Monday, July 26, 2010

5 months

You came from heaven shining
Breath of God still flows from you
The beating heart inside me
Crumbled at this one so new




Austin turned 5 months old on Saturday. Where has the time gone? He’s for sure about to cut a tooth. It’s on the top row in the middle. His MiMi (Ryan’s mother) felt it the other day when she was visiting. Sure enough, I felt it the very next day and so did Ryan. I know babies typically cut their first tooth on the bottom row, but children with Down syndrome tend to get their teeth in a different order than most. The end result will be a mouth full of teeth, so I’m not going to fret at the order in which they decide to come in. The tooth is definitely causing him some discomfort. His schedule is so off. I don’t even think he has a schedule anymore. He goes to sleep at 8, wakes up between 12-3 to eat. However, he’s been waking up to eat and then waking up a second time. This is not typical for him and hope and pray it’s simply related to teething.

You're so amazing you shine like the stars
You're so amazing the beauty you are
You came blazing right into my heart
You're so amazing you are



Ryan and I will be married for 1 year on July 30th. He surprised me with an iPad for an early anniversary present. I’ve never owned an apple product before and I must say, I’m definitely a fan of how they operate. When we moved in April, I got rid of my book collection, which was more like a small library. We weren’t going to have room for my books and he promised he’d get me a Kindle if I got rid of my books. Of course, I kept some of my favorites, but I got rid of about 250 books. The Kindle doesn’t have a backlight and I like to read in bed at night, so he figured that he’s spend a little more money and get me something that does a lot more! I downloaded and read my first book on the Ipad in less than 48 hours. Ryan is so thoughtful. He knows how I get into books about Down Syndrome. He also bought me these books for our anniversary:




Yes, the iPad is amazing, but these books made me realize how truly thoughtful he is. He knows I research and read about Down Syndrome religiously(so to speak). I sat the books on the table and he picked them up and said, “Look at these cute kids on the cover.” Would he have said that a year ago? No. Down syndrome wasn’t really something that crossed our minds a year ago. Before I had Austin, I had the (ignorant) presumption that all kids with Down Syndrome looked alike. I was so wrong. They don’t all look alike. Yes, they have similar traits related to their appearance…but even then, not all of them have the same traits. When I see pictures of children with Down syndrome I’m usually overwhelmed with how beautiful they are. I see them in a different light now that I have a child with Down syndrome. Some of their eyes may have the same shape as Austin’s. Some of them have the same crooked pinky and extra space between the big toe and second toe. As strange as it sounds, these similarities give me comfort. It reminds me that we're not alone.



I hope your tears are few and fast
I hope your dreams come true and last
I hope you find love that goes on and on and on and on and on
I hope you wish on every star
I hope you never fall too far
I hope this world can see how wonderful you are


Happy 5 months, sweet boy! You're such a blessing and you've changed me in a way that I can't describe. Seeing your smiling face in the morning makes life worth living. I don't know what we did before you were here? You're my reason for waking up in the morning...even if I do wake up earlier than I'd like;-). I love you more than you'll ever know.

Monday, July 19, 2010

ECI and Therapy


Austin had his monthly visit from ECI today. He doesn’t receive therapy. His ECI teacher basically observes him and asks me a lot of questions. She said Austin’s right on track. However, we need to work on sitting and “baby push ups” for his crawling technique. Austin LOVES to sit. However, we need to let him do the work and learn to balance so he can sit independently within the next few months. According to ECI, he’s not delayed. Therefore, he doesn’t receive any sort of therapy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful he’s not showing any signs of being delayed right now. However, I feel that he would benefit from some sort of occupational therapy. I can(and do!) work with him at home, but I can’t implement techniques and exercises to help him move forward when he’s not receiving therapy to begin with. I’m very thankful for ECI, but I feel it’s time to possibly take Austin to Therapy outside of ECI. There’s a reputable place that specializes in Occupational and Physical therapy for Children, so I will probably give them a call tomorrow.


...If you're happy and you know it, grab your feet...


Austin’s developing quite the personality. He’s generally happy and easy going. He laughs when I tickle him and it’s so darn cute! He’s starting to explore his environment more and by explore, I mean put everything in his mouth. He could care less about his Paci. He’s been over the pacifier for about a month. He was never too wild about it to begin with. He’s getting better at eating and swallowing solid food(rice cereal). He ate an entire bowl of rice cereal the other night! It seemed as though I couldn’t get the cereal in his mouth fast enough. Rice Cereal is usually hit or miss with him. Sometimes he can’t wait to eat it and other times he could care less about it.



My parents are coming to visit at the end of the month and help out with Austin while I have oral surgery. We're so excited to see them! I have an impacted and severely infected wisdom tooth. Ryan works out of town during the week, so it’s been hard dealing with severe tooth pain. I can’t take my pain medicine during the day because it makes me too groggy. If you’ve ever dealt with tooth pain, you know Tylenol doesn’t even “touch” it, but that’s what I’ve been relying on during the day. Thankfully, Ryan should be finished working out of town by the end of July or early August. It’s been a rough 2 months without my husband here during the week and I know it’s been just as hard on him.

I hope all of you are staying cool. I’m ready for Fall!

Blessings,
K

Saturday, July 10, 2010

I'll Take Three




I would never claim to be a poet because I’m certainly not. This is merely something that came from my heart.


I'll Take Three

Who would you be without those three?
Before you were born I was scared.
They told me there was a 2% chance you could have Down syndrome.
Surely God wouldn’t pick me.
There’s no way I could be a mother to a child with three.

I prayed for you to be healthy and you were.
I asked the doctors and nurses if you looked like you had an extra chromosome.
None of them knew for sure.
When you opened those beautiful eyes and looked into mine I just knew.
You indeed had three and not two.

I cried for me.
I cried for your daddy.
I cried for your grandparents too.
Most of all, I cried for you.
I told God I didn’t understand.

My tears were soon replaced with an unimaginable new love.
Your almond shaped eyes twinkle at almost everyone you see.
I often stare at you as you sleep.
Sometimes I still can’t believe God gave you to me.
Who would have thought I would be so thankful for those three?

You have so much ahead of you and I cannot wait to see who you will be.
You might not grow up to be a doctor, but you your sweet soul is healing.
You might not grow up to be a dentist, but your smile lights up my world.
Do not mind what others say.
You continue to prove them wrong day after day.

We are incredibly thankful to God for making you extra special.
If God were to say, “I’ll give him two and not three.”
I would smile and say, “No thank you, not for me.”
We wouldn't change anything about you,not even for a day.
Who’s to say two is better than three anyway?

Thursday, July 1, 2010

All American Boy


Summer is officially here and while there are some beautiful days ahead, I’m not a fan of actually being out in the heat. Texas summers can be pretty rough. Thank God for air conditioning and the automatic start on my car to cool it off before I enter it.

Austin was pretty sick with stomach issues, but he seems to be doing better. He’s on baby Prevacid for acid reflux and it seems to be working wonderfully. Speaking of the little man, he turned 4 months old last week. Wow! 4 months. He’s always had quite the personality, but it’s cool to see new developments personality wise as he gets older. I never thought I could love something so much. He is truly my greatest blessing from God.



I’m reminded when I see babies close in age to Austin that he’s different. I hope this is a normal reaction. It’s not that I’m comparing my child to others, but rather I’m just reminded when I see “typical” children that he’s different. 4 months ago I didn’t expect to embrace his Down syndrome. I was still questioning God and telling him, “I’m too young for this. I don’t know if I can raise a child with special needs.” God answered me in a unique way. He gave me the strength and confidence to JUST DO IT. Babies with Down syndrome aren’t any different than other babies. Yes, they’re at risk for more health problems, but they need the same things other babies need.

I’m going to begin getting a team together for the Buddy Walk in November. Obviously, Austin won’t be walking this year. However, Mommy, Daddy and whomever else will be walking. Austin will get to “stroll.” I have several ideas on raising money and acquiring donations. I’m excited to put my ideas to work.



I hope all of you have a wonderful 4th of July. Austin is going to see fireworks and I cannot wait to see his reaction. Hopefully he’ll be intrigued, but when it comes to babies you never know. ;-)

Be safe this 4th of July weekend!

Blessings,
K