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