oh that Sadie.

What is wrong with me?  Why can't I be the kind of blogger that has new fun things to share everyday?  I've been meaning to catch up but last week was a very crazy busy kind of week all while Kevin was out of town for work.  I'd crash every night.  No time for blogging. :(

I can't help it.  I have to post these unflattering pictures of my belly to tell my story of the day.  

Today I took Sadie to the doctor for her 5 year/kindergarten check up.  While we were waiting in the patient room she was sitting on my lap and while rubbing my tummy told me, 

"Mom, you are shaped just like Mickey Mouse!  A big round circle for the head and to medium circles for the ears."

I lost it!  LOL!  Just then, the nurse walked in and got the detailed run down of how mommy looks like Mickey Mouse.  How embarrassing!  That little girls imagination!  She kills me!

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and measuring 3 weeks bigger.   :) , is exactly how I feel.

And no, the due date won't change {waaaaaaaa}. It's common for expectant moms of children with Down syndrome to have extra amniotic fluid.  

I have an ultrasound scheduled this week to see if everything looks normal.

Other than that, I'm feeling good.  Tired and big, but good.  

9 weeks is a long way to go.

Happy Easter!

We are in California with family this week!  It's so fun to be here for Easter!  

The weather is just heavenly!

My sister Jill sent these darling dresses to Sadie and Maryjane.  

We love them!  Thanks Jill!

Sadie is 5!

For Sadie's birthday she told me that she had "everything under control".  She wanted a Unicorn party and came up with the game ideas herself.  How was I supposed to work with that?  Not really a Unicorn section at the party store.  This year I really didn't have the energy to do much but the idea of a Rainbow/Unicorn party came to me and it turned out to be really easy.  

Thanks to my best friend, the Cricut, I cut a bunch of circles of paper in rainbow colors, sewed them together and hung them around the room and windows for decor.  Honestly, the easiest thing.  

I got the cute idea from Secret Agent Josephine's blog.

Loved the way it just made the party!

Sadie designed the cake and helped me decorate.  It is so nice that traditional birthday colors are very rainbow like!  Very easy to find party supplies.

Ever since last year's birthday, Sadie has always DREAMED to introduce her two Elle friends to each other (one of them was sick and couldn't make it last year). She has rehearsed it for the longest time.

So finally, she had her moment,

"Elle meet Elli" 

{beaming from ear to ear}

And good ole Cole filling in.  Sadie had 3 friends unable to attend.  Despite his expression, he LOVED being around all those girl friends of Sadie's!

The kids played Pin the Unicorn on the Rainbow, Unicorn hunt, Dance Freeze and Twister!

Sadie was so fun to watch!  She radiated with joy and excitement! She felt special!

Boy does Sadie love her Daddy(who just returned from a run),

She loves the scooter he got her! 

We love you Sadie!  You add so much life to our family!  

Test Results

Since it is very common for children with down Syndrome to have heart problems, a Fetal Echocardiogram was recommended to study the condition of our baby's heart.

We had our test today and

Good news...

His heart looks normal!

What a relief!  We feel so blessed!

St. Patrick's Day 2010!

I wasn't planning on doing much this year for St. Patricks Day but Sadie's pre-school teacher gets her so excited for it every year that I can't seem to let it pass us by.  I LOVED her reactions to the holiday last year .  Priceless expressions. 

This year, she came home from pre-school all nervous for the next days events.

She had me write this letter for the Leprechaun in her words.....

Poor Sadie.  She can't decide if she loves or hates this holiday.

It's hilarious to watch her become near tears when we talk about the Leprechaun coming.  Are we mean?

That Leprechaun shocked us all.  Cole woke up with a green mustache and the girls a green clover on the cheek.  Not to mention our house a mess and the couch tipped over!

They loved finding their little pot of gold chocolate coins along with a real gold $1 coin.

Couldn't get enough of the girls in their St. Patty's wear I made them from last year. 

These kids sure made this day fun!

Cheers to Eight Years!

  

Baby # 4...

I don't know where to start, or how to begin.  And I'm not a good writer either.
But here I go.

  4 weeks ago, we had our ultrasound.

It's a boy!  Just like I've known from the very beginning.

During the ultrasound there were 3 things that didn't seem "normal".

A little extra fluid in the brain

Opening and Closing of the hands  

A subtle heart problem

I had an amniocentesis{a test which produces 99.4 % accurate results}to determine if our child had any chromosomal abnormalities.  We were very shocked, surprised and heartbroken that something could be wrong. 

After waiting 7 days for the results, the phone call came on February 16th.

Our unborn child tested positive for

Trisomy 21.  Down syndrome.

The weight of the news was devastating.  So many thoughts and emotions.  How could my body have failed at creating this life inside me?

The scripture for this years Young Women theme kept running through my mind..."Be strong and of a good courage.  Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

And the song we had prepared to sing for our Young Women New Beginnings..."at all times, in all things, in all places, we will be strong and courageous"

 I kept telling myself, 'be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, the Lord is with me.'

This scripture gives me much strength.

I know the Lord has a plan for each of us.  He knows me and loves me.  This is our plan.

It was hard to accept that.  Really hard.

But through lots of prayer, I am at peace knowing that the Lords hand is involved in this.  Through him, I can be strong and courageous.

My doctor reassured me that this is nothing Kevin or I did to make this happen.  It occurred at conception.  A "molecular accident", as they refer to it.

 I know this is the Lord's plan for us.  And I have faith in his plan.  Faith that this is God's will.  Faith in what will be, will be.

And now after that painful process of grieving the loss of a normal life for our child, I feel at peace.  It is faith and trust in the Lord that gives me this peace. I am SO grateful to have the knowledge before he arrives that he has Down syndrome.  So I can be ready to love him as he is.  Prepared to start this journey with an open heart and open arms.

  People with Down syndrome can be so loving and sweet.  I am humbled at the thought of what his sweet spirit will add to our family.  He will bring pure love and joy to our home.  The example he'll be to my other children of a Christ like love.  I know he will bond us in many special ways.

I'm in a happy place now.  A place of acceptance.  Yes, I know that we have many days ahead of us that will bring us ups and downs.   And that's okay.  We will deal with those as they come.  With our great support of family and friends who love us.

In learning many things about Down syndrome, some things have been very eye opening for me.  I'm 31.

80% of babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers under the age of 35.

And the average maternal age is 28.

Who knew?  I've always thought of women in their 40's having babies with Down syndrome.  I guess it's just because their odds are higher.

I can't help but to feel grateful for the 3 beautiful healthy children I already have.

Life is precious.  Children are precious. Sometimes I feel as if I can't consume the joy of them enough.

So what now?

This will be like a regular pregnancy.  A few more tests and ultrasounds until he arrives.

His true condition can't really be determined until he is here.  Depending on his health and reaching milestones, growing, and developing will help us know how high functioning he will be.  Hopefully with early intervention, he can be higher functioning.  But we'll have to wait and see.  Each person with Down syndrome is so different.

I don't think I have ever written this much on my blog.  But it needed to be done.  For me.  His little life will be documented here.  He will be apart of us in every way.  I can't wait to meet and get to know this special spirit that is coming to our home.  I already feel so much love for him.

We have had so much heartfelt support from family and friends.  It has been so nice.  Emails, phone calls and flowers.  Those things really helped carry us through that grieving process.  So thoughtful.  

What great examples they have been to me of service. 

Thank You for all your support and prayers. 

Last Saturday...

I loved Cole's get-up!  He had gone to a friends Gi-Joe birthday party the night before and was still living in that moment.  Bed head and all.

Even though his pants were too short, he wore this outfit with confidence all day!

Love ya Cole!  You are too much fun!

A special dinner

For Valentine's day, Nana and Grandpa helped the kids plan a little surprise dinner for Kevin and I.

We showed up to a candle lit festive table.

Sadie and Cole were SO excited!  They both helped Nana and Grandpa prepare the meal.  Cole worked on valentines for us most the day and Sadie could hardly contain all her excitement!  She made us close our eyes and led us to the dinning room for an extra big "SURPRISE!"

Thanks Nana and Grandpa for such a fun idea!  What a treat!

I had to throw in this cute pic of the girls.  They are become such cute friends!

Valentine Cookie Party 2010

 I don't know what has gotten into me this pregnancy. I just don't have the steam for these celebrations.  Ever since Christmas.  But don't you worry, I can't let a good tradition go to waste.

Creating memories comes first.  It's all about a good cookie party .

My 3 little loves.

Couldn't resist the Valentine photo shoot. :)

The invites:

The kids had a lot of fun!  The boys had a lot of energy! (not surprising)  And the girls were very quiet and into their project.  It was fun to have some of Cole's school friends come.  I about fell over with laughter when I caught Cole and Frankie doing chest bumps!  It's started a chest bump frenzie! Hysterical!

Tissue Paper Flower

A couple of weeks ago, we had New Beginnings for the Young Women of our ward. 

Our theme was Women of Courage and we decorated the room with lots of fresh flowers.

I stumbled upon this cute tissue flower at my favorite store Jolleys 

and just had to re-create it for the center of our refreshment table!

A tissue pom pom hot glued to a bamboo stick.

Easy, cheep and adorable! :)

A little Quick Tip

I always enjoy reading my friend Kami's regular posts on Quick Tips and thought I'd share one of mine.  

This little pouch has become a lifesaver for me!  I bought it at TJ Maxx for $5, filled it with my necessities and keep it in my purse at all times!

As a hairstylist, I have felt a little pressure to have my girls hair styled everyday.  But we all know that on some days it doesn't happen,  or they pull out the cute dew you lovingly spent time on, or it falls out and looks like you've never put a comb to the childs' head.

My Remedy: The On-The-Go Hair Kit :)

I've got all my supplies in this little pouch to rescue me from hair disasters. And an occasional boo boo.

Like when Cole was the only 1st grader in his class who did not bring home the picture packet or the reminder that it was picture day.  I noticed the announcement at school upon dropping him off and luckily had everything I needed to make sure his hair was better groomed for pictures.  

Or when we rush out the door to eat out and realize that Sadie has undone her hair for the day and it is all standing up off her head with extreme static from her coat hoodie.  

Remedy : The hair kit :)

All while we're waiting to be seated

I can't even tell you how many times I've needed my little kit!

Sadie really wanted to model the kit for me....can you tell?  

I love how it is all contained in the pouch and not tumbling around in my Mary Poppins purse.  

Don't be surprised if one day I pull out a lamp from that thing ;)

Tonight we started our fun Love Note  and Secret Pal traditions.  My kids are so excited to do something nice for their secret pal.  Any plans to join in on the fun?