Joey is 9 Months Old

Joey was nine months old yesterday. I cannot believe how fast time flys by when you have a baby! At nine months old he is, among other things:

• Rolling all over the place
• crawling backwards a little bit
• Drinking water from a cup with a straw
• leaping from his belly to being up on his hands and knees
• rocking back and forth on his hands and knees
• eating baby food or baby cereal twice a day
• laughing when you lift him into the air
• splashing like crazy in the bath tub
• blowing tons of raspberries
• babbling some (not a ton) but he has his moments when he babbles like crazy
• sleeping through the night (still)
• gives kisses (well he opens his mouth a little and pauses his raspberries for you to kiss him)

He is amazing and we are so very proud of all his accomplishments. Although we are saving his "i did it" shirt for when he sits on his own.

At Joey's nine month well baby check up this morning he was weighing in at 18 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 27 1/2 inches tall. He is in the 75th percentile on the Ds charts for boys. The doctor said his growth is perfect and he is doing pretty well. Joey started the RSV shots (Synagis) which he will have to do once a month until April. And... I almost forgot to report.. the results of the MRI were normal... THANK GOD! no tumor! We love this baby so much!

Here are some more pics from our recent trip down to San Diego. Here Joey is enjoying some play time with his Cousin Ellie.

Carving pumpkins on Halloween

Hanging out with his Auntie Cara and his Cousin Walker

Laughing at Uncle Mac with Auntie Cara

Playing with Grandma and Pa Pa

Getting a bath in Grandma's kitchen sink

Joey loves his Pa Pa

Laughing at Pa Pa

Going shopping at Nordstrom with Grandma for Joey's first pair of shoes

Halloween 2009 (better late than never)

We spent Joey's first Halloween in San Diego so that Joey could go trick-or-treating with his cousins Walker and Ellie.

Here Joey is helping carve his first pumpkin.

He dressed up as a bear. It was so hot in San Diego that we had to go without the leggings. Look at Joey checking out his big soft belly...

All ready to go...

As were Spider man and our little ballerina

Joey rode around in the stroller and clung to his candy bag like a real trooper.


Here he is checking out his loot.

We let him pick out a piece to taste.

Yummy!

Wordless Wednesday (Swinging)

Journey With Joey--Stepping Up For Down Syndrome Walk

Yesterday was the Sacramento Down Syndome Information Alliance's version of the Buddy Walk. The event was called Stepping Up For Down Syndrome and was a fundraiser for the DSIA. It was an absolutely gorgeous day--purfect for our first Walk and Joey had a great time.

Several of our friends came out to support us. Thank you Jo, Carrie, Megan, Conan, Mairi, Russel, Cameron, Robert and Holly (who joined us later). Unfortunately I do not have the picture of our team before the walk. I will post it when I get it from Jo. Ridiculous number of pictures to follow here.

Here Joey and I are with Megan and Conan... The boys are shaking chiquitas with the music therapy folks who where playing on stage.


Joey with Joaquin and Conan.


Mairi with Robert and Cameron. Cameron was a huge help during the walk. She held her little flag up to keep the sun out of Joey's eyes.



Joey and his buddy Joaquin.

Joey loves Joaquin. They are so cute together.

It was such a nice day I had to change Joey into something cooler for the walk. Here he is in his stroller ready to go!

He had a great time and the best seat in the house for the walk.

Joey was quite the ladies man. Here he is checking out Gracie... she is quite the cutie!

Joey has not seen many little girls. He is usually around boys. So he decides to move in a little closer and check her out.

And then he scared her when he tried to grab her face... oops! He'll learn.


Then Joey got to know Gabby.

She is so darn cute.

goin in for a kiss?

Who's next?

Joey, Grace, Joaquin and Gabby with their moms.

And last but not least the beautiful group of Sacramento babies. They all managed to stay still for a little bit while we snapped a hundred pictures.

They are so precious!

Gracie, Joaquin, Joey, Gabby and Sheridan all staying on the same blanket for quite a long time.


It was so much fun watching them check each other out.

Sheridan was making sure Joey did not get too close.

Joey nudging Gabby with his feet to get her attention.

Sheridan... who did really well...still keeping a watchful eye on Joey

Joey hugging Gabby's arm with his chubby little legs...so cute.

John Michael joins in the fun.

What a great day it was. Thanks again to those who joined us and to everyone else who helped team Journey with Joey meet our fundraising goal.

Joey had his MRI today. I will post somthing about it later this week. But in all... he did really well. He was so brave (braver than his mommy in fact) and I am so proud of him!

Are You Ready to Step Up for Down Syndrome?

Joey is... he is excited about the Walk tomorrow. We would like to thank all of our family and friend who have helped us reach our fundraising goal. Sorry I have not had time to post much substance on the blog lately. I have been absolutely swamped at work and as a result, exhausted when I get home. Joey's MRI was moved to Monday. We are nervous about it but at the same time anxious to get it over with and glad that the doctor is going to be opening up his clogged tear ducts. Anything to eliminate the moring torture session, which is what I call having to clean Joey's eyes out in the morning--he hates it! Anyway, we look forward to seeing everyone at the walk on Sunday and if I don't have time to post again before Monday morning...wish us luck and pray for Joey!

Wordless Wednesday (Joey's First Bagel)

Halloween Sneak Peak

This probably gives away too much but it was too cute not to share.

Wordless Wednesday (Teaching Joey Loyalty)

Baby Dedication (September 26, 2009)

We participated in a Baby Dedication ceremony at church a couple weeks ago. Four babies were dedicated that day. It was a really nice ceremony and Joey did a great job. I was so glad that he didn't break into raspberries in the middle of it like he usually does in church. Here are some pics courtesy of our friend Jo who came along and was kind enough to take pictures for us.

Pastor Doug saying a prayer for Joey.

Our little angel.

Joey is usually such a good baby in church. He especially loves the music.

Joey enjoyed a rare Sunday with his Daddy.

I just love the stained glass cross. It really is a beautiful little church.

Here we are with Megan and Conan who also participated in the Baby Dedication ceremony.

Joey and I have really enjoyed going to Riverlife Church on Sundays while Tony works. It has been a really uplifting thing for me and we have met so many really great people there. We have especially enjoyed getting to know Megan, Scott and Conan better and we look forward to seeing them every Sunday. We are also thrilled that Jo has been joining us as she has always been such a good friend of mine. I enjoy her company and appreciate the help with Joey and all his stuff.

I have gotten really behind on posting. A couple of highlights: Joey just turned 8 months old; We are excited to be participating in our first Step Up For Down Syndrome walk on Sunday October 25, 2009 (follow the link in the sidebar for more information on how to help team Journey With Joey); Joey has had a cough and cold for about three weeks now (poor baby) I feel so sorry for him and I swear you might as well be stabbing me everytime he goes into one of his coughing fits. It is just aweful to listen too and I feel so helpless.

Wordless Wednesday (Honeybear)

Nystagmus

Joey has a Nystagmus. We noticed it a few months ago and got a referral to a pediatric opthamologist (apparently the only one in Sacramento) in August. Our appointment was not supposed to be until November 2, but they called us yesterday when they had a cancellation so I took him to see her yesterday.

She told us that a congential Nystagmus usually begins between 3-4 months of age. Joey's, however, began later. Since Joey's onset is not textbook she wants to do an MRI (which has to be done under general anesthesia) to rule out any other potential causes such as a brain tumor. I am very scared and upset over having to go back to the hospital.

The MRI is scheduled for October 22. While Joey is under anesthesia, the doctor is also going to insert a probe into his clogged tearducts. Hopefully this will clear up the chronic eye infections that he gets every couple weeks.

The doctor assures me that a brain tumor is really rare, especially where, as with Joey, there are no other signs of intracranial pressure. I am still really scared though and am not ready to see my baby in a hospital bed, with an IV again and having to be put under anesthesia. I just hope they don't have to intubate him too. Please pray for him.

NICU Reunion

A few weeks ago we attended Joey's NICU reunion at Sutter Memorial Hospital. It was great seeing some of his former roommates and some of the wonderful nurses who took care of him while he was in there. Needless to say they were impressed by his progress (demonstrated by his healthy weight and rolls)! Here are some pics:

Joey and Marie (the social worker in the NICU who was so kind to us)


Joey checking out the miniature horse in the petting zoo

Joey and some of his nurses... this is Tracey, the nurse who admitted him to the NICU

And another one of his nurses who I remember, but whose name I don't recall

We finally got the Explanation of Benefits from our insurance company for Joey's NICU stay... can anyone guess how much 15 days in the NICU costs?????? $171,000 and I'm not even sure if that included his surgery. It will be interesting to see how that compares to the 15 day stay we had in the PICU. ... I'm sure we will be getting that one shortly. Thank God for insurance!

Waterbaby!

I don't know if it is his weekly water therapy, or what, but Joey has become such the little waterbaby. Here he is on Saturday in the pool with his Daddy.

Making Friends?

Well, sort of.

Lisa, Sheridan's mom was kind enough to provide me with pictures of a recent encounter between Sheridan and Joey at Jen's house. The following was also narrated by Lisa.

Here's Sheridan checking Joey out...



Sheridan gets very curious and interested in Joey. He leans in to check him out and make friends...



Then Joey raises his head and smiles...


What a SCARY Joey ;-)




Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I laughed throughout the day today everytime I was able to sneak a peak at these pictures with Lisa's narration.


It is kind of weird that my 7 month old baby has a whole life four days a week that I am not involved in due to the fact that I have to work full time. I am very grateful and appreciative that he seems to love where he is and that he gets to have so much fun at Jen's, not only moments like the one depicted below, but on a daily basis with Joaquin, Diego and Mateo. Thank you so much for taking such great care of my baby Jen. We love you guys.

Wordless Wednesday (more smiles from the Jumperoo)

Are you ready for some football?

Joey is..... Go Raiders!

Wordless Wednesday (Joey and the Afghan continued)

Joey and His Daddy

Joey and his daddy Tony are so darn cute together. It melts my heart seeing them play together and it is daily affirmation that I married the right guy and was blessed to have been able to have a child with him. Check them out....

sorry could not get the video to upload so click here

Tony's 41st birthday was Sunday. Happy 41st Birthday Tony! I love both you and Joey with all my heart.

Almost Wordless Wednesday (Jumperoo toys)

This was the first time Joey discovered how the toys on his jumperoo work! Look at him go...

Happy Seven Month Birthday Joey!

Joey is seven months old today. How did seven months slip by so fast. Joey is doing some amazing things these days and is getting so big. He now rolls over from front to back and from back to front with ease. He does the tripod sit and is working hard at being able to sit without his hands down. Although not a whole lot, he does babble and try to talk to us. He smiles and laughs out loud. He is trying new foods. So far he has had carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, squash, baby oatmeal, pears and peaches. Most of it ends up on his bib and on his face (he has had some interesting facials) but he is trying and we will get there soon! He loves his baths and swimming in the pool. You should see him splash with his hands and kick his little feet. It is sooooooo cute. We love this baby more than we ever could have imagined and are so very proud of how far he has come in seven short months.

Happy Seven Month Birthday Joey!

Wordless Wednesday (bedtime stories)

New Name

Ok... I've done it. At the suggestion of a few of the other moms I have decided to change the name of Joey's Blog from "Our Bundle of Joy" (taken rather uncreatively from the tag Joey was wearing on his behind in his birth announcement below) to "Our Bundle of Joey" (which was the web address I chose because "our bundle of joy" was unavailable) Thank you for the suggestion. This new name, now matches the URL and is a cute play on words that makes for a great title. So we are now Our Bundle of Joey! I like the new name much better.

Looking at the announcement again makes me realize how much this baby has grown. WOW! At his 6 month check up a few weeks ago Joey weighed in at 17 pounds and was over 25 inches long. It is amazing how much they grow in so little time.

Wordless Wednesday (The T21 Traveling Afghan)

Look what Joey got from Joaquin yesterday...

Yes it's the official T21 Traveling Afghan!

Joey's Six Month Portraits

We had Joey's six month portraits taken this past Saturday. They were supposed to be done a week ago but he has been scooting so much in his crib at night that he gave himself a rug burn on his nose... so we would put them off for a week.

And of course we had to have some taken with no clothes on....Sorry Joey!

And our first family portraits!

Unfortunately we could not get him to smile while looking at the camera...this last one was as close as we got... but I think they came out pretty cute anyway.

Not a Fan of Carrots?

Joey has been sampling foods over the last few weeks. The very first time we tried it we gave him some organic baby oatmeal. He cried.

Over the next few weeks we tried sweet potatoes, peas and squash. Those went over all right.

He even got used to the oatmeal.

And then we tried carrots. Well... see for yourself how that went.

I'm not sure...but I don't think he is a fan. The second time we tried the carrots he just cried. Oh well... we'll have to try again in a few weeks.

Wordless Wednesday (trying out sitting)

Joey's 6 month birthday in San Diego

Joey was six months old this past Saturday. I cannot believe my baby is six months old already. Where does time go!

We went to San Diego for his six month birthday and to celebrate my 33rd birthday (a few weeks early) with my family. My parents and sister Cara live in San Diego and my little sister flew in from Salt Lake City.



As usual Joey was an angel. He did not fuss on either the flight there or on the returning flight. We are so blessed that Joey travels well. He does however get a little heavy after carrying him around the airport for a few hours. We did not bring a stroller so we had no where to put him down. But it was a great trip so it was worth it.

On Friday we took Joey to the beach for the first time. It was a beautiful day!

His grandma introduced him to all the wonderful things at the beach. The sand...

The water...

Putting your feet in the wet sand...

Joey was intrigued. It was so cute how he lifted his little feet and played around in the water.

I love this photo of him squishing the water and sand with his little toes.

He was wiped out from all that fun in the water! So he took a little nap under the umbrella.

It stinks living so far away from my family. We only see each other about every other month so it is a real treat getting to watch Joey bond with my parents, sisters and his cousins Walker and Ellie.

Here are some more photos of the weekend...

Joey and pa pa spending some quality time in his Pa Pa's favorite chair. Pa Pa had him cracking up by singing him the Beatles.

Grandma feeding Joey some peas for the first time.

Joey and his adorable little cousin Ellie who is 2.

Grandma took Joey for a ride in a little push toy car.

He really liked it. We are going to have to get one of these!

He got really into it. Look at him holding the steering wheel.

We were sorry to leave on Monday. Joey loved seeing his Grandma and Pa Pa

Look at him laughing!

Happy Six Month Birthday Joey! We love you more than we ever could have imagined and I am treasuring watching you grow up.

Wordless Wednesday (Joey Loves Bathtime)

NDSC Conference

We attended the NDSC conference this past weekend. There were so many great workshops. I especially enjoyed the moms sharing session that was led by Kathryn Soper, the editor of Gifts. There were about 40 moms of babies under two at this session. We also attended various workshops on early communication, speech development and advances in research on Ds. I was pretty appalled to learn that so little money is actually spend on Ds research (The figure we were given was that only approximately $40 is spent per person with Ds compared with an approximate $30,000 spent on research per perspn with Cystic Fibrosis). Despite that, the scientific community appears to be making some progress with some really promising research.
We walked away from this conference feeling a little more educated and a little overwhelmed with all of the information. However, it was wonderful to see so many high functioning adults with Ds and to meet so many other wonderful families of children with Ds. We especially enjoyed meeting several of the other Ds Bloggers. (Thank you Monica for organizing a lunch and providing us with Id badges so we could find each other) Overall it was a great experience. Here are some of the pictures we took this weekend.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson delivered the welcoming address to all of the conference participants.

Joaquin gave Joey a big kiss during Mayor Johnson's address.

Jen, Hector and Joaquin at the reception after the opening address.

Joey was wiped out by the end of the day on Friday!

Saturday morning we started all over again. Here Joey and I are with Catherine and Max. We knew them, at least felt like we did, from Catherine's blog. Max is four days older than Joey. Turns out Catherine is also from my home town of Escondido, California. We attended the same middle school and high school and our parents live anout two miles away from each other off of the same street! How strange is that. We hope to see Jerry, Catherine and Max again sometime.

Jen and Joey at the banquet we attended on Saturday night.

The banquet was a little hectic and quite crowded, but once we were able to find a table we had a good time. Here Tony, Joey and I are with Jen, Hector and Joaquin.

Joaquin licking, I mean kissing, his buddy Joey. Sooooo Cute.

Here Joey is playing with a 16 year-old girl we met at the banquet. Before the banquet several adults with Ds came up to him and were plating with him. He became so animated with them, laughing and blowing raspberries. It was so very cute.

Joey on Sunday morning, enjoying the workshop we attended by Dr. Libby Kumin on early communication skills for children with Ds.

Before everyone left on Sunday we got together with Brennan, Joaquin, John Michael for a quick photo of the babies.

It was very difficult to keep them together, and they soon began to escape.

And then one of the moms and babies.

We cannot wait for the conference again next year in Orlando. We figure if we start saving now then maybe we can afford to go!

Wordless Wednesday (Jumperoo)

Amazing Baby

It's as if Joey woke up over the weekend. All of a sudden he is laughing several times a day, rolling all over the floor and vocalizing like crazy. He is simply amazing.

I was sharing Joey's accomplishments this weekend with one of the partners at work and he simply said "wow...how old is he?" When I told him almost six months he responded something to the effect of "yeah.. that is when my kids started to roll too. He is developing normally." He said that as if it was a big surprise. My response: "Yeah...he is." But I am not surprised. Joey is an amazing baby.

Once he discovered he could roll easily from his back to his tummy, there was no stopping him. He did it all day Sunday. I could hardly keep him on his little jungle gym mat. So I spread out a quilt in front of it. Because of the cats I prefer that he not be directly on the carpet. But I could not keep him on the quilt either. He is rolling all over the place. He is also lifting his little butt in the air and moving his feet like he wants to crawl... Soon enough!!! Amazing Baby!

Check out the video. I wish it was better quality but unfortunately it is all I have for now.

Holy Cow!

Got Milk? Joey sure does. I think I set a new pumping record this moring... 18 ounces in 45 minutes of pumping. Usually my 30 to 60 minute pumping sessions yield about 12 to 16 ounces of milk. While breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world... pumping is not. I feel like such a dairy cow when I pump. Since Joey never really took to breast feeding, however, and I wanted him to have breast milk, I have been pumping since he was born. At first I pumped every 2-4 hours. Then it was every six hours. I am now down to every eight hours (3 times a day). I have been producing so much milk that we had to buy a freezer for it all that we keep in the garage. Now that it is just about full I am contemplating stopping (in about a month) and Joey ought to have enough breastmilk for another 3-4 months. It has been so difficult working full time, taking care of a baby and finding the approximate three hours a day to pump. It will be so nice to have that three hours back to spend playing with Joey instead.

Then and Now

Joey in his swing at four weeks old. Look how tiny he looks in there.

In his swing at four months old. Wish I had a current picture. He looks like he barely fits in there now.

Getting a bath in the kitchen sink at three weeks old.

Bathtime in the sink at grandma's house at two months old.

Getting ready to go into the bathtub now.

and in the bathtub now

Joey asleep in his bassinette that grandma made him at three weeks old

You have to see the whole thing it was sooooo cute!

and now... our big boy sleeps in his crib in his own room (all night long)

Joey playing on his floor mat at four weeks

and now... at almost six months

Joey lifting his head up off his pa pa's (my father's) chest, for the first time, at four weeks old

And now... look at him holding himself up to check out his new toy!

And looking at me as if to say "piece of cake mom"

It is amazing how much he has changed over the past five and a half months. We are so proud of how much he has accomplished in such a short amount of time. Joey you are amazing and we know that you are going to continue to grow and thrive and make us proud!

Wordless Wednesday (playing cribbage by the pool)

I LOVE that smile!

I miss my Joey so much when I am at work. The one thing that gets me through the day sometimes is to look at pictures. Especially when we have been quick enough to capture pictures of my little punkin smiling. It just warms my heart and helps me trudge on knowing that if I can just make it until later I will get to see that little smile again.

Making Impressions

Yes. Literally.

Joey went to an impression party with Jen this week. We ordered impressions of his hand and foot from foreverfootprints. The look on Joey's face when they were doing these impressions is priceless. I LOVE IT.

Almost Wordless Wednesday (Physical Therapy)

Joey has physical therapy once a week at Jen's house. He has been doing really well with it.

He works really hard!

And sometimes gets a little wiped out!

On this particular day he fell asleep towards the end. Many thanks to Michelle Fannon, our wonderful PT who allowed me to photograph Joey's PT.

Raspberry King

A few weeks ago Joey added a new skill to his repertoire. I have finally caught it on tape.

We call him the Raspberry King now!

Flashback Friday- Bronchiolitis

I never wanted to be one of those parents who was afraid to take my baby out in public for fear that he would get sick. In the first few months after Joey was born we carefully avoided people we knew to be sick. But we did not avoid exposing Joey to the public in general.

But maybe we should have. On March 27, 2009, at approximately 8 weeks old, Joey was admitted to the hospital with bronchialitis. That day had started out pretty normal at first. I got Joey dressed and took him to the postpartum body sculpt class I was attending. In the car on the way there he started coughing. Not a lot, just a couple times. I quickly called my mom and told her that he sounded a little congested and had coughed a few times. She said not to worry that babies often get a little congested. During the class he seemed to be breathing hard, or with exaggerated breaths. I was getting a little concerned, but did not want to be one of those moms who called the doctor for every little sniffle.

After class we went by JC Penny to pick up some pictures. I was also going to stop by my office and drop off the thank you notes I had written for the beautiful baby shower they had thrown me and for all of the very generous gifts. (Since Joey was born 5 weeks early the shower was held after) While we were driving there, however, I decided that I definitely did not like the way Joey looked. He was now pale, his skin was mottled (even more than he normally was), he was very sleepy and his chest was caving a little bit when he breathed. He did not have a fever, no runny nose and was still eating like a champ... there were no other signs he was sick. Still I did not like the way he looked so I called the doctor around 2:00 and they had us come in that afternoon.

When we got to the pediatrician's office they checked Joey's oxygen level, it was really low, so they gave him a breathing treatment, put him on oxygen and called over to the hospital to see if there was a bed available in the Pediatric ICU. I started bawling when they told us he would have to be admitted to the hospital and don't think I stopped for a few days. We were immediately taken over to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), me in a wheelchair with Joey in my lap and told that Joey had Bronchiolitis. I had never heard of this. But I was glad we were there getting him some help. Still, I had no idea how very seriously ill he was becoming. And I had no idea at the time that this was about to be one of the worst experiences in my life (even worse than Joey being in the NICU).

It was about 6 p.m. on Friday night when we were admitted to the hospital. When the doctor admitted us he indicated that Joey's chest x-ray "looked terrible" and there was a good chance Joey would get worse before he got better. For the time being, however, they were going to get an I.V. going, give him oxygen and just do breathing treatments as needed. The I.V. had to be one of the most traumatic things for us. Being that this was a PICU you would think they would be equipped to handle little ones. Wrong. After several tries to get an I.V. in each of Joey's arms and feet, they had to call in someone from the NICU to try. The NICU nurse eventually got it going but by Saturday evening the vein collapsed and they had to do it again. I got hysterical and they made me leave the room (several times). The doctor also decided on Saturday evening that eating was requiring too much energy and they wanted Joey to reserve his energy for breathing. That backfired. The second a feeding time rolled around, and passed, and I was not allowed to feed Joey, he got extremely upset (and started crying) which did not help his breathing. So by early Sunday morning (2 a.m.) they decided that he needed to be intubated.

I again became hysterical. Tony, who had a pretty bad cold (and was likely the one who gave it to Joey) had gone home to sleep. I stayed at the hospital by myself (still pumping every four to six hours). Once again bad things (and news) was always happening while I was alone with the baby in the hospital, with no support.

They moved Joey to his own room so he could be intubated. I gathered our things from the old room and when I came around the corner, to my horror, they were shaving a portion of his head (and had a big rubber band around his head) to try and find a place for another IV. I went ballistic when I saw this and was again escorted away from the room. They were unable to get an IV in so they opted to put in a central line in Joey's groin.

They made me leave the room while Joey was intubated and the central line was put in. This was absolutely horrible. I refused to go to the waiting room around the corner so they got me a chair in the hall outside his room. The entire time I could hear the doctor bantering with the nurses. It would be almost ten days before I could look this particular doctor in the eye without wanting to inflict harm on him. I could not believe the lighthearted banter I was hearing from in the room where they were intubating my baby and putting in a central line. It was around 4 or 5 on the morning on Sunday morning by the time they finished. Joey had been given morphine and Atavan and so he was in a comma like state. He would remain that way for the entire week that he was intubated.

It is still hard for me to look at these pictures without getting choked up. The entire week is somewhat of a blur. I do not remember sleeping much, only floating in and out of sleep on the fold out bed in the corner of the room between visits by the respitory therapist and nurses. And pumping. I actually enjoyed pumping at this time because it was the one thing I felt I could do to help my baby. All night long Joey would also suffer desaturations in oxygen (due to spasms in his lungs or mucus) and alarms would go off and people would come running into the room to bag him while I helplessly looked on. I think the worst thing in the world was watching them have to bag my baby.

After seven days on the ventilator, he was finally maintaining oxygen levels during the weaning from the machine and they were finally able to extubate him. As in the NICU, the equipment and IV bags all slowly started to disappear.

Joey's Grandma (my mom) was again a lifesaver. After Joey came off the ventilator he was taken off the morphine and began to experience withdrawal. It was terrible and I felt so bad for him. He was awake for almost 48 hours and seemed miserable. This baby hardly ever cries and he cried whenever you set him down. And holding him was not an easy task as he had a CPAP (high flow oxygen line), still had the central line with several I.V.'s in it and an NG tube for feeding. The only thing made him happy at this time was being held and bouncing him. And so his grandma bounced him all night long for almost three nights. I was so grateful to be able to sleep at home, in my own bed, with my husband for the first time in almost two weeks.

Twelve days in the hospital at this point. Do we look exhausted here or what!

By two weeks, Joey was finally off the ventilator, off the NG feedings and bottle feeding like a champ. It was the Thursday before Easter and the only assistance he was receiving at this time was, what the doctor described as a whiff, of oxygen. I once again began begging to take my baby home. At first they told me maybe on Monday. But I was not ok with my baby spending his first Easter in the hospital if the only reason we were still there was for a very small amount of oxygen. So they agreed to get us set up with oxygen and a pulse oxygen machine at home and that Saturday, after fifteen days in the hospital, we took Joey home.

He has since had bronchiolitis again. This last time, however, his airways were larger and we were able to treat him by doing breathing treatments with the nebulizer at home. He does not like the breathing treatments but it beats the heck out of being in the hospital.

Beautiful Pictures

A friend of Jen's took these pictures of Joey the other day at the park. They are so beautiful. Thank you Jen and please thank your friend Jennifer for these gorgeous pictures. I absolutely love them.

Wordless Wednesday (Bumbo seat)

Momma Has To Work

It's hard to believe that it has been two months since I returned to work. While it has been VERY hard, it would have been much harder (if not impossible) had it not been for the fact that I work for the most wonderful people and had the fortune of finding the most wonderful babysitter for Joey.


I want to thank the partners at Angelo, Kilday & Kilduff for being so patient and understanding and for making the transition back to work as smooth as possible. I know that my maternity leave (and the extra month I took off due to Joey's hospitalization from March 27 through April 11) was not easy on the partners and the other lawyers in our small firm. And to some extent my pregnancy was difficult as well because I had a rough pregnancy and was not able to work the same number of hours I had become accustomed to working over the past few years. But they have been very supportive, like family to me, and have been so great. When I returned to work on May 4, 2009 they let me move into a much larger office where I am much more comfortable pumping breast milk for Joey. While I am still tired and getting used to being a working mom, getting back to work has been much easier than it would have been had I worked anywhere else. I feel blessed to work for such wonderful people and I cannot begin to thank them enough for all that they have done for us.


I also want to thank Jen Varanini Sanchez. While getting back into the groove at work has been very difficult, I cannot imagine having returned to work if I had to leave Joey with anyone else. I met Jen through the Down Syndrome Information Alliance (DSIA) in the days after Joey came home from the hospital. I contacted the DSIA looking to connect with other parents with babies with Down syndrome and Jen called me to tell me about her son Joaquin and to offer support. We ended up meeting for coffee. During that initial meeting I mentioned that I was not thrilled with the idea of leaving Joey at Merry Hill when I returned to work. He is such a good baby, does not cry much, and I was really afraid that he would not get enough attention there. Much to my surprise and good fortune, she e-mailed me a few days later with an offer to babysit Joey when I returned to work.


Things have worked out so wonderfully. I am comforted by the fact that Joey is in such a loving and nurturing environment while I am at work. As demonstrated by some of the posts on Jen's blog, I know that Joey is getting loved on by Jen and her family the way we would be loving him if we could be with him all day long. It melts my heart when I see the way Jen's three boys have accepted Joey. He even gets his physical therapy while he is at Jen's house. I do not know what I would do without Jen and I cannot thank her enough.

Some recent pics of Jen sent me of Joey in the park.

Thank you so much AKK and Jen for helping us get back to living a somewhat normal life. I say somewhat because life with a new baby has been a definite adventure, even without all of the difficulties we have had and does not yet feel normal. I just feel so very blessed and know that things will continue to get better and better, as I adjust to my new role as a working mom, thanks to the great support network that I have found in all of you!

Wordless Wednesday (Smiles!)

God I love that little smile... It keeps getting better!

Tongue Tied

I know this is my second post today, but there is something I need to get off my chest.

The fact that Joey has Ds is not obvious to most people. One of the obvious indicators of Joey's Ds, however, is his cute little tongue. He often sticks it out deliberately or allows the tip to stick out of his mouth. For some reason though, this is something that people comment on all of the time and something which I am not sure how to respond to. Do I tell them he has Ds and that is why he is sticking his tongue out? Do I simply ignore the comments? Do I just laugh and say I know he likes to stick his tongue out? I am just not sure how to respond to these comments and wish people just stop commenting on it. But I'd be curious to know how other moms deal with this. Any suggestions?

The other day, however, I was shopping for a nursing bra at a maternity store and the sales girl commented on his tongue. I am not sure why, but I told her it was because he had Ds. I guess I was somewhat hoping that by telling her that, she might think twice about making such comments in the future. Instead, albeit a few minutes later, she said something else that has been bothering me for days.

Leaning over Joey's carrier she said something to the effect of "I bet this little one is going to be a lawyer someday." If I had not just told her about him having Ds I might have shrugged the comment off a bit easier. And maybe I am being overly sensitive, but this really upset me. Although I felt like crying, I simply said "just like mommy" and left feeling really defeated.

I want, with all my heart, to believe that Joey can be anything he wants to be when he grows up. But I also feel like I have to be realistic, which makes me feel bad. Am I the one limiting my baby. Do I encourage him to aspire to being a doctor or lawyer despite his Ds?

In fact one of the hardest things for me to come to grips with, with respect to Joey's Ds diagnosis, has been accepting the fact that there are limits to what my baby is going to be able to do when he grows up. So for someone to say "I bet this little guy is going to be a lawyer when he grows up" was sort of like pouring salt in the wound. It has been really hard for me to acknowledge that Joey is probably not going to go to law school, like his mommy did, or to medical school like I would have liked to have done had I been able to pass chemistry.

Instead I know that we have to set realistic goals and to celebrate the small things that Joey accomplishes. And I am very proud of all of the things he has accomplished already. He is rolling over. He smiles and coos and babbles in response to us. And he has been so brave in dealing with the hospitalizations and the surgery. I just wish it were a little easier to swallow the fact that there are limitations sometimes and I wish I knew how to intelligently respond to these situations.

Vegas Baby!

Growing up in Southern California I have been to Las Vegas probaby around 50 times. We took Joey to Vegas this weekend for the first time. This was Joey's third flight, he has flown to San Diego with us twice already, and once again he did wonderfully. It's funny how people steer clear of you on the plane with a baby... Especially when (as he did in San Diego once) he has a mini meltdown in the terminal before we board the plane. On that particular occassion he just had to poop.

But with Joey people should be so lucky as to sit near us. So far he has not let out a peep on any of our flights. As always he is such a good boy. We are sure however to have a bottle for him as the plane is climbing to it's cruising altitude and another available for the landing. So far that has kept his ears from popping.

Here he is enjoying the ride and playing with the toy we borrowed from Joaquin. (Thanks Jen it is still a huge hit!)


We went to Vegas for one of my best friends from law school, Erica's, baby shower and to see my parents who drove up from San Diego. Here are some pics of Joey enjoying the pool at the Rio where we stayed.

Joey with Grandma.

With Daddy, Grandma and Pa Pa in the pool.

And playing with Grandma up in the room.

My how the way we spend time in Vegas has changed !! A year ago Tony and I would have been in the Casino the whole time. Now we spent most of the time playing with Joey. This was definitely a change for the better (and cheaper)!

Bye-Bye Cardiologist

Joey had his follow-up appointment with the cardiologist Thursday morning and GREAT NEWS... the small Patent Ductus Arteriosus or PDA that was noticed on Joey's first Echocardiogram at birth has closed. The doctor has given Joey's heart a clean bill of health and said he does not need to see us again. We feel so blessed and we thank God that Joey's has no issues with his heart.

Also... last night Joey slept in his crib in his room for the first time.

We had tried putting him down for naps in there before with no success. Those little eyes would pop back open the second we put him down.

But last night he did great... slept in his crib in his own room all night. We are so proud of our little guy.

Here are some pictures of Joey's room.

My very talented sister Cassie painted the picture on the wall next to the window for Joey. It's very cute. I will have to post a better picture of it later.

Almost Wordless Wednesday--Father's Day

I love how Joey looks at his Daddy...

Tony can get Joey to smile like no one else...

Joey and his Daddy before church on Sunday (Father's Day)

Father and son out by the pool...

Perfect

To me Joey is perfect. This weekend I was laying on the bed with Joey talking to him and he was making sounds back at me and it dawned on me... This baby is perfect. To me his features are perfect. It is perfect how he tries to make sounds when you talk to him and how he smiles when you do something that he likes. He is perfect in the way he asks to be fed, smacking his lips (no crying here unless you ignore his cues). He is a perfect angel all night long in that he sleeps most of the night. He plays by himself perfectly, sometimes for over an hour while I fold laundry, do dishes or try and cook dinner.

I saw the Memorykeeper's Daughter on tv this weekend. It kind of bothered me the way they portrayed the baby with Ds, like she was some freak of nature, compared to the baby without Ds. I did not think it was a fair portrayal of babies with Ds. Especially when I look at my baby Joey, or my punkin as we call him, because he is perfect. He looked perfect to us when he was born. And to us he will always be the perfect baby.

Joey playing with the tissue paper from his Daddy's father's day present.

Begging to Bring Joey Home

This is also a flashback Friday but I did not want to use that phrase again in the title. Here is the last entry on Joey's initial (yes... there was a subsequent one) hospital stay. I don't mean to dwell on this but I think it is important for others to know what the process of getting your baby sprung from the NICU can be like, and the importance of being your baby's advocate to hasten the process.

After the tubes came out of Joey's stomach and he began feeding from a bottle, we were moved to Room E of the NICU. Most of the babies in that room were there for problems with feeding and to gain weight before going home. While Joey had lost some weight from the intestinal blockage and surgery, and was down to about 6.5 pounds from his birthweight of 7.5 pounds, he was still one of the larger babies in the NICU. I believed that feeding, if that was indeed the only reason he was still in the hospital, was something that I could work on with him at home. After all, it was not like he was not eating at all, he was just slow at it and would get sleepy. Because of this the NICU nurses kept threatening to place another NG tube in him to finish his feedings that way. Most of the babies in Room E had one. But I was horrified at the thought of them putting another tube in my baby. I saw it as regressing and told them that I would not authorize it. If he needed to learn how to eat I did not see how feeding him through a tube was going to accomplish anything. One nurse even went as far as getting an order from the doctor to do it. The doctor later told me that she reluctantly signed the order but she did not think it was necessary just yet. But I refused to allow it unless it was absolutely medically necessary. And it never became medically necessary so we were able to avoid it.

As a result, my husband Tony and I tried to be the ones to feed him whenever possible. Granted it did take a lot of time and energy and I know the nurses did not have the time to dedicate to just feeding Joey....but I was determined not to let them put another tube in my baby. So my husband and I fed him. I would hold the bottle while my husband tickled and rubbed his feet, held a cold washcloth to his cheeks or arms, all while we both talked to him. Looking back it was probably quite the sight. But it worked. And he slowly began to eat more and more.

Now I wanted to take him home. But no one would tell me when we could do that. When he got back up, past his birthweight, I began telling the neonatologist and the nurses that if the only reason we were there was for feedings, I wanted to take him home by the end of the week even if it meant signing him out against medical advice. At first my demands were met with statements like "it's nice to have goals." So I became more persistent... I told everyone who asked "how we were doing" that I wanted to take him home and if feeding was the only reason we were still in the hospital... I could feed him at home. On February 24, 2009 I asked them to please do whatever they needed to do to clear him to go home.

Finally, on February 25, 2009, I was sitting there holding him when the Neonatologist came in. With tears in my eyes I said "I'm begging you...please let me take my baby home..." I was absolutely exhausted from running back and forth between home and the hospital, and pumping every four hours throughout the night, and ready to let the tears start flowing. And she said "ok... just please don't cry." She had been home the last few days with her own sick child and said that she could not take anymore crying. She then removed his PICC line and said we could take him home so long as I agreed to take him to the pediatrician for follow-up in two days.

I was absolutely thrilled. Here are some pics.

Joey looking more and more alert on February 23 and ( in my mind) ready to go home.


Stopping by to feed Joey before heading to his baby shower (remember he was born five weeks early). We were bummed that he could not join us.



Joey was obviously happy about the PICC line being removed...he's almost smiling.


Ready to go home!!!


Joey looking so tiny in his carseat.

And last but not least my favorite...yeah that's right baby... hold on for dear life... we are going home!!

Your mom and dad my not have a clue what they are doing..it is going to be an adventure for all... but one thing is for sure... YOU ARE LOVED!

Wordless Wednesday (Joey's first time in the sand with his friend Conan)

Joey's Four Month Check-up

Joey had his four month check up yesterday. He now weighs 14 lbs 10 oz and is 25 inches long. He is in the 65th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight on the Ds growth charts. (whatever that means) I cannot believe he has almost doubled in weight and has grown six inches since he was born! No more concern about this baby thriving!!! The doctor also said that he was right on target developmentally. In fact she called him a "show-off" when he demonstrated how well he holds up his head while on his tummy. We are however following up with a cardiologist next week to make sure that the small PDA (noticed on the ultrasound of his heart in the NICU) has closed.

Perhaps the best news though is that he is no longer wheezing. We have been using a nebulizer on Joey for the last three weeks which Joey really does not like. Poor baby... he has been such a trooper. Now that he is no longer wheezing we only have to continue with the breathing treatments for another week and then we are done for now.


Joey before church on Sunday playing on his floor gym... his favorite toy!


Joey last week trying out the Jumperoo. He likes it but he only tolerates it for about five minutes right now. We are sure it will soon become one of his favorites when he gets better at holding his head up in a sitting postion.

Joey really is the best baby. He rarely ever cries. When he does it is only for a second and then he stops, usually on his own. He is also sleeping through most the night on most nights. Yay Joey! Did I mention how much we love this baby!

Flashback Friday: Praying for Poop

After he got out of surgery, Joey's surgeon told us that we would not know whether the surgery to correct the blockage in his duodenum was a success until he pooped. As a result, we told all our friends and family, who were eager to help us in some way, that what we really needed them to do was to pray for poop.... And they did... and it worked! A few days later Joey pooped! We were so proud of our amazing little baby! Who knew that poop would be something we would be so excited to see. (we would have to remind ourselves of our excitement a few weeks later when we were cleaning it off the wall and furniture after Joey, and his newly connected bowels, tested his novice parents' ability to keep things covered while changing diapers!)

I was amazed by this baby's resilience and strength and how quickly he recovered after that. I knew then that no matter what the milestone or feat, this baby would continue to amaze us.


2/14/09. When he opened his eyes and looked into my eyes I felt as though he was looking straight into my soul. During the days after his surgery I lived for the moments when he would open his eyes and look at me! I usually would not leave his side if his eyes were open. God I loved and still love those eyes!






We took turns holding him in the NICU (2/14/09). Here is Joey and his Grandma (my mother Beth) who we are very grateful for. She came up to Sacramento from San Diego on the night of Joey's surgery and stayed with us until we were sure that things were going to be ok. During that time she managed to clean our entire house, including things I don't think I had ever cleaned, such as the top of the refridgerator!






Mommy's turn.




Daddy's turn.



Once Joey pooped the the IV's and other equipment slowly started to disappear. Here Joey is on 2/16/09 down to only the IV (called a PICC line that went up his arm and into his heart) in his left arm.





Look ma no more NG tube!

Later I would battle with the NICU nurses who wanted to reinsert a tube for feedings. I was determined not to let this happen and as a result spent most of the next 9 days in the NICU as much as possible, giving Joey his feedings myself so we could avoid another tube.





On 2/18/09 they removed the NG tube that was collecting drainage from his stomach and it was time to finally allow him to try eating. Joey really seemed glad to have that tube out and is seen here much more alert (although Jaundice). In between visits he spent a great deal of time unde the bilirubin lights.





At last, 2/18/09 we were able to feed Joey some Pedialyte from a bottle...he did not like it




The next week would be spent trying to get Joey to eat.

More to come on the rest of Joey's recovery later!

Wordless Wednesday (Joey's 3 month portraits)

Joey's Diagnosis & Surgery

Joey and his daddy on the day after Joey was born.

The morning after he was born (day 1), the on call pediatrician told me that she thought Joey had Down syndrome and ordered a preliminary karotype test. I was devastated by this announcement. For the next two days I asked anyone who saw him whether they thought he looked like he had Down syndrome. I also went back and forth in my head, analyzing his features, seeing it and not seeing it. I ultimately decided she had to be wrong... plain and simple… she was wrong. The morning after (day 2), the Pediatrician also decided that she had been wrong. After examining Joey again she came in and told me that she did not know why she had thought Joey had Down syndrome, as she was no longer "seeing it" when she looked at him. She apologized for being paranoid. I remember being so relieved. The relief was short lived, however, because Joey was still not eating and the nurses began to talk about sending him down to the NICU for evaluation.On day 2, February 10, 2009, Joey would latch onto my breast and fall asleep (again a preemie thing we were told). So the nurses brought me a pump and we decided they would try and feed him some expressed colostrom through a bottle. He took in a little but would spit up what appeared to be almost all of it. The nurses became concerned and told the doctor they wanted to transfer him to the NICU. The Pediatrician did not think that was necessary just yet so we spent a little more time trying to get him to eat both formula and expressed colostrum. At one point one of the nurses who was good at dealing with special needs babies because, I was told, she had a child with Down syndrome, was able to get Joey to take in an entire feeding. I remember becoming quickly annoyed with the suggestion that he had any special needs and informed the nurses that the pediatrician no longer thought he had DS. Her previous thought, that he might have DS, should not be a factor in his care.

The nurses ultimately prevailed and Joey was sent to the Special Care Nursery on day 3. Because he was still not eating during most attempts to feed him, the nurses put in a NG tube so that he could be gavage fed. But before the nurse fed him she used a syringe to see if anything he had been fed previously was still in his stomach. To our surprise, and dismay, it all appeared to be there. Everything we had managed to get him to eat for two days was still in his stomach. Apparently he was not digesting any of his feedings. The nurses informed me that this was not uncommon with babies with Down syndrome. As I had done with the nurses upstairs, I told the NICU nurses that he did not have DS. I informed them that the pediatrician had changed her mind and asked why they kept talking about him like he had DS. The nurse simply put her arm around me, her head against mine and said “oh honey…”

There was apparently no question in her mind that Joey had DS. Rather than question the diagnosis, they questioned why I had been so misled by our pediatrician. This was one of many times (but certainly not the last) that I would break down and sob uncontrollably over the course of the next few weeks. And for some reason, this information was always delivered to me when I was alone (either first thing in the morning before Tony could get to the hospital or late at night after he had gone home to sleep…he was coming down with a cold and I had insisted that he go home).

Despite having just had a c-section, the only time I spent in my room was to eat (which I had to do to produce milk), pump (again needed to do this to get my milk to come in) and get medication (another necessity so that I could make it downstairs to see Joey). I slept very little. Instead I spent most of the time that (Joey was in the NICU and I still had a room in the hospital) in a rocking chair next to Joey’s bed in the NICU rocking my baby.

On the night of, day 3, we now knew that Joey had not been digesting his feedings. I went back up to my room to pump while an x-ray was taken of Joey’s stomach. The neonatologist called me at about midnight to tell me that the x-ray had been inconclusive, but that an upper GI study would be done in the morning to confirm a blockage. They had also gotten the results from the preliminary karotype. I remember hoping desperately that she was going to tell me they had been wrong and that Joey was fine. That was not the way the conversation went. Joey did have Down syndrome. Alone again, I sobbed. There was no one to talk to about it at this time of night. Instead I dreaded the phone calls I was going to have to make the next morning, to my husband Tony, to my parents and my sisters…all of whom had been through the “we think he has it,” and “we no longer think that” rollercoaster ride with me over the course of the past few days.

By the next morning, I had collected myself. I told myself that the beautiful little baby I had been cuddling with over the last three days needed me and I was no good to him lying in the fetal position sobbing in my hospital bed. With that resolve, I cleaned myself up and went back downstairs to the NICU to fact the next set of challenges.

The upper GI revealed that Joey had an intestinal blockage. Joey had apparently tried to tell us there was a problem well before he was born. At my 32 week prenatal appointment the doctor became concerned that I was measuring large and sent me in for an ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid. The results came back normal, but on the outer limits, and anyone who saw me around this time thought I was huge. In fact I recall a complete stranger coming up to me while I was waiting for an oil change on my car the second week of January. I had just sneezed and rather than the obligatory "bless you" she exclaimed "don't do that again... I am afraid that baby is going to come flying out!" I was huge..... In retrospect, the extra amniotic fluid was likely due to the fact that Joey was not digesting it, as most babies do in the womb thereby decreasing the amount of fluid. At my 34 week appointment the doctor discussed the increased fluid levels and had ordered closer monitoring of the baby. Had I not gone into labor I was to start more intense fetal monitoring that Monday. Joey would have no part of that. His little nails were so sharp when he was born I almost wonder if he had been scratching at the membrane, trying to get out, so that we could get him the help that he needed.

At four days old Joey got the help that he needed. He had surgery to bypass and correct a blockage in his duodenum. When the surgeon was in there he also discovered that Joey had malrotated intestines which was corrected. The surgeon also removed Joey’s appendix and a small pouch in his intestines called a meckeles diverticulum. The surgery took about five hours. It was the longest five hours of my life.

Joey the day after surgery after he was extubated. I did not want any pictures of him with the machine breathing for him.

It would be a few days before I could do anything other than hold his hand and kiss his head. I remember thinking that I would not wish this on my worst enemy. There was nothing worse than not being able to hold your newborn baby.

More to come on Joey’s recovery and the two week stay in the NICU…

Flashback Friday

Stolen from Lisa (who stole this idea from Sheree)





Joey, at four weeks old showing off his one talent....eating!!! Take that NICU nurses (I will explain later how we had to beg them to release Joey from the NICU)!

Joey's Birth Story

I thought this blog ought to begin with Joey's birth story. I originally wrote out his birth story for Julie Hurst and the other mothers in the prenatal Yoga class I attended throughout my pregnancy with Joey.

My due date was March 16, 2009 but baby Joey, decided to make his debut into the world five weeks early. On Sunday, February 8, 2009 at about 8:00 a.m., I was getting out of bed to use the bathroom. While sitting on the edge of the bed I coughed and thought I peed myself. Unfortunately this was not an uncommon occurrence during my pregnancy. However, it was not pee… it continued to drip as I shuffled to the bathroom and I realized that my water had probably broken. I say probably because this was my first pregnancy and I had nothing to compare what I was experiencing to. At this point I was not feeling any contractions and had not experienced any other signs that labor was impending. …so I took a shower and called the hospital. They of course told us to come on in. I remember thinking thank god we would not be playing the -go to the hospital and be sent home (several times) because it was too early in the labor- game that I know is typical of first time moms. We got to the hospital around 9:30 a.m. The triage nurse took one look at my amniotic fluid-soaked pants (the pad I had on was doing little good) and admitted me without any further examination.

By now I was feeling very light contractions but was not experiencing any pain. Because my membrane had ruptured 5 weeks preterm, I had not yet been checked for the Beta Strep, so they started an IV and gave me antibiotics. The plan was to let me labor a while to see how things progressed. To my surprise I was allowed to order something to eat and just relaxed, watching the movies Dumb & Dumber (of all things) and then City of Angels while Tony ran home to pack a bag for us. As my due date was 5 weeks away, we had not yet packed a bag for the hospital. We were too freaked out when my water broke that morning to take the time to gather anything before heading to the hospital.

By 1:00 my contractions were still not very strong. They had not checked me for dilation because they did not want to introduce any bacteria but merely continued to monitor me and the baby with external monitors. At around 2:00 that afternoon the doctor started me on Pitocin and suggested I walk a little bit. Pitocin is evil stuff. Almost immediately I began to experience painful contractions. I nonetheless managed to walk up and down the hall for about an hour. I returned to my room. By 4:00 I was ready to vomit or cry with each contraction. At this point I begged for the anesthesiologist. Despite my joking throughout my pregnancy that I wanted the epidural in the parking lot, I had decided to ride it out as long as possible before getting the epidural. I was finally checked for dilation at this time and was only about 4 cm. After another hour of excruciating pain (waiting for the anesthesiologist’s assistant to give me the spiel about risks which have never in their experience occurred) I got the epidural.

At around 7 p.m. I was now about 6 cm dilated, but Joey’s heart rate began to drop with each contraction. They gave me oxygen and had me lay on my side to help, however around 8:30 p.m. the nurse came back in and said that the doctor (who had been monitoring my contractions and Joey’s heart rate on the computer down the hall) wanted to take me back immediately for a c-section. That had to be one of the most frightening things I had ever experienced. I immediately began shaking like a leaf and did not stop until about an hour after Joey was delivered.

Joey was born at 9:24 p.m. that night. Despite being 5 weeks premature he was 7 pounds 5 ounces and 19 inches in length. Thank goodness he was early!!! The reason for the decelerations in his heart rate was that the cord was coiled up near Joey’s head. He was also delivered holding the cord in his fist. I guess he wanted out badly. Joey nonetheless appeared healthy at this point. No one said anything to us about Down syndrome and because of my and my husband's relative lack of exposure to newborns, we did not think he looked like anything other than our beautiful baby boy. After recovering, we were taken to a room. Joey was examined and, seemingly healthy, was allowed to stay the night in my room. It was a sleepless night for me. I layed there listening to him breath. Unable to get out of bed, I was afraid he would stop breathing and I would be unable to help him. At this point he had not really eaten anything. Although we tried he would not breast feed. No one attributed it to anything other than him being a preemie.

The next post will cover Joey's Diagnosis and Surgery... It is going to take me a few months to catch Joey's blog up to the present day but at least we have gotten started.

For more info on the prenatal yoga class I attended, which was absolutely wonderful, go to herselfyoga.com

Our First Official Post

This Blog is dedicated to our beautiful baby boy Joseph Anthony Villacres "Joey." It is my sincere hope that by educating people about Down syndrome there will someday be a reduction in the number of abortions following prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. We cannot imagine life without this little guy... he is our world and it's only been four months. I cannot wait for the rest of the journey with this amazing baby!