Can you believe it?! I know I can't! My baby boy who just turned one just turned two! Now I sound like Dr. Seuss.
Our sweet boy is growing leaps and bounds! He is still working on learning to walk better more and more - some days he's really interested and we'll stand up and walk to a toy and then others he wants nothing to do with walking and wants to scoot everywhere. Tommy is just so incredibly smart, strong, handsome, and fun! He is such a joy! He is however still human - let me balance out all my praise with keeping in mind he has become somewhat of a whiner and grunter but that's something that we work on daily. Tommy is becoming more and more social with people and kids and truly brings joy to my heart to watch him grow and do this. He has always been a ton of fun at home with us and people he knows really well, like his Nana and Pappy, but when other people would come around before he'd just go into a "watching" mode and want someone he knew to hold him. Now he is the one who seeks attention at times - especially at the grocery store! Oh my you'd think Tommy knew everyone and all their family at the grocery store and people remember him, they call him their little buddy, and the happy baby! He loves to give knuckles and high fives, but knuckles are his favorite!
He is still our little peanut, he wears some 12 and some 18 months clothes, which I know to a lot of moms must sound crazy considering he's 24 months old. But here's the thing I still have to carry him around so I'm A Okay with him being on the smaller side! Tommy knows probably 50+ signs now, Kyle says he knows more than him. If you ask Tommy where his baby is he will pat my belly. He gives his baby hugs and kisses, but I would say he really doesn't understand there's a baby in there it's just something we taught him through repetition and he's a sucker for any "awwww, how sweet" he can get! He loves to be praised and when people sing and clap - he gets super excited! If we're watching a TV show and at the end there is applause and cheering Tommy likes to join in and it always makes me and Kyle crack up! Tommy is learning to feed himself a lot more. This was more an issue for me than him - I didn't want to have to clean up a big mess all the time but with the new baby coming and with him being 2 years old I knew it was time to buckle down and he's been doing really well with it. I can tell it has helped his fine motor skills a lot. Tommy's favorite show is Signing Times, especially the Silly Pizza song! He also likes Curious George. He is almost done teething, praise the Lord! His 2 year old molars and one final tooth are all coming in at the same time and then I think he should be done until the next molars come which isn't for a few years if I'm not mistaken.
Tommy precious personality comes out more and more each day. It is so neat to find ways to encourage, discipline, and play with him in a fashion that is unique and effective with his own little personality. I laugh about how much Kyle and I thought we knew about disciplining and how we would handle it before we had children. Each baby/kid is a little person and are motivated and deterred by different things, words, or actions and we learn and figure things out day by day. I do love when we find an effective way to discipline or communicate discipline, even with specific words. I am amazed at how much Tommy verbally understands from us, it's mind boggling to me at times. It's so odd b/c he can't say anything to us but he is so good at observing and recognizing words and actions we've repeated over time that it has helped tons in disciplining and teaching him. Every time I say the word discipline please don't get the picture of us spanking him in your mind, most of his discipline is verbal. Sometimes there are actions that go with the discipline if he doesn't listen the first time and it helps get his attention but that comes in various forms too. When he grunts meanly and won't stop when asked I very gently take his little cheeks and squish them where he looks like a fish, he then looks at me and I tell him to stop grunting again. For some reason this works (most times) for him, it calls attention to his mouth, it makes him look at me in the eyes, and he knows what I'm asking him to do. I have told Kyle that I hope our future children are as smart and obedient as Tommy is. The other great thing is when we find something that encourages Tommy to do things - whether it's a game that makes him want to walk more or words that he understands and enjoys us saying to him. He loves for us to call him a funny, silly, or cute baby! He has a very specific "silly/funny face" and any time you ask him - "are you cute? are you funny..." he leans his head back, scrunches up his eyes, and smiles all at the same time! Oh he'll melt your heart! And this kid has an incredible memory! His favorite show Signing Times - he has the order of the sings memorized on the DVD! He'll look at me sign the upcoming sign and then clap his hands to tell himself good job! (This is another thing I love, he has learned to encourage himself which I was actually trying to teach him to do and now he does it all the time!) Over time Tommy has also realized that I keep certain treats in my purse, like fruit snacks, to help distract him at times. So any time he sees me get in my purse he looks at me and signs eat emphatically! He is a riot!
I could seriously sit here and never stop typing talking about this amazing two year old in our life! Tommy has taught me so much about life and love and sacrifice and just pure joy that I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing he is in our lives. How grateful am I to God for choosing us to be Tommy's parents! So happy second birthday sweet boy! We love you more than we could ever say! We are so impressed by you everyday - you make us laugh all the time and you make us so very proud!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Mushy Monday
So Tommy got an Ipad for his birthday/Christmas/surgery recovery from his very gracious Aunt Jennifer and mommy has been having a lot of fun with it! So much fun that I rarely use the laptop any more which has resulted in me neglecting the blog! So sorry! I will try to do better.
I'll start with a quick update on life and then get to the mushy part. Tommy is still recovering beautifully form his heart surgery, you would never even know he had it. My pregnancy is going really well, I'll be 36 weeks Tuesday! Which by the way seems a little insane! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by and last week I would have sworn I was having this baby before May even came but I feel like I'm starting to settle down a little bit. The Lord has been extremely kind to me in this pregnancy and even still I am feeling ready to have my body more back to normal, even though with nursing and post baby it doesn't feel really normal. And I did have contractions and just exhaustion many times last week. I don't like having a lot to do and physically feeling like I just simply can't do it. And also thinking ahead to, well if I do all of this today I need to realize I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow. Oh in other news I'm now the mom to a two year old! Hello! Where did that come from?! And I just turned 26. Lots of big things happening in this household. I'll have to do a big Tommy post for his 2nd birthday this week! But I don't want to get too off track here.
During this pregnancy/time in my life I have been feeling even closer to my sweet husband Kyle. The other day I just thought about the first time I saw him, the first time we talked, the first time he remembers us talking, etc. I LOVE to think back to that. I find it so amazing that God is sitting in heaven, knowing, "Oh they're getting married some day!" when I'm thinking, "He's cute! Who is he?" haha! Oh goodness and how shallow but fun interacting with your spouse was before you really knew them! Goodness gracious I would get so gitty at Kyle's arm touching my arm b/c we were sitting close to each other when I first met him! Now I have the privilege and joy of getting to sleep next to him every night and I love it! I say that our interactions were shallow back then not to sound negative but b/c until you're married and even have children together - basically just experiencing things in life together over time - you don't know how much you are going to appreciate and love someone. And obviously you can't know that but it's such a fun journey! I really enjoy watching Kyle with Tommy. It has been such a big and obvious example for me to see him grow, change, and mature as a person. Kyle has always liked kids, but he's more of a three years old and up kind of person, b/c kids are easier to play with and interact and of course pick on at that age. I can see how Kyle's comfort level with infants and toddlers has grown immensely and how intentional he is to play and love on Tommy. Can I just say that is extremely attractive in a spouse too! I am so thankful that Kyle is my husband and the father of my children - he is so good at it. He's very calm, level headed, fun, funny, and he balances me out very well. While I give Kyle a hard time b/c there are a lot of the parenting aspects he does not partake in unless forced to, such as changing diapers or feeding or getting up during the night, there is so much that he does that I am so grateful for! He is by no means perfect and he'll tell you I'm not either but he is in fact a wonderful husband and father! I love to think back to how silly, naive, and gitty we were when we dated in college and I am very excited as I look to our future to see how the Lord uses this coming baby to grow and change Kyle even more.
I'll start with a quick update on life and then get to the mushy part. Tommy is still recovering beautifully form his heart surgery, you would never even know he had it. My pregnancy is going really well, I'll be 36 weeks Tuesday! Which by the way seems a little insane! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by and last week I would have sworn I was having this baby before May even came but I feel like I'm starting to settle down a little bit. The Lord has been extremely kind to me in this pregnancy and even still I am feeling ready to have my body more back to normal, even though with nursing and post baby it doesn't feel really normal. And I did have contractions and just exhaustion many times last week. I don't like having a lot to do and physically feeling like I just simply can't do it. And also thinking ahead to, well if I do all of this today I need to realize I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow. Oh in other news I'm now the mom to a two year old! Hello! Where did that come from?! And I just turned 26. Lots of big things happening in this household. I'll have to do a big Tommy post for his 2nd birthday this week! But I don't want to get too off track here.
During this pregnancy/time in my life I have been feeling even closer to my sweet husband Kyle. The other day I just thought about the first time I saw him, the first time we talked, the first time he remembers us talking, etc. I LOVE to think back to that. I find it so amazing that God is sitting in heaven, knowing, "Oh they're getting married some day!" when I'm thinking, "He's cute! Who is he?" haha! Oh goodness and how shallow but fun interacting with your spouse was before you really knew them! Goodness gracious I would get so gitty at Kyle's arm touching my arm b/c we were sitting close to each other when I first met him! Now I have the privilege and joy of getting to sleep next to him every night and I love it! I say that our interactions were shallow back then not to sound negative but b/c until you're married and even have children together - basically just experiencing things in life together over time - you don't know how much you are going to appreciate and love someone. And obviously you can't know that but it's such a fun journey! I really enjoy watching Kyle with Tommy. It has been such a big and obvious example for me to see him grow, change, and mature as a person. Kyle has always liked kids, but he's more of a three years old and up kind of person, b/c kids are easier to play with and interact and of course pick on at that age. I can see how Kyle's comfort level with infants and toddlers has grown immensely and how intentional he is to play and love on Tommy. Can I just say that is extremely attractive in a spouse too! I am so thankful that Kyle is my husband and the father of my children - he is so good at it. He's very calm, level headed, fun, funny, and he balances me out very well. While I give Kyle a hard time b/c there are a lot of the parenting aspects he does not partake in unless forced to, such as changing diapers or feeding or getting up during the night, there is so much that he does that I am so grateful for! He is by no means perfect and he'll tell you I'm not either but he is in fact a wonderful husband and father! I love to think back to how silly, naive, and gitty we were when we dated in college and I am very excited as I look to our future to see how the Lord uses this coming baby to grow and change Kyle even more.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Mushy Monday
So I'm not sure if my last post made any sense, my mom said she didn't really understand what I meant, and I did have to leave the computer halfway through and Kyle is constantly teasing me about how my thoughts don't always flow in a way that makes sense to others, no matter how much sense it makes to me! :)
This Tuesday I will be 30 weeks pregnant! I can't believe it, it's pretty much insane how fast this pregnancy has gone by and a little scary. I got nervous at the end of my pregnancy with Tommy feeling like I wasn't ready and I'm starting to feel that way with this little one. Oh well I have no control over it so I just have to get over it.
Tommy is still recovering really well. He is doing all things the same, some thing even better, like taking steps! That's my baby! And he is finally starting to want to play a little rougher; before surgery he loved to play rough and obviously we've been avoiding rough housing but one time I tried to gently play rough and he wasn't having it and now he's trying to initiate it.
On a not so fun note he is sleeping horribly at night. Last night I had a mini-break down b/c I was just so exhausted from the past several weeks of inconsistent sleep for him. The Lord has made me, like many moms I know, where I am able to happily function on less sleep when I need to; however, when that is prolonged over several weeks, I don't do well with it. I also think that Tommy now has some acid reflux stuff going on and that could be related to the sleep issues, but I'm calling his doctor tomorrow to see what I can give him for it. He started having "juicy" (eeeewwww I know that sounds disgusting) burps a few weeks before surgery and they seem to have progressively gotten worse and even lead to spit up, and he only eats solid food and was not a big spitter upper when he was younger. I don't even know if you would still refer to that as spit up or as a mini-throw-up. Either way it's nasty and I'm sure he isn't enjoying it. And this baby mama over here is having some major heart burn but thankfully Zantac helps tremendously. It just came out of no where a couple of weeks ago.
But amidst all of the trying things recently - a fussier boy, a sleepy boy & mama, acid reflux, teething, etc. we have had some very sweet times. Tommy is just so stinking adorable and he truly does still melt my heart. Not in the exact moments of whining and needing to be disciplined, but through out the day there are always moments that I look at him and I am so thankful God entrusted him to us. I truly love him for who he is. I love his precious personality and sense of humor. This kid is funny, he will make you laugh just by laughing. He is getting so strong and taking steps so well. Most of all I have recently been amazed at just how smart he already is. I knew hardly anything about Down Syndrome before we had Tommy, I had encountered a few people through out my life who had it but didn't know them all that well, so all of this is learn as you go. And I told Kyle the other day that Tommy already knows and understands more than what I thought he would. I bet it's like that with the vast majority of people with DS it's just a matter of the environment you know them in and how well they can communicate what they know. We find ourselved laughing and amazed at his reaction to knowing things when we don't even remotely expect it. This is just a very small one but today we were at a store and I picked up a random thing of bubbles to see if I should get them (Tommy LOVES bubbles) and Tommy just said, "Bub, bub" which is what he says for bubbles at home. I was so proud of him b/c they didn't even look like typical bubbles but he knew exactly what they were. And he was watching his little Signing Time dvd later (he LOVES the first few dvds, not a fan of the newer ones though) and they were teaching the sign for "full" and they had an animation of a table with all the food eaten and Tommy just kept signing "all done" to the TV! Haha! He is too cute!
We took Tommy back to church for the first time today and kept him in the service with us. I was fully anticipating having to leave and go with him to the nursery to play b/c I never thought he would sit quietly through the service. Yeah that's right, my baby sat through a whole church service and was so so so good! It may have just been a one time thing but hey I'll take it! We just have another week or two before he can be picked up under his arms again and then he will return to the nursery to play with his friends.
Oh and in case you didn't realize it my baby, will be two years old in less than a month! Oh my! It blows my mind, I feel like we just had his first birthday party! We love our sweet boy and he brings so much joy and meaning to our life!
This Tuesday I will be 30 weeks pregnant! I can't believe it, it's pretty much insane how fast this pregnancy has gone by and a little scary. I got nervous at the end of my pregnancy with Tommy feeling like I wasn't ready and I'm starting to feel that way with this little one. Oh well I have no control over it so I just have to get over it.
Tommy is still recovering really well. He is doing all things the same, some thing even better, like taking steps! That's my baby! And he is finally starting to want to play a little rougher; before surgery he loved to play rough and obviously we've been avoiding rough housing but one time I tried to gently play rough and he wasn't having it and now he's trying to initiate it.
On a not so fun note he is sleeping horribly at night. Last night I had a mini-break down b/c I was just so exhausted from the past several weeks of inconsistent sleep for him. The Lord has made me, like many moms I know, where I am able to happily function on less sleep when I need to; however, when that is prolonged over several weeks, I don't do well with it. I also think that Tommy now has some acid reflux stuff going on and that could be related to the sleep issues, but I'm calling his doctor tomorrow to see what I can give him for it. He started having "juicy" (eeeewwww I know that sounds disgusting) burps a few weeks before surgery and they seem to have progressively gotten worse and even lead to spit up, and he only eats solid food and was not a big spitter upper when he was younger. I don't even know if you would still refer to that as spit up or as a mini-throw-up. Either way it's nasty and I'm sure he isn't enjoying it. And this baby mama over here is having some major heart burn but thankfully Zantac helps tremendously. It just came out of no where a couple of weeks ago.
But amidst all of the trying things recently - a fussier boy, a sleepy boy & mama, acid reflux, teething, etc. we have had some very sweet times. Tommy is just so stinking adorable and he truly does still melt my heart. Not in the exact moments of whining and needing to be disciplined, but through out the day there are always moments that I look at him and I am so thankful God entrusted him to us. I truly love him for who he is. I love his precious personality and sense of humor. This kid is funny, he will make you laugh just by laughing. He is getting so strong and taking steps so well. Most of all I have recently been amazed at just how smart he already is. I knew hardly anything about Down Syndrome before we had Tommy, I had encountered a few people through out my life who had it but didn't know them all that well, so all of this is learn as you go. And I told Kyle the other day that Tommy already knows and understands more than what I thought he would. I bet it's like that with the vast majority of people with DS it's just a matter of the environment you know them in and how well they can communicate what they know. We find ourselved laughing and amazed at his reaction to knowing things when we don't even remotely expect it. This is just a very small one but today we were at a store and I picked up a random thing of bubbles to see if I should get them (Tommy LOVES bubbles) and Tommy just said, "Bub, bub" which is what he says for bubbles at home. I was so proud of him b/c they didn't even look like typical bubbles but he knew exactly what they were. And he was watching his little Signing Time dvd later (he LOVES the first few dvds, not a fan of the newer ones though) and they were teaching the sign for "full" and they had an animation of a table with all the food eaten and Tommy just kept signing "all done" to the TV! Haha! He is too cute!
We took Tommy back to church for the first time today and kept him in the service with us. I was fully anticipating having to leave and go with him to the nursery to play b/c I never thought he would sit quietly through the service. Yeah that's right, my baby sat through a whole church service and was so so so good! It may have just been a one time thing but hey I'll take it! We just have another week or two before he can be picked up under his arms again and then he will return to the nursery to play with his friends.
Oh and in case you didn't realize it my baby, will be two years old in less than a month! Oh my! It blows my mind, I feel like we just had his first birthday party! We love our sweet boy and he brings so much joy and meaning to our life!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Mushy Monday, what up?!
So it's been a while since my last Mushy Monday post but I've been pretty dang busy! Tommy had his heart surgery Feb. 22nd and is doing UH-Mazing! Praise the Lord. So obviously that's what my post is about today. I am so so so so times a bajillion thankful that his surgery is over and behind us and that he is recovering so well! The doctors basically said patients don't do any better than what Tommy has done. Such a blessing. But to be honest I have a confession amongst this. While I am beyond thankful for how well Tommy has done and is doing I have seen the very sinful and prideful side of my heart that I do not like.
I have learned so much about "feelings" this year and I've mentioned it many times in posts. I have sinful and wrong feelings. And post surgery is no different. I have felt confused by the idea of why God chooses to allow some kids to recover and to recover so wonderfully from heart surgery, while other sweet children are taken from their parents, even when it is into His glory. And on the flip side I have felt very entitled that the Lord should have allowed this to go so smoothly, b/c after all He could have fixed it, or made Tommy without that heart problem to begin with. The confusing feeling I know is answered by the fact that God's will is not ours, and His is perfect, and it is beyond gracious that those precious children are in His glory. The big struggle for me has been my feeling of entitlement. While I know God did not have to allow Tommy to do so well, I feel like He should, after all it's the least He can do right?! Wrong. I don't deserve it, Kyle doesn't deserve it, Tommy doesn't deserve it. We're sinful, we're no better than the other families that don't experience such easy recoveries. While that's the truth, that's not the way I have felt. And during church today I realized something, I apparently have been angry with the Lord, even though I didn't "feel" like it. I just felt unhappy with His decision, but my reaction of entitled grace revealed to me that I was mad. I have prayed and repented of this many times b/c I know that it's wrong and I felt like the Lord began to help me understand it better today. I was thinking about my relationship with Kyle. Kyle cares for me so well, especially in times of need or when I'm hurting or scared. He jokes around a lot and teases me but in serious times when I need him to be there for me, he always, always is! And that is something that I have come to expect of him but it's also something I appreciate from him, so much that I just cried typing that b/c I love and cherish and need that from him and he provides it. Well I was thinking about how I was expecting God to allow Tommy to do well and that part I don't think was wrong, I know God's character, we too have a relationship where He is there when I need Him (which is always). I was comparing my relationship with Kyle to my relationship with the Lord. But then I thought when it came to God, I didn't have that overwhelming feeling of appreciation once it was over and Tommy was doing well. And that's how I realized I was mad. It's kind of like a situation where if Kyle was the one to make me mad to where I needed comfort, I don't feel so grateful for that comfort, I feel like I deserve it, b/c after all whatever happened was his fault anyway - so now he needs to care for me. Sounds bratty but hopefully you catch my drift. Well apparently that's how I was looking at this situation with the Lord - You should bless my son and allow him to recover after all it is Your fault it happened to begin with. Feel free to judge me at this point. I was being a brat and I was 100% wrong and I confessed that to the Lord before I completely understood it and again after I've come to a better understanding. God is so good and His will is perfect and far better than what I could choose. And obviously He is using these experiences as a mother to grow and change me and make me more aware of my sin.
Overall Tommy's surgery was much easier to handle than we expected, even from the emotional side, and we attribute that to God's grace and to the many sweet family and friends who prayed for us and our sweet boy during that time. Thank you all so much! I have started a very detailed blog about his actual surgery but in all honesty most people probably won't want to read it b/c it's pretty lengthy and I only go to the part when the surgery was completed. But maybe some day I'll finish it and post it up here, it already seems like such a distant memory, and for that I am grateful! Not picking Tommy up under his arms has been easier than expected, not always convenient, but it's becoming a new temporary normal. Hope you all have a very mushy monday!
I have learned so much about "feelings" this year and I've mentioned it many times in posts. I have sinful and wrong feelings. And post surgery is no different. I have felt confused by the idea of why God chooses to allow some kids to recover and to recover so wonderfully from heart surgery, while other sweet children are taken from their parents, even when it is into His glory. And on the flip side I have felt very entitled that the Lord should have allowed this to go so smoothly, b/c after all He could have fixed it, or made Tommy without that heart problem to begin with. The confusing feeling I know is answered by the fact that God's will is not ours, and His is perfect, and it is beyond gracious that those precious children are in His glory. The big struggle for me has been my feeling of entitlement. While I know God did not have to allow Tommy to do so well, I feel like He should, after all it's the least He can do right?! Wrong. I don't deserve it, Kyle doesn't deserve it, Tommy doesn't deserve it. We're sinful, we're no better than the other families that don't experience such easy recoveries. While that's the truth, that's not the way I have felt. And during church today I realized something, I apparently have been angry with the Lord, even though I didn't "feel" like it. I just felt unhappy with His decision, but my reaction of entitled grace revealed to me that I was mad. I have prayed and repented of this many times b/c I know that it's wrong and I felt like the Lord began to help me understand it better today. I was thinking about my relationship with Kyle. Kyle cares for me so well, especially in times of need or when I'm hurting or scared. He jokes around a lot and teases me but in serious times when I need him to be there for me, he always, always is! And that is something that I have come to expect of him but it's also something I appreciate from him, so much that I just cried typing that b/c I love and cherish and need that from him and he provides it. Well I was thinking about how I was expecting God to allow Tommy to do well and that part I don't think was wrong, I know God's character, we too have a relationship where He is there when I need Him (which is always). I was comparing my relationship with Kyle to my relationship with the Lord. But then I thought when it came to God, I didn't have that overwhelming feeling of appreciation once it was over and Tommy was doing well. And that's how I realized I was mad. It's kind of like a situation where if Kyle was the one to make me mad to where I needed comfort, I don't feel so grateful for that comfort, I feel like I deserve it, b/c after all whatever happened was his fault anyway - so now he needs to care for me. Sounds bratty but hopefully you catch my drift. Well apparently that's how I was looking at this situation with the Lord - You should bless my son and allow him to recover after all it is Your fault it happened to begin with. Feel free to judge me at this point. I was being a brat and I was 100% wrong and I confessed that to the Lord before I completely understood it and again after I've come to a better understanding. God is so good and His will is perfect and far better than what I could choose. And obviously He is using these experiences as a mother to grow and change me and make me more aware of my sin.
Overall Tommy's surgery was much easier to handle than we expected, even from the emotional side, and we attribute that to God's grace and to the many sweet family and friends who prayed for us and our sweet boy during that time. Thank you all so much! I have started a very detailed blog about his actual surgery but in all honesty most people probably won't want to read it b/c it's pretty lengthy and I only go to the part when the surgery was completed. But maybe some day I'll finish it and post it up here, it already seems like such a distant memory, and for that I am grateful! Not picking Tommy up under his arms has been easier than expected, not always convenient, but it's becoming a new temporary normal. Hope you all have a very mushy monday!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Mushy Monday
Back on track...what what!
Today I want to make sure that I start bringing about some more attention to this little one growing in my belly! I feel like he/she is getting lost in the shuffle already some times. But I can feel him/her move so so much these days that I actually think about him/her more all the time! I think I'm a little different then most women in how I'm not quite as mushy over my growing baby. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited, love to feel the baby move and see my tummy move, and to imagine what they'll be like (I say they so I don't have to keep typing he/she, there is only one). But I was thinking about this the other day that the way my mind and heart work is that I love people/my children more the better I know them. I can tell you that I love my son and my husband more and more as time goes on and that is the same truth with this baby. And that's the part that excites me - getting to know this little one and learning who they are and what they like, what makes them smile and laugh, and loving them for who they are. Right now I love them b/c they are mine and I get the privilege of growing them (which if I think too much about can kind of weird me out) And especially not knowing if we're having a boy or girl, it's so fun to think we'll be completely surprised by this little one!
I will be 26 weeks pregnant this week! My belly has definitely popped out but at times depending on the shirt or what I'm doing it's hard to tell, but if you see me holding Tommy, you can definitely tell! I guess it pulls my shirt back who knows?! I have felt all along that we are having a girl but my feelings are kind of starting to shift to maybe a boy?! We're going to stick with our names we'd picked out before - Ella for a girl and Silas for a boy. I kind of would like different names but Kyle likes those and we can't agree on any other ones and I agreed to those names back in the day. And to be honest I don't really care what we name our kid - it's hard to pick out names. I remember when Tommy was born I thought - he doesn't really look like a Tommy and now the name fits him perfectly - once again it comes with learning about them and knowing them and it's not like you can name them when their two, what would you call them for the first two years?
We are so excited to meet this sweet baby! I'm excited to know if they're a boy or a girl! An Ella or a Silas!! A happy baby or a fussy baby? (PLEASE BE HAPPY!) To see Tom Tom be a big brother and get to know and learn to love his precious sibling! (This thrills me) He's becoming more and more interested in little ones and doesn't seem to get jealous, just wants to be held with the baby sometimes. It's going to be an adventure!
Today I want to make sure that I start bringing about some more attention to this little one growing in my belly! I feel like he/she is getting lost in the shuffle already some times. But I can feel him/her move so so much these days that I actually think about him/her more all the time! I think I'm a little different then most women in how I'm not quite as mushy over my growing baby. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited, love to feel the baby move and see my tummy move, and to imagine what they'll be like (I say they so I don't have to keep typing he/she, there is only one). But I was thinking about this the other day that the way my mind and heart work is that I love people/my children more the better I know them. I can tell you that I love my son and my husband more and more as time goes on and that is the same truth with this baby. And that's the part that excites me - getting to know this little one and learning who they are and what they like, what makes them smile and laugh, and loving them for who they are. Right now I love them b/c they are mine and I get the privilege of growing them (which if I think too much about can kind of weird me out) And especially not knowing if we're having a boy or girl, it's so fun to think we'll be completely surprised by this little one!
I will be 26 weeks pregnant this week! My belly has definitely popped out but at times depending on the shirt or what I'm doing it's hard to tell, but if you see me holding Tommy, you can definitely tell! I guess it pulls my shirt back who knows?! I have felt all along that we are having a girl but my feelings are kind of starting to shift to maybe a boy?! We're going to stick with our names we'd picked out before - Ella for a girl and Silas for a boy. I kind of would like different names but Kyle likes those and we can't agree on any other ones and I agreed to those names back in the day. And to be honest I don't really care what we name our kid - it's hard to pick out names. I remember when Tommy was born I thought - he doesn't really look like a Tommy and now the name fits him perfectly - once again it comes with learning about them and knowing them and it's not like you can name them when their two, what would you call them for the first two years?
We are so excited to meet this sweet baby! I'm excited to know if they're a boy or a girl! An Ella or a Silas!! A happy baby or a fussy baby? (PLEASE BE HAPPY!) To see Tom Tom be a big brother and get to know and learn to love his precious sibling! (This thrills me) He's becoming more and more interested in little ones and doesn't seem to get jealous, just wants to be held with the baby sometimes. It's going to be an adventure!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Mushy Monday/Wednesday
So I'm way behind on my mushy monday posts. What else is new? I was doing good for a little while, even writing them Sunday night to have them published Monday morning - what what?! Oh well I've gotten behind, time to catch up!
We went on our first plane ride as a family to visit my bff Critter and meet her new little boy. It was a wonderful trip! Tommy did great on the flights - all he did was watch our reaction when it got loud and shaky, and once Kyle smiled at him letting him know everything was okay, he was just fine. Tommy was a lot more work on the trip then he is at home though. He was fussier, he missed his toys, and he missed his freedom of being able to roam around the house the same way he does at home. He learned how to climb steps at Aunt Rah Rah's house! So proud of him for that and Nana Jan gets a big shout out for that one, she's been teaching him how to do that at her house. We have no good steps to practice that on here at home, so thanks Nana!! We do have to stand behind him as he climbs though, b/c he likes to stand up once he gets on a step and sometimes that results in losing balance and falling backwards. Also, sometimes he just decides he's tired and he's going to sit down and fall off the step. We learned that it takes Tommy about 3 days to get well acclimated to a new environment for sleeping and being interested in new babies who are smaller than him, a great thing to know for when we bring our new baby home in May! Most of all the trip was really for me to visit with Critter, to see where she lives, and to love on that sweet baby boy of hers. It was a huge sacrifice for Kyle and he was so sweet and selfless to do that for me! He didn't complain, he was nice and social, and he helped out a ton with Tommy! And while we had a great time, it was nice to come home at the end of our trip, especially bringing Tommy back home. You could just tell he was more laid back & more himself when he got back to his familiar surroundings and ultimately his toys! ;)
Lately Tommy has really been taking off in so many ways! His sign language is growing immensely (compared to what it was) I think he knows 13 or more signs now and about 10 of them he learned in a months time! Woo hoo! Smarty Pants! He also took his very first independent steps yesterday - February 14, 2012!!! Can I get a HALLELUJAH! It seriously filled my heart with IMMENSE JOY! And God is so good in His timing! I am not feeling overwhelmed by the surgery (yet! or again?!) but it still was such an encouragement and joy to my heart to get to see Tommy take his first steps and to have him do it before his surgery. I don't even know if that makes sense to anyone else but let me just tell you it means so much to me to know he's beginning to learn to walk and take steps before the possibility of having a set back or slow down to progress b/c of surgery. I absolutely love it and I thank God for being so sweet to me to allow me to experience and see that! Oh it does my heart good!
What else is new...we're trying to be stricter with Tommy these days. It's a lot harder than I ever anticipated. I always thought I would be so good at being strict and disciplining my kids but let me tell you...it is a C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T job! You have to be consistent and I don't like being tough on my baby. And I'm not even that tough (yet). I kind of feel like I will be better at being tough when he's older and he's being blatantly defiant and disrespectful, but who knows - that's probably harder than I think too! But I will continue to be consistent and teach my son to obey me b/c I know I will not hurt his feelings now, he's only almost 2, and if I do "hurt" his feelings or make him mad, he won't remember it! And that's why you start now - so it becomes more of his nature to follow my instructions and to be well behaved. At least that's what I'm hoping! And don't get me wrong I'm not super strict - we're talking about teaching him to eat the food that we give him at a meal, food that we know he likes and eats, he just thinks he gets to choose to eat it sometimes and then if he doesn't want it we'll give him something else. Obviously I started this bad habit but he's learning very quickly and so far it's been an easier learning experience for him than we anticipated. And without sounding cocky I think being laid back (on our part) and not stressing if he doesn't eat it helps a lot. I completely understand that Tommy is a little human being and cannot being controlled at all times. But there are certain things I can control, such as what his options are at lunch time. Tommy's also been getting away with some old baby habits that we are now trying to teach him to stop. Throwing his toys, taking off his socks in the car and throwing them, occasionally hitting/pinching to get your attention (we've always worked on stopping this one, we're just buckling down), and now some whining is creeping in. It can definitely feel overwhelming to try and take on so many things to correct at once but I try to be consistent and stern with him but not to get upset or take it overly serious in my mind, b/c I know with time he'll get it.
Ok last funny story to tell before I end this rambling post. So it has become abundantly apparent that the majority of the outside world can now see by looking at Tommy that he has DS. When we're at the grocery store and a ton at the airport or on flights people say, "Oh you have such a special little child." or "Oh you have a special angel. He will bless you so much!" These comments do NOT offend me, but I think they are HILARIOUS! First of all people are basically saying, "Oh I can tell you have a cute kid with Down Syndrome!" haha obviously they would never say this directly but they are letting us know they recognize the DS. And I think it's so sweet that people are being intentional to talk to him and love on him to show they care for him and us. And the comment - he will bless you so much - well duh, what child doesn't bless their parents?! All children are a blessing, and trust me I know what they mean, and their intention is to be encouraging but it's funny to hear the same responses from strangers in completely different enviroments. Anyway the funny part is that Kyle finally got to see people saying things like this when we were flying for our trip. Well once we got back from the trip, one day Kyle and I were out to lunch with Tommy and I said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, another man at the grocery store stopped to say HI to Tommy and said, 'oh he's a special little angel! he'll bring you so many blessings!' and Kyle laughed and looked across the table to Tommy and said in a higher pitched voice, "Are you an angel Tommy? If you are then you should start acting like one." haha I laughed so hard! Don't get me wrong Tommy is a sweet and precious and good little boy, but none of us are angels or perfect. I love Kyle's sense of humor and I will be thinking about that the next time I hear that nice comment from a stranger at Walmart.
We went on our first plane ride as a family to visit my bff Critter and meet her new little boy. It was a wonderful trip! Tommy did great on the flights - all he did was watch our reaction when it got loud and shaky, and once Kyle smiled at him letting him know everything was okay, he was just fine. Tommy was a lot more work on the trip then he is at home though. He was fussier, he missed his toys, and he missed his freedom of being able to roam around the house the same way he does at home. He learned how to climb steps at Aunt Rah Rah's house! So proud of him for that and Nana Jan gets a big shout out for that one, she's been teaching him how to do that at her house. We have no good steps to practice that on here at home, so thanks Nana!! We do have to stand behind him as he climbs though, b/c he likes to stand up once he gets on a step and sometimes that results in losing balance and falling backwards. Also, sometimes he just decides he's tired and he's going to sit down and fall off the step. We learned that it takes Tommy about 3 days to get well acclimated to a new environment for sleeping and being interested in new babies who are smaller than him, a great thing to know for when we bring our new baby home in May! Most of all the trip was really for me to visit with Critter, to see where she lives, and to love on that sweet baby boy of hers. It was a huge sacrifice for Kyle and he was so sweet and selfless to do that for me! He didn't complain, he was nice and social, and he helped out a ton with Tommy! And while we had a great time, it was nice to come home at the end of our trip, especially bringing Tommy back home. You could just tell he was more laid back & more himself when he got back to his familiar surroundings and ultimately his toys! ;)
Lately Tommy has really been taking off in so many ways! His sign language is growing immensely (compared to what it was) I think he knows 13 or more signs now and about 10 of them he learned in a months time! Woo hoo! Smarty Pants! He also took his very first independent steps yesterday - February 14, 2012!!! Can I get a HALLELUJAH! It seriously filled my heart with IMMENSE JOY! And God is so good in His timing! I am not feeling overwhelmed by the surgery (yet! or again?!) but it still was such an encouragement and joy to my heart to get to see Tommy take his first steps and to have him do it before his surgery. I don't even know if that makes sense to anyone else but let me just tell you it means so much to me to know he's beginning to learn to walk and take steps before the possibility of having a set back or slow down to progress b/c of surgery. I absolutely love it and I thank God for being so sweet to me to allow me to experience and see that! Oh it does my heart good!
What else is new...we're trying to be stricter with Tommy these days. It's a lot harder than I ever anticipated. I always thought I would be so good at being strict and disciplining my kids but let me tell you...it is a C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T job! You have to be consistent and I don't like being tough on my baby. And I'm not even that tough (yet). I kind of feel like I will be better at being tough when he's older and he's being blatantly defiant and disrespectful, but who knows - that's probably harder than I think too! But I will continue to be consistent and teach my son to obey me b/c I know I will not hurt his feelings now, he's only almost 2, and if I do "hurt" his feelings or make him mad, he won't remember it! And that's why you start now - so it becomes more of his nature to follow my instructions and to be well behaved. At least that's what I'm hoping! And don't get me wrong I'm not super strict - we're talking about teaching him to eat the food that we give him at a meal, food that we know he likes and eats, he just thinks he gets to choose to eat it sometimes and then if he doesn't want it we'll give him something else. Obviously I started this bad habit but he's learning very quickly and so far it's been an easier learning experience for him than we anticipated. And without sounding cocky I think being laid back (on our part) and not stressing if he doesn't eat it helps a lot. I completely understand that Tommy is a little human being and cannot being controlled at all times. But there are certain things I can control, such as what his options are at lunch time. Tommy's also been getting away with some old baby habits that we are now trying to teach him to stop. Throwing his toys, taking off his socks in the car and throwing them, occasionally hitting/pinching to get your attention (we've always worked on stopping this one, we're just buckling down), and now some whining is creeping in. It can definitely feel overwhelming to try and take on so many things to correct at once but I try to be consistent and stern with him but not to get upset or take it overly serious in my mind, b/c I know with time he'll get it.
Ok last funny story to tell before I end this rambling post. So it has become abundantly apparent that the majority of the outside world can now see by looking at Tommy that he has DS. When we're at the grocery store and a ton at the airport or on flights people say, "Oh you have such a special little child." or "Oh you have a special angel. He will bless you so much!" These comments do NOT offend me, but I think they are HILARIOUS! First of all people are basically saying, "Oh I can tell you have a cute kid with Down Syndrome!" haha obviously they would never say this directly but they are letting us know they recognize the DS. And I think it's so sweet that people are being intentional to talk to him and love on him to show they care for him and us. And the comment - he will bless you so much - well duh, what child doesn't bless their parents?! All children are a blessing, and trust me I know what they mean, and their intention is to be encouraging but it's funny to hear the same responses from strangers in completely different enviroments. Anyway the funny part is that Kyle finally got to see people saying things like this when we were flying for our trip. Well once we got back from the trip, one day Kyle and I were out to lunch with Tommy and I said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, another man at the grocery store stopped to say HI to Tommy and said, 'oh he's a special little angel! he'll bring you so many blessings!' and Kyle laughed and looked across the table to Tommy and said in a higher pitched voice, "Are you an angel Tommy? If you are then you should start acting like one." haha I laughed so hard! Don't get me wrong Tommy is a sweet and precious and good little boy, but none of us are angels or perfect. I love Kyle's sense of humor and I will be thinking about that the next time I hear that nice comment from a stranger at Walmart.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Details about the surgery
Tommy's heart surgery will be February 22nd at 7:30 in the morning. He will go see his cardiologist the morning before and then go have tests run at the hospital to make sure he is good and healthy for surgery. We met with the surgeon today and got all of our questions answered, and he said if we think of more we'll meet several people the day before surgery who will be able to answer them as well.
Basically what they will do is go in and take out a little piece of the sack that holds the heart and set it aside to use to patch up the hole in Tommy's heart. They'll sew it in there to fit perfectly, just like you'd patch a hole in your jeans. The patch itself will fuse to the heart but will not grow or stretch, the heart will grow around it and keep it from detaching in the future. The cardiologist will be there during the surgery and will do an echo before surgery and right afterwards to make sure that it is successful and there is no leakage. The surgery will be over around 11:30 AM or 12:00 PM. Tommy is expected to be on the vent and sedated for a few hours after surgery (give or take). They will keep his pain controlled and keep him comfortable. He will be in the ICU immediately after and should be there for 1-2 days. Overall his hospital stay should be 4-5 days. The stitches in his chest will be absorbed, but he'll have a stitch or two that need to be removed from the drainage tube. Tommy should hopefully be in pretty good condition when we take him home - he can have regular baths or showers - we just can't completely submerse the incision (like if he were to go swimming in a pool). We cannot pick him up under his arms for 6 weeks, we have to kind of cradle-like pick him up, to prevent putting stress on his healing breast bone. But he can pull up and do anything he wants - we don't have to limit his activity b/c he won't do anything that causes himself pain.
The surgeon was very nice and we feel very comfortable after our visit with him. I know I've said it before but we appreciate everyone's encouragement and prayers. I've been asked a lot how I'm feeling about this and handling and at this point I'm feeling a lot better and a lot less overwhelmed than I was before, and I attribute that to all those praying for us and ultimately to God's goodness. I'm sure I will get scared and nervous as it gets closer and closer, but for now I will enjoy not worrying about it! Thanks for loving our family and keeping up with our sweet boy!
Basically what they will do is go in and take out a little piece of the sack that holds the heart and set it aside to use to patch up the hole in Tommy's heart. They'll sew it in there to fit perfectly, just like you'd patch a hole in your jeans. The patch itself will fuse to the heart but will not grow or stretch, the heart will grow around it and keep it from detaching in the future. The cardiologist will be there during the surgery and will do an echo before surgery and right afterwards to make sure that it is successful and there is no leakage. The surgery will be over around 11:30 AM or 12:00 PM. Tommy is expected to be on the vent and sedated for a few hours after surgery (give or take). They will keep his pain controlled and keep him comfortable. He will be in the ICU immediately after and should be there for 1-2 days. Overall his hospital stay should be 4-5 days. The stitches in his chest will be absorbed, but he'll have a stitch or two that need to be removed from the drainage tube. Tommy should hopefully be in pretty good condition when we take him home - he can have regular baths or showers - we just can't completely submerse the incision (like if he were to go swimming in a pool). We cannot pick him up under his arms for 6 weeks, we have to kind of cradle-like pick him up, to prevent putting stress on his healing breast bone. But he can pull up and do anything he wants - we don't have to limit his activity b/c he won't do anything that causes himself pain.
The surgeon was very nice and we feel very comfortable after our visit with him. I know I've said it before but we appreciate everyone's encouragement and prayers. I've been asked a lot how I'm feeling about this and handling and at this point I'm feeling a lot better and a lot less overwhelmed than I was before, and I attribute that to all those praying for us and ultimately to God's goodness. I'm sure I will get scared and nervous as it gets closer and closer, but for now I will enjoy not worrying about it! Thanks for loving our family and keeping up with our sweet boy!
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