile!! I’ll update as soon as I get the ultrasound done tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

This makes me so sick. Ya know, was it really, truly worth it? I just don’t understand…

Italian Hospital Aborts Healthy Twin and Leaves Handicapped Sibling, Mother returns and has Down syndrome child aborted. By Elizabeth O’Brien

Vatican paper condemns Italian twin abortion, Cathnews.com 

Too cool of a contest!

Wow, the lovely ladies over at 5 Minutes For Mom are having an AWESOME contest. I love my digital camera and wish I had a photo printer here at the house. Well, now’s my chance to have one. Just look what they’re giving away, a HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer! Too cool! Head on over to 5 Minutes For Mom for your chance to win!

Time Travel Tuesday- Honey, we’re having a baby edition

This week for Time Travel Tuesday, we travel back to when we found out that we were pregnant…

“How did you find out you were pregnant, how did you share the news with your hubbie… how did you tell your family? Come travel back to the day you found out you were pregnant and share it with the group.”

I don’t think I’ve ever really shared how I found out I was pregnant with Joey. So, let’s go  back to August 2005. I was working at a medical office as a new patient coordinator and for a couple days on and off felt nauseated. I had actually gone to my doctor and had a pregnancy test done but it was negative. Well, a couple mornings later I woke up feeling AWFUL! Figured I had caught a flu bug since I worked in a hospital. So I called in to work and told them that I had the flu and wouldn’t be in that day.

That afternoon, while laying on the couch, I thought, “gee, my period should have come by now,” so I got up and looked on the calendar to make sure I was right. Sure enough, I was a couple days late. BOOM! It hit me, I thought to myself, “AM I PREGNANT?!” I waited until my husband got home and had him drive me to the pharmacy to buy some “peptobismo” when I really bought a pregnancy test. I wanted to surprise him as much as I could. So when we got home and went straight to the bathroom with the test (without him knowing) and it turned positive instantly.

I couldn’t believe it! I walked out of the bathroom holding the pregnancy test and I think he was as shocked as I was. Our shock turned into instant happiness, we decided to tell our families the next day.

On my way to work that next morning I stopped and bought another pregnancy test and again positive instantly. I walked out of the bathroom and my boss saw the look of joy on my face and knew. She gave me a huge hug.  I called my hubby to let him know I had another positive test and we agreed to go tell his parents & siblings in person that evening. Since my parents were 15 hours away in Ohio and I called my mom and told her. She started crying she was so happy. Then I called my dad at work and my brother too. Everyone was so happy.

For more Time Travel Tuesdays or to participate, go visit My Life as Annie!

Sinuses, oatmeal, buddy walk & more

Minus me coming down with a sinus infection thanks to this crazy weather that can’t make up it’s mind what it wants to do, we had a very nice weekend. Thankfully today, I’m starting to feel much better, still stuffy, but feeling better.

Yesterday was my sister in law’s birthday. We spent the day over at my in-laws house. Joey spent most of the afternoon entertaining everyone and giving kisses & high fives to his aunts. Did I mention that he’s starting to give high fives?! That’s my boy!!

Joey even accepted another new food! Getting this child to eat “big people” food has been a struggle. His dislike of different textures has been unbelievable but thankfully he finally seems to be doing MUCH better. Yesterday and today he ate oatmeal for us for the first time. When I had tried it in the past, he flipped out when I would give him a spoonful of it and now he likes it! I’m so happy, no more baby cereal!

I’ve been so busy trying to wrap up my portion of things to do for our Buddy Walk committee. I’m in charge of t-shirts and all the signs for the walk. Whoever thought so much would go into planning something like this? I finally got together all of our sponsor logos to go on the t-shirts and I’ve done everything I can do with the signs for now. We have a committee meeting tonight so hopefully I can finish up even more. I want to get as much of my work for the buddy walk done as possible in case Leah decides to make an early appearance. Also, don’t forget if you would like to join Team Joey or make a donation to our team, you can! Visit my Team Joey page for details!!

Wednesday I have my final ultrasound to see how much Leah weighs. I’m very excited to see approximately how much she actually weighs. Last week at my OB appointment, my doctor guessed she was around 5 1/2 pounds. By the looks of me, she’s that much or more! Speaking of weight. Just a quick little rant…

Yesterday, no names mentioned… a guest over at my inlaw’s house kept on asking me if I was sure I wasn’t having twins instead of just one. This person didn’t ask me this just once but multiple times! When I was pregnant with Joey, I barely gained any weight. I was always nauseated and didn’t eat a whole lot. With Leah, I’m always hungry and since I’m home with Joey, I’m not as active as I would like to be so I’ve gained A LOT of weight. Well, yesterday, it got to the point, I finally had to snap and say, “no I’m not having twins, I’m just fat! I weigh ___! Where as with Joey, I only made it to___.” Of course I think I shocked the heck out of this person by saying that, but MAN, it felt good to say it!

Well, I guess that’s it for now!!

A couple magazines to get this month!

Many of you I’m sure have already heard but if you haven’t, check out September’s issue of BabyTalk Magazine. The little baby girl on the cover has a little something extra

 Also, Redbook has an article featuring a mom who has a child with Down syndrome on page 46. I was very surprised (and happy) when I was recieved my copy of it in the mail and was reading through it and came across the article!

Check them both out!!

Huge Joey brag & preggo update!

Before I get to Joey’s brag, for those of you stopping by to see my Favorite Ingredient Friday this week, I don’t have one! This week is FIF: Sauce Edition and how sad is it that I don’t have any sauce recipes?! Every sauce I use comes from a jar or can! Wow, I’m awful! I can’t even make gravy, my hubby makes a gravy but I can’t even find the recipe to share with you guys!

Anyways, ok, to my Joey brag! Many of you know the difficulties we’ve had getting Joey to eat solids and to feed himself. The little booger still won’t even put a cheerio or puff thingy in his mouth BUT we’ve had several more solid food milestones in the past couple days!!! The first one came a couple nights ago, I had made a beef roast for dinner with potatoes and carrots. There was a couple carrots left so I thought, “what the heck, they’re soft enough. Let’s cut them up and see what he does.” So I cut them up and one by one, HE ATE THEM!

The little light finally came on in his little head that he can chew foods rather than mush them with his tongue so he seems to be accepting more new foods where as before he would just spit them out at me. Didn’t matter what the food was, he didn’t want it unless it was pureed in the food processor.

OK, second food brag… yesterday for lunch he ate bread & jelly!! Of course I cut off the crust and let the jelly soak in the bread for about 15 minutes. But I cut the bread into little pieces and guess who ate that?! Yup, my Joey! And he loved it. I’ve tried giving him this MULTIPLE times and the minute that bread would hit his lips and would have nothing to do with it except to throw a tantrum! So YAY JOEY!

THIRD FOOD BRAG! Whenever I’ve given him scrambled eggs in the past I’ve had to put them in the food processor and make them egg mush. Well, this morning I thought to myself, “If he’s been doing this good with all of these foods, let’s try plain ol’ scrambled eggs!” GUESS WHAT?!?!?! He ate them, I’m so happy. I can’t wait to see what else this little guy is going to eat for me in the next couple days!!

Also, not a food brag but another brag, he is so close to standing on his own. He stands unsupported, not holding onto anything for about 5 seconds now. And along with that, he’s been more verbal lately, making new sounds. He looks at me and talks away now. Signing is going great too, he really seems to understand what I sign to him and I swear I’ve seem him sign “more” a couple of times now!

OK, onto a pregnancy/ Leah update…

I went to the doctor on Wednesday and things seem to be going great. My doctor thinks Leah is around 5 1/2 pounds right now and wouldn’t be surprised if I went into labor a little earlier than September 30!! I go next week for an ultrasound so we’ll see how big she is then! Well, I guess that’s it for now!

Parker needs more prayers!

“For him to gain weight. For the bleeding from his stoma to cease. And for this trach to work it’s magic and help reverse Parker’s pulmonary pressures.”

For an update on Parker, head on over to Tammy’s blog, Praying For Parker.

Middle Name Meme!

What’s in a name?

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

L- Life According To Emma & Joe

E- Elliot’s Expeditions

E- Emma Sage

Let’s see what to say about my middle name… I got my middle name from my father, Terrance Lee. One of the reasons Patrick & I decided on the name Leah for our little girl is because of my middle name, Lee, that and the name Leah is just beautiful! If I would have been pregnant with a little boy, his name would have been Liam.

Memory Keepers Daughter

Straight from movieweb.com…

Kim Edwards’ best selling novel The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is being turned into a telefilm by Lifetime. According to Variety, Mick Jackson is set to direct the drama.

The film will follow the exploits of a doctor who tells his wife their newborn has died. In fact, the child has Down’s syndrome and is placed into an institution. Unbeknownst to the heartbroken mother, a nurse raises the baby.

The film will premier sometime in 2008. Casting on The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is currently underway.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

Team Joey info!

Our buddy walk is fast approaching (September 29), so for anyone in the area who is interested in joining our team or who would like to make a donation, feel free to check out the information posted here, or click on the “Team Joey” button I made today!
 

Down’s Syndrome Association

In my search for finding articles & resources about children with Down syndrome and their siblings, I came across an awesome website FULL of resources with multiple topics. The Down’s Syndrome Association in the UK’s website is great and you can print off almost everything listed!! Too cool!! Just click on information then literature.

Siblings & DS

Being pregnant with our second child is bringing on a new chapter to our lives. It’s not going to be that long until Joey will no longer be an only child. Leah will be here before we know it. I’ve been trying to read articles pertaining to children who have siblings with Down syndrome and other special needs.

I’ve read that sometimes parents treat their children with Down syndrome different than a typical child. The more I think about it, I never want Joey to be treated any differently than any other child. I want the same for him as any other child. Why should we treat him different just because he has an extra chromosome?

I also read that the “typical” children can resent their parents and even their sibling with a special need if things are too much different or if the parents lean on the child for too much help. I don’t want that to happen.

I know part of this post is me being nervous about becoming a mom to another child. I just want to do every thing perfect and not screw anything up. If any of you parents who have more than one child have any good advice, please share it with me.

Life is far from ordinary for these kids.
Teens talk candidly about growing up with a sibling who has special needs.
By Gail Rosenblum, The Star Tribune

Down’s Syndrome Association’s publication on Siblings & Down syndrome.

I mentioned in a previous post also that Brian Skoto, a resident physican at Boston’s Children’s Hospital has done research on siblings and Down syndrome. He also puts on workshops for children with Down syndrome and their siblings.

What the Other Children Are Thinking. Brothers and Sisters of Persons with Down Syndrome. By Brian Skoto and Susan Levine.

Is this part of my nesting & preparing for Leah’s arrival? Am I being over protective of my children? Am I going crazy? I have no clue, I just want to learn everything I can

New Medication

CU study: Alzheimer’s drug can help with Down syndrome

By Cheryl Preheim, Anchor/Reporter, 9 News Colorado

DENVER - Medical researchers in Colorado say it is promising. They have uncovered clues that could help reverse the learning deficits associated with Down syndrome.

The work has been done at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. The results have the potential to help the 350,000 people in the United States who have Down syndrome.One in every 733 children is born with it and the numbers are growing everyday.

Always Reaching

Always Reaching

From the STL DS Newsletter
by Matthew’s Dad

Every time I see my son, I reach for him.

It doesn’t matter if he rounds the corner 4 seconds after I have seen him last, or if I am picking him up from school and have not seen him for hours…I reach for him.

I can be 1 foot away or 100 feet away…I reach for him just the same. I reach for him with my arms, with my eyes, with my heart.

I wonder somethimes what I am reaching for.

I have seen this in other people when they see my son.

My family, my friends and perfect strangers. They all reach for him.

I see the same movements, the same gestures, the same need to hold out their hands for him. They want him to come to them, some know him and some don’t. Some call his name and others just motion for him. But they all seem to want him to come.

For a moment, you can see his spirit reflected in their faces. I watch the smiles grow across their faces with a fullness that is unavoidable.

When he falls into their arms (which is what he does to everyone), I see a momentary peace envelop them, and their eyes close, they pull him in and they experience what I call “The Joy of Matthew”

He gives it to you. He wraps you in it. He wriggles and squirms and mashes the love into you. If you did not know what to expect, you may be surprised and find yourself amazed at the feeling, overwhelmed at the emotion he carries with him.

I am lucky. I get to hold him all the time.

And I have been able to think about that feeling and where it comes from and what it may mean. I think Matthew is a window through which we see a pureness of emotion… pure happiness, pure sorrow, pure joy and pure love.

Despite what some may think, our special children are closer to God than we are. We see so much in them that we lack. We wish quietly in so many ways that we could be more like them. And when we hold them, if just for a moment, we feel closer to God.

That must be why I am always reaching for my son.

That must be why they all reach for him.

Beverly Beckham

For those of you who aren’t famliar with Beverly Beckham’s articles featured in The Boston Globe, Beverly is a grandmother to a little girl, Lucy who happens to have a little something extra just like Joey. I had posted the August 12 article, last week, but I wanted to share the other articles that Beverly has written with those of you who haven’t read them yet.

Victories, Sweet, and Simple. August 12, 2007

Lucy is Learning. Are The Doctors? February 7, 2007

The Downside of Down, November 20, 2005

Time Travel Tuesday- 21 Years Old Edition

This week on Time Travel Tuesday, we’re heading back to when we were 21… 

“You’re 21.
What’s going on in your life?
Who are you spending most of your time with?
What’s favorite things to do? eat? hobby?”

Cool! This one should be half way easy for me… it was only 5 years ago that I turned 21!! When I was 21, I was still going to college. I was studying to be a sign language interpreter, I think I was in my 2nd year, along with taking other health related classes. I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to be when “I grow up” at that point still. I was working at a local bakery as a sales person and a delivery driver. Didn’t have a boyfriend at the time. Not much was really going on in my life besides work and school. I had my friends that I would go out with some evenings but since I went to school mostly in the evenings, I didn’t really do a whole lot but study. After school I would go to a  local donut shop that was open 24 hours to study at and got to know a fair amount of other regulars there my age and many of them became my friends. And boy, do I miss that donut shop up here living in Connecticut!Bill’s Donuts back in Dayton, Ohio is the BEST! Like I said above, I didn’t really hang out with my friends a whole lot, which was good, it kept me from getting into too much trouble. I would have the occasional drink but I wasn’t a partier or drinker until I was 22/23ish. And thankfully, I’ve gotten out of that phase of my life, I’m a mommy now and don’t need to party to have a good time. Anyways, I guess that’s really about it for when I was 21, it was a pretty boring year, lol!!!

For more Time Travel Tuesdays, go visit My Life as Annie!