Monday, January 30, 2012

Embrace

Jen,
Friday morning I was invited to my friend Kate’s house along with five other women who have recently had babies. I was one of the first to arrive and was fortunate enough to have my mom watch the two older girls so I could go alone with Ada. Believe me, it was a much needed break. (Wait, there is no need to convince you, I think you know what I mean!)
Kate had surprised us with a masseuse. Although I’m not a super touchy person, the whole thought behind it brought tears to my eyes. I am often baffled by Kate’s generosity and thoughtfulness. I’m not always good at being on the receiving end but I have learned to accept and I am grateful for a friend like her who shows me glimpses of Christ’s love for me.
Afterwards we were all served a yummy breakfast and everyone was hanging out feeding their babies. I sat down to feed Ada near a woman who was breastfeeding her one-week-old baby. He was so precious and I really think I fell in love with his older sister who was 14 months. Tears formed in my eyes again and I couldn’t stop them. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying. Kate walked by and asked if I was o.k. and if I wanted to talk about it, But I couldn’t verbalize–mainly because I really wasn’t sure why I was crying. After blubbering for a few minutes I had to go get some kleenex so I wouldn’t totally disgust the others in the room with my snotty nose.

Kate followed me into the bathroom and asked how I was doing. I told her I’m not really sure all that I was feeling but seeing the other mom breastfeed really hit me. It was the first time where I was watching someone else nurse and I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure if I was just letting go of the fact that I couldn’t give to her the way I wanted to, or if it was the ideal in my mind of how I thought I should be as a mom. Probably a bit of both.
Earlier that week I had talked with my lactation consultant about whether or not she felt Ada would ever really nurse. She said she’d be able to nurse but probably not enough to thrive. It would be more of an exercise in being close rather than nourishment. This was relieving to me because I kept wondering where the line was of where to give up trying to nurse her. I am pumping three times a day right now which is giving Ada plenty of milk. I also received an e-mail from our high school friend, Alison, and she said I’d know when it was time and somehow that was another confirmation. And then again on Wednesday, I was talking to June’s speech therapist about the repercussions of not nursing Ada and if this will hinder her speech development. (I kept reading that nursing your baby helps them build their muscles for speech later.) She said that if a child was going to have a speech delay because of low tone then it would happen regardless if I nursed or not. Nursing can help but won’t solve the problem. All three situations gave me the freedom and release to just focus on Ada gaining weight and stop worrying about giving her a speech delay.
As I was driving home from Kate’s I realized that what had really made me sad is that this one-week-old little boy could nurse so easily and here Ada was struggling to continue suckling after four or five sucks. She gets so worn out trying to nurse that we had to feed her a bottle–and even then we had to change the nipple to an easy-flow so she wouldn’t burn all her calories eating (If only I had that problem!). By the way, Ada is now at her birth weight!
As a baby Ada’s older sister, June, seemed like all the other babies even with her hearing loss. Her hearing loss didn’t show until recently when we realized she is behind others her age. She has to work a lot harder to hear the words and to speak them. I remember being sad for her that this would not be easy but at the same time there is this hope and gratefulness that even though she has to work harder she will appreciate her hearing and speech more than others and through this struggle she will learn to overcome. I am praying the same for all three of my girls. That whatever struggles come, because they will, that they will embrace them and move forward with the strength of who I hope is their God, Jesus Christ.


Let us pray this for our children and the children that our in our lives. That we won’t protect them from every trial but that we will walk alongside them so they can learn from this thing called life. That they will embrace what comes their way so that they may become stronger in Christ. Let our children show us what this means and that we too will embrace what comes our way.
Ann
___________
Ann,
Amen, my friend!
Who knows the struggles we’ll be looking back on when we’re 65? We can only hope, like you’ve so beautifully said, that every hardship will have made Christ more and more real to all of us.
Even the similarities and differences in our situation blow my mind: I’m crying about weaning a 27-pound one-year-old, and you’re reconciling yourself to not nursing Ada. It’s all about big picture, right? Neither of these kids are “ours” anyway, they’re His. It’s almost like we have to take it all very seriously and then at the same time go, “Oh well! It is what it is. This is our life.” Of the 1 million things I’ve learned from you, I do feel like you have such a great perspective on things like this. I mean, you’re human so you struggle, but you are always pressing forward to health and balance.
On that note, I am praising God that He answered prayer and gave you peace about your next steps with Ada and nursing. This is what I’ve prayed all along! Not that you would nurse or not nurse (who the heck am I to weigh in on that decision?!), but that you would just know. And another confirmation seems to be her weight gain! Great news.
Jen
P.S. Too bad Ada’s not getting any attention at your house.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Weaning

Ann,
I’m sure this is no surprise to you (as it was certainly no surprise to me): Weaning Hayden is very emotional for me. I’m sure it’s partially the hormones, but let’s be honest, I’m not the most level-headed when it comes to sentiment. ESPECIALLY when it comes to my babies.

Lots of issues are making it emotional:
  • It’s painful. I’m doing it right (slowly, progressively), but for as much milk as my body makes, I probably should have given myself 3 months instead of 1. (Not an option, I’d like to be close to done when he turns 1 next week).
  • The pain is connected directly to my anquish of having to dry up after we had Elisabeth. I had pain for close to a week, just another constant reminder of having lost our baby. I know women choose all the time to forgo nursing and have the same discomfort, but for me it’s that association that hurts.
  • Um, in case you haven’t noticed over the past 33 years, I’m super sentimental. Not only is it a milestone in Hayden’s life (I don’t have a “baby” anymore!), but it’s the last time on this earth I’ll experience this miraculous thing. I totally didn’t think I’d be that granola mom who was all into nursing, but turns out I love it. Which brings me to my last point…
  • I’m lazy. OK, maybe not lazy persay, but always looking for ways to do things easier and smarter. It’s easier for me to nuzzle him close than to search around for a healthy snack and watch him suck and spit milk from his sippy all over the place. In fact every time I have a letdown and know I have to ignore it because I want him weaned, I think about addicts (stick with me here). Recovering addicts work so hard to not fall off the wagon, and constantly have to ride out the urges they feel. Because the urges will come, no doubt. Same here. The urges come constantly, but this is one wagon I have got to stay on. My body, nor his heart, can take the back-and-forth of inconsistent weaning.
My final thought is one of self-awareness. I wish I could say it will be over soon and I know I’ll be fine on the other end, but I know myself better than that. I’m sure I’ll look back on this experience and get emotional for the rest of my life, but I can just pray that I will remember the benefits and then focus on the things I can do right then to bond with and nurture the boys.
Jen
———————
Jen,
I believe weaning our children from anything that causes them to grow up can be hard. We wean them from the breast, a bottle, a crib, a paci, from diapers, etc. For you, there is something deeper that weaning symbolizes and that is your memory of Elisabeth. I am grateful you are able to identify why and how you are feeling about this process. It has always been helpful for me to know why I am feeling something and also helpful to me as a friend in how to be sensitive to you during this time.
Even if Elisabeth was not a factor, you’d feel this time more deeply than I do. You and my sister are the sentimental ones! I don’t completely understand it but I love you both for it!
Ann

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

License Plates



This is the Ann and Greg’s living room. Have you ever been to a house where you instantly feel at home? And at the same time, feel totally inspired? They’ve managed to create that here. (Can’t believe these little girls who used to play house now OWN houses. How did we grow up so fast?)

Monday, January 23, 2012

Hey, Good Lookin'

Hey Good Lookin’!

Jen,
I was talking with Greg last night and realized that the one thing that really seems to be bothering me about Ada having Down Syndrome is how she will look. Not that I won’t think she is the cutest thing ever because, well, she already is! She really does have the perfectly proportioned head and looks like a little doll. When I told Greg about my thoughts about how Ada will look he summed up my feelings perfecty. He said that I’m more concerned about people seeing her and immediately making assumptions about who she is based on her looks and this is what is truly bothering me. I know there are times in my life when I have judged others based on their looks.
three
I remember struggling with this with our first born, Catina. Catina is a good looking kid. Often people make comments about how she looks and at times it has really gotten on my nerves because she is a really smart and fun-loving girl as well. When they see Ada will they limit who they think she is before they get to know her?

nose
When June first got her hearing aids and her hair wasn’t that long a very common comment was “Well, at least she is a girl and her hair will grow out to cover her aids.” I agree, long hair is nice, and June will have the option to show or hide her aids, but I don’t want her to be ashamed of them and feel she needs to cover them up. This is why I insisted on pink aids and sparkly colored ear molds. I wanted her to be proud of her aids and believe that they were a beautiful accessory and tool. I believe that our girls believe this because Catina often asks if she can get hearing aids one day so she can pick out ear molds.
I’m praying my daughters feel beautiful and good in their own skin regardless of how they look!
UPDATE ON ADA: Ada hasn’t gained weight in 2 weeks (and she’s only 3 weeks old). The doctor would really like her to get back to her birth weight before we let her sleep without waking her, so we are feeding her every two to two and half hours around the clock. Since it takes Ada so much effort to eat, we are only bottle-feeding at this time, and using an easy-flow nipple. I am pumping during the day and we are adding a supplement per her doctor to the breastmilk to give her extra calories.
On Friday the Down Syndrome Guild came to visit and gave us a ton of information and the school district came out to begin the process of enrolling Ada in Early On services. We are looking forward to their recommendations!
Ann
_______
Ann,
Thanks for your honesty.
I actually glad you’re just focusing on the bottle right now and not even trying to nurse. One thing at a time, and feeding every 2 hours (start to start, people!) is horrendously time-consuming. Every moment feels like a march from feeding to feeding. I vaguely remember that fog with the twins. I actually get teary-eyed thinking about it because it was so overwhelming.
Prayers are continuing to flow, my friend!
Jen

Friday, January 20, 2012

Switching Things Up

Ann,

You know how chaos makes me so nervous and anxious. And it’s not like my house is all neat and tidy, it’s just neat and tidy ENOUGH to please my soul and not make my skin crawl. One of the really boring but critical pieces to this is my need to find a layout and look for a room that I like, that makes me feel at peace. And then I stick with it. And I mean stick with it. (Thankfully we’ve moved just enough that I’ve had to change things with each new location—who knows how long I’d keep things the same otherwise.)

So the other morning I had to move the boys’ play kitchen out of their bedroom since it was being used not as a toy to spark imagination, but as a jungle gym. When they awoke and found it in the living room (holding place), they were beside themselves with excitement. In fact, they played with the previously ignored kitchen the entire day.

Wisdom I gained? Get over myself and switch things up sometimes. This excites them as much as a new toy!

Jen

P.S. Since then, I’ve even tried “changing” things while they sleep at night and they are immediately happy when they awake in the morning. Just small things: I move some of their large toys to different spots in the living room; I might set up their Little People garage and cars in the hallway; I’ve even surprised them with dominoes or blocks set up under the kitchen table. Always a hit.
_______

Jen,

This is where we are so opposite and I say “Good for you!” I LOVE switching things up. I wish I could switch my living room around every few months but there are only so many places to put things. Every child added we have turned our house upside down to make things more efficient and fun. I hope to share some of our most recent projects soon. I’d really love to see your sideboard project and any other pictures so I can have a better idea of how you are living now. And great idea about setting up their toys!

Ann

P.S. Our girls love Little People and we find them everywhere. This is Little People hanging out by the sink.



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Seeing Double

Speaking of twins…

Catina is obsessed with twins. Once there was a Levi and Everett there was no more Levi and Jen (their parents), just the twins. I love how she’s convinced that we can’t tell her apart from June a part in this picture. Sometimes she has one of them wear a hair clip just so we can tell the difference.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Ada’s Birth Story

Jen,

The Tuesday before Ada was born I went in for my weekly check-up with my OB/GYN. She said I was dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced. I walked around for weeks as a 4 with June so I didn’t think much of it. I was happy though because they planned to induce me that following week and if I wasn’t dilated I would have to spend an extra night.

By Thursday I was having contractions and had called my mom in the middle of the night to come over because I wasn’t sure if I’d be leaving for the hospital. My contractions were 10 minutes apart for an hour so I decided to take a shower but as soon as I got out, no more contractions.

I had maybe one an hour that Friday. Catina was really sick. We had taken her to the ER earlier that week and then again to the doctor because her fever was high and she was talking jibberish. I was nervous about having a baby with her not doing well. Friday evening around 5:30 I was wiping Catina’s nose when I felt a pop and a gush. At first I thought it was the baby kicking from a funny position and then I realized that my water most likely broke! I called my Mom and told her we needed to go to the hospital to check it out.

We arrived at the hospital at 6pm. The doctor was called and wouldn’t be there until 7:15, and when he did get there he was headed to perform a c-section. So we waited. They didn’t want to check how far I was dilated because it could mess with the test that determines whether or not your water broke. And at this point my contractions were far apart so everything was in limbo until the doctor came in.

Greg and I like to have a birth song for our baby. The Lord gave us one while in labor with Catina and we asked the Lord for one for our other two girls. Ada’s song is called “Beautiful.” Greg played this song while we waited.



A little before 8pm the doctor came in to check me and said I was dilated to a 6 or 7 but the baby was still far away and that I was in early labor. He asked if I wanted an epidural, which I for sure wanted. But right then I knew I’d never get that dang epidural. It had to be ordered and blah, blah, blah and you can’t actually start the epidural until you have a bag of fluid in you, and it always takes a lot of poking to get an IV in me. Four digging-in-the-skin tries later. they got an IV in me. At this point my contractions were super close.

The pain was so intense that my whole body would feel extreme heat and I had to empty my stomach of its contents. Greg was awesome though. He stood there with the garbage can when I needed it and then washed and changed me into a new nightgown. The entire time he just put cold cloths on me. I was hooked to a monitor so he could see when my contractions were highest. I asked him to tell me when it looked like they were going down. Somehow that brought me comfort. Later he told me they never really went down and that they were always pretty bad. A few times I let my mind wander and wanted to start crying but I knew if I lost my concentration it would all go downhill from there so I just labored with my eyes closed.

All of a sudden I felt a pain that was beyond what I had felt before and I told Greg to push the button for the nurse when it was done. He pushed it while putting cold cloths on me and that is when my nurse, Sharon, happened to walk in to check on us. Sharon was super laidback and when she came in her face had the funniest shocked look on it. Every time Greg and I think about her face we laugh. She immediately started yelling for the doctor and for the nurses to get the room ready. I knew Ada’s head was coming out.

The doctor came in and I kept saying over and over “What do you want me to do? I don’t know what to do.” He told me to breathe. I remember thinking to myself that I’d like a little more instruction than that. I was extremely afraid I would sit on Ada’s head and couldn’t believe they weren’t doing something about it.

Once the doctor was ready he told me to push. In less than two pushes she was out. They laid her on my chest and my whole body went into convulsions from the “trauma” of giving birth.


She was finally here!

Ann
________

Ann,

I am speechless. I cannot believe you endured this and I am so thankful you have such a great husband who takes care of you.

Wow.
Jen

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Lineup


Since we went from 0 to 3 kids in 14 months, I’ve not only used my “multiples” books to manage the twins, but since Hayden came along I’ve been able to utilize some creative solutions for parenting multiple young children.

I’ve kept the twins in high chairs longer than Super Nanny advises (I’m not kidding, I heard her yell at parents for having a 2-year old in a high chair) because it just works for us. They get plenty of opportunities to sit at the “big” table, but this is easiest for me until Hayden gets older. While they’re all secure (read: trapped) in the highchairs I can run downstairs and switch laundry or feed the dogs and not worry about the chaos. I also sit them in the chairs with a snack as I put on their socks and shoes before we head out the door.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Feeding Ada

Dear Jen,

Who would’ve thought I’d be waking my baby to feed her! My first two were little alarm clocks who made it known when it was time. Now I have Ada, who Catina calls Sleepy Baby!
The first days were very emotional in regards to her eating. I’ve never been a natural at breastfeeding. It’s awkward for me and I feel insecure as to whether or not I’m doing it right. When I had June I told the mother/baby nurse that even though I nursed before I really wanted her help as much as possible. I wanted to make sure things were going o.k. before I left the hospital. I’m so glad I did and was able to nurse June for a year. In fact, she liked it so much I couldn’t get her to take a bottle until 9 or 10 months old!

Photo by Erica Emmons

When we went to the pediatrician for Ada’s two day follow up and she had lost 10% of her birth weight. That is the maximum the doctor is comfortable with, so he set me up with their nurse who is a lactation consultant. As soon as the first nurse walked in for that appointment I got all blubbery. I really hadn’t cried about anything yet and it hit me how emotional I was about Ada not eating. Greg was with me and I’m not sure he knew what to think. The nurse kept trying to talk to me about Down Syndrome as if that is why I was crying, and even though I kept talking about her feedings she kept referring me to groups and websites. I totally appreciate what she was saying but at the moment I was most concerned about Ada fading away into nothing!

Photo by Erica Emmons

For now I am giving her a bottle after trying the breast, and we’ve had a few successes here and there where Ada will at least suck 5 or 10 times. She did gain 2 oz by that following day at her 3-day follow-up appointment. Yesterday she fed from me twice! And once without pumping beforehand to encourage let-down.

Ada will be weighed again on Monday. She will also be going in for an echocardiogram this week. They are not suspecting anything wrong with her heart but it’s standard procedure just to make sure. We are praying for a good bill of health and for our insurance to pull through before then.

As for now…we keep on keeping on!

Ann
__________

Ann,

Talk about a baby fog. You forgot to mention a detail that I know is true–you are feeding EVERY TWO HOURS from start to start. Just the mention of it makes me all limp and froggy-throated.

Of course you know the twins didn’t come home from the hospital until they were 3 weeks old, so in the meantime I did the one thing I thought I could to parent those babies: I became The Pumper. I pumped every 3 hours around the clock, enduring mastitis (2x) and countless yeast infections because I was overpumping. Then they came home and I wanted to start nursing, but I couldn’t figure out how to juggle the whole “pump for letdown, nurse Baby A, burp, bottlefeed to make sure he’s full, burp, and set him up in a baby trap where he’s screaming because he wants me…pump to letdown for Baby B, nurse, burp, bottlefeed, prop” and then of course PUMP AGAIN because we had to keep up my supply to feed two babies…every 3 hours from start to start. I had enough time in between feedings to pee and call you or Levi and cry.

OK, I know this isn’t about me, but I just remember all that and get such anxiety and I remember you reminding me of the theme of the fog: It’s Just For a Season. Whether they eventually started nursing or if I pulled the plug and called in the bottles full time, it was still only for a season. I know you are fully aware of this, but in the fog I think it’s a good reminder. Motherhood is 18+ years long, so this really is a blip on the screen.

I’m so glad Erica took these great photos! I can practically feel her sweet cheeks already. Counting the days until I get to kiss on all your girls again.

Jen

Friday, January 6, 2012

Instincts

Ann,

Once I heard Gwyneth Paltrow say, “If you raise your kids on instinct you’re sure to screw them up.” Our boys were just babies at the time, so I didn’t really think I was “raising” them yet, but it stuck.

Some of my instincts are great: I know I’m good at being affectionate and encouraging to the boys. But I have another instinct that is not so great, and that is to yell. I don’t go on and on, but I can get very stern very quickly, and it’s loud. At this age nobody seems to care, but I know the moment is going to sneak up on me when I scare them with my voice, and that kills me.

Granted, there are times I WANT them to be scared by my sternness, but not for something like refusing to come to me to have their diapers changed. I’ve noticed lately that Everett gets embarrassed easily, which makes me think he’s pretty sensitive, and I can just hear the “My Mom Yelled” therapy sessions now.

Any tips?

Jen
__________

Dear Jen,

I’d be a big fat liar if I told you I never yell at my kids.

My tip for you and for me is to start to recognize what triggers the yelling. My most common instance of yelling is when I am engrossed in a task and the kids interrupt me. In my mind I’ve been patient all day and all I want to finish just one little thing.

When Catina was an infant I went to see a counselor and she talked about the causes of anger. The one I struggled with most is having a blocked goal. In these cases where I’m interrupted, they were blocking me from my goal and they’d better get out of the way!

Another reason I get angry is when I’ve asked more than once for something to be done. For instance, I might ask Catina to pick up her books, and instead she flits about the room procrastinating, which makes me feel disrespected. Greg and I have really tried to limit how many times we request something and if the request is not granted there are consequences. This is something we have learned through reading Love & Logic books and attending the conference. They have some great ideas of how to keep your cool!

I think this is all a work in progress, and it is definitely something to be mindful of!

Ann

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A Sweet New Baby

Jen,


Catina (5), June (2) and Ada

At some point I’d love to share more about the birth story. No gory details but like with most dramatic things in my life, I have laughed a lot looking back. Greg and I laugh every time we think of the nurse’s face when she walked in the room and saw the baby was coming out with no nurse or doctor present.

We had Ada Jennifer on Friday night and we were so hoping the pediatrician would see her on Saturday but this wasn’t to be. As soon as I saw Ada, my gut told me she had Down Syndrome. Greg did not see any signs but he hadn’t read as much as I had. My addiction to information regarding my children and future children is endless. I love to read about things. I believe it helps me feel better about making decisions for the future.

Saturday I asked one of my favorite nurses, Pattie, if she thought Ada may have Down Syndrome and she said she thought she did. She began to show me her rounded neck and how there is a line straight across her hands rather than angled down. I felt so relieved to have someone be honest with me. When the OB/GYN who delivered Ada came to see how I was doing I could tell he was avoiding the subject of her “condition.” Nurses never mentioned anything and although I appreciate that, I am also not one to let the elephant hang out in the room.

When visitors came I was honest with them in what I thought. Mainly because somehow I wondered if they were all kind of looking and wondering. Its perfectly o.k. if they were but again I really just wanted to kick that elephant out and say it!

Sunday we were all ready to check out but were just waiting for the pediatrician, Dr. Mitchell. I LOVE Dr. Mitchell! He is so good with our kids and I was so happy he was on call. He has the greatest personality and is full of love. He wears flip flops and sports a Captain Kangaroo mustache. When he came into our room he said “Congratulations on the birth of Ada! I’ve check her out and she is perfectly healthy!” I asked him if he thought she had Down Syndrome. He said that all the signs point to DS but that he has drawn blood and we should know within 3-5 business days.

When he left I cried. Not because she has Downs but because I was so relieved that someone agreed with me and relieved to just know. Since then we have told some family and friends and I believe the hardest part for people is they aren’t sure how to react or what kind of reaction I would like. I’m sad when I see that people are sad or grieving the fact that Ada may have Downs, but I also know they need to have those feelings so that they can move on to getting to know our baby girl. I also don’t know what reaction I really want. Some days I’m sure even I will be sad and some days I will feel overwhelmed. I’m just so glad she is here and excited to learn how I can help her grow to know Christ and bring God glory through her wonderful life!

Please pray for her feedings. They have been frustrating. She is such a sleepy little gal and I’d really like to push for breastfeeding since this will help her develop her mouth for future speech. I’m also wanting her to eat so I have supplemented some with formula. Please pray for guidance and endurance. I have gotten weepy a few times, worried I will fail her in this area.

Love to you–my friend after whom my little Ada Jennifer is named.

Ann
___________

Ann,

Thank you for honoring our friendship with this naming. I love that we have both named our girls after one another (Elisabeth Ann). I remember the moment when Levi and I decided on that name and I swear we said it simultaneously.

I am definitely praying for you, especially in this area of nursing. Feeding sleepy babies can be really disheartening. But there is no way you will fail her (whether you nurse or not).

Praise God for our babies! Makes me think of our verse, and how different our lives are now compared to 13 years ago when we felt like these words were given to us:

The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever. I Sam 20:42

Much love,
Jen

Monday, January 2, 2012

Baby Ayyyy-duh!

Jen,

One of my concerns before Ada was born is how the girls would receive her. When Catina first saw me after June was born she would not talk to me. She screamed her head off and it was very emotional for both of us. She gradually accepted June but in the meantime her favorite saying was “DROP THE BABY!”

This time Catina couldn’t wait to go back to preschool and wear her “Big Sister” shirt and bracelet, and show her teachers and friends the picture of her and Ada.



Both girls LOVE Ada! Catina reads to her all the time and she can’t ever wait for Baby Ada to open her eyes so she can do a dance for her. June loves to pat her head and say “It’s me!”
Catina wasn’t able to visit us in the hospital due to being sick, but June did. She immediately said Ada’s name clearly! This is very exciting because she hasn’t said Catina’s name yet. June calls her “Ayy-duh!” or “Baby Duh.”



Dancing for Baby Ada – Photo by Erica Emmons

We haven’t told Catina anything official about Ada having Down Syndrome. We decided not to sit her down and talk to her about Ada having Down Syndrome because we think it will make it sound like Ada’s life is in jeopardy or something. We didn’t sit Catina down and tell her about June’s hearing loss but in time she learned that June couldn’t hear as well and began to learn about why June wore hearing aids. Catina has heard us talk about Down Syndrome and we will tell her about Ada as differences arise, but for now we want her to just enjoy her as Baby Ada, “the cutest baby in the world!”

UPDATE:  Feedings are going o.k. Ada continues to be monitored by the pediatrician and I’ve borrowed a scale to help us keep track of her progress. She is gaining weight but they’d like it to be a bit more before they stop monitoring.

Her blood test came back and confirmed that she has Down Syndrome. She has Trisomy 21. We went to her echocardiogram and her heart looks good minus a blood vessel that hasn’t closed. There is a vessel that normally closes by 24 hours after birth but Ada’s is still flowing. They will check on it again in six months and if it’s not closed they will go in through her groin to close it. It’s not something that is cause for concern right now–more for her future–so they want to make sure it’s taken care of. I’m happy about the fact that if something needs to be done it would be through the groin and not anything more invasive.

The Down Syndrome Guild has contacted me and they are coming to visit Ada next Friday and Early On Education has been notified and we will be setting up an assessment for services soon.

Ann
___________

Ann,

Praising God for so many things and still in prayer, too. Your house already has a revolving door, I can’t imagine MORE people coming for services! But so thankful you do have access to early intervention.

Jen

P.S. I want to be a kid at your house. Looks pretty fun.