Life With My Girls

Our Valentines Day

2012-02-16T09:03:00.001-05:00

Did you all have a good Valentines day?? I hope so..We sure did and you might be in for a picture overload post!!;) Just sayin’

I told Jianna to go sit by Jayla and so she goes and sits on her instead..lol!

So in comes the bribery just a little candy…and they ALWAYS have to check out what the other one has and it has to be the exact SAME thing or they want another one that matches it..it is tough getting two little two year olds to look at me…

Jayla on the left and Jianna on the right

See they have to check each others food out again…

I made the girls heart pb&j for lunch…I think they liked them…hehe!

Found another yummy recipe on pinterest and knew that I had to make them..and just to warn you if you do make these…you will not be able to stop after just one..k I warned you!! :)

The girls after school….

I found this hair heart on pinterest once again…yes I know I am addicted to that site..lol!! But anyways I wish I would of taken a picture of it in the morning instead of after school but oh well…The girls said it was a HUGE hit!!! They were just a tad late for breakfast in the morning bc I had to do this three times…and it did take a little bit of time..but it was ok for one special day…

Avery had the best day too..she came home just talking away oh how I wish I knew what she was saying though…but I am sure it was all about her party..…I can not wait until the day I can hear all about her day..I try to ask her questions and its yes or no..and that’s it..so I guess I will take that right now…She wouldn’t let her bag out of her site…We also made Pioneer Woman’s chocolate cookies when she got home from school..OH MY!! They are sooooo goood!!!! You must make them too!!! But they are a cut out cookie and we made hearts of course!! :)We just frosted them with nutella and that was really good..{forgot to take a picture of the after cookie…}

Daddy came home for flowers for his girls!!!

and candy of course too..and yeap they have to check each others out..and make sure that they got the same..

The table set for supper…we had ravioli casserole (the kids favorite), caesar salad, and breadsticks.. you can kind of get a idea of the cookies in this picture..oh yeah and the beautiful flowers that Jared brought for me!!

And for dessert…..the cookies and these cupcakes..I also found them via pinterest…they are suppose to be a more healthy way of making them..it’s a strawberry cake mix with a can of diet red pop..and that is it!! and they were good!! The frosting…well that was equally good..and that was a container of cool whip…one package of fat free vanilla pudding..and 1 cup of milk..and then food coloring..and it was really yummy too!!

So there you have it..that was our Valentines Day!!

{Ill be back tomorrow to give u an update on Avery..and to show you what I have been working on…}

Happy Valentines Day!!

2012-02-14T08:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentines Day to all of your family and friends!! We hope you all have a great day and filled with lots of love..I found this awesome idea on pinterest and showed the girls and asked if they wanted to make there own valentines this year..and they all wanted too…so this was there valentine for there class this year..

The girls making there valentines…in there pjs..they woke up Saturday morning knowing they were going to make there Valentines so they wanted to start on them right away…

I had Avery write her name on all of hers…

She did pretty good..she is starting to mix up her letters..she was never doing that before..not sure what to think about that…

Some of the Valentines for the grandparents..{yes they will be late..I'm just mailing them out today..don’t judge!!} The white had painted hands are Jayla and Jianna’s they are suppose to form a heart but it was so hard to get there hand to go where I wanted it to with paint on it..so that’s as good as I got it..so then I just drew a heart..lol..and Avery's is the sign language hand that I traced her hand and then cut it out and folded down the two fingers so i t would be the sign for “I love you”..and the girls traced there hands and then in the middle of there hands is an accordion paper..on the] front it says I love you…and on the paper in the middle it says this much… {ideas all found via pinterest}

She did better on her name on this one..so I had to show you

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

Avery is NOT going to have her surgery tomorrow

2012-02-02T20:10:00.001-05:00

She did it..she did it..she did it!! Avery did soo great at her MRI today..she started out watching Signing times for the first ten minutes about and then fell asleep after that..how she slept in there is beyond me..there were many times where I jumped a few times…it was so LOUD in there!! It took forever too..it was 30 minutes per side..she actually moved on one little bit at the beginning but then after she was sleeping he went back over it at the end so it was all good!!! The tech told me that the dr will call me in a couple of hrs bc he is a big time dr there and he has already told them he wanted the results pretty much as soon as she was done..he says “he's kind of big like that”..haha

So he calls me with in an hour to let me know that her MRI scan was great..no pelvic bone damage..he said that he had been doing A LOT of research on that one surgery that I brought up to him the other day and found a few articles on it.. and has been trying to contact a few drs up in Boston..Everything that he found about the surgery was only on older kids and not any on Avery's age..but then I did tell him that I talked to a mom where her son was 4.5 when they did the surgery..and he found that very interesting..and so he said he would like more time..he said he doesn’t feel comfortable going ahead with the surgery until he talks with them to see what they would recommend doing too..I told him that I started the process up there with her and that we just needed to send the notes and xray pictures and scan info and if we got it to them by next Wednesday they would get back to us on Thursday. He thought that was GREAT too!! He said he wished he had more parents like me..So that is where we are at..So I can honestly say I have complete peace about not having the surgery tomorrow! I got of the phone and just cried..but tears of joy..oh how I wept..I was just so moved by how great our God is!! He heard and answered all the prayers..Thank you all soo much for the many prayers that you all said for us..Thank you God for putting doubt in the drs head..thank you God for leading me to the right decision..and Thank you God for giving me peace!! God is soooo good!!

The dr. threw me for a loop

2012-02-02T09:58:00.001-05:00

So I should be asking everyone for prayers for tomorrow for Avery’s surgery BUT….it might not happen..instead I am asking prayers for knowledge and wisdom to make the right decision…I wish I could see in a crystal ball and see the future to see how this would affect her bc really that would be soooo much easier..but just to let you all know what is happening..ill try to explain everything good..but just to warn you my head is really spinning with everything so it might be a little confusing..bear with me!!! I am hoping this will help me see it too..by writing it out..so hear we go…….

I get a call from the nurse that the dr wants to see me before the surgery..so i go in there Tuesday morning bright and early..Well apparently he was un easy about everything since the last time he seen me. So he consulted with lots of other drs..and did lots of research and reading up on Avery's problem..you see Avery is very different..He has never seen this before or did this operation on a child with DS.He has seen it many times on children that don’t have DS but usually they put there hip out and it stays out but that is not the case with Avery...what Avery has is very rare with kids with DS..If Avery didn't have DS she wouldn't have this problem..She basically can slide her hip in and out many times..over and over..and over the last year it has become way worse but she has had this since she was a baby. So she puts her hip out many times through out the day and then she pops it back in..it is really gross to hear too.. The more times she does it the worse it gets bc she keeps stretching her ligaments out. And with her having DS that is what makes it so easy for her bc they tend to have looser joints. .so with that being said..half of the drs told him not to operate..the other half said do it..They got an xray of her hip out and it was out way more then what they thought..he had said that she has probably stretched it out to the max….

So this is where I am at…If we don’t do nothing at all…kind of like don't fix something that isn't broken thinking..right now its not broken and it isn't causing her pain..BUT eventually it will probably cause her pain and she will get arthritis in the joint...and it will start wearing down her bone the more she pops it in and out......BUT just maybe the ligaments COULD grow tighter over time too and she could have no problems with it and it could possibly fix itself..

If we do this operation. An open reduction surgery where they are going to go in there and tighten up her hip ligaments and build up her muscles around her hip...there is a chance that it will cause her pain.. or that it wont take and she will go right back to her old ways and we are back to square one... or that it will %100 work and cause her no pain and fix it..and then you have to ponder the complications that can occur from the surgery like the whole bleeding problem..where they cant get it to stop..which scares me to DEATH..especially since he has not did this particular operation on a child with DS before….and they also could kill her hip also while doing the surgery small chance but still a chance….

He thought maybe we could do a MRI to see the bone behind her hips that arent showing up on the xray to see if he could do bone repairment during the surgery that would make it take more..and we wanted it done before surgery to help us to decide if we should cancel it or go ahead with it..but just found out that they cant sedate her for the MRI bc she has severe sleep apnea..so they are going to attempt to do it while she is awake but I don’t know how that is going to work bc she has to lay very STILL and not move at all…but they do have a movie she can watch so maybe that will help..but if it doesn’t work then we will have to schedule an MRI with the anesethologist..so they can put her to sleep completely with a breathing tube down her throat..so that is today..so say some prayers that everything will be fine..

Well here comes the tricky part..So that left me to come home and do lots of research myself...so I went searching for other parents that were in my same similar situation..I went to a DS message board that I have been on since I had Avery and i found this mom who has a girl that has DS and was ten at the time I think that had a different surgery done at after she fell and hurt her hip and it caused her alot of pain.but she had this same thing but when they went to the drs they told her just to leave it alone until it got worse...anyways i found her on FB and messaged her and asked her if I could call her and talk to her…and she emailed me back with her phone number so then I called her yesterday to talk to her..there is a dr in Boston that specializes in a different surgery…The surgery is a triple pelvic osteotomy- what that means is that they make three cuts in the hip socket and then reposition it so that her hip will not dislocate. They stick a few pins in it and the bone grows around it..and then one year later take the pins out..and there have been 5 kids that have ds do this surgery that she knew of.....with this dr..so she gave me the names of a few other ones who I contacted and exchanged a few emails with one was 4.5 when he did the first surgery..and the other boy was 7 when he did it..they both agreed that this Dr. was awesome at what he does..and I should def get his opinion..so I got there number and made a call up there.. So I started the new patient procedure up there…basically I just gave them all of Avery’s info and then when she gets done with the MRI today..I will have them send up the drs notes and images to them and they review them..they do all the reviews on Wednesday’s..so then on Thursday they will get back to me with what he recommends..This dr up there basically created this surgery..it is at the Children's Boston hip center..and most of them did not regret doing the surgery…it is a lot more complicated then what we were going to do..he will only operate on one hip at a time..and it is a 5-7 day stay in the hospital..hmmmm….who do I know in Boston???? ummm no one!!!! lol!!

Well then I called my dr here and asked my dr about this triple pelvic osteotomy. He had heard of it and no one in this area does it on kids. He had heard of the drs. up in Boston too and said that he would gladly put in a referral up there too..But he thought it was done more on older kids and he felt that it wasn't the right thing for Avery...soo now what??? Are you still with me??? are you confused yet??? LOL!! Don’t blame u bc whew..I am!!! Will keep you all updated with the surgery…if its tomorrow or not..Wish us luck at the MRI at one today!!

One more week to go

2012-01-29T21:20:00.002-05:00

One surgery down and one more to go..The anxiety is REALLY setting in with only a week to go until Avery’s surgery. I wish it was just an easy operation and I didn’t have this..but when the dr tells you to expect complications well that can kind of raises the anxiety level a little. Someone was just telling me that its good that Avery has no idea what is about to turn her world upside down bc she wont have any anxiety issues about it..but I think I make up for it..I TRY really hard not to think about it otherwise I just lose it..I try not to let myself go there. I .can’t. I have to be strong or I'm trying to be strong. God knows how strong I am but I am still learning. Why do we always cut our selves short?? I was thinking about it the other day and just in the middle of a little crying party.. I heard “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” (Philippians 4:13 KJV) So I have been trying to repeat that verse over and over again in my head.
I have been reading up more and more information on how to take care of Avery..and well I think that is where my problem is..I need to stop reading!! lol! But I have learned a lot..I am still at a loss for what to do about Avery going to the bathroom..but also I am going to have to set my alarm every three hours to make sure she is dry and also to reposition her. Its going to be like having a newborn in the house again..but no new baby..lol.. One video I watched looked like such a big job just to brush her teeth every day..basically the next three months on this blog is going to be my journal for taking care of Avery in a hip spica cast..maybe it will help others that will be going through it too..it might be good and it might be bad..from what I read/watch it is a full time job just taking care of her...or should I say entertaining her. .and then add on my other kids and family..and then not getting a full night sleep..well I'm tired just thinking about it.. I kind of like my sleep..I'm really crabby when I don’t get enough sleep..and if we do all this and it doesn’t even work..
BUT…it is just a storm and it too will pass..I will just wait for the sun to shine again...because God is a faithful God and if he brings us to it he will get us through it..we just have to fully rely on him to get us through it all..Through our storms it only strengthens our faith in God..Have you ever stopped and thought about the storms that have happened in your life and maybe why they have happened?? I know for me I needed them storms..God knew that I needed them too..I can honestly look back on them and say that the storms in my life has grown my faith so much.. I am reminded of a refrain from a song by Mercy Me…“Bring me joy, bring me peace, Bring the chance to be free, bring me anything that brings You glory..And I know there'll be days when this life brings me pain, But if that's what it takes to praise You Jesus, bring the rain.” He is our strength. Psalm 46 reminds us of this..”God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” and later in that psalm He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;” ..Be still…just let everything go….everything…. Yes I need to just let go and let God handle it..and have faith that he will take care of Avery..he will guide the dr.s hands..so on Friday morning I will hand my daughter over to God..and have faith that he will take care of her..and that Gods will will be done! {even though it will be hard to do} …
We have dr appt on Monday for ENT…I think Avery needs another set of tubes..I have been noticing that she hasn’t been hearing as well..her other set of tubes came out last month or two…and I'm sure there is fluid in there or something..the teachers have noticed it too..On Tuesday we go see the dr that is going to be doing the surgery..and we go to a different place for all the pre op stuff…and we will find out what time she goes in on Friday..
If you could say some prayers for me and for Avery and for the drs..we would appreciate them!!! Thanks and have a good week everyone..I'm going to try to keep myself busy by sewing up a bunch of skirts for Avery since that is what she will be wearing for the next three months!

Pictures from Brielle’s surgery

2012-01-26T09:09:00.001-05:00

Brielle is doing awesome!! The first day home from the hospital she was in a lot of pain but didn’t want to take any pain medicine..but a cookie bribery helped a little She was very cranky too.and she even knew that..bc she told me its probably a good thing I don’t have to go to school this week bc im a little crabby..ha! So after resting a lot and keeping the leg elevated she is pretty much walking all round today and last night with out any problems or pain.. I have heard “Im bored” so many times in the last few days too..The trick is going to keep her from doing stressful things to her knee over the next six weeks..like going for bike rides with Grandpa..and jumping on tramp or just running around..Here are some pictures from her surgery…

She thought the light on her finger was pretty cool and wanted a picture of it..lol!!

After the surgery…still a little loopy..she thought it was worse then what she thought it was going to be..and she said that the gas that they used to put her to sleep with smelled like a monkeys breath..not sure how she knows what that smells like..or she was still a little loopy when she said that and not sure what she was saying …hmmmm

Just a little crabby at home…

Brielle with her principal..she stopped over to see how she was doing..and to bring her some ballons and a puppy

Tirzah {Brielle’s friend and neighbor} came over to see how Brielle was doing and to play paper dolls with her for awhile..

She walked around on crutches the first day..Brielle with all her goodies….

Her incisions…when she first looked at it..it scared her a little but then I pointed out the pen marks and then it wasn’t as bad…

She wanted us to all sign her ace wrap…

Out of surgery

2012-01-23T10:54:00.002-05:00

She is out of surgery..

They gave her a shot of morphine bc she was in alot of pain.. She still hasn't been able to eat anything.. Slowly eating ice chunks..

Brielle's surgery

2012-01-23T09:49:00.002-05:00

Brielle did great going to sleep. They didn't have to give her any extra medicine to calm her. Which is great bc she did have a little breakdown this morning when she first woke up. They were all so awesome!!
Brielle in the pre op room... Doesn't she look thrilled??? Poor girl!!!

Just talked to the dr and it actually wasn't what we thought it was. Instead it turned out to be extra tissue on her ACL. They removed all the extra tissue and the dr said that it won't grow back so she should be good from now on out. No more problems. About a week for recovery. Thank you Lord!

Brielles Surgery

2012-01-20T14:22:00.001-05:00

As a mother my heart is breaking right now for Brielle…Brielle looks like she has been hit by a car! She is not doing very good at all.. She is having A LOT of anxiety issues and is just really scared over her upcoming surgery on Monday! Yesterday I sent her to school crying bc she was thinking about her surgery and got really scared…as a mother this HURTS!!!! When I picked her up I asked her how her day went and she said not very good..she looked T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. When she got home from school I told her that a lot of people were praying for her and she said that it helped some…I'm not sure what else I can do..I have prayed with her…told her some bible verses that I thought would comfort her…and told her that Jesus was with her and would be right there the whole time and help her get through it. She wants me in the surgery room but I told her that I cant be! She isn't happy about that.

Today we went to Shriners for pre admission..We seen the attending dr,the dr that is going to be doing the surgery, nurse, physical therapist, and a child right specialist (which was good for Brielle..bc she really explained everything so she would understand), and took care of all the paperwork and got our surgery time..She is first and surgery is at 800 and that means we have to be there at 600 AM!!! WE live like 45 min away..so I guess we wont be getting any sleep that night..I tried to ask for a time at night but it didn’t go over very well..haha!!!! The dr that is going to do the surgery said that they don’t know for sure if it is torn or if it is a discoid meniscus..the radiologist that read the MRI said it was a discoid meniscus but the dr that is doing the surgery isn't really sure if he believes him or not..thinks it might be a torn..anyways he said whatever it is that when they are in there they will fix what ever it is and then go from there..so I don’t really know how her recovery is going to be until after the surgery..She will come home that same day and wont have to stay the night in the hospital though.. Ill let you all know more after the surgery on Monday! {probably before any of you wake up. ha!}

She really didn’t want to go back to school today but we got out of there pretty early and since I didn’t know how much she was going to miss next week I figured she better go today. But when she walked into the office the secretary asked her if she was ok??? and she says yea and the secretary says well you don’t look ok..are u sure?? You can just tell that its.not.ok. It is all over her face and body!! I’m sure she will be relieved to just have it all over with!

PLEASE say some prayers for Brielle!! Oh Jesus please be with her today and the coming days give her peace and just comfort and calm her!

These were from today..I had to take the babies with me bc we had to be there so early..we had to be there by seven and like I said we live like 45 min from there so we left at 615…Note to self..The babies DO NOT do well with not enough sleep…Enough said!!!!! Even though one is smiling in the picture don’t let it deceive you! ;)

Jared’s parents should be getting here today..they decided to come a couple days earlier to beat any snow storms…that cheered Brielle up a little;) I'm not sure how long they are staying for but they are def staying through Avery’s surgery which is still Feb. 3!

Mama & Me journal

2012-01-18T14:27:00.001-05:00

So what is a mama and me journal??? It is a journal where just me and Destiny write back and forth with each other and one for Brielle and me to write back and forth to each other. I found the idea on pinterest and here is the original link. Isnt it such a great idea???!!!! I have had it pinned for awhile now but finally made myself just do it!!! So this past weekend I finally did it!!! It was super simple and only took like five minutes to make them..I found some scrapbook paper that I thought each girl would like and then glued it on to the cover of a regular notebook and then printed off the top part mama & me from the website where i found the idea..she has it where u can download it and can print it off..and then i just glued it down...

The first page I copied from her website..thought it was a great starter page..but here is the first page if u want to see it!!

When they woke up it was on there bed and they were soooooo excited..that might be an understatement...lol!! They wrote back to me write away and it was beside my bed that night..and so far we have been doing it back and forth everyday..they are so happy to get it back and see what I wrote them..so far they have wrote me some jokes or told me a story.or asked me questions that they wanted answered and in last nights letter Destiny thought it would be a great idea to end each letter with a bible verse and she says its ok if we need to look it up in the bible too..:) That is an awesome idea Destiny...So this little idea has turned into being a great way to strenghten our bond one on one with my girls which can be hard sometimes when u have five girls..a book of memories to treasure for a liftetime...but it also lets them work on writing and penmenship...and now it gets them in the bible more!!! We all coudnt be happier..anyways I just wanted to share it with all of you and I would def recommend you doing it with your child..girl or boy...

Destiny got Terrific kid

2012-01-13T10:25:00.002-05:00

Way to go Destiny for getting Terrific kid this nine weeks..We are so proud of you!!! Terrific kid is put on by the Kiwanis club here..and a girl and a boy from each class is chosen by there teacher each nine weeks to receive it.

Our Christmas

2012-01-10T08:22:00.001-05:00

We always start our Christmas out with reading about the birth of baby Jesus and afterwards we sing Away in a Manger…Jianna didn’t want to wait she wanted to dig right in to the gifts…she remembered from a few days ago when she was opening her gifts at Janie's.

Avery making sure no one takes her stocking…lol!! We just let them open all there gifts at the same time and mixed in with the gifts are there gifts from all there grandparents..since we live far away they just send them down here and we have like three Christmas’s in one!!

Destiny was al about clothes and shoes and more clothes this year..that is all she really wanted..she is kind of growing out of the toy phase I guess..she was excited to get a nice black coat..what she wanted..

Brielle..Oh Brielle I still get a kick out of her list…she cracks us up a lot of the time…she wanted a pistol and a shot gun..and some cameo clothes and headphones but if she didn’t get the pistol or shot gun then don’t bother with the cameo clothes and headphones..lol!! I suppose Jared has to have one girl turn into a tomboy right???!!! She is very much a daddy’s girl and likes to do EVERYTHING with Jared..fishing..hunting..working out in the garage with him…just the other day she was helping him build something and she wanted to work the saw..but we settled on a bb gun for now..but she is a little scared to shoot it now bc she is afraid she is going to shoot something she isnt suppose to..

Avery finally got a new magnadoodle. She wore her other one out..she LOVES this toy..that is a huge understatement too..every house we go to they usually have a magna doodle and Avery has found it and is writing with it..u should of seen the one that I threw away…it is in her hand the majority of the time and she is writing on it…She was soo excited to get a new one!! Avery is soo easy to shop for bc there are so many good therapy toys that she needs..so I try to take advantage and get her good therapy toys for Christmas and her birthday..she also got some more signing times books and videos..(they had a great 40% off sale) and some curious george stuff she loves that silly monkey!!!

The twins..they were really loving all the unwrapping this year..it is so fun when they get into it..they started opening up everyones..they didn’t care they just wanted to unwrap!!! They got some clothes, some food, a couple of pillow pets and a big soft kiki for there crib and a baby set with a playpen, high chair, and a new stroller bc im tired of listening to them fight over one stroller!!! But now they fight over the the new stroller so I really cant win!!!!;)

Opening up my santa shop gifts from the kids..The kids school has a santa shop every year and it really is a neat thing..they get to use there own money that they have saved up and they get to budget what they want to spend on everyone…they like to get everyone in our family a gift..and they take great pride in what they picked out for everyone..they put a lot of thought into them..u can tell..and it saves me from having to take each kids individually to go shopping for everyone..and the gifts are usually $1, $2, or $3 dollare gifts that they spend but I think they have even more expensive gifts too..so this year Avery got to go to santa shop too..and she knew..bc when I opened up the gift she gave me she said Avery….and I said oh is this from you Avery…and she said yeap and was just beaming!!! So I got a couple of candles from Brielle, a cute cupcake ornament from Avery and a mom plaque from Destiny..the kids got each other different gifts that included…books, pens, diary, horse, ornament,..and Jared pretty much gets a mug everytime..so we have a lot of Christmas mugs at our house..but he drinks a lot of coffee so it’s a fitting gift for him and Avery got him a little flashlight..

Im always the last one to open my gifts too for some reason..so everyone always helps me open mine..;)Jared got me a serger this year and I cant wait to use it!! Do u know how much easier it is going to be for sewing clothes! Woooohooo!!! I just need my MIL to come down and show me how to use it now..haha!! WHich I am in luck they are coming in a couple of weeks so I can have her show me.!!! He also got me a shampooer {mainly for himself..lol!!!} but I went to take it out out of the box and it had been used and it was soo disgusting. There was mold and so much hair and carpet fibers…Yuck! Its suppose to be brand new!!!! I am guessing someone bought it and returned it and never told them that they used it…really people..come on!!!

Randomness

2012-01-06T10:55:00.001-05:00

This post is going to be all over..just to warn u It pretty much sums up my week..

We went to Avery GI dr on Monday and all is still good..just keep giving her fruit-eze for constipation issues..and maybe double up on it a week before her surgery so things are flowing good for her..and maybe keep her doubled up on it for awhile so she don’t get constipated with the cast on!! That is my big worry..her getting so constipated! This is what happens when they make us wait so long in the dr office!! Im surprised they don’t get us in and out as fast as possible as loud as we are!!!

Avery in the table!!

Yeap you guessed it..you knew that was coming didn’t you..except what u cant see is I had Avery pulling her in and the other baby pulling her out which ended in a screaming fit!!!

Avery being sooo cute and silly!!!:)

Playing ring around the rosies still trying to pass time..

On Tuesday..I find my babies like this!!!

Yeap both in the dryer just giggling away!!!! and a pile of clean clothes in front of the dryer that they so nicely took out for me!!

On Wednesday I got this in the mail….

Don’t know what it is????:) Well it is a GoGo girl…It’s what they call a female funnel. {So when Brielle came home from school she seen it on the counter and asked what's this??? A funnel to frost cupcakes with??? HILARIOUS!!!! I then explained what I was going to use it for and she thought it was pretty ewwww!!! So I tried using it with Avery to get her used to it so she would be a pro at it by the time she had surgery..Well guess who wont use it??!!! Yeap Avery will have NOTHING.to.do.with.it..I tried using it on her and she wouldn’t go and so then I took it off and right away she starts peeing..That girl is soooo stubborn!!! So now I don’t know what I'm going to do….I suppose I am going to have to get everything under the sun and see which one she will use..so I'm going to have to find a female urinal and a bed toilet {is that what they call them…lol!!!}

These three are no help when it comes to folding clothes..they are masters at playing around me and knocking all my piles over!!

On Thursday I made a few projects..I had to find something to hold my kids bookbags up bc they were just throwing them in the closet and shutting the door no.matter.what.was.in.the.way! And it was wrecking our door..So I came up with these. I really like them but Jared had to ruin it when he told me where I had to hang them so they would be in a stud..and how he was going to screw them in…urghh!!

I also had to fix these jars. I had made these apothecary jars before Christmas and had put fake snow and ornaments in them..but they were VERY crooked..I had forgot to put the wooden circle on the bottom of the jars so I picked them up at Hobby Lobby when I was picking up my materials for the book bag hooks. {All materials I got at hobby lobby for both crafts} Now to find something to go into them now..maybe something to do with Valentines Day????!!!

While I was making these I couldn’t find Jayla for awhile and I realized that so I was yelling her name all over the house and all of a sudden she comes out of my room with this look on her face like she had been caught red handed!!! So I was scared to go into my room and see what she had gotten into but I went in there and didn’t find anything so I was puzzled..Well fast forward to the night when Brielle is asking for vaseline for her lips I go into my bathroom closet to get the vaseline and what do I find????!!!

She had taken all of my tampons out of there wrappers and even took some of my diapers {that’s what they call them} out of there wrappers so I had a nice sticky mess!!!!!! Her cup was in the closet too so I know she did it!!!!!

All week I have been on a mission to organize and I have got a lot done if I do say so myself..I have gotten our Coat closet, two junk closets by the front door done, all bathrooms done, and the babies room done! We have also switched the toy room and the office around so I have done the toy room too!! Still have the office to go through..and well the craft room needs serious help!!! Right now there is a pile of J.U.N.K. in there that I don’t want anymore and it all needs to get cleaned up and organized in the next couple of weeks before my inlaws get here bc that is there bedroom!! Ill show u a picture but no judging bc it’s a work in process right??!!! At least I have a timeline to get it done by bc it would probably otherwise sit there for awhile!!

Well that pretty much sums up my week!!! Whew…what a week!! How was your guys week???!! Hope it was better then mine!!! {All of these pictures were taken on my phone so the quality might not be that great}

Christmas with the family

2012-01-05T08:39:00.001-05:00

So I am really behind on post so bear with me while I try to get some Christmas posts up…. We had our family Christmas with Jareds family the Friday before Christmas this year so here are some pictures from then…

Jayla with her cousin Ember who is only a couple of months younger then her..

Jayla wanted to see what Jianna got and was more interested in watching her open her present..

Jianna trying to put on her mittens that Grandma made for her..All the grandkids got cute little mittens and a balloon ball from Grandpa and Grandma…and us adults got some yummy caramels, peanut brittle and some jerky that will knock your socks of..well maybe just mine bc im kind of a wimp!!!

Some of the kids..the older ones arent in here and Laini don’t know where shes at either..

Spica cast research and goals for 2012!!

2012-01-02T13:08:00.001-05:00

Not going to lie not looking forward to the beginning part of 2012...Could it be possible to stay in 2011 a little bit longer..Guess not since its already Jan 1, 2012..lol!! Feb 3 is going to be here before i know it..I am having alot of anxiety issues about Averys upcoming surgery and not looking forward to the recovery at all..So in preparation for her surgery I have started watching a lot of youtube videos on how to do many different things with a hip spica cast on..Who would of thought..but yes they have a youtube video of everything..I am convinced now..but I have to say they are very helpful!!!! I have learned a lot and now have a long list of stuff I need to get before the surgery. So that lead me to today..I had to search for a female funnel today. Guess where it lead me..GoGO Girl don’t take life sitting down..that is there motto and they gear there advertising toward women who don’t want to squat..and the pictures I found well lets just say I got a really good laugh this morning..I have to share some of the pictures I found so you can get a good laugh also!! Actually I will just tell what I found..apparently in UK they have stand up urinals for females so u have to carry around these funnels so u can pee standing up..also I found one ladies blog where she took pictures of her peeing standing up from different places around the world..so it would say I peed standing up in Tennessee.. REally???!!!! Yes I am not kidding!!!!!! I can see sometimes it actually might come in handy where u go into the really dirty bathrooms and don’t really want to squat on the toilet but to actually go out and buy a funnel so u can pee standing up..well not me I guess…lol!! But I did have to buy one for Avery bc I am thinking it will help her go to the bathroom on a regular toilet and help her pee go in the toilet and not everywhere else and maybe then we can stay from the other female urinals bc I don’t think she will go in them..since I have such a hard time getting her to pee on the toilet for the very first time.

Well I have made my list of my New Years Resolutions too…have u????

1. To be a good mom..for my kids to remember me laughing with them, playing with them, helping them, and loving them..I need to enjoy the the simple things...i need to simplify...i need to become a simple mom..to be able to drop what ever i am doing just to play with them..to let them help me in the kitchen and create a big mess{ I will really need to work on this bc sometimes it is sooo much easier to just not let them help bc I cant stand the mess they make afterwards..} My kids are growing up way to fast and i just want to try to slow down and really enjoy my kids!!!

2. Read the entire bible in one year. I have one of the bibles where they break it up for your daily reading each day to make it through the entire bible in one year. THey are the one year bibles..

3. Get organized…I am on a mission this year to ward out a lot of junk and get organized!!! I am tired of it…

4. Get fit..I am going to start over on my 5k goal bc it didn’t get far last time..I found a cool app on my phone to help me train to be able to run a 5k. It’s the couch to 5k in case anyone wants to join me but the whole concept is getting u off the couch and running a 5k in nine weeks. You see I love the idea of running and always wanted to be able to run longer then a mile but honestily I have been working myself up to running just a mile this last year and havent got no where!!! So I found this app and started it and loved it and made it to week four but then the whole time change really threw me off and I never found time to go running so then I found a nice treadmill on craigslist so I am going to give it a try on a treadmill this time to see if it works better!! Will I actually run a 5k well I don’t know but maybe..but if I can just be able to run three miles without killing myself well then I will consider that I have accomplished my goal!!

5. Start saving more..bc I am tired of spending money!!!! A couple of years ago we had a goal to stop using credit cards and it was the best decision ever..We cut them up then and never looked back!! I love not having debt except our house!! If I don’t have the money for something that I want then I guess I don’t need it!!

6. Get healthy and start eating healthy too!!! I have found a really good option for me for breakfast so far..IT is a healthy shake that is full of vitamins and gives u lots of energy..now to eat more healthy for lunch and dinner..that will be the trick!!

I think that is a good list this year!! How about you??? How is your goals/resolutions coming for 2012??!!! Share them with me if u want maybe it will help give me more ideas!!!!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:07:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year to all our friends and family!!

A New Years Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.

God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead

Seen here also…

Happy Birthday Jianna & Jayla

2011-12-30T10:38:00.001-05:00

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that I was posting this picture on here and telling you all that we were expecting twins????!!!

Where they were referred to as Baby A and Baby B!! I still can remember just calling them baby a and baby b forerever bc well that was what we were used to calling them when I was pregnant with them. Oh but I wouldn’t want to go back to the pregnancy..NO NOT EVER!!!!! That has got to be the worst thing I have EVER gone through!!! How my body is in one piece after them is beyond me!! But it was all sooo worth it!! I would have never in a million wished for twins. { In fact it has been one of my biggest fears since me and Jared got together. We would talk about it when we were dating what I would do… mainly bc of how I would handle them with my arm..for those of you that don’t know yes I do have a bad arm..I have what is called erb’s palsy or brachial plexus in my right arm..I was born with it..more on that on another day..I'm writing a post about it but it might be awhile bc it is taking some time to write it all out!!!} But God decided I needed to tackle my fear head on!! I am soooo glad that he has blessed us with twins. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love this picture..this is when they were laying under the lights and Jianna put her leg up on Jayla and then Jayla reached down and layed her hand on Jianna!!

Cant belive I carried them until 36-37 weeks.and they were 6lbs and 6.8lbs..But they were still sooo tiny!!! Awwww!!!!

They keep things really interesting at our house!!! They are my diggers, writers, climbers. I have never had them before until these two. They keep me on my toes all day!!!! They are turning two..The terrible twos!!! and I think it is going to be a very interesting year to say the least!!! Here are a few recent pictures of them just having fun..twice the fun!!

Jianna LOVES to give kisses and usually Jayla doesn’t like to receive them!!!

Yeap see here Jayla is pushing her away!!!

Up to no good..picking leaves off my tree one by one!!!

They love to sit on each other like this and then jump…usually Jayla will lay down and pat her tummy for Jianna to come and sit on her and jump…

In there butterfly dresses that I made them!!

They love to push each other in the doll stroller {they had to get another one for Christmas bc I was tired of the fights over the one}

Nope not going to look at you mom!!! Ha! This was from there 2 yr photo shoot I attempted..didn’t go very good..what u cant tell???!!:)

I am working on editing there 2 yr pictures of the ones that I did get so when I get them done ill post them too!!

Jayla can be my cuddlebug if she wants to..She is my writer..and it is very irritating..she is always finding pens and pencils and writing on everything…she has a mean temper..uunnntt all drawn out is probably her favorite word right now. and when she is mad watch out bc she finds things to throw and poor Jianna if she is in the cross way then she gets hit too..Then she will lay her self on the floor and cry. Jayla still has the pointed ear. She is the runner and doesn't like to come to me very often when called. She doesn’t like to get kisses or give them. She doesn’t like to play with toys but loves to dig and play with everything she isn't suppose to be!!! Nicknamed Jianna- Gigi

Jianna is my cuddle bug!!! She loves to give kisses and receive them! She is also my climber and digger. She is quiet the character though..She is constantly making us laugh..She walks around on her tippy toes all the time while taking very big strides in-between each step. Jianna now has a freckle on her left cheek that some people use to tell them apart. Some people still can not tell them apart!!! She doesn’t like to play with toys but but loves to dig and play with everything she isn't suppose to be!! Jianna scares really easy..she gets nervous over the littlest things..Nicknamed Jayla..LaLa.

Together watch out because you two are destructive!! Pretty much go from one mess to another!! You both do not like to share and love to take toys/things away from each other. You love to see what the other one is up to and either join in or yell No. They both love to walk around in other peoples shoes..They are both starting to copy everything that you say. For some reason you both love to take off your socks, shoes and pretties pretty much the second you get in your car seats. Soo frustrating. When Im changing ones diaper the other one is looking over my shoulder saying eeewwww!!! They are always saying “Hi mama..or Hi dada whenever they see us and then repeat it over and over and over!!! They love babies….and there kiki can not be with out there kiki for sure…and if the other one gets hurt they will run and find there kiki for them...The minute I sit down they both love to climb all over me then fight over who is sitting where..{I don’t sit down very much…but it gets to be pretty interesting in church}

Happy Birthday sweet babies of mine…{they can still be my babies if I want them to be..even though they are toddlers now..}

My Girls pictures {takes that didn’t make it on the card}

2011-12-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a few other pictures that I took that turned out good but I didn’t use them on our Christmas card but thought I would still share them with all of you…

This picture cracks me up everytime…this is a classic Avery look when she doesn’t get what she wants!!!

Not sure what happened to my babies shoes on this one???!!!! Brielle is really enthused in this one too..ha!

Whew..sorry about the overload of pictures!!!! I was just so happy that I got a lot of good ones this year..usually I only have about one or two to pick from.. I did there individual ones for 2011 too but I am still editing them..might be awhile for them.. and I did the twins too whew where they ever a work out to get a few good ones of them..here is one that I took that day that was on the Christmas card..it’s the only one I have edited..Can u believe they are going to be two on Friday????!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas too all of my online friends!!!! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas with your families!!

My Grandma and me

2011-12-22T00:07:00.003-05:00

You will have to excuse me for not blogging lately bc I took a trip back home to SD to see my grandma. ( im doing this from my phone so it might not look the same)

I came by myself for a couple of days. It's been weird not having any of my kids with me. In fact I was at my inlaws last night and I was talking on the phone for a brief minute so I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.. And all of a sudden I hear my brother in law say u don't have to clean up the toys u don't have any kids here..ha I guess I was just doing it out of habit..lol!!
So it had been a bittersweet trip for me. Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things to do! "the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. psalm 34:18

My grandma and me!!!

My grandma thought it was sooo neat too see yourself on my phone while taking our picture!!!:)
I head back to SC tomorrow.. I thought when I got to SD I would see some snow too but everything was brown.. It was really weird!!!

Oh Christmas Tree, Christmas tree…

2011-12-17T17:21:00.001-05:00

The kids were so excited when it was time to put up the tree…We put it up the day after Thanksgiving.. I was a little worried how the twins would do with all the ornaments this year bc they are little stinkers to say the least….{one of my days last week consisted of cleaning up one mess after another..we went from cleaning up finger nail polish all over the bathroom to cleaning up all there clothes that they had fun taking out of there dresser one by one..then they smeared vaseline all over them selves while giggling away…then I come down stairs to see that they decided to use my kitchen table for there paper..I had black marker all over it..good thing it was erasable marker..whew..I would just clean up one mess and they were already on to making another mess..} but much to my surprise they are doing pretty good with the ornaments..they have only taken them off a few times and tried to put them back on..but if u put candy canes down low well they will all be missing..learned that one pretty fast…didn’t think they knew what they were but I was wrong..they do!!!

Jianna hanging up some ornaments…

Jayla

Avery was soo funny putting them up..oh she had soo much fun…she wanted to put them up really high (check out her mouth on the first picture) and down low too of course..

Destiny putting the star on..

Peek a boo with Jianna..lol

This is what happens when u have two two years old that u are trying to take there picture together..

Brielle’s Birthday

2011-12-16T20:47:00.001-05:00

Brielle requested an eight shirt the night before her birthday..{nothing like giving me lots of time to get it done.ha!} But I couldn’t let her down since she requested it and I had all the supplies on hand and it doesn’t take that long to do anyways..So when I put her to bed I told her I would try to get it done. The look on her face when she woke up and realized that I made her one..well it was def worth the extra half hour that I stayed up to do it!!!

She was pretty excited that she got a real birthstone ring and a letter B necklace..and Destiny got her a camouflage Barbie that she thought was totally cool!!

My girls are constantly cracking me up..they come up with the funniest stuff!! Like this for instance…Destiny gave her another present but this one she really tried to trick her..she wrapped up a huge rock in her present along with a few other little rocks.

At the bottom of the box was a necklace that Destiny made her and she had used letter beads to spell out her name.

Of course she wanted roller skates too since Destiny got some for her birthday..

and some Big Chew

Her requested meal was Monster sandwiches..{pizza dough with pepperoni, ham, salami and cheese all rolled up with a topping of a mixture of sesame seeds, Italian seasonings, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder} dipped in pizza sauce…sooooo yummy!! I also tried my hand at fondant for the first time. Well the first time that it made it on the cake and stayed..I have made it one other time but it ended up in the garbage. I have A LOT to learn. Yes I realize it is cracked and the pink or the brown are the right colors that I wanted but it is a lot of work to color the fondant.whew..it is A LOT of sweat and hard work to make marshmallow fondant in general! But I will be making it again.

The girls helped put all the color fondant shapes on and her name.

Avery can write her name

2011-12-13T15:59:00.001-05:00

We started out the year with Avery just being able to draw a circle over and over again or lines down. And now she is able to do this!!!!

Yes my friends she wrote her name all by HERSELF!!! Woohooo!!! The first box is her name too but look how much neater she gets when her therapist drew lines to keep each letter within each box.

She can also recognize her name which is soooo awesome!! I was sitting at the table peeling address labels off to put on my Christmas cards and Avery was sitting across from me and she says “Mom, Avery” as she is pointing to the back of the sheet. So I turned it over and yeap sure enough the company logo Avery is all over the back. I am just amazed at how far she has come just being in school for a few months. There were two of her goals that we thought she would take all year to accomplish and she has done them in a few months. Way to go Avery this mama is very proud!!!

Destiny’s Piano Recital

2011-12-10T22:21:00.003-05:00

Destiny had her Christmas piano recital today..She did wonderful considering she had a bad case of the nerves..she gets really nervous before she plays..and that in turn makes me really nervous too..my stomach is in knots right before she goes up to play..you would think I was going up to play too..ha! The two songs that she played for the recital are" “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.” Then they get to pick a favorite that they can play and she picked “Jingle Bells.” We have been listening to these songs since the beginning of October. So its great to finally see her perfect them and play them so beautiful!! Its amazing to see how far she has come since she started lessons. She has been playing since she was seven.

Happy 8th Birthday Brielle!!

2011-12-09T09:24:00.001-05:00

It was Tuesday Dec 9th that we headed off to the hospital to have you. I was being induced. Overall my labor and delivery was fast and easy. Around 8:00am we arrived at the hospital. Shortly afterwards they started the drug into my IV to induce labor. Half way through the labor I decided that I needed an epidural. The nurse came back and checked me every hour to see if I was progressing any faster. At one o’clock I was dilated to an 8 and when the nurse came back to check on me around two o’clock she could see the top of the babies head. My little girl was ready to come out to meet the world. About five minutes of pushing (three big pushes) at 2:46 pm our daughter, Brielle Candace, entered the world. I will never forget that moment when I held her tiny newly born body in my arms and looked at her for the first time. She is perfect and beautiful. She brings so much to our family..The one who is soooo much like me..{we bump heads many times} She really challenges me…She is soooo creative in everything she does..she hates to read and hates school..she likes to be different then everyone else..she didn’t want to bring cupcakes or cookies to school like everyone else does….no she wanted to bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts..so we had to go all the way down there and get some yesterday for school today..and she is a big Daddy’s girl..loves to go fishing and hunting with Jared..{on her Christmas list this year a pistol and a shotgun and camo clothes and ear plugs but she tells me don’t get me the ear plugs or the camo clothes if you aren't going to get me any of the guns! } haha!!! She is a VERY picky eater..but we love her sooo much and we are so glad that God blessed us with her eight years ago!!!

Here is a pic of her when she was a few days old…{its not as clear..sorry I took a picture of a picture with my phone and uploaded it that way}..and then a recent picture of her..She is growing up to be a fine young woman and I couldn’t be more proud of her…

Rough couple of days and medical stuff

2011-12-07T09:23:00.004-05:00

They say writing can help you sort out all your emotions….right??? So I have to give it a shot bc I need to get this all out of my head. It has been a rough couple of days..keep getting bad news after bad news..
My dear dear grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer on Monday. Cancer sucks! I hate, hate, hate cancer!! It has taken over both of her ovaries and has spread to the lining of her stomach and lungs. It probably wont be long before she is gone to be with the Lord. I am full of emotions bc you see I am pretty close with my grandma..I am the baby of eight grandkids so of course I was the favorite {sshh just let me think that} I don’t want to see her suffer at all! What stinks is that I am on the other side of the country and cant really be there for her or the rest of the family. There are certain times where I hate to be away from home and this is one of those times!!! I can only dream about what if’s….So all I can do is sit here and think….think about the time she came to stay with us when I was younger and we butted heads more then once..or going to burger king many times to go eat with her bc that was one of her and my grandpas favorite place to eat at..or smile when I think of the time that she told me how happy when I had Brielle because she had brown eyes bc not many of us kids had brown eyes like her..or the many times where she told me how proud she was of me bc I quit smoking bc she knew how hard it was because she had walked down that road before and understood..or getting the giggles bc I was thinking of the birthday card that I got in the mail from her that was meant for my cousins kids birthday that she sent to me..or reading many letters that start out Dear Gaskin family {our last name is not Gaskin, its my cousins last name}..she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and even though some of the incidents are funny they were also so sad to see her like that..I could go on bc there are so many things that I love and want to remember and never forget about my grandma!! I want to store them memories up there and lock them up.
We are going to try to go home for Christmas this year, but how do you go home knowing you have to say good-bye to someone that u may never see again until we all get to heaven. IT stinks.really stinks that it has to be around Christmas too. I know we are never guarantee tomorrow and anyone can be gone in a blink of an eye and you need to treasure each and every moment you get with that person and I do that..but when u know someone is going home soon and u have to say goodbye it is going to be hard. Really hard. I was driving the other day to Avery dr appointment and thinking a lot about how this was going to be my grandmas last christmas then I heard this song come on the HIS radio..and I just bawled..and bawled..so then I knew I had to come home and try to find the video and listen/watch it again…Try watching this video of the song with out bawling..I dare u I bet you cant. I just watched it again and just sobbed and sobbed…so have your kleenexes ready..

One thing my mom told me the other day is that my grandma is not taking it very good and maybe the day is coming sooner than you thought that you will be going home to meet your savior..but oh grandma it is going to be a glorious day!! and we are all going to miss you terribly but I can not wait until I can join you. Until then God will be right by your side to get you through it along with your family. We will all be praying!
Isnt that what everyone works on through out this life? If its not you need to re-adjust your life so that is your number one goal in this life. So we can all get to heaven and see our Savior face to face and live eternity in heaven. We are only here a very short time compared to our time in heaven! I cant help to think of this song…I love it...really listen to the words..

So on to yesterday…We finally went to see the orthopedic dr about Avery’s back and her hips.

It turns out that the bump on the back of her back is nothing at all. It is just more muscle on that side and her back isnt curved so he said he wasn’t worried about it at all.Whew that was good news but we didn’t get good news on her hips. A little background on her hips and what has been going on..Avery pops her hips in and out soo much. They are probably out more then they are in..We could just be sitting in the chair and she is popping her hips in and out..it looks and sounds soo gross!!! I used to just think that it was normal and no biggie bc kids with down syndrome have looser joints. Well just recently Avery’s therapist told me that she isn't doing joint compression on her hips anymore bc it just freaks her out way to much. So it kind of brought it back to my attention. So when we went to see the neurosurgeon I had asked him about it and he had said that we need to go see an orthopedic dr about it. So we have been waiting for that appointment. So fast forward to her appointment yesterday…He ordered x-rays of her hips that we did right there in the office bc she hadn't had hip x-rays before and he comes back to the room with bad news..he said we have two options we can just wait it out and let it keep getting worse and then try to do something when it gets to be an emergency or we can do surgery on her ligaments to tighten them up. He said if it was his kid he would do the surgery and that when dr.s diagnose this they usually like to do surgery with in the first six months of diagnosis. We decided that we would do the surgery. So we can do it right away or wait until this summer. But we decided that if we wait until the summer she would be even more miserable bc of recovery. It would be to hot so we decided to do the surgery right away. So basically he told me that they would go in right at her hips and make an incision on both sides and then go in and tighten up her ligaments and muscles. { her hip socket and bone looked really good on the x-ray so he will leave them alone} He goes on to tell me that there is a high chance like 1 out of 2 chance that there is going to be complications. Bc she has down syndrome bc for some reason children with down syndrome bleed way more on this surgery. He said that they HAVE to have LOTS of her type blood on hand during the surgery. WHAAAT??!!! Im not going to lie this has me totally FREAKING out right now!!!!
Recovery is not going to be easy at all. It is going to be a challenge for Avery and for me. A big challenge. A HUGE challenge. She will be in a hip spica cast for up to THREE months!!! A spica cast looks like this in case you all want to see.

She has an open spot for her to go to the bathroom and that is it. I have to find a female urinal so she can go to the bathroom. Or find some extra long poise pads. I'm not sure what we are going to do yet bc I'm not sure how she is going to do with the urinal. Ill have both on hand at the hospital. She will stay in the hospital for at least two days depending on how she is dealing with her pain. It is very very important too that you don’t get this cast wet bc they cant change it in the dr office. They have to do it in the surgery room. When she is in the cast she will not be able to lay down or sit up. She has to be in a reclined position for that long.I have to rent a special car seat for her from the hospital. This is also how she has to sleep. More then likely they will give me a reclined wheelchair for her to get her around. She will not be going to school during this time. What will happen is that she will have the first cast on for six weeks. Then she will have to go back for another surgery and they will do another surgery and put her in another spica cast for another six weeks. IT is very important that she is the cast so she don’t stretch her ligaments out again. If this doesn’t work we wont repeat the surgery again. We will have to do something else but the dr is really hopeful that this will work. He said that most of the time it does. We are looking to schedule Avery’s surgery in January sometime bc I wanted to wait to get through the holidays. Ooh and Brielle’s surgery is set for Jan 23.
I went to my car and just cried. I couldn’t take ANY more. I just bawled and bawled and bawled just like a baby.and it felt good. Avery was in the back of the car saying “Its ok.it’s ok.” and that just made me cry even more!! I am feeling very very weak. It is a lot to take in in the last couple of days. But God will see us through it bc he always does! If u could say a prayer for God to give me the strength to get through the next couple of months I'd sure appreciate it

I have the greatest bestie too bc look what she sent me yesterday to brighten my day.

Arent they beautiful? It did brighten my day too..and when my girls came home they were wondering why I got flowers so I was telling them that I just had a really bad day. So my oldest Destiny said she would make us homemade pizza for supper. and Brielle said she wanted to give me a pedicure. So she brought the foot bath downstairs and filled it up for me and then after she painted my toes for me. Didn’t she do a good job

I LOVE my kids they always seem to pick me up whenever I need it! My hands are as full as my heart and I love it!! Wouldnt have it any other way!

Through it all we will turn to God to carry us through the next couple of months. To give us the strength to get through it. Without God we are nothing. He is my strength to get me through everything- the worries, the many tears that are shed and will be shed and the sleepless nights. I know he will be with us every step of the way.

2011 Gift Exchange

2011-12-07T08:54:00.001-05:00

This year I signed up to do a gift exchange on a blog. She had over 900 people sign up this time. WOW!! She does it twice a year in the spring and in the fall. This was the first time that I had signed up but I will def be doing it again. When you sign up you are emailed a partner and you email back and forth with each other and then you have a long time like a month to send out a gift that you made for your partner. You do have a deadline to get your gift out by but then u just wait for your gift to come in the mail too. She has people on stand by too for when your partner doesn’t follow through.

Here is what I sent my partner. I sent her a ruffle checkbook cover, a ruffled wristlet keychain, a ruffled sunglass case, and a coffee cozy {or hot cup holder} that you can just put back in your purse after you are done with your coffee.

and this is what I received from my partner: Wooden calendar..isn't it adorable..I LOVE it!! The months have Velcro on it so you can change it depending on what month it is. and the each side to the blocks have scrapbook paper and different numbers.

Wanna check out what some other people got??? You can go here she has a linky party where u can link up what u made and what u receive so everyone can see!!!

ARE U SERIOUS???

2011-12-02T23:48:00.002-05:00

So I was blog hopping this morning and I come across this!!!

Taken from pinterest here…
ARE U SERIOUS???? Come on people!!! Not how I wanted to start my day off!!! So I of course had to comment and make her aware that this wasn’t good!! Thankfully she quickly removed her post and apologized. When are people going to get it!!! When u say the R word someone hurts and some day that might just be Avery. While mental retardation is not a bad word, when used to describe someone or something you think is bad or stupid it becomes another thoughtless hurtful word. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not bad. Their condition is not bad. The prejudice and discrimination to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is BAD…and WRONG! Please stop using the word ‘retard’. It hurts individuals and families of those with disabilities. Coming down of my pedal stool now!!!!

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T11:59:00.002-05:00

We had a quiet Thanksgiving meal. It was just our little family for the big Turkey dinner and then some of Jared’s family came over for supper and pie. It was actually kind of nice to have it with just us for a change. I thought it was going to be a little depressing but it was ok. Jared took the older girls shooting for awhile in the afternoon. It was there first time and well Destiny don’t care if she goes again. Brielle is all ready to go and do some actual hunting!!! She really had fun! What’s a guy to do when he don’t have any boys take some of his girls I guess…lol!!
Destiny played some Christmas music while I was getting lunch ready!!

Destiny playing the piano

Our turkey got a little brown..but we like it that way {IT actually cooked WAY faster then what I was expecting…}

Homemade dinner rolls…YUM!!!!

All the fixins…

Jianna- “Aaaaallll done!!”

Pies are NOT my specialty!!!! Actually it’s the pie crust that I HATE!!! I need to find a good recipe…My problem is that I don’t have the patience to deal with the crust..so next year I am either going to buy my crust {Michelle I know you are going to cringe to that!!!}} or I need to practice more through out the year and make pies more then once a year!! So Jared ~~helped~~ me did the pie crusts this year. He came home to see me all frustrated and took over!!! So he wanted me to make sure to take a pics of his pie this year…his patchwork pie crust and apple pie too..

Destiny wanted to make a pie too so she found a chocolate chip pie recipe and made it!! All
the kids loved it..it was pretty good!! She is becoming quite the baker and for that I am thankful!!

Then in the middle of night some kind of bug decided to get me..and leave me on the toliet with the garabage can directly in front of me..if u know what i mean;)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

2011-11-24T15:40:00.001-05:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." (psalm 118:1 niv)

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!! Hope u all have a great day with your families!! Avery has something she would like to tell you all too:))

YouTube Video

Brielle’s follow up

2011-11-22T18:17:00.001-05:00

We went back to Shriner’s today to get the results from her MRI. We got good news and bad news I guess..The good news is that they finally figured out what is going on. She does indeed have a discoid meniscus. So what the one dr was thinking is indeed what she has. Im relived that they finally figured it out! But the bad news is that she will have to have surgery on it to correct it. The surgery shouldn’t be terrible so that is a relief. They are going to do what they call an arthroscopic surgery. During arthroscopy, the surgeon inserts a small camera, called an arthroscope, into the knee joint. The camera displays pictures on a television screen, and the surgeon uses these images to guide miniature surgical instruments. Most arthroscopic surgeries are done on an outpatient basis. They usually go home a few hours after the procedure. Once in there they will make it into a disc shape again since it is a circle right now. Take a look at the picture to see what I am talking about….

They wont know how much they have to take out until they get in there. Depending on how much they take out will determine her recovery. If they take a lot out they will put her in a brace and it will keep it straight for 6 weeks and physical therapy will follow to restore strength and mobility.. If they don’t have to do a lot I guess she will recover fine after a couple of days. So we are praying that they don’t have to take a lot out so she has a quick recovery.

Avery’s appointment with the Neurosurgeon

2011-11-18T08:41:00.001-05:00

Great news to report….We finally went to see the neurosurgeon for Avery’s neck for AAI. He told me that her gap is around 4mm and that is in the normal range so it turns out she is pretty much in the clear and she don’t have AAI. He said he would clear her to jump on trampoline, tumbling, pretty much anything. He did say we could do the x-rays for a couple of years if we wanted to, to watch to see if the gap grew bigger or changed or anything..but we will see I guess..It just shows that u need to see the right specialist bc her regular dr had told me that it was abnormal and so on…and he apparently had no idea what to look for.
Now for her back…remember I was telling u there was a bump on her lower part of her back next to her spine..well the neurosurgeon is referring us to an pediatric orthopedic dr now. When we first started talking about her back he said that her top part of her back has a slight curve but it was nothing to be worried about or concerned..just kind of watch it and if it got bad then we would need to go to the orthopedic..well then I asked him to look at her lower back and he pretty much just told me that we would need to get hooked up with orthopedic. But he thought it was bc her spine curved..I said are u sure that is all it is and he thought it was but I'm not sure I believe him or not..so we will see..
We are also going to go to see the orthopedic for her hips.I asked the neurosurgeon about it and he said that we needed to see an orthopedic for it. Avery has a loud clunk in her hips. She is CONSTANTLY putting her hip out and in and it is actually called Hip Subluxation. We could be just sitting in the rocking chair reading a book and she will pop her hip in and out over and over. The therapists wont even do joint compression on her hips anymore bc of it. Actually they are the ones that told me that I should get it looked at. I kind of just got used to it..but every time she does it it still makes me cringe and I tell her to stop. I guess every time she does that she is wearing the bone done and making everything looser. So it just gets easier and easier as time goes on I guess..The only time her hip is probably in is when she is walking. So I'm really curious to see what he has to say about it.

Avery with pumpkin. He was in the waiting room while we were waiting. He entertained Avery during our long wait. He is a therapy dog. There was a girl there that is in the middle of cancer and that dog aka pumpkin goes everywhere with her. He has his own hospital badge with his picture on it. Last week he spent the week in the hospital on the cancer floor with her. Everyone just loves him. Even when the dr came in to see Avery he asked her did u get a chance to see pumpkin?? lol!! HE is highly trained, bc he liked to show off on what he could do. The girls dad let Avery feed him a treat and then a little bit later Avery signed more and held her hand out…She wanted to keep feeding him some treats..and pumpkin sure didn’t mind!! HA! But I couldn’t help notice the binder sitting on her moms lap. It had said on the cover Julia’s medical history and that binder was FULL of paperwork. It.broke.my.heart. That girl has gone through more then I can imagine in her short time here on earth and she probably has a long road ahead of her. We see a lot of drs. and it seems like we have a lot of medical problems but let me tell you we don’t have hardly anything compared to what that girl is going through. So I will take all my doctors appointments and be quiet about it. I pray for God’s healing on that sweet girl and praying that the parents can get some rest bc u could just see there tiredness on them.

Quick Update

2011-11-15T13:56:00.001-05:00

Brielle had her MRI today and she did great laying still and didn’t have to be put out for it…woohoo!! We go next week back to Shriners for a follow up appointment and then we will get the results from her MRI.

Avery was suppose to go to the neurosurgeon last Thursday but once again they cancelled and so we will go this Thursday..she also had her back x-rays done but of course we haven't heard anything on them either..

So we wait!!!

Brielle’s Mystery knee

2011-11-03T16:51:00.005-04:00

I know that I had said that I would be done posting for awhile but things don’t ever go as planned in this household!!!!! Brielle’s mystery knee problem showed back up on Monday..A little background for those of you that are new and not aware of what has been going on…This has been going on ever since Brielle was two..She just woke up one morning and couldn’t walk or straighten her left knee. It is always the left knee and always hurts from behind the knee..At first it stayed like that all week long and I was carrying her everywhere..then it would go away and show back up for a couple of days..and it went off and on like that until she was 4 and that was in 2007. Well we did several tests including blood work like testing for lime disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and so on…the list kept going on..tests would come back negative and they would think of more things to test for so we would go and do more blood work..nothing was showing up on the million of xrays she had done either.. and finally we did an MRI and nothing showed up on that too..one dr would pass me on to another dr bc they didn’t know..so I went to many different drs. I went to a rheumatoid arthritis dr to and he thought it wasn’t JRA {juvenile rheumatoid arthritis} bc the blood work was coming back negative and she wasn’t have any other flare ups anywhere else it was always the same knee and also they are never red, hot to the touch which I guess is possible with arthritis flare ups. So finally I wrote to our Shriners Hospital here and asked if they would see her bc I was tired of spending all this money on all these different testes and then just getting passed onto the next dr and basically starting all over and always getting the same end result of I don’t know what is wrong with your daugther. The Shriners Hospital down here is for joints, muscles, and bones { apparently different Shriners hospitals focus on different things} so since I thought that one was right here maybe I would get some answers. So I was delighted when I heard back from them saying that they would take her on as a patient. So we went to them and they basically told us that there was nothing they could do bc she wasn’t having a flare up at the moment and they didn’t have any answers either but to come back the minute she starts to have a flare up again so they can actually see it in action. So that is what we did…we waited…and we waited..and waited some more..that was in 2007.WE went four years with NO flare ups of anything!! I thought it just fixed itself and went away and we were done with it.
Well flash forward to the present….On Monday she wakes up and is complaining of her knee hurting her..and I really don’t think anything of it and don’t even look at it and tell her it will probably go away as the day goes on { I feel super bad that I did that!!!} So on Tuesday she wakes up and tells me it hurts really bad and I tell her once again that she probably just slept wrong on it and it will go away {again I feel super bad!!!} so then when she came home from school she wrapped it and said that it helped to support it a little..then as I was making super a huge ole LIGHT BULB went off in my head!!!!! Oh dur this is the same thing that happened so long ago!!!!! So I sat her down and really looked at it and found out where the pain was once again in the back of the leg and realized that she really couldn’t straighten it at all. So then that night when she was sleeping I snuck into her room and tried to straighten it just to make sure she wasn’t making anything up {after the whole glasses incident I just wanted to make sure;)}and sure enough in her sleep I couldn’t even straighten it.
So I called Shriners up first thing in the morning and talked to the receptionist and explained the situation and just wanted to see if I could bring her in still even though it had been so long bc they were the last ones seeing her for the situation. They talked with the nurses/dr.s and called me back to let me know that she could be seen in the clinic the next day..Praise God!! Whew bc I didn’t know who I was going to call if they said no bc her family dr just left his practice last month so we would have had to start all over again!!
Today we went to Shriners then and yes her leg was knee was still having problems so they really got to see it during a flare up. They did comment and say it is inflamed in her knee..and we went over a lot of stuff.and basically the dr said she was a huge puzzle to him!!! bc everything that you would think it is well then something throws him off and it kind of rules itself out.

This is our plan though we are going to do a 3 Tesla MRI scan on her knee. It is a higher quality vascular imaging then a regular MRI so they are hopeful that it will show something the other one didn’t. IM not holding my breath though bc it isn't until the 15th of this month and by then it will probably go away and then it wont be hurting her when she is having the MRI. The one dr through out there possible discoid meniscus but once again she doesn’t have the popping that goes along with it so they really don’t know. A discoid meniscus is an abnormally shaped meniscus within the knee joint. The meniscus is a C-shaped wedge of cartilage that helps support and cushion the knee joint. In each knee there are two menisci, one on the inside (medial) and one on the outside (lateral) of the knee joint. In some people the lateral meniscus is shaped more like a solid disc rather than the normal C-shape.
Most people with a discoid meniscus never know they have it! Many people live normal, active lives with a discoid meniscus--even high performance athletes. Therefore, if your doctor finds that you have a discoid meniscus, but it is not the cause of your symptoms, it would be left alone.
In some people, the discoid meniscus can cause problems, usually a popping sensation with pain over the outside part of the knee joint. This is why some people use the phrase 'popping knee syndrome' when talking about a discoid meniscus. In these patients, conservative treatment consisting of exercises and stretching can be performed. If these treatments do not relieve the symptoms, patients may choose arthroscopic surgery on the discoid meniscus. If the discoid meniscus is torn, the torn portion can be removed. In addition, the discoid meniscus can be shaved into a more normal appearing meniscus.
So here is the picture they drew me…

and here is a better one that I found online:)

But they think maybe it could be a torn meniscus or meniscus pathology. They said that they will wait to see what the MRI comes back and set us up to come back and see the sports injury dr. to go over the results. They do both really feel it is more of a physical problem in her knee then anything else bc it always happens in her same knee and all the blood work has been negative. They also said that we can do a knee scope next if the MRI is negative to get in there to see what is going on too. Really they don’t know they just want to tell u something to make you feel better Bc when the dr was getting ready to leave the room he said I wish I could tell you what is wrong with her I am really puzzled with her and I know this is probably frustrating to not know what is wrong with your daughter. Well of course!!!! They sent her home with some crutches to use and to help her support herself walking bc before she was just kind of wobbling around on her tippy toes of her one leg. She only needs them if it is hurting her badly and having problems walking. SO that pretty much sums it up!!!
This is what happens when you are in a room waiting for the dr. for THREE hours!!!! You be a kid again and color your heart out and enjoy the quietness!!!!:)

If anyone has any ideas at all I welcome them. I would love to solve this mystery.

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T10:31:00.001-04:00

First up…Mary Poppins..Destiny wanted to be Mary Poppins..so off we went to Goodwill we found the black coat, white shirt and black skirt there on the dollar rack..Score!!! but the problem was they were a women's size 18…so we had scale it down a couple of sizes..;) We also found the carpet bag and the shoes at Goodwill too…and found the umbrella and the hat at a garage sale..of course we had to make the hat too bc it wasn’t any were close to Mary Poppins..we spray painted it black and found some wood balls and painted them red for the cherries and I had some daisy flowers that we stuck to the hat.I also made the red bowtie to go along with it. I think we did a pretty good job. I think she makes a great Mary Poppins!!!

A couple of pictures of Mary Poppins!!

Up next Brielle..she wanted to a bride and look like me when I got married. {even the hair} I wanted to make her a dress but found a really cheap on EBay so I didn’t..the veil is mine from my wedding

Here is a picture of us on our wedding day…to show u what she was going for!!

Avery the kitty..I made her the tutu and glued a black feather boa around it so she could have a tail:) and then made her ears out of the rest of the boa.

and finally the twins..the show stoppers..boy did they get a lot of attention last night..They were Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss. I made there hats out of a white beanie hat and blue feather boas and just kept gluing it around the hat and then glued a red bow in it. I found some red shirts and my friend cut out the vinyl for there shirts and then I ironed them on.

Jianna was thing 1 and Jayla was thing 2

I thought I would include a picture of what Thing 1 and Thing 2 look like for those of you {like my mom} who don’t know what Thing 1 and Thing 2 look like!!

We went trick or treating with some of the cousins…which makes it more fun!

Going through and eating a bunch of candy to get a sugar high right before bed!! Good times!!!

Alright well there ya go..I'm going to take a little break and you probably wont see any posts for awhile…I am going to be super busy getting ready for our church's bazaar. I am making a bunch of stuff…so I’m going to be sewing like a crazy woman for awhile!! Ill post after what I made.

31 for 21: Day 31 Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T09:19:00.001-04:00

I have survived blogging for 31 days! Wow didn’t think I could do it. I blogged every day bc it was Down Syndrome awareness month. And this super cute girl is why. To raise awareness for my super cute daughter and all the other super cute individuals that happen to be blessed with down syndrome too!!

There were some posts that were all about Down Syndrome and then a lot of them that were not bc down syndrome is only a small part of us and we don’t focus on it on a daily basis.

We enjoyed a quite Sunday at home carving pumpkins and spending time together. I always enjoy carving pumpkins with the girls. We also made up some spider suckers for the girls classes…the girls really enjoyed making them..

First we must clean them out. The fun part putting your hands in the ooey gooey mush!!! Destiny had to help Avery put her hand in that mush. She didn’t want to at first.

Ooh whats all this????

Can u tell which one doesn’t like to get her hands in the mush??? {hint: the one with the spoon} She started of with plastic bags over her hands while she was holding onto the spoon but realized that wasn’t working so she took them off!

Pure Joy!!!

Destiny with Jayla making her put her hand in the pumpkin too!!! She didn’t mind it to much.

Brielle helping Jianna put her hand in the pumpkin. She hated it and she started to scream.

This year we found our patterns online and after they picked out which one that they wanted to carve we printed it off and taped it on there pumpkins so they can poke it on there on pumpkins.

Jared working on Avery’s pumpkin. We found a Curious George template on line so of course I had to print it off and use it..good thing I wasn’t carving it bc I would of threw in the towel right away. It was kind of a process and took all day pretty much!!

Half way done!!!!

She likes her pumpkin so far!!!!:)

We kind of just watched and took pictures after we did the messy part!!! ha! {here is actually a good picture of her right eye if u are looking at the picture turning in like I was talking about in a different post

Carving them out.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!! Hope you all have a safe fun Halloween.

Come back in a couple of days to see pictures of Mary Poppins, a beautiful bride, a cute kitty, and thing 1 and thing 2 {from Dr. Seuss}

31 for 21: Day 30 Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-30T11:46:00.001-04:00

We thought it would be fun to go and try to find a pumpkin patch this year…but my oh my I think I will stick to buying them at Wal-Mart..{so much cheaper and you get a bigger pumpkin} but here are some pictures from there…

We went on a hayride…{ it was pretty disappointing to me bc I had just went on a field trip with Avery and went on a hayride there and it was so much better..but the girls all thought it was fun so I guess that’s alright then…;)}

It was a rescue farm so It was kind of neat listening to how they got there animals..Apparently this are misfit donkeys…they kind of look like regular donkeys to me

A wild pig that they have rescued..The pig comes over to him and lays down and then they rub his back with a rake..haha!! Avery was pretty impressed with the pig though..she liked her and as we were Avery says bye bye pig

If u were brave enough you could have the lama smell your hair or your breath…Ya none of us were brave enough…ha!

Bounce Rodeo…lol

I just need to add that these things are so ridiculously dumb!!! You cant even move on them..I got on with Avery and we only hopped one little step…

Hay Bale maze…not impressed at all…but the babies liked it…lol

Rock maze

Riding the horse..yeeehaw!!! Go dolly!!;)

THe girls with there perfect pumpkins that they picked out…Avery already had one from her field trip and I wasn’t buying any for the babies…too cheap I guess.. bc they were soooo expensive there!!!

Next time we will try out a different place!!!

31 for 21: Day 29

2011-10-29T10:24:00.001-04:00

I bought this dress for Destiny for Easter one year and just couldn’t bear to give it up…Little did I know at the time that it would get passed down to four more girls…;) and so far it just happened to fit Brielle and Avery at Easter time so they have worn it then too…BUT with the twins its obviously not possible bc I don’t have two…and It wouldn’t fit them at Easter time either bc they fit it now…so I had to take pictures with this dress on anyways so I can have one of each of my girls in this dress..{sorry about the quality of the pictures in the first two I had to scan them in} It sure is neat to see at what ages they wore them and it just so happens that there hair is all similar…pulled up in a half pony tail…lol!!

Destiny @ 18 months Brielle @ 27 months

Avery @ 25 months Jianna @ 22 months

Jayla @ 22 months

31 for 21: Day 28

2011-10-28T07:24:00.001-04:00

The Beatitudes of the Exceptional Child by Andre Masse C.S.E.

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech for you help us to know that if we persevere we can be understood.
Blessed are you who walk with us in public places and ignore the stares of strangers for in your companionship we find havens of relaxation.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up" and more blessed you who do not snatch our tasks from our hands to do them for us, for often we need time more than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us as we enter new and untried ventures for our failures will be outweighed by the times when we surprise ourselves and you.
Blessed are you who ask for our help for our greatest need is to be needed.
Blessed are you who help us with the graciousness of Christ Who did not bruise the reed and quench the flax for often we need help we cannot ask for.

Blessed are you when by all these things you assure us that the thing that make us individuals is not in our peculiar muscles, not in our wounded nervous system, not in our difficulties in learning but in the God-given self which no infirmity can confine.

Isn't that just beautiful???!!!!

31 for 21: Day 28 Dr updates

2011-10-27T08:27:00.001-04:00

This month has been crazy with dr appointments bc once again its that time again to go see the dr.s for updates mostly….

Sleep Check up: First up is her sleep dr and her sleep apnea…How is she doing?? The most common question I get from everyone…well we went for a check in basically and she is getting smarter and apparently she is taking it off pretty much right after we put her to bed..her I thought she was getting better and leaving it on longer each night but I guess she had me fooled!!!;) We did get a new mask that we are going to try..that is one of our biggest battles is finding the correct mask that fits her correctly..I don’t know if we will ever get there where she will leave it on all night but we will keep trying…usually when I go to bed I put her mask back on just to make me feel like im trying:)

ENT check up: She has not had one ear infection since we had tubes put it in..the best thing we could of done..and it has been over three years and they are just now falling out!! One of her tubes fell out on her own and the other one was stuck in her ear canal so the dr just pulled it out.She didn’t even flinch...I couldn’t believe how tiny it was..they are smaller then a pea.. HE said that we just need to come back on a as needed basis…wooohoo!!! Hopefully we don’t have ear infections again though since the tubes aren't in there..but he did say that her ear canals are bigger then what they were so that’s good…

Dentist check up: Everything was great!!! That is always good:)

Eye Check up: He still doesn’t want to do anything about her one eye yet…which makes me a little uneasy but I guess we just wait bc everyone tells me that he is good and knows what he is doing and he is the only pediatric eye dr in the area..my concerns are that her one eye wanders in and I am seeing it a lot more..just not when she is tired anymore..she also tips her head side ways…ill just keep watching it…

Her neck: We were suppose to go to the neurosurgeon today but he had to have surgery so we will be going on the tenth of November..

Special Needs Dr/nutritionist: She is doing great…she really watches her weight and to keep her in check so she don’t get to heavy!! Everything she eats gets put under the microscope!!! Which in the end is good!! She also said that we can let her drink from an open cup without having to redo a swallow study bc I don’t hear her coughing when she drinks..she mainly drinks from a straw but she does do an open cup now and no more sippy cup!!!

One other thing we are checking out is that she has a weird little bump next to her spine on her lower back..I don’t think it is anything major according to the one dr but she said that we need to go to her regular dr and then he can order back x-rays so we can just make sure…so I am waiting for the dr to call me this morning..we will see …let you all know when I know what it is!!! At first I thought it was just a bruise but it has been there for months now and it seems like it is getting bigger.

Well that pretty much sums it all up…ha!!

31 for 21: Day 27

2011-10-27T08:02:00.001-04:00

Isn't she cute???!! She loves to get my hat and wear it..and she wont let anyone touch it once she gets it on..the babies try to take it off and she says “NO baby!!”

As you can see in the pictures we have been dealing with a bacteria rash all over her face..We get an antibiotic and then when it is gone it comes back..this is the third time we have come back…and the third time on an antibiotic..but this last time we got a cream too and we are washing her face once a day with hebacleanse..and we also switched out everything that we could on her sleep machine bc we were thinking it might be coming from her sleep mask…

She also has a Curious George shirt on too..She LOVES Curious George..She was soooo happy when I found it for her at Old Navy at the beginning of the school year.. Whenever this shirt is clean and she has the choice of what to wear it is always this shirt..she will look at the books all day long and she loves when she gets to watch him too!!

31 for 21: Day 26 Glasses craziness

2011-10-26T07:35:00.002-04:00

What is up with kids wanting glasses lately??? Is anyone else's kids have fake glasses??? Because I cant stand to wear my reading glasses when I HAVE to and the girls are going around wearing them bc they want to not because they have to…silly girls!!!

Avery wanted to wear them too!!!!;)

and we couldn’t forget the babies now could we????:) {Jayla on the left, and Jianna on the right}

31 for 21: Day 25 Pictures from Destiny’s Birthday

2011-10-25T08:36:00.001-04:00

Pictures from Destiny’s Birthday!! I know this is a little late but better late then never …right;)

Destiny didn’t want a birthday party this year..she just wanted to go to the mall and go get a pedicure with a friend..hey cant complain there…ha! So we headed off to the mall with her and her friend…

In the middle of the mall they have this little jump station….Destiny is pretty reserved when she is on it..especially when u see her friend doing flips and going crazy on it…Destiny wouldn’t even do a flip…Cant say I don’t blame her..I would probably be the same way..actually I probably wouldn’t even go on it..ha!

She said that it was awesome and they definitely shopped til they dropped!! I was pretty tired when it was time to go home!! I think that might be a sign that I'm getting old! ha

This year Destiny picked steak again for her meal…with parmesan noodles..and frozen ice cream sandwich dessert..

Brielle wanted to get her something but I just didn’t have time to take her to get something so she went up to her room and found something that she had that she remembered that Destiny said that she liked so she wrapped it up and gave it to her…{she had gotten it out of the prize box at school a couple of weeks earlier…} It was a glass butterfly case!! She is so creative and so sweet!!!

We got her a pair of rollerblades...a letter D necklace…that was in the diaper box..I try to trick the girls when we wrap there presents...and some big chew;) I couldn’t believe it my kids had never had it before..I used to LOVE that stuff walking around with a fat lip pretending I had a big ole chew in…don’t tell me I was the only one???!!! ..Ooh along with candy cigarettes too!! LOL!!

Jayla put Destiny’s skates on and got up next the end table and took off but obviously fell down..it was so cute..so then Jared took her skating around the kitchen..and she LOVED it!!

Cant believe she is ten already!!

31 for 21: Day 24 Our Buddy Walk

2011-10-24T09:37:00.001-04:00

Warning this is a high picture post!!! I have a lot of pictures that I want to share…:)

Oct 15th was our buddy walk here..We walked to share the joy that our children bring to our lives!!

The clowns were great and Avery loved them!!!

She was really fascinated by there face paint and there noses…she just had to touch it!!!LOL!! The clowns did face painting and made shaped balloons for the kids!!

We had Ronald McDonald at the walk!!! Avery trying to figure out what is on his face too…haha!

There were games there…jump houses {but didn’t get any pictures bc Avery couldn’t go jump in them until she goes to the dr…which is actually thursday}

Sadly we all couldn’t be at the Buddy Walk this year…The twins had terrible colds and were just plain miserable and CRANKY so Jared stayed home with them so they could get some sleep!!!

We all walked to celebrate the fact that every child is amazing and a BLESSING from GOD!!!!

There was a great turnout for the walk..and the weather was absolutely beautiful!!

All the special buddies!!!

Avery did an AWESOME job raising money for the buddy walk and THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the buddy walk for Avery!! She raised around $1300!! WOW!!! That is incredible!! She got third place for raising the most money so she got a trophy and award!!

At the end there was a balloon release of the balloon arch with notes, stuffed animals, etc. tied on to our circle of balloons. As they went up the formed a ♥ for a few seconds and then one end of it came undone and it formed a Buddy Walk Ribbon for a few seconds.

I didn’t get the heart picture but this was right before it…

Down Syndrome Awareness Ribbon…

I am so happy that Avery is ours!!!! and the joy that she has brought to our lives!!

Thank you everyone who either donated or came out and walked with us!!! This is a VERY special day for Avery and all of us!!!

31 FOR 21: Day 23

2011-10-23T14:29:00.001-04:00

AMEN!!!!!

31 for 21: Day 22

2011-10-23T00:00:00.001-04:00

THIS NEXT POST WAS WRITTEN BY ANOTHER BLOGGER FROM HERE….AND IT IS WAY TO GREAT NOT TO SHARE SO I HAVE TO…PLEASE READ!!!!! thANKS AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

My Angry Down Syndrome Awareness Post.

Hooray folks, it's my annual angry post. Get ready, get ready, get ready ready ready.
Some background information. My brother in law (who, at this point, I don't think is dead to me...I'm not sure. I need to keep some sort of file on that) posted this article on our family site:

Down syndrome's rewards touted as new test looms (by Kimberly Hayes Taylor for MSNBC)

Please read the entire article. It's short, it's very well written and I really couldn't have said it better. If you're still unconvinced or too lazy, I'll highlight my favorite parts (I've emphasized the words in bold, not the author of the article):

The article talks about a survey done by by Dr. Brian Skotko, a clinical fellow in genetics at Children’s Hospital, Boston. It suggests that

"...the reality of Down syndrome is positive for the vast majority of parents, siblings and people with Down syndrome themselves

Among 2,044 parents or guardians surveyed, 79 percent reported their outlook on life was more positive because of their child with Down syndrome

Skotko also found that among siblings ages 12 and older, 97 percent expressed feelings of pride about their brother or sister with Down syndrome and 88 percent were convinced they were better people because of their sibling with Down syndrome. A third study evaluating how adults with Down syndrome felt about themselves reports 99 percent responded they were happy with their lives, 97 percent liked who they are, and 96 percent liked how they looked. "

The article then goes on to talk about the new blood test that can tell you whether or not your child has Down syndrome that will be out in a few months. No longer are women going to have to do an invasive amniocentesis to get these results. The fear of miscarrying a "normal" baby because of the test to see if it does have Down syndrome is now gone. A blood test. At this point, studies show that up to 90% of women who do find out that their baby has Down syndrome prenatally choose to abort. 90 PER CENT! I wonder how many more will now abort because they will find out for sure from a blood test, rather than chance it with an amnio.
I'm not here to talk about the right to life, the legality. Currently, women in our country have the freedom to choose whether or not they want to terminate their pregnancies up to a certain, albeit very late, point in their pregnancy. Since Roe v. Wade, no Pro-life president, congress, etc has been able stop this from happening. I'm not going to try to convince anyone about the legality of abortion either way. For now it's a choice.

www.maggab.blogspot.com

I want to talk about that choice. Aborting a child because he or she has Down syndrome is the WRONG CHOICE. Believe me, I've heard every argument under the sun as to why it should be "okay" for women to make this choice. Why, even, we should mourn with them over the "loss" of their child. They did not lose their child. They chose. I'm sick of people treating this issue like it's not black or white. It is. That baby that you carried did not have a disease or another physical or chromosomal abnormality that was incompatible with life. And a good life at that. Look at the statistics! Here are some of the reasons I've heard (also why I've decided to stay off debate forums):

{Not every parent is equipped to have a child with special needs. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean everyone can.}

If you had asked me 7 years ago if I would be able to handle ONE child with special needs, I don't know if I would have said yes. I now have two children with special needs. I wasn't the person I am now going into this. I wasn't given these kids because I was strong, patient or even willing. I was given these children to make me strong, patient and willing. I'm not there yet. If someone like me, someone who is scatter-brained and inherently selfish, can do okay raising two kids with special needs, you can do it with one.
What would happen if your child was diagnosed later with autism? Would you be able to handle it then? In MY (and this is only my experience, I do not speak for anyone else on this) autism is MUCH, MUCH harder. Thank heavens there isn't a genetic test for that. Your chances of having a child diagnosed with autism are six times greater than having one diagnosed with Down syndrome.

{I don't want my child to suffer}

This one probably chaps me the most. My child does not suffer from Down syndrome. Again, the statistic from above: " A third study evaluating how adults with Down syndrome felt about themselves reports 99 percent responded they were happy with their lives, 97 percent liked who they are, and 96 percent liked how they looked." How many people WITHOUT Down syndrome would say that they were happy with their lives, liked who they are and how they looked? Not as many as these kids! Sure, Abby has health issues. But most of the time, she's fine. And even when she's sick, she's happy. Case in point:

This was in the emergency room at Marybridge Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. She hadn't slept and she couldn't eat because of her breathing. You could hear the rattle from her airways from down the hall. But does she look like she's suffering?
And if you don't want your kids to suffer, you shouldn't have kids. Period. Every kid is going to get sick. Maybe not hospital sick, but they're going to get sick. They're going to have sadness. They're going to experience loss. This is the nature of life. Not of disability.

{ It's the nature of existence, we want close to perfection. Animals will toss aside offspring that have deformities, it helps species survive}

This statement (and it really did come from a human being) should make you taste bile. Becoming a parent is not dependent upon having a perfect child! We, as a society, need to get this out of our heads. Becoming a parent means that we are GIVING LIFE to a child. Taking that child and helping them to do the best they can in whatever sphere that might be.
Because that's what life is about, right? Doing the best with what we are given. What is our goal as a parent? Is it to have a child that is happy? This is what I've learned with Casey and am learning with Abby. I mourned the loss of MY intended vision for Casey's life. I was sad that it wouldn't be the way that I had planned. But this IS NOT ABOUT ME. It's about Casey. It's about Abby. It's about them having a happy, successful life. About them being the best that THEY can be.
If you're having a child to fill a personal need outside from bringing a child into this world so that THEY can have a happy, successful life, you may need re-evaluate your motives. This is not about you. If you just can't wait to brag to your friends all of the things your child has accomplished instead of whether or not they are happy and fulfilled and doing their best, you need to reassess your values. Again, having a child is not about you.
We are not animals. We do not need to kill off our imperfect offspring in order to further the species.

{I heard about a women who was walking out of a grocery store with her daughter who has Down syndrome. Another lady stopped her and asked her why she chose to keep a baby that was only a drain on society. That SHE should not have to pay more taxes because this mother chose to keep her 'defect' of a baby.}

I don't know what I would have done if I were this mother. I probably would have ended up in jail with an assault charge. Or worse. It brings to mind another individual that sought to eradicate a group of people because he thought that these people had no worth. Who was that man? What did he believe?
Down syndrome to some is something that should be eradicated. That some people would be more than happy to see go away. Not because {all} of these people are evil Nazis. They just don't know. They are misguided in their beliefs that life would suck if they had a child with Down syndrome. For everyone. They are wrong and need to know that having a child with Down syndrome makes life sweeter for EVERYONE. I have the numbers to prove it. Having a child with, a sibling with, or even having Down syndrome yourself is a BLESSING. It makes life richer. I am a lucky mom to have Abby. Abby is my happy.
I know because of the demographic of the readers of this blog, I'm preaching to the choir. But I want more. To me, that's what Down syndrome Awareness Month is REALLY about. It's not just about raising money for services that help those with Down syndrome, it's about telling that 90% of women who would choose to abort to think a little bit harder about it. To show people that having a child with Down syndrome makes life BETTER. To show them that they are wrong in thinking anything else but this.
It's what I want this blog to be about. To show people that life goes on after having a child diagnosed with a disability. And then another. That you don't have to be rich, fully sane, or completely devoid of bad habits to have children with special needs. That it's hard, but that it's so good. That if you let this life have a chance, you'll be blessed, and everyone around you will be blessed, too. That you'll become a better, stronger, (faster?) person than you ever thought you could be. I'm not here to say that it's easy. That's why I tell the truth about the good and the bad days we have with Down syndrome (and autism). But I hope you can see that I love my life so much. That I'm grateful for these gifts I have been given. It's like the old man in the wheelchair said to me a couple of Sundays ago:
"Children with Down syndrome are a gift. Don't let nobody tell you otherwise"
If you are someone struggling with the decision as to whether or not to terminate your pregnancy because of a Down syndrome diagnosis, I pray that you will remember these statistics. Also know that there are MANY MANY families out there waiting to adopt a baby WITH Down syndrome. There are waiting lists for this! I didn't plan on having a child with Down syndrome, but if the opportunity came up again to have another with Down syndrome, knowing everything I know, having gone through everything that we have, I'd do it again. In a heartbeat. In fact, I know a bunch of parents of children with Down syndrome who have adopted or hope to adopt another in the future. It's because children with Down syndrome bring such happiness and such love to your life that you want more of it. These kids make life HAPPY. I promise. You are lucky to have been chosen to have this kind of joy in your life.

31 for 21: Day 21 What is Down Syndrome??

2011-10-21T09:26:00.001-04:00

Figured Day 21 would be a great day to post this…

Let's start with what it's all about: Trisomy 21.
Chromosomes, those thready bits and pieces within us that are made of DNA and other proteins, in effect, making us who we are. Typical humans have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
Sometimes, right at conception, little pieces of chromosomes get broken off, come missing, stick to each other or come in multiples, like twins or triplets. Trisomy 21 is that: an extra copy of the 21st chromosome.

The differences in Trisomy 21 lie in the type: there are 3 types:
- Standard Trisomy 21: when the extra chromosome comes from either the egg or sperm cell. Between 90-95% of all Trisomy 21 is Standard.
- Translocation: when a piece of chromosome 21 is located on another chromosome, such as chromosome 14. The person with Translocation Trisomy 21 will have 46 chromosomes but will have the genetic material of 47 chromosomes. People with Translocation Trisomy 21 and Standard Trisomy 21 look the same, have the same types of characteristics. Translocation occurs between 3-5% of cases of Trisomy 21.
Translocation is the only type of Trisomy 21 which may be inherited, and it may be inherited only if one of the parents is a carrier. A carrier will have 45 chromosomes instead of 46 but they will have all the genetic material of a person with 46 chromosomes. Remember that in Translocation Trisomy 21, the extra chromosome 21 material is on a different chromosome. A carrier will have the extra material but will have only one chromosome 21. The carrier will not have any of the characteristics of Trisomy 21 because they have the typical number of total chromosomes. Get it? Yeah, it can be confusing...
- Mosaicism: when a person has a mix of cells, some containing 46 chromosomes and some containing 47. A person with Mosaicism may have some, all or none of the characteristics of Standard Trisomy 21, depending on the percent of cells carrying the extra chromosome and where those cells are located on the genetic map. Mosaicism is rare, occurring in 2-5% of the population with Trisomy 21.
Standard Trisomy 21 is far and away the most common. And it's important to note that extra piece of genetic information is present in every*single cell of the body.
And so... since it's really Trisomy 21, why did it get the kind of off-putting name of "Down syndrome", leading to the "Down's" stuff, like um, "Down's kids" and "Down's babies" and "that Down's guy"?
Trisomy 21 got the syndrome slap-on when John Down published an essay in which he described children with common features who were distinct from others children in his English asylum. In this essay (which I have not read) he evidently made a stunning differentiation between "cretins" (- children with hypothyroidism) and "Mongoloids" (- named after Mongols, apparently because of the extra eye-fold that most people with Trisomy 21 have, lending them a gorgeously Asian glow).
****************
That's why it is. Usually just one tiny little chromosome that jumped on the boat and had some fun duplicating itself. Oh you spry little chromosome, you.

Taken from another fellow blogger (from here)

31 for 21: Day 20 The photographer around here lately!!!!

2011-10-20T07:30:00.001-04:00

Avery has one of them camera’s that are suppose to be unbreakable and she just loves it..she walks around taking pictures constantly and of course it is instantly filled so she cant take any more pictures and then she gets mad and we have to go through and delete all the pictures that she takes and every now and again she will get someone in the picture besides a wall or a floor..lol!! Here she is taking some pictures of the baby!!!

and then she wanted to take a picture of me….“Cheese..” she says..lol!!

31 for 21: Day 19

2011-10-19T07:18:00.001-04:00

I feel like I should explain a little…Destiny showed them to put the ball under the shirt so now whenever they find a ball they come to u and lift up there shirt and hand u the ball….HAHA!!!

31 for 21: Day 18 What it means to be loved

2011-10-18T07:53:00.001-04:00

This is taken directly from another website and was written by him Mark Schultz

“What It Means To Be Loved” is a song that basically wrote itself. I just happened to be in the room when God dropped it in my lap. Its genesis was actually from a story that my wife told me about a family that she’d worked with at the hospital.
The mother was expecting a child and was told that tests revealed health issues that meant the baby probably wouldn’t live long after birth. Although the doctors suggested terminating the pregnancy, the mother decided she would love the child as long as she could. I took those emotions and that unselfish commitment and poured them into the “What It Means To Be Loved” lyrics.
The song starts out:
For five months eight days
My wife and I had waited
Getting ready for our baby girl
But when he called the doctor said, “I need to see you”
And “Could you come in soon”
Something died inside of me to sit with him and hear
A test had said our baby may not live to be a year
And turning to my wife he said
What do you wanna do
She said…
It was at this point of the song when I was writing it that these words just came spilling out:
I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
I wanna live every moment, until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved…
And I knew as soon as I hit this chorus and tears were running down my face that this is one I’m going to be playing for a long time. It’s the only song that I’ve ever played in concert where it got a standing ovation before the end of the first chorus was over.
To me, what the song says is that we as Christians are called to love. If that means loving a baby that’s going to be here for 7 minutes or 70 years, it doesn’t make any difference, you just wrap your arms around them and pour yourself into them.
I love the last bridge going to this:
Well ever since the day
We got to bring her home
She’s been out to prove the doctors wrong
You should see her now
She’s as pretty as her mom
And there’s a boy at the front door waiting just to take her to her high school prom
And he wants to give her the world
Wants to hold her hand

“Inspired by this family’s story, my wife continued to look at the implications for our own family. She said, “Since you’re adopted I think we should adopt kids too.” I said, “Ok that’s fine.” She said, “I think we should adopt kids maybe with special needs.” And I said, “Ok, that seems like a tall order.” She continued, “Maybe someday we adopt kids with special needs that the doctor only knows they’re going to live for a year or two.” I responded, “Honey, why would we do that?” And my wife said, “Because before they go to heaven, I want them to know what a great Christmas is like and I want them to know what a great birthday is like and let them know that they were loved well before they get to heaven and realize that love. I want them to know that they were loved here on earth and celebrate them here.”

That’s the kind of wife I’m married to. These are the kinds of songs that come out of those stories. It’s a special song and I’m grateful for all the people who’ve walked through loving unconditionally. I hope the song means as much to folks as it does to me.”

Sorry I forgot to tell you you were going to need Kleenexes!! Did u read the second to the last paragraph too beginning "Inspired by this family's story......".

Here is the song in case anyone wants to listen to it…

31 for 21: Day 17

2011-10-17T09:35:00.001-04:00

Avery's teacher sent home a cd with all there songs that they sing in school...Avery loves to listen to them...and one day she moved the chair over to the cd player and hit play and started singing and doing the actions to the songs..i love when she does this one..it is so cute and funny..the song is attu tot attu tot attu tot tot...

31 for 21: Day 16 Blessed Assurance

2011-10-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

Blessed Assurance

Fanny Crosby was blinded as an infant by an incompetent doctor but she didn't let her blindness stop her.She wrote more than 8,000 hymns.
As a child she wrote :
Oh what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't;
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't."

Blessed Assurance
by Fanny Crosby,1873

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
- Refrain:
  This is my story, this is my song,
  Praising my Savior all the day long;
  This is my story, this is my song,
  Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

I found this on another blog but isnt it great!!!

31 for 21: Day 15 More Alike then different

2011-10-15T13:04:00.001-04:00

In this video, used with permission from National Down Syndrome Congress, a group of self-advocates tell the More Alike story in there own words and out of their personal experiences. Brought to NDSC by the generosity and hard work of the Cliff and Rosalie Faith family of Sacramento, California, this video goes right at issues such as the pain inflicted by the "R" word and goes on to show how self-advocates from across the country have made lives for themselves that are, indeed, more alike

31 for 21: Day 14 Together We Can Change the World

2011-10-14T07:36:00.001-04:00

This is the school song that Avery is singing all the time and I just love it bc of the words..Yes Together we can change the world..Yes we can raise awareness and show everyone that people with down syndrome are more alike then different!!!!

Here is the video of the original song on youtube…

31 for 21: Day 13 Happy Birthday Destiny

2011-10-13T08:43:00.001-04:00

I know I already posted today (so make sure to scroll down for the other post from today) but I had to post again to say Happy Birthday to Destiny. Thank you GOD for blessing our family ten years ago with her!!! I cant believe that she is ten..she is going to be gone out of the house before I know it…NOOOOOOO!!!! They grow up way to fast!!! Here is a picture of her when she was six days old…and then a picture of her now..this was taken on the first day of school…

31 for 21: Day 13 Atlantoaxial Instability

2011-10-13T08:20:00.001-04:00

Last week Avery went to get her x-rays done on her neck to rule out Atlantoaxial Instability{AAI}. AAI is a separation between the vertebrae of the spine. AAI occurs between the C1 and C2 vertebrae. A normal separation would be under 5mm. I didn’t ask what her separation was..didn’t know sorry!! But I will ask the other dr when we go. AAI occurs in about 10% of children with down syndrome and between the ages of 3-5 is when it is recommended to get a x-ray to rule it out. Well the nurse called me back today to let me know that Avery's x-rays were abnormal and that the dr couldn’t sign off on them. So he is referring us to the neurosurgeon where she said they will probably do further testing like a MRI. So I really don’t know anymore right now besides that. As soon as I hear something I will let you all know!

I was going to do a write up on it but I found this great write up on another blog that a mom wrote about bc her daughter had it too but hers was pretty serious. I'm praying that Avery’s isn't that bad. If you could please say an extra prayer for Avery!! Please go read the article so you all will know what I am talking about..

http://www.myspecialks.com/2011/08/down-syndrome-and-aaiaoi-and-aap.html

31 for 21: Day 12 Not Acceptable

2011-10-12T07:31:00.001-04:00

You might of seen this already..they played it during a commercial break of Glee last May..and I thought it was to great not to share..{I havent shared this already have I??}

31 for 21: Day 11 My little “mommy”

2011-10-11T08:12:00.001-04:00

Avery can be quite the little mommy…she is constantly getting after the babies when they get in trouble and she gets pretty mad at them if they don’t listen…and she likes to help me any way that she can with them..but she loves to be a mommy to her baby doll too…

31 for 21: Day 10 Outdoor fun

2011-10-10T07:43:00.001-04:00

Avery has been having a blast driving in her jeep..we got it from my SIL and they needed new tires so I bought some on eBay for cheap and as good as new..and Avery loves it!!! But she is still figuring out how to drive it with out running into things..

31 for 21: Day 9 The Many Benefits of Baby Sign Language

2011-10-09T20:26:00.001-04:00

More and more parents are discovering the many benefits of baby sign language, including the simple fact that it’s fun! It is so cute watching your little one communicate with those chubby little hands! But there’s a practical side to baby sign too!
Studies show that baby sign language helps with speech development. Signing toddlers learn to speak sooner, and develop larger vocabularies than non-signing toddlers. They’ve also been shown to have higher reading levels once they learn to read. One study even suggested that baby sign language can increase a baby’s IQ!
As we know, many children with Down syndrome have speech delays. They can often understand us perfectly, but don’t yet have the ability to speak to us. This can cause enormous frustration for any child! Sign language can help alleviate this frustration, which, of course, makes life easier for everyone in the family, especially the signing child!
So, signing can make for a happier child. It can also help build a child’s confidence. Many children become more comfortable with social interactions once they learn a few signs. Signing can empower them!
Children with Down syndrome are very often visual learners, and they can take very quickly to sign language. For many children, signing seems to come naturally to them. (Of course, this is after they see their parents sign something a hundred times!) Children will naturally gesture to communicate. Sign language just helps everyone understand these gestures!
And getting started is easier than you might think. First of all, use us at BabySignLanguage.com. We are free. Our site offers instructional videos, a sign language dictionary (based on American Sign Language), printable flash cards, and a printable wall chart. Everything is free. We are here to help. And we hope to create a community that allows parents to help one another, so ask your questions, share your tips, and offer your support!
We recommend starting slow. Depending on the age of your child when you begin, you might want to start with one to five signs. Learn these signs yourself (it’s easier than you think), and then use these signs every time you say the corresponding word. So, every time you say the word “book,” make the sign for book. It won’t take long for your child to associate your gesture with its meaning. Then, you will likely see your child imitate your gesture when you make it. And eventually, your child will use this gesture spontaneously to communicate the idea of “book”!
Just remember to always tie the spoken word to the sign. While it can be tempting to just use the sign independently, remember that speech is our end goal, so be sure to encourage vocalizations as well as signing. (Though if you’re tempted to sign “Stop!” in church, go ahead – it’s a great trick!)

This article was provided by babysignlanguage.com a website featuring
digital resources including a baby sign language dictionary, baby sign
language flash cards, and baby sign language wall chart 100% free.

Found this on another blog and found it really good so thought I would share bc we do use sign language with Avery.

31 for 21: Day 8

2011-10-08T17:08:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when u tell Avery that she can't try the shoes on in Target....

Little stinker just laid right down in the middle of shoe aisle!!!

31 for 21: Day 7 School Update on Avery

2011-10-07T07:25:00.001-04:00

I had a home visit with Averys teacher the other day. It really couldn’t of gone any better. She asked if I was ok to increase her time for another hour. So she will go until 1130 now and eat lunch with the other kids…she is will be so happy to do that…she was getting mad before bc she was having to leave when the other kids were going to go and eat. and then after they eat she will go back to the classroom and the other kids will take a nap then but since she is coming home and takes a nap in the afternoon here she wont be doing nap time but her teacher will work one on one with her. The teacher also gave me a cd of the songs they sing in class bc I will catch Avery singing away and doing actions to the songs she is singing but I have no idea what she is singing so maybe this will help.. You should of seen the first time I played that cd for her..her eyes lit up like a little girl on Christmas morning..She started singing away. I have been trying to get her taped but every time I pull out my phone to record her she says “cheese” and stops singing!!!!

I also asked her teacher how the other kids are with her bc of course that is my concern. She said that the other kids couldn’t be any better with her..they all love her and try to help her even when she doesn’t want there help….they all ask for her in the afternoon..they get mad that she has to go home so early.

Avery can already recognize her name..They do flash cards with everyone's name on each flash card and they go through them with the kids every morning..and the kids all sit on the carpet and when the teacher gets to there name without saying it the kid is suppose to raise there hand when it is there name..So up until last week whenever they got to Avery’s name the other kids would poke her so she would raise her hand..but last week she raised her hand all by herself when they got to her name..her teacher was so shocked that she knew it. I am so proud of her..Go Avery!!

Here is Avery with her teacher and the teacher assistant…

Avery with her resource teacher..and a picture of Avery's artwork in the hallway!!!!

31 for 21: Day 6 Retarded

2011-10-06T07:45:00.001-04:00

31 for 21: Day 5 Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-05T07:47:00.001-04:00

This girl cracks me up!!! Love her to pieces… It was colder then it had been and she had been playing out side with out a coat on but then I told her to come inside to take a nap so she goes to get her coat and puts it on bc she is cold and heads up to her bed to take a nap…haha!!!!

31 for 21: Day 4 Sisters

2011-10-04T10:14:00.001-04:00

Avery spotted the older girls doing melty beads and she wanted to do them too…I figured it would be good OT skills for her…that’s me always thinking therapy wise for her…ha! She was trying so hard to get them little beads the right way on the peg board.

Avery kept tapping Brielle and saying “beow help” It was so cute

and Brielle would say…"Just wait Dolly..and she would sit there and wait patiently until Brielle would help her..

“Avery I am pretty much doing your flower for you..You are suppose to be doing it…”

Brielle giving Avery her flower after I melted the beads together..

She loved it!!!! and I love how my older girls are with her…yes at times they do get impatient with her {mostly my oldest} They love her and adore her so much..Just a little story..I was getting all of my Buddy Walk donation stuff together to mail off for Avery and Destiny comes in and says "Mom I would like to give something for Avery but I only have 5 dollars can I give that???" and Brielle runs upstairs and says that she would like to donate something for Avery too and all i can hear is her counting her coins..and I am thinking what is she going to come down with bc she spent all her money last weekend..she came down with her precious $1 gold coin that Jared gave her a long time ago..she has held on to it for awhile..Aahhhh...it made my heart melt…but we decided that it would be ok to wait until the end of the week so she could donate her allowance money instead.

31 for 21: Day 3 Sky Top Orchard

2011-10-03T10:54:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we went up to Sky Top Orchard. So far we have made it up there to NC every year..The kids love it there….See what I mean

There are rows and rows of different kinds of apples that you can pick your own or let them pick them and just buy them…we always choose the second option…Jared is all about why would anyone want to pick them when they pay people to pick them…no fun I know…

There are a few animals/petting barn. Avery had such a great time feeding the chickens.

Jianna got a nice shiner last night…I guess Jared will be able to tell them apart for awhile;-D

Here are there the girls annual pictures in front of the great tree….

31 FOR 21: DAY 2

2011-10-02T19:57:00.001-04:00

My sweet Dolly and I!! Thanks Brielle for the great picture…I love this little girl more then anything. She has taught me so much and brings Joy to everyone. Which is why I am glad we named you Avery Joy!!! This month is for you Dolly because October is not only Breast Cancer awareness month but more importantly to me and my family Down Syndrome Awareness month! This beautiful girl is why I care so much, and why I want to make others aware.

31 for 21 Blog Challenge

2011-10-01T14:23:00.001-04:00

Tricia from Unringing the Bell is once again hosting her annual 31 for 21 Blog Challenge for Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
For those that aren't 'aware' - October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Down syndrome is a 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome (a trisomy), so in medical terms it is called Trisomy 21. Or T21.
The challenge is to blog every day in October (31) for Down syndrome T(21). Hence 31 for 21 blog challenge.
The challenge isn't to blog every day ABOUT Down syndrome, but just to post every day. You don't have to be a parent of someone with Down syndrome to participate either ... any one can sign up, post the badge (should be available on Sat) on their blog, inform their audience what it is all about, and post away about any topic.
I have no idea what I'm going to post about for 31 days, so I am sorry if I will be boring for the next 30 days! It will be a challenge but it will be fun!!!

31 for 21 - here we come!

Its been crazy out our house!!!!!

2011-09-30T10:19:00.001-04:00

That might be an understatement actually!!!!! School has started and so has the sickness…Back to school back to illness right????!!!!! It all started last Thursday night…..Destiny started running a high fever and ran one for ten days..it would run anywhere from 101-104. She was sooo tired and wiped out!!!! She stayed in bed pretty much the whole time..I did take her to the dr and she tested neg for strep but the dr said that her lymph nodes were really swollen so he took her blood for mono…that was A LOT of fun…{not really!!!} I had asked about the flu but he thought it wasn’t the flu so he didn’t test for it…anyways the test ended up coming back negative but the nurse said that it can actually take up to a month to get a positive result ..she said that her counts were really high which indicated probably it was being mono. so he said we were just going to treat it like mono..so that is what we did..I went home and went crazy with the bleach and lysol!!!We opened up the windows and doors and tried to air it out as much as possible. I wanted to make sure that no one else got it especially me!!!!! When I took her in the second time to the dr {bc he wanted to check on her bc she still had fever and still feeling the same way but he just wanted to waste my money pretty sure bc he didn’t tell me anything thing he didn’t tell me before that we just have tot wait it out..and while we were there I had Avery with me and she had a rash on her face so he suggested that I take her to her dr {bc she sees a different dr} bc it looks like strep. So off I went to her dr and low and behold it is strep..Just lovely!!! Do u know what it feels like to not leave the house for almost two weeks except to go to the dr??? and a quick run to dollar general to get milk??? and cleaning like crazy so no one gets anything else???? I felt like I was going to go CRAZY!!!!!!!! Just sayin’!!:) This has been Destiny’s first week back to school but she hasn’t been able to go back all day yet. She gets way to tired..The first day she was only there for a couple of hrs. and then had to come home to bed for the rest of the day and she has just slowly been working her way up..yesterday she went to school until 1130 and then came home and ate lunch and then took a nap until 130 and then went back to school until the end of the day. Hopefully next week she will be able to go all day because she is getting soooo behind in school work..and it is starting to stress her out!!!!

Last swimming hurrah!!!

2011-09-15T14:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday it got up into the 90’s and it was suppose to be the last hot day so I figured it would be a good day to go swimming one last time for the year before it is to cold. It has been getting cold at night so the water is getting pretty cold. Avery is my little fish I am so impressed with how far she has come over the summer in her swimming.. I only had to jump in the pool once with my clothes on to get her bc she had the wrong swimsuit on and she thought she had on her swimsuit with her floaties on…scary!!!! Anyways here are some pictures from our last swimming hurrah!!! At the beginning of the summer we couldn’t even get her to get her face wet..her she is putting her whole head under…

Avery totally just squirted Brielle in the face with water here and shocked her!!! She tought it was funny!!! lol!!

Destiny thinks it’s a little to cold…

I couldn’t get a picture of all three of them..they wouldn’t cooperate so this will have to do!!!

I love this picture of Avery looking up to her big sissy Destiny..she doesn’t realize how much she looks up to her but Avery loves Destiny and is always wanting to do everything she does!!!!

and a video of Avery jumping in and putting her head under..she also puts plugs her babies nose and puts her head under too!!! Hope you all had a great summer..We sure did but we are ready for fall cooler temps cant come soon enough!!!!!

Avery swimming with her Dolly who had to where a floaty too:))

Avery update

2011-09-07T09:15:00.001-04:00

Avery has been going to school everyday now and I go pick her up at 1030..it was suppose to be 1045 but they go to lunch then and Avery was getting mad bc she couldn’t go eat..go figure:) I never have a problem getting her to eat!!! So it actually has been going pretty good for the most part..the first part of the week wasn’t looking so good but then she had a good ending to the week.. I think we are getting there but she had some concerns when they go on there field trip that they wouldn’t be able to get her to go where they needed her too and maybe just take off so I guess I get to go to Strawberry Hill to keep her in line… {now to find someone to watch the twins for a full day..that is going to be hard!!!} They have book buddies on Friday where a second grade class comes in and reads to them and it turned out that they were paired with Brielle’s class so Brielle gets to be her book buddy!! She came home the other day and tried to read me her “A” book…it was so cute..they do book for each letter…The teacher told me that she went to the library and rented some signing times videos so she is learning some signs bc she said Avery is constantly doing signs but she has no idea what she is doing..We went to the back to school bbq last week and while we were walking around playing some of the games a girl in her class came up to her and says..hi Avery and walks over to her and gives her a hug…It made me smile..and I knew that she would be ok in school this year..bc if that little girl stopped to do what she was doing to come say hi to Avery well that means something!!!

Avery FINALLY got into the GI doctor..we have been waiting for this appointment since last may when we got dud her routine blood work and it came back positive or high number for Celiac disease..So when we were there he said that he wanted to re do her blood work and do more in depth blood work..about five different blood tests and if any of them came back elevated then we would go ahead and do the scope to test her small intestine so I said that was ok…I wasn’t looking forward to getting her blood work done though bc the last time it took at least five people to hold her down and even then it took at least an hour to get a couple tubes of blood..it was so miserable..She was crying and moving and blowing her veins..I walked out of there feeling like the worst mother ever..that I would make her go through that..well anyways we got her blood work done in the same building as the doctor and all I can say is WOW!!!!!! It only took two people to get her blood and they had to get more tubes and they didn’t even blow one vein and she didn’t even cry..I couldn’t believe it…I will definitely go back there when we need blood work done!!!! So after about a week the dr called back to let me know the results and not one of them were elevated all of them looked good…so apparently we got a false positive which is common in the one test that they run I guess..So she doesn’t have Celiacs..and we don’t have to worry about her eating gluten every meal…Praise God!!! I knew that I could do it if I had to but knowing that we don’t have well I am pretty happy!!! We did it for a couple of weeks trial run and it was sooo hard!!! I really commended all them parents out there that have to deal with it every meal and every day!!! We also talked about getting her constipation under control while we were at the dr bc I know she has a problem with that…he suggested Fruiteze…it is an all natural remedy.. a blend of dried prunes, raisins, dates and prune juice..it comes in a big container and u just eat a couple of teaspoons for kids and couple of tablespoons for adults..it actually tastes good..but of course Avery has problems with the consistency/texture of some foods and she didn’t like eating this plain..so I mix some up with her juice and then she drinks from a straw so she can get all the good stuff at the bottom of the cup..and she does fine taking it like that..you can also spread it on toast or something too bc its like jam consistency. So far it is working really good..I would totally recommend it to anyone that deals with constipation on a regular basis…You can get it online..just google it…We used to use Miralax everyday but that didn’t work with us..u really have to have to correct dose right down to a T or it was the opposite..and sometimes she would need more or less and it was a big headache and mess most of the time!!!!

Just a quick funny story that Avery did the other day…She comes running into the house completely naked and her hair was wet and she is running for the bathroom..I'm thinking what in the world..then I can hear the hose is one..and it clicked she went yucks in her pants and sprayed her self off with the hose before she came in the house.. I was scared to go outside for the fear of the unknown on my sidewalk…haha!! But what a good girl for cleaning herself off!!!:)

Well I hope everyone has a good day!!!

Buddy walk

2011-08-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

Our local Buddy Walk will be October 15th.. i finally signed up for it..the papers have been sitting on my desks for a couple of weeks now...We have not did it the last two years bc the one of the years i was pregnant with the twins and i was stuck on the couch per dr orders.. and this last year the twins were still to little and Jared was gone to a wedding and i wasnt about to take them out by myself!!!:)) So I am very excited about this year..if you remember from two years ago Avery came in second for raising the most money..Wooohoo!!
This year will be family Connection of SC 4th year hosting the Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome Awareness in Spartanburg. Over the last 16 yrs the Buddy walk has grown from 17 walks to nearly 300 expected in 2011 across the country and around the world. Last year alone, 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk!!! They raised more then 11.2 million to benefit local programs and serices as well as the national advocacy initiatives that benefit all individuals with Down Syndrome. Families statewide will benefit from the funds raised through support and awareness programs initiated by Family Connection of SC. Family Connection is a great organization whose mission is to strengthen families who have children with disabilities, special needs, and chronic illnesses through a network of parent-to-parent support. (They have set us many times to help us talk to parents that have or are going through the same thing)
The Buddy walk is a one mile walk so anyone can participate. It is a wonderful, heart-warming event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down Syndrome.
To donate click on the little widget on the top of my sidebar and it will take you directly to my fundraising page that is simple, fast and totally secure. But if you are not comfortable with that you can send me a check to..payable to-Family Connection of South Carolina, Inc
Many thanks for your support!