Adelynn's Journey

Officially Assigned and Final Fundraiser!

2011-10-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

Check out the adoption blog for our final fundraiser!
http://thejourneytobringsisterhome.blogspot.com/

Happy Heart Day!

2011-10-23T17:20:00.001-05:00

Today is Addie's heart day! I can't believe it has been three years. How far she has come! You can read all about the events of her surgery here.

I have been reading through all the comments made over those several days during surgery and the recovery process...makes me kinda emotional to see how God has used those same people to raise Addie to be the amazing little girl she is and also those people who have helped to bring sister home! Pretty amazing!

Here is a picture from when we first got to see her after surgery. =(

Amazing how far she has come...mainstream preschool and Sunday school, walking, talking in two and three word phrases, running, jumping, climbing, dancing, recognizes her upper and lower case alphabet, and numbers 1-10, counts to 10...working on counting to twenty..but that's hit or miss. =) If she asks you to sing a song, 9 times out of 10 she's going to ask you to sing E-I-E-I-O....and she continues to give the best hugs and kisses! Her favorite thing right now is to go into her playroom and turn on her CD player and turn it up as loud as it goes and start dancing....it's so hard to discipline her when I go in to turn it down and she puts her hand up and says STOP! I DANCIN! Love her!

Here she is on a recent trip to Chicago to see our good friend and amazing photographer Darcy Demmel

Adoption Blog

2011-10-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to say that our good friend Amy Flege over at the Flege Farm has put together an adoption blog for us! Thank you Amy! All of our adoption related news will now be posted at The Journey To Bring Sister Home!

Now just bear with us as we add in the newest details of our adoption journey! God has remained so faithful and we should be traveling in mid to late December!

Adoption Update - we're an "Ideal Family"

2011-10-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

We are going to get Sister home! The agency and overseeing agency in Ecuador has cleared as a family and said after we had sent them the additional information we ended up being "an ideal family for Sister"! I have just been in constant prayer thanking God for this blessing. We are so humbled and so thankful!

I've been listening to the song Stronger by Mandisa....love it...and believing God.
"Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this"

So now what, right? On Tuesday we will prayerfully get the official signatures from the committee in Ecuador...there is that chance that they don't work on our case if they have a large pile of other cases and don't get to it, etc, etc...so we have to PRAY that they review and get the signatures on our case!

Then we submit Sisters information to immigration here in the states and wait for her approval (currently taking about 2-3 weeks). Once we have immigration approval for sister that is wired to Ecuador and after some quick formalities, they send us the document to travel.

So when can we go?
I assumed January...however, our agency has said that there is a small chance that we could still go this year! Our God can perform miracles, right! Yes He can!!! In order for us to travel in 2011 we would have to get the signatures on Tuesday, have immigration take their normal 2-3 weeks, and then be ready to go when they say go!

PS...if we get the signatures Tuesday...guess what that means....you'll get to see pictures! Get excited!!

Will you join me in prayer?

In other fun news...we had our Buddy Walk yesterday...we had over 1000 people in attendance! I think I'm still on a Buddy Walk high! My older sister Leslie and her family were here this weekend as well as my mom and Grandma and Grandpa for the walk on Saturday...Leslie and Dave and the kids stayed until today and we spent the day as a family, enjoying the beautiful weather at a pumpkin patch and then at an apple orchard. Addie had an absolute blast and was already climbing into her bed after her bath tonight without prompting..which she never does! I was sad to see them go, but definitely enjoying tonight relaxing...

Since March our lives have been consumed by adoption stuff, and then it quickly moved to Buddy Walk stuff (I'm the President of our Down Syndrome Support group), with more adoption stuff trickled in throughout...and now, Buddy Walk is over...and there are no more documents that need signed, notarized (Gina we will still have to get together thought) =), and no more trips to Des Moines for apostilling...it is amazing how much stress a person can carry and how great it feels when that stress has been lifted!

I know God is faithful to the end...but there is such a bright light shining at the end of this seemingly never ending tunnel...we are coming to get you dear Sister....we cannot wait to hold you in our arms, take in your smell, and share our lives with you! In the car tonight Addie was talking about Sister and saying her name...and I could be completely wrong, but I honestly feel that Addie knows that Sister is coming and she is starting to understand who her Sister is. A Sister that God knew was hers long before she was even born. Love love love.

Adoption Update

2011-10-06T10:39:00.001-05:00

The reviewing agency in Ecuador had asked for a letter from Addie's Physical Therapists wanting detailed information on her development as they didn't feel our home study went into enough detail...whatever....so instead of one letter, we sent a letter from her speech therapist, a letter from her physical therapist, and a letter from her teacher at preschool. Hopefully that'll give them they information they need on lil miss Addie....but really...I'm kinda over this hurry up and wait game and I just want a little girl home. Not getting my hopes up, but will definitely be praying as they are to be meeting about our case on Friday....so we could possibly know more by Friday night....we can only pray.

We have come to terms with the fact that we will most likely not be traveling in 2011...(Ecuador government shuts down for three weeks in December)..and that is fine..but you better believe we'll be on the plane as soon as they say go....

Until then, we've been keeping busy getting ready for the Buddy Walk this Saturday! I was looking back at pictures from last year and thought I'd share...crazy to see how much Addie has changed in a year..

2011 Adelynn's Advocates

Addie and her cousin Corbett

A bit of news and Why we need Sister home

2011-09-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

We didn't get bad news today..just that they need more info...which I'm totally fine with...we are awaiting further clarification...so again...not looking like we'll have much news tonight...but I'm totally ok with that. It is amazing what God has done these last couple weeks to my heart...I have trusted in Him fully..but not only trusted in Him...but just plain trusted Him. It is just amazing and I pray that one day He'll put the words into my head to help me explain this journey we've been on...cause yes, it's an adoption journey, but even bigger than that, it has been a journey with Christ. The molding, changing, and learning of what my relationship with God is...and I am LOVING IT!

But until we get some more definite news...I thought you'd enjoy a recent trip to Bloomsbury farms...and it'll help ya'll understand why we need this little girl we call Sister home.
A big huge THANK YOU to Tiffanie Lloyd Photography for taking the first two pics.

Reason #1 Momma can't handle much more of this wrestling...Addie needs sister to play.

Reason #2 We need double the cuteness in this house, I mean really...why would you not want double the amount of awesomeness?

Reason #3 Momma don't fit on a child's teeter totter...Sister would fit perfectly.

Reason #4 Cause Sister has the coolest daddy ever and one child just isn't enough to play in the corn pit!

Suspension Lifted

2011-09-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

As of today Sept. 26th, Joshua Tree Adoption has been lifted of the suspension placed on them on Aug. 26th! Praise God! We are all so thankful for this wonderful news. Adoptions can now continue with Joshua Tree...pending adoptions and new adoptions!

Speaking of new adoptions....there is a 6 year old little boy with Down Syndrome waiting to be adopted in Ecuador...could you be his momma? Message me for details!

Currently it is 8:40pm here...and no news from our agency on the results of the meeting today with the social worker. I am believing God. His plans for us are good...but waiting is so hard! So we wait some more..all in God's timing, right?

Will update more when I hear something! Thank you for all your prayers. Praising God for the suspension being lifted and believing Him as we wait on our next step.

Having faith day by day.

2011-09-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks! Addie is thoroughly enjoying school. As soon as I tell her it's time to get ready for school, she high tails it for her bedroom and is so excited to get dressed and get her shoes and socks on.

She also started Hippotherapy and is absolutely in love with it. On her first time the therapists had her riding forward, side saddle both ways, and reverse! The drive home from the stable is about 20 minutes, and I got a play by play the whole way home. I think I got just as much from it as she did! My Uncle Gene has horses, and so she has been on a horse twice before, but was either with me or my Uncle...so to see her up there on her own was so awesome!

Adoption:
Since my last post, we had a very successful Flapjack Fundraiser at the Galseburg, IL Applebees. We are so humbled and blessed by all the support of everyone. We raised about $1400!! Praise God!

Last Thursday we were to be getting the official referral of Sister. However, several weeks ago, the social worker in Ecuador that reviews the family documents prior to assignment had requested some more documents to supplement what was already in our home study and reference letters. The social worker wants to ensure that we are capable to parent two children with Down syndrome. The first letter requested was a letter about family support, respite services, etc and the second letter was about the functioning and level of care for Addie. Of course, the second letter didn't get to Ecuador on time with a fed ex delay....so tomorrow afternoon our agency rep in Ecuador is meeting with the social worker to review our documents. PLEASE PRAY! If this meeting goes well and the social worker approves everything, then we could get our assignment very soon!

I know that they are just trying to be cautious...a couple of years ago a case involving a child with special needs to not go well and the child was removed from the home...so I guess they are covering all grounds....I just wish I could show them the hundreds of families that live here in the states that enjoy and love and thrive in their families of multiple children with Down syndrome. Sister is already part of our family and I just pray that God continues to keep these doors open and gets us past this bump in the road. I can't help but think of the families that have been denied their adoption of kids with Down syndrome for various reasons...having faith..

A huge praise last Thursday is that one of the families that we are walking this journey with did get their assignment. I am so happy for them and pray that even though we have not be assigned, we could still end up traveling about the same time.

The second family that we are walking this road with are to be assigned this Thursday...hopefully, but we also thought they could be assigned the last three Thursdays...so praying for them as well.

Joshua Tree has submitted all the new policies and procedures to the accreditation committee...those items were reviewed on Friday and prayerfully we hope to hear tomorrow that their suspension has been lifted.

I am really praying this week will go as we hope it could. This last week was a very rough one. Between the stress of the adoption ups and downs a friend suddenly lost their three year old daughter. I attended the visitation this afternoon and it was very difficult. There are so many things I know we will not understand this side of heaven, but I sure wish I did. If you think of it, please pray for the VanZee family..the coming weeks will be difficult, but I know that God will carrying them through it.

I am so thankful to be back in a Bible study this fall with a group of women I adore. Shalane and Sheralee are wonderful leaders and have challenged us to be more active with memorizing scripture. I am so excited to see the impact that this will have on all of us!

Until next time...

Insomnia, anxiety, and learning to trust in God's plan...

2011-09-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

"On August 26, 2011, the Council on Accreditation temporarily suspended the accreditation of Joshua Tree Adoptions, Inc. for failing to maintain substantial compliance with the Hague accreditation standards. This agency operates in Ecuador. During this suspension, Joshua Tree Adoptions, Inc. must cease to provide all adoption services in connection with cases covered under the Hague Convention. If you have an open case with this agency, please contact the adoption service provider directly to find out how this will affect your case. This suspension does not prohibit the adoption service provider from providing adoption services in connection with cases involving non-Hague countries.
The suspension will begin on August 27, 2011 and conclude when the accrediting entity has determined that the adoption service provider has completed the necessary corrective actions. Updated information will be provided on the adoption.state.gov website."

This is the notice that is on the adoption government website...our agency had sent us a letter last Sunday night explaining the situation....since this suspension is here in the states and is separate from the government in Ecuador, our agency isn't really clear on how exactly things are going to transpire in the coming weeks....and that leaves this momma unsettled....very unsettled. =(

God is in this. God is in this. God is in this. He can do all things. We will get Sister home.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipeans 4:6-7

According to our agency, a minor complaint was filed in 201 that caused the accreditation agency to look closed at all policies, procedures, and programs that Joshua Tree offers. Joshua Tree got the necessary documents to them and the complaint was resolved. However, since it cause the accreditation people to look very closely at all of Joshua Tree's policies and procedures, they have been asked to make some very specific changes to these policies and procedures, and then submit that to the accreditation agency...so until these new policies and procedures are approved and in place....everything is on hold....sigh....

I've been starting to deal with some insomnia...waking up in the night and can't fall back asleep and then the anxiety is causing some ugly traits to come out, specifically at my hubby...not cool....the devil is trying to work on both Zac and I...but he's not going to win this. God Is. He Will. He Can.

We are USCIS approved and are to be getting our "official referral" of Sister on Sept. 15th. There are also three other families that are to be getting their "official referral" in a different city in Ecuador this Thursday. Would you please join me in prayer this Thursday and next Thursday as we wait and see how this lovely story is going to play out?

"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; He won't leave you" Deut. 31:6

We will get Sister home....not on my own timing, but God's...no matter when that is, we will be thankful. So. very. THANKFUL.

USCIS Approved for I-800A

2011-08-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

After two months we are finally USCIS I-800A approved! We mailed the form on June 18th and the approval was dated Aug. 19th. We received it in the mail on Aug. 24th! (this is for all those future adoptees looking for timelines...because I've been scouring the web for them! LOL)

And, of course, God used this day to further the evidence of His might hand bringing our daughter home. The same day we got our USCIS approval we received a significant donation check in the mail. How cool is that?! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, not only financially, but emotionally as well...it's been a long road and it's not over yet. =)

So now what? The assignment committee meets in Cuenca on Sept. 15th. So we PRAY PRAY PRAY that our case/dossier will be reviewed and approved. We are on the roster to be reviewed, but there have been times that the committee will reschedule their meeting, or not review all the cases, etc, etc...so we are asking for prayer that the committee does meet on the 15th and that they do review and approve our case!!

Once we are approved with the assignment committee we will get the "official referral" of our little girl. We then submit that referral back to USCIS here in the states and wait for approval of Sister....praying that it doesn't take the 2 months that it took for Zac and I to be approved. Once Sister is USCIS approved we will send that back to Ecuador and then we get a travel date! We are nearing these final steps. So exciting but so much to be praying that all goes without hiccups so that we can spend Christmas in IOWA with our girls! Can I just say how much I enjoy typing GIRLS!!! LOVE IT!!!

We are still throwing around the idea of taking Addie with us...but there are so many what ifs. 6 -8 weeks without her momma would be very hard on her and then to have me come home with another child would just not go well. But with her heart issues she can't be a certain elevations, so I have to check with her cardiologist to get his input. Our pediatrician is willing to send a prescription with us to use if she were to get sick so we could avoid a trip to the dr....but I just don't know what the best answer is and I have yet to feel like God is really pushing us one way or the other. I know that it would be easier on Sister to have the sole attention of Zac and I, but again, I just don't know...something to continue to pray about...

We have a fundraiser coming up on Sept. 17th back in IL where Zac and I grew up at the Applebees in Galseburg. They do "Flapjack Fundraisers"....tickets are $5 and we give Applebees $1 for each ticket sold and the rest is ours...so it's a pretty good deal! Just have to help bus tables and that's it! So if you're in the area, come join us! Sept. 17th 8am-10am.

In non-adoption news Addie has started school and is LOVING it. She comes home so happy and content and her teach has been awesome. She is also riding the bus, which was a very hard decision, but once Sister comes home she'd have to ride the bus then, so we decided that it would be best to start now so it's not such a change later....but the good news is she loves riding the bus and the driver and his rider (picture your grandma and grandpa) are amazing. Every day when they come to drop her off, as the doors of the bus open I always here Addie yelling MOMMA!!! and waving her hands real big...yeah, that will NEVER get old! Love that kid.

Online fundraiser to be coming very soon! Our last push to Bring Sister Home!!!

Fundraising, Adoption, and DS Convention Update

2011-08-12T08:23:00.001-05:00

We had our second adoption fundraiser garage sale a couple weeks ago. We ended up raising $1300!!!! Praise God! Just another confirmation that this is HIS plan. My amazing friend Sarah and I have done garage sales every year for the past 3 years and NEVER have we made that much money...usually $300 or so....it just amazes me. Seriously in awe of the God we serve! Thank you to all who came out and shopped, donated items to sell, and just simply supported us!! THANK YOU!

Last week, Addie and I were so blessed to be able to travel to San Antonio to the National Down Syndrome Conference. Zac, Addie, my mom, and my cousin and I went last year, so it was a bit different just going with Addie and I. But with trying to save every single extra dime to bring Sister home, it was best to just go with Addie and I. We had a hard time deciding to go until the Lord provided our hotel room to us for FREE!! Thank you Amy and Maria!!! Then, we received TWO conference scholarships...one from our local DS support group and the other from Family 2 Family Iowa. SO THANKFUL! We would not have been able to go had it not been for all of these things happening. Addie and I had an AMAZING time and were able to catch up with people we met last year, as well as meet so many new families. LOVE LOVE LOVE our DS friends. SO THANKFUL! I was terrible about taking pics, but so many people have posted pics to my FB page, so feel free to go and take a look! I'm still trying to get them all saved to my computer so I can get them posted on here!

As far as our adoption....well...it is going....slow, but it is moving along....still waiting for our USCIS approval. Another family that is adopting finally got their approval after 18 weeks! (we're in our 8th week of waiting) We know that this is all in God's timing, so I am trying to be patient but it is SO HARD! Once we receive our USCIS approval then we submit our dossier to Ecuador, then we will receive the official referal of Sister, then we submit that to USCIS for approval of Sister here in the states, THEN...we wait for a travel date....so we are still PRAYING HARD that we will be getting Sister before Christmas. It makes me sick to my stomach that we might not make it before Christmas...but we can only pray.

We have raised about $8K and still have another almost $9K left to go (see chipin icon on sidebar)...we will be having an online fundraiser coming up in the next couple of weeks! So thankful for all of the support!

I will try to get pictures posted soon!

What's taking so long?!

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

It isn't a secret that I don't have patience. I'm starting to worry that the mail carrier thinks I'm a nut job...really I'm not....*no comments needed* I'm quite sure that adopting Sister is in God's Plan. All doors have been so completely wide open that it is without doubt that she is meant to be our daughter.

We had a USCIS appointment scheduled for our fingerprinting on July 28th. However, we needed to go to Des Moines (a 2 hour drive from us) to get our apostilles and after a friend suggested we try a walk in, we figured why not?! I called the office and they said they can't guarantee we'd get it, but we could try...so we did and ended up getting in and out in less than 20 minutes! Getting our apostilles took longer, but we got to tour the Capitol building while we were waiting, which was really pretty cool!

So now we wait...Brigette...a local adoptive mommy friend had a lucky occurrence where they had gotten their approval from USCIS after their fingerprinting in less than a week...so I thought, yeah, it could happen! But it's been a week and no approval so we shall wait some more. I can't help but think, Ok, we'll have it by next friday, when in reality, it may be several more weeks...yeah, and I'm not so good at this waiting thing...

We were able to submit our dossier to the country for translation so that once we are approved through USCIS that the dossier will be ready to be sent for approval...then we just have to submit our I-800 for Sister, wait for approval again and then wait for a travel date....why does there seem to be a reoccurrence of the word WAIT. *sigh*

Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

So yes, Lord. I get it...well, I like to think I got it, but really, unless I continue to fall at His feet day after day there really is no way I can get through this. I want my daughter home. I want her in my arms.

Zac - in his...we need to be debt free thinking...says that it is a good thing that we have to wait...cause right now we're really not sure where the money would come from...where I think...um, we go to the bank and say give us a loan NOW or my wife might go ape wild on you!

We have paid out a little of $5K in adoption costs and have atleast another $12K yet to go...it is overwhelming if you think about it, but I know that the Lord will help us on this as well. We have applications for about 15 grants/scholarships that are going out this week...so prayerfully one or two of those will come through and help us out.

We have another adoption fundraiser garage sale coming up on July 29th and 30th, ~~what a great way to spend our 5th anniversary (July 29th)~~, and a friend is helping to put together an online fundraiser as well...so we'll get there...

We were so blessed to have our photographer friend - that was the one that originally introduced us to a picture of Sister - travel again to Ecuador. She blessed us with pictures and stories of Sister. Pictures that my husband couldn't and can't look at without tearing up. Have I mentioned my husband rocks?

We then had an anonymous donor give money to my friend to get us copies of these pictures...framed and all...they even insisted that one of these framed pics goes with Zac to work...I mean really, how cool is that?! Zac and I had just been talking that we really couldn't afford to purchase pics because we have been putting so much into our adoption account to get Sister home. We serve an AMAZING God. All Knowing God.

I have been reminded by quite a few people to enjoy this time...these last few months of just the three of us in our family...all the one on one time with Addie...my little superhero. =)

And my little artist.

Prayers Needed! and an update.

2011-06-20T23:57:00.000-05:00

Our I-800a form has been mailed to immigration (INS) and now we wait....the time frame they give is 60-90 days, however, another adoptive DS mom had luck with contacting her congressman to help expedite their application...got approval in 3 weeks! Anyway, we are asking for prayers to move our application along quickly. We sent a letter asking for it to be expedited...we shall see what happens.

Now the I-800a is mailed, we can start compiling all documents for the dossier and making sure all is notarized, apostiled, etc...fun times. We are also spending most nights filling out applications for no interest loans/grants to help fund our adoption...this is such a time consuming task, but we know that the Lord will provide the funds we need.

The group dando amor, that helped us to "find" Sister, is back in Ecuador this week. I know that there are so many more orphans there that need forever families, so just praying that God could use this group for the desires of His heart.

We had our main fundraiser on June 4th...a pancake breakfast, silent auction, and bake sale. We had a fantastic turnout....served about 300 people, and we raised $5000!!!!! How awesome is that?! A big huge THANK YOU to all who came out, donated, prayed, and helped! It has just been amazing to see God working in all of this to get His child into our home.

Another huge blessing is the people that we have met through an adoption forum who have been giving us great advice and encouragement as we go through the process. I am so thankful for every person that God has brought into our lives...I really think I need to start listing out all of the ways God has shown us without a doubt in our minds that bringing Sister home is His will for us....it is just humbling and mind-boggling! It's kind of fun to know that He is just getting started in this journey! I'm so excited to see where both Zac and I are going to be at in our walk with our heavenly Father when Sister is home...I just can't even put into words how exciting it is.

In non-adoption news, Zac and I had been trying to decide if it would be financially possible for Addie and I to go to the National Down Syndrome Convention in San Antonio in August...Zac can't go since he has to save all of his vacation for our trip to Ecuador. Well, once again God completely provided a way for Addie and I to go. We got awarded a scholarship from our local support group, then we found plane tickets super cheap, and then I had a friend ask Addie and I to room with them....and oh yeah, the room is FREE!! How amazing is that?! Then, I could have been stuck with my room reservation, but then found out about a new adoptive DS momma that was in need of a room, so I was able to just transfer my reservation to her! I am so excited for our trip and so thankful for God to provide such a great means for us to go!

If you are going to convention, please leave a note and let me know! I did such a terrible job of keeping track of all of the families we met last year...going to try to do better this year!

Gnight!

Working hard to bring Sister home!

2011-05-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

Here is the flyer for our fundraiser...THANK YOU to Lindsay for designing the flyer!
Thank you to Heather for managing the bake sale!
Thank you to Bethany for helping bring in donations!

Some of the items in the silent auction
Plasma Car from Intelligent Life Toys
Stampin Up Sets from
Destiny bracelet from FunkyFish Designs
Bow's/Tutu's by Jill basket
handmade stationary by Celeste
Family portrait session by Tanya
Pampered Chef basket
homemade noodles by Cheryl
handmade cards by Jamie
31 basket
Norwex basket
Lia Sophia basket
Mary Kay basket
Three pictures from Lemstone Christian Bookstore
Marion Pool passes
Veggie Tales DVD's from Family Christian Bookstore
Sauce basket from Buffalo Wild Wings

I'll keep adding as they come it! Can't wait!

So what are you doing now?

2011-05-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

Many people have asked what's next, when do we get Sister, why does it take so long....so I thought I'd give a little blurb for ya'll..

We meet for our 3rd and final home study visit on Sunday in Des Moines (I'll be up there for the Women of Faith conference and our social worker lives there!) Our social worker will notarize the items that I need notarized and then I can send in for apostiling (a document from the state for every document stating you "own" it) It costs $5 per apostile and we need over 20....yeah, you do that math, it adds up!

Our social worker will get us the final home study to review and then we should be able to submit our I-800A form with $1000 to immigration with our home study by May 24th, if not before. We then have to wait for approval for immigration to give us a fingerprinting date to go to Des Moines to be fingerprinted. This process typically takes 60-90 days but we are praying that with a little intervention from our congressman and a letter of urgency about Sister needing to get home quickly due to the Down syndrome and possible other medical issues, we are PRAYING we could get approval in about a month....but once again, we know this is in God's hands. There is WAY too much He has done to help us bring our daughter home to not believe His hand has been in every step.

Once we are fingerprinted and get approval of our I-800A we then can send our dossier over to get the full assignment of Sister. This can take 1-3 months, but again, we are praying that with a little intervention, we can have it move quickly. The government where Sister is at meets every Thursday for approval of adoptions so we are going to have some hard core prayers going up that our case can be approved quickly!

Once our dossier and full assignment of Sister happens, we just have to file another immigration form here in the states (I-800). Once Sister is approved here in the states, the US government cables that info to where Sister is at and we get a travel date!

So...with God all things are possible...and that is exactly what we are going on. We are praying that we will get the quick route on all things and that we can travel by Sister's 4th birthday in September. It's all in God's plans for our family....we can just hope that the goal of having Sister home in September came from Him! =)

We are having a pancake fundraiser with a bake sale and silent auction on June 4th. If you like to donate to the silent auction or bake, send me an email! Thank you!

Help bring Sister home!

2011-04-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

Let the fundraising begin! =) As Zac and I were praying about bringing this little girl home, we knew there was no way we could afford to do this. When it's all said and done we'll be needing a little over $15K to bring our little girl home. But we know that we serve an awesome God. He will provide all our needs during this time. If you feel led, feel free to click the Chipin on the sidebar and be the first to contribute. Thank you!

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Prov. 24:1

ARC March

2011-04-06T21:17:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Addie and I participated in our area's ARC March. (Zac was working) Our family rep from the ARC took this picture of Addie and I...pretty cute pic minus the fact that I was running way late and didn't have any make up on...oh well...I'm a mom. =) Yes, we have matching jackets, and yes, I will find another one so Sister has a matching one as well.

wordless wednesday

2011-04-06T00:20:00.001-05:00

Addie's getting a sister!

2011-04-05T18:03:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's true, there is a #2 in the works. However, said #2 is a beautiful little girl with Down syndrome who is in an international country. This is something that has been on Erin's heart for a very long time. After some friends of ours traveled on a missions trip and met her in an orphanage and then Zac saw her picture and we both spent lots of time in prayer considering all things, it was unanimous. Baby girl was meant to be a Harlan.

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Prov. 24:1

We know many of you will be confused, asking why, or think we're nuts. And that is OK. Erin has felt lead to these orphans for over a year now. Zac more recently started discussing and praying about the idea and we are both very excited! We just ask that you would consider praying for our family during this time and especially our little girl sitting in an orphanage not knowing her momma and daddy....yet.

More info to come, but wanted the first post to be to the point =). We are praying she will be able to come home to celebrate with us by Christmas. We would love to have her home by her 4th birthday in September, and so we're praying for the God of miracles to do just that...give us a beautiful miracle.

To the general public, for privacy reasons until the adoption is final, she is a little girl with Down syndrome in a foreign country that desperately needs to be saved and brought to our little home to grow old with her sister.

Thank you so much for your support thus far in Adelynn's Journey and we look forward to seeing our story continue with the addition of another chromosomally enhanced little girl.

Blessings!
Yes, we are calling her Sister...as that is what Addie says when she sees her picture...and until we can use her name on here...we lovingly call her Sister!

Preschool pics

2010-09-07T11:14:00.001-05:00

Daddy is having a harder time with this than I am! Addie will ALWAYS be his baby.

Big girl ready for 2 year old preschool! She thinks she's big stuff with her big girl book bag.

Washing babies....could care less that mommy was leaving.

Ok mommy, you can go now.

2 year old preschool

2010-09-06T20:55:00.000-05:00

My baby is going to preschool tomorrow. It is something I have contemplated for a very long time. I have mixed emotions about it all but know that time will tell if I have made the right decision. I have prayed about it, mulled it over and over with anyone who would listen and the day has come. Addie starts 2 year old preschool tomorrow.

Zac is an emotional wreck. His baby is growing up faster than he can keep up and it makes him sad. ( I know it will help once we have a baby #2 here, but God has had other plans...) I am really not emotional about it, just very nervous. I want it to work out so very badly, but I have said all along I will be ok if it is not a good fit or just not time for her to be in preschool yet. If it doesn't work now, I will try again after the holidays. But you can bet I am praying hard core for it to work now. I want my girl to walk in there and blow all those teachers and parents minds away. It is just Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12. The teacher has had two other children with Down syndrome her classroom a couple years ago, so that does make me feel better. She has not with held her concerns, and really that is ok, she is being honest with me, and I have to respect that. At the meet and greet last week Addie met a new friend that went out to the playground for a while so that was pretty neat to see another child accept her who hasn't grown up with her like our close friends' children.
I know that Addie is doing well for a 2 year old with Down syndrome. But how well is she doing? Yes, she has over 100 signs, and lots of words, but other 2 year olds don't understand sign language and that moooooo to Addie is cow.....so we'll see. I go to bed praying that this very large back pack that sits in front of me will only bring home lots of notes from her teachers saying how well she is doing and that she isn't tackling children too terribly often. (We have always let her wrestle with our friends little boy Lincoln as well as my nephew Corbett and I fear it is about to nip us in the butt)

I will be sure to post pics tomorrow of her first day of school. It is sure to be an adventure!

On a side note....I am back to blogging, we will see if it sticks. Mainly I just realize how quickly Addie is growing up and I don't have time for scrapbooking to keep track of her progress, so this is really the best way....

She is ready and we are doing the right thing.

Are you going to Orlando?

2010-05-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

Kellie over at Life with E's is making badges for anyone who is going to the convention in Orlando so we can all identify each other in this blog land! Go here and leave a comment or email her so we can all identify each other! Can't wait!!

Sure to make you smile....but turn down your volume. =)

2010-04-21T07:32:00.003-05:00

Addie was in a bit of a silly mood last night...so I thought I'd share. =)

Almost there!

2010-04-21T07:16:00.005-05:00

This video was taken last saturday...Addie started doing this friday night...and just from friday until now it is amazing how far she has come! Walking will be in our near future!! (you'll want to turn your volume down...I'm a bit loud)

Need suggestions

2010-03-09T09:13:00.002-06:00

I am looking to purchase a book to keep on hand to teach other children about Addie and why she might be a little different to them. I have My Friend Isabelle and My Friend Has Down Syndrome, and I really don't like either of them....any other suggestions?

It has not really been much of an issue with our friends' children, however I did have an encounter with a mom and her four year old who had not seen Addie since she was a baby and the 4 year old asked her mom why Addie looked different? So my heart just sank and her mom did a decent job of explaining, but we were both caught off guard. So, I think it is time to purchase some books to keep on hand for times like that.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Cousin Corbett and Evelyn

2010-02-23T19:53:00.002-06:00

Aren't they cute?! My sister sent this to me on her phone, and I just had to share it!

What do you do for cheap family fun?

2010-02-23T19:32:00.003-06:00

My friend Loretta over at Rhett's Blog has posted her top 10 cheap family fun things to do. Not sure if I have 10 for the whole family, but here is a few for family and date nights....

7. pack up the car and go camping...although we haven't done this since Addie was born...probably need to wait till she's a bit older.

6. go to a coffee shop and just enjoy each others company

5. Watch a tv show or movie on hulu.com....it's free!

4. Play a game... preferably scrabble. =)

3. call my sister or my parents and grandparents on skype and watch the kids enjoy each other

2. go for a drive and just find new places, new campgrounds, new parks, look at houses, look at nature, etc...

1. lay on the living room floor with Zac and Addie and both dogs and just let everyone crawl and play all over...good memories.

So, what's your top 10? And go visit Rhett and tell her I said hello! =)

Picture catch up.

2010-02-22T13:25:00.004-06:00

Nana and Addie enjoyed some cuddle time over the weekend.....yeah, she's not spoiled!

Addie (after much convincing from her mom) got a new puppy for Christmas. A Poochon - Bichon frise and toy poodle mix...Mia is her name and Addie just loves her. Although now she has learned how to feed her food from her tray, so that's great.....

Addie and her Christmas dress...yeah, she's a ham and she knows it....

Of course we had to have a matching dress for baby!

My baby is growing up!

Remember these two cousin buddies?

There's now three! And oh how Addie and Corbett have changed! Congrats Dave and Leslie on your beautiful daughter Evelynn Gale! 12/30/09

Most pictures end up like this....any real baby can be thrown around like my doll babies, right?

This started out to be a good one....

Until Addie wanted to pick up Evie....yeah, we have some work to do before we decide to have baby #2....

Contentment

2010-02-19T12:58:00.002-06:00

Random ramblings of what's in my head today....

Contentment. Just trying to be content with what we have and what God has given us. That has been my goal lately. I realized over the last couple of months that I get myself so worked up over what Addie is and isn't doing. Why is she sticking her tongue out so much, why is she moving her hand like that, why isn't she walking, why isn't she talking, why isn't she signing more....and then I ask if I am doing enough. Enough PT, OT, ST, working with her on signs, working on walking, working on talking, etc....and I have come to realize that I have NO control in this. NONE. ZIP. ZERO. NONE.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipeans 4:6-7.

peace that transcends understanding......peace. Peace to know that God is looking out for our better good. Addie's best interest. Whatever is going to be best for her. He is going to make it happen. He is in charge. He is the ultimate therapists. Sure all the therapy helps, but in the end..really...it's all up to Him. So what am I getting at? I really don't know actually. It's just my thoughts today and it is really giving me a great amount of peace.

Addie has been sick on and off all winter. Croup, pneumonia, then croup again, and now this nasty virus that just won't go away. And I worry, and worry, and worry. But I'm done with that...I'm giving it up and giving it to the Almighty Physician. Today I can be worry free and hopefully tomorrow and the next day...we shall see but I can't run myself ragged over thinking I'm not doing enough for her. If she doesn't walk by my sisters wedding on July 31st, then she won't and it will be just fine. God is in control.

I find it so interesting that so many people are into whatever is bigger, better, more expensive. And it is SOOOO very easy to get to that frame of mind. Recently Zac and I started looking at building a new house. It is what we desire in the next several years but thought maybe it was time now....and then in all of it I realize there was absolutely no reason for us to move. To don't have to worry about school districts yet, we like our neighbors, we have a great neighborhood, we have more than plenty of room, so why would we move right now? Because we thought we needed bigger and better...yeah, NOT a reason to move. So here we are going to stay. Content. Our basement remodel is almost done and then we'll have that project complete. And we can be content, not wanting more, not wishing we had better. And really, I am completely fine with that.

I challenge anyone who reads this to focus on being content today. It is a challenge, it isn't always easy. But when you find it, it's really quite nice. Good luck! =)

Re-Committing to the blog....

2010-02-16T14:10:00.002-06:00

Yep, I'm going to try at this again. It has been WAAAY to long. I am terrible at keeping up with Addie's baby book, so this is the best way to record her milestones...so I have decided that this needs to be a priority and I just have to not let myself sit for hours and hours reading blogs like I used to.

So, a quick update. Addie is 19 months. She is taking 5-6 steps between two people and is SO proud of herself. I'd say that's her biggest milestone right now. She walks with her walker all over the place, but won't go with out it. If she doesn't want to it's not happenin. She crawls like a pro and can get away from you in the middle of a diaper change faster than anything. She pulls up on anything she can and if she has gotten out of sight, you can usually find her in the bathroom trying to climb into the tub...She LOVES her baths! She has decided that its fun to climb on everything, including her activity tables so she can reach and get to anything I have put on the couch to be out of her reach...so that's great......NOT!

She is working on some words..Daisy (our dog) and yes. Da da and Ma ma are there as well as Na na (grandma) and pa pa with a lot of convincing, she did say baby over the weekend, but have not yet gotten it out of her since then....so we're working on that. She can say moo and baa and it is the cutest thing ever...whenever you say cow or she sees a picture of a cow her little lips pucker up and she moos away...

She loves to point. Only with the right hand, left hand is a bit behind on that...she has a great pincer on the right, but not so much on the left. Left side has always been weeker. It's the left side that is keeping her from walking. It's just not strong enough yet so we'll see...

We are continuing with Signing Times and she is really eating it up. I need to count but I would guess she has about 20 signs, which is pretty cool. Her newest ones are yellow and please. Again, she isn't using them to ask for things but when we say the word she will sign it...so still trying to get her to use her signs to get what she wants...hopefully this will come soon because it's really frustrating to have her whine and whine only to realize she just wanted a drink!

She's eating a ton and is becoming more picky about some foods she eats...Her favorite by far is PB &J, mandarin oranges, grapes, goldfish crackers, and pirates booty. And of course anything sweet like coffee cake or cookies..

She has 12 teeth..I guess kids with DS might night get their eye teeth and hers seem to be no where in sight...so who knows there....Her middle teeth have the big ol gap that I had so it's pretty cute...I'm sure braces will be in her future. Lucky her.

Her hair is finally coming in and getting thicker...little curls in the back which is pretty cute. She sports a fountain pony pretty good! Can't wait for pig tails and pony tails in her future. =).

We are currently doing in home therapy of ST, PT, OT, and the teacher twice a month with private PT and ST once a week. It has been really good for idea to have both environments to learn in and seems to be working well for her.

We are continuing with Nutrivene D, which we started in October and have really seem some neat changes since starting the vitamins. She also takes Vit D3, Omega 3, and is going to be starting Juice Plus as soon as they come! She is terrible at eating veggies, so I think this will help me feel better about that!! A big thanks to Bethany over at Life with Bubba, Chicky, and Nika for all her help getting these things going! =)

I have tons a pics on need to get posted as well as some cute videos of Addie walking. She loves her babies and most days can be found playing with her babies and putting them into either the baby crib or her baby strollers and pushing them around. Babies goes everywhere with us...

I haven't been reading many blogs, ok, actually, none, but really felt like it was good for me to read and there is a lot of knowledge out there to know...so.....here I go, I'm re committing to blogging and to reading up on my favorite blogs...so thanks for reading and stay tuned! =)

Happy Heart Day Baby Girl!!

2009-10-23T21:43:00.006-05:00

Yes a year ago this is the sad sight we had to look....but Addie has continued to amaze us all over the last year....

She now has 7 signs and is working on walking with a walker! Who would have thought that a year ago this little girl had just been through major surgery! These pics are courtesy of Tiffanie Lloyd Photography. (Thanks Tiff!)

Addie has just blown us away since doctors repaired her tiny little heart....just amazing....

Yes, we have been busy, but I hope to get you all caught up on the last two months over the next couple of days....and A LOT has been happening!

Happy heart day baby girl! You are so very loved by your mommy and daddy! And lots of family and friends!

Sugery

2009-08-15T21:33:00.002-05:00

Well, considering it has been quite some time since I posted last...I figured I better get it done...last thursday the 13th Addie had sugery to open her tear ducts in both eyes as well as having tubes placed....it all went well aside from her being VERY aggitated when she came out of surgery and then she was starting to cough very badly and wheezing....the anesthesiologist came back out and said it was mainly from the intubation (they had to do a full intubation) her sats were fine, it just scared the crap out of me and sounded horrible....she finally fell asleep in my moms arms, so it made it much better on all of us...

We had spent wed. night in the hotel in IA city due to our check in time being 5:45 am...and of course, Addie slept horrible that night...so between mom and I we were up most of the night (Zac was on a hiking trip in CO that we had decided he needed to go on). Mom and I were very, very tired, but the surgery seemed to go pretty quickly and everything went as planned. We all were able to be home by Thursday afternoon and all were able to get some rest.

Addie is doing very well, her eyes look SO much better already...I am anxious to see if she will pass her hearing screen now that she has the tubes..we follow up for the exam in September..

Other than that not much new on the home front. I have quit my summer job to stay at home as it just wasn't worth it with trying to manage work, Addie's appts, and everything else...so at home I will be. I am going to work at Addie's in home daycare a couple of days a week so Addie can continue to get all of the interactions with the other kids.

We also have the Buddy Walk coming up Oct. 3rd so I have a ton of work I need to get done to get ready for that.

I will get another update soon on Addie's progress..

Weekend in Naperville

2009-07-26T09:40:00.002-05:00

We spent last weekend in Naperville to take grandma to see Mary Poppins in Chicago...I didn't get any pics from Mary Poppins, but here are some fun ones from the weekend...

Addie and Corbett love books!

Watching signing times....please excuse my bedhead and horrible posture!

Addie fell in love with Corbett's doll (which was bought to teach him to be nice to babies) and played inside this tunnel with the Bob the baby for quite a long time! Needless to say, Addie now has her own baby...

She gave Bob hugs....

And kisses....

and more hugs.....

and they held hands.....

Now we just have to find one of these tunnels for home! She loved it! Thanks Corbett for sharing your baby and tunnel!

Birthday party picture catch up....only a month late...

2009-07-26T09:28:00.004-05:00

Trying to take pictures....first her hand went into the cake.....

Then her foot went into the cake......

So we stripped her down and let her go......

This kid has a sweet tooth! She was covered from head to toe! Literally!

Addie's family birthday party was true farm style....had the party in the machine shed so cake could go everywhere!

And you can see here, Zac has had a midlife crisis at 29....shaved his head cause he's "thinning" on top.....

And of course we had to play in the pool with cousin Corbett!

Happy Birthday Addie

2009-07-01T11:34:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday to my dear baby girl! You are resting peacefully in your crib, but when your nap is over we're going to party!!
Pictures to come soon....

Baby Smash and Army Crawling

2009-06-25T22:22:00.003-05:00

Zac is a minor computer eh....geek...and one of his fellow programmers developed this program called baby smash that makes noises when the keys are hit...and Addie loves it...

http://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/

Vitamins, Supplements, and DS....what are your thoughts?

2009-06-19T22:52:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know I may be opening a big door for disagreements, but I would really like to know what people' s thoughts are on supplements and vitamins for our kiddos with DS..i.e. Nutrivene, Fish oil, etc....

Addie is going to be one and I am just starting to really look into these things and would like some imput...

Good and bad, good success, bad success, etc....

Picture Catch Up

2009-06-09T22:08:00.005-05:00

Addie was at grandma and papa's while Zac and I were at a wedding.....pretty sure this pic was taken WAY past Addie's bed time, but I guess cousin Corbett had requested a late night wagon ride, ok, it was probably only like 8:00.....

This pic just makes me laugh. My sister, Kellie, and her fiance, Brian, along with my mom, dad and of course the cat, dog, and Kellie's dog....LOL...not really sure where they were going!

Papa bought this hat for Addie last summer...and it finally fits this summer! Grandma had been in town and taken Addie shopping...along with some new keds, she also scored these cute flip flops! Addie's getting so good at standing pretty much on her own....now if we could just get her to crawl!!

And here was the fun of our evening tonight. She has learned to double fist it from her father. One of each of her fav's, Wheels in one hand and biter buscuit in the other!

MMMMMMMmmmmmmm!

My messy girl! Who wants to clean her up?

Daisy will! (I know it looks like Daisy is licking her mouth...but I promise mom, it was just her chin!)

This is fun mom!

Clean baby! Have I mentioned that as soon as Addie is done with her bath we go into her bedroom for massage and lotion, and tickles, and kisses...anyways, she has now decided that is time to roll, squirm and giggle away from me as fast as she can! It is too cute!

Cute!

Hope you enjoyed!

MR Waiver, Army crawling, and treadmill walking

2009-05-29T21:55:00.003-05:00

Yeah, you could say we've had a lot going on lately...Obviously as you can tell working full time is royally kicking my butt! Anyway....I have videos and a ton of pics to post, including Addie's first time swimming...which she LOVED!! Now her baths well....I get a bath too!

Last week we went to the University and got qualified for the MR Waiver. This is a state program that we will get respite care, which is trained in home care so Zac and I can have dates, etc., there are lots of other services that come along with the waiver, but many of them won't start until Addie is older. The big helper is that we will get Title 19, so we'll now have that for her secondary insurance, so hopefully that will take care of the extra bills each month! To get qualified she has to have a defecit..I think it is 25% but not sure...and the psychologist that worked with her and asked us the question deemed her to be meeting that defecit. VERY hard to hear, but I just have to remind myself that it is the best thing for her. We saw the Dr. in the DS clinic and she was very pleased at how Addie was doing. So that made us feel better after meeting with her...

We return to the U next week to get Addie's eyes checked. One tear duct has opened, but the other has not, so guessing we'll be looking at surgery at the beginning of June to open up the other tear duct.

Addie isn't crawling yet, and still has no teeth, but she is army crawling and going all over the place. I just keep thinking she'll be crawling any day now...but who knows..I just keep working with her and hoping it will happen soon....

At PT this week our PT decided we should try the treadmill...I was somewhat shocked when she said it, but then when we stood Addie up on it, she just loved it and did great! I am even more excited because our therapy center has a grant that has enabled them to purchase treadmills...so we get to loan one out so we can have this mini treadmill at home! We pick it up monday!!! I am just so excited!

Last weekend we were back at the farm to celebrate my little sisters engagement and my older sisters second baby to be announcement! So lots happening in 2010! This weekend we have a wedding in Des Moines and Addie is heading to the farm with my mom as she drove up tonight to get her...

When will life slow down?!

Great Video

2009-05-09T22:51:00.005-05:00

My faith isn't something I have talked about on here often. SOmetimes I wish I was better about being able to witness through my blog, but that's not the reason I blog...so it just doesn't happen. One of the big things I have been worried about with Addie is how we are going to teach her about Jesus and how long is it going to take her to learn and then ask Jesus into her heart. I have friends whose children have asked Jesus into their heart at an early age...and I want that so much for Addie. It is funny how God puts things into our hands when we need it most. I haven't had time to blog lately and if Addie had been here this weekend I woulnd't have taken time to watch this video. But Addie is at Grandma and Papa's and Zac is having some relaxing time watching a move he'd been wanting to watch, I've worked all day, so here I sit....and just had to get this posted. I know...I KNOW for sure without a doubt in my mind that Addie will know Jesus. She will love Him. She will have a childlike faith her whole life...something I wish I could keep for just a week. I know it, I just do. God will help Zac and I to teach Addie who He is in whatever way we need to teach her...I just feel so good about it. Thank you Ruby's mom for posting this. You have truly blessed me and my family tonight. Zac and I sit here crying watching this. The last two minutes is what really did me in...if you don't have time to watch the whole video, just fast forward to the last couple of minutes..you will be blessed.

http://www.joniandfriendstv.org/video.php?id=5

Overnight guest

2009-04-24T21:06:00.004-05:00

Tuesday night this past week we had an overnight guest. Hailey had been wanting to come stay at our house for quite some time, and we decided that night was as good as any! Hailey's mom is having twins that are due in October, so when better to break a four year old in, right? Hailey got to help feed, bath, undress and dress Addie and the highlight of the night was getting to give Addie her bottle...hope you
enjoy the pics as much as we enjoyed having Hailey! Come back soon!

Easter egg pics

2009-04-15T12:37:00.002-05:00

Look at all these eggs I found!

Can someone please help me get this open?!

mmmmmm....snickers....

Great Grandma puts money in eggs!! WOW!

Now if I could just get all these eggs open!

Happy 1st Birthday Corbett!

2009-04-15T12:31:00.002-05:00

My nephew turned 1 yesterday and we celebrated this past weekend by the traditional messy cake eating! I can't believe he is one!! Happy birthday Corbett!

Messy girl

2009-04-15T12:28:00.001-05:00

This is from a couple of months ago...but just cleaning out my camera...this is what happens after a biter buscuit followed by letting miss Addie attempt to feed herself! It was for sure a bath night!

Holy cow, where has the time gone and my baby is 9 months old!!

2009-04-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

Wow, last post was March 13th...it's now April 7th....WHERE has the time gone? Seriously. No. Joke. Where did it go?!
Well...for those that don't know I am now working full time...just for the spring and summer...but still, a big, ok HUGE change for our family..and especially Addie. I started working full time last week...I was just working part time prior to that. I finally found a WONDERFUL in home daycare provider and Addie gets so excited each day when I drop her off...so that must be a good sign. She has already made some new friends and the care providers, Lyn and Cori have been sure to take some cute pics to show me. A huge thank you to my friends Emily, Kari, and Sarah for helping me get through the time prior to finding full time daycare...couldn't have done it without you guys! THank you!!

My official title is Assistant Aquatic Coordinator for the City of CR...lengthy, and really basically just means I help supervise the city pools (all 5 of them) and help to manage the lifeguards, cash/con people, and swim instructors. I am really excited for the summer to start as the prep has been pretty enjoyable thus far. I think it has been really good for me to get out, have more adult conversations and feel more like I am accomplishing something during the day. There are downfalls for sure, like not spending as much time with Addie, no more days at the park, and I just can't get past the feeling of worrying that Addie is going to fall behind because I'm not working with her as much.....but I remind myself that this really is for the better and Addie will do just fine. Pretty sure she tried to prove that to me last week when on Sunday she wasn't doing stuff that by friday she was....so yeah, I think this daycare thing is really good for her too..

Zac has taken over being the family cook which has been AWESOME!!! He loves finding new recipes and seeing how they turn out and I enjoy not having to worry about dinner, doing the grocery shopping, or the clean up! Yeah, my husband rocks and I am really lucky. I know. LOL.

Addie had her 9 month appt. last week and all is going well. She is gaining weight like a champ...up to 16 pounds now and she is 27 1/2 inches long...95% on the DS growth charts...She is eating all sorts of finger foods, mum mums, puffs, biter buscuits, the hole shabang...Hopefully all this eating will get her growing a bit more as I am REALLY getting sick of her 6 month clothes...yep, 6 month still fits her, they are getting more snug, couple outfits have had to be put away, but for the most part still wearing them...guessing in the next couple of weeks we should be able to put them away I hope!! She is just so long but her waist is so tiny!!!

We are heading back to IL for Easter break. Zac has some much needed time off and I also took some days off..so tomorrow we make the 2 hour drive to my parents. Zac and I are hoping to sneak out for a night for a nice date night and do some shopping... Pretty excited for the drive as we moved Addie to her big girl car seat tonight...went for a short drive around the block and she thought she was big stuff..we were in the truck so she could see out the back window...pretty cool! Also excited to see my big sis and nephew, and bro in law...Corbett is going to be ONE!! So it will be fun to watch him stuff his face with cake!

Well, I know I am long over due to get some pics on here, so I'll work on that as well so my little sister can quit hollerin at me!

This working thing is good, but it is just kickin my butt!

Looking forward to a good weekend

2009-03-13T22:30:00.002-05:00

We are spending the weekend at my parents house on the farm. It is supposed to be in the 50's here, dad got a new fourwheeler, mom's going to get Addie when she wakes up at 6:30 tomorrow....so pretty much I'm in heaven. Planning on waking up, taking a nice ride on the fourwheeler and enjoy my day. It is much needed. Both for myself and for Zac. Between me having a stomach bug on Monday and Tuesday and Zac working some crazy long hours at work we are already enjoying ourselves.

I know it is just going to get a lot crazier as summer gets closer with my job (which I am really enjoying)..so I am going to savor these weekends to just enjoy the family.

On a side note, we had a check up at the University this last week for Addie's eyes. BOth tear ducks still seem to be blocked, although it is looking to be just partially blocked, so they are better, just not completely cleared up. So we are going to try some drops for a week and then we will follow up with the dr. in May and if the tear ducts are still blocked, we'll have to get the surgery done to open them up. They like to do the surgery just at or right before a year old....so hopefully the drops will take care of getting them cleared up!

On another note, I have baby fever. I have a friend that is due any day now, three more friends due in June and July and two others due in October..one of which is having twins! I kept going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to get back to competing in triathlons this summer, or if I wanted to be preggers...and I'm thinking I'm ready....but as I learned from trying to concieve Addie, it is not my timing it is God's...so we'll see if His timing and my timing match up.....

So there ya have it, really hoping for a nice relaxing weekend. Weather just came on the tv and looks like it will be warm enough for my dad to get the baby swing put up for Addie....she just loves to swing!

Have a great weekend!

8 month documentation

2009-03-01T21:48:00.003-06:00

This post is pretty much for my documentation purposes...read on if you choose.

Addie is 8 months old today and doing great. She is eating solids like a champ. The only food we have found that she doesn't like is carrots. In the last week she has begun to eat the wagon wheel things and really likes them a lot! She also got a biter buscuit for the first time tonight and really loved it. It was the first time she has ever reached for something on her tray...I mean her body was pulling on her straps to reach for it! We have introduced a sippy, but she is not showing much interest..just wants to bite it...
We have begun soy formula to stretch out the last of the frozen milk that I pumped. ALthough now she is thinking the soy tastes better than the breast milk...so that's great! So now we have started to mix the soy with the breast milk so none of this hard earned milk goes to waste!

Addie no longer stays in one place. Rolling is her means of transportation...ALL OVER!! I'm a little OCD and really liked it when she would stay in one place, on a blanket so as to not pick up any dirt or dog hair...yeah, not anymore! She rolls and rolls until she gets to whatever it is she has her eye on. She has also been pushing up on straight arms which is huge because I never thought she was going to start doing that!! Seems like it took forever!! Ocassionally she will try to bring her knees up, but it just ends up in her face planting to the ground...
She is reaching and scooting on her tummy to get toys she wants, but the scoots aren't very far...so hopefully she'll keep progressing there.
In her bumbo we've been working on grasping small objects on her tray and she does really well with this. She is also sitting nicely in her bumbo..finally!
And...we had to raise the saucer up a level! I couldn't belive she's grown that much! And as of tonight she is now turning in full circles in the saucer to move to the different toys...I don't know why, but that was something I really was wanting her to be able to do was hang out in her saucer...and she can do it now!! WA HOO!
She is sitting unassisted for 30 seconds or so before she starts to lean too far. Sometimes she catches herself, but not really...so hoping to see better siting in this next month!
Her head control continues to get better...still can be not so great when she gets tired, but she's getting there.
She loves her hands...she uses them very well according to the PT..so that should continue...
She is wearing 9 month onsies as her torso is so long, but can wear 6 month outfits if it is a top and bottom. her 6 month sleepers are starting to get stretched, some have had to be put away, but we're slowlly moving into the 9 month sleepers.
Sleep....she continues to be an aweseome sleeper at night,usually 11-12 hours...her naps...eh, sometimes good, sometimes bad....depends on teh day and where she is napping..We're still rocking her to sleep for each nap and bedtime, so hopefully between me and when Bethany starts watching her we can break that habbit...we shall see...it's a goal by 9 months! She also now sleeps on her tummy and loves rubbing her taggy blanket between her fingers.
She has been laughing a lot more and continues to "talk" and tell us stories. Her newest thing is blowing rasberries, whether it be with a mouth full of milk, or a mouth full of food....those aren't so fun, but usually she just does it to talk to us and then it's pretty cute.

And best of all she loves her mommy and daddy and it is VERY apparent!

Early Intervention

2009-03-01T21:41:00.002-06:00

This past Tuesday we had a visit from our Early intervention team......ugh...that the one word to sum it up. Addie of course did all of her "tricks"..so the visit ended with the psychologist telling me Addie wouldn't qualify for the MR Waiver due to her doing so very well...that was followed by the PT telling me she is doing so well that she no longer qualifies for the in home PT either...so yeah..double edged sword here...what a blessing it is that she is doing so well, but it really stinks that we can't get on the waiver and that we're also losing our in home pt..

It makes me even more angry that she probably more than likely will fall behind eventually...and probably sooner than later. So we just have to wait for her to fall behind...dumb isn't it? Why can't we just continue doing what we've been doing to keep her doing well....and maybe she won't have as much of a delay! And the MR Waiver..I mean, she has Down syndrome people....let's think about this for a minute! So the four of the people that came into our home left with me sitting in the recliner holding Addie and crying....I was happy, sad, mad, frusterated!

I did learn tonight at our HADSA meeting that in Iowa DS is a qualifier to get in home PT. It does not matter how good or bad the child is developing...either way they get care...so I'll be making a phone call to our area coordinator tomorrow..(did I mention how THANKFUL I am for our HADSDA group!)
This is just so essential for Addie to have. We do private therapy once a month and in home once a month, so really she gets therapy every other week and it has been working great for us....what makes me concerned is that with me going back to work I can't work with her as much and therefore the PT will be even more beneficial for her. As well as having that in home PT show the person that will be taking care of Addie ways to challenge her....so yeah, pretty frustrating, but guessing that is part of the journey ahead for many years to come!

I'll keep ya posted on what comes of all of this!

still here!

2009-03-01T21:15:00.004-06:00

Little miss is 8 months old today, I just can't believe it..oh how the time has flown by! I have been staying away from blog world lately to focus my attention on getting things in order for this summer and to finally get things done!

Baby Kaitlyn did end up passing last friday. It is sad but at the same time good to know that she is now free of all tubes, wires, and needles..and in God's loving arms. I also lost my "second mother" last friday. Thrina was like my second mom growing up as she was my neighbor (we only had one neighbor living in the middle of nowhere) and her daughter Annie and I spent all days and night together every summer growing up...it was very very hard to attend her funeral and see her. She had just been over to my parents house to see Addie just over a month ago, that was right before she was diagnosed with cancer...and that nasty stuff took her life. again, cancer sucks!

Friday was a very hard day for me but Friday night my family came into town for Addie's dedication on Sunday. We had a very full house with Leslie, Dave, and Corbett, Kellie and Brian, and my mom staying here over night. Then my dad and grandma Moore and Grandma and pa Larson as well as my cousin Chloe joined us for church on Sunday followed by lunch at our house. It was a really nice dedication and I was so thankful to have all of my family there. Zac was able to speak for our family and thank the church for all of the prayers and support during Addie's surgery. It was really great.

Monday I decided to try a new daycare for Addie thinking that would be the best decision since work was wanting more hours from me...BAD DECISION! When I went to visit her at lunch she had still not been given her solids that should have been given to her at breakfast, and the teacher said to me, yeah, she's pretty much been hanging out on the floor today (when I gave them specific instructions that was NOT to happen) I wanted her stimulated, in the bumbo, in the saucer, whatever...just not laying on the floor all day!!! So when I went to pick her up I bawled the whole way home, talked to Zac about it and Tuesday let them know we wouldn't be returning...

So I was again in search for a sitter until my friend Bethany will take over full time childcare for her starting the last week of March...I ended up finding a really nice woman that is in the process of adopting a child from China and is just wanting her boys to get used to having a baby around...she was reccommended by a friend of mine who used to take her girls to her until she quit her job..So I met with her, her name is Kari, and I really liked her and she really enjoyed Addie, so we decided to go ahead with using Kari as childcare until Bethany takes over....so can you tell why I have been a LITTLE stressed?!? Friday's my friend Emily is going to continue watching her since I am going to continue with just half days on friday....so hopefully we can keep this schedule for a month!

8 months!

2009-03-01T20:53:00.004-06:00

This is Addie with her gift from grandma Pam for Valentine's Day...she really likes to eat it! =)

keep in mind she is waaay tired in these pics!
I had been interested in these biter buscuits for Addie, my sister discouraged me from getting them due to how messy they are...funny how "messy" turns into "therapy" for our little peanuts! I just took off her shirt and let her have some fun! This is the beginning...

And this was torwards the end...yep, one sock she had kicked off...because of course her toes tasted really good when they got the buscuit goo all over them! And my camera battery died just when she was chewing on her toes with one hand while ther other hand tried to put the buscuit in her mouth!

Prayers

2009-02-16T23:37:00.002-06:00

Just got an update from a caringbridge site. A baby that was born in October with multiple complications, is going to be kept comfortable and let God's will be done. The doc's have tried everything thinking outside the box and all....my heart just hurts for this family. The baby's name is Kaitlyn. Her mother, Kristina, was in my sisters class in high school...and coming from a very small town....everyone knows everyone...it is just so hard. I just want to know why. Why can't God just heal her up and get her healthy. Let her parents take her home and enjoy their baby. I just don't understand. I just feel....deflated. Simply deflated.

Sorry I haven't been blogging much. Trying to figure out a routine with work and tyring to get caught up on life and get moving with getting Addie on the MR Waiver and all that fun stuff. Addie's been sick...bad cold, cough...finally got on an anti biotic on friday and she is doing much better...work is wanting me to increase my hours, so now I am back to looking for an in home sitter that can do more close to full time care for her....we have a team of early intervention people coming to the house tomorrow including a psychologist that is supposed to be doing Addie IQ eval to see if we can get her on the MR Waiver because that would be such a GINORMOUS blessing for us to help with these medical bills!
Addie is getting dedicated this weekend so family is coming into town so that will be fun. I am hoping to get a post done by the end of this week with some fun stuff Addie is now doing...sitting up unassisted!! Laughing!! Rolling EVERYWHERE!! I can't contain this child anymore!

Until then, keep checking back, thanks for all the comments, I have recieved several blog awards I really need to get taken care of..THANK YOU!

and especially, please pray for baby Kaitlyn and her family.

First day of....WORK?!

2009-02-09T23:15:00.004-06:00

Yep, that's right, this momma is back to work. I haven't worked....well, atleast worked outside the home since Jan. 08....but today went really well. I took a job with the City Parks and Rec dept. as an admin for the summer pools...so pretty much I'll be a supervisor of the swim instructors and lifeguards for the summer pools and in the mean time I'll be helping to get everything ready for the summer programs. Right now I am working part time, then will move to full time by April...The nice thing is it is just full time through early September and then will move back to part time and then I can either chose to stop until next spring or stay on part time...so we'll just see how it goes..

We have been so blessed that one of our friends, Emily, is watching Addie for us while I'm working, and today went really well! Once April comes and I am full time then my friend Bethany is going to watch her.

Zac helped me get out of the house on time...well, pretty close to on time...I only forgot to restock the diapers in the diaper bag, and forgot the note and schedule I had written up for Emily....but overall, we did pretty good for the first day.

Emily said Addie did well for her and Emily's two kids, Reece and Rilynn just loved Addie to pieces. I just feel so blessed at how this all worked out. I honestly never once was worried about Addie or how she was doing. I actually was more worried about Emily and the fact that Addie can be a hand-ful at times, but Emily seemed to handle her just fine(or atleast she appeared that way!)

I worked 8-1 and the time just flew by....couldn't believe it was already 1:00 when the time came. So back to work wed. I go..I'm thinking I'll be making up a bag that we'll just keep at Emily's with diapers, wipes, etc...just for those days that the bag doesn't get restocked!

Every mom needs these!

2009-01-30T12:07:00.003-06:00

http://www.cloudsandstars.com/quickzipcrib.aspx

My friend Sarah told me about these sheets and got them for me when Addie was born. I just ordered another top sheet and just really love them...especially when I had to use normal kind of sheets the other night..pain in the BUTT!! Highly recommend these...well worth the money!!

Good quote

2009-01-29T23:00:00.003-06:00

I am so blessed to be a part of a church that offers women's bible studies as well as providing wonderful childcare. I know Addie is in wonderful hands...and today, I even made it the entire 2 hours without going and checking on her! WA HOO!!

Anyways...we just started doing Beth Moore's Esther study and it is so good. This last week there was a quote that just really hit home...pretty sure it will be going up on the bathroom mirror for a reminder each day!

"When we trust our lives to the hand and pen of an unseen but ever-present God, He will write our lives into His story and every last one of them will turn out to be a great read. WIth a grand ending. And not just in spite of those catastrophes. Often because of them. Don't just wait and see. Live and see."

Isn't that just great?! I mean really great! I just think that is just something that I need to remind myself. No life is ever full of troubles, in fact every life is full of them...it's just a matter at how you're going to handle it and who you will let handle it!

Some pics to enjoy

2009-01-29T22:24:00.005-06:00

I never got pics posted of Daisy after her ACL surgery...so here it is! Not sure why but it keeps flipping...so just turn your head sideways!

This shows the nerdyness of my hubby....that is a bib in code....I guess it says Adelynn...given to him by one of his co-workers....

Ok mom, that's enough pics...I'm tired!

Eye Opening

2009-01-22T00:27:00.003-06:00

Tonight Zac's work took us to the IA game vs. WI....it was a great game, IA won and they were the underdogs, won in overtime, so that was cool. We had a good friend Bonnie babysit and that is always great because we trust her and know that Addie is in wonderful hands when she is watching her.

At half time of the game there was two groups of people that played a mini basketball game. It was fun to watch, but hard...strange....eye opening? I can't really explain my emotions and feelings about it. This group of people were with the special olympics and all had different degrees of mental handicaps. From where we were sitting it was hard to tell if any of them had DS, but pretty sure a couple of them did from their different body shapes, etc...

As soon as I saw them my ears immediately went into defense mode and I was listening to every word being said around me assuming that I was going to hear a rude comment that I was going to have to defend. I did not end up hearing anything, but I just had so many thoughts and feeling go through my head in that 10 minute time frame that they were out there.

I think back to when I was in college and what my reaction would have been, I had not had any interaction with mentally handicapped people, I probably would have just stared, I don't know....I looked into the student section and thought of the many students that were probably getting a kick out of these people that were out playing basketball on the court...it hurt my heart so badly. It hurts even more when I think about how much that time on that big basketball court probably meant to those people. I couldn't see their faces clearly, but you could tell by their guestures and movements that they were having fun and felt like they were on top of the world. That made me smile. To see them so happy and enjoying life, but that happiness quickly turned back to sadness when I thought of how oblivious they were to others stares and thoughts. Oh it just hurts.

I looked at Zac and smiled and said that Addie is going to be in the special olympics someday and I can't wait! She'll be dominating on the basketball court...of course then my friend Molly had to inform me that she would be taking Addie to Special Olympics cheerleading so she wouldn't be playing basketball...we'll have to see about that, molly! =)

I think of those parents that were watching their kids out there, how proud they probably were, how special that 10 minutes had to make them feel. How did those parents handle the looks and the knowledge of what others watching might be thinking...I guess it's one of those things you just don't think about, just cherish the moment and not worry about what others think? I don't know.

Zac asked me what I thought about the half time show on our way home.....we had a good talk about it and both of us shared that we are excited for a time like that for Addie and that we aren't going to care what other think....of course Zac's reaction is that he would just have to hurt anyone who said anything about his little girl (of course he is kidding) but it was a good oportunity for us to see those adults out there living life, and enjoying a moment to shine....very eye opening...

Comments

2009-01-21T10:51:00.001-06:00

I think I got the comment thing fixed...please email me if you continue to have problems leaving comments...not sure what was up, but I just took off the word verification thing...

Question!!

2009-01-20T21:28:00.002-06:00

Just curious...when did you child (those with that extra chromosome) get their first tooth and which tooth was it? Addie has really been wanting to chew and rub her gums on everything...including my jaw! Anyways, just curious if she could be teething and how long this teething thing could last before I actually see a little white tooth!

Grandma request....picture day

2009-01-14T12:36:00.004-06:00

Lots of snow.....

2009-01-14T12:29:00.001-06:00

Here is a pic of our deck. I'm sitting on the floor inside to give you an idea of how much snow there is! I'm going stir crazy....3rd day of not leaving the house!

6 months...

2009-01-11T20:49:00.003-06:00

So I'm say.....oh, 11 days late on this, but HAPPY 6 months Adelynn!! Most of this is for my own reference...but here it is...

At your 6 month baby check you weighed just under 14 pounds and were 25 1/2 inches long! You are in the 75th percentile on the DS growth charts!

As of today you eat rice and oatmeal, peaches, pears, peas, green beans, applesauce, acorn squash, and carrots...and you don't seem to have found anything you don't like! But you really enjoy your peaches and pears the best! You are now starting to bite down on the spoon when I'm feeding you which causes for a messy meal as well as you are now trying to grab onto the spoon, which also results in quite a mess!

You love to have your mouth wiped and always have a huge smile on your face as I move the wash cloth or burp cloth over your mouth!

You just started rolling from your back to your stomach about a week ago (been rolling from front to back since 5 weeks) and you are now trying to bring your legs up under you and tend to be doing the worm scoot across the floor. Your head control is getting much better. You can sit in your bumbo for longer each day and really seem to enjoy it. You recently started using your saucer and jumperoo and also think you are big stuff in those! You love standing up on our laps and talking quite a story. You prop yourself on your elbows and are getting stronger with pushing up on your arms.

You have a favorite ball that has taught you to transfer objects from one hand to the other and do that with all toys now. You love your crinkly doll and bird as well as your Vtech ball. You could lay on the floor with those toys rolling from side to side for hours if I let you....but there is too much work to be done for that! =)

You can be all out crying and stop at the drop of a hat once we start singing you are my sunshine (even your daddy and your papa have been known to bust out the song). You also love your baby einsteins CD's in the car and have started showing interest in signing times DVD's and baby einstein DVD's. You also love our Mr. Sun song and Grandma's Oh what a miracle. I'm thinking you'll be doing something with music when you are older!

Oh what I have in store for you in the next 3 months! We are going to start mommy and me swimming class and work on getting you sitting on your own!

These last 6 months have been....well.....a time that there has been one set of footprints in the sand....because God carried us the whole way through. And we love Him even more today than yesterday because of that. Addelyn Ruth you are an amazing creature, perfectly and wonderfully made by our Father's hands. Happy 1/2 birthday! I love you like mad!

Christmas/New Year Recap

2009-01-03T22:27:00.003-06:00

Wow! Guess it's been a while since I posted...I don't like to make New Year's resolutions, but I do want to try to commit to posting more. I just think I will really like having these posts when I want to look back on things and when I finally get around to scrapbooking Addie's first year...

Well, since the 22nd...we traveled to Illinois for Christmas and had a great time relaxing with both Zac's family and mine. Our big gift we received from my parents is a new video camera...I of course have several videos to post...but as of yet can't figure out how to get the off the camera...so those are to come, as well as some pics!

Addie got spoiled rotten at Christmas by everyone and we are going to have to add on to the house for all of her toys and she's not even a year old!!

Nothing much aside from lots of traveling and visiting with friends and family.

I did end up finding my wedding ring, which must have been in the chest pocket of a button up fleece I always wear around the house, because when I washed clothes at my parents the ring was in the bottom of the washer and that's the only place I figure it could have been. Our car is still in the shop, hopefully will be getting it back this week..

As of Dec. 30th I comleted all my CEU's so that is good. I am going to call the BOC Monday to confirm they received everything and that I am good to go.

Wednesday Zac and I met my mom in the Quad Cities and she took Addie back to IL for a couple of days so Zac and I could get some projects done on the house. This was the first time I haven't been with Addie overnight, so it was a little hard, but very worth it! Zac and I slept passed 9 both Thurs. and Fri. and got a lot of much needed things done around the house. Friday night we met my parents and my gma and gpa Larson in the QC and got Addie and I didn't realize how much I missed her till I held her! I just cannot get enough of her lately!

Monday is going to be a big day for us as Addie has her 6 month appointment and Daisy, our dog is going in for ACL surgery (a ligament in her knee) as she tore it and since she is only 3 and a really good dog, we decided to go ahead with the surgery...so hopefully both of those appts will go well. We'll get to pick Daisy up on Tuesday and then we have to keep her pretty sedentary for 4 weeks!! So we'll see how easy that is!

In the mean time, I'll get some pics posted as well as a 6 month post and let you know all that Addie has been up to!

So much to do, so little time.....

2008-12-22T22:52:00.002-06:00

Wow, I have been a big slacker on the blogging thing! Let's see...since last Tusday the big things that have happened...got in an accident, lost my wedding ring, Addie had a fantastic PT appointment, finished my Christmas shopping, and now Addie and I are in Il and I have my third cold of the season...YES, THIRD!!!

Wednesday am on the way to PT I slid on a big patch of ice and went off the side of the road, it wouldn't have been that bad except there was a big fire hydrant in the way! So yeah...car is at the body shop for two weeks, but I'm really OK with it, because our loaner car is a Nissan Mirano and I really like it!

I also realized on wed. am when I went to get in the shower that i didn't have my wedding ring on....and I have NO IDEA when I lost it. I know I had it on Tuesday night when I went in to Walmart...and that's the last time I am sure of....it is covered under home owners, but hopefully I will find it SOON!!

Addie's PT got rescheduled for Friday so we saw Carol friday and it was a really good appt. Carol was so impressed with how well Addie is doing. She is transfering objects back and forth from one hand to the other, which I guess, according to Carol is a HUGE milestone...so that was pretty cool! She also is doing really well with holding her head up and is spending more and more time sitting in the bumbo. She continues to roll from her front to her back and we are now working on getting her to roll from her back to her front, which she is progressing nicely on! Carol thinks she'll have it mastered by the time of our next appt. in January! Addie is becoming very right hand dominant, so we are working on making sure she is still using her left hand just as much, but Addie is not making that easy on me! She is also bearing all of her weight on her legs and the amount of time that she goes for keeps getting longer, so that is pretty neat to see to! So overall Carol thought she was doing very well and we just need to keep working her left side so it gets just as much use as her right.

Sunday grandma Pam and Papa Terry met Zac and I in the Quad Cities to pick Addie and I up to spend some time in IL prior to Christmas. I was able to meet up with my good friend Nicci from high school and hang out with her tonight so that was nice. Tomorrow I HAVE to work on my CEU's as they have to be done by the 29th so I can overnight them to the BOC office so I don't lose my Athletic training certification!! Yeah, definetly procrastinated on that one! oops!

I know I keep saying this, but hopefully I'll get some pics posted soon!

How do you know when you're ready?

2008-12-16T23:45:00.001-06:00

Zac and I have been discussing future children a lot lately. Originally we had planned on having a large family - 4 or 5 kiddos....now, we're not so sure. We also wanted to have the really close together....now we're not so sure. So after you have a child who is diagnosed with T21 or any disability for that matter, how do you decide if and when to have more children.

I don't think it would be a big deal if our 2nd child was diagnosed with T21, but I think I would have a personal problem with it, like something was "wrong" with me...and not sure how I would handle that.

We have also wanted to adopt someday, but right now I think if I wanted to adopt I would want to adopt another child with T21 and I think I would feel guilty adopting a child that was "normal"....but we do have a desire to adopt....

I do have the desire to know what raising a "normal" child is like. What it is like to bring a baby home from the hospital in a couple of day, what it is like to not have appointments to go to weekly, this list could keep going forever.....

So how do you know? I have come across several other blogs of families who have children with T21 as their first child and go onto have more children....how did you decide? I sometimes feel bad that I did this to Addie, that I made it harder for her than all of her peers...she has to work so much harder...why? Why did God chose her for that extra chromosome?

I know I'm rambling, but if you are a T21 mom I would really REALLY enjoy some advise, insight, whatever....and feel free to send to my email.

Deformed Ears

2008-12-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

This has been bothering me since Addie was born. Her ears are deformed, and they don't "match". One is flat to her head with some extra folds in the top and the other sticks out from her head...I know this is terrible that I am worried about, very superficial, I know, but I just wonder... I can't really find anything that says this is a DS trait....does you child or do you know of any other children with DS that have deformed ears...I'd post a pic, but Addie's already in bed....try to do it tomorrow.

Where has the time gone?

2008-12-16T18:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can't believe Christmas is next week! Holy cow! And I am far from having my shopping done. In fact, none of it's done aside from some small items I purchased at a Lia Sophia jewelry party....yeah, I have some work to do!

We did make it home safely from staying in the hotel after a night of not sleeping....

I thought I better give an update on what we have been up to... Last friday we went down to the University to see the pediatric optomologist...We were referred there by our PCP due to some nystagmus (shaking) of her eyes that I had been noticing at her 4 month appointment. The Dr. thought her eyes looked pretty good. At this point she does not need glasses, so that was good news. She also does not have glaucoma or cataracks, which is also very common in children with DS. The shaking of her eyes has gotten significantly better since her 4 month well child check, but it is still there when she is looking at the extremes (far left, far right) it is also more noticable when she is very tired. The Dr. said this was also common with T21 and is something that could go away with time, could get worse, or just stay the way it is.....so we go back in 3 months for another check up and see how things are at that point. But overall, I thought it was a good appointment! I think it is still getting better and better and not happening as much, so we'll see....

This last weekend we went to visit my sister, brother in law, and nephew in Naperville and had a great time. I would have pics, but I forgot our camera there so.....sorry =(. Maybe Leslie or mom will send some pics for me to post. Grandma Pam and Papa Terry came up too.....which was a no brainer when both of their grand babies are in the same place! Corbett, my nephew, was baby Jesus in their churches live nativity and Leslie was Mary....it was pretty cute....Mom and dad gave us our christmas present early...a video camera! and I got a video of CJ and Leslie in the nativity....but I forgot that in Naperville too!!!

I'm probably forgetting something and I know I mis-spelled a ton of words....but here is an update!

Some people have had problems leaving comments, not sure why.....sorry! =)

Stuck in a hotel......

2008-12-14T19:54:00.001-06:00

We had an awesome weekend at my sisters in Naperville and we headed out of town late this afternoon. It was raining and 50 degrees when we left and within an hour the temp and dropped 15 degrees and continued to do so. As we got to the Quad Cities we kept going thinking we could make it, but as we got closer to Walcott (home of the IA 80 truck stop - worlds largest truck stop)it started freezing pretty badly and the interstate was getting icy and all of the cars and semi's had slowed to about 40 mph...so here we are at a hotel in Walcott, IA.....luckily I had packed plenty of milk for Addie so I still have plenty to get me through till tomorrow. When Zac was unpacking the car he said the car was already iced over....so here we sit. As we're sitting here we just realized that we should have called Troy and Michelle from our DS group as I think they live close to here, but too late, already unpacked and paid for the room....so now we're hungry and going to try to order some pizza...

Cardiologist Check up

2008-12-08T16:17:00.004-06:00

We had Addie's cardiologist check up with Dr. Mark today and we got great news! Addie is doing very well and Dr. Mark is very impressed! We get to discontinue the blood pressure meds and lasix! No more meds! Yeah! I am so glad to not have to worry about giving her meds anymore! Yeah!

We were supposed to be scheduled for an echo but for some reason it didn't get scheduled, so Dr. Mark just went ahead and did it himself! So he showed me all the things on the screen as he was looking at it and it looks SO much better than when he showed us her heart in the hospital! (since then it's just been techs doing the echos and they don't point out stuff) She does have a small leak by the patch and another small leak at her pulmonary valve, both of which are very minimal and normal. He just reminded me that we will always want to put her on anti-biotics with any dental work and surgeries. And that's it! We don't go back until June! Wa-hoo! Dr. Mark said he will have to let her surgeon, Dr. Davis know that he did a fabulous job and Addie is healing wonderfully!

Last night we had our DS group (HADSA) Christmas party and Addie got to sit on Santa's lap! It was too cute! I am a bad mom because I forgot to bring a gift for Santa to give her, but Cynthia helped me out and got a bear for her, so that worked out well! Zac got to go to the Bear's game in Chicago (and froze his buns off) so he unfortunately missed the party. Other exciting news is that I am the new HADSA Vice President for the coming year, so that should be exciting! I was very surprised by this but am honored and hope I fill the role as well as Cynthia!

Hooray~

2008-12-04T22:36:00.000-06:00

Zac put Addie down in bed tonight and she was wide awake. Turned on her music thing and left the room....she was quiet for 10 min. or so and then cried for about 5 min., maybe even less than that....and......she is ASLEEP!

She might be worn out since she got to bed later than normal and she got her RSV injection today, but I'm counting this as a success! We'll see how tomorrow goes! This could be huge!

Thanksgiving Video

2008-12-03T13:13:00.004-06:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

5 months and learning.

2008-12-03T09:46:00.000-06:00

I have not been blogging much as I vowed to start getting more done during the day. So far it has worked. Sent out Addie's birth announcements yesterday, yes, I said BIRTH announcements. Yes, she's 5 months. Yes, it's late. Oh well.
Also getting caught up on Thank you's from the Buddy walk and Addie's surgery. Slowly but surely getting things done. Finally!

We had a good thanksgiving. Spent the day with Zac's family and had a really nice time relaxing and eating. Got to finally meet Zac's new cousin Tyler, which I realize I didn't get a pic of him and Addie together! Guess we'll have to do that at Christmas. Sarah N, don't let me forget!

Having somewhat of a rough week as Addie turned 5 months on Monday. This 5 month old mark made me realize all the things Addie is not doing. I know I can't focus on what she isn't doing and need to focus on what she is doing. But it is very hard. I almost feel guilty holding other babies Addie's age and being so excited about them holding their heads up and standing up on my legs. I have always love kids and babies but why do I have to feel guilty about this? Why can't I just enjoy their progress and enjoy Addie's as well. Guessing this will just be one of those things that will get easier as she get's older. Or will it get harder? Not sure.

Zac came home from Men's Fraternity at church this morning and when I asked him how it was he said frustrating. He said it was about raising kids and different milestones and things that they will do. He said he couldn't help but thing about the things Addie hasn't done yet, or may never do. Very hard. Zac and I had just had a long discussion last night about our concerns with Addie and how we are going to handle them, etc. So it made me kind of sad that he is affected at something like going to Men's fraternity. Guess I never thought about stuff like that. Another thing to learn.

So this morning after Zac went to work I thought about the things Addie is doing. I worked with her a lot doing exercises and rejoiced in all that she is doing. She is pry wondering why she got covered in kisses for the last hour. LOL.

Addie is 5 months old. She laughs, coos and talks, smiles a smile that is very contagious. She recently start rolling over again from her front to her back. She started rolling over this way at 5 weeks but hadn't done it since her surgery. According to the therapist the way she was rolling over initially wasn't the correct way, but the way she is rolling over now is the correct way..so that's good! Addie continues to doing really well sitting in her bumbo. Today she was sitting in it and even looking around the room...and she even got excited and smiled while looking around, so that was pretty cool too...I think that's what started the hour of covering her in kisses! On her tummy she continues to do well with holding her head up. I was playing with this lamaze toy dog that squeaks that grandma gave to her and she held her head in 90 degrees for quite some time before tiring. So that was very cool.

I know I just need to focus on all of the great things Addie is doing. Knowing that there will be frustrations and concerns as we go. But knowing that she will get there...it will just take longer. I think another hard part is the unknown. Not knowing when she will hold her head up all the time, not knowing when she'll roll over from her back to her front, not knowing when she'll start to crawl. But I just have to remember that she will do all of these things, I just have to be patient. And the only way I'm going to be able to be patient is to just drown that one in prayers, because I have NEVER been a patient person.

A look out our front door

2008-12-03T09:33:00.000-06:00

Yeah....I have been saying I really REALLY don't want another winter like last year. Iowa is not supposed to have snow 6 months out of the year! Is it? This is a look out our front door just now. Ick. Snow. I used to really enjoy snow, but when it keeps me from doing things...I was planning to go get Addie's RSV injection today, but we'll be rescheduling that for tomorrow.

Thanksgiving last year...God's mighty hand at work.

2008-11-25T08:53:00.001-06:00

A year ago I was newly pregnant and wanted to share it with the family. However, my older sister was also pregnant and wanted to share the news as well. So at thanksgiving we steared clear of hanging out with my family a lot so that she could enjoy the excitement of her new life growing inside. A lot of animosity had grown between us as I had been pregnant earlier in the fall, and she had been trying to get pregnant for some time but with no success. So when I ended up pregnant before her it caused a lot of anger between us and she had told me she just couldn't talk to me as it was too hard...fast forward about 4 weeks, I had a miscarriage and she just found out she was pregnant! So at thanksgiving she was ready to share the news as she was 17 weeks pregnant and very excited. I think I was about 5 weeks with my second pregnancy at thanksgiving, so I took the backseat and let her enjoy that time...
Between my miscarriage and her pregnancy lots of family disputes had happened and I was about as distant from my mom, dad, and both sisters as I had ever been.

Fast forward to today. Leslie's beautiful baby boy was born in April and is doing great. We all know how our story goes...however, the thing I have to be thankful for in all of this is how close my family has come through the last 4 months since Addie was born. Leslie and I talk atleast two to three times a week and my mom and I talk every day, usually multiple times a day. A year ago I was fearful of where my relationships with my family were headed, but the gracious God above new what He had in store for all of us. Little did we know.

So I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year. We have so much to be thankful for. Two beautiful babies, Corbett and Addie, and through those two new lives, I have restored relationships with my family. I am so thankful for both of my sisters and my parents. I don't think Zac and I could have made it through the last 4 months without their constant love and support. I will never forget the hug that my sister gave me when they came to visit us in the hopsital after Addie was born. It still makes me cry just thinking about it. It was if she was saying through her hug, I love you, the past is behind us and I am here with you and will be here with you through everything...God is so good.

This post may not make sence to you, but it does to me, and really this is what I needed this morning was to just get my thoughts out. I have so much to be thankful for. Zac and I have such a great family and they have just been so great over the last 4 months. We have so much to be thankful for this year.

Relaxing Weekend and needing some advise.

2008-11-23T20:35:00.000-06:00

We had a nice, relaxing weekend. It was nice to get back to somewhat of a normal life....we were able to go to hang out with friends and even made it to church! Life is starting to calm down, it is very nice....but of course then holidays come and we'll be going crazy again...oh well.

Friday night our friend Bonnie watch Addie and Lincoln so we could go out with Lincoln's mom and dad. It was nice to get out and know that Addie was in good hands.

Saturday my mom, sister, and her boyfriend came to Coralville to meet us ad do some shopping. Addie and I stopped in at the U to see our friend Julie, who just had heart surgery on Thursday. Julie is doing really well, so that is such a praise! We even saw some of the Dr's that took care of Addie in the PICU so that was nice to see them and thank them and let them see how well Addie is doing.

Saturday night we were able to go hang out with friends and have a throw back night playing Nintendo, yes, the original nintendo! It was pretty fun...We used to hang out with our friends almost every weekend someone would be having people over, but since Addie was born we had to pretty much avoid big, group situations to keep Addie healthy, so it was really refreshing to be able to hang out with a group of friends again.

Today we went to church and spent the rest of the day catching up on laundry and doing some relaxing. Addie has been a little fussy, so it was good just to stay in and tend to her.

Unfortunately, Friday I started losing my voice and pretty much have completely lost it. I have never in my life lost my voice, so this is both a wierd and frustrating experience. Now tonight I started coughing too, so pretty sure we'll be making a trip to the Dr. tomorrow and given that Addie was so fussy today when she is pretty content normally, I'm worried she might have gotten some of my germs....so hopefully we can get in tomorrow and everything will check out OK.

I'm curious to know how many mom's out there breastfed or pumped...and if you did, how long?? Addie breast fed well, but I was too OCD and wanting to know how many ounces she was taking to keep breastfeeding and ended up just sticking to pumping and bottle feeding...and now, I'm getting pretty sick of pumping and I have plenty of milk stored in the freezer so am debating if I should quit pumping. Not sure if the fresh vs. the frozen is just as good or if I should keep pumping fresh through the holidays....what do you think? how long did you pump or breastfeed? Advise?

Busy week ahead getting ready for Thanksgiving as we'll be headed to IL to Monmouth on Thursday then up to Naperville for the weekend. And on top of that I'm thinking about looking for a part time job to help with the medical bills and so it will be that much easier for us to pay for the trip to CA for the DS convention in July...so we'll see what comes of that. Hopefully I can get on with the two local hospitals for PRN work with Athletic Training and then maybe start teaching some aquatics classes somewhere, so we'll see what happens...

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Lincoln and Addie...4 weeks post op and doing great!

2008-11-20T20:09:00.005-06:00

Addie is doing well with holding her head up....can't hold it up for long..but long enough to take a pic! And she seems to really like sitting in the bumbo.

Addie is 4 weeks out from her surgery today and she is finally starting to lift her head up in tummy time like she was prior to surgery.

I just had to put this video on here. This is Lincoln who is 361 days older than Addie. Lincoln is so good with Addie and he is just doing so well with all of his words! Enjoy!

My big girl!

2008-11-18T19:42:00.000-06:00

Addie has just been doing so great. My friend Sarah let us borrow her bumbo seat and Addie has been sitting up in it very well and I give her a little bit of assist with her head control. She thinks she's big stuff! (I know, I need to get a pic)...

Addie had her second time in childcare at church today so I could go enjoy MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers) at church and it was good. She did really well until the end when she started getting fussy, but I think she was just missing me.

She continues to do great eating her cereal. Tonight she was getting so excited and her arms kept flaling all over and so that makes it a little bit more tricky, but it's pretty cute. She also has decided it's fun to grab the handle of the spoon when I am going to put it in her mouth, and of course she puts a death grip on it and doesn't want to let go...so that makes it fun too!

Unfortunately, I think she is getting a cold as she has been sneazing more today and has a very runny nose, so that's a bummer...and to make things worse I started getting a sore throat tonight and now have an earache....yuck!

We don't have any plans this weekend so I'm pretty excited to just stay home and relax! Next weekend we'll be in Naperville so I'll get to see my 7 month old nephew, I can't wait!!!(oh yeah, and see his mom and dad too) =)

One of our friends we met through our DS group in town has a daughter that is having heart surgery on Thursday. Please keep baby Julie in your prayers this week. She is 7 months old and I now she will do just great!

Lots of random thoughts today, but just wanted to get an update.

Booked our hotel!

2008-11-14T08:39:00.000-06:00

We booked our hotel for the NDSC conference in Sacramento! I am SO EXCITED! Now I just have to work on the flights, which I am less excited about since I DO NOT enjoy flying....and now we'll be flying with a one year old so I'll have to act brave for her! Oh I am so excited!

Also have to get a rental car since we'll be driving down to Reno, NV to visit Zac's dad and step mom after the convention and spend some time there before flying back....can't wait!

4 month check up and week update

2008-11-13T21:12:00.003-06:00

Oh my what a week we've had. Addie and I stayed in IL until Tuesday while Zac came back to CR for work stuff on Saturday. Pretty low key remainder of the week for Addie and I and on Tuesday grandma Pam drove us back to CR since she was off for Veteran's Day. Addie had her 4 month check up and got 4 shots...ouch! She actually did really well and only cried for a bit. She is now 24 inches long and just under 12 pounds. Just above the 75th percentile on the DS charts. Go Addie!

Unfortunately I did not have such a good day on Tuesday. I had a headache all day and Dr. wasn't so pleased with how I was doing. I had continued to lose weight since last month and am entering the unhealthy ranges for my height...and I continue to eat very well...so....dr. ordered a whole bunch of bloodwork to check me over and make sure we're not missing something. He also had me get a flu shot and I hate shots! Oh well. We'll see if the bloodwork shows anything, but I might have to give up pumping since it could be the contributer to the weight loss.
By late afternoon we were home and I was not feeling well. I am so thankful my mom was still here as most of the evening was spent between the bed and the bathroom. Not sure if I had a stomach bug or what, but it was NOT GOOD! So grandma Pam ended up spending the night and then just got up early Wednesday to drive back to school by 8. Thank you mom!!!

Addie is now three weeks post-op and doing great. She has regressed as far as holding her head up in tummy time and while sitting, but it is slowly getting better as we have been able to work on it more this week since she is less sore.

Last night she went back to sleeping through the night from 8pm-7am! It was so great! Hopefully this will continue.

Today was her first day in childcare at church! I had bible study and we had clearance for her to be around other kids and she did really well! I was a little aprehensive but was able to get so much more out of the bible study since I didn't have to hold her, feed her, change her...all while trying to focus on the study. It was great! Will be doing childcare again next week! Yeah!

She also continues to do great with cereal. I'm giving it to her in the morning and at night and she is now opening her mouth for me and is just doing great. She is even getting excited when I put the bib on which is pretty cute too. Today she was crying in the high chair, but as soon as I put the bib on she was ready to eat!

There is updated pics in the picasa link...enjoy!

Cereal! Yum

2008-11-08T22:43:00.002-06:00

Addie had her first time getting cereal today. She did really good! I had been a little hesitant, but with grandma's encouragement and help, we did it! We gave it to her this morning and then again tonight and she was already getting the hang of it tonight. I think she could have ate a lot more, but I didn't want to over do it on the first day. She is sound asleep now, and I'm hoping with the help of the cereal she'll be back to her old 10-11 hour nights. I miss those!

Zac ended up heading back to IA for some work stuff, so Addie and I are going to stay in IL till Tuesday and then mom's going to drive us back to IA since she has the day off for Veteran's day. Been enjoying getting to relax a bit and let grandma and grandpa help take care of Addie. Great Grandma Larson even took care of her for a bit today so mom and I could get some shopping done. It was nice!

Well, going to get to bed since Addie was up at 5:30 today and I didn't get my normal afternoon nap! =) I've got some cute pics of Addie with her cereal face I'll try to get posted tomorrow.

All good.....and we could do without the snow!

2008-11-07T23:18:00.000-06:00

We made it to IL safe and sound, despite seeing a car rear end a semi at highway speeds and then watch the semi drag the car down the interstate...yeah, pretty scarry, but eveyone was safe.

Got the results of Addie's thyroid test and all is well! The test came back within normal ranges...so that is good. We'll get it rechecked at 6 months, but for now, we're good to go.

Yes, it snowed today. NOT COOL. I was riding in the combine with my dad when it started...and it continued off and on all day...and is forcasted again for tomorrow. Luckily it is just flurries and nothing more. Really hoping this winter is like the last....ick.

Zac and I had a date night tonight. It was so nice! We felt like we were dating again, no baby, and I didn't have to worry about her (well, atleast not too much) as she was with grandma Pam and Papa Terry. She did fuss a bit for them, but it was all good and by the time we got home she was pretty content.

We're headed back to IA on Sunday and then we go to PT on monday and then Addie has her 4 month check up on Tuesday, so busy week, but I'll be excited to see how much Addie is weighing and how long she is!

I've had some time to catch up on some blogging and finally get out and "meet" some new bloggers. I am getting SO EXCITED for the conference in July and hope to meet all these great people in person! YEAH!

Frustration and check up

2008-11-05T21:22:00.001-06:00

The morning started out seeing Dr. Fox's nurse practitioner to get orders for the thyroid tests that she is to have done this week. (the levels were a little off last week after the surgery and the U didn't give us written orders, which is a little frusterating, so we had to go to a pointless Dr. visit just to get someone to sign a piece of paper to get the blood test done) That appt. went fine and down to the hospital we went to get blood drawn.

We were taken to the lab and I let the secretary know that she was 4 months old and is VERY hard to get blood drawn from. The secretary assured me that the woman that was working was very good and thought she'd do fine. (I should have known better and just walked out then). So she took us back and three pokes later no blood. Atleast Addie was being a champ and wasn't even crying! They couldn't just do a heel poke because two of the tests that were ordered from the endocrinologist at the U needed 2ml of blood...so they needed to get a vein. So they called a nurse from the NICU over and said she'll definetely be able to get it....yeah, right....two more pokes and still no blood and by this time Addie was SCREAMING! So I asked if we could just do the basic thyroid test minus the other two that needed all the blood and they said fine and just did the heel poke and the blood came fine. What would you do in this situation? I think Zac was about ready to pick up Addie and run, but it's so hard because you want them to get the blood and to know what her thyroid levels are...I just don't understand why they didn't call the NICU nurse FIRST when I TOLD them she was hard to draw!!!!!!! I'm thinking next time around we will be VERY assertive and let them know about our dear one's tiny veins. I just don't understand why they have to TRY first before they realize that the parents knew what they were talking about!!!!! AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!(sorry, needed to vent)

Next we had our appt with Dr. Mark. He didn't understand why the endocrinologist would have ordered the other two tests anyways, so he was fine with just getting the regular thryoid tests done minus the other two. He checked out Addie and was very pleased. His exact words were, "this baby does NOT look like she just had surgery 2 weeks ago!". She is doing really well. We are cutting the lasix down to one dose a day. Staying on the blood pressure meds for another couple of weeks and then will go off of that as well. We were able to go almost the entire day without tylenol. Addie had a dose at 6am and then didn't have it again until 6:30 tonight. So I'd say that's pretty good! Dr. Mark also said we could start doing tummy time again. When we got home I put her on her tummy and she didn't seem too interested in lifting that head up, but I'm not sure I would either just yet...but we'll keep working on it! We also asked about the sleeping issue and he said that was very common after the surgery and it will work itself out over the next couple of days. (I had also talked to Cynthia and she said Ben had went through the same thing)...so that was good to know it wasn't something to worry about....

As far as sleeping..last night was better. Only up once at 3:30am.....and the best part of that is Zac had today and the rest of the week off....so he got up with her!!! It was great! Love you honey! I honestly think she is trying to catch up on the lost calories from the 4 days she went without eating in the hospital. So we'll see how tonight goes....she's sound asleep now!

Since Zac is off we're going to head back to IL to visit the family and let grandma babysit so Zac and I can have a nice date night! I love going home to my parents as it is so nice just to have those extra set of hands to help take care of Addie, and I know they love it. It's pretty cute to see my mom poke her head in our room in the mornings to see if Addie is awake so she can take her and hold her....and the best part is that means sleeping in for Zac and I!!! Thanks mom!

So...time to get some laundry done and packed for our journey to IL!

Doing good

2008-11-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

We have been home since wednesday night and are doing well. Just trying to figure out the best ways to give Addie her meds without her spitting them back out at us. She is taking two different meds, one for blood pressure and one for the lasix, which is to help her keep fluid from building up around her lungs and helps her breath easier. We have also been doing tylenol every 4 hours. Today was the first day I tried to see if she could go longer without it and this evening it was evident to me that she was in pain. So she's not ready to quit using the tylenol. But she was able to go 5 or 6 hours between doses, so that's better than 4.

She has been "talking" our ears off, I just can't get enough. She is even laughing out loud at times, although it takes a lot of work to get one of those laughs. Prior to the surgery she was sleeping from 8 pm to 5 or 6 am and that hasn't happened yet. The last couple of nights she goes down between 8 and 9 and sleeps until 3 or 4, last night it was 5, so we're slowly getting to be back to sleeping longer through the night. Which is nice, because I really don't like those middle of the night feedings. It is pretty cute though how happy and talkative she is, even at 4 in the morning. I try not to talk to her during the middle of the night feedings so she doesn't think it is a fun time, but it is so hard not to talk back to her when she is smiling and oohing and ahing at me. It is so cute!

She does not sleep as much as she used to and when she is awake she is ready to go! Prior to the surgery she would be up for about an hour before she would start to get tired and now she is up for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before she starts showing she is tired. I'm still trying to figure out when the best time is for naps so as to not over stimulate prior to that time.

I had been wanting to use the Baby Wise princples, but didn't stick to them very much prior to the surgery mostly due to the fact that we couldn't let her cry herself to sleep so I was always rocking her to sleep. I have tried to let her have a good cry a couple of times, but I can only take a couple of minutes of her cry before I have to go in and get her and rock her to sleep. I want to give her little heart more time to heal and then we'll try the Baby Wise stuff again....I am using the Baby Wise principles when it comes to eat, awake time, sleep, and that seems to be working pretty well, it's just that when it comes to the sleep part I am rocking her to sleep instead of letting her fall asleep on her own. But we'll get there....

For the month of October I had commited to doing 31 for 21....31 posts for Down syndrome (T21) awareness month. And although my 31 posts didn't happen each day, I did end up having 31 posts, so that is exciting!

We saw Dr. Mark (cardiologist) on Thursday and he was so impressed with how Addie is doing. We see him again this friday and as long as everything looks good, we'll increase the length of time between follow ups.
Addie did break out in a rash on her chest and tummy today, so that makes me a little nervous, but I called and talked to Dr. Mark about it and he didn't seem to concerned, but if it is still there tomorrow to get it checked out. So hopefully Addie will wake up in the am rash free!

Tomorrow we start back with physical therapy at Witwer and it will be good to get some tips on how to keep working on strengthening Addie's neck since she can't be on her tummy. So hopefully Carol will have some good ideas.

We had a pretty low key weekend, the owner of Zac's company had people over to his house so Zac and I did manage to sneak out for a couple of hours and our friends babysat for us....thanks Mark and Molly...and Molly's mom! We are to keep Addie pretty secluded until 2 weeks post op which is this thursday, so we'll slowly be able to start having a life again! They just do not want her to get sick in these next couple of weeks so they don't have to worry about fevers, etc....

Other than that we are doing good other than not being able to get a whole lot of things done around the house. Addie is requiring a lot of holding and rocking, but that's OK. I just want to make sure she is comfortable and not in pain. Hopefully she'll really start to feel better this week and will be needing to be held less and then I can catch up on house work! We have been so blessed by our friends as they have been bringing us meals which has been SO NICE. Not sure if we'd be eating if it wasn't for them doing that for us!

Sorry this got long, but just wanted to get an update!

We're HOME!!

2008-10-29T21:11:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we made it home safe and sound. It is so nice sitting here in the peace and quiet. No alarms or monitors going off, no nurses coming in and out.. Addie is sound asleep in her crib and I can hear her every so one in a while let out this cute little sigh over the monitor. I think she must be glad to be home too. She got a bath a bottle and her medicine and has been sound asleep since. Hopefully she'll continue to be so through the night!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T13:17:00.000-05:00

Here is Addie and her cardiology team minus the surgeon. THANK YOU TEAM!!!

And Addie wants to say she is super Addie! She's going home today! Praise God and thank you for all your prayers!

Wordless Wednesday......er....Tuesday....what day is it???

2008-10-28T15:43:00.003-05:00

Addie is doing good this afternoon...and she has found her voice again! I missed it so much! She also has started smiling at all of us again..but you can tell in the video that Grandma has been the one that stays with her when she is getting poked and prodded, and I have been leaving when it's too much for me...I guess she remembers that. Grandma = bad. Poor grandma.
I guess she is quick to forgive as she is sitting here rocking with grandma and seems pretty happy.

Post Op Day 6 Evening

2008-10-27T19:31:00.008-05:00

This afternoon was MUCH better than this morning. Still not sleeping much, which meant no catching up for grandma and me, but atleast Addie was content. She was kind of in that groggy drugged state from getting morphine this am, but atleast she was comfy. They also removed her PICC line in her right groin, so that was nice.

We were moved to an inpatient pediatric room and so we have another baby in here, but the family is very nice. They are from Des Moines and are of Sudan decent. Diffficut to communicate with them, but very friendly.

Addie was weighed today and weighs 12 pounds 0.5 ounces! She has continued to gain at the rate she was even though she didn't eat for a couple of days! At 5:45 she ate 4 ounces and has been sleeping soundly for the last hour which was nice to get some dinner and relax for a bit. We'll see if this means she's going to be up all night!

The cardiology team came by to visit us in our new room and I asked about medicines and what the next couple of days would look like prior to going home. The peds cardiologist said that he couldn't beleive he could say this, but we could potentially go home as early as tomorrow! Not sure I'm ready to go home yet as I'm not confident we have her pain under control. But he is just in shock at how well she is doing. He was the one that had told me to plan on two weeks. He said the things that would keep her here are pain control and feeding. We did have to give her morphine this am so we'll see if we can get through the night and morning tomorrow without it. She did it good this evening so we'll see how that goes tonight and tomorrow. He said we would more than likely be sent home with tylenol, the blood pressure medicine, and possibly the lasix if she ends up needing them over the next day. Right now the lasix is prn, as needed and she hasn't had any since this am so we'll see.

Addie's soft spot on her head is somewhat sunken in, and it really bothers me, but the Dr.'s said that is very normal as the lasix makes her pee a lot and so it can kind of dry her out and make her a little dehydrated. This will get better as she is eating more.

They also talked about handling Addie and positions to avoid when lifting her, etc.

My mom is supposed to be going back to IL tomorrow, but she might stay till Wednesday. We'll make that call in the am after we see how the night and morning goes. If it was anything like last night and this am, she'll most likely stay (atleast I'll be begging her to!) but if it goes smoothly, she'll be headed home.

Here are some pics of Addie today. It is just amazing that yesterday she was still on the breathing tube and today she is down to just three wires monitoring her oxygen, breathing, and heart rate, one wire on her toe monitoring her oxygen and heart rate, and then a small IV line in her ankle that they can use if needed.

I've had a bad headache all day...I think the stress/adrenaline/lack of sleep is starting to catch up with me, hence the glasses.

and here is what she looks like today!

Can you believe this is what she looked like yesterday!

This is yesterday waiting to be moved down to the 2nd floor PICU room....I think you do a lot of hurry up and wait at the hospital....

Post op Day 6

2008-10-27T14:46:00.003-05:00

Oh what a night and morning we have had. Addie has decided she doesn't want to sleep. Grandma and I got a couple of hours of sleep in between feeding and trying to get her settled.

They had to draw labs this am and he IV line wasn't pulling the blood very well, so they had to poke her heel and couldn't get enogh out of the first heel, so they had to poke he other heel. Then, the lab came back and said one vial had clotted and the other didn't have enough. Luckily, they are going to wait until tomorrow to try again.

This morning she was again not very happy, I wasn't sure if she was in pain, tired, or had a tummy ache. This was so hard for me. Anyone going through this should always try to have two people available. One to hold and rock so the other can get out of the room and take a break and then switch. I couldn't be here alone and do this. I am so thankful for my mom being here so Zac could go back to work.

The cardiologist came around this am and took off her nasal canula that was giving her Oxygen, so one more thing off! They are planning on moving us to a regular pediatric inpatient room, however, it will be a semi-private room, so it is a bigger room that you share with another baby, so I'm not to excited about that, but I guess it is a move torwards getting her home.

She has been eating better, so that is also good. They were able to discontinue the lasix, which was helping to prevent fluid retention around her heart. We are continuing giving her tylenol to help with the pain and did end up giving her a small dose of morphine late this am as she seemed like she was in pain. She's been a little congested and her eyes are pretty red, thinking it's from the morphine, but they keep suctioning out her nose, she doesn't like it, but it helps.

Her blood pressure is better today, still taking medicine to help with that.

She does still have her pacemaker wires in around her heart, but those should come out in the next day or so. (they were placed in case she has arrhthmyias but she has not!)

Overall looking good. Just trying to control her pain, and get her eating and keeping her peeing and pooping!

Post Op Day 4 Evening

2008-10-26T23:49:00.003-05:00

We were moved down to the 2nd floor peds unit (but still considered a PICU room) So we are now on the 2nd floor in the pediatric inpatient unit, 2 JC RM 64.

Addie had an OK day today. She has been pretty groggy and just kind of out of it, but I think a lot of it has to do with all of the meds getting out of her system. They did have to start her on some heart meds as they had dc'd the heart med IV drip, so she is getting that orally now, as her blood pressure was getting a bit high. She has had one dose of the heart med and her blood pressure is doing better. This is quite normal for this to happen.

She ate pretty good this morning but didn't eat very well this afternoon and evening. This evening she did finally take about 3 ounces of milk and then another 2 ounces an hour later, so that was good. Hopefully her appetite will continue tomorrow and she can get some more fluids in her. Her soft spot on the top of her head was a little sunken in, but the dr.'s said they weren't worried about it because all of her labs and vitals looked good. It is just part of her getting more fluids back in her. As long as she keeps eating better like she did tonight they won't have to start an IV drip, but if she has another day of not eating very well, they'll have to get her on some IV fluids.

They also started her on some milk of magnesia to help clean out her bowels. This mornings x ray showed that she had some back up going on and nobody likes that! After giving her that she was pretty cranky late this afternoon and evening so it was a lot of holding, rocking, and singing. She finally was able to pass some of that yucky stuff and seems to be sleeping peacefully.

It is very hard because Addie has never really cried very much and so to see her upset and crying is very hard for me. I am so thankful my mom has been here to switch off with me when I just can't take the crying any more. It stresses me out and I just want to make her feel better! I know each day will get better, but today and especially tonight was a little rough!

We checked out of the RM house and Zac headed back to CR so he could work tomorrow. Mom is here till Tuesday, so we figured he might as well go to work now while my mom is here. Mom and I are sleeping on these fold out chair things, which aren't too horribly uncomfortable. We have our own bathroom and shower in this room, so that is nice. There is a chance we could get moved out of what is considered a PICU room into a regular cardiology pediatric room tomorrow, but we'll see how Addie is doing.

We did have a couple of visitors today, so it was nice to start seeing our friends again! The nurse just came in to check on Addie and says she is doing well. I better get some rest because she is going to have to come back around 2am to give her some meds orally, so I know I'll need to be up to help her with that and Addie will hopefully eat some more then too.

I'll try to get some pics uploaded tomorrow!

Post Op Day 4 Morning

2008-10-26T10:13:00.002-05:00

Addie had a great night last night. Grandma even got some sleep here in the room! After rounds this am Dr. Stevens came in and removed Addie's chest tubes! Addie tolerated that very well, they did give her some morphine and she hardly even fussed! She's a tough cookie!

Addis is no longer on a morphine drip and they have decreased the IV drip with the heart meds so she should be off those soon as well.

They also let us know that the plan for today is to move down to the 2nd floor to one of the rooms that is still considered a PICU room, so we'll still have our own nurse, but a better room and is the next step torwards moving to the peds cardiology floor.

Addie has been resting comfortably today. She is no longer restricted on fluids, so we can feed her as much and as often as she wants.

We will take visitors, you can call Zac or I's phone and our room telephone # is on my voicemail as we can't have our cell phones on in the room.

Post op day 3 evening

2008-10-25T21:54:00.001-05:00

Addie did so good today! God has been moving some mountains in room 218 in the PICU! We got to put a shirt on her today that I had bought especially for her surgery so it would work with all the tubes and it was perfect! The afternoon was a little hard holding her off until we could feed her. We had to wait four hours after extubation to feed, and then got to feed her an ounce of pedialyte, which she sucked down in about 2 minutes. She tolerated that well, so an hour later we got to give her 2 ounces of breast milk, which she sucked down and now she is taking another 2 ounces! So she is doing good and it looks like tomorrow the chest tubes should come out as well as her central line in her thigh and then possibly moving down to the peds floor!

The breathing tube is out!

2008-10-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

They just finished extubating Addie at 2:30 this afternoon and she is doing well. Her oxygen levels are actually better than when she was intubated! It's the first time I've ever seen her O2 stats in the 99 and 100 percent! Woo hoo!

They also took out her NG (feeding tube throught the nose, which was hooked up to suction to suck out acid build up in her tummy).

They also took off two of the sticky electrodes that monitored oxygen and CO2, one on her forehead and one on her back. She didn't like that too much.

And lastly, they took out her catheter! Yeah, didn't like that either.

The best part is, she is still on very little morphine and she is resting very comfortably and seems to not be in any pain. God is so good. This is such a huge testimate to His almighty hand at work.

She has also had two dirty diapers which is another good sign, although they were really grouse! I went ahead and let the nurse change those. Hey, might as well while I can, right?!

They are going to let her rest for a bit, then will check the blood gases and as long as those look good I'll get to hold her!! YEAH!

Dr. Davis, the surgeon is in a conference speaking (I guess he's THE man around here) so he will come by after that and possibly be taking out the two drainage tubes!

Addie is left with a nasal canula to give her oxygen as needed, but right now it's looking pretty good! Here are some post-extubation pics!

Thanks for your prayers!

Morning Post op day 3

2008-10-25T09:11:00.004-05:00

Addie had a great night last night. Prior to Zac and I leaving she really woke up for about 5 minutes and gave me a half smile, her eyes got squinty but it was hard for her mouth to smile with the darn tube in....I of course was bawling my eyes out and trying to keep talking to her....she kept making her tounge curl like she does when she's ready to eat. I knew she was trying to tell me FEED ME MOM!!! She is just so darn cute! I felt terrible I couldn't feed her, but she wasn't awake for very long and she went back to sleep. It was such a good sign that my little girl is still there under all the tubes and wires. I'll be so glad to get the tube out and be able to give her some milk through her NG (feeding tube).

They also gave her some meds to help her sleep and she slept soundly until about 4:00 this morning and then she was up for a bit and then they went ahead and gave her another 1/2 dose of the sleeping med. She is still sleeping soundly. Her eyes have been really goopy and watery, so they gave her some drops so hopefully they won't be so red.

Zac and I were able to get some good rest at the RM house. I looked at my watch at 10:00 and didn't wake up until the alarm went off at 7. Grandma didn't sleep as well, but she said she just got to do some reading in one of her books.

Just listened to the cardiology rounds and Addie is doing very well. Many babies after a Tetrology of Fallot repair can have some arrhythmias but she hasn't! Her heart and vitals have all been stable. Praise God! They even called her fiesty! The plan for today is to extubate later this morning and possibly even take out her chest tubes! This could be a very big day for her!!! She still does not have a leak around the tube that they can hear, but the numbers on the monitor are indicating that there could be a small leak. They are waiting to look at the x-ray that was taken this am and then will be in to extubate, but probably more around 11 or so.

Zac headed back to CR to catch up on lawn mowing and to say hi to Daisy (our dog). Our friend Amy has been taking care of her, but I know Daisy will be so glad to see Zac.

Thank you for your prayers. Please pray that the extubation goes well and that they can take out her chest tubes today as well! I really want to get some milk in her as I know she'll really like that!

Here's a pic of what she's looking like this am, they have her propped up on her side so she's not always flat on her back. Got her blankets changed since she had gotten blood all over the others from her arterial line that kept leaking.

Post Op day 2 evening

2008-10-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

Well....didn't get extubated today. But that is OK. There was another baby in the PICU that was extubated and then had to be re-intubated today and so I think that made the neonativist more cautious about extubated our little Addie and that is fine with me. They decided it would be best to give her a good couple of doses of the steroid that decreases the inflammation around the breathing tube. The doses come every 6 hours so by tomorrow morning they should be able to check and see if there is a leak around the tube and then if there is then can look to extubate. The one resident did tell me that they have to do a chest closure tomorrow morning, so they might not get to Addie's extubation until early afternoon....but it will be first thing after they get the other person's chest closure done.

So only one tube out today (arterial line in left wrist) but really, we're all OK with that as we don't want to rush the extubation and then have to have her re-intubated. And since they decreased her morphine drip and took out the arterial line she has been resting really well and even opened her eyes for a bit (of course it was when Zac and I had went to dinner so only grandma got to see). They do have orders to give her some meds to help her sleep tonight if needed so that is good.

On a sad note, they did have to restrain her wrists as she kept trying to reach up and pull out her breathing tube and that would NOT be good. I just remind myself that it is the best thing for her and the restraints aren't hurting her, they're just making sure she doesn't pull out a tube before it's ready to come out. But this is a sign at how strong she is getting and so that's good.

There is also a chance that they could take out the two tubes that are drainig out of her lungs and around her heart. they are the bigger tubes that you see coming out of her chest at the bottom that are very red. They have drained very little today so when she goes 6 hours with little draining out of them, then they can be taken out! So also a chance that those could come out tomorrow as well! I'm trying not to get my hopes up so I won't be disappointed.

Tonight Zac and I went out and had a date night and went to BW3's. Grandma stayed with Addie and tended to her. It was good to get out of the hospital for a while and know that Addie was in good hands. We have nurse Krista back tonight so that's good. Zac and I are headed back to the RM house to get some rest so we'll be back in time for the Dr's rounds at 8 tomorrow.

As far as visitors.....At this time you can just call Zac or I's phone and leave a message to let us know you want to come visit and we can call you back and let you know. It will all depend on what time she is extubated tomorrow and how she handles it. So it will have to be a call before you come type deal. By Sunday we should be Ok to say we're taking visitors openly, but we'll keep you posted on that. In the mean time, just call our phones and we can call you back and let you know as we can't answer our phones here in the room.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, words of encouragment and support. It is so neat to see all of the people that have come to the blog and see the comments. It will be so neat to show this to Addie someday when she's old enough to understand.
Thank you and we'll update in the morning after the Dr's rounds.

Wednesday Oct. 22nd Night before surgery.

2008-10-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

After we left the hospital we went to the hotel, the Sheraton, and got settled. It was happy hour in the concierge lounge so we got some snacks. Shortly after our friend Molly came by with a gift for us from a group of friends (gift cards for the cafeterias at the U and $ for parking pass) THANK YOU! and then my parents also arrived. We ordered pizza and mom and I gave Addie her bath using the hibiclens and scrubbing her chest and groin, she didn't like that too much.

I attempted to put Addie down around her normal bedtime 7:30/8, but she just didn't want to fall asleep with all of us there, so I went ahead and just let my mom and dad enjoy her and play with her. Around 9:30 she took a bottle and went to bed. Around 12:30 I heard her talking and got up and mom fed her a bottle and put her back to bed.

We all got up around 4:30 to start getting ready to be to the hospital by 6. Addie got up around 5 and was pretty fussy for 20 min. or so and then eventually calmed down and fell asleep. We couldn't feed her after 2:00am, so it was hard to get her to be happy, but she was pretty good. She liked Grandma singing to her and that seemed to calm her.

We all got ready and packed up the car and headed to the U and arrived shortly after 6 (a little late but it was OK)

Post Op day 2 Afternoon

2008-10-24T13:49:00.002-05:00

Addie is doing OK. Very restless. They are currently working on taking out her arterial line as it kept bleeding when she would squirm, so they are just going to take it out. Addie is not very happy. Grandma is singing to her and that is helping. I can't watch anymore. It is so hard seeing her squirm and trying to cry but not being able to do anything about it.

They are waiting until later this afternoon to take out the breathing tube as she doesn't have a leak around the breathing tube, and they would like to have atleast somewhat of a little leak as that would mean there is not very much swelling around the tube. They have started a steroid that is supposed to decrease the swelling so that hopefully the next time they check there will be more of a leak around the tube and then will be able to extubate. Her chest x-ray looks good, so just waiting for swelling around the tube to go down. They would also like to see her be more awake, which means less morphine, so we're trying to find that fine line between getting her more awake, but not uncomfortable to where she is squirming around so much and pulling out lines and tubes.....

Post Surgery Morning Day 2

2008-10-24T09:30:00.007-05:00

Addie had a great night last night. My mom stayed here so Zac and I could go get some rest at the Ronald McDonald house and my dad also stayed with us. That place is great. Leaving her was very very hard, but I knew I needed to get out of the hospital and get some rest. Our nurse yesterday was Kathy and she was great and our nurse from 7-7 last night was Krista and she was great too!

They did start a morphine drip around midnight to help with the pain, and she was able to rest well until around 5:30 this morning. The doctors were here for rounds around 8:30 this morning..about 12 people taking care of her! The plan for today is to extubate (take the breathing tube out) and then see how she does. They moved her breathes from the breathing tube down to assist 10 breaths/min, and she is actually taking about 26 breathes per minute, so she is doing a lot of the breathing on her own. They were just here to take the chest x-ray to check the placement of the tube and to check fluid in the lungs and provided that looks good, the plan is to extubate around noon....and then......we should get to hold her!!!!!! YEAH!

The next couple of hours could be hard leading up to the extubation because they want to decrease the amount of morphine and tylenol they give her as she needs to be pretty awake when the extubate because then she'll take better, deeper breaths. The more "druged" they are the less and more shallower breathes they take. So she might be slightly uncomfortable over the next couple of hours leading up to the extubation, but as soon as she is extubated she will get some tylenol to help her be comfy and then eventually will be able to take some food!

She really likes it when we put our hand under her head as it feels like we are holding her and that really calms her down and they also did an attempted swaddle to see if that would help her settle. It is so hard to see her squirm and attempt to cry, but she can't as the breathing tube goes affects the vocal cords so she doesn't make any sound. It is so sad to see so decreasing those crying spells makes me happy. Our nurse today is Erin, and she is great. She has been right in the room if she starts squirming or anything. So that's great.

Mom just headed back to the RM house to shower and get some rest and dad is headed back to IL to get back in the field.

Prayers for today.
1. That we can keep her comfy and settled prior to, during, and after the extubation and that the actual process of extubating goes well.
2. For the doctors and nurses to have the wisdome to know what she needs to keep her comfortable and healing.
3. That we will be able to hold our sweet baby as I know that will be the best thing to get her close to our bodies.
4. For continued peace for Zac and I and our family as we venture down this road to recovery.
5. Safe travels for my dad as he drives home.

Thank you! Here are some pics of what Addie is looking like as of this morning. Hopefully we'll have less tubes by tonights update!

Pictures from the PICU....WARNING....HARD TO SEE

2008-10-23T15:43:00.002-05:00

While we were waiting

2008-10-23T15:40:00.005-05:00

Mom was figuring out the camera....so keep watching all the way to the end..it's good for a good laugh!

We did manage to have some fun today and Zac's Aunt Leiane helped to lighten the mood with her big bad booty dance. Little did she know the whole worlds would be seeing it!!! Love you LB!

Dr. Davis just in!

2008-10-23T13:00:00.003-05:00

Dr. Davis just came in (the surgeon). Addie will be up here soon! Praise God. They were able to repair her VSD, which was about 1cm (which is really pretty big). They also repaired the ASD, which was small, and we didn't even know she had..and, they saved the valve!!! There is also very little leakage from the pulmonary valve, which is also good. Everything looks good. We'll be seeing her soon!
God is good!

Check in #2

2008-10-23T12:16:00.003-05:00

The nurse that will be Addie's nurse in the PICU today just came by to let us know that Addie is almost done with surgery and the repair went really well! They should be bringing her up here to the PICU within the hour or so. The surgeon will be up to review the surgery with us after she is up here. I am very anxious to know if they were able to save the valve, but I am just so happy everything went so well and that she is probably almost all sealed back up!

I must say, today has been an amazing, amazing day. The peace that I have is almost scary. Why aren't I worrying, how can I sit here and browse other blogs and write posts while my daughter is having OPEN HEART SURGERY?!? The Holy Spirit is so right here with us! It just give me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes. I am so at peace. It is just incredible! God is so good and we'll be seeing our pride and joy very very soon! He is there with her just making sure these last final moments of the surgery go as well as the rest. Praise God. This could have never happened without all the prayers. Thank you thank you thank you!

Our pastor, Erin, stopped by and sat with us this morning and prayed for us and I have just felt so good since then. God is just so good. I know Erin was just verbalizing all of the prayers that all of our friends and family have been saying over the last couple of days and weeks. Praise God!