RAISING JOEY

X-mas videos & pictures!

Now that I have a new mouse, I can post pictures from Christmas! There’s a video of Joey opening his bag of balls that was the hit of the day, pictures from Christmas morning (don’t mind me in my PJ’s), from Grandma’s house, from my brothers and from yesterday here at our house with my in-laws.

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Christmas update

We’re back!! We had such a WONDERFUL time in Ohio with our family and friends! It’s so nice to get home and see everyone. Joey and Leah had a wonderful Christmas. They got so many gifts, I can’t even keep who gave what straight! Unfortunately, my computer mouse is on the outs… it scrolls right but not left so it’s nearly impossible for me to upload pictures so as soon as I can get to the store to buy a new mouse (hopefully tomorrow), I will upload pictures (and a few videos) of the kiddos & family. Christmas day alone, I took close to 200 pictures so I’ll have to go through all the pictures and pick out the best ones to share.

Joey was so funny on Christmas morning opening his gifts. He actually only opened one… a gift bag full of balls. After that, he wanted nothing to do with any of his other gifts, just the balls and the tissue paper from the bag! Leah slept through her first Christmas morning and opening of gifts but she got some darn cute outfits! 

We had my in-laws over today to exchange gifts. We were originally going to have them over this evening but I woke up this morning and was watching the news and learned that we are expecting another lovely winter storm tonight so we changed our Christmas party to this afternoon instead. So needless to say, I jumped out of bed and started cooking. I threw together a baked ziti dinner before 10am!! And I have to say that my favorite gift was from my brother in law and his wife Stephanie, they got me a new vacuum cleaner! My old one was actually a hand me down from my mother that is over 10 years old and has been dying a slow death for the past 2 years. So my mothers old vacuum has been retired and laid to rest! It feels kinda nice having a brand new vacuum, hahaha!

Well, until I can get to Best Buy (tomorrow, weather permitting), that’s it for now. Next post will have pictures from the past week!

Quick update

Wow, I’m finding less and less time to post on here! Things are crazy between changing diapers, feeding both kids, going Christmas shopping, laundry, dishes, and all the other household duties I do being a stay at home mom! Phew, I need a break! Thankfully we’re leaving tomorrow for Ohio to spend Christmas with my family!!

Leah is still being little Miss Cutie Pie. It seems like her cheeks are getting more and more chubby everyday!

Yesterday we took Joey to the hospital for his every 6 month ear cleaning. They sedated him with gas and gave his ears a good cleaning and there is such a major difference in his hearing! Last night Patrick opened a can of soda and the sound scared poor Joey to death! He was even scared of his Tickle Me Elmo Tx that he usually loves! Today I’ll leave you with my laundry helper…

“Sure Mom, I’ll help you fold the laundry!”

Visit with Santa

My sister in law, Eileen and I took the kids to see Santa last night and thankfully they both sat still and behaved long enough to get the picture taken. Of course, we couldn’t get one of Joey looking at the camera and smiling, instead we got one of his looking at the camera with his fingers in his mouth, but I’ll take it!!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree….

I couldn’t put up our regular 6 foot tree I usually do thanks to Joey. Any of you who have or have had a toddler know how impossible that can be. So off to Walmart I went and found a 4 foot tall tree to put up on an end table. I thought for sure he would pull it down off of there but so far so good. Our tree has been up since the day after Thanksgiving and it’s still in one piece, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t gotten Joey’s attention…

Did I mention how grateful I am that I didn’t put any of my good ornaments on the tree? I thought ahead and bought shatterproof ornaments! And the cool thing is, they really are shatterproof! They can withstand Joey throwing them into the wall, and dropping them onto & rolling them across the floor!

Memory Keepers Daughter update

For those of you who are patiently waiting for the release of The Memory Keepers Daughter to be shown on Lifetime, I found an article last night with an update on the filming of it and a little about the cast.

Adapting a bestseller, L.A. producer Braunstein filming seventh movie in Halifax, based on Edwards’ powerful novel The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
By Andrea Nemetz, Nova Scotia News

SITTING ON A CHAIR in the centre of Neptune’s Studio Theatre, Jamie Spilchuk strums a few chords of classical guitar music and a crowd jumps to its feet applauding wildly.

Cameras focus in on a tiny girl with Down syndrome who gazes adoringly at the tousle-headed actor who is playing her twin brother — though at this moment in the story neither know of their relationship.

It’s a scene from The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, the best-selling novel by Kim Edwards being turned into a movie for Lifetime Television by L.A-based Jaffe/Braunstein Films with Halifax’s Magic Rock Productions.

Filming began in mid-November and is set to wrap up next week after four weeks shooting in Halifax, Dartmouth, Windsor, Martinique Beach and Head of Chezzetcook.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter tells the story of a doctor who is forced to deliver his own twins during a paralyzing winter storm. The son is born healthy, but the daughter has Down syndrome. Continue reading Memory Keepers Daughter update…

Video

My sister in law, Stephanie had a video from last week when Joey first started walking (thanks Steph!) and as soon as I can catch him in the act again, I’ll post a better one cause he’s walking even better than this now!

Free time, what’s that?

I had come to the computer early (much earlier) today and post a wordless wednesday picture but of course that didn’t happen. Things have become so hectic trying to take care of both Joey and Leah, I barely have time to post anymore! I don’t even get to read as many blogs as I used to. I miss reading up on all my favorite people online!  The free time I had today was spent paying bills, attempting to balance our checkbook, mopping the kitchen floor, doing laundry, and I know there was more but I can’t think at the moment.

Thankfully, Joey is feeling MUCH better after I took him to the doctor and we started giving him antobiotics. He’s back to him old goofy self!!! And boy, when he was sick, he was blowing some HUGE booger bubbles, lol!!! He would look down at his nose with his eyes crossed and laugh! The picture is kinda gross but funny at the same time…

AND, drum roll please… he’s walking!! Yes, people you heard me right, walking! He’s taking 5-6 steps at a time, a few times, he’s even taken more! Unfortunatly, I still have yet to catch him walking when I have my camera nearby to get it on video or a picture. Hopefully in the next day or so I’ll catch him in the act.

Onto Leah… I went to my doctor last week and was talking to her about breastfeeding and how colicky Leah has been. I went over my diet with her and I told her everything I’d cut out of my diet and how it hadn’t worked and how Leah acted better when I would give her formula instead. I then asked her what she would do and she said, “truthfully, I would stop breastfeeding. Pump for a few days and see how she does on just formula alone.” So that’s what I did and guess what?? Leah turned into a whole new baby. Smiling, cooing, all things she barely did while I was breastfeeding. She just wasn’t a happy baby and now she is!!! Part of me feels so guilty that I quit breastfeeding. But after my doctor told me it could even be a food allergy and not dairy that I was eating that was causing Leah to be so colicky that I know it’s for the best. I have a happy little baby girl now and it’s worth it!

Life is just not fair!

There are just some things I don’t understand. I don’t understand why we have to have dreadful illnesses out there like cancer.

Another angel gained his wings last night. A friend of mine’s son lost his battle last night to leukemia. CJ was battling his second bout with leukemia for the last 3 months. He developed a very serious blood infection 18 days ago and spent the last two weeks in a medically induced coma at Children’s Hospital. The doctors reported on Sunday that all treatment options had been exhausted, and the family made the decision to let CJ go peacefully last night.

CJ’s mom was the one who was there for me when I contacted the Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress when I was pregnant with Joey. Sue was the first human being who told me postive things about Down syndrome when many other the medical community wanted me to abort Joey. I knew that I wasn’t going to abort Joey but Sue opened a new window for me when I couldn’t. I owe so much to her. I just saw her last week and I knew CJ was sick and I knew it was bad but I didn’t realize truely how sick he was.

Please say a prayer for CJ’s family to make it through this rough time. Rest in peace sweet boy…