Randoms......

A few randoms for the day......

You may have noticed that I have three sponsors on the blog; Paperlili, Modern Nest Photography and Tutu Sweet Designs. All three of these ladies are dear friends with amazing businesses. Paperlili and Tutu Sweet Designs can be ordered online, all adorable clothes for girls and some for boys! Two great businesses. Modern Nest Photography is based out of Calgary but Amy is willing to travel to exotic islands, at the expense of the client, of course. :)
Check out their links. You will love all three ladies. :)

LOVE

Adele is now back home after spending a few days in the hospital. She seems to be doing fairly well but still has goopy eyes and a bit of a cough. She is also tired. She needs to keep up on her feedings or the NG will have to go back in....I don't want that to happen.
Most parents love this age and enjoy all of the snuggles, me, on the other hand, can't wait for her to get bigger and stronger. This weaker muscle tone really affects her breathing and it freaks me out. It's funny because she is such a strong little girl, but she is floppy, almost rag doll like. Things are so different with Adele then what they were with Brinley. It's all new to us. Brinley didn't like to snuggle much but Adele loves to be cuddled. Brinley never spat up, Adele has had some pretty big regurgitations. Brinley could be fed in any position, Adele needs to be on her side and paced. Brinley woke up every 4 hours or so to be fed, Adele needs to be woken up for her feedings. Brinley obviously didn't have oxygen and Adele does, which is a total pain in the ass but we also love it. I'm looking forward to the day when we have no tubes and we can carry our baby around without worrying about lugging around machines. Adele has an appointment at the Respiratory Clinic on October 22nd with Dr. Noseworthy....HA! HA! HA!! That name kills me! How appropriate.
This just made me think of some other names.....my sister had back surgery years ago and the doctor's names were Dr. Dewer and Dr. Harder! HA! HA! Dewer Harder!!
One of the allergy doctors in Calgary, Doctor Doctor and a gynecologist in Calgary, Dr. Handslip! I can't get enough!!!! I met a girl in Ottawa once and her name was Rumen Rye! HA! HA! HA!!
Ok, enough of that! I'm so childish!

Going to the park!

Next thought....I have a friend in Phoenix, whose daughter has been bullied for years. She is a beautiful girl, bright, athletic and a kind and sweet person. She truly is the girl who everybody would love and respect, but there is this group of mean girls, who won't leave her alone. They are relentless and have been for years. I don't know how she copes. I worry about her every day. The other night, the group of mean girls put toilet paper all of their property, tampons and maxi pads were thrown all over the driveway and grass as well as other silly items. My friend called the police. She is done.
My concern....bullying is starting at such a young age. I've seen it in preschool. In preschool, it starts with "I don't like you. I don't want to play with you. You're dumb."
To us, this may not mean a lot, but to a young child, it means too much.
One of my friends has three beautiful children, all sweet and beautiful. When her oldest was in kindergarten, one of the 'popular' girls was celebrating her birthday. The mom invited all the girls in the class except for my friend's daughter. When the mom came by the school to gather the children for the party, she told them all to line up and then said "EXCEPT FOR C!" Are you freakin kidding me? She actually said this out loud in front of all the moms and children. A couple of the moms decided to pull their daughters out of the party in support of my friend. I would have been one of those moms, plus I would have had a word with the cool mom in the hooker boots with the perfect body and fake boobs and botoxed face and ugly personality. When my dear friend told me this, I was livid.

I love going on the slide!

This brings me to my point.....kids learn from those around them. Your behaviour at home is what your child sees as right and how they should treat others. If your home is filled with fighting and swearing and bullying, your child WILL take this to school and repeat the actions. They are, a lot of the time a direct reflection of mom and dad. I am also a firm believer that letting your children watch R rated movies, play violent video games and when you allow them to make the rules, because you would rather be their friend instead of the parent, you are setting yourself up for failure. Your child will mimic what they see....I don't care if you tell them that it's wrong before you put the movie in or let them play that video game. You are telling them that it is ok. Be mindful of your words and actions at home. Be a good role model. Be a parent.
We will all make mistakes, god knows, I will, but I am going to try my hardest to be the best mom that I can be. There will be rules, there will be consequences, but the consequences will fit and relate to the poor behaviour. Smacking your children after they have smacked their sibling is telling them what exactly? Don't hit but I will hit you for hitting your sibling. Hmmmm.....
I know that parenting is difficult and I know that mine are still young and not full of hormones and attitude, but I brought these precious girls into the world and it is my job to be the best parent that I can be and it is my responsibility and duty to keep them safe, fed, educated and loved.
I know that some of you probably don't approve with everything I just wrote, but it's my blog! :)

Just happy :)

Last thought....
If you read my last post, my dear friend in L.A. lost her precious angel the day after I wrote the blog. She was here on earth for such a short period of time. I don't understand. Some of you have said that God needed her way too early and that during her few days here with us, she did the job that she needed to do. She made a difference in the lives of so many. Sometimes I don't understand. I do strongly believe in God, I just don't understand his reasoning sometimes.

xoxoxo

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 21, I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

Drowning.....

Kisses

It's time for a Dear Diary moment.....

Well, it's been a difficult few days. Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning. On Tuesday night, Adele's breathing was laboured and she was pale. My mommy instinct kicked in and took our peanut to High River Emergency. Adele's respiratory rate was between 80 and 90. That is too high. I fed her a bottle and she regurgitated the entire bottle. I felt so sad. It was decided that she would go to The Children's Hospital. As they were loading Adele into the ambulance, I cried. It is so difficult seeing your little one being taken away in an ambulance. I was sad.

When I got to the hospital I waited to be seen so I could go back and see Adele. The triage nurse stopped what he was doing and asked if I was Adele's mom. He jogged me back to the trauma bay. It was a bit overwhelming when I saw this little baby on the gurney, crying, surrounded by 8 nurses and doctors. At this point, I was so happy that I had decided to bring her in. I knew something was wrong.
They increased her oxygen and did a few tests. They moved us to a private room and I just snuggled her for hours. I wasn't going to let her go. I needed to hold her and kiss her and tell her that I loved her so much. She slept so peacefully on me.
The doctor came in and we had a good chat. She told me that Adele really didn't look well when she came in and that it was a good decision to bring her in to get checked out. She decided that Adele would be admitted, just to be safe. There were no beds at The Children's Hospital, so they were moving us to the PLC. Another ambulance ride.
By this point, it was around 6:30am and I was delirious. I don't do well with no sleep. I was emotionally drained. Adele was exhausted.
We both napped for a couple of hours.

So peaceful

Both Adele and Brinley have colds but poor little peanut got hit a bit harder. When breathing is already a bit of work, adding a cold on top of that caused great difficulty with her breathing. Who would have thought that a cold would cause her so much grief?
When I returned home, I cried with my mom. I swore and I cried. I told her that I was trying so hard. She said that maybe it's too much for me. I realized that it's not too much for me. I am a mom and I worry about my kids. We want all of our children to be healthy and happy. I want that for both our girls. Seeing your baby being poked and prodded is difficult. Yes, there is added work with Adele. Appointments and writing everything down. All trips. All appointments. Mileage. Meals. Parking. It is work, but she is our daughter. This is what you do as parents.
I'm tired.

Mommy snuggles

The hospital expects parents to stay overnight but last night we couldn't pull that off. James had to go to work early this morning and I needed to take care of Brinley. I felt confident last night that she would be just fine. The nurse was so kind and she was excited to take care of Adele. She was looking forward to snuggles. It's still difficult because they don't know her, they don't know exactly how we care for her and how we feed her.....
I called this morning between shift change to talk to her night nurse. She had a good night but was tired during her feedings. That is normal. Adele is still growing and trying figure things out. She is so precious.
I'm hoping that she will come home today and we can get started....again. We returned back to High River on Saturday. It's been nice. It's sweet to see Brinley with her toys. It is all new to her, this makes us smile.
We finally got a furnace but are waiting on everything else to be completed. It is painful how long it is taking to finish the basement and garage.

I'm feeling better

When I first started blogging, I connected with a lovely girl from L.A. She was so excited to be having a baby. She was so excited to be connecting with another mom who was having a baby with Ds. She kept in regular contact and always checked in to see how the pregnancy was going. She sincerely cared about me. She posted every article she could find on Ds, all positive. She took great care of herself during the pregnancy. She decorated and set up the nursery so that it would be just perfect when she brought her beautiful little girl home. She couldn't wait to hold her baby in her arms. I always felt the love she had for her husband and growing baby. I was a bit surprised that she actually went past her due date. She was being induced. I was so excited that the time had finally come.
Part of our conversation last night at midnight....

I had an emergency C-Section this past Monday because there were complications. She was 3 days past her due date and we were going to be induced but I guess during my last 12 hours of pregnancy the cord wrapped around her neck. She is in NICU, they don't think she will make it through the night.
I am completely heartbroken. I feel like she was fine and everything was great and then things happen and it broke her and now I'm going to lose her and it's not even related to Ds.

I was rubbing her toe and she actually moved her toe, like she was tapping my finger. More then once. Right after that her blood pressure dropped so bad that they had to ask us to stop touching her, and we haven't been able to touch her since because it was making her blood pressure drop dangerously low.... I feel like she used all the strength she had in her to tell us that she knew that we were there and that she loved us.

At this point we want what's best for her... I can't stand not being able to touch her. I never even got to hold my baby....watching her go through this and not being able to comfort her is so painful.

She looks so beautiful and peaceful.

It hurts so much that I don't get to keep her.

They told us that she may go into cardiac arrest at any point so if she does, would we want them to shock her and do CPR? We told them not to do... I want to remember her....perfect and beautiful.

She has changed us so much, so I just want to make her life one of love. If I can help one mom who's struggling with the Ds diagnosis and show her how unimportant it is because their baby will be amazing and perfect, then our little girl has already been the most amazing gift to this world.

Our conversation ended because the NICU called.

Hold your children. Tell them that you love them. It doesn't matter the age. It doesn't matter where they live. Love them.

Going Home and Remission.....

Where does the time go?

First of all, I would like to thank all of those who are giving Mrs. DeWitt a helping hand. I really appreciate your generosity. When I get all the gifts and gift cards, I will deliver them to the school. Please include a little note. If you still want to get Mrs. DeWitt a gift card, please let me know. :)

Second, I was recently a guest blogger on another blogging site. Please feel free to check out Laurie's blog, but don't forget about me. :)

http://createdbylaurie.blogspot.ca/

Sweet Brinley :)

We have decided to move back home this weekend. Our house is not finished, but we do have drywall. Servpro is there right now getting our two upper levels all cleaned and disinfected. I spent two hours the other night bleaching and sanitizing the girls' toys. That was a lot of work but I want them to go home to a very clean and healthy home. The lower level is all blocked off so there is no concern about Brinley going into the basement and giving the absent workers a hand. ;)
We are very excited to be getting back into the house, it's been three months.....a flood and a new baby. I am good on excitement now, no more needed. We are unable to get our stuff back home because our basement and the garage are the only real storage areas in the house, so our belongings will remain at my parent's house and at Ange and Bob's house. Bob said that it needs to go before the snow flies....that could be soon as the mountains now have snow and south of us also has some snow. I don't want to skip over fall, I love fall. It's my fave season.

I wanted to share a post from a new friend. This melted my heart.

Every trip out of the house with Daelyn is a blessing, but our recent trip to Sobeys made me tear up with pride.

We were standing in line for the bathroom and there was a lady waiting in line too. At first glance I was aware that she had a visual impairment. Daelyn shouted "HI" in her usual way and then instantly ran her hand down the woman's arm and tucked her tiny hand into the woman's. Then as they engaged in conversation Daelyn reached her arms around and hugged her tight. Then, the woman's friend came out of the washroom...she was in the middle of chemo treatments for a rare cancer (I found out as we were visiting) and looked terribly ill. Daelyn pranced up to her and asked the lady to lean down close....and then Daelyn gave her a kiss on the cheek. She leaned her body close and snuggled in, cautiously in case the friend didn't accept the love. The friend's eyes welled up with private tears. We wished them well and continued on...

Daelyn may be seen in our society as a child with special needs, but in a sense I would say she is gifted...she doesn't ever see the "labels" that are put on people...she has an amazing sense about people and always seems to know what THEIR special need is...I cannot ever stop thanking God for our incredible little girl.
------------------------
In a quote from Dana's comments -"This little girl has beaten all the odds, and appreciates and expects so little. Even a hello to her can make her whole day....she's just an amazing kid!!

I can't imagine how different life would have been 6 years ago when they said I was infertile and I actually was not able to conceive. Thankfully God is in charge and our lives have changed forever."

Bob

 

Ange, Bob, Danika and Ryder

 

I'm shaving Bob's head - Chemo had just started

 

Bob and his mommy

 

Bob and Danika

 

Brinley's message on her stroller

 

 

Our dear friend Dana who lost her mom to cancer

 

 

For the past few years, our family and friends participate in the Light the Night Walk. My brother in law was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010. It was a very emotional roller coaster ride for the whole family. My sister is dedicated to helping find a cure for blood cancers. I know that cancer has touched us all in some form or another. CANCER SUCKS!!

Sponsor a walker or help make a donation to help end blood cancers! Light the Night 2013 is on October 5th, 2013 down at Eau Claire in Calgary. We are excited to walk and celebrate Bob's remission and to remember those who passed. Please join us, or help by making  a donation today. Thanks so much.
 http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1751973&langPref=en-CA

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

 Have an amazing Friday. xoxo

Her Flood Story

Our Beauties!

Yesterday was our first day out all alone, just momma, Brinley and Adele. I'm still trying to find a good way to get both girls in the car without making numerous trips. Brinley, Adele, diaper bag, oxygen, purse....I may have to give a child away or hire a car nanny. :)
We went over to Auntie and Uncle's house. The kids were at school but Brinley always has the best time with her Auntie. They had a dance off in the kitchen and I'm pretty sure that Brinley took first place. There was some good dancing! :)

We took the kiddies to Danika and Ryder's school at the end of the day. I wanted Adele to have some snuggles with Ryder's teacher, Mrs. DeWitt.

The kid's school was destroyed in the flood. It was such a beautiful, new school. Some of these kids have lost their homes and now have lost their school. They have been displaced once again. They were supposed to be placed at the local high school in portables, but they weren't ready, so the local community centre welcomed them into their building. I'd say that the only perk is the air conditioning. They are crammed into these rooms, with classes only separated by partitions. That's tough. The office is the coatroom, so the administrative assistants have gone from a beautiful office to a small, tight space.

When we got to the 'school', Ryder ran up to Adele and was so excited to see her, he even showed her off to his friends. I love that Brinley and Adele's cousins love them so much. It's a beautiful sight. Mrs. DeWitt came over and told me that she couldn't wait to have some snuggles with Adele. We went to her room and to be honest, I held back tears.
Mrs. DeWitt had the most beautifully set up room at the old school, filled with colour, toys, manipulatives, games and years worth of resources. She is now sharing a room with the kindergarten class. My heart broke.
When you look around the room, you see some items that you know have been donated by others but nothing from the old school. It was all lost.
I sat down with Mrs. Dewitt and we had a little chat about the flood. I can tell that it is still so fresh for her, like it was yesterday.

Our Little Town :(

That day, she was stranded in her house. There was no water, then shortly after, it was up to her knees. She got in her car, but couldn't go anywhere. She was stuck. My sister was worried about Mrs. DeWitt and her safety and the school was not able to get a hold of her....everybody was so scared. My sister kept trying and trying then eventually told Bob that they needed to go to her house and rescue her and her birds. They attempted but to no avail, they were stopped by barricades. The water was too high.
Thankfully, Mrs. DeWitt was rescued. Her house was gone. It was destroyed. They had four feet of water on the main floor.
Mrs. DeWitt kept calling pet rescue to get her little birdies out and to a safe place. She was told that they were only rescuing dogs and cats.  Animals are members of our family. I couldn't imagine how she felt at that point, I've lost my home, I've lost my school and now I will lose my pets. Such devastation.

When her family was allowed to return home, they could gather whatever belongings they could and it was time to move on. When she walked into her home, she cried. She cried for all of her loses. Her little love birds were laying peacefully cuddling each other, they had died. Her family gathered their belongings and went to stay with family.

Once the shock of the flood settled in, the insurance company was informed. They said "NO." They would not be covered. They would not be given any funds to help re-build their lives. They would be starting over. She lost her home, her school, her cherished items, her car and the insurance company tells her that they will be giving them no support. 

Mrs. DeWitt told me that sometimes she just cries. It's more difficult for her because she hasn't left High River, so she is living it every day. She sees the destruction every day. Her home is down the street from the community centre. She is reminded daily of her loses.

I don't know how it's possible to go to school every morning and put a smile on your face and make a positive difference in the lives of her students. How is that possible?

My heart aches.

Holy Spirit Academy

Mrs. DeWitt is a remarkable and strong woman. She is an amazing teacher and loves each one of her students dearly and with all her heart. She displays such professionalism and has such a caring and beautiful demeanor. We all love Mrs. DeWitt.

They should be moving into the portables next month, so once again, starting over. It's going to be a difficult year. My heart aches.

Mrs. DeWitt has never asked for anything. She has bought some new supplies for the classroom and walks in the door full of energy and love but I know that deep in her heart, she is feeling such loss. Her family needs to re-build a home, all starting over from the beginning. That is taking savings that could have been used for retirement, but instead it will be used to start life over again.

If any of my friends would like to help out, I know that gift cards to any teacher stores like Scholar's Choice, would help out a lot. I just feel so bad. I want life to be so much better for Mrs. DeWitt and her family. Please let me know if you can lend a helping hand. <3

Thank you friends. Love you all. Don't take life for granted. Don't take your family for granted. Be thankful.

xo

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

SUCTION, TUCK, LIFT! :)

Such a pretty baby :)

Well, Adele has been home for almost two weeks! It's been great and so far smooth sailing. James went back to work today and I am not crying or drinking yet. Brinley is loving her sister to pieces today and needs to be watched a bit because there is a 20 pound difference.
Adele is a wonderful baby who loves to sleep and eat but could definitely poop a little more.

I know that there are a few topics out there that should be avoided, like Religion, Politics and probably poop talk. I have already covered the bowel movements, now I think I need to do a little Religion talk.

I have been told many times that we were given Adele by God and that he chose us to be her parents. I was always a little iffy on that statement, but as I read more and more about Ds and as I meet new friends, I see that he has chosen certain families to have these amazing little beings. I read a while ago that this one lady was told that children with Down syndrome are products of the devil. I am so unclear how somebody could say something  so hurtful and disrespectful. I'm thinking that if you feel this way, maybe you are a product of the devil. Too bad.

My dear friend, Jaclyn, sent this to me....

"May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.” ― Teresa of Ávila

Just a nice message.

Love my sister <3

Here's another special message from my friend Christina....

I'm not too sure how to jump into another topic now.....can't go from Religion to dirty talk. Maybe I'll take a moment.....

I'll ease my way....

James and I have decided that it's time to move back home. We have been out of our house for three months and feel that our little family needs to get ourselves back in High River. The basement and garage are not finished but the drywall is up, so that's a start. I am just waiting on hearing back from the cleaning company, then I will go in and bleach the toys, wash the sheets and James will shampoo the carpets. I am excited to go back to High River but also a little sad to be leaving mom and dad's place. It's been a great three months and we are so thankful that ma and pa put up with us for this long.  :)

For real...stop taking my picture!

Adele will be getting her newborn pictures done this weekend. I am so excited. My good friend Amy, from Modern Nest Photography is coming to take the pictures. She also took Brinley's, back when she was 6 weeks old. Amy likes for the babies to be asleep....Brinley stayed awake the entire time until Amy rocked her to sleep. It was pretty sweet. Amy is also giving us the photo session as a gift. I love my friends. <3

One of my friends sent me a message about my previous post on the tearing while giving birth. She told me that she had a forth degree tear which was like from her belly button to the back of her head. I laughed but also felt horribly bad when I was complaining about my paper cuts. Please feel free to share your birthing stories, I like to know that I am not alone in the pain! :)

Something like this could work!

So now that I am officially done having children.....I was wondering if any of my friends have connections to a plastic surgeon. I would like to get some kind of mommy package. I would like a snip, a suction, a tuck, a pluck, a vacuum, a suction a lift, an augmentation and whatever else would help. The surgeon can be a beginner looking for a guinea pig. I'm not picky at all. I would even be willing to travel to another country, meet somebody in a dark alley in a shady area of town. I'm flexible and too lazy and so not motivated right now to do it on my own. I like the easy way out! Please send a private message. :)) If I hear nothing in the next week, I will get my arse in gear and do it on my own and break out the elliptical!Tear tear tear. ;)

 

One last random thought for the day....I know that we will have a lot of appointments coming up in the next while. I think most of them will be at The Children's Hospital, which is quite far from High River. How do I do this with a toddler? I can't rely on family to watch her each time but I don't know if she can sit for two hours waiting for Adele. Brinley is also going through a stage where she needs her mommy and daddy. I just can't leave her with friends right now. She would be so upset. I think I've answered my own question.....she'll need to come along. Man, this blog is like having my very own counsellor. I ask questions then I answer them myself. Blogging is so much fun! :)

 

Just watching Barbie!

 

 

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

 

 

 

 

There WILL Be A Vasectomy!!!

The sprinkler...she's so cool!

Today, I took Adele to the pediatrician to get her all checked out! It's so funny how with Brinley, I had a diaper bag all packed and stuffed to the brim and all ready to go months before she was born. Adele, she has a Ziploc baggie and I put it together just the other day. What happens when you have a third child? So sad. :)
Anyways, I really liked the pediatrician, she was young and hip :) and she took her time with us. I didn't feed Adele before we left because I didn't want her puking in the car, so I let her starve. Feel free to call Social Services, I could use a good night's sleep. ;)
She's gained weight, she looks healthy and she's growing. Her head is perfectly round. I've been asked before if I had a C-section because her head is so perfect...nope, I clearly remember the little peanut shooting out of my lowers rather quickly which in turn meant stitches, again. Not to go off on another topic, but I would like to point out that a second degree tear (Adele) compared to a third degree tear (Brinley) is like a walk in the park. It was like a minor paper cut. I could actually get out of bed without throwing myself up and out before any pressure could be put on my vag. It was a terrible sight, I would get up so fast that I would almost fly across the room and I almost passed out a couple of times. The other thing, I could pee this time without it feeling like somebody slicing me with razor blades. I didn't need the spray bottle this time, I could pee, happily!

Daddy giving Adele a manicure!

One more thing :) nobody likes to talk about bowel movements because girls don't really poop. Well, I've actually pooped and I am going to talk a little bit about the poop.
After I had Brinley, I thought that I needed to go to the bathroom, I was happy that I was going to poop. It was just a little private room. James, Brinley and I were hanging out, so it was all good. I went to the bathroom but left the door open because I'm not a lady.
The young, good looking doctor came in and needed to ask me a question. Naturally, I knew that James was going to tell the doctor that I was not available at that exact moment and that he could come back. NO, that is not what he said. He told the doctor that I was pooping and he could come in and chat with me. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME? I was constipated and not happy and sweating and I gave James the look of death. He then told the doctor that maybe he should come back a little later. YA THINK!?!?!?

Grandpa taught Brinley how to pick her nose! :)

The other thing that got me was that I was limited on how many mesh panties I was allowed and how many maxi pads they would give me....I think I may have discussed this in another blog but it still bothers the crap out of me. The nurse told me to wash them in the sink by hand. WASH THE MESH PANTIES? I just shot a baby out my vag, got a third degree tear, feel like I've been kicked in the crotch by a horse, haven't showered in a couple of days, am eating dog food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, got my boobs milked by a nurse, was made to watch a video from the seventies about breast-feeding and had to look at a set of boobies which didn't compare to mine, had a bulging belly, get woken up to give blood....you're telling me that you will only hook me up with 2 pairs of mesh undies and 4 maxi pads. What the hell??
Man, where was I?
Yes, the pediatrician is lovely. Adele is lovely and wonderful and we can sleep longer at night and not wake her up every 3 hours. I have to be honest, the past few nights, James' alarm goes off and we fall back asleep. Again, call Social Services. Poor peanut has gone 5 hours without a bottle. This is why we can't have another baby. That child would not get any type of diaper bag, would starve and never get changed and for sure not get a baby book. I'm thinking that a third wouldn't even get pictures taken. This is why we need to stop at two beautiful babies.

First dinner out....Adele took a massive poop! :)

When I was walking out of the doctor's office, there was a very pretty mom with a darling little girl in the next room. I had to stop walking in front of their room because I got Adele's oxygen line caught in the wheel. I am such a moron!
Anyways, the mom came out of the room and looked at Adele and said how beautiful she was and that her daughter also has a tube. Her little one is almost a year old and has a feeding tube. The mom couldn't get enough of Adele and was so enthralled with her and her cuteness. You know when you meet someone and just feel good?? That's how I felt. I felt something when I was talking to her and her daughter. She made me feel at ease. She made me smile. There was just something about her. Part of me wishes I had asked her out on a date. :) It was a good moment. A moment that I think I needed. I like those moments.
Another moment was yesterday when my friend Christina was at Fabricland, looking for, well, fabric. She really wants to make Adele a special blanket. Somehow, she ran into one of our favourite nurses Michelle, from the NICU. Christina told her that she was making a blanket for Adele. It's just such a small world. I love these moments. I get a sense of comfort when these moments happen. I'm hoping that I have many more moments like these all through out my life and I can only hope that Brinley and Adele do too.

Doctor's picture of James' vasectomy! Looks about right. :)

After Adele's appointment, we headed to High River for more doctor's appointments. I was pretty sure that Brinley had a little breast bud but we wanted to be sure. The doctor agreed with us and we were told to monitor it and make sure that there are no changes.
We had the talk with James' doctor about getting a vasectomy. It actually turned into a comedy routine between all of us. I don't want to get into too many details, just in case I lose my well behaved readers. :) I seriously need to work on the filter.
I'd have to say, that today was a good day.

 

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

Will Adele Have Friends?

 

BFFs

 

 

Lately, when I go out and something comes up about Down syndrome, all I hear is that it's a lot of work. It's life long. It's going to keep you busy. Make sure you get all of your funding. Always be your child's strongest advocate. Your child will probably live with you forever.

"You have a child with Down syndrome? I'm sorry." 
Don't we as parents all have worries when it comes to our children, Down syndrome or not?

I've read a lot of posts lately where moms and dads are so frustrated with their child's progress and that the child is hitting milestones way later then expected. I keep hearing a lot of upset and very discouraged parents.

It hurts when I read this. In my mind, I know that Adele will hit some of her milestones later and I have promised myself that I won't get upset if she isn't potty trained by 4. I won't be sad if she doesn't say mom until she's 3. I won't be sad if she isn't walking by 2. I won't be sad if she doesn't count to 3 until she's 3. Will I be discouraged even though I know what to expect? There are so many things that run through my mind and daily I try to convince myself that it will all be ok. It will all work out. It will be fine when milestones are hit much later.

I think one of my biggest worries is that will I be sad if she only has special needs friends? I would be sad. I know it.

 

Just pondering....

 

 

My sister sent me this link. :)

 

Study Suggests a Special Needs Child is the Most Important Friend Your Kid May Ever Make

Like many children, my son is friendly with the kids in his classroom. Unlike many children, those are his only friends.

Max has cerebral palsy and cognitive impairment, due to a stroke at birth; he attends a school for kids with special needs. The lack of typically-developing friends doesn't bother Max, who is not yet conscientious of it. It bothers me. Max is a super-friendly, fun kid who deserves lots of different friends-and lots of friends deserve him.

Of course, my friends' children hang with him when they visit. One of my best friends has arranged playdates with her daughter who's around Max's age, though she lives an hour away. The neighborhood kids are friendly when everyone's playing outside, but that's as far as it goes. Their moms have never reached out to me and vice versa, although I know I should take that first step. Friendship would benefit all our children, as a new study reveals.

A study of 1520 children ages 7 to 16 found that those who regularly interacted with people with disabilities generally had better attitudes toward people with special needs. They were less fearful of them, too, and more empathetic. Even just observing other people interact with those who had special needs, or observing their friendships, improved children's attitudes, shows the study by the University of Exeter Medical School in England.

These friendships could majorly benefit children with special needs like my son. They'd feel included instead of ostracized. It could boost their self-esteem, and even help them develop. It would open their worlds. Less obvious, I think, are the potential payoffs for children who don't have special needs. As study author Megan MacMillan said at the recent British Psychological Society conference, "The effort to improve attitudes is worthwhile, as negative attitudes are often internalized." Related: 7 things you should NEVER say to a kid
If your child doesn't ever interact with kids who have special needs, consider the benefits that go far beyond the usual gifts of friendship. Getting to know a child with special needs could open her mind so that she grows up to be more accepting and appreciative of individual differences. Having a "diverse" group of friends-important to many parents today-isn't just about kids of all races, it's about kids of all abilities, too. A friendship like this could also sharpen your child's communication skills, teaching her how to better interact with others. It could give her a deeper understanding of what it means to overcome challenges, and that everyone has their own unique value in this world.

I reached out to David Quilleon, a Vice President at Best Buddies International, to ask about benefits the nonprofit has seen for non-disabled friends (the group creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities). As an answer, he shared a letter he'd received from a chapter that operates out of a middle school in Tennessee. It noted, "Our student volunteers learn about leadership, community service, and most importantly, they become advocates for their new friend to be afforded equal opportunities within the school culture."
A-men.

I think I speak for most moms of kids with special needs when I say we're not looking for pity playdates here. We're looking for genuine connections. Yes, it's going to take a little more effort on your part. You will most likely have to explain to your child why mine walks and talks differently than other kids. That said, you could also talk about the ways my child is the same to help bridge the gap-after all, kids with special needs are kids first. They like to play with toys, watch TV, eat ice-cream, listen to music, and tell knock-knock jokes - same as any other kid.

Perhaps you won't know exactly what to tell your child about my child. No worries there-feel free to ask. I most likely wouldn't have known what to say, either, before I had my son and became a first-hand expert on the topic. Parents of kids with special needs are not expecting you or your child to act perfectly. Perfection, as we we well know, is not reality.

Just think, think of all the good friendships like this could do. Then go ahead and encourage your child to approach a child with special needs at the playground-a simple "Hi!" is always a great ice-breaker. If you have a child in middle or high school, find out about local Best Buddies programs (they're nationwide), or look into the e-Buddies pen pal program for kids ages 10 and up.

You could also ask around at your kid's school, or in your neighborhood or social media circles, whether anyone knows of a mom of a child with special needs who'd like to arrange a playdate with your child. I know how grateful the mom would be, because I am that mom.
Image source: iPhoto/kali9

-By Ellen Seidman

 

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You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. Right now I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. You can vote and rank my blog. :) Click on badge, go to Newest Blogs, find mine and click on the cupcakes, then you'll know what to do. :) Or, click on the above link and it will take you right to my page. :) I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)