Sunday, December 28, 2008
My Christmas Gift
He's kind of leaning on the toy, but not really. He is doing FANTASTIC! Don't ask him to watch you move an object over his head because then he falls for sure, but if he just sits, he's good. And it's not just balance until he falls. When I am holding him to practice, I can feel his muscles "firing" (a favorite therapist word!) to correct himself when he begins to fall. It's very cool! I am not sure what the exact time limits would be to claim sitting, but he is darn close! And he almost has the second tooth in front too! Sitting AND two front teeth! Who can't claim a Christmas miracle?
And here's the boys Christmas Eve, on the hearth. There are some pictures of them looking at the camera, but I thought this one was better. It kind of looks like they are plotting to catch Santa Claus! (Did I mention that Justin LOVES his thumb??)
Thursday, December 25, 2008
A Different Kind of Christmas
Justin got into the fun a little, although he couldn't really rip the paper. He got his first car...
And it was tasty!
In fact, most of his presents were tasty...
Travis got a BUNCH of tools. He loves them. Daddy taught him how to use the battery operated drill to drill his wooden screws into the workbench. Great. And now I hear things like, "Mommy, I am cutting the table!" Great. And he has learned what a reciprocating saw and jigsaw look like. Great.
(It's ROOT BEER thank you very much!!)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Blessings
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
It Doesn't Even Matter
We were up cleaning, etc. late last night and 30 mins. after we went to bed Justin woke up coughing. That horrible, croup-like cough. Fortunately (?) Travis had woken up with a fever from nap yesterday, so I had already made doctor's apts. for them BOTH this morning. So it turns out after no sleep last night, Justin and Travis have an RSV-type virus. Of course it's contagious, so that rules out Christmas and the picture too. So, God really did take care of me when he urged every other person to buy all the red shirts sized 9 mo. and 3T. Now I don't have to return them.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Failure
Tagged
2. Amazing Race
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Sweet Gift
Luncheon
This is the wonderful woman who helped Justin "be born" (Travis' words).
Do you think this should be the background for next year's Christmas picture?
Our wonderful doula! Justin has a connection with another Justin mom!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
We Have a Tooth!
It seems silly, but dental problems are a potential issue with DS. I have read that it is very common for teeth to come in late, and in a random/uncommon order. Justin's tooth is one of the bottom front, just like it "should" be, so that is wonderful! Travis got his teeth on the early side of the curve, so I didn't know what to expect with Justin. The books tell you all the things to watch for, but it seems to me that the other 22 pairs of genes ought to have some impact on things. And Randy has terrible teeth, so I hope that doesn't doom both boys!
Monday, December 15, 2008
He Even Does Floors
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Baking Cookies
I love the picture cards that are available because I love seeing pictures of all my friends who are far away. The only problem is of course that they often send pictures of only their children! I love seeing the children, but I also like to see my friends, which is why I love the picture cards with spaces for multiple pictures! So you will see a family picture and a picture of the kids on all of our Christmas cards. In front of someone else's Chrismas tree. Which is why you will never receive our cards the day after Thanksgiving because we must wait for people to decorate their tree before we can request to be photographed in front of it. I wasn't certain how I was going to prop Justin to get a picture of the boys, but again, no problem. A sofa cushion came to the rescue. This is the boy's picture. I think you have seen enough of us lately!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Little Things
He is really starting to hold himself up on his legs by himself. I never thought we would get past the phase of him scrunching his legs all up when he is held up. I am SO relieved!
He is moving his tongue around his mouth and actually starting to bite down (like he needs to do for eating). He does better on his left side, not so well on the right.
He is holding on when I carry him. Not really "holding", but at least curling his arms in when I hold him on my hip. This may not seem all that important, but it is if you ever want to walk through a doorway without pulling all limbs in for safe passage. I do love that he throws his arms way out, but it works much better for getting hugs than anything else.
And my biggest thrill...I think he is getting a tooth!!! No, really! I thought maybe he was a few weeks ago, but this is the real thing! It may take a long time, but I promise, it's there. And it's one of the middle bottom, just like it's supposed to be. It's hard to see it because his tongue is usually covering it, but I know it's there!
Snow in Houston
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Our Story
Our story is a marked contrast to most stories. I have heard stories of women giving birth and the atmosphere in the delivery room changing from calm to one of confusion and near mayhem. "Trisomy 21!!" And doctors entering and listing off the myriad of health problems the baby has and then ending with, "Oh, and we think your baby has Down syndrome." Some people say they felt robbed of the joy of having a baby. No one congratulated them. Instead it was a somber, "I am so sorry." One woman said the doctor told her, "The good news is that you have a baby boy. The bad news is that he has DS." She said, "The bad news is that he has a heart defect. The good news is that he has DS." First of all, it's about the baby. It's just not right that news like that has to be discovered and delivered when a woman's hormones are crazy already, but it takes away the joy of the moment. Of a new life emerging. Of a family member being added. Of God's plan in action.
I am so blessed that I only have happy memories of April Fool's Day 2008. I am so glad that we didn't find out that day. I am so grateful that he didn't have any urgent health problems. That day is only the beginning. We are not defined by that moment in time. Our story is still in the very first chapter, and I think we have a long winding adventure ahead of us.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Picture with Santa
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Buddy Walk
All in all, it was a really good day. We plan on making it an annual event. It meant a lot to us to have so many people come out and support Justin and our family. We have many, many years ahead of us, and I am overwhelmed looking at the picture of our team. So many people walking with us, today and always. They had signs along the route with facts about DS, including the prevelance of DS. There are about 5,000 babies born with DS in the US each year. Justin is one of the 5,000 for 2008. Someone off-handedly mentioned that we ended up being one of the families with this, one of the "lucky" ones. Today, I felt VERY lucky indeed.
Justin's Progress
He can clap his hands. His trunk muscles are getting stronger and while he cannot quite hold himself up while sitting, he is close! When he falls down, it is a slow, controlled fall. When I showed his PT, Penny, this week, she was very impressed. And I was so proud! Penny has been working on standing just to get the muscles to start working. She holds his feet and legs and I get his attention to lift his head up. After she holds him like that for a few minutes, she tries to get him to try to support himself (weight bearing on his legs). He always does much better right then because his muscles are remembering the feeling. (Like holding his mouth closed after eating since he has just been using those muscles.) I really like Penny, and I hope Justin does too.
Since I have all my teeth, and the economy is in the state it is, I have decided that all I want for Christmas is for Justin to sit up on his own. I have been told it is a lofty, but attainable goal. We have less than 3 weeks, but we are working on it!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ten Years, Eleven Weeks
Some friends gave us a gift card for Babbin's Seafood Restaurant, so we ate a fabulous dinner there, on Black Friday. I kind of thought if would be really crowded because it was Friday night, and after everyone shopped, they would "drop" at a restaurant for dinner. Nope, it was fairly empty, and we had great service. Then we hurried home to feed Justin and then we went to see the new James Bond movie. Not the big trip we usually take, but we had fun, and we were together. And we didn't even have to find a supply closet in the hospital to duck into!