(Well I had hopes to have more time to write today's post but I didn't. So this is actually my first 'test' post using my iPhone app. )
I first learned of Trisomy 18 in one of my high school science classes. It was lumped together with the other two common trisomies, 13 and 21. And of course in any mention of the three trisomies 13 and 18 are quickly passed over as usually being fatal and less common with emphasis being placed on 21 because it is most common and known, because it is Down Syndrome.
Little did I know that about 10 years later I would have a child with Trisomy 18. Naively I thought that healthy young couples don't have to worry about their children having one of the trisomies. I thought that was what happened to unhealthy or older couples (terribly naive and I am embarrassed to admit). But as I learned in December 2009, anyone can have a Trisomy 18 baby, including me.
We were 'lucky' to give birth to Hailey and blessed to have the time we did with her. Many Trisomy 18 babies die in utero or during birth and if not then within the first year. I hate that the phrase used is that they are "incompatible" with life...
It was difficult to make decisions for Hailey's care once we learned she had Trisomy 18 and we never knew when her last breath might be.... One of our greatest struggles we face today is of we did enough... What if we had chosen this surgery or that procedure and so on instead of opting for no medical interventions... She wouldn't still be alive, unless it were a medical miracle... But could she have lived longer? And when did we stop believing in miracles?
But without going further... Today is Trisomy 18 Awareness day... All I can do is share about it and Hailey... For more of my posts on Trisomy 18 look them up under their label on the left menu.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Hailey's Hope T-Shirt Fundraiser
Hi everyone,
Hailey's Hope is having a spring fundraiser, and we're selling t-shirts! They are super comfy and super cute (but not too cute that guys can't wear them!). :) You can support us and show your support by purchasing and wearing one of our t-shirts! Each t-shirt is selling for $15.
Information and sign up can be found at this link: http://www.customink.com/signup/pi1q1s8
Place your order online or contact me. Order and pay by April 16th. Payments can be made by check or PayPal.
To pay by check: please make checks payable to "Hailey's Hope" and give to me in person or mail to me or you can mail them to Project Sweet Peas P.O. Box 77 Trumbull, CT 06611 (please write Hailey's Hope t-shirt fundraiser on the memo line).
To pay by PayPal: you can find the PayPal button on my blog at this page: http://ourlifeinhishands.blogspot.com/p/hailey-hope-with-project-sweet-peas.html
There is $1 fee per t-shirt order paid using PayPal to cover their fees.
After all orders are placed on April 16th, I will place the bulk order. It will take 2 weeks for the shirts to be shipped to me and then I will disperse them. I will contact each person who orders a t-shirt to let them know how their order will be given to them. All shirts should be delivered in May.
To those of you near our families in IL or near us in KY/TN, we can give you your shirts in person; however, if I need to ship your order please consider donating a couple of extra dollars per shirt to cover shipping costs.
Right now if we sell 40 t-shirts (which is a lot I know!), each shirt will cost me about $10 and Hailey's Hope stands to make $5 per shirt ordered. If we sell less, Hailey's Hope will make less, and so on.
If you have any other questions that I haven't answered please let me know! Kristin@projectsweetpeas.com
Thanks!
Hailey's Hope is having a spring fundraiser, and we're selling t-shirts! They are super comfy and super cute (but not too cute that guys can't wear them!). :) You can support us and show your support by purchasing and wearing one of our t-shirts! Each t-shirt is selling for $15.
Information and sign up can be found at this link: http://www.customink.com/signup/pi1q1s8
Place your order online or contact me. Order and pay by April 16th. Payments can be made by check or PayPal.
To pay by check: please make checks payable to "Hailey's Hope" and give to me in person or mail to me or you can mail them to Project Sweet Peas P.O. Box 77 Trumbull, CT 06611 (please write Hailey's Hope t-shirt fundraiser on the memo line).
To pay by PayPal: you can find the PayPal button on my blog at this page: http://ourlifeinhishands.blogspot.com/p/hailey-hope-with-project-sweet-peas.html
There is $1 fee per t-shirt order paid using PayPal to cover their fees.
After all orders are placed on April 16th, I will place the bulk order. It will take 2 weeks for the shirts to be shipped to me and then I will disperse them. I will contact each person who orders a t-shirt to let them know how their order will be given to them. All shirts should be delivered in May.
To those of you near our families in IL or near us in KY/TN, we can give you your shirts in person; however, if I need to ship your order please consider donating a couple of extra dollars per shirt to cover shipping costs.
Right now if we sell 40 t-shirts (which is a lot I know!), each shirt will cost me about $10 and Hailey's Hope stands to make $5 per shirt ordered. If we sell less, Hailey's Hope will make less, and so on.
If you have any other questions that I haven't answered please let me know! Kristin@projectsweetpeas.com
Thanks!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Isaac is 7 months old!
Today Isaac turns 7 months old! Here is the highlight reel from Isaac's 6th month:
Growth:
Not much new to report, at his last check up his growth had sort of plateaued. I haven't weighed or measured him myself this past month, but going just by clothes' size and how much my back aches from toting him around, he's definitely grown some since his last appointment. He was in 3-6 month clothes for what seemed like forever, but now he's finally in 6-9 month with a few 12 month outfits fitting him as well.
Milestones/ Skills mastered:
He just started cutting two more teeth! (I believe they are called his top two central incisors).
He's on the move! He is rolling and scooting everywhere! Just started trying out the crawling position on his knees this past weekend... Has mastered tummy to back and back to tummy. Can spend prolonged periods of time on his tummy playing, in fact he prefers that most of the time...
Started eating solids. So far he's had brown rice, oatmeal, prunes, sweet potatoes, and squash. He absolutely LOVES eating. He opens wide and most of the time has his hands politely resting on his high-chair tray. Watching him eat prunes was funny since he squinted his face from the tartness. He devoured sweet potatoes and seemed to want to eat them endlessly. This will mortify him when he's older, but most of the foods, except the prunes, have constipated him, so we're working through those issues.
Definite baby laughs this month... they actually really started after he got his 6 month shots which was kind of funny timing if you ask me!
Practicing new skills:
As mentioned above, he's working on crawling.
He's also working on sitting up on his own. He's able to sit without support for longer and longer periods of time, but really it's only for a minute or so until he wobbles over. He does really well sitting up and leaning on a toy. Hasn't mastered it enough for me to leave him while he's sitting; I'm always an arm's length away. But he sure loves his Bumbo seat now!
He continues to make new baby babble sounds. He's done a few "da" sounds, but lately it's mostly sounds that sound like "bah-wah." It's super cute, especially the shape his mouth makes when he's talking.
I was trying to get him to use a sippy cup but he mostly chews on it and plays with it...
Schedule:
What schedule? Haha this month his schedule has been all over the place. For about a week he was sleeping straight through the night from 8pm to 6am and have 3 naps, one was usually 30 minutes and the other two were usually an hour to an hour and twenty... And then it all went haywire... This past week he has been staying awake much longer in between naps, but hasn't been sleeping entirely through the night, trying to wake up at 5am some mornings, and sometimes not napping at all...
Favorite activities/toys:
He started off this month liking his bouncer and his floor gym thing, but within the past week or two he hasn't really been a fan of them and is starting to like more "big boy" toys.
He definitely likes being outside and taking rides in the stroller - got a jogging stroller this month and he's enjoyed walking/ jogging with me and Opie.
His past favorite toys that remain favorites:
Red dog wub-a-nub that I call his 'Clifford dog' - he loves chewing on the paci part. Still loves his Sophie. Enjoys a good chew still on his bumble bee teething toy. Can't get enough of sucking on his sock monkey. Loves crawling all over and playing with his giant caterpillar stuffed animal.
New toys he likes:
Camera, car/steering wheel toy, v-tech sit/stand toy thingy (don't you love how specific my names for the toys are?)
He tends to be most entertained on a blanket on the floor surrounded by toys that he can scoot toward and play with. He's definitely studying his toys more and spending more time with each of them. He will drop them and reach for them and pass them back and forth in hands. He is finally starting to appreciate the books we read to him before bedtime, especially the interactive ones.
And of course, his favorite thing is still his dog brother, Opie. :)
What makes him laugh:
Opie licking his face or feet.
When we make a buzzing noise while playing "airplane" with his toys and "landing" them on his belly.
Tickling his belly with your toes (yes you read that right).
Tickling his feet.
Favorite part of this month:
Definitely the most recent part of it which has been his scooting and gaining mobility. On quite a few occasions he has been on the floor next to me and has purposefully scooted on top of me and grabbed me and "attacked" me with his tiny hands and mouth and trying to get my face.... It's quite possibly one of the best things ever. And just hearing him talk more and seeing the beginning stages of crawling with him getting up on his knees and climbing on top of things like his big caterpillar... Best things EVER.
My thoughts:
I believe I said on his 5-6 month birthdays that they were my favorite so far because we'd figured out most of Isaac's issues, he was a happy baby, he was changing and growing, we had a schedule, I could actually cook meals and shower, I was able to be mommy and resume my own life as well, etc. I think from here on out each month will just keep getting better and better (as if that were possible) because he's becoming more interactive, and it's amazing to watch him explore and learn and grow into a little boy.
I love being his mommy. He's such a good little baby, or maybe I should start saying little boy! I am so proud of him. Even when his tummy is upset and he's experiencing the pain of teething, he is truly a good little boy. I continue to love making him smile and hearing his laugh.
I think these next few months leading up to his 1st birthday are going to be opening me up to a new world I was never sure I'd experience... Up until this point Isaac's been a baby just like Hailey, of course he's outlived her by 6 months already and has reached milestones she never did, but he was still a baby baby... now he's growing and becoming a little man. Soon he will crawl, then he'll walk, someday I won't just hear baby coos, I'll hear words... We interact more and more, we communicate more and more... This month it really set in that I'm watching him become a person... Something I never had with Hailey... And it's... different... It's good... Yet hard... I guess that's all best saved for another post sometime...
Growth:
Not much new to report, at his last check up his growth had sort of plateaued. I haven't weighed or measured him myself this past month, but going just by clothes' size and how much my back aches from toting him around, he's definitely grown some since his last appointment. He was in 3-6 month clothes for what seemed like forever, but now he's finally in 6-9 month with a few 12 month outfits fitting him as well.
Milestones/ Skills mastered:
He just started cutting two more teeth! (I believe they are called his top two central incisors).
He's on the move! He is rolling and scooting everywhere! Just started trying out the crawling position on his knees this past weekend... Has mastered tummy to back and back to tummy. Can spend prolonged periods of time on his tummy playing, in fact he prefers that most of the time...
Started eating solids. So far he's had brown rice, oatmeal, prunes, sweet potatoes, and squash. He absolutely LOVES eating. He opens wide and most of the time has his hands politely resting on his high-chair tray. Watching him eat prunes was funny since he squinted his face from the tartness. He devoured sweet potatoes and seemed to want to eat them endlessly. This will mortify him when he's older, but most of the foods, except the prunes, have constipated him, so we're working through those issues.
Definite baby laughs this month... they actually really started after he got his 6 month shots which was kind of funny timing if you ask me!
Practicing new skills:
As mentioned above, he's working on crawling.
He's also working on sitting up on his own. He's able to sit without support for longer and longer periods of time, but really it's only for a minute or so until he wobbles over. He does really well sitting up and leaning on a toy. Hasn't mastered it enough for me to leave him while he's sitting; I'm always an arm's length away. But he sure loves his Bumbo seat now!
He continues to make new baby babble sounds. He's done a few "da" sounds, but lately it's mostly sounds that sound like "bah-wah." It's super cute, especially the shape his mouth makes when he's talking.
I was trying to get him to use a sippy cup but he mostly chews on it and plays with it...
Schedule:
What schedule? Haha this month his schedule has been all over the place. For about a week he was sleeping straight through the night from 8pm to 6am and have 3 naps, one was usually 30 minutes and the other two were usually an hour to an hour and twenty... And then it all went haywire... This past week he has been staying awake much longer in between naps, but hasn't been sleeping entirely through the night, trying to wake up at 5am some mornings, and sometimes not napping at all...
Favorite activities/toys:
He started off this month liking his bouncer and his floor gym thing, but within the past week or two he hasn't really been a fan of them and is starting to like more "big boy" toys.
He definitely likes being outside and taking rides in the stroller - got a jogging stroller this month and he's enjoyed walking/ jogging with me and Opie.
His past favorite toys that remain favorites:
Red dog wub-a-nub that I call his 'Clifford dog' - he loves chewing on the paci part. Still loves his Sophie. Enjoys a good chew still on his bumble bee teething toy. Can't get enough of sucking on his sock monkey. Loves crawling all over and playing with his giant caterpillar stuffed animal.
New toys he likes:
Camera, car/steering wheel toy, v-tech sit/stand toy thingy (don't you love how specific my names for the toys are?)
He tends to be most entertained on a blanket on the floor surrounded by toys that he can scoot toward and play with. He's definitely studying his toys more and spending more time with each of them. He will drop them and reach for them and pass them back and forth in hands. He is finally starting to appreciate the books we read to him before bedtime, especially the interactive ones.
And of course, his favorite thing is still his dog brother, Opie. :)
What makes him laugh:
Opie licking his face or feet.
When we make a buzzing noise while playing "airplane" with his toys and "landing" them on his belly.
Tickling his belly with your toes (yes you read that right).
Tickling his feet.
Favorite part of this month:
Definitely the most recent part of it which has been his scooting and gaining mobility. On quite a few occasions he has been on the floor next to me and has purposefully scooted on top of me and grabbed me and "attacked" me with his tiny hands and mouth and trying to get my face.... It's quite possibly one of the best things ever. And just hearing him talk more and seeing the beginning stages of crawling with him getting up on his knees and climbing on top of things like his big caterpillar... Best things EVER.
My thoughts:
I believe I said on his 5-6 month birthdays that they were my favorite so far because we'd figured out most of Isaac's issues, he was a happy baby, he was changing and growing, we had a schedule, I could actually cook meals and shower, I was able to be mommy and resume my own life as well, etc. I think from here on out each month will just keep getting better and better (as if that were possible) because he's becoming more interactive, and it's amazing to watch him explore and learn and grow into a little boy.
I love being his mommy. He's such a good little baby, or maybe I should start saying little boy! I am so proud of him. Even when his tummy is upset and he's experiencing the pain of teething, he is truly a good little boy. I continue to love making him smile and hearing his laugh.
I think these next few months leading up to his 1st birthday are going to be opening me up to a new world I was never sure I'd experience... Up until this point Isaac's been a baby just like Hailey, of course he's outlived her by 6 months already and has reached milestones she never did, but he was still a baby baby... now he's growing and becoming a little man. Soon he will crawl, then he'll walk, someday I won't just hear baby coos, I'll hear words... We interact more and more, we communicate more and more... This month it really set in that I'm watching him become a person... Something I never had with Hailey... And it's... different... It's good... Yet hard... I guess that's all best saved for another post sometime...
Better than I deserve
Today was a really amazing day. Nothing life changing or huge or anything like that, and what I write may seem trivial because it is trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it's still extraordinary nonetheless and that is because I saw God at work in the midst of my "trivial" day in very evident, clear, and tangible ways. And today I was also reminded that God treats me better than I deserve.
For the past week I have been on my own taking care of the house and Isaac while my husband has been away training. This is the first separation we've had since Isaac has been born where I haven't had help (and it happens to be for a rather significant period of time, although nothing like it will be when he deploys). As life would have it, just when I thought things were perfect and I had him all figured out, when things were predictable and wonderful, and when we had extra help from my mother-in-law, as soon as I'm on my own with Isaac things go haywire...
To keep it short and simple (which I'm usually quite bad at doing but I'll try), his entire sleep/ nap/ awake/ eating schedule changed, and every day it changed. He was fussier than normal. He was having some episodes of serious, painful, inconsolable crying. He was having digestive issues. He was having sleep issues. There were a lot of issues let's just say. Plus, with me being his only playmate (besides Opie), when we're alone together all day, let's just say he can get pretty bored of me, which is tough on us both when he isn't wanting to self-entertain...and I'll be the first to admit I am not a natural baby entertainer although I wish I were. Despite all the frustration, exhaustion, stress, and so on, we managed to have fun, we made it through each day just fine, and each day I went to bed knowing I was the best mom that I could be to him.
But then today happened. Today was yet another day of unpredictability, things going "wrong," Isaac not napping, still having digestive problems, etc... and I finally let it get the best of me. I was becoming the mom I didn't want to be. In my frustration, I lost my patience, my self-control, and started to complain and have a negative attitude. I was upset with myself and was trying to keep it together, but I knew my heart wasn't right. Sadly, the one thing I had to look forward to was a trip out to Target just to get us out of the house and give me a little break.
And then, in the midst of my grumbling spirit this afternoon, God began to give me answer after answer, all in a row, to my list of "small" little prayers I'd prayed hours before right around the time I stopped being filled with the Spirit and started being filled with my own negativity and grumbling.
Isaac actually slept for over an hour for his second nap. I got to have a real time conversation via text messages with my husband, and then an actual phone call with him once Isaac woke up. Isaac's digestive problems seemed to have finally cleared up (this is the second time in my life where I've never been so happy to change a poopy diaper). I discovered Isaac has his two upper teeth coming in, I can see both of them, but only feel the one cutting through, which gives me some of the wisdom and understanding that I've been so desperately desiring. Then as we went to Target for our fun little outing, I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of great "treasures" for my Hailey's Hope care packages. And when I arrived home and checked my email, a problem I'd been having for over two months with childcare on post that crept up again this morning was solved and I received an actual apology! In a matter of a couple of hours, I'd been given all the answers to everything I was struggling with this morning.
I was so very thankful and praising God, but I was also humbled. I felt undeserving to receive them all after I reached my low, after grumbling, when I know the Lord does not appreciate complainers (especially when it's the very things I'm studying right now during my quiet times - the Israelites grumbling in the desert in the book of Numbers). And trust me, I know these things that frustrated me, are truly not a big deal, and you may be wondering why I even wrote such a long post on things that seem so trivial or silly... But I'm writing them down so I remember this day because of these clear ways that God answered my prayers because I don't even want to take the "small" things for granted... and honestly, these "small" things were quite big for me in the moment where I'm learning who He wants me to be as a mom and wife when my husband is in the Army and does get called away from his family, and it's challenging. But I am so very thankful to have a God who hears even my smallest of prayers, who fills me with His spirit to enable me to be the patient, self-controlled, positive, godly mother I desire to be and who he desires me to be, who blesses me more than I deserve.
~
Anyway else keep thinking Dave Ramsey while reading this? hehe ;)
For the past week I have been on my own taking care of the house and Isaac while my husband has been away training. This is the first separation we've had since Isaac has been born where I haven't had help (and it happens to be for a rather significant period of time, although nothing like it will be when he deploys). As life would have it, just when I thought things were perfect and I had him all figured out, when things were predictable and wonderful, and when we had extra help from my mother-in-law, as soon as I'm on my own with Isaac things go haywire...
To keep it short and simple (which I'm usually quite bad at doing but I'll try), his entire sleep/ nap/ awake/ eating schedule changed, and every day it changed. He was fussier than normal. He was having some episodes of serious, painful, inconsolable crying. He was having digestive issues. He was having sleep issues. There were a lot of issues let's just say. Plus, with me being his only playmate (besides Opie), when we're alone together all day, let's just say he can get pretty bored of me, which is tough on us both when he isn't wanting to self-entertain...and I'll be the first to admit I am not a natural baby entertainer although I wish I were. Despite all the frustration, exhaustion, stress, and so on, we managed to have fun, we made it through each day just fine, and each day I went to bed knowing I was the best mom that I could be to him.
But then today happened. Today was yet another day of unpredictability, things going "wrong," Isaac not napping, still having digestive problems, etc... and I finally let it get the best of me. I was becoming the mom I didn't want to be. In my frustration, I lost my patience, my self-control, and started to complain and have a negative attitude. I was upset with myself and was trying to keep it together, but I knew my heart wasn't right. Sadly, the one thing I had to look forward to was a trip out to Target just to get us out of the house and give me a little break.
And then, in the midst of my grumbling spirit this afternoon, God began to give me answer after answer, all in a row, to my list of "small" little prayers I'd prayed hours before right around the time I stopped being filled with the Spirit and started being filled with my own negativity and grumbling.
Isaac actually slept for over an hour for his second nap. I got to have a real time conversation via text messages with my husband, and then an actual phone call with him once Isaac woke up. Isaac's digestive problems seemed to have finally cleared up (this is the second time in my life where I've never been so happy to change a poopy diaper). I discovered Isaac has his two upper teeth coming in, I can see both of them, but only feel the one cutting through, which gives me some of the wisdom and understanding that I've been so desperately desiring. Then as we went to Target for our fun little outing, I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of great "treasures" for my Hailey's Hope care packages. And when I arrived home and checked my email, a problem I'd been having for over two months with childcare on post that crept up again this morning was solved and I received an actual apology! In a matter of a couple of hours, I'd been given all the answers to everything I was struggling with this morning.
I was so very thankful and praising God, but I was also humbled. I felt undeserving to receive them all after I reached my low, after grumbling, when I know the Lord does not appreciate complainers (especially when it's the very things I'm studying right now during my quiet times - the Israelites grumbling in the desert in the book of Numbers). And trust me, I know these things that frustrated me, are truly not a big deal, and you may be wondering why I even wrote such a long post on things that seem so trivial or silly... But I'm writing them down so I remember this day because of these clear ways that God answered my prayers because I don't even want to take the "small" things for granted... and honestly, these "small" things were quite big for me in the moment where I'm learning who He wants me to be as a mom and wife when my husband is in the Army and does get called away from his family, and it's challenging. But I am so very thankful to have a God who hears even my smallest of prayers, who fills me with His spirit to enable me to be the patient, self-controlled, positive, godly mother I desire to be and who he desires me to be, who blesses me more than I deserve.
~
Anyway else keep thinking Dave Ramsey while reading this? hehe ;)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Welcome
Welcome back to my blog on the Blogger platform! This is my first official post on ourlifeinhishands.blogspot.com since moving from my website lifeinhishands.net. I will be blogging on here from now on so for those of you who like to follow my posts please make sure to update your bookmarks, feed, subscriptions, etc. so you don't miss out on anything.
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