12 Days of Giving- Day 8

A few weeks ago a friend of mine, Bethany, told me a story about an amazing family who is struggling this year during the holidays. Not only are they going to be struggling financially, but they have a great son who has had to endure many health battles, and they are amazing parents to him. I don't need to go into all the details, but this Christmas my friend decided to reach out to her friends to help this family and give them a Christmas they can really celebrate. See here: Life With Bubba, Chicky and Nika


I am blessed to know Bethany, someone to has so selflessly donated her time and energy to helping a friend in need and blessed to have been part of making their Christmas one they will never forget!!

12 Days of Giving- Day 6 & 7

Please consider making a donation as part of your holiday giving. CLick here for more information on this little angel : Reece's Rainbow

12 Days of Giving- Day 4 & 5

I woke up this morning wondering how I was going to "give" today and I thought, I will just look for the right moment and when it hits me, I'll know it. I got up, started the standard morning routine on little sleep as usual... got Evie up and settled in the basement to play while I got Sarah changed and nursed. Then, as I was feeding the girls breakfast and waiting for our nanny to get there (so I could finish getting ready for work), I was thinking about about how much I really am thankful to have her in our lives. Her relationship with Evie is amazing and her love for both of my kids is always evident.

I don't know honestly how I would survive going to work without her. I do feel very blessed to have her and I don't think I tell her that enough. With all the love and security that she gives to my family, I am forever grateful.

When she arrived today I made sure that I said "thank you" for all that she does and told her how much I appreciate her. I am also putting together a great collage of the girls for her for Christmas and having her family over to the house for dinner. I need to remind myself sometimes not to take blessings that we have for granted.
A "thank you" each day will go a long way.

12 Days of Giving- Day 4

I actually had a few hours to myself today, something that I dont feel like I have had in weeks. Isa has been traveling a lot and working a lot, so I have been on single mommy duty a lot. Today I did a little shopping, kid-free, while Isa stayed home with the girls. Of course I took the opportunity to do what I always do each year and that is give a little donation to the "jingle bell" Salvation Army volunteers in front of the grocery store. All in all it was a good day and I hope that my little donation will give someone else a good day as well :)

Happy Holidays!!!

12 Days of Giving- Day 3

I received this email from a friend and colleague today. It's as if she knew about the 12 Days of Giving, but it was actually just a coincidence. Needless to say, its a great organization and a perfect opportunity to give. Now I'm off to Target to buy this girl a gift card!!!

***

As some of you may know, I volunteer as a child advocate for abused and neglected foster children in D.C. Approximately 2,500 cases of abuse and neglect among foster children are currently in the DC Family Court system, with approximately 1,500 new cases of abuse and neglect appearing each year. My program’s goal is to recruit and train a volunteer advocate to serve every one of these children. As trained advocates we represent one family at a time, with approximately 1-3 children ranging in age from birth to 21 years. As part of our role, we gather information about each child’s situation, submit reports to the court, make recommendations in the best interest of the child (such as where they should be permanently placed or where their developmental needs are), and most importantly serve as a mentor and friend.

How You Can Help…
Each year many of the foster children in our program go without gifts for the holiday season, this is particularly true of our older children as many of the gifts donated are geared towards children under 10. This is where you come in! There’s no pressure, but please consider sponsoring one of our children this season. Her information is listed below:

Shumeka is 19 years old and is a college sophomore. Despite some of the struggles in her life, she describes herself as loving, caring, and goofy. Her true loves are the Disney Channel and writing poetry. This holiday season she would like 1. Gift Cards to a Department Store and 2. A Pink or Purple Full Size Bed-in-a-Bag.

Please let me know if you are interested in sponsoring Shumeka this holiday season and if you would like to donate money towards a gift card purchase or donate a purple comforter set. I would need your gift no later than Friday December 11th.

For more information, please visit CASA DC at http://www.casadc.org/.

12 Days of Giving- Day 2

I don't have much time, so this one will be quick and to the point :) I found a family through the Salvation Army's Adopt a Family program that lives in our area and has a 12 month old little boy. They are in need of a lot of stuff, but especially a highchair. It is one of their specific holiday wishes. Good news is that I was about to list our Chicco Highchair on craigslist and just haven't gotten around to it yet. Now I am happy it has a good new home!



A shot of the highchair and it's original owner :)

12 Days of Giving

A friend of mine, Bethany, has put forth a challenge.... or really more of a inspirational message, to "give" for the next 12 days. With that in mind, I will be posting my gifts to others and I hope that in the spirit of the holidays, in the spirit of helping those that are in need, and in the spirit of making someone else smile, you too will consider undertaking the 12 days of giving.

I think I am a day behind.... however, that's okay, because my 12 days can start now!! :) I am going to begin with somewhat of a sad story, because it puts context behind my gift. Raquel is a woman that helps me with the girls on Wednesday mornings. She really only is there to assist with Evie, but regardless, she is a wonderful lady and is wonderful with both of my kids. She is loving, giving and full of faith. About 3 weeks ago her own daughter had a little boy. He was born a few weeks early, but was a healthy 6lbs and 13oz with no complications. On Thanksgiving morning, her little grandson lost his life. They still don't have all of the answers, but regardless of the medical cause, my heart hurts for them. As a parent I cannot imagine the pain that she, her daughter, and their entire family must feel. This holiday season is going to be nothing less than painful.

I was trying to rack my brain and come up with something that I thought might make just one moment easier for them and flowers just doesn't do it for me. With that said, I decided to put together a care package for them. So far I have included homemade lasagna, bread & salad, flowers, a card, a necklace for Raquel's daughter with a charm on it with his birthstone... and thinking of a few more stuff. To be delivered tomorrow. I only wish there was something more to ease the pain, but I guess only faith can do that.

Wordless Wednesday

Trick or Treat!

Down Syndrome Moms

I have a lot of very close friends and family that do not have a child with DS, may not really know much about DS, and give me a lot of love and support. I love them dearly for all that they do to support me, my family and especially Evie.

I don't know how to explain it, but there is just something about the Mom's that I have met through the Down Syndrome community. Something that makes me feel comforted, something that makes me feel understood, something that makes me feel positive about my life in general and something that makes me feel as if I have known them forever.
I know that we have the obvious bond and that they have felt my emotions, have the similar fears and have actually walked in my shoes. But there is more. I think that God must pick certain people for a reason when he delivers little DS babies. He knows just where to find the best people with compassion, humor and a strong sense of what life is all about. I feel so blessed to not only have Evelyn in my family, but to have been given the opportunity to meet some of the world's coolest people because of her.

Wordless Wednesday

My Babies- Just Because.

Big Steps!

Evelyn is surprising me more and more these days. She has never really responded too much to sign language in general. And well I have not really tried too hard to teach her many signs either since she always has done so well with sounds and words. With that said, we do introduce a few signs here and there when the mood strikes :) Well yesterday not only did she do the sign for "baby" when I brought Sarah into the room(which is so cute) but also did the correct sign for "more" and "eat." I don't know where this kid was hiding these little tidbits of knowledge... it's crazy. And then this morning when I said "Evie say "Up!" so that I could show her daddy how well she pronounces it, she points her hand up to the sky and says "Up!" I think her word count is up to 10 or 12 now. In the area of OT and structured play she is consistently stacking blocks, placing rings on the holder, putting lids on jars, tops on bottles/cups, trying to use a spoon and passing objects to me!!!! And now since I'm gushing over her I might as well add in how much progress she is making in the gross motor area also. This has always been her tough spot and really I didn't progress too much from 8 months to 15 months. In physical therapy last week Evie took 7-8 steps with barely any assistance, just one little finger in the middle of her back for support. I almost cried. I love her! :)

Terrible Two's Already??

Evelyn is 18 months old and recently she has been throwing legitimate "temper tantrums" when she doesn't get what she wants. This is all so new to me because Evie was the baby that only cried when she was hurt, hungry or scared. Actually she didn't even really cry when she was hungry as a baby. She was an angel.

However, over the past few months Evelyn has started getting really upset when told "no" or when I remove her from a situation I don't want her in. Like pulling an electrical cord or the dog's tail. At first she just went along with it, but now she screams, cries, arches her back, lays down on the ground, etc. I am like, what the hell is this???? Isn't it a little early for these terrible two temper tantrums?

I've always known Evie had a mind of her own.... just look at how she has responded to any type of therapy since she was a baby. Now I guess since she has the confidence to be more mobile she is ready to fight back :) This girl is strong... I can barely hold her down in the bathtub to rinse her hair.

Anyways- I guess my little girl is growin up.

Proud Big Sister

Sarah O!

Sarah Olivia made her grand debut today! She was born at 8:33 am, weighs 6lbs 14 oz, and is 20 inches long. Evie doesn't know it yet, but she is going to be a great big sister.

Before We Know It

Evie just went down for a nap and I am rushing around getting the house ready to be cleaned. I don't know why we all do this, but I feel like I need to have the house cleaned before the cleaners get here. So strange... but I guess I feel like if there is anything out or on the counters, etc. then they wont move it or clean as well under it.

Anyways... this morning was my last OB appointment before our second little girl is brought into this world. I am so anxious and so nervous about the birth. I don't think that I am that nervous about taking care of 2 kids, but just that everything will go smoothly, she will be healthy and the birth will be a joyous celebration. Although I LOVE my little Evie to pieces, I cant help but remember the pain, turmoil and emotion that accompanied her birth. I hate to think that there was anything other than joy and happiness around having Evie, but I guess when you are faced with something so unexpected and so difficult, we didn't have much choice. On that day I felt as if my life was ripped away from me... or as if her life was ripped away from her. Our lives would never be just how I envisioned them in my mind.

God tricked us that day into believing that we didnt get everything we asked for... but we did. We got more than we asked for with Evelyn- she is a miracle and the most amazing little girl that I could ever ask for. I just pray her sister can measure up to her big sis!!! Ha ha.

Stay tuned for pictures of baby Sarah... I can't wait to share them and to take Evie's first picture with her baby sister!!!

Word"full" Thursday

Evelyn's expressive and receptive language has taken off lately...here are just a few of her recent language accomplishments :)

Mama= Mama :)
Duh-duh= Dada, Doggy, Cat (pretty much all animals)
Buh-ba= Bye-bye, Bubbles, Bottle/Drink
Mmmmm= "Moo" (for what does a Cow say)
A-Dah= All done
Clap Hands 2 times= More, Yes, NOW! :)

I just love hearing her little voice!

Therapy...therapy... therapy. Finally progress in sight.

Today was our first day of in-home therapy through Fairfax County early intervention. I was actually very impressed with the therapist, and for the first time in a long time, I feel confident that Evie will be making a lot of progress, and SOON! For the past 5 months Evie has been making tiny, tiny steps in her gross motor development, but nothing like we had hoped or anticipated. She is literally just "sitting" at a plateau. The private therapists we have been taking her to haven't been able to accomplish anything with her, and beyond that, I don't think they even really get her at all... what motivates her, what she does and why, her personality type, what sets her off, etc. Its very frustrating. I have been so close to just stopping PT all together because I honestly feel like I can do better at home what she is getting at therapy, and she definitely responds better to Mom, of course.

With that said, our first visit today with Stacey went really well. Of course Evie did spend a small portion crying, but at least we were making progress. She was the first person in a long time to comment on Evie's lack of abdominals or lack of using her abdominals and the effects of that it has on her willingness and ability to crawl. Evie absolutely LOVES to stand, so we are going to use that to her benefit by beginning with crawling up the stairs, rather than across the floor. This way she gets a reward of standing after being briefly on her knees. It was tough for her the first time, but I can envision real progress here. And at least it's something new for her. We are also going to work on building her stomach muscles and rotating across her body.

I hope that in a few weeks I can report some real accomplishments in this area :) Wish us luck!!!

Cardiologist Update

The past 14 months have been pretty good health-wise for our family, including Evie. We have been blessed with almost no sickness except for a few colds and runny noses. No ear infections, no hospital visits, no vomiting, no fevers and thank god no broken bones. With that said, we have a lot to be happy about when it comes to the health of our little girl. However, when she was born, she had 3 holes in her heart. It was a very scary thing for new parents to understand, nevertheless finding out your child has Down Syndrome. I just wanted more than anything for her to be healthy, and I still feel that way today. Well... we went to the Cardiologist last week and got some not too great news. We knew when she was about 7 months old that two holes had closed and she has one hole left. The cardiologist seemed very positive about Evie's condition and her hope for a healthy life in the future. Honestly I have barely even thought about that remaining hole over the last 7 months- I was so positive that it would close up on it's own. She is such a strong and healthy little girl. Well, unfortunately the hole is still there. Her heart is having to work harder to pump blood and her heart is becoming slightly enlarged on one side. With that said, it looks like the very thing we were confident would NEVER have to happen, may just have to happen. Surgery.

I am doing my very best to be optimistic and think of only the best case scenario, but even that makes me sick to my stomach. If she is a good candidate for a device to close the hole, they will deliver it via catheter through her leg and into her heart. If that doesn't work, its open heart surgery. Even thinking about my little girl going into surgery and under the knife is the hardest thing to imaginge and I dont know how I am going to get through it.

We have 6 more months to wait before we know anything. We then will go back and the cardiologist will take another look. At that time they will decide what type of surgery she will have and then we have to think about when. She is so small, so helpless and my little angel.

Please God- bless us and make a miracle happen.

Things Are a Changin....

It's been a little over a month since I last made a post on this blog... yes, that is pretty sad. But I guess I never really called or considered myself a real "blogger" anyways. I just cant think of original and interesting things to post on here, nor can I find the time to even get on the computer outside of work. With that said- I am going to do better now that we are getting close to our 2nd child coming into this world and there are so many of my family and friends that I never get to see.

So... for updates on baby Sarah are concerned, we had a sonogram this morning for and thanks be to God, everything looks great. She is weighing in at about 4lbs right now and is already head down. We have exactly 7 more weeks to go until she is scheduled to join our family (unless she decides to come early)and I can't wait. I can't wait to see her beautiful little face and to take the first photo of Evie and her little sister together :)

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!!!!

May god bless my little angel Evelyn and all the other angels across the world!!!

Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

Everytime I feel like I am staying on top of all of Evie's needs medically- I find myself booking her another Dr. appointment. She currently has a pediatrician, geneticist, pediatric cardiologist, ENT, two therapists and now a pediatric opthamologist. Well, she will soon. I am not sure how you check the vision of a 12 month old baby, but we'll see. I guess the good news is that by getting everything checked so often we always stay on top of anything that might be a concern. So far we have been extremely lucky with Evelyn's general health. She has never been "sick" really in her life, other than a 99 degree fever once and a bad cold. She had her ENT check up a few weeks ago and her hearing test was 100% normal! The lady checking her even said she is a really great booth tester :) Anyways, its kind of scary as a mom to have to be so proactive about possible health issues for your baby, as I always get nervous and imagine the worst. I am just very thankful to God that he has blessed us with such a healthy little girl!

Taylor Joins the Family

After you have had a child of your own and have gone through the experience of brining a new life into the world, your perspective on friends and family doing the same completely changes.

I went to visit my brother, his wife Shannon and their new baby boy on Wednesday night who was born at 5:57 pm and I couldn't help but get choked up. Not only because I was extremely excited and happy for them, but the memories of brining Evie into the world just one short year ago were still so fresh and vibrant in my mind. It might sound strange but I still vividly remember the smell of the sanitizer on my hands each time I entered the NICU to see my little angel so tiny and fragile. It is funny how the mind works.

Well I guess the good news here is that if I am really missing the smell of sanitizer on my hands- I only have 3 and a half short more months before I will be in that hospital room again bringing Evie her little sister :) Crazy.

How Im Feeling These Days...

Happy First Birthday Angel

Dear Evie,

Just one year ago you came into this world and into our lives. I can't believe it has been an entire year since I was blessed with meeting you. I want you to know how proud I am of you for being so strong, so determined and with such a beautiful spirit at just 1 year old. You are truly the light of my life. I know that everyone who is blessed with the opportunity to meet you in this life will be better off for doing so. I pray that you will dream anything, want anything, achieve anything and be anything that you put your mind to. I will always be there for you to protect you and guide you and be your friend. I love you. Happy First Birthday Angel.

Love,
Mommy

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Woke Up with Nick Lachey

You know you are a real fan when your camera battery dies within five minutes of Nick coming on stage, ha ha. And when your friend's camera battery dies also.... too funny.

Anyways, this morning I "Woke up with Nick Lachey." At least that was the name of the event I won on the radio station. It was actually really cool to be part of such a small event meeting a celebrity. There were only about 30 or so winners, so really it was a small event and we were really up close and personal with Nick. He sang about three or so songs and the audience got to ask him questions. Then we all had our pictures taken with him. My friend Stephanie and I were among a few "Nick-fanatics" in the small audience. Who suprisingly traveled from other states just to be at this event. It was pretty crazy.... I mean, I didnt know where Nick and Vanessa spent Valentine's Day, but most of the other girls did, ha ha. The girl next to me had a Pringle's can with her that had Nick's face on it and it said "Happy Birthday Nick." That will give you an idea of the fans at this thing. Just check out http://www.nickfanatic.com/.

Anyways, I got to meet him... kinda.... and our personal conversation went something like this....

Nick: "So when's the big day?"

Me: "Oh, ha ha, June 27th"

Nick: "Your First?"

Me: "Nope, it's number 2."

Nick: "Well Congratulations"

Me: "Thanks" (with a smile and a bright red face)

Here is the link to the pics and podcast that the radio station made, http://www.mix1073fm.com/Article.asp?id=1169688. And here are a few pics from my camera... although it was dark in there and so I had to take the pics with the flash off to even see his face in the photos, which on my camera came out really crappy. They were short on time so we didnt even get to take pics with him with our own camera, so I will have to get the picture of us and him off the radio station website when they post them. Grrrrrrr.

Yes, thats my pregnant belly sticking out and suprisingly I wasn't the only pregnant girl there!!!! There was one other :)

Happy Love Day

The Baby Einstein Trance

Every so often... probably more often that I should...I allow Evie to watch some Baby Einstein videos. She has her favorites from when she was a tiny infant (she has always been into them) and now her new love is "My First Signs." Hopefully she is picking some of them up and I am not just cooking her brain with television. Anyways, I put an old one on for her today when she was getting fussy before her nap- it was the first one she ever watched, and she was literally in a trance. It is literally a 20 min video of spinning tops, ocean water, the sun shining, and it's all set to classical music. I just dont get it- what do they put in these videos, some kind of sublimal messages???? What makes her so obsessed??? She would barely look at me when I called her name.

Why Wouldn't I?

Yes, I did call into the radio station to win 2 tickets for breakfast and a private concert with Nick Lachey. Why you ask?? Why not... I NEVER win anything and I like to meet famous people. Especially when he was married to Jessica Simpson who I was obsessed with back in the day when she was cute and innocent. I even bought her wedding book before my wedding so that I could copy her hairstyle. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention - I WON!! 2 tickets for me and a friend. Anyways, I will of course post pictures when I return next Monday :)

Sarah Olivia Farhat

She looks beautiful already :)

She Loves Her Daddy

The Balance

Today was my first real day back at work and officially in the office. With that said, it was the first time EVER that I have left Evelyn with someone for an entire day, except for her Daddy. It was quite a big step for me, or for "us" for that matter. I only called to check in twice with Ashleigh (our part-time nanny) and although I thought about her all day long... I did manage to get some work done and focus on something else for a while. I even went to lunch with a coworker and when the waiter at the restaurant dropped a glass, I jumped thinking that it was too loud for Evie and that she would likely cry (she startles easily)... then I remembered that she wasn't there. It was definitely a strange feeling. I realized today that it will take me a while to get really comfortable with having someone watch my little girl, but it is really refreshing to separate myself from time to time and be the woman that I was before motherhood. I love being a mom and I love being me- I am just now learning how to do both. Its that "Balance" I guess we are all looking for.

Finally

It's the day I have been waiting for.... Evie's hair is long enough to be put in two pigtails!!!!! Ha ha. I am so happy :)

The side smile

Evelyn has a million and one different expressions. It has been something that has made us crack up since she was old enough to smile. The funniest one has to be what we call the infamous "side smile." Most people say that she gets this from me, since both me, my dad and my sister tend to do this to some degree, but some also say that she gets this from Isa. Either way, I love it and its the best when she does it to new people who try to make her laugh. It looks like she is faking a smile or cant decide whether or not she wants to smile. She's the best.

Work Trip Cancelled......

Only Me

So today I went back to work... well kind of. It's been just under a year since I turned into a full time mommy from a full time consultant. Its been quite a change to say the least. A good one of course, but with it's own challenges. I always thought that when I was working that staying home with the kids looked like a piece of cake. I mean, I had to get up for work everyday, go into an office, work on a computer all day, talk to clients, run around from meeting to meeting.... it had to be easier to just wake up, stay at home, play with the kids, hang out in her pajamas. Right? Well..... now I will just say, both are hard at times and have perks at times. However, being a mom is a MUCH more challenging job, as its 24 hours a day, everyday. All of which I love of course :) But heading to happy hour for a glass of pinot noir after a long day at the office is no longer.

So as I was saying, today was my first day "kind of" back. Meaning, I actually went into the office for some meetings and to do some real work. It felt good- but also because I knew Daddy was home with Evie and I didnt have to worry. When childcare comes into the mix, which should be soon, it will be a different story I can imagine. Dont want to think about it just yet :)

The day was good- now I am home back on Mommy duty. Oh, and did I mention... on my first day back I dropped my $2K laptop and shattered the screen. Yeah... only me. Im lucky they like me around there.

Where does time go?

I started to address the inivitation for EV's first birthday party tonight, and I just can't believe that my little girl is almost 1. It really does seem like yesterday that I was making early morning trips to the hospital to see my baby in the NICU ... getting up at 1am and 4 am to feed her... giving her her very first bath... well I wont bore you with all the memories :) I am just so proud of her and how far she has come in the past 11 months since she joined this world. Not only has she made great strides in her overall development, but her amazing and beautiful personality shines more and more each day. I cherish the moments that she achieves each milestone that she works so hard to reach. I know that she will continue to impress me and make me proud for the rest of her life- I am truly a lucky mom.

I just love this picture- her smile and excitement for everything new in the world is awesome.