"Light" Reading

Aubrey has really come far in a lot of skills and is working on books and reading currently...

Forget those cardboard, baby books.  She likes the big books, with REAL pages, and the thicker the better.
(if you know her sister Kate and her "flipping page" fetish she had until she learned to read and write, then you will understand where Aubrey is at:)

So it comes as no surprise to me, when I find her sitting under the kitchen table "reading" to herself.  A big book, with lots of pages...doesn't matter that there are no pictures...it is about the page turning...and she is very careful and rarely if ever rips...

Just catching up on some light reading:)

Must be reading the Christmas Story!

From Aubrey

Have you missed my mom's updates lately?

My mommy has been SUPER busy just keeping up with all of us...and our new house...which is looking better, but still looks kind of like this:

My daddy is home for the next TWO WEEKS!!!

So mommy should be able to get ready for Christmas and get the house in order finally...and then catch up on my blog:)

But to catch you up a little, I'll leave you with Thanksgiving.
Balloons are such cheap entertainment...but I LOVE THEM!

We had a wonderful feast, and enjoyed the company of my Auntie Becky all the way from California, and my mommy's cousin Sonja who came up from Austin.

Now off to bed....

Blessed

We are an incredibly blessed family...and more so because we have Aubrey in our midst each day...she has taught us more about ourselves in these last two years than we had learned in our 30 previous years...she has made our hearts grow and our love stretch in incredible ways.  She is our Aubrey and we love her so.

So many children with Down syndrome are never born...I don't know if it is the fear of the of the unknown or the known amount of extra work that that little extra chromosome takes...I don't know...and I don't get it...but it is so sad.

In some parts of the world these kiddos ARE born, but the society they are born into doesn't support them or their families and so these children are sent to orphanages...even if they are loved tremendously.

Olga is one of those children who was lucky enough to be born...but unlucky enough to be in Eastern Europe where she has been left to be an orphan.  Once these children turn 5 they are sent to an institution where the conditions are horrible and many do not live long.  Olga is almost 5.

Reese's Rainbow is an International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry.  They strive to find homes for  children like Olga.  They set up grant funds to help families adopt these children.  They have touched our lives...because of Aubrey...we might never have known about them if we didn't have Aubrey.  This past year, we have been donating to Jacob's grant fund.  We are proud to announce that he has found his forever family!  And now it is Olga's turn to find her family.  There is no lack of people wanting to adopt, but lack of money.  An international adoption can cost over $25,000.  In this past year, we have read and watched several families adopt internationally from Reese's Rainbow, and it has been such a beautiful journey to watch and be a part of.

Our friend Lily's mom Patti has become a WARRIOR for Olga, because she is almost 5.  She has been blogging about Olga and pleading for donations into her grant fund so that she can find her forever family.  She first wrote about it here:
http://babynumber10.blogspot.com/2010/12/most-important-post-i-have-ever-written.html

We encourage you, in this season of giving, to consider Olga.  Every little bit counts and is helpful.  She is every bit as special as our Aubrey and we hope that she can find a forever family soon.  Donating is fast and easy.  To donate to her fund, go to the bottom of Patti's post for more information.

Cleanliness

It appears that Aubrey has more faith in my abilities to clean and sanitize everything in her world...

And feels that dumping her bag of raisins out on the floor before eating them...

Is a fine activity these days!

Good thing my new cleaning supplies came this week and I will be able to do a better job, now that I know her new habits:)

Glasses Update

It seems like we've had a lot of appointments lately and there is so much updating to do...but first up tonight is the glasses.

Aubrey had a recheck today on her eyes.  When she went 6 weeks ago, the doctor noticed that her optical nerve was enlarged.  So today was the recheck on that.  The doctor wasn't sure if that was "baseline" Aubrey or if there might be other problems going on.  So the recheck was to make sure that it wasn't changing or growing...and it was the same!  That being said...they are going to dig a little deeper.  Our doctor seems lots of kiddos with Down syndrome and while it is not uncommon for them to have a larger optical nerve, in her experience, Aubrey's looked a little different than what she is used to seeing.  She was also a little concerned, after doing some reading up, that there might be a connection between the sensory-neural hearing loss and an enlarged optical nerve.

What does this mean?  Just to be on the safe side, Aubrey will be getting an MRI...which will be sedated.  No hurry, she said, but she just wants to be sure and is 90% sure that it will come back fine.  We will need to check with our cardiologist, who we just happen to be seeing this coming Monday, and check on anestisia requirements and whether they want her to have it done at the cardiac hospital or whether it can be done locally.

It was also decided that her vision wasn't bad enough and she appears to be seeing fine...so the glasses will wait for now.  We go back in ONE YEAR!  Seems like a long time, but I will be monitoring it carefully between now and then and we may go back sooner, or have her checked at the pediatricians anytime that we are there.

She was a happy girls today!

In other "GLASSES" news:

If your child all of the sudden starts watching tv like this:

(always from like 12-24 inches from the screen--yes a whole movie this way:)

Or has an eye that sometimes (or all the time) strays like this:

Especially after an episode of very high fevers...

You should call your eye doctor immediately!

Turns out that Ella has some eye problems too (not related to the fever...but could have been)!  It all boils down to...she needed some glasses pretty bad!  She has a few things going on, but the glasses will not only help her see, but should help with the straying...and if they don't by the time we go back in January, then we will have to do some patching of her good eye to strengthen the bad eye.  THANK GOODNESS Disney got in on the eye patch thing too, because they have some really cool pink princess patches that should make that whole process a lot easier:)

So today, we picked them up and she is very pleased with her new pink glasses.

On the drive home she kept saying the funniest things...like:

Ella:  "Mom, the trees look like they have rainbows on them (colored leaves:)."

Me:  "What do they look like without glasses?"

Ella:  "Just plain."

Ella:  "Mom, the stop lights have big black dots on them too!"

Me:  "What do they look like without glasses?"

Ella:  "Just colors and little gray dots!"

I didn't really expect her to have such a reaction to getting them...but am amazed at what she wasn't seeing before and so grateful that she can see it all now.  She is one smart cookie though and I"m a little afraid of what she will be able to do now that she is seeing everything so clearly!

Yes...we are still here:)

Since Aubrey's hospital stay(two weeks ago) we have:

Sold a home

Bought a home

Went on a short trip to Minnesota (me, ella and aubrey)

Moved from one house to another

Celebrated Thanksgiving with family

Unpacked 1/3 of the boxes

You could say we have been busy...but that might be and understatement this time:)

Finally found the cord for the camera this morning so I downloaded the 533 pictures that have been on the camera for two weeks and am sorting through them.  Lots of updates coming!

Just wanted you to know we are still here...healthy...and catching up on everything...including our blog.

Potty Mouth:(

Today the words "POTTY MOUTH" took on a whole new meaning for Miss Aubrey...

There is no picture...for obvious reasons (I couldn't be bothered to grab it when there was more important things at hand).

Ella went potty (just pee)...left the lid up...forgot to flush...

Found Aubrey soaking wet...head to toe...as she exited the same bathroom...

Enough said...bath time at 2pm...on the double!

Home

A promise kept...we are home.  More later.

A Promise...

He promised (baring anything crazy) he would only keep us ONE MORE NIGHT!

They are still concerned about her fluid intake.  Which at 5oz today is pretty good concidering she is on an iv that is giving her fluids as well.  She is typically an 8-12oz girl most days.

He also wants one more blood draw.  Aubrey's M.O. is to do things very slow and her white blood count was up yesterday afternoon, but not a lot and he just wants to see where that is and make sure that she is still on the rise and progressing and not just fooling us with all this hospital attention.

She is sleeping wonderfully right now and her stats look great...she's been completely off the oxygen all day.  He is going to ween her off the iv as much as he can with out loosing her iv sight...just in case and move all her meds to oral (they have mostly been iv).

He said he would write orders for us to go home in the morning as soon as all the labs were drawn and he saw them...HE PROMISED...and I told Aubrey that she would behave appropriately, or Daddy would be staying tomorrow:)

I know that she has this history and her own way of doing everything, but we caught it early and she is a whole year older and I think that should count for something...but maybe with a good track record this time, he will be less cautious with her next time and have a little more faith in her healing and our ability to do all this stuff at home...OR maybe there won't be a next time and we can prevent it all this winter:)

She was pretty much back to herself today and that means that she didn't want to sit nicely on my lap or in her crib.  She wanted the freedom to run around and play...a great sign.

(I jinxed myself by packing up our stuff this afternoon--but I"m only pulling out my jammies and toothbrush--the rest is staying packed!)

How we are doing...

...since we are here an extra day or more...

OK...I'd say!  We decided that it was time to order some dessert last night and MOMMY got to have some chocolate cake...Aubrey had baked potato...because of all the things on our trays to choose from, THAT is what she wanted to eat!

Her appetite seems to be back...or maybe it is the choices that I am finally giving her.  At this point, I don't care what she eats or drinks as long as she does and we will detox at home!

She was over the moon yesterday when I let her have a hotdog and french fries!

Aubrey finally got to have a sponge bath last night and was at least looking much better than she had been.

Wednesday night, she slept almost 12 except for being woken up to do the vest treatments.  Yesterday she had a 2 hour nap in the morning (9-11) and then was back down for another 2.5 (1:30-4) hour nap in the afternoon.  She was sleeping so deeply in the afternoon that we had to give her oxygen and she wan't even stirring when we did vitals and others were talking in the room.  This is highly unlike her and I was very concerned.  I asked the nurse to call the doctor and order the blood work for last night to maybe see what was going on.  She was ready for bed at 6, but I kept her up a little to skyp with Daddy and sisters, but then she slept 12 straight hours last night.  The Respiratory Therapist skipped the vest to let her sleep and just did CPT by tapping her back and she barely stirred all night, but they did put the oxygen back on her before bed, but just really low.

We are awaiting the doctor now, for official blood work results, but the nurse told me that everything looked ok.  Tamiflu has a cumulative affect of dizziness and drowsiness and so they think THAT is catching up with her and making her so sleepy...but we wait and still hope...but have made plans to continue being here.

This morning they took her off the oxygen again and even let me unhook all but the iv so that she could get down and walk a bit.  She is very wobbly and just kept going over to the door wanting to go out and play...I don't blame her:(  So I let her play by the window and that seemed to be a good compromise.

(For those wondering--she isn't hooked up to oxygen, but I didn't want to have to keep putting the canular on and off, so I just popped it up on her nose for now)

She is napping again now...and peacefully...so we are just waiting to see what the doctor has to say today.

S

Staying here...

... he said no.

She is on pretty high doses of nebulizer treatments and still on the iv fluid (and not drinking anything on her own-likely because she isn't thirsty!).  His fear is that if he backs down to "home care" level and takes her off the fluids to go home, that she will relaps and have to come back. He would rather back down to that level here and monitor her and not take chances given her history of not following the book.

A little upset that he didn't mention the meds yesterday as a home criteria, but in the end, he only has her best interest at heart and he has ordered one last lab in the morning and will set up discharge papers as long as tonight proves uneventful for her

So one more night...we hope.

Overnight and Q & A

Our goal last night was to keep her off oxygen...

When we arrived, she was at 1 liter of oxygen.  Yesterday they had her down to .5 liter.  They decided to turn it off and see how she did...not good.  I recommended that we do it point by point, since she seems to think that she needs the smallest bit of oxygen.  We got her down to .1 last night...which is like NOTHING, in case you were wondering, but we just couldn't get her completely off!  THAT is not enough to keep me here another night and I will express that when the doctor comes.  They took her off completely this morning and she is doing great.

This is mostly for Daddy, but this is her sleeping stats right now...

I'm not packing yet...but hope to be soon!

Q & A

1.  How do you do it? 

               With lots of help!  Woody and I each have our roles and mine is hospitals.  He would rather do ANYTHING other than hang out here...even over night and it would tear me up to be away from her when she is so needy...so it works out.  While our immediate family is far away...we have a wonderful "family" here who step in at a moments notice to help watch kids, which is sometimes our biggest need.

                Faith...We trust God's plan and purpose for all of this.  Another Dad wrote on his son's blog today about something he had read in a book this week and it says exactly how we feel...

(Matt is the lead singer for Sanctus Real and he blogs about his son's heart surgery and hospital stay here.)

“I hear religious minded people say all the time with good intentions. ‘God will never place a burden on you so heavy that  you cannot possibly carry it.’
Really?
My experience is that God will place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it alone. He will break your back and your will. He will buckle your legs until you fall flat beneath the crushing weight of your load. All the while He will walk beside you waiting for you to come to the point where you must depend on Him.
‘My power is made perfect in your weakness,’ He says, as we strain under our burden.
Whatever the burden, it might indeed get worse, but know this-God is faithful. And while we change and get old, He does not. When we get weaker, He remains strong. And in our weakness and humility, He offers us true, lasting, transforming, and undeserved grace.”

-Greg Lucas

2.  What are they doing for Aubrey?
             She is getting the drug Tamiflu for her flu bug.  She has some virus/cold that is making the breathing harder and so they have had her on oxygen.  They are doing Respiratory Therapy every 3-4 hours.  She is little and things tend to settle in her lungs and she can't get them out.  It is better this year, because she can actually have a "productive" cough and get some of it out herself.  Therapy consists of nebulizer treatments and CPT-cardio-pulminary-therapy.  It is an ever evolving therapy and they try all different things.  This time we have a vest that fills with air and then "shakes" her!  Whatever works I guess.

(pardon the look--it has been a few days since a bath happened and the hair is getting out of control:)

3.  What will you do for the rest of the season/holidays?
             It is 77 in Dallas today-not that we would know since we haven't left our room since Tuesday-but it is hardly winter here and she is already getting sick.  We will go under strict house SANITIZATION.  I have to admit I have been a little lax about the girls coming home from school and playdates and washing up before playing with Aubrey--but that will change and we will be strict about all who come for therapy and visits.  It is important...so it must be done.
            While we don't / can't hold up completely in our house all the time, we will do the best we can to at least keep her away from germs when we go out.  So if you see us and we scoop her up and don't let you hold or touch her...it isn't cause we don't like you...but we are just trying to keep her healthy.

4.  Are you used to the hospital thing?
             You never get used to it...you do get better at it.  I know what we need to have here, to make it easier.  I know how to better advocate for her and to TELL them how to make their lives easier, because we have done this before and I KNOW what has worked in the past.  There will likely be a bag packed in the car all the time now...just in case.  Being prepared and organized is key and makes life easier on the man who has to take my list of demands requests and gather them each night to drop off!

Thank you for all of your prayers and words of encouragement and help.  We appreciate it so much.  Along with the Lord, we couldn't do this without all of you either.

We'll let you know what the doctor says later...

Update

NO PNEMONIA!!! The doctor was just in and said that her x-ray looked fine and they ruled that out and took her off one antibiotic that they had started as a precaution. He left her on another because her white blood count was low. He assumes that as she feels better it will go up...and they will double check it before they discharge her.

She is slowly starting to eat...she had chocolate ice cream for dinner last night, crackers at 4 this morning...and a yogurt for breakfast. So they decreased her fluids and have also backed off the oxygen. She is barely on anything, but we are hoping to have her off it tonight so that we can go home in the morning...it's the only thing keeping us here. As with the past, Aubrey doesn't follow any rules of anyone else, so we are cautiously optomistic.

Another option would be to go home with oxygen and a pulse oxy meter again. We have been there done it before and would rather be home together with all that, than separated just for oxygen use.

A few pictures from yesterday and today...

She fell asleep in the chair at 9:30am yesterday while I was calling the doctor...

Ella was with us all day yesterday and was highly entertaining for all the nurses:)  I did finally get them to rest a bit with some baby signing time video!  (yes, I grabbed a few things before heading out the door yesterday!  My theory was that if I packed a bag for us...we wouldn't need it...but we did and I'm so glad that I had the dvd player and video and jammies)

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE ARE STAYING HERE!  I DON"T LOOK SICK!

At 4am this morning she was feeling much better and thought that we should ALL be awake and read books and play and talk and eat!

Just checking my stats Mom!  (Isn't it great that she can reach all her monitors and ivs from her bed--but I let her walk around in the crib since she can't really go very far on the floor because of cords--she would REALLY love a walk down the hall)

Aubrey thinks that her changing pad makes for a very good seat to watch cartoons on!

Hospital

Just a quick note to keep everyone in the loop...

Aubrey was having some trouble breathing yesterday morning, so I took her to the pulminologist for a check and wouldn't you know it...she was stating at 82% oxygen...and she has the flu!  He also heard some raspiness in her lungs and thought she might possibly have pnemonia.

So we were admitted to the hospital for some oxygen and to get some x-rays done and get on top of the flu.  We are hoping that the x-rays will be clear and that everything improves and we are home quickly.

We will keep you updated.

Time Change Troubles

The time change, coupled with the fact that she has been sick, have messed up some sleeping habits at the Smith house...really just Aubrey.  I'm sure many are feeling our pain!  I will say that she hasn't gotten UP any earlier in the morning, which is a blessing, but this is what Aubrey does, while she should be sleeping at night and can't because she has taken two naps or a late 4 hour nap or gets a second wind because someone thought that at 2 she should be big enough to partake in Halloween candy eating after dinner!  (You decide:)

Accessories

Some have ask about the cost of Aubrey's accessories...and I'll admit, when I hear about someone else getting something, I'm always curious too:)  So Aubrey is willing to dish on cost today!

Orthotics
Aubrey's Sure Step (I'm not sure if there are different brands--that is just what our doctor does for kiddos) orthotics cost $1600 total, before insurance.  Our insurance at the time covered the entire cost of them, but it would be different for everyone always dependent upon insurance.  Her feet are really small and she was wearing a 0-1 size shoe before them.  Now that she is on her feet, and they are growing a bit, she would wear a 2-3 without orthotics and wears a 3 with them on (which is all the time).

Replacement is debatable.  There are a lot of little adjustments that they can do to her current pair, before we would have to replace them, but we know what to look for as she grows and see her doctor every three months.  I'm hoping that we don't have to replace them too often:)

Hearing aids 
Hearing aids cost about $3500.  Our old insurance covered $1000 every three years (the warranty runs out after 2), and the rest is out of pocket.  This is one of those loophole things that doesn't even work towards your deductible:(  Our new insurance doesn't cover them at all.  So after the warranty runs out, we are out of pocket for the whole thing and it doesn't go towards deductible either.  The warranty that we got was about $200 and covers EVERYTHING...including water damage and if she looses them.  Only thing is that if she actually looses them, we pay a small fee of $75 for new ones.  Not bad all things considered.

Glasses
Since we haven't actually gone to get Aubrey's yet, I don't know the actual cost.  We have pretty good vision insurance right now, so that should help, but I have heard that it is best to spend the extra money to get the completely flexible frames so that we aren't replacing them frequently.  Ballpark I've heard is $600, but I guess all that would be again dependent on your individual insurance.

Her eye exams are done at a pediatric opthimologist, so we only pay our $10 copay for that visit and she gives us the prescription to have it filled at an eye glass store, so I think in the end we will come out ahead, because my eye exam always costs me WAY more than $10.  So if you are in the market for new eye wear for your little one, I would definitely go to a pediatric opthymologist first and take the short cut on the the cost of the eye exam.

So there you have it...all her accessories for the year!  I'm thinking that besides replacements, we should be done shopping for accessories for her now!  It has been a busy and expensive couple months...but so worth it when we can see her up on her feet walking and hear her making new sounds and working so hard towards talking.  I think that the glasses will just provide her with better sight for getting into trouble!  Not sure we will enjoy that so much;)

Wordless Wednesday

Getting Better....The INCREDIBLES

I am happy to report that Kate scooted off to school today with Alice and only has her tiny cough (and a dramatically painful ant bite on her foot) slowing her down.

Aubrey is fever free today, but the snot factory is requiring at least two baths a day to clean off the face and get it all out of her hair!  I think the congestions is preventing sleep now and she just cries when you put her down...so hard to suck your thumb when you can't breath through your nose:(

Ella still spent most of the day in the same state she did yesterday, but kept her fever below 101 all day and was willing to finally take a bath tonight and brush the rats nest out of her hair!  My funny sick girl,  I knew she was feeling a bit better when she asked for lunch...string cheese!  For dinner...milk and pineapple!  What she REALLY wanted was pea soup...but I ran out of carrots to make it and it just didn't seem appropriate for someone who hasn't eaten anything in days!

Aubrey is crying again, so all I got time for is one Halloween picture of our INCREDIBLE FAMILY!
(we had some wig issues here in the beginning, but this was the only group shot that turned out)

Happy Halloween from Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash, Jack-Jack, and Edna Mode

(I'll post more about our weekend later:)

Halloween Hangover...

While I would like to say that this all started today...but this has been a reality all weekend.  They did perk up enough to get dressed up and do a little trick or treating, but we are hunkered down this morning with jammies, juice and cartoons.

(and just in case you are wondering, Ella is my "high fever gal" and she does it this HIGH every...
single...time...usually just a virus...nothing we can do...but we will all be heading in to the doctor this afternoon to find out for sure)

Will post some Halloween pictures and updates when I can...

Wordless Wednesday--New Hangout

Chores

It may seem silly to have a 2 year old, with Ds, who just started walking, to help with chores and work around the house, but I did it for my other kids and why should she get off the hook!

Of course, Aubrey's chores are modified, but we remind the kids frequently that this family that we are in is a TEAM and that we all pitch in to do things and not just mom and dad doing everything...which means that to make it FAIR (because we all know that everything in life is fair:), Aubrey has to help out too!

Dishes:  Aubrey helps me empty the dishwasher when she is around and I'm doing it.  I take all the heavy or breakables out of the bottom rack and then she hands the rest of it to me one by one and I stack them on the counter.  She also helps me with the silverware, taking it out of the basket and handing each piece to me one by one.

We have a rolling cart with three drawers for the kid cups, bowls and plates.  Sometimes I will hand Aubrey one cup/bowl/plate at a time and she will put them into the drawers for me.  I haven't started leaving the drawers closed to see if she can "match" yet, but hope to soon in the future.  They are just a little sticky and she has troubles opening them.

Laundry:  She loves the laundry room and frequently shuts herself in there:)  When I've sorted clothes into piles, I put one in front of the washer (we have front loaders) and Aubrey puts all the clothes into the washing machine.  She is pretty good and only needs a little help sometimes.  She is also very good at taking the wet stuff out and handing it to me, so that I can put it into the dryer.

Folding, she isn't so good at, but she loves to have a whole pile of dish towels or wash clothes to "try" and fold.  Soon...very soon...she'll get the hang of the half fold and then I've really got a helper:)  But for now she just enjoys jumping in the piles (think pile of fall leaves and you'll see the enjoyment:).

Clothes:  She is better at taking things OUT of drawers and piling them up on the floor, but we are working on the putting things INTO the drawers...unfolded yes, but the smile she gets from having actually put it into the drawer and slammed it shut is priceless.

I do let her help me fill the diaper basket when it is empty, and she loves that.

Do these chores take me three times as long when she is helping?  ABSOLUTELY!  Can she do the chores? ABSOLUTELY!  Are we proud of her and she of herself?  ABSOLUTELY!

I've learned that I can't underestimate her, just because she is smaller or is taking longer in some developmental areas...I just need to adjust things to her level and continue to push her to new levels.  I'm sure that my other girls were doing much more at 2, but she'll get there and I do believe that she is working harder at 2 than they ever did!

Hidden Opportunities

I am always looking for more/better opportunities for "work" to do with Aubrey.  I can't decide if that is a good thing or not, but I'm always thinking about it...if she is just sitting in the car seat or stroller, I think "what can she do right now...what can I give her to stimulate growth and progression in her development?"

Sometimes fun and work can go hand in hand:)  You just have to be looking for the right moment and way to adjust the game!

A couple weeks ago we had Oktoberfest at our church and the youth had set up some games where you could win tickets to turn in for prizes.  Once I got over my fear that she would be run over by the big kids, we found a Ring Toss that no one was playing with to use.

My idea was to give her the rings and have her put them on the stick...but she didn't want to do it standing...

Or while she was sitting...(she just kept handing them back to me:)

She wanted to figure out how that stick was in the ground and use GROSS MOTOR to get it out!

Sometimes the best laid plans...don't go the way WE want them too, but in the end, maybe she did get something out of it all:)  At least she wasn't just sitting in the stroller or being held.

And what would she rather do than play Ring Toss...

Head over to the playground and swing...no doubt!

Find those hidden opportunities all around you...not just during therapy or at home:)

Q and A

Need to catch up on some questions and answers I guess tonight:

Pumpkin muffins: came from my good OLD orange Betty Crocker book!  I just sub chocolate for the raisins, about 1/2 cup of the mini is good.  We made big muffins and mini muffins for Aubrey!  So yummy right out of the oven with a little coffee:)

Jammies:  They are from Gymboree.  I bought them last year at the outlet mall and got the big girls in a size larger so that they could use them two years in a row.  This year I just needed to get some for Aubrey.  They are in the regular store and on the website, for $12, come in pink or black, and at the outlet, they were $10, but I had a coupon too!  Come in size newborn up to 12 and also in adult I think:)  So next year, only Aubrey and Alice will need them and hopefully I can get those on sale this week:)

Baby:  We are due on February 6th, but it will be a repeat C-section so think end of January sometime...no date has been set yet.  We do not know if it is a boy or girl.  They weren't able to tell at the last ultrasound and we aren't willing to pay for another one just to find out.  Our first three girls were all surprises by choice.  We found out with Aubrey because the girls really wanted to know.  We are OK with having a surprise baby:) Makes it kind of exciting...we think!  So few surprises in life and I love when we are in the delivery room and Woody gets to announce our newest arrival!

Eyes:  I thought that at the opthamologist office we would just check that we had been and everything looked good....wrong:(  She is nearsighted in both eyes and has a stygmatism in the left eye.  We will be getting glasses sometime soon.  But I have decided that instead of being bummed that Aubrey now has more expensive accessories (hearing aids, orthotics and glasses) than I do,  we are going to ROCK THESE GLASSES and also I told Woody that if his kid's accessories cost more than mine...that maybe he needs to think about getting me ahead of her again:)  Just a small hint!

Walking:  Aubrey is FINALLY walking about 80% of the time!  We are so proud of her.  Been trying for days to get a good video of her doing it, but she is unmotivated to walk if she sees I have the video camera out!  Funny girl.

House for sale:  We have our house for sale and are moving to a neighboring city for many reasons, but mostly because it has a better school district for Aubrey.  The big girls go to our Christian Day School, so moving won't affect them at all in that way.  We will actually be closer to their school and to Woody's office so really it is a win-win for everyone.  We are moving around Thanksgiving, so hope to be all settled for Christmas and the arrival of the new baby.

Camera:  Ella accidentally knocked over the good camera, so no new pictures for now:(  Will try and get some with the old camera if I can find the charger for it.

Overwhelmed...

It happens to everyone...no one said that motherhood was easy...and sometimes...it just gets to be too much...no matter what kind of "SUPER MOM" you are most days:)  You know those June Clever/Martha Stewart Moms who do it all and have a wonderful meal on the table every night and are crafting with their kids and everything just seems to go smooth at their house:)

Down Syndrome Awareness Month...31 for 21...the reality of life is that sometimes, I get overwhelmed, just like every other mom out there.  Most of the time, life is good, and we are celebrating great milestones and the joy of our sweet pea...but sometimes...it can become a bit much and that is the reality of motherhood...not just those of us who have children with Ds.  So my lack of posting this week...

I don't know if it was the blogging everyday and questions that had me thinking about ALL the therapy that we have every week, or ALL the specialists that we see, or ALL the extras that come with that little extra something special...

Maybe is is struggling with the hearing aids (one defective--sent back to manufacturer last week, other one acting up this week)...We've been there every week for the last month and they aren't a CLOSE or CONVENIENT appointment...

Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones:)

Whatever it was, it was our reality this week and that is what this blog is for...reality...and I don't ever want to convey that life is ALWAYS peachy, even though most days it is, but we are over it for the most part...

How...

Well, first, you hand out new jammies for everyone and stay up waiting for Dad so that you can scare him!
(they glow in the dark:)

And in the morning we baked:)  Most of the time you would find something chocolate in the mixing bowl when we are having a week like this, but not in October...Oh NO...it is fall and so in the spirit of the season, we made our SECOND batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! (and we made it a double:)

(Nah, Nah!  You can't get up here!)

And we waited...

And then we each ate three!  Hot out of the oven!  And had no guilt about it!

And then, I let my kids loose in the pantry to CRAFT!  

Aubrey, who is not usually allowed free reign of the crafting supplies, much less markers, thought that she was really getting away with something!

And she wanted to see how many she could stash in her hands and get away with at one time!

And even though she couldn't get the caps off...she was in heaven thinking that she was coloring all these beautiful pictures:)

And all was right in the world...

And instead of cleaning for house showings or finishing up the piles of laundry or getting dinner going so that the afternoon wouldn't be crazy...

 We played hopscotch!  And we laughed and smiled and giggled!  And we just stayed in our bubble of happiness.

Those worries and appointments and phone calls and laundry and dishes and whatnot, were all still there after the fun, but we needed the break to set ourselves right again and get back on track.  We all need that sometimes...

So every once in awhile, take off the super cape, grab yourself a good cup of coffee and some chocolate (or pumpkin:) and enjoy your kids...I guarantee, the world will be right again in no time...and you will be ready for the next load that the world brings at you.

Today we went to the eye doctor...but that's a post for tomorrow:)