Last post of the Year!

Once again, I have a ton of things to update on. Where to start, where to start?

Sleep Study- we are awaiting results. Follow up appointment is Jan. 7th. They said if there was something urgent then they would squeeze us in. So I'm gonna take not hearing from them as a good thing.

Cardiology- We saw the cardiologist before the sleep study and we had a scheduled echo. But he pushed it off until he is 2. Once again, another good thing.

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)- December 2nd we had tubes put in, fluid drained and adenoids removed. Everything went smoothly! Recovery took about 2 weeks before he was completely himself again. We have a big Praise here! About a week ago his congestion disappeared! No runny nose, no congestion when he's eating, he's sleeping better! Its awesome and we give God all the glory!

Part of the sleeping better is because Jason did a little sleep training. I did it with Hunter but for some reason I'm a whimp with Connor. But I guess thats why Jason and I make a good team. We balance each other out in so many areas.

Two weeks ago, our OT at our school called and said that she was attending a Feeding Course at Texas Children's Hospital and they needed some demos. So the speech therapist from North Carolina assessed Connor. We got some great pointers on things to assist him with when eating.

Our private therapy with OT, Speech and PT has been great. One of the best decisions we made to go privately. They just have more experience and equipment then ECI can give. I'm just thankful for the insurance we have.

Our PT (physical therapist) has recommended that we get Connor orthodic inserts. These will go inside his shoes and help strength his feet. Pray that this is only short term. Its not a big deal but I'd love for it to not be one more thing! We were hoping to get this done before the new year, since we've hit our deductible but thats not gonna happen. Oh well. I guess it will help us meet our deductible and coinsurance quicker next year.

We got to visit Santa and I think we got the Perfect picture ever!

Raising an Extra needs child (I've started saying extra instead of special because all our kids have some kid of issues) has also been such a reminder for me on how I need to depend on Jesus and ask him for help!  I'm not gonna lie. Its hard but I wouldn't change my life. 

Here is a quick review from 2014! Please continue to pray for us (specifically for me) in the decisions I have to make for Connor and Hunter. Pray that God continues to provide for us financially so that I can continue to stay home! 

Thanks again for loving on our family and praying for us! 

Connors sleep study!

The sleep study went really well. Considering he had so many things attached to his body, head and face! Don't get me wrong it wasn't a cacation but it also wasn't a nightmare. So many people told me that the techs would come in a lot and the room wasn't comfortable etc. but our tech was awesome and only came in when one of the electrodes fell off. Connor completely woke up once, moved around a lot and made some noises making it hard for this mamma to sleep. But we survived! Let's pray we don't have to do that again. Oh and it worked out that we were the only ones there. 

As far as the results go I couldn't get in until January 7th. So unless there are major red flags I have to wait. 

Here's where you can pray: that everything is good and that he wakes in the night because of congestion which makes it hard to breathe. Could you also pray for Connors congestion to clear up? I do feel it's getting better.  We are getting tubes on Dec. 2 and they will be draining the fluid and possibly removing adenoids. Please pray everything goes smoothly and we won't have any complications. 

Love you guys!!!

Horrible pic but this was him waking up. Jason said he looked like he had been in a car wreck. It might just be me but is this kid never not cute? 

A well over due update

Do you ever have the feeling that time is just slipping from your hands and you have no control? That's how I feel about this past month.  In October we had 11 appointments including speech and physical therapy appointments, well check ups, sick appoints, and multiple appoints with Specialists and getting blood drawn. That didn't include Connor's therapy.

We also made the decision to switch to Private therapy for Speech, OT, and PT.  Which means we will be meeting at a location instead of having therapy at our house. I'm not excited about being gone so much from the house but I'm excited about the progress we are going to see. Starting next week my weekdays are going to be very busy.  Connor's school is Monday-Friday. I'll get him out of school early on Mondays for Speech and OT. Then Tuesday and Thursdays I'll pick him up early for PT. Wednesdays we see the Chiropractor, thank goodness that takes all of 5 minutes. Oh and Tuesdays we see an individual that works on Connor and him hearing sounds. But thats at the house. Sounds like a lot, huh.  Thank goodness I have my parents to help with Hunter. That would be a lot to drag him around too.

Speaking of Hunter. Tuesday the 18th, my sweet boy turns 3! I can't believe it. He's just so much fun to be around. I love him so. Its been fun seeing his personality develop and watching him figuring out what he likes and doesn't like. Its also been neat seeing him slowly fall into the role of a big brother. He's really going to be the best big brother for Connor.

Back to updating Connor. We have two big appointments coming up. We have a sleep study next Wednesday. Please pray for Connor that it goes smoothly and that they don't find any major hiccups that can't be easily fixed. We've also decided that we will be putting in tubes and draining the fluid in both ears. My prayer is that will fix Connor's hearing. I'm a little nervous about him being sedated. We had scheduled this for the first part of December but it would be out here in the suburbs. I'm rethinking my decision and will probably change it to January (first available) in the medical center. This is also dependent on the approval from the cardiologist.

I have about a hundred more things that I could update you on but I think I've covered the most important stuff.

Before I go. A special thanks to everyone that has donated to the Rise Silent Auction happening a week from Thursday! I have the best support system for Connor.

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween

Doctors Doctors and More Doctors

Ahhhh. October is becoming the month of Doctor appointments. Last Friday we had our swallow study which showed he is aspirating on liquids. What this means is that liquid is entering Connor's lungs. I feel God's hand on Connor because a lot of times aspiration causes pneumonia and could have put him in the hospital. So props go to our Occupational Therapist at The Rise School.

Today was our appointment with a neurologist. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like him. There was no one in the waiting room and from the time I arrived until I saw the doctor was close to an hour. But he totally redeemed himself when he walked in the room and started interacting with Connor. The outcome of this appointment is that we are waiting for a call to set up a sleep study. I hope to complete this the first part of November.  I'm not looking forward to this but I'll take it for the team. Its the least I can do since Jason agreed to Potty Train Hunter. I know, I know. My husband is the bomb. I'll be going to get some lab work done on Connor on Friday. Pray that the person taking his blood is good. They will grab blood for a complete CBC, Thyroid, and Celiac Disease. He also wants Connor to see a pulmonologist. This is a Dr. that will look at lung conditions and disease. We see this Doctor on Thursday of next week.

So on top of these Doctors we have a follow up with the Cardiologist, The 12 month check up, oh and we saw the ENT dr. earlier in the month. I feel like we are back to the first 2 months of Connor's life. Please don't get me wrong. I'm very thankful to have insurance and have all these appointments to constantly be monitoring Connor.

Our God is good! This isn't an easy road I've been given but the things that are worth the most are never easy. Please join me in Prayer over Connor's heath- mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Pray that God will give wisdom and His knowledge to everyone that comes in contact with him.

Blessed to be Hunter and Connor's Mommy,

Mandy

Happy First Birthday!! We survived.

It's been a whole year since my sweet baby boy was born. He's one of the most amazing things that's happened in my life. In fact I'm blessed to be his momma.  But I sure didn't think that the night he was born, when the pediatrician told me they suspected Down syndrome. In fact that joy that you feel when your baby is born quickly turned to fear and I cried non-stop for the next few days. Looking back It makes me so mad that I let Satan steal my joy during that special time. It took me longer to bond with Connor but it was only out of fear of the unknown. I was protecting myself from being hurt. I knew nothing about Down syndrome. But man, do I love this baby! I can't stop kissing him. So if I could tell a mommy that is just finding out that their baby has DS. I'd tell them congrats, its gonna be ok. You've just been given an invite to one of the most amazing communities. You're next year will be challenging but worth it all. You will be sad when your friends kids crawl, walk, and eat table foods on time. But you will get to enjoy your baby a little longer. And when they do hit those milestones you will celebrate like you won the lottery. And before you know it, a year has passed. Connor you light up the room with your smile and your zealous love of life. I love that you would rather interact with people then play with toys. Gods got big plans for you, my son. And I can't wait to see what all is in store for you. Happy First Birthday! I love you more then you will ever comprehend. 

Update Friday

Well, the Eye Doctor went really well. He has healthy eyes and they are where they should be for his age!!! Woohoo. We went to the University of Houston Eye Clinic and they did a fantastic job. Its amazing how they can tell if a child is having difficulty seeing when they are too young to read. 

Our Pediatrician appointment went good. There are just so many unknowns.  I asked most of my questions, like why would he be fine and then all the sudden this is showing up and he is now in pain? Could this be an allergy to milk? Could the congestion be caused by the facial structure of a child with DS? So long story short. She said if we try all these things at once, we won’t know what is working and what is not. We decided to try Prilosec for 10 days. If we see a difference great, if not then we can take him off it and try the next thing. If it does work, we can take him off every few months to see if there is still a need. I hate drugs and giving my children any meds but I feel at peace with this decision.  

She said that even though the congestion sounds like it is in his chest it isn’t. She said that his nose and ears look great. But we will use saline when we feel he is a little more congested. We see the ENT on Sept. 29th, so I will further discuss with him. 

We also received the RX for the Sleep Therapy. So I will work on getting that set up. If you are reading this and have experienced any of the problems we are having, please feel free to chime in.

Oh and I just turned to look at Connor and he had gotten up on all fours and held for about 3 seconds. Who knows maybe he will be crawling in the next month or so. 

Again, thank you for your prayers and love for our family and Connor. 

Pray for us tomorrow

I've got a busy morning with Connor tomorrow. We have a Eye Doctor appointment at 10am. at University of Houston Downtown. They specialize in kids with disabilities. This is just a routine exam to have a base line. So I'm not expecting any concerns to arise.

But we are squeezing in an appointment at 8:30a.m. to see our Pediatrician. This came about because of the concern by those that care for Connor at Rise (teacher and therapist). Connor's always had congestion but it has seemed to gotten worst and if you put your hand on his chest and back you could feel the rattling today. Connor's congestion has always bothered me but it has become his norm.  We do have a swallow study set for October 3rd, but his Occupational Therapist (OT) and myself both agreed that we feel like he needed immediate attention regarding the congestion instead of waiting for the test or his 1 year check up. The OT's concern is that he either has Acid Reflux or is Aspirating. Or could it be a milk intolerance? Or could it be his skeletal structure of the mid-face and of the throat area that tends to be rather cramped so that drainage of normal mucous secretions is messed up. When Connor first started Rise the teacher pointed out that when he got up from his nap he seemed good and then after he would eat he would get congested. So, please pray for the Doctor and that she will have wisdom from God when we are talking through this in the morning. And that we can put together a plan that will be perfect for Connor. Pray for me! It really upsets me when I know my baby is struggling and I just want to do the right thing and get him cleared up.

I will also have the Dr. write a prescription to do a sleep study. The teacher noticed that when he sleeps at nap time that he stopped breathing a couple times. This could be due to the congestion. That is at least what I'm praying for. So add that to your prayer list as well.

Oh and I can't believe this little snuggle bunny is turning ONE on Tuesday. Ugh. I look at this picture and I want to run upstairs and squeeze him...LOVE HIM SO MUCH

And I love you sweet family and friends!

Hello Rise

So we just completed Day 4 of Rise. I love this school and I hope I always feel that way. (I hear some of you now, I know it's only day 4) I love that the director and the staff are in the lobby and outside for drop off and pick up. I love that on day one the director and other staff not only knew Connors name but mine and Hunters as well. I love that I have complete confidence in his teachers and staff. His teachers have been there 3 plus years. I love that they love on Connor like he was their own. I love that he gets group therapies. Gosh I'll have to continue to add to this list. But you know what I love the most? That they delight in his accomplishments and that they are there to push and encourage him to be his best. Look at what our little guy accomplished today? That's right, he not only drank his entire 7 oz of milk out of the honey bear but he held it himself. Way to go Connor. This pic was taken before school. But I can't figure out how to upload the video of him doing it. Boo

Why My Boys Take Fermented Cod Liver Oil

I've been wanting to write this post for awhile. Specifically for a friend whose daughter has eczema. I read all kinds of health blogs and have known we should be consistently taking FCLO because of all the benefits. I bought it when I was pregnant with Hunter but couldn't choke it down. So about 6 or 7 months ago I started Hunter and Connor on FCLO. At the beginning I had some resistance from Hunter but now he takes the chocolate flavor like a champ. And Connor, he's just a stud. I have him taking the unflavored liquid FCLO. You know, the stuff that I couldn't get down. Hunter has eczema and I've seen a huge difference in his skin. We haven't seen any eczema in Connor, so I'm hoping its the result of him taking FCLO preventatively.

So here's why we take it:

1. Its Rich in Vitamin D-

• This supports Immune health and fights infections (Connor needs all the help he can get). 
• Cancer Prevention
• Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with thyroid (DS kids are known to have thyroid issues and I'd like to do all I can to help prevent)

2. Omega 3 fatty acid

• Reduces inflammation
• Reverses Eczema-tightens pores of go tract and prevents toxins and pathogens and partially digested foods from entering the bloodstream and overwhelming the blood stream. Because immune system is partially wired to the gut, omega-3 fatty acids prevent hypersensitive reactions to immune system. Which means the ahi-inflammitory and anti-allergy properties of omega-3 can heal eczema. (http://www.progressivehealth.com/a-natural-oil-to-help-your-eczema.htm)

3. Rich in DHA

• Brain development- why not take something that is non-synthetic

There are so many more benefits to FCLO but those are the top 3 reasons I have the boys taking it. 

We choose Green Pastures because of the way it is processed. Green Pasture extracts without heat and is preserved thru a slow fermentation process, keeping all the vitamins. 

Hello 35!

Well, Hello 35! I'm not quite sure where the time has gone. It seems like once you have kids, it just moves so quickly. I love the saying, "The days are long, but the years are short". So true wise person that said that.
I got a text from a friend a few nights ago sharing with me that she had a miscarriage. Ugh. It reminded me that 5 years ago today, I had my first miscarriage. And a piece of my heart broke all over again for her. But time with God's hand, does mend the breakage.
I'm meditating on how fortunate and how God's favor has been in our lives. It's not been easy, but its been a beautiful ride. 

PS I promise to update after Connors first day of school. 

9 months already. Well I mean 10 months because it took me so long to finish this post

This post is well over due. Last Friday we went in for our 9 month check up. Connor is a big old whopping 16 pounds.  Since our last post Connor can now sit up independently. He still has a spill occasionally but does such a great job. Now our focus is crawling and and drinking from other than a bottle. Please pray he catches on quickly and I can ditch the bottle around 1. 

We went to see a nuerosurgeon in early May. Connors head is flat in the back and the measurent was slightly over where they prefer so they recommended a helmet. But after prayer, we decided that we would pass on the helmet for several reasons:

1. In Connors case it was cosmetic only

2. We live in Texas and it is hot. My son is already warm blooded and I know he would be miserable. 

3. I would have to be down at the med center every 2 weeks to remeasure

4. The cost when it's debatable on whether it helps. 

We also had confirmation in multiple conversations including our Dr. And the Down syndrome clinic doc. She said she's concerned with "our kids" because the helmet causes there head to drag forward. So that's the scoop. But the last 3 weeks our little guy has been sleeping on his tummy and he seems to sleep so much better. 

Wow! So Connor just turned 10 months yesterday. I started this post a month ago. Here is what we've been up to lately!

Rockin the new high chair

Occupational therapy. We love Ms. Julie. She comes in every 2 weeks and does some great things. Like making him work. 

Connors new bestie, Jase, was born and we got to visit in the hospital. 

Play date with friends! 

Just being me, cute!!!

Chicky with the family!!! Even though he didn't get to eat any. He still had fun

Our friend, Cody took this. She's posted three of them and there are more. We are patiently waiting to see them all. She's super amazing! 

Playing in big brothers room

Rise tuition letter

Jason and I just got home from date night! On the way in we grabbed the mail and there it was, the letter. The official letter from Rise that would tell us how much our monthly tuition is. I was so nervous opening that piece of paper.  Good thing our friends Jon and Carly prepped me on what they pay. It made the sticker shock a little less shocking. But God is good, as always. He has  provided me with a part-part time job that allows me to work around the kids. It's a friend of mine. She's an amazing real estate agent and I'm doing some work for her. So the plan will be to bump up my hours to part time in the fall. And the money I make there will pay for most of Connors school. So if you are looking to buy or sell your home I get a referral fee (since I'm licensed). And Joanie's pretty awesome. In 2013, she sold a house every 4 days. She's definitely a go getter. 

Regarding Hunter at Rise, they currently don't have a spot for him. Which is okay because his portion alone would be $886. Yikes. So he will be attending Sugar Creek Baptist on Tuesday and Thursday in the fall. 

Thanks for your continued support and prayers. 

Cardiologist update

Yesterday was Connors first time to see the cardiologist since he was a few weeks old. I thought the appt was a success. Although Connor has 2 holes in his upper chamber we are only concerned with one of them.  But because Connor isn't showing any signs such has shortness of breath, turning blue, sweating while eating, we will continue to monitor every 6 months. And in a year we will do another echo. Our prayer is that Connor will never have to have surgery or be on any restrictions!!!

Two cute stories about our visit. As Dr Kailin was listening to Connors heart he reached out and held Dr. Kaitlin's finger. So sweet. The next part was not so funny. Long story short we had Connors diaper pulled back and sure enough Connor started to pee. But being the great mom that I am, I saved the spray with my hand.  That table was soaked. 

Today's our first fundraising event for Rise. I can't wait to post pictures. 

First Neurology appt

We were able to squeeze Connor in to be see for the flatness on the back of the head. They took a picture and some measurements. Long story short The Dr. Recommended a helmet. Boo. He would wear it 23 hours a day for 3-5 months. I did ask the Dr. If this effects brain development or is it just cosmetic? And it's just comestic. So here's the kicker. Since it's just cosmetic there is a chance that insurance won't cover it. Which means our portion could be anywhere from $1,800-$2,200. It takes 2-3 weeks to hear back from insurance on whether it's covered. It all depends on whether Bank of America checked a little box to cover cosmetic. Honestly, I really don't know how I feel about paying that. I need to do some research. Are there parents out there that turned down the helmet and their child's head turned out just fine? Or any regrets? 

Here's how you can pray. Pray that our insurance covers it. In the event that it doesn't pray that God would speak to both of us on whether we should pay it or not. 

One of our highlights of today was that Connor got to meet one of our old friends, Kristi Wilson Lewis. She works for Texas Children's and took a little break and joined us for our appointment. I loved having her there. Unfortunately I didn't think to snap a pic. But she got some good ones. 

6 month check up

Last Thursday was Connors 6 month check up. Poor dude had to have two vials of blood drawn to test for thyroid and blood count/anemia. In addition he got his 6 month shots. Boo! He was not happy and sleep for about 3 hours. Mr. Big stuff weighed in at 13 pounds 11 oz. the Dr is very pleased with his growth. 

We did get a referral to see a neurologist. The back of his head is pretty flat. It's so frustrating because I really had been working on alternating positions. But the Dr. Reassured me, I was doing what I could and it has a lot to do with muscle tone. She said the neurologist might tell us that he doesn't need a helmet but if he does it's pretty common these days. I'm fine either way. But  I'd prefer he not have to wear a helmet 23 hours a day for the next 3 months or so. 

We also had a AI (they work with partial to deaf kids) come out yesterday to assess Connor and see if we qualify for her services. She asked a whole bunch of  questions and based on our answers, Connor is where a 2-4 month old in the sounds he's making. So we will be adding that service once a week to our others with ECI. She will also be incorporating sign language in that time and I'm very excited about that! 

This is our little buddy after the dr. Visit. They drew blood from his arm :( and he had a whole bunch of band aids from his 3 shots. 

Happy 6 Months Connor Artorius Cancino

I just reread Connor's birth story I posted in early October. There's details I would add or verbiage I would change. I would have probably been a little more honest with some of the dark feelings and thoughts I had. And I will probably go back and make all those changes. But you know what's cool? Even though we are only 6 months in to a life with DS, it's not the end of the world sentence I thought I'd received on September 16, 2013. I think I thought it was only because it was all so unknown. I still don't know what it means to have a DS child. It's all foreign. I wish I could really describe how amazing Connor is. People ask how it is? You know,  Having a baby with DS or as some call it, UPS. My response, he's a baby. Just like any other  baby. Except he's more snugly. One thing that I find myself getting sad about is When I see my friends with babies Connors age and they are sitting up or rolling from back to front and then I realize it's that nasty nasty Satan trying to take my joy away. Believe me friends, I'm excited for y'all. 

Oh Village. (That's you, because it takes a village to raise a child) The way Connor looks at me and the smile I get when someone else is holding him and I start talking to him. It's priceless, it melts my heart to the core.  We were at church one day and I was putting him in his car seat and telling him how cute he was and one of the ladies in the nursery said, Mandy, look at the way he looks at you. Awe. If only she knew how encouraging those words are to me and how close I keep them to my heart. I can't imagine life without my little dude. What if we would have chosen to do testing? And just what if we would have aborted? We would have missed out on this amazing little boy. (Btw 92 percent abort when they find out they are carrying a child with DS. But I'll save that for another post.) 

I want to thank all our friends for being there for us especially the first month. I think that first week I was pretty out of it. I know there were people I wanted to tell personally but didn't want to break down in tears. So they heard via text or through someone else. Or maybe by reading it through his birth story on the big. Because what was I going to do? Have my status say My baby has Down syndrome? Awkward. Anyway, I remember rejecting one of my best friends phone calls the night the doctor told us he wanted to have a karyotype. Only later to text her and tell her I didn't want to talk because I was so tired of crying. But I know she was there for me. And I hope she realizes how important that call was to me. There were actually several of you! There were people that reached out via Facebook with such kind words and stories of other families that had taken this road before us. 

I know our lives are moving at mock speed (or maybe it's just me and having 2 kids) but if you have time, I'd love to hear how you found out about Connor, your reaction, you know, your side of our story. It doesn't have to be anything big. You could write a few lines here, message me on Facebook or shoot me an email. Might turn out to be a pretty cool project. 

Connor started sitting up using his hands yesterday! So proud of him. Connors started eating bone broth and prunes. Such a big boy. Oh and Hunters pretty awesome too. He's consistently telling us when he poops. Way to go boys. 

Feeling blessed

ENT doctor update and my mom!

Yesterday was our follow up for Connors ear. He passed a part of the hearing test but not the other. Part of that could be due to his congestion. So we were going to have to rely on what the dr. Could see. Well, Connor still has such tiny ear drums and canals that it's hard to see. He said we have two options. The first option,  he could do surgery to open them up and that would allow him to hear or secondly we could just wait and see if they grow as he grows. We agreed on the second one. So village, please pray that his ear canal and ear drum grow. We will go back when he's 9 months to access. Not that we would do surgery at that point but we would want to see them growing. One of the reasons we are waiting is because at his age it won't effect his speech. 

If you would also pray for Connors constipation. Long story short I switched Connors formula and he now has more of a solid stool. It's not hurting him but I'd like to see it softer. I'm not a big fan of formula but this is the better option for us out of all of them. Before we switched he was only going once ever 2-3 days but it was loose. Now he will go every day, sometimes multiple times  but they are harder and pebble like. I hope that's not TMI. I'm a mom and poop is now a big deal!  Kids with DS are known to have problems with constipation do to their low muscle tone. So is his constipation caused by low muscle tone or his formula? Ugh. 

Here's my last and big prayer request. It's for my mom. She is having hip replacement surgery tomorrow. Please pray for the doctors and nurses. Pray their are no complications and that she heals quickly. Every time you think about her, would you please pray for her? If you know my mom, you know what an amazing women she is. I love her to infinity and can't wait until her pain is reduced. 

Thanks Village for your prayers and encouragement. We love you! 

A New Chapter

I'm not quite sure where this last month has gone? Time goes by so quickly. I've decided that the more kids you have the faster the time goes. I wish I could bottle up all things Connor. You know?, like the way it feels to hug him, his smell and him wanting to still be held. It just moves so fast. Thats one of the reasons I'm so thankful to be able to have the opportunity to stay home with my boys. As many of you know, last Friday was my last day of working full time outside the household. I told Jason its a good thing, because I'm way too busy to have a job with all my play dates and therapy appointments. LOL! 

Connor's doing good, besides this cough and congestion. Just be praying that he gets over it. Its been around for over a month. 

This week has been really good. God has put some awesome women in my life who happen to have DS kids or as one of them says Downsy Do.  I'm excited to build these new relationships and learn from these ladies. 

Connor has a ENT doc appt. Feb. 3rd so I will up date then. 

Hunter's a rock star, as usual. He's starting to say more 2-4 word sentences. I just want to eat him all the time. And he's so loving with his brother. Last week my mom asked him if he wanted to hold Connor, his response? Okey. And he did such a great job. We also played on the bed. Hunter wanted Connor to "ride" on his back. It was too cute. I can't wait until they can play together. 

Thanks Village for all your prayers. 

Long time, no post!

Happy New Year! I can't believe we have just entered 2014. Looking back on 2013, we have many things to be thankful for and I can see where God worked in our lives. 2014 is going to be the year of change for us. As I made the official announcement, I will be staying home to raise our boys. There's a lot of emotions with this decision. If you've known me long enough, you know I've always had a desire to be a stay at home mom. Its hard to believe that the day I dreamed about since I was little has arrived. But with it comes uncertainty. We aren't just losing my income but we have a special needs child. And we are going to have a lot of extra expenses. And then I remember a defining moment, about 4 or 5 years ago, when all we had in the bank was $6.00. I wasn't sure how we paid our bills but God provided. And he will continue to provide for us.

Another big change that we have coming up is in March, we will put our house on the market and buy another one.  Most of you know that my parents and ourselves purchased this one together. And we've decided its time to separate. I have mixed feelings. Its been such a blessing for my parents to be in Hunter's life every single day. They've been such a great support. So please pray that God makes it very clear where he wants us to live and we get a steal on the house. :)

Jason found out in December that his compensation is changing. And we aren't very excited about the new plan. Long story short we are going to have a positive outlook that God will provide here as well.

My mom has been in a lot of pain over the past few years and she found out that she needs to have a hip replacement. So that will be taking place the beginning of Feb. So please pray for her, that her surgery and recovery will go smoothly and that she will get a lot of relief from her pain.

Now, on to updating you on Connor. We had to go to the Dr. today. He's been sick for about 9 days. He has some sort of bronchial infection. He's wheezing a bit and the Dr. says if that continues every time he gets sick, it might be a sign that he has asthma.  Oh and our little boy now weighs 11 pounds. He's getting so big. Connor's neck is getting stronger and he grasps objects and coos. He seems to be wanting to sit up. The Dr. says he still looks like the back of his head is flat and he needs to do more tummy time. I thought we were pretty good at that. But I guess not. So pray that it resolves. And we will continue to lay him on his side and do tummy time as much as possible.

Another thing that is weighing very heavily on my mind is The Rise School. As I've mentioned before this would be an amazing opportunity for Connor (and possibly Hunter). So we are praying for God to provide. The school is about $2,000 a month. But there is some donor that brings it down to $1560 a month. Then we can apply for financial aid. We've heard that one family pays about $900 for both there kids (one is typical and the other has DS) and then another family told us that they paid $1500 when both kids went. Well, $1,500 is just not an option for us. And I don't feel that God is calling us to go into debt. But I do want the best for Connor so that he can be the best him he can be. Now, keep this in mind that we have to get accepted and we find out in April or May. At that point we will apply and see how much we would pay. Our prayer is that if this is God's plan for Connor that he would make it very apparent and provide for us.

Some more exciting news is that Connor has a new buddy. His name is Carter (Sir, that is). Our friends Jon and Carly adopted Sir Carter from the Ukraine and he has DS. He's amazing and such a fighter. I know Carter and Connor are going to be best buds. And I'm extremely thankful that they are in our lives and we get to take this journey together. They really are amazing people.

So Friends and Family, I know that's a lot. In fact, its all constantly racing through my mind. I know many of you have expressed that you like knowing how to pray for us. So this is where we are right now. Thanks again for praying for us.