The Goot Life

Emotional

2012-01-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy sucks. I mean...that it is all just so "typical". I had certain pregnancy symptoms or side-effects or whatever with my first two. But this is just so typical textbook; I hate it. Every pregnant woman is emotional, but this is crazy. I am freaking crazy. So forgetful....the last two times, i might have been a tad absentminded, but I am full on space-cadet this time. A little nauseated?...oh no....It is like I had the flu for the last 2 months...I've been drinking juice and eating fruit and that is it. This is actually the first week that I have been able to eat real food.
I have had "spotting" and I'm not going to go into detail but its all good and healthy and could just be a "normal, occasional thing" throughout the pregnancy. Um no thanku. I don't need any stress, But the doctor said everything is fine.
But the absolute worst part.... I cry over everything! Everything! And then I start to laugh becuz me crying is just so ridiculous and i know it and I still can't help it. The LSU vs Alabama game a couple weeks ago? Yeah....nothing to do with the outcome, but a player sprained his hamstring, (yeah no ACL tear or broken arm or anything crazy), just a hamstring sprain, had to sit out the rest of the game, his last College game as he is a senior, and the second it showed him crying from the sidelines...I lost it! I felt so sad for him that I just felt like I had been forced to sit out on my last college game. Bawled like a baby!
Seriously? Oh yeah. There has been several....no....a shiz load of scenarios just like this. Like...why the hell am I crying? Crying sucks.

In some good news....We find out the sex of the baby on Feb 1. Woot woot. I am sure there will be lots of crying though. (grrrr).

ps. I hate vegas. The second the baby is born, I want to get the hell out of here, aka Las Vegas, aka Hell.
I am going to have to save the post about the "N-word" bash that was going on at our park between little kids. Oh yes. its sickening.

Cali Love

2012-01-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

Tommorrow, our best couple friends are coming up from our hometown in Cali, to Las Vegas, Kurtis and Mandee. Kurtis is Johnny's best friend and thank goodness, I get along great with his wife. They are awesome people and have the most adorable kids.

Yah adorable right.

Well only Kurtis and Mandee are coming up cuz this weekend is an "adult-only" time. We are dropping off our kids over at the grandparents and we are actually gonna live it up like we are 22...lol...except no drinks for me as I have a baby in the belly. It will be fun though.

I'll have to recap on monday and post pictures of the weekend.

I am sure by Sunday, me and Jaw will be exhausted anyway because we are not what you call the partying type.

Anyway, Miss Savannah is taking a nap...I know....at 7 PM, but she is and while she was asleep, I made deviled eggs for her. She loves them...but she calls them "Paprika Eggs". And of course made Egg salad as well....yummm.. Seriously, It is like I hit 14 weeks and I can eat all the sudden. Don't get me wrong...stuff still grosses me out and makes me gag...like bagels...eww...I don't know why but just yuck!

But it is nice to be able to wake up and not feel like I'm going to throw up every other half hour.

Alright...hopefully I will have something more interesting to write about next time.

Happy Birthday Emmett

2012-01-14T00:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my dear son, Emmett!

He is 2 years old today, January 14, 2012.

It is amazing that it was only a short 2 years ago that my precious boy was born and changed our lives forever. In the last two years, our family has learned so much from our little guy. But it isn't just about what we have learned or gained....It is about HIS accomplishments.

I watched my son go through 4 surgeries all in his first year of life, including heart surgery at 10 days old. I didn't get to bring him home until he was almost 2 months old.

He was born with odds stacked against him and he is defeating those odds every single day.

I remember at his 1st birthday, hoping that he would be siting by then. He wasn't and it was okay.

He is sitting now.

More than sitting; he can go from sitting to his belly and push himself back up. He can balance himself when turning or pushed by Savannah (hehe).

He is army crawling like a pro!

He can push up on his arms and get into a 4-point crawling position.

He can do the splits! (oh yes, he is very, very flexible)

He is eating food.

We have yet to give him a french fry but he is eating non-pureed foods. :)

(huge feat!)

He eats Grandpa's fideo and Gramma's albondigas.

He is starting to sign! just barely but we are working on it.

He does the sign for eat, more, and good aka "yummy in the tummy".

He puts his hands in the air when we say "so big" or "big boy!"

He tries to imitate us.

He is strong...he pulled the crock pot out of the cabinet today. (eeeek)

He very ticklish. He laughs. He yells. He grunts! He uses us to pull up to stand.

He has personality.

He plays. He plays with his toys and loves watching Savannah dance and run and around.

He is my little prince.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Some Education

2012-01-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

On my blog, in the past, i have expressed when people are stupid-heads and jerks and ignorant and how much is just pisses me off. But this past month really took the cake. I got a letter, from a family member (of course...it always seems to be a family member that is the most ignorant)....anyway, a letter, that I guess was supposed to be a nice Christmas letter but inside entailed a lecture of how this time I need to eat more fruits and vegetables to I won't have baby born with deformities (ya know....like the one I have now). And then I guess they thought they would list their own "deformities" because their mother didn't eat right during pregnancy...such "deformities" included bad vision, a heart issue, bad hearing, and some other bullshiz.

Okay...so lets break this down. If you have bad vision, bad hearing, and heart issues...that is usually because of genes passed down from your parents....or that you drank diet coke all your life, only ate shit with preservatives, or even just getting older does it to you.

Some Education: Now the heart issue.
Me and Emmet both having congenital heart defects are in no way related to each other, believe it or not. CHD's are the #1 birth defect worldwide. One in 100 babies are born with a CHD. CHD's are common!!!! There is no MANDATORY prenatal testing for this! But there should be!!!! All it is a 10 minute fetal-echo cardiogram. It is non-invasive....it is basically an ultrasound...but with a special machine. This should be a mandatory prenatal test, as nearly TWICE as many children die from undiagnosed CHDs each year, more than all the childhood cancers combined!

Also, me having a CHD had nothing to do with what my mom did during pregnancy. Many commercials are coming out nowadays saying if you were born with a heart defect and your mom took this med or used this bug spray, or gardened alot....she could be the blame (yes....gardening, lol, what a joke). My mother did none of these. When I was a little fetus and my heart was forming itself during the first few weeks after conception, my aorta and left ventricle decided to switch places. It happens.
Now, Emmett has a heart issue because he has Down Syndrome. His CHD is directly related to his Down Syndrome....as 50%-60% of children born with DS also have a CHD.

Some Education: Down Syndrome
Emmett being born with Down Syndrome had nothing to do with anything I or my husband did before or during pregnancy. Down Syndrome happens at the moment of conception. It is what they call a fluke.

Here is what happens: Each of us has 46 chromosomes in our DNA...in each chromosome are tons of cells, in each of these cells, there are thousands of genes, and each gene makes up your body, personality, everything! Each gene has a job! Now when a fetus is being made.....23 chromosomes come from mom, and 23 chromosomes come from dad. So now, little fetus has 46 chromosomes. Now what happens that makes DS happens? Sometimes....when it is the 21st chromosomes turn to join the other 21st chromosome, instead of 1 coming from dad and 1 coming from mom....another little 21st chromosome decides to tag along. Therefore, the fetus now has 3 copies of the 21st chromosome instead of just 2. And for some reason, The 21st chromosome, when having that extra copy, makes a child with Down Syndrome. A child with Down Syndrome has 47 chromosomes in their DNA. The medical name for DS is Trisomy 21, it was discovered by John Langdon Down and that is why is it is called Down Syndrome (not Downs Syndrome).

Some Education: Miscarriages
I was trying to find the exact link, but I have found enough supporting evidence and even asked my perinatologist to confirm. 90% of miscarriages are due to a baby that has a chromosomal abnormality. Why does the baby miscarriage? Scientists have not found an exact reason but they believe that a woman's immune system senses the abnormality and nature takes it course to terminate the pregnancy on its own. I want women to know that miscarriages are not their fault and not becuz of something you did during the pregnancy. I look at miscarriages as not meant to be. But, then why are some children with abnormalities born and survive....such as Emmett? Again, there is no definite answer. Sometimes, the baby makes it. But also, if you have read my blog....you might remember that Emmett did stop developing in the womb, and they were concerned for his health....they kept him in as long as they could, just as they would with any other baby, until he finally had to come out.

Now I am sorry for the long blog post, I just need to vent; but also to educate. Becuz as long as someone out there in the blogging world is reading my blog and learning something...anything. It makes me happy and more strong to take the ignorance of other people. And its okay to be ignorant...but it is not okay to stay ignorant. Ask, Read, email, private message me. I would rather you ask a blunt question than get some passive aggressive, offending letter, disguised as good advice.

Tis The Season

2011-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

With all the ucky morning sickness I have had to endure, I canceled our christmas photos and we are not sending out family pictures this year. I have not felt well enough and I kept on pushing it back, I decided I just didn't care this year. I also only just sent out the xmas card and present to my dad and debi today so it obviously won't get there in time. Atleast I'm sending it!
This is the first year me and Jaw are hosting Christmas. Usually his mom hosts Christmas morning, but we felt that she needed a break...she has had a really stressful year and she hurt her back and needs to have a very crazy back surgery soon, so we thought, we will take some of the stress off her shoulders.
Also, My neice, Sophia Noel Gutierrez was born 2 days ago. She is just soooo adorable and we will be going to see her the day after Christmas when her and mommy are home from the hospital. I cannot wait to hold her. I just love newborns. They are just so beautiful and small, and I actually love that stage. I actually have my other niece who will be born soon...and her name is going to be Sophia too. Isn't that crazy...but I also learned that Sophia is the number one girls name of 2011 so...i guess it makes sense i have two nieces born months within eachother with the same name. As for names with are liking....if it a boy....a name we both really like is Jaxson and Luke.....(another popular name but it was also one of our choices 4 years ago when we thought Savannah was a boy.) For a girl....i like a lot of typical old school girlie names...I haven't really discussed them with Jaw but I have with Savannah (LoL) and we like Breann, Aubrey, Britney, Juliet....actually. I like a lot of girls names. girls names are so easy.

Just thinking about having a newborn in our house in 7 months, is making me excited and panicked. I am going to have to buy a double stroller and anyone have some advice on a good one? Emmett is still in a stroller and his therapists believe that while me may be able to stand by july and take some steps...he will not be walking. Right now, he is always in a stroller...I rarely carry him...except to the car. Even though he is only 20 pounds...he is long and he doesn't hang on or wrap his legs, and he tends to arch his back. He is still like a 6 month old in that area, he is total dead weight when you are carrying him. If there is anything I am concerned about having another child it will be the issue of Emmett still not walking. But hey...people with twins do it so I can too right. eh.....?

Morning Sickness

2011-12-17T04:42:00.000-08:00

So this time around I am suffering big time from morning sickness, which I would like to call all day sickness. All day! With Vannah it was in the morning and Mexican food grossed me out. With Emmett, it was just the smell of bacon or meat cooking.
But this....this is a whole new level of not feeling good. I am grossed out by everything. Something that is good one day, will be the devil the next day. I feel nauseous all day, I feel hungry all day, but it is hell to get something down. Only 3 more weeks until the first trimester is over...and hopefully, it will all go away like it did with my past two pregnancies. *crossing fingers*
Almost Everyone has been really supportive upon finding out we were pregnant. Actually, someone in our family is upset about our pregnancy, thinks we shouldn't have another baby and hasn't congratulated neither me or my husband. It is really sad becuz I hate that they speak their opinion to other people, but not to us. And if you are thinking that this person is just concerned over my health....it is more than that. She has something against us and I'm not sure what. For us...the decision to keep this baby was a carefully thought out decision. We know what is best for us, and we know the right steps to take and I have excellent doctors who checked me out thoroughly and ultimately, it is God who has decided to give us another child.
I understand I made it very clear that we were not going to have another child. I never said I didn't want another child. This baby was not planned. But me and Jaw strongly believe it is God who intervened becuz our family is not yet complete. I'm just pregnant and I feel that with this child, our family will be complete and I will be complete.
I have no problem expressing these feelings and sharing my life...it shocks me that a family member doesn't have the "balls" to talk to me and Johnny about this.
I think what really bugs me is that she goes and talks about us and has all these "issues" with us but never actually comes to us to address them. I don't get it.

But don't worry...I ain't stressing over her. I am excited cuz my mom will be up in less than a week and I have been saving Cafe Rio for her. Since nowadays when I do eat something that sounds good....it might never sound good again....so Cafe Rio sounds amazing, but I'm waiting! :) Such a considerate pregnant person I am LOL!

BIG NEWS!

2011-12-09T23:21:00.001-08:00

Okay...so, with this whole news thing...I have been good and wanted to wait a little longer but my husband just couldn't hold it in any longer and went and announced it on Facebook, so then of course, I had to also but now I need to put it on my blog.

We are indeed pregnant! We are 9 weeks along and found out at Thanksgiving time. I know I have explained on this blog that we were not going to have more children. BUT...we have been doing all the right things and we still got pregnant, so we took this as a gift from God and that we are to have one more child. I have been checked out by my heart doctor and we actually believe this will be our stress free pregnancy! LOL!

We are so excited and we of course are hoping for a boy because we do think it will be good for Emmett to have a brother, but we really don't care, girl or boy, we are happy! So yah...i'm pregnant along with a bunch of other women right now! Right on...2012 babies!

no original posts

2011-12-07T08:43:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of original posts by me. I will be posting more regularly about the going ons and all that. But I found this site and wanted to post the link because when Savannah was born, I suffered from post-partum depression.
I didn't know at the time that I was depressed. Looking back, i went to the doctor and explained what was going on. But she never diagnosed me as having PPD. I almost felt like this doctor should have known the signs and helped me. She gave me prescriptions that weren't right but i never even filled them so i guess it never mattered. I was in denial and suffering in secret.
I wish I would have faced that what was going on in my life was more than just" baby blues". It also didn't help that I had unsupportive people in my life at that time. When I went to this site, there is an article describing the Six Stages of PPD, and she adds on a 7th stage. This is the exact stages I went through and so many other women have too.
I did not have PPD with Emmett and I look at Emmett as my little saving grace because, even with all the stress of that pregnancy and all the health issues and surprises we had with him, I was able to enjoy his infancy. I believe having Emmett helped me get through my depression I experienced. I want to put this link up here because I think it is a great resource for new moms to go to if they are feeling not right. And not just "new" moms, but anytime you have a baby because you never know how things might be when the pregnancy is over and your life has officially changed.
So here is the link: Love in The Time of Postpartum Depression

Kelle Hampton Post

2011-12-04T08:29:00.001-08:00

Omg...have you been to Kelle Hampton's blog lately. This woman is crazy...in such a good way. She is like this perfect party mommy, but admits she isn't and i love it about her. Her most recent North Pole Party is just amazing. She is so creative and I just love reading about her girls. Go check it out ya'll. And if u haven't before, cuz I have mentioned her before, remember to read her birth story too. :)
Kelle Hampton's Blog

Stupid internet

2011-12-03T08:05:00.001-08:00

My internet is acting up and I know this sounds crazy but ever since we moved our computer to a different area of the room, the internet has been slow and just stupid! I thought we might have had a virus so i did a scan and a search and destroy scan but nothing has come up. Could it be the location? I just might have to move the computer again.
I'm having a hard time with eating these days. All i want to eat is soup. I think after Thanksgiving, and eating all that heavy food has like ruined me. All I want to do is eat very light. I guess that is a good thing though right. Getting healthy in the middle of the holiday?....heck yes.

As for Christmas, we have decorated and tomorow we are going to take the kids to see Santa. We don't usually do it this early in the month but there are so many awesome Christmas things going on this year, we only have a limited time that Johnny will be off work before Christmas, so we have to get everything in. :) Maybe we will take them again closer to christmas but gonna go tomorow anyway. :)

Now the Real Holiday Season can Begin

2011-11-26T08:36:00.001-08:00

So Thanksgiving....you came, we ate, and now its over. I'm thankful everyday for my life, but farewell until next year...cuz now the real holiday season can begin. It is Christmas time ya'll. Our Heavenly Father so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, and this season is the celebration of his birth and his life and that he died for our sins. I am so happy that Savannah is now retaining information that just wasn't holding last year; such as, she remembers that Christmas is the celebration or birthday of Jesus Christ but she couldn't remember why. But for her birthday I bought her first child's bible and the story of Jesus, so now she is starting to learn and remember, which I am happy about.
Jaw has to work tonight but tommorow he has off so we will be pulling out all the christmas decorations and all the christmas music!!!! Yay. I am excited for Opportunity Village Magical Forest, and the Glittering Lights at the Vegas Speedway. There are also quite a few streets and neighborhoods that go alll out with Christmas Lights. And of course going to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops, which we have done the last 2 years, so of course that is a favorite...seeing Savannah all excited.

We will also be having Christmas at our home for the first time. The first three years me and jaw were together, we lived with his parents and so Christmas just went how they have been doing it, and then the last two years, even though we have been on our home, it has been at their house. But now that Savannah is older and we also have Emmett, we are hosting Christmas. We are now going to be combining things we both have done growing up which I am excited about. We are doing the PJ's, stockings, food, everything. And of course, this will be the first Christmas in five years that i will get to share with my mom! I am soooo happy she is coming up. yay-ness!

Thankful

2011-11-24T18:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
This year I am very grateful for my family. First, of course, my husband. We put eachother first becuase if we didn't, we wouldn't be very good parents for our children. So I am thankful I found him, who was taught me so much and is a wonderful father to our children. I am thankful for my Miss Savannah Belle. She is the exact child my mother wanted to me have!...LOL. She is spunky and beautiful and I know that my Gramma Joyce who is up in heaven, picked her especially for me and Johnny. I am thankful for Emmett. He has been the biggest influence in my life. He has opened up my world and i have learned so much because of how special my little guy is.

I am also thankful for my mom. She tries. And most people won't understand that but it means everything to me. We are a priority in her life and that is what makes me happy and thankful.
I am thankful for Kathy and Don...my inlaws. Without them....i question where me and Jaw might be. They have helped us so much, especially our first couple years together. Kathy has taught me to think logically and she also taught me how to make Thanksgiving Dinner (hehehe). They are awesome grandparents and I am sooo thankful to have them part of our life.

I am thankful for all my family, my cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course my extended family of johnny's; they have all been soooo good to me and so accepting.

And last, but not least. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for past friends who shaped my childhood into my young adults years. I am happy that we make it through years of being apart, you are still just as important, lyndsay, ashley, brandon, and many more. I hope that our lives continue to connect even more in the future.

And happy thanksgiving to my blogger friends, becuz I know you through your blogs and therefore you are my friends and i love u all!!!!!

WTF!!!!????

2011-11-21T06:29:00.001-08:00

I am beyond upset right now. It is 6:30 in the morning and I just don't have words. Actually...yes I do. We all want the best for our children. We all try to give them what we believe is good for them, to nurture them, to teach them, to love them.
I am having trouble with my son. Emmett is not typical. It is amazing what goes into his therapy and the tiny steps he has to learn to do anything. With Savannah or other typical children, they see and they want to do, and so we help them, and they do. They crawl, they walk, they clap, they talk.
It took emmett until he was over a year old to learn to sit on his own. We take for granted what comes so easy. There are sooo many tiny steps we don't realize. This is not what I am so upset about though.
I don't know these steps. I also need to be taught these things by the therapists so I can help and teach Emmett. It is not just about Emmett learning...it is about us being told things and therefore...doing what is best for our son; to nurture him, to teach him, to love him.

It is very unfortunate when I find that not everything is being done, that could be done to help him.
When we first found out that Emmett had Down Syndrome...we were all over the internet researching as much as we could. It was overwhelming. But I finally did find an awesome board with postive mothers and I stuck to this one as information on the internet is overwhelming.
I came across a post about a mother asking how other kids with Down Syndrome were doing with their suresteps and thier spio vests. Apparently, these are products that are for children with special needs to help in areas such as hypotonia, stability, posture, spasticity, pronation....and basically have been proven to help children with Down Syndrome with thier development.
I am not exaggerating when I say EVERY SINGLE MOTHER i have asked, has told me that thier therapists have recommended it and even some insurances will cover the cost. This is not 10 or 15 mothers. this is, I believe, 52 mothers. 52! And probably even more.

Why hasn't my therapists suggested these. Do they not know?! But shouldn't they? I am not 100% blaming the therapist but isn't this what they went to school for? I found out by accident.
It really hurts to discover that I am not doing everything I could be doing. I'm just so upset. So of course, after seeing this, I started researching again and I am seeing techniques and pictures and videos of others children in thier therapy and again, all mothers have the same information, they didn't find out from the net....their children are recieving these amazing therapy techniques and exercises and NONE of these have been utilized with Emmett.

I am not even sure how I am supposed to approach his therapists about this issue? I am just upset and tired and I'm stuck. I need help....from anyone and hopefully by a parent who has a child with special needs...but I dont' think many people even read my blog.
Sorry for the long post but any advice would be good.

Baby Time!

2011-11-18T17:46:00.001-08:00

Finally I can say it....a baby girl is on her way! Not mine though. Hahahha, got ya for a second though didn't I. Actually my friend Ashley is preggo and they just found out she is having a girl and now I can finally write about it cuz I had to wait till she posted on FB.
I am soooo excited for Jocelyn Grace (sooo frickin adorbz right?!)! And I am so happy for my her and her husband. She is my first, real and true friend, that is having a baby! She was also my first real friend to get married too. (and I when I say real, I mean in a best friends sort of way). Me and Ash went through our ups and downs from kids, to teenagers, to young adults...but her and I connnect in a different way than I do with other friendships. I know she will be in my life forever and now I am so happy that she is going to be mother becuz she is going to be awesome!

So lately on Facebook, I find that a few of my friends will start conversations via comments with other friends and the stuff they talk about makes no sense to me. Like, they are talking about serious stuff, but I read it and I'm like "wtf mate?". Maybe it is because I only did two years of college and I never took serious courses like philosophy or politics. I try to get involved in the news and politics and try to be educated when I am going to bring up or get involved in a subject. I mean, I love reading other peoples posts and looking at their pictures, but sometimes I actually have to try to come up with something to post. I don't want to be just a looksie-loo. :) And then I look at my posts, and they are either about kids, what I'm doing, or pictures.

I mean, usually I'm looking up stuff about cheap homecooked meals, or googling a rash that one of the kids has, researching schools, researching new findings in the Down Syndrome world, reading forum boards about dave ramsey or even harry potter, (lol).

But seriously....I feel dumb sometimes.
I guess in the end its okay cuz the main reason I even have facebook is for my mom.

no more spongebob

2011-11-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've never liked Spongebob Squarepants. Never. While it is not Savannah's favorite show, if it is on, she will watch it. Well that is done and over with. I guess some new "study" came out saying that this yellow dude is bad for 4-year-olds...but that is not the reason cuz I don't believe every single study or opinion. We are stopping Spongebob because the cartoon told Savannah that giving her daddy a kiss what gross and disgusting.
Lets break this down. A 4-year-old little girl who kisses her daddy goodnight when she goes to bed or goodbye he goes to work and even gives him a kiss on the cheek because she just "loves him", will no longer because Spongebob said not to.
WOW.
I never thought I would be one of "those moms" but I am one now. No more Spongebob. No more Max and Ruby (max and ruby isn't that bad because it is a learning show, but that is one other show we stopping letting Vannah watch becuz she would talk like max in a baby voice, when she should be talking like ruby, so this one was also axed a couple of months ago).
I will be monitoring Vannahs shows wayyyyy more from now on.
We explained to Savannah that Spongebob was wrong. She is back to normal but Spongebob is blocked now.

Back to Writing

2011-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

The last few months have sucked. And even though the "suckiness" of it all hasn't been completely resolved; we have been through a lot and things are getting much better. We moved out of our mobile home and we are currently living in an apartment. I never wanted to live in an apartment again, especially with kids, but it has seriously been heaven compared to what we were going through in our home. I know all the cons of apartments...I've lived in them before when I was younger but right now, it has been a burden off our shoulders. Our apartment is big, everything from our home fits in it, it is in a really nice area called Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, now we are Hendersonians! LOL. and it is closer to Jaw's work and Savannah's preschool.

Emmett has missed 2 months of therapy and will be having his first physical therapy appointment over here tomorow and I am just so relieved to be getting back onto schedule. Little Brag by the way...Emmett is now in the crawling position! Doesn't crawl but does the rocking position. He has only done it a few times in the last couple of days but me and Johnny were practically jumping up and down we were soooo excited! It is just so hard to explain how happy we are to reach this milestone. He will be 2-years-old in January and it has taken time, therapy, and tears from our little one to reach this point. Now we just have to work on learning to sit from laying. He has the strength, he just isn't getting it yet :(

As for Miss Belle and preschool. She loves it and while she already knows everything they have been teaching :/ she is still having a good time and loves the kids. There is one adorable girl that is in her class and that she plays with at the playground after school, but the little girls parents are young, like 20 or 21 young and so I'm trying to figure out if me and Jaw would mesh with them so our girls could see eachother outside of school. And then there is little adorable blonde haired, blue eyed little boy named Aiden (adorbz) who likes Savannah. OMG! My MIL Kathy was asking Savannah if Aiden was her boyfriend and she said yes! LOL. But I gtg cuz Vannah is asking for some cheesecake...yes...we made cheesecake yesterday and it is oh so good. :)

Alrighty then.

2011-11-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

So I am not good with words but when I visited a fellow blog of a mom with a son with Down Syndrome, she described how she felt about her son, Bennett. and i can tell you it is exactly how i felt and how i presently feel about my son emmett. So I wanted to post what she wrote for a little insight to myself. I will also link her blog at the bottom to give due credit of course!
"I've been doing some thinking. Thinking about how upset I was when I first found out that Bennett had Down syndrome. Almost immediately a little boys life flashed before my eyes. A boy I didn't even know but I felt I was losing him. Dreams that I had for this boy seemed to vanish, dreams that I had made up, dreams that we all make up. His face that I had envisioned seemed to vanish and even the names I had picked seemed to slip away. It was as if all of a sudden I was given this new child that I was not prepared for and that did not fit into my plans.

Now, I know that all of these feelings I had were normal and I don't think there is anything wrong with mourning the death of child you thought you were having. Because essentially that's what it feels like at first. However, I've come to realize that the child I had dreamed about and that I thought I was having never even existed. There was never a Bennett without Down syndrome. The moment Bennett was conceived, that extra chromosome was there.

When he was first born I used to wonder what he would look like if he didn't have Down syndrome or what he would be doing if he didn't have it. Would his eyes be big and round like Harper's? Would he be a strong baby and holding his head up more as an infant if he did not have DS? But now when I look at him, again I remind myself that there was never a little Bennett of mine without Down syndrome, he never existed. For some reason this thought puts me to tears, like really makes me cry but I don't think it makes me cry because I'm sad that there was never a Bennett without Down syndrome, I think it makes me realize how much of this life is not in my control and how God has his hands on everything and that's a good thing.

In the beginning I struggled so much with whether or not this just happened by mistake or if God knew this all along. Like when I was a little girl did God know that I would one day have two little girls of my own and then something special would happen and Bennett would be conceived? I struggled because I thought why would God cause this to happen, why would he want my son to have something that would cause him to be different or "not perfect"? But now I've come to believe that God allowed this to happen and although I do not know his plans or why it would happen to us, his ways are much bigger than my ways and it's okay to not know why. And for some reason it puts me at peace to know that this child I had in my mind, the child I thought I was having never was meant to be. Bennett, however was meant to be. He was perfectly placed in our family and not because we are special parents that have the strength to handle a child with special needs, because 1) we aren't and 2) we don't but because God has plans. And I'm so thankful I can now believe that Bennett was always the son I was meant to have, from the very beginning, just the way he is."

So at this time I am thankful for my beautiful son, my darling daughter, and for the best husband who is perfect for me. So many people talk crap on me and my husband and talk behind our backs, and never have the courage to confront us. And at this point, I don't care, cuz we don't need that petty bull in our life. We are happy with who we are choosing to keep in our lives and involve our lives with and that is what makes us happy and thankful.

oh and her blog is : Unexpected Journey

This Crazy Life

2011-10-02T01:44:00.000-07:00

I am having a hard time updating my blog because we are going through so much right now. I have my sisters wedding this week which is in Cali (my love). But before that, we have Savannah's birthday on Monday. She will be 4! Oh my goodness. She is growing up too fast. It is still almost surreal driving her to school in the morning.

So darn precious isn't she! And such a lil sassy girl!

In other news, we are moving right when we get back from Cali. We are moving still within Vegas, to a place called Green Valley. Because we have only been in Vegas for a couple years, we don't want to rush into buying a house until we are sure of where we want to be. The bad thing about moving though?...we have to do it all ourselves. Just me and Johnny. It really sucks not having any friends in Vegas. And we have to go upstairs. I don't know how we are going to do it. We have a huge TV and the couch?....I'm stressing already. But I am excited to get into our new place and for my mom to come up for Christmas this year.

On top of everything else, there is always drama stired up by other people. Someone on facebook made a comment about my mom and her job. I wanted to say something to them but decided instead, I will tell my blogger friends.

I wanted to say that atleast my mom has a job! and works hard and works night and weekends to make up for days that she takes off to come and see me. Atleast my mother makes an effort and does come up here and tries her hardest to be part of my life and HER grandkids lives. So there! Grrrr!

No Negative Nancy here

2011-09-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

I am so saddended and have such a heavy heart the last few days. I found out a childhood friend of mine, that her husband has cancer. I just can't believe I have been going on and on about these bumps in the road in my life; when someone who is so great and has such a beautiful family is going through this horrific situation in their life. I pray for them every morning that this family needs their husband and father!

I feel pretty pathetic that this misfortune has made me realize what a cry baby I have been. What we have been going through is only bumps in the road and we will get through it no matter what. We have high hopes of moving into a new place, but if that doesn't happen, we have options. Everytime we go through hard times....(and oh yes, me and Jaw have gone through very hard times), we just get closer and stronger together. And now when I think of all the crazy stuff we have been through...the past few months don't seem that bad. I mean...we need to figure out where we are going to live, we don't want to be homeless.

But we have been through so much, I need to start being optimistic becuase we may not be rich, and we may not have a paddle up $hiz river, but somehow I know we are going to be okay.

Feeling Tired ya'll?

2011-09-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

So, as it is...I am part of las vegas mom groups, down syndrome groups, heart surgery groups, and TGA (transposition of the great arteries) group. Well in a lot of my TGA groups, people have been saying that they are tired and it is common for a person with TGA, in their older age, to feel more tired than the average person. (????) uh, exactly how do they do that study? No seriously? I don't get it. How would we know if we were more tired? We only know how we feel. We don't know any different. We have had a heart problem since birth.
When someone asks me if I had any trouble doing sports or activities in high school. I could think of days that I was tired or felt off; but doesn't everyone have a day like that. I mean, how exactly does this study occur. LOL. This is pretty much a big joke to me. I feel tired all the time...but I believe that is becuz I am a mom and when you are a mom, you don't get sleep, so therefore you are tired. So yes I am tired, but I don't think it is becuz of my heart.

Preschool Again EDITED

2011-09-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm blogging about preschool again. Today was Savannah's first day! Woot Woot. We were 10 minutes late, but a lot of people were becuz it was crazy raining this morning and her school is in Henderson, which is like flash flood central so we drove all cautious. She looked adorable. She was excited and it was a happy moment becuz she just walked right in, put her backpack up on the hanger and was totally fine. It was sad for us becuz she is going to school! Yeah, yeah, its just preschool but...I remember going to preschool! So it is a little wierd for my baby to be going.
And now I have to brag (sorry). When the parents came to pick up the kids, kids are only released one at a time and you have to show ID to get your kid out and when you came to pick up your kid the teacher would tell you if there were any concerns or problems or anything that you might need to talk with your kid about.

***edit. After thinking about what I put...it was very selfish to write that the teacher had no concerns about Savannah for her first day. It might change and I am a parent who is going to accept constructive criticism so I can teach my daughter the proper way to act in class.

AND I wanted to say something about having our child in the worst school district in the country. I read from other las vegas mom blogs and in our newspaper and watch on the news the astounding statistics about the place we live. While it is a teacher's job to teach your kid...it is also the parents responsbility to teach their child too!
YOU HAVE TO START EARLY! Watching Vannah the other day in school; most of the kids in her class didn't know how to even hold a crayon or pencil correctly. For me, that was shocking! I don't understand why parents haven't worked with their kids before preschool. Maybe I am being judgemental but the parents need to be part of their childs learning also.
When Savannah was 5 months old, we saw a segment on TV about how you should talk to your baby and narrate everything you are doing and should speak 17,000 words a day to your kid. It seemed kinda crazy, but we did it. I felt silly at times, but I would say..."mommy is washing a cup. mommy is putting away the plate. mommy is using the can opener to open the spaghettios". LoL. but we saw a difference, espeically when she was around other babies her own age. It is not becuz our child is so gifted or perfect; but becuz we, her parents, work very hard with her. And we have continued to do so into her toddler years as well. While our education system will never be perfect, us parents can strive for better and help our children excel just by being teachers in our every day life.****

She is excited to go back thursday and out of all the crap we have been going through lately. This definitely brightened our spirits.

September 11

2011-09-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

We all know where we were on September 11. I was a senior in high school and getting ready for school and my mom called me into her room to watch this story on a plane that went into the World Trade Center, we then saw the second plane go into the other tower and my mom screamed. Her cousin worked in the World Trade Center.
The worst part was watching those Towers collapse. Even TEN years later, watching all the specials and the playbacks over again, that is the part that really just takes my breath away and I just cry. We have come a long way since then and even with the death of Osama Bin Laden, it does not mean the death of Al Qaeda.

I did not do anything too special on this day, just spent time with my family. My husband had to go to work last night and I was therefore left without a car, so I didn't get to go to the 9/11 memorial they did at New York, New York Hotel last night. But that is okay becuz I spend the day reflecting and watching TV, talked to my mom on the phone. Did things I thought was important. At one point, Savannah looked up at the TV and said, "Mom, I don't like this movie." Yeah, maybe I will wait a couple more years to explain a little history about our country.

The "Bad" Kids

2011-09-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am not perfect. My kid is not perfect. We have good days, not so good days, great days and bad days. I was not a kid that ran around the restaurant. All I needed was "the Look" from Dad to shut me up. I knew to please and thank you to everyone. Could I be a brat sometimes? Of course.
Even the best behaved children have their moments. There are a couple of kids that Savannah sees and no matter what, during the time we are with them, every single time, without a doubt, these kids both have a fit, disobey their parents, fight, and get punished. (and Vannah's age has nothing to do with it cuz one of the kids is her age).
Savannah is very well behaved when she is with them and I feel awkward sometimes when the other kids are getting disciplined and Savannah just stands there and watches. And what is even worse is this is family, so there is no "not" hanging out with them.
My problem isn't so much the kids because their parents do watch them and discipline them, which is good. But every single time, after they go home, Savannah turns into a little hellion! She will talk back, gets an attitude, and misbehaves! This only lasts a few hours up to a day, but she only acts like this after being around those other kids. I also know its not all kids. She is completely fine after hanging out with other cousins, children, or kids at the park.
I'm not sure if she is seeing how they are acting and thinks it is okay too; but she waits till they are gone. Its very frustrating and I now understand why my parents didn't like a few of my friends growing up; I must have acted like a little brat around certain kids. Payback eh?

We got a Pool!

2011-08-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

It was so humid yesterday in Las Vegas that we went and spent the night at our inlaws becuz they have bitchin air conditioning. In the morning, Jaw decided to run to the house to get our mail and at about 9 AM I get a hysterical phone call asking where our main water shutoff is because our house is flooding.

Yah. Seriously! A pipe from under the front bathroom toilet broke...yes...broke and water was spouting out like a a geyser. We jumped in the inlaws car and hauled butt over to my place. The whole bathroom was flooded, Savannah's bedroom was flooded, the hallway and about 5 feet into our master bedroom.

Like it is so ridiculous that we just laugh. we are so frustrated and fed up, that the only thing we can do is joke about it. we fixed the pipe that caused the flooding but now we have to see what kinda of damage it did.
my mom posted on facebook that she would rather be at the pool today than at work. i replied, "you can come over to our house...we got a new pool from Savannah's room to our room. LoL."

I'm still being positive. once we catch up on finances, we are just gonna have to get a general contractor out here and give us a list of everything in the house that needs to be repaired or if it is a waste of time and instead get a newer coach. (ours is 42 years old) we shall see. but that won't happen for months. boo. well....in a few days we will get to home.

the Graveyard Shift

2011-08-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

My whole life was on a normal schedule. Until I met Johnny and when I moved to Arizona, my graveyard life began. We moved in with his family, who were graveyard workers. Johnny has always been a night owl as a result of being home schooled most of his youth and his mother worked from home but during the graveyard shift. When I was first living in Arizona, I worked a normal 8-5 job as an ophthalmologist tech, but Jaw worked at the hospital...on the graveyard shift.
Once I became pregnant with Savannah, I started working on my medical transcription course and when I became certified I obviously accepted a job during the graveyard shift. (which also paid more).

My graveyard life began. And unfortunately it has brought us to the present. Because of this lifestyle, our Miss Savannah has had problems with sleeping ever since she was an infant. I no longer work but my husband still works the night shift and we do stay up pretty late when it is his days off. Until about last year, Savannah never slept a "night sleep". She would take 3-4 hour naps a few times a day. She just couldn't stay asleep. For the last year, we have been working on Savannah going to bed at a decent time and waking up in the morning. There are times when she is completely flipped.

She is, however, finally sleeping a "night sleep" or usually 8 hours; just at the wrong times. We are hoping that with going to preschool 2 days a week and enrolling her in some extracurricular activities will help her schedule and her body will adjust to a typical schedule for a kid.
Now a cute picture of Savannah with Gramma Janet.

a Hot Mess

2011-08-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that our swamp cooler broke while we in California. Yah. It was a disgusting 90-something Hot Mess in our house! It seems like everytime we get ahead, something breaks in our house. Well we finally got it fixed on Sunday and so now I can start organizing the house and get ready for my mom to come and visit in september. yay!
I actually have some good news. Savannah got into the preschool we applied for. Woot Woot. It is a fraction of the price of private preschools, she will have the same teacher all year, and it is state-licensed! And also to supplement her school, her gramma will be doing lessons with her in correspondence with the curriculum. I'm happy about this becuz Kathy (jaw's mom) homeschooled Jaw during his younger years and right before high school so I trust her. And it will give me a break for a couple of hours to spend quality time with Emmett or catch up on chores. :)
Definently a good and happy change in our home to know our little Miss Belle is starting school. We taught her to say her last name...which isn't the easiest and most people pronounce it wrong, so atleast she can say it right.

Excuse me!

2011-08-11T00:23:00.000-07:00

We are back from California and it was a great week and weekend. The shower was great. It was great seeing my family. Disneyland was awesome and fun. Just being back in California is awesome. And as usual...whenever we come home from visiting family in Cali, I get depressed. This time it is pretty bad. I feel alone and it sucks. I would post pics from Cali but my camera died and I can't find the cord to hook it up to the computer and there is no way I am going to spend money to buy a new one. It will turn up. Now While I had a blast in California there is something someone said to me while I was down there and I can't stop thinking about it and I know now that I can't say anything about it to this person becuz they will just think i'm acting crazy; (which I might be).

I offered to help someone with something, (doesn't matter what it is), but I was offering becuz I am nice like that and do you know what this person said? They said, "oh yah, you have time, you just stay at home."

*WINCE*.....ouch.

I just smiled.
Oh what a different person I have become, becuz a few years ago, I would have said or yelled, "EXCUSE ME?!!!" and then proceed to tell this person that I may stay at home but my day is full of work and constant cleaning.
I mean hellooo...the only luxury or "hobby" I have is blogging. NO JOKE. It is the only selfish thing I do. and I usually do it late at night...like 3 am, while this person is getting their full 8 hours of sleep. But I just have to let it go. The things we never say. Life is not perfect. I love my husband, I love my kids, and I can accept las vegas and we can make it work here but deep down, I HATE LAS VEGAS.

Not saying that I have it the hardest becuz I know compared to a lot of women out there...i have it great. But I am down right now and I just need to let it out. right now I have 2 kids who are not in school. I have a little girl who is jealous of her younger sibling, who i am trying to teach her letters and numbers, but who wants to be entertained 24/7 and has no friends so mommy has to entertain her and play with a 3 year old, even though, I am also watching my 1-1/2 year old son who has a disability. And I always downplay his Down Syndrome but he does have a hard time!! he has learned to roll and army crawl, but who can't talk, not even say mama, and who goes after cords, can only eat pureed food, can't hold his bottle up all the way by himself so I am constantly feeding him and he doesn't have that great of a suck so his milk spills on everything....we have tried every single diaper and doubling up...he pees out of his diaper a few times a day and no matter what we do and wets his bed so I do blanket and towel laundry EVERY SINGLE DAY...on top of my normal household chores. we do not have a dishwasher so I hand wash everything and it gets old handwashing everything several times a day.
We live in a very old mobile home, that has a lot of problems...we can't afford to buy a brand new one so over the past couple years, we have been slowly fixing things..but everytime we fix something, another thing breaks and we feel like we are living in the money pit.
and I have a son who cannot be out in the Las Vegas heat for long periods of time becuz along with Down Syndrome came a super sensitivity to the sun. So there are not a lot of places I get to take my kids and I can't go to the inside parks with air conditioning, beucz it costs money. money we do not have to spend on a luxury like that. We also have one car. one. oh yes...i have it so easy becuz i don't have to wake up for work in the morning.....i just wake up 4 times during the night to tend to my daughter who had a nightmare or wet her bed, or my son, who stopped breathing from his apnea or needs a diaper change becuz his wet cold diaper woke him up.

I'm not one to brag about how hard we have it but just the fact that this person thought 'oh her life is so simple...she just stays at home with her little kids is so easy.' bull-crap. my life is not bad. There are good times and great times every single day with my family, but it is not easy. I thought my life was so hard back living in California before I met Johnny and had kids. Wow. Not at all. It just pisses me off that this person who does not have kids thinks i have it so easy. i shoulda told her then. and maybe she will never know until she has a family taht she has to take care of and she will probably have to work and probably miss out on a lot and I will feel sorry for her.

yah not allowing comments on this one...sorry ya'll

bridal shower games?

2011-07-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

My sisters bridal shower is in a week and half and I am throwing it. One thing I am having trouble with is shower games. I only want there to be 3 games and simple. This shower is basically all the women in the family, aunts, grammas, moms. Only the 3 other 20-something bridesmaids will be there. Sis wants the shower to be simple and short, (as the fun bachelorette bridal shower is later that night).
So I've tried looking on the internet and there are so many games that are so personal; such as like the brides favorite color, movie, etc. The ladies attending the shower (besides the bridemaids), don't know those things about the bride. So I need more fun easy games. Any help or suggestions please!??

I am, unfortunately, still stressing about Savannah getting into preschool. Even though I have a backup plan, which will work and she will get into educational classes at the community center. I really would like her to get into the place so she will always have the same teacher for the rest of the year and it won't be so relaxed. Living in a state with a really bad school district really can really stress you out....now I understand why my parents moved us to the YL when we were younger. But me and Jaw are totally not in the time of our lives to be moving, so we have to make lemonade out of oranges basically. :)

Fearless

2011-07-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today we took Vannah to get her shots for preschool. We basically have been pumping her up for her shots for about a week now so she wouldn't be scared. She has seen Emmett get shots and more done and seen him cry and reach for mommy and daddy; so we were worried about how she would act when that nurse came in with a shot for her.

Totally fearless.

Daddy came to hold her in case she jerked away and I sat next to her and told her to look at mommy.

She didn't even budge or shed a tear!

No watery eyes, no whimper, no nothing!

She looked at us like we were crazy.

Which I guess we are.

(boy, we don't give her enough credit...I think we were more scared LoL).

She was ready to go get her ice cream that we promised her becuz us wimp-parents thought our lil girl was going to be traumatized.

She walked outta that doctor's office so proud of herself; and definitely with a little swagger.

haha.

Fearless!

All her stats were good and in the 50th percentile with height at 39 inches and weight at 33 pounds.

(mr emmett is 29 inches and only 20 pounds but still a little rock star too).

Now all I have to do is panic and hope she gets into one of the three preschools that are done by lottery or first-come first-serve.

big. bad. pneumonia.

2011-07-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence. I haven't had internet for a week. So now I must catch up on al the blogs. :)

So it happened. Emmett had pneumonia.

I have read and seen so many blogs of these poor babies and children with Down Syndrome that develop pneumonia and are in the hospital for days, even weeks, and get worse; even fall into comas. We were very fortunate that Emmett responded to treatment so well and was discharged after only 3 days in the hospital.

It is scary that to think that when Savannah has a cough, we just give her medicine, turn on the humidifier, and she is well in a few days. We have been so laid back with Emmett, treating him the same way as Vannah, and in doing so, we made it worse. In trying to be "normal" with Emmett and not freak out over every sniffle or cough, we ignored the warning signs. Just like every kid is different; Emmett is different. He needs a little extra care becuase he was born with taht extra chromosome. And no matter how "normal" or "fair" we try to treat him, he will always need that extra paranoia, that extra care, that extra "what if" and of course....that extra love. He is still doing breathing treatments but his pediatrician says his lungs are sounding more clear. And actually he has slept the best he ever has in 6 months! Which also means...I have slept the best I have in 6 months...LoL.

Now that i have the internet back I will be able to get back to blogging. Ahhh...how did I ever live without the internet?

(The Southern Nevada Down Syndrome website recently posted a whole file of everything you need to do for your child regarding health issues. Such as, vision checks, hearing checks, heart problems, respiratory problems, when to check for leukemia and how often, when to have an MRI for spine problems. It has been so helpful and good reference for the future.)

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

This was our 3rd Fourth of July here in Vegas and so far, the best too. The first year, we had no clue where to go and went to see Fireworks at the M...big fail. Last year was much better, we went to see fireworks at Green Valley Casino and found a great spot, except Emmett was just a little bittie baby and it was disgusting hot last year. This year, we went back to our great spot, which was much more packed this year, but were right under the fireworks, no traffic getting out and we got to light of tons of fireworks (which are legal in Nevada). And while it was more humid from the monsoon the day before, it wasn't as hot as last year. Emmett also loved watching the fireworks...he hated the boom and made his sad face a few times, so Johnny held him through the main firework show and covered his ears. I am surprised he did so well. Savannah, of course, had a blast. Watching fireworks in Vegas is still a lot different than going to the park at Yorba Linda and having a picnic, running into people we know, and listening to live music while watching the show. Maybe next year, we will have to go down to Cali, cuz it has been 5 years since we have been there and I think the Savannah AND especially Emmett might have an even better time down there.

Another post about preschool...

2011-06-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

So, after some advice, I have narrowed the preschool down to a couple of community centers and an in-home preschool. The in-home one is insured and licensed and apparently the teacher has a masters in education and has been a teacher for 15 years. I'm not sure why all the sudden she has this home prescchool...I am assuming she was one of the hundreds of teachers Las Vegas laid off. But we are checking into it because she can go three half days for the same price as two half days at the centers. Has anyone ever heard of anyone sending their kid to an in-home? I am so excited and nervous that she will be starting preschool; but she is definently ready.

So what is everyone doing for Fourth of July? we are going to BBQ...uh duh! (but probably not swim becuz our community pool will be packed) and then we are going to go to our spot across from Green Valley Ranch Casino to watch the fireworks. We have the best spot and also, we can do our own fireworks before and after the show in the parking lot. :)

Now I am trying to figure out if I can get up early enuff to take Savannah to library tomorow so I can make a mommy friend? hum....i hope I don't flake out.

For the Mamas

2011-06-27T03:50:00.000-07:00

I don't have any friends here in Vegas. None. It really sucks. Well, there is this mom who seems really cool who is the mother to one of the little girls in Savannah's gymnastics class and we talked a few times...she also told me about how the library has free story time and arts and crafts during the summer and how she takes her daughter. So i think I need to take Savannah too...and hopefully start a friendship with the mom. I am desperate. Pathetic i know.

Even though I don't have any friends here in Vegas, I do read a certain blog like religiously. She posts pretty much every day and she is frickin smart. She has lived in Vegas a long time, has kids who are in elementary school, and she is smart. I mean super smart about everything Vegas. She is into politics, the school system, the PTA, and not just Nevada stuff; She knows a lot of about....about....well about just random stuff that is actually useful. She is not some kind of self-proclaimed super-mom, don't worry. She is just smart. Well anyway...one of her useful investigations caught my eye and it had to do with sunscreen for kids. I have been using the spray sunscreens the past 2 summers...not anymore. I am now going to order the same sunscreen she got her kids because of what she wrote and the website that you can use to see if your sunscreen is working correctly.

HERE IS HER BLOGPOST and the LINKS:
"On average, Las Vegas experiences 72.6 days a year above 100 degrees. Incidentally, there are exactly 72 days left before school starts.
Coincidence??????? I THINK NOT.
Then I was freaking out because I got really lazy about getting good sunscreen and have been using chemical sprays which are super dangerous and actually cause cancer. I was picking it up at Trader's and using Trader Joe's Nourish Spray and noticed that it contains oxybenzone, which is a hormone disrupter and mimics estrogen, and I finally went to EWG.org's website, which rates toxicity of sunscreens by manufacturer's name and Trader's spray is ranked a SEVEN, which is highly dangerous.
In fact, my fertility doctor is now recommending to his new patients that they use no chemical sunscreens at all because oxybenzone is lowering sperm counts so much. It's also affecting toddler boys by shrinking the penis during development and causing female-like imprinting of the brain. It's also been linked to increased endometrosis and migraines and a whole host of bad and nasty things.
Also, if your sunscreen contains Vitamin A, that is a huge, huge problem because studies are showing that vitamin A, when exposed to the sun, actually PROMOTES skin cancer. I bought Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby and that was also ranked a SEVEN in toxicity for containing vitamin A.

What sucks is that in order for me to get the really good mineral sunscreen, we are talking $20 a tube and I could EASILY go through a 3 ounce tube a day. And what sucks even more is that safer and better sunscreen is available in Europe, but we can't get them here in the United States. I'm sure that is because the better ingredient, Meroxyl, is patented by L'Oreal, a French company, and why would any of our corporations want to pay royalties to use it?
Did you know that for 33 years, the FDA has failed to regulate or put rules on the 65 billion dollar a year sunscreen industry? They finally did two days ago. If you click on that link, you can read how sunscreens will change next year.
In the meantime, I just ordered a half gallon of Tropical Sand's All Natural Sunscreen for $89. Which is a smoking deal when you have four kids to keep covered. "

I wanted to share this post with the mamas out there. And also...here is a link for a smaller bottle of the all natural sunscreen for 15 bucks on Amazon.com. Unfortunately you can't find the natural stuff in target or walmart. You have to pretty much go to a specialty store or go online.
Also...when Vegas Mom put it on her kids...they were out in the sun all day and she did not have to reapply and her kids barely got a tint of sun. I believe the only thing you can find at Target is called California Baby, but it is pretty expensive as well and remember to reapply if you are constantly going in and out of water. Just thought I would share this information.

BUT...I also want to let you know...ANY SUNBLOCK IS BETTER THAN NO SUNBLOCK! Just stop using the sprays cuz that is what is really dangerous. We live very frugal and we are out in the sun almost everyday becuz swimming and the parks are free. We might be outside "more than the average bear", ya know. And cancer just makes me paranoid with Emmett. This post is strictly for knowledge. :)

July

2011-06-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have soooo much to do this month! I have endless doctor appointments for emmett and now I have to take Savannah to get a wellness check and (eeek!) shots so she can go to preschool. I don't know how I am going to pull that off because she is crazy afraid of doctors. It is my fault, I have to take her to all of Emmett's dr. appts, so she has seen all the stuff that has been done to him and therefore...the big time fear. I am also going to be left alone to do all this becuz Jaw is picking up overtime like crazy. We are very lucky in this economy that my husband has a job and is still able to get extra hours; for that I am very grateful.

I did send out the invites for my sister's bridal shower and since they are out, I can tell you the theme. It is a "Tiffany & Co." theme. (i know it's been done) BUT...my sister has loved Tiffany's forever, like since she was a kid and shouldn't have even known what Tiffany's was; well one our favorite movies was Breakfast at Tiffany's. And she wasn't spoiled by our parents with Tiffany things. She went out, saved, and bought the things from Tiffany's that she liked. Although I do believe they bought her earrings and necklace when she graduated high school. I thought it appropriate that her shower have this theme. It is very simple and very much Jenna. :)

Is this really happening right now...?

2011-06-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

So today, after not cutting my hair 2 years, I went and got a haircut. Oh my goodness...so much better! I got a few layers in it and so I got the hairstylists name (Sally) and will be going to her to maintain this nice, light, shorter 'do. But to the point of this story is what happened while I was getting my hair done. My husband, Johnny, was also there sitting in the waiting area watching Emmett while I got my hair done; so he too witness what happened.
Let me also preface this with Vegas has a huge diverse population. VERY DIFFERENT from the Orange County i grew up in where people were a little more segregated when it came to race and culture. I also live in Silverado Ranch, which the Las Vegas Sun newspaper said in 2009 is the most diverse neighborhood in Las Vegas...and in a good way. :)

One of the stylists in the salon was a bigger lady, super-white (and when I say super white...i mean probably grew up in an all white town and very ignorant, and dorky). So, this stylist did not have any clients and decided to walk around the salon and talk to people; First, unfortunately, my husband. eeek. She walked over and said how adorable our son was (thanku), but then started on how she is 33 and is getting too old to have kids and how she got a plant, and then a dog, and now she is working on finding a man. And how is Johnny supposed to react...he says "well my brother is 35 and just had a kid so you will be fine." But then she starts talking about her man finding problems and he is like "wtf.?"

Like why are you talking to my husband about this and what is he even supposed to say, right. So finally this broad gets the clue to leave, but then walks over to the only black guy in the salon getting his cornrows done by the only black stylist in the salon and says..."so who is tougher...Snoog Dogg or Ice Cube?"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! really now....you are really going to walk up to the only black people in the salon and ask a racist question like that?!

You should have seen the look on the dudes face and the stylist. After she asked that question...I looked up at Sally and said "Is this really happening right now?"
Sally just rolled her eyes and apparently this is how this stupid girl always acts....so sad.
And if you even have to ask why that question is racist...then you are just as ignorant as super-white-stylist over here. Let me explain a little. She went around the salon talking to other people about normal stupid shiz...but she walks up to the "colored" folk and feels she needs to ask them a question about 2 black rap artists, whom she obviously knows nothing about, and feels that is the only way she can talk to this black guy. They just gave her some half ass answer. But then she continues to proceed how she loves rap and she can do "gansta moves" and starts waving her arm around like Eminem and acting like a damn fool. Seriously...I was embarrassed for her.

Then to top it off...another dorky stylists comes up and says since the manager is going home...she is the boss now and proceeds to whip out her iPhone, pulls up an App that makes a whip sound when you move your phone, and pretends to be whipping the stylist who is black and says "i'm your boss now, you better work or I'm gonna whip you!" Like we need to add to the chip on the shoulder ladies. SERIOUSLY!

Johnny was supposed to get his haircut next, but after that display of ignorance...he decided it best for the "Mexican" to go to another salon before the super-white-stylists asks if del taco or taco bell is the better Mexican food. LOL...

All in All...it was pretty fun and entertaining. I have another great story about Johnny's haircut next time and about the space cadet stylist who believed Johnny's made up name. oh fun-ness

Summer in Vegas

2011-06-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

Our summer in Vegas has finally started turning around. We have had some major bumps lately...uh...the past couple years...well..ok...pretty much the last 5 years; BUT, we are planning on painting all the rooms new colors. yay! And we have old yucky white rocks in the front, back and sides of our house, which we are going to dig up, get rid of, and put some new nice landscaping rock down. We are also going to start our garden and make an area in the back of our carport the official BBQ area. So those are going to be the things I am looking forward to.

Also...my mom said after my sister's wedding is over with, she is going to start coming up to vegas every other month. I am very happy about that. I am hoping for us to spend Christmas with her this year. The kiddos love their Gramma Janet and I am just happy that even though we live out of state, my mom is making this effort. It means a lot to me and jaw. :)

I also got the invitations done for my sisters bridal shower and will be mailing them out tomorow. oh I feel so productive.

a mothers dream

2011-06-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

So normally...A 1-1/2 year old giving up the bottle would be a good thing. Yah...not for my lil one who still can't chew or swallow good enough; and has a hard time with sippy cups. Dude Emmett...wait until we bring the speech therapists in before you start tossing your bottle aside. Ahhhh...I need him on the bottle longer! Never thought I would be saying that after we had such a hard time with Savannah. oh goodness.

News in the DS side of things

2011-06-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that I complain so much on my blog. I have decided that I am going to make the best out of my situation and summer and start blogging about good things. Emmett's new Developmental Specialist, Megan, has ordered a consult for a Speech therapist to see what is going on with Emmett's swallowing issues. Hopefully this will lead to good therapy so that he can learn to chew, swallow, start eating non-pureed food and get off the bottle sooner. I am very happy about this consult. He also has his MCHAT coming up...which is an Autism Screening. I'm not worried about it at all, because even if he doesn't pass the screening that doesn't mean he HAS autism; it is just the first of many screenings he will have.

I am excited for my sisters bridal shower coming up in August. I am, however, not excited about ordering my bridesmaid dress...considering I have only lost 10 lbs, and will be the fattest person in the wedding party. oh well. I'm not gonna stress over something so stupid, so bring on the fattening summer BBQ food. LoL. Which reminds me, I have a 10 dollar gift card for lucilles and i'm spending it all on their BBQ sauce. Oh Heck yes! bring that shiz on over to our house. :)

So I promise for realz this time....going to be blogging about HAPPY THINGS!

Dilemma

2011-05-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved here 2 years ago, I have been looking into preschools. Dude...preschool sucks in Nevada. It costs alot. I'm not afraid, nor ashamed to say it, but hey, we are poor. We live on a very tight and small budget. I can't afford 130 bucks a week for 2 half days! I always planned on going back to work once Savannah started school, but since Emmett was born, and Emmett happens to have Down Syndrome, and happens to have quite a few medical issues, I don't even know how I would go back to work. I would be working to pay for daycare for both of my kids, including a daycare that deals with special needs children...and then what am I bringing home? nothing. We don't have family in Vegas...well we have my inlaws but they are in no shape to be taking care of my kids 40 hours a week.
I don't have a college education...besides working in a restaurant, the only "real" job I had was working in the mortgage industry in California...which is obviously non-existent now. and the unemployment rate is like the highest in the country....could I even find a job?

and then I go on these boards that are for moms with children with DS or special needs and I just wanna ask....hey any poor folk on here who can give me advice on how the heck you do it?!

I guess I am not that smart. School for Savannah crept up on me too fast and I'm not prepared for it. Shame on me. Well...I did find a state-licensed community center preschool that offers 2 days a week for a couple hours and they are a fraction of the price. The only bad thing is there is only 60 spots at the center and you have to mail in your application (no dropping off) and basically you don't find out for 2 weeks if your child got in or not.
Ugh any advice?

Long Process

2011-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

So we are in the process....a long process, of moving back to our house. Explaining it would just be drama so instead I will say that we will be in by the time my mom visits this weekend.

So has anyone watched Extreme Couponing on TLC. That show is crazy and awesome and I have actually become a couponer. Not like the crazy women on the show. There is a vegas mom who has a website that puts everything together and what coupons to use and everything and she has seminars once a month to help you learn how to maximize your couponing skills.
The only bad thing about Nevada is that there are no double coupons anywhere....EVER! So while you can get some stuff for free, it is pretty much impossible to pull off what the ladies do on the show. So far, since I started couponing back in January, I pretty much save 50% every shopping trip; which I think is pretty awesome. I don't stockpile but do stock up on certain items when they are a great deal. And as for the total hours I spend couponing, clipping and looking up coupons on the computer and going through the grocery store ads....about 5 hours a week, if that. That is the great thing about the internet is that so many women out there (bless their hearts) do all the hard work for you. :) But it is usually a good idea to do a "just looking" trip to the grocery store before you buy becuz not all deals are advertised in their ad/paper.

In normal news, Savannah always plays with my MIL's Nintendo DSi and there is a pizza diner dash type game on it and Savannah....my 3 year old, kicks ass on it. oh goodness. I wonder what her generation will be called....Generation T (for technology) or Generation C (for computers)....LOL.

MOVING

2011-05-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

So after spending 4 months living with the in-laws. It is back to our house. I can't being to explain the complicated relationship we have with my husband's parents. A lot of people don't get it, and sometimes I get frustrated by it. My father-in-law has basically been ill since the moment I came into the family and my mother-in-law needs our help. Of course! We are family and will always help family. I am just a little excited to be back at the place I feel the most comfortable.

Our place needs a lot of work. So along with my sister's wedding coming up...my poor husband is going to have pick up as many shifts as his body can handle so we can bring in extra income for the wedding, and now to repairs on our household. I am really grateful for him and the things he does for us.

But I am excited cuz in 2 weeks my mom is coming up and that will always definitely brighten my day. And it is kinda nice to talk to someone who isn't involved in all the stress and yuckiness that sometimes clouds our days. It will be a nice "mental vacation". And i love when my mom comes up becuz she is a Emmett Hog...which means she just loves on Emmett and never puts him down. It really makes me happy. And I am even more happy becuz Savannah is finally at the age where she remembers people and she knows who her Gramma Janet is. And when I told her Gramma Janet was coming to her house, she gets all excited! yay! finally!

This week we are also going to sign Savannah up for some summer preschool classes and gymnastics! woot woot! That's right...following in Mommy's footsteps. Heck yes! Savannah is definitely a ball of energy and very rambunctious. We went to Lucille's for Mother's Day and she was so well behaved it was the cutest thing. But the next night, she was whiney, talked back, had attitude. She is definitely an emotional and sensitive girl...but so was I and I am almost sorry she took after me in that sense. (it must be payback for how I treated my mom).

News with Emmett is good. For a few months there he was really making some progress. He sits up all by himself and plays with toys, heavy toys, can push a ball, switch toys with hands...he is making lots of babbling noises and has a whine like no other. We are attempting sign language but even that gets confusing for him. I know he is frustrated and that just makes me sad. We are having problems with him bearing weight on his arms. He doesn't like it and we do all the exercises but it seems like he just doesn't get it. Without bearing weight...he can't transition from sitting to laying down and vice versa, and he can't crawl. It has been difficult to say the least. But something we were excited about was we went to Sushi the other night for my FIL's bday and we put Emmett in a high chair! We had to use a blanket still, but He loved it and loved being part of the table. He is 16 months today (1 yr and 4 months) and still in a carrier; but he is small and so he still needs to be in one. He doesn't want too...i can tell. and it is killing my back. I think i need to find a nice umbrella stroller that he will be okay in. (we tried the cheap umbrella stroller that we had for Savannah...yah, not safe enough for him..boo).

Anywho....I will get back to blogging as my time will be more scheduled. yayness.

Looking Up

2011-04-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

So we all have bad weeks right.
Things are looking up...for the moment, and it will probably only be for a moment.
Easter was pretty good, last minute but Savannah had fun and even Emmett had a good time cuz he got a new toy and me and gramma both helped him with a sucker. :)
miss my mom and very happy she will be coming up in a month. i need some mommy time. I may be 27 years old, but I don't think that evey changes. lol.

Drama

2011-04-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

My 20s have been filled with so much drama.

Especially the last few years. I am 27 now and I didn't even have this much drama in High School.

High school was great. Even the few years I spent in college had less drama.

I didn't realize it got worse as an adult.

Maybe it isn't supposed to be like this. It is all bad drama.

It is exhausting and its not even my drama....I just always get pulled into it.

and i think that is why these people don't like me or talk about me...

I live in a completely different state. Besides my MIL and FIL,

I have no family here. I have no friends in Vegas.

I haven't gone to the Down Syndrome Organization here becuz I am afraid I am going to run into a super-mom-advocate who I will probably end up offending.

My number one concern is the security of my husband and my children.

And even that is up in the air right now as we live in this bad economy, living paycheck to paycheck, our house falling apart around us, and I'm feeling alone and the enemy....

I'm starting to fall apart.

and I can't.

I have to keep it together.

...these moments

2011-04-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

I have anxiety. I have paranoia. I am stressed out all the time. I hate it.

but...

I have these moments that come out of nowhere.

Happy moments...

Thankful moments...

..and they are getting better, more frequent, and I am thankful for these moments.

My daugther, quietly coming into my bedroom, climbing up the bed, resting her head against my arm, and says,

"i love u mommy".

Happy.

Emmett, who is so curious, and so ambitious. He is this little child who is so interested in everything around him, trying to learn what the purpose of it all is. It really does make me appreciate every single little baby boy moment more because it will be gone before I know it.

Happy.

My husband. What can I say? Quote every love lyric or poem? There are not enough words. Only the feeling I have when he looks at me, kisses me, hugs me, touches my shoulder. In our short 5 years together, we have gone through so much in our time together. I fully know that we can make it through anything and I have faith that things will start to look up for us and our family.

I don't have to try with him. I am myself and he loves me.

I am so thankful I found this man...who is absolutely perfect for me.

Happy.

Thankful.

these moments are my life.

My Hunger Games Casting

2011-04-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

Oh booo---frickin---hoo! I am so irritated about reading all over the Internet how people are so upset with the choices for the leads in the Hunger Games. There are a few causes for concern; which are:

1. That they are not teenagers...they are 18-20. Do you know how much money the studio will save not hiring actors under 18? Minors have to have tutors on set, have to take a certain amount of breaks and can only work for 6 hours a day. And this film only has a budget of $60 mil....(not much more than what Twilight had). So I totally support the hiring of adult actors who have the time to make this film happen.

2. The three leads are not "olive-toned skin" or supposedly ethnic, as described in the books. Get over it! Remember...the Hunger takes place hundreds of years from now....a time when races and ethnicity's are so mixed that it will not impact how the movie plays out.

I read an article on the Internet of the director, Gary Ross, and the author, Suzanne Collins, making statements, defending the casting choices. Whatever idea anyone had in their head about who should play these parts....the AUTHOR had a say in the matter and that is what counts. i definitely had reservations about Liam Hemsworth as Gale...I think we should give the actors a chance...because obviously the studio, Lionsgate, feel they are right for a movie that is going to be so huge, we all need to give them a chance too.

Now that the three leads have been cast. There is so much speculation of who will fill other important roles in the movie. I am still thinking a lot about Rue, the rest of the design team, Katniss' family but here are some of my choices:
Haymitch: Robert Downey Jr. or I just saw Philip Seymour Hoffman as a good choice.
Cinna: Hugh Dancy hands down!!!
Effie: Elizabeth Banks or Emily Blunt (rumor is Emily Blunt has auditioned). People are saying Kristin Chenoweth, but I totally think she is all wrong.
Cato: Stanislav Ianevski is a thought.

Anywho....I am definitely going to keep up with news from the hunger games.

PS...a pretty darn good FANMADE trailer is up on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn_QWiYQE-8

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

2011-04-02T04:29:00.000-07:00

So there is a Five Guys Burgers & Fries here in Vegas that just opened right next to St. Rose Sienna. Yummy. Me and Jaw personally loved it. Better than In&Out and way better than FatBurger. They taste like homemade off the backyard barbecue burgers (they do not use frozen meat) and their buns are super soft, moist, and fresh. Basically we loved it and will be going there again. If you have one in your area, i recommend it.

In my more personal life. We are going to be putting Savannah in gymnastics this summer. I was a gymnast and a cheerleader, and a cheer coach when I was younger and so of course....Savannah has to get involved in Gymnastics like her mommy. (LoL). Of course, if she hates it I will let her do something else. We have also decided to put her in dance...because our little girl for sure, loves to dance. She already watches these dance routines that are Cox OnDemand and she follows directions great.

I have researched into a tons of different dance and gymnastics places here in the Vegas and Henderson and I think the two that I really like are Academy of Gymnastics and Dance and Gymcats. After hearing from some moms and teenagers of the place to go, these seem the best fit for Savannah. All we have to do is schedule our meetings and decide which one we are gonna sign up for. :) She is so excited to start her "dance classes with all her friends". And we are excited for her too.

Life as We Know It

2011-03-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, me and the hubz rented a few movies from the Redbox. Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert, Due Date, which was totally hilarious! and Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl. While the movie was pretty good, yet predictable; it was also very depressing and made me think. If something was to happen to me and Jaw...I don't know what would happen with my kids. Especially Emmett. All that movie did was make me worry, stress, and cry. Who would I trust to take care of my children; including Emmett who needs a lot more special and basic patience, understanding, motivation, calmness, attention, and an unconditional love like no other. We have always known who we trust with Savannah and who loves Savannah and would always do the best for her.
And while I am an advocate for my son and the fact taht he was born with this syndrome, and want him to recieve equal rights and opportunity. And while this country has come so far while so many other countries leave these angels of God to die in instutitions...my son is still a little different. And that difference can mean so many scary things if I am not here.
I don't think I liked this movie after how scared it made me. But in a way, I should be thinking about this and should have a plan.

Upcoming Things

2011-03-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

So..this week I officially started my workout routine and really really trying to lose weight and get toned up. Why? Becuase my little sister is getting married in October and I am the matron of honor, AND the dresses are short, red, and I am a fat ass right now. I have only lost 10 pounds since having Emmett a year ago, so it is time to get into gear. I will also get a little bit of sun during the summer so I don't look like Casper the Ghost.

I am also in the process of planning her bridal shower, which I am very excited about. I would post about what theme I am doing, but I can't be sure if she reads this or not, so I am not going to go into details, but after I have the shower I will post all the awesome pictures. (and maybe I will find out if she reads this and if she doesn't, I will tell u all the theme) hehehe.

The theme is based upon something and some place that she loves. I know she will be excited when she walks through the doors and sees what I have in store for her. :)

In other news, we are really trying to make plans to move back to California. We are researching jobs, houses, areas we are interested in living in. We have to plan good and make the smartest decision for us. OR...hopefully my mom will have one of the winning lottery tickets and she said she would move us down there. :) So hopefully that will happen too! LoL.
That is all for today. I am going to start blogging more. The first few months of this year have been crazy so I know I have been slacking, but I will do better! promise!

From the Blog of Ria

2011-03-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

I would like to share a post written by Ria, a local mom with a son that has Down Syndrome. She has one of the number one blogs about DS on the internet and helps to educate, spread awareness, and does awesome things like toy reviews, book reviews, and shares her life with us. This was posted a couple of weeks ago:

Posted By Ria over at Bill & Ria - Sharing Experiences

A cheaper and quicker blood sampling method to test for Down syndrome is reportedly going to be available to pregnant women by 2013. I'm all for non-invasive testing that takes away the risk to the unborn child. But it seems like the risk to an unborn baby with Down syndrome increases - the risk of termination.
The general perspective about Down syndrome is relatively better today than it was 20 or more years ago. Unfortunately, despite the awareness generated over the past several years by organized groups, blogs, families, and self-advocates with Down syndrome, there is still a lot of work to do. Headlines like Down's syndrome test breakthrough 'on the horizon', New screening halves the number of children born with Down syndrome, and Non-invasive screening in early pregnancy reduces Down's births by 50 percent make it alarmingly apparent that society in general has not really changed their minds about Down syndrome.

I reshared a friend's status on my facebook wall yesterday (referring to the article Down's syndrome test breakthrough 'on the horizon'):
"He said...[this] will encourage more couples to take the test and therefore slowly eradicate the disease." The "disease" being Down syndrome. MY KID. Could they be any more obvious? I'm all for early detection if it means bringing babies into this world more safely; we knew ahead and I'm glad for that. But suggesting this as a means of eradicating my child and people like him is just sickening.
It's so sad.

If tested positive, why not encourage more proactive prenatal care and perhaps a form of targeted nutritional intervention (TNI) as the baby develops in utero instead of suggesting or encouraging termination? Is there scientific research about prenatal care for preventing or lessening the chances for heart defects and other common issues in newborns with DS, thus giving them a healthier start in life?
There is no cure for Down syndrome. But many individuals with Down syndrome are leading happy and productive lives. The general consensus among families and friends of people with Down syndrome is that people with DS bring out the best in us and give our lives more meaning. I agree 100%.
What's next? There is no cure for autism, cerebral palsy, and other conditions. If a non-invasive blood test to detect these in utero is developed, would it also be viewed as a means for eradicating fetuses diagnosed with such conditions?

Micah Six Eight: Hold them Close

2011-03-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

PLEASE GO AND READ!!!! PLEASE SPREAD AWARENESS OF DOWN SYNDROME. EDUCATE YOURSELF! A life in an insitution, chained to a crib the rest of your life is the life these children do not get unless they adopted here into the USA. Unbelieveable.

ONE DAY...this judge that denied this family and this beautiful child will stand before the almight Judge...our LORD, OUR GOD, and I hope, he shows now mercy for what she has done to his ANGELS!!!!

Micah Six Eight: Hold them Close: "Hold your little ones close those of you who have crossed the waters and brought them safely to this side of the ocean. Hold them clos..."

Everytime...

2011-03-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Everytime we go back to California to visit, we miss it more and more each time. Everytime we come back to Vegas, we let reality set in and decide moving to California isn't smart financially and atleast we are close in Vegas, instead of being in Texas or North Carolina.

I think it is that we get so used not being around anyone here, we forget. We forget how great it is to go out and be part of our extended family. We got to see my nephew wrestle. (this kid is seriously a frickin prodigy). We got to see my sister and her fiance tommy (who is also johnny's couz). Even though we didn't spend much time with my mom, I am always happy to see her. She just holds Emmett the WHOLE time. It is rreally great. I feel bad sometimes. She is missing out on being a Gramma to Savannah and Emmett. Of course she is the gramma, but she isn't involved in their lives as much as either of us would like. The only way she could be...is if we lived closer. I do feel really awful about not going to see my Gramma Jackie. We ended up staying at my dad's house and so we weren't even in Yorba Linda...we had so many other plans that we let it slip and me and johnny feel horrible! We are trying to plan a quick overnight trip down to Cali just for her.

I think it really struck johnny too how much it sucks to live outta state. We have his parents here in Vegas with us and we are grateful that we do have some family around us, but we think even they would benefit from moving back to California. It is just us. No one else. We really enjoyed going down there, seeing different faces, having fun.

We have always known we would move back, we are just trying to plan it sooner rather than later.

Little Miss Nevada

2011-03-06T03:08:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: Yah...if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all. Ya'll right...i'll just delete your comment anyway.

We put Savannah in the Little Miss Nevada Pageant.

I have always wanted to put my kid in a pageant (even before Toddlers and Tiaras), but was always told to do natural pageants. With Emmett being born I put it off, until the director called me 2 weeks before the pageant and told me she still had open spots in Savannah's age division and we could still sign up. So we did. :)
Well...this was supposed to be a "natural pageant"...(ya right), aka, Semi-Glitz. FYI, we did not realize this was actually semi-glitz disguised as a natural until we were already there and saw girls from Toddlers and Tiaras running around. Basically, it is just like the pageants you see on TV, except, no hair pieces, no fake tans, no fake teeth, and makeup to a minimum. But all the bling and chaos is still very present.
I felt bad for all the first timers who were not prepared for the fierceness of this "natural" competition.

But...Savannah did exceptionally well for her first pageant. She was shy, but still smiled, waved, blew kisses, and actually did a little spin at the last second on stage (which totally wowed us cuz we never told her to do that or practiced it). She also had tough competition....the girl, Kayla, who went up before her has been on Toddlers and Tiaras and was shaking and dancing (definitely a tough act to follow).

We were happy we did it, she loved it, wants to do it again, so we are doing the next "natural" aka semi-glitz pageant in August. (i'll never do a full glitz, too dang expensive). I only have a pic of Savannah in her open-wear outfit. Tomorrow I'll post her formal wear and maybe the video of her on stage.

p.s. She won Miss Confident and Princess.

Catch Up

2011-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

I guess it is time to play catch up. This year, so far, has been very stressful and emotionally draining. But I am hoping things are going to turn around. It started off great, my mom came up to Vegas for Emmett's First Birthday, which was awesome. She took us shopping, bought me the extended version of Avatar (LoL), ate at Cafe Rio, watched some good movies, and just had fun being with my mom and her being with me and the grand babies.
I have mentioned this before, my FIL has many medical problems, and he happened to go into respiratory failure and was intubated on Emmett's Birthday. Which was also the same week that Johnny's started his new position with the hospital. I must say though that my FIL is out of the hospital now and is doing okay. Everyday is another day, full of the unexpected. We have also moved across town to be with Johnny's parents. This will also give us more time to think about where we want to buy a home and save more money; and that is always a good thing.

Over this stressful month, there has been happy times. Emmett has had doctor appointments and therapy appointments up the wazoo and things are looking good. The neurologist put off his MRI for another 6 months, his ophthalmologist said his glaucoma is good and he can go to a regular pediatric ophthalmologist to get glasses, his cardiologist doesn't need to see him for another 6 months, and therapy is kicking butt!

Emmett is sitting up, reaching for toys, transferring toys from hand to hand, banging two toys together, mimicking our movements and definitely coming into his own personality. I am so happy that we have 3 great therapists that have helped in this process of getting Emmett to where he is now. Me and Johnny are so happy right now for our lil guy and I look forward to this year to be challenging, emotional, but full of excitement and happiness too!

Also...have to do a quick lil plug for The Grand Lux Cafe over at the Venetian. I went to the Lux Cafe about 6 years ago, when I was a mere 21-yr old for a friends Birthday. And the Lux Cafe over here in Vegas is amazing and happens to be one of mine and Jaw's fav places to go. Another awesome thing about it...is that they are open 24 hours beyotches! After midnight they have a scaled down menu, but still a lot of choices and a lot of food and the prices, I think, are great, compared to a lot of other restaurants on the Strip.
After dinner, we went over to The Cosmopolitan, the new hotel and casino at City Center. Fuh-reaking gorgeous. They have quite a few lounges which is nice and would like to go there with friends sometime or when my bro in law comes up with his wife (even tho I don't drink, i still can have fun). There are many more awesome pics of the place on the Internet, but here is a couple of pics i took while we were there. Definitely check it out if you come to Vegas. I like it better than Aria. hehehe.

Sitting Up

2011-02-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is how I roll...

or sit!!!!!

Yay...Emmett is officially sitting up by himself. We only let him sit up when we are there to spot him cuz he is still working on his balance. His biggest problem is actually falling to the side and not catching himself on time. But he loves to sit up and play with his toys. :)

All is well...

2011-02-18T04:20:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give another quick update.

We moved across town so the last month has been kinda hectic, which also meant not so easy to go on the net and check up on everyone.

(only fb on my phone, hehe)

We got our internet providor up and running tonight and I will be back to blogging and checking in on everyone's blogs, and perhaps a few giveaways coming soon!

Woot Woot!

See ya Soon!

Congential Heart Defect Awareness Week

2011-02-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

February 7th through the 14th is
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

I was born with a congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries. I had open-heart surgery when I was 19 days old. My son was also born with a right-sided aortic arch with a vasular ring and a ventricular septal defect. He also underwent a heart surgery.

Congenital heart defects are the Number 1 cause of birth defect related deaths.

This year almost 40,000 babies will be born with a congenital heart defect in the US. 4,000 of them will not live to see their first birthday. (think half of the people that were at the new Cowboy stadium for super bowl)
The cost for inpatient surgery to repair congenital heart defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year.

Congenital heart defects occur frequently and are often life threatening, yet research into them is grossly under funded. Only one penny of every dollar donated to the American Heart Association goes towards congenital heart defect research. Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward congenital heart defect research.

More than 50% of all children born with a congenital heart defect will require at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime.

There are 35 different types of congenital heart defects. Little is known about the cause of most them. There is not yet a cure for any of them.

In the U.S., twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.

Statistics today show that due to misdiagnosis, lack of knowledge and awareness, complications of surgery…about 51% of deaths caused by CHD are children under the age of 1 year.

Early diagnosis is the key to survival!

For nearly 40 years, newborn screening programs have provided an important public health service by identifying newborns with metabolic, hematologic and endocrine disorders as well as hearing loss.

But did you know there is also tests that could identify a congenital heart defect immediately?

The painless, non-invasive tests are called echocardiogram and a pulse oximeter and they could dramatically increase the survival rate for children born with CHD.

YOU MUST ASK FOR YOU OR YOUR BABY TO BE TESTED FOR A CHD!

Due to these alarming facts, we urge the Media to start helping in raising Awareness whether it will be through magazine and newspaper articles, books, commercials, facebook, twitter, myspace, blogger.

SPREAD AWARENESS.

You can help by donating blood, making donations to Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Donations. Spread awareness through twitter, fb, and blogger.
This could happen to you or your child!

I've been absent

2011-01-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been absent. My father in law, who is pretty much my second dad, has been in the hospital since Emmett's birthday. He was discharged yesterday but late last night, he got really sick and had to go back. It is has been a very stressful and unpredictable month. As soon as things settle and we are in our new place I will get back to writing. :)

The Specials

2011-01-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll. I'm doing it again. I am writing about The Specials. I found out about The Specials last year right after Emmett was born. It was before I had come out and told people online and in my family about the diagnosis of DS. We basically came across the website while just searching for more education about Down Syndrome. It was one of the best things that could have happened at that time.

Having a child with special needs, even though he has only been in our life for one year, we just want him to try his best and do the things he wants to do and we will do everything in our power to make him happy. This is what Carol and Dafydd wanted for their daughter, Hilly. And so they did. They are a huge inspiration to me and Johnny.

The Specials is a web-series about Hilly, Lucy, Sam (my favorite), Megan, (all who have Down Syndrome), and Lewis (who has William's Syndrome). They all live together in a house and it is basically a reality show that follows them around and documents their life. The Specials show really shows that they are just like any other young person, going to school, having a job, going out to bars, looking for love, dealing with parents divorce, jealousy, crushes, heartache, having fun, going on vacations. I hope you will check it out.

(p.s. when you do watch the episodes, there is a button to add subtitles :) )

The Specials - Season 1 Highlights from KADA Films on Vimeo.

Yummy Grill Sushi

2011-01-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

That's right. Yummy Grill Sushi. Love it. Yummy Grill Sushi is a different type of sushi resturant. It is not a sushi bar. It is more of a family friendly type place. There isn't the typical loud music, tvs, sushi bar filled with loud drunk young people. But it is isn't a formal Japanese resturant either. There are two in Henderson. One over by Sunset Station on Marks St. and then there is one close to our house off of Eastern and Silverado Ranch Blvd.

You go in, order at the counter, and then go sit down and they bring all your stuff to you. Everything is fresh (and I know fresh...hello, I'm from California and I used to eat sushi like 3 times a week). And their rolls are big and they don't skimp on fish and don't pack on the rice.

I personally like the one in Silverado Ranch because it is smaller, the prices are actually a tad cheaper than the other location and they have fast service. Sure, me and Johnny like to go to regular sushi bars when it is just us and there are some darn good ones in this area.
...but sometimes, families just need a small, fast, and cheaper option when they have kids in tow. If that is you, here is a good place to go.

Emmett's 1-yr stats....

2011-01-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything about Emmett's birthday. I will. It didn't go exactly as planned; on Emmett's bday, my FIL went into the hospital and is now in ICU in critical condition. But I was able to spend time with my mom and my sis in law Linda, and it was fun and busy and I am happy I got that time and my mom got that time with her grandkids.

Today we went to the doc for Emmett's 1-yr check. I have his stats according to average child development and according to the Down Syndrome growth chart. Unfortanetly, the DS growth chart is wildly outdated. It is from, i guess, like over 25 years ago. So it was announced in August of 2010 that they are going to do a 4 year case study on babies and children with Down Syndrome to make a new, updated growth chart. I think that is a great idea and I am happy that that is finally happening. So here is Emmett's stats. He is a lil guy believe it or not...just really really long. ;)

Height: 26 inches
    Avg: Lower 5th percentile
    DS Avg: 25th percentile
Weight: 17 pounds
    Avg: Lower 5th percentile
    DS Avg: 40th percentile
Head Circumference: 43 cm.
    Avg: Lower 5th percentile
    DS Avg: 50th percentile...woohoo!

ONEder Fund

2011-01-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

My Life Changed Today...

2011-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, my life changed. I gave birth to my son, Emmett. Four days after his birth, the doctor told us he had Down Syndrome. We had such a troubled pregnancy, to possible miscarriages, an almost abortion, finding out about his congenital heart defect, and then in the end, the doctors delivering him early because he stopped growing and they were afraid he would be stillborn if he went to term. We had all these moments of Emmett being so close to death...that finding out the diagnosis of Down Syndrome was hope. Hope that he would live and be happy, and be with us.

Johnny and I both knew the second we saw him that he had Down Syndrome. We didn't need blood tests or doctors to tell us. When I told my mom about his diagnosis, she said it best, "That is okay, it doesn't change anything." And it doesn't. It didn't change how happy we were to have our son or how much we loved him. We just loved him more because he needs that extra love for that extra chromosome he has. :)

Sure, we are scared about the future. We are scared of people hurting him and his feelings, we are scared of his higher changes of getting sick; but just like with any child, you are going to be scared about the what ifs, and the best thing to do is put it out of your mind.
We do know that we are not afraid of his abilities. We know he will take his own time, and when that time comes for him to crawl, walk, talk, run, play a sport, we will be the happiest and proudest parents because it was not an easy road for him, but worth the journey to get there.

Happy First Birthday Emmett

"While everyone dreams of all their child will do, I focus on what he does"~ unknown name on DS Forum

We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be. - Anne Lamott

Raising a child with a disability is just like raising a child without...you have your highs, your lows, your battles and your victories. The only difference perhaps is the extra sense of perspective and the extra dose of clarity gained from that special soul of what is truly important in this life ~ Cheri from Raising Reid

(On deciding whether to terminate a baby in utero with DS):
“So mom, if parents had a crystal ball [like the ultrasound machine] and found out that the baby they were carrying was perfect and when that baby was five years old it was in a horrible accident and became disabled and that they had to take care of that child for the rest of their lives, could those parents choose to terminate that baby just because they didn’t want to deal with it later on?” ~ Emma Sage's older sister, Greta.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-Jeremiah 29:11

This post, by Dave Hingsburger, recalls a story about a man with DS. A mother and her son (pre-teen w/ DS) were having lunch and the mother wanted to go with him to get his food and then he could go with her to get hers. This seemed so silly to the young man. He insisted to his mother that he was capable of getting his own food. They started arguing a bit, and finally the young man says, "Trouble is you think I have Down Syndrome all the time and I don't," he said with real frustration. She stopped again, 'What?' The young man then says, "I only have Down Syndrome sometimes, when I'm learning something new or if the words are real hard. I don't have Down Syndrome the rest of the time when I'm doing what I know how to do."

One Week

2011-01-09T00:43:00.000-08:00

In one week,

our son will turn 1 year old.

His birthday may not be the typical first birthday party,

but that is just fine with us. He will be surrounded by people who love and accept him.

We are celebrating in a special way and I am excited to share it with you all next week.

My face may be different but my feelings the same.

I laugh and I cry and take pride in my gains.

I was sent here among you to teach and to love,

as God in the heavens looks down from above.

To Him I'm no different, His love knows no bounds.

It's those here among you in cities and towns...

that judge me by standards that man has imparted,

But this family I've chosen will help me get started.

For I'm one of the children so special and few

that came here to learn the same lesson as you.

That love is acceptance, it must come from the heart;

we all have the same purpose, though not the same start.

The Lord gave me life to live and embrace,

and I'll do it as you do,

but at my own pace.

In the words of Barney Stinson....

2011-01-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

"Whaat Upppp!"

Thats right...first time in the high chair...

For those of you who may not have read past blog posts. My beautiful son is still working on mastering the whole sitting up on his own thing. He ate his lunch for the first time sitting up in the high chair! Can I get a woot woot!? And even though he may not be able to sit on his own by his first birthday in 2 weeks (whoa); he will be able to sit and have mommy feed him some yummy cake!

Yay for Emmett!

He has totally improved in the last month ever since we brought in "R", his occupational therapist. She showed me these joint compressions to do on his shoulders, elbows and wrists, and I believe they are helping. His stimming has also improved, which means he is doing it less and less.

(stimming is a self-stimulation, repetitive body movement, often seen in children with autism. -my older bro still stims, but a lot of people don't reconize it) Stimming behavior does not mean a diagnosis of autism though.

We have been watching it to make sure it does not get out of control and his OT showed us ways to distract him from stimming, like giving him toys, showing him that he can do other things with his hands besides clapping and hitting his tummy. *It is working and I rarely catch him doing it now.

Yay again for Emmett!

In other news, I am no longer sick. The kids still have runny noses. BUT...unfortanetly my hubby is sick and that just sucks, cuz when he is sick, he gets crazy gravely ill. I don't get it...he works in a hospital and never catches anything from there. But comes home and catches the kids' colds? poor guy!

Anywho....here is a cute pic of the kids in their matching Spongebob PJ's. Sicky, but cuties!

Winter Blues

2010-12-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

I am sick.

The kids are sick.

Dude, I gotta give my mom props for taking care of us when we were sick and she was too.

I have never been sick at the same time as the kids.

and usually Johnny is there to help.

(since we don't go out on New Years, he volunteered to work this holiday weekend).

and with Emmett, he can't sit up yet, so every time he has to cough, (which is a lot), I have to lay him forward and do ascending back percussions to get the guck up. Not your normal hit of the back. I am determined to not let my little one get pneumonia. I am watching him like a hawk.

The house is turning into a mess.

That is something that seems to make being sick worse....a dirty house.

Oh and when Savannah is sick, she tends to have accidents overnight. I don't know why, maybe becuz she feels like shit and her body aches, so she doesn't want to get outta bed to go potty. I get it. but that is more cleaning for me to do, and I feel like shit too. humph.

If the kids are sick, I'm good. If just I am sick, its okay. And Johnny is there to either help with me or the kids. But now....we are all sick and he is off to work. boo.

Christmas ya say?

2010-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yah...I decided I am not going to write about our Christmas. I mean, it was great and tons of fun and tiring and everything that Christmas is. But everyone writes about Christmas. It is kind of the same thing over again.
But...I am going to write about my sister's Christmas. Why? Because my little sister got engaged! Can I get a woot woot?! And it is a totally short, but cute story. Our family tradition is to play the game Guesstures during the holidays. Now if you know the game...you put four cards in place and you only have a certain amount of time to act out what is on the card before it falls out of its place, then you move on to the next card when someone either guesses what you are doing or the card falls.

Here is the setup:
So...Jenna (my sis), Tommy (the bf), his family, and my mom and her bf all at Tommy's place on Christmas Eve, getting ready to place Guesstures.

Tommny volunteers to go first. So he does the first three cards, and once he gets to the the last card, he points to himself, in which everyone responds "boy!". Then he points to Jenna, "girl". And then he gets down on one knee...and Jenna all the while still thinking this is a game says "propose, propose". BAM! Tommy whips out the little black box. Now picture the confusion setting in over my sister as she is figures out if this is real. She just puts her hands up to her mouth and says "are you serious? are you serious!?" She says it like 5 times. He asks her, she says yes, everyone is cheering and clapping. But my favorite part is actually when you can hear my mom totally GASP when Tommy whips out the ring. LoL. (this was all video taped and is up on my fb).

They aren't getting married till 2012, but I am so excited that they are finally engaged and my baby sister is getting married, who isn't really a baby, she is gonna be 24 in a few months. I think they have been together for like 3 years. BTW, Tommy is Johnny's cousin. LoL. Well congrats anyways Jigga-Laday.

the Hunger Games

2010-12-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am a reader-aholic. I can read a book a day...or if it is a huge book, maybe a couple of days. I am also a speed reader. No...not just reading fast, legit speed reading and I read everyword and remember everything. I never miss any details and no I do not skim or meta-guide.

Well, Freshman year at EHS, there is like a week dedicated to learn how to speed read and after the week is over, they offer a class if you would like to continue to learn this "magical speed reading". Let's just say I was the only kid in my class that actually signed up for the ROP class and it just ended up me being tutored by my PE teacher, LoL. (I don't even think they offer it anymore).
I love to read. You can ask my parents...ever since I was a wee one, I would find a place in the house or comfy spot on the floor in my parents room and read a shiz-load of books.

A few years ago I started reading the Twilight Saga, thankfully, because I heard about it through all my LDS friends on blogger. I would go from blog to blog and it was on everyone's reading list or had posted about it and so, since I am a read-aholic, I got the series. Loved it, a movie came out, the rest is history.

So over the past couple of years, I have been hearing about the Hunger Games Triology. I have wanted to buy it, but of course, put other things and others needs before me (awww life of a mom), and would not spend the money to buy it. Well, my stepmom and dad got me all 3 books for Christmas and I am very excited to start reading. I also found out that Lionsgate bought the rights and they are going to make a movie and casting will begin early next year. So for all you fans out there that didn't know about that...your welcome.

I also want to read The Help, which is also being made into a movie. Aslo, I am looking forward to Freedom and the appraised the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I also tend to like books by authors like Jodi Piccoult, maybe not the best books of the decade, but still good reads. (I am so over Nicholas Sparks, sorry ya'll. I am onto his method and kinda bored with it).
Anyone read the Hunger Games? Thoughts? Any other books that you liked that came out this year?

Long Hair Troubles

2010-12-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

Back when I was the young old age of 19, I had long and gorgeous hair. Yes, it was very pretty. I could go the whole day without brushing it and it pretty much stayed nice and straight. Ahhh...the good old days. I have had different hair colors and shorter hairstyles.
And now I am back to that long hair. I don't use product in my hair. Never really have even when I was younger. No hairspray, gel, mousse, special sprays. Nothing. And only every once in a while I use a straightener, because my hair is very very straight. I blow-dry it, maybe once a week, if that. I usually just brush and air dry and there ya go. That is how it has always been.

My problem is that ever since I had Emmett, (not savannah), but my second born, my hair is being weird. I still do all the same things, or not do; but my hair gets tangled really bad. You can't really tell from looking at it, but underneath it gets crazy tangled and it hurts to brush or comb them out! I have longer hair (it goes to the bottom of my shoulder blades), and I have to carry a brush with me so I can brush it constantly through out the day. It is annoying. So, since I don't use any hair products whatsoever. Can anyone give me advice on what to do about my tangly hair? I have no clue. Help?

the Single Ladies

2010-12-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

Summer 2009 with "single" friends from cali.

I was pregnant with Emmett here and I met them for lunch.

So, my two best friends from childhood were up in Vegas this past weekend and decided to stop by for a visit on Saturday. It is kind of sad. They are not really my best friends anymore...actually, barely even friends. Between us, the one that didn't want to get married, didn't want to have kids, had total commitment issues, was me. But something changed when I met Johnny,and I think my friends are still trying to comprehend the past few years.

When I had Savannah, it was surreal. It was "weird" to everyone else that I had a kid. It was "weird" that everything I did, I did with Johnny. And it wasn't becuz he was a control freak...I want to be with him all the time. He is my best friend. To be married, your husband has to be your best friend, over everyone else. Before when I was a "single" lady, or even when i had a boyfriend; he was not put first...my friends were first.
It is hard to talk to them. We do not have anything in common anymore. And while I was once where they are, I am no longer and it is hard to go back to that place. I am no longer a "single" lady. I don't go to school or a job, I don't go out to the bars and drink and "party", I don't date and struggle to find an ok guy. I am not responsible for just myself, but for my husband and my children.
I was supposed to see them on Friday but that was shopping day. My husband is working a crazy work schedule up until Christmas Eve and so we needed to get the rest of the Christmas Shopping done, and get a new tire. By 8 PM, when we were going to go meet them, Savannah had fallen asleep and so we had to cancel.
Why not just leave the kids with Jaw and go out with the girls? Because I didn't want to. I don't want to go anywhere without him. Now...if it was a girls night out among married women or mommy women, then I probably would have gone. The reason is because I have something in common with the wifeys and the mommy's.
And when they came over, I tried my best to ask them questions about what they do, how they have been, how are their jobs. They didn't ask one single question about Emmett, didn't ask to hold him, ask about his birth, ask how I was doing, nothing. To give them the benefit of the doubt, they were hungover, but still. So instead, I tried just talking about Emmett. And it didn't work. It was kind of awkward, so I just put him back on the ground and shut up.
And I don't want to sit here and assume it is because Emmett has Down Syndrome. But it is hard not to. Maybe they were uncomfortable (which is totally understandable), and they were afraid to say anything or ask questions. I want people to ask questions! It better to ask questions, no matter how "dumb" they might seem, or rude or invasive, it is better to know than to be ignorant. I wish I could have told them this. I wish they would have known this.

Or maybe it is becuz the only thing I have to talk about, is my kids, and my husband, and how happy I am in life. Not that they aren't happy in their life.... They just aren't here, where I am. and it is ok. But how do I maintain a friendship? or do I? I think that is what I am most concerned about.

Pro Bass Shop Santa

2010-12-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of places to go see Santa in Vegas.

But in this economy and always trying to save what we can, we went to the same place we went last year.

We went to see the Free Santa at Bass Pro Shop here in Vegas.

First off, you get to sit on Santa's lap for free, you get a free (and nice quality) photo of the kids with Santa, they get to tell Santa what they want, and the best part is you get to take all the pictures with your own camera you want...for free.

The Santa is awesome also. Last year Mrs. Claus was there, but I think she only comes on the weekends when it is more busy. Anywho....They decorate a whole corner of the store with Santas forest, house, reinder, snowmen, elves. AND....they have free crafts and games for the kids. It is pretty awesome. And if you like the photo they give you, you can buy photo packages that start at 10 bucks, (instead of 25.99) at the store, or go online and do it.

That is just my plug for a place that we went to last year and did again this year.

Last year Savannah was excited to see Santa, a little shy and wouldn't talk to him, but still went up there for a picture. This year...she was beyond excited, walked right up to him, sat on the lap, smiled for pics, and told him she wanted barbies, paints, and racecars for Christmas. Emmett was there too, but he slept the entire time! But I guess that made it easier. Next year will be more fun for Emmett.

Savannah playing on an ATV while waiting in line to see Santa.

Emmett passed out... we fed him right before we came...shoulda known

Santa Time

Adorbz pic of Savannah....this wasn't even set up...she was looking at the fish tank inside the store, turned around and I snagged the most awesome picture.

Breastfeeding

2010-12-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. My husband just called me from work to tell me about this nurse that is at his work tonight. First off, my husband works for a hospital network here in LV and there are 3 hospitals owned by the same corporation, k. Well, sometimes when a nurse or something calls in sick or when the census in the hospital is high, they will call a float nurse over from another hospital to come and help with the extra work.
Well, tonight they sent this nurse over and Johnny and another one of his fellow coworkers, (we will call her "Ally") were just kinda chit chatting with this new nurse getting to know her. We will call the new nurse "C".

So they were all talking about their kids becuz they all have 3 year olds. Johnny starts talking about how Savannah is a picky eater, and then "C" says, "oh my daughter too, I tried to get her to eat the organic baby food, but the only thing she wants is breast milk, so I just keep on breastfeeding her."
!!!!!!!?????WHAT?????!!!!!!

Johnny didn't know what to do and neither Ally, they just stood there shocked.
"C" continues, "yah, my husband thinks it weird, but i kind of like it cuz it really helps me keep weight off....i know that seems selfish, but I work out like every day..."
She just continues to talk normal. This lady breastfeeds her friggin 3 year old!
Dude!, Of course your 3-yr-old isn't eating! BABY FOOD!...you tried to feed a 3 year old baby food, organic crap on top of that.....give your kid a friggin cheeseburger....or hey even a garden burger! She is THREE!

Now, I am by no means a Crunchy mom. And I actually can't stand full on crunchy moms becuz if you don't do it the vegetarian, organic, cloth diaper, co sleeping, no spanking, no TV way...then you are not good enough for them.
But I do support certain things like BPA free stuff, making homemade baby food(does not have to be organic) and co-sleeping, and some other things. It doesn't mean you have to get all crazy about it.

But this lady was like way beyond crunchy! I actually had to google breastfeeding a toddler and was sorry I did!
It gave the pros and cons. pros...the same as when you breastfeed an infant. And there is no evidence saying that breastfeeding into toddler years makes these pros more significant. So why do it? I think becuz these women are lazy, and just crazy. I may make some enemies with this post but I really don't care...its my blog and I think breastfeeding to a year is enough...maybe a lil older. But into the toddler years. Too much for me to handle.

What do you think? Crunchy? Lazy? or just plain Crazy?

My Brother's Birthday

2010-12-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today is my older brother, Andrew's 28th Birthday!

This is a great picture of him and his adorable daughter natalie at Disneyland.

My brother is a high functioning autistic.

He didn't talk until he was 2, he was hyperactive and ran away from my parents in public places.

He was socially awkward and had few friends.

The few friends he did have though, had patience for him.

Now...

He is married, has a daughter, is one of the 4 assistant managers at a grocery store.

It was not easy for him to accomplish this and he is still working at it every single day.

I tried to protect him in high school when jerks were mean to him

and I still do try to now that we are grown ups.

He is still a kid deep down...running around Disneyland, watching Star Wars, and collecting every DVD and Blu-Ray; in alphabetical order of course.

He is a whiz with computers and knows a lot about technology.

He is my brother and i love him.

(andrew, me, and our lifelong friend lindsay)

(me and andrew)

Homemade Baby Food

2010-12-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

So I started Emmett on homemade baby food. I guess I could have started this earlier but I think I was just lazy. Yes...my laziness got in the way of my baby's eating habits. But since Emmett will be on "baby" food longer and he doesn't like all that Gerber crap, I am giving in. I made green beans last night for him and he loved them! He also had some broccoli with a little bit of margarine (don't judge me supermoms....his nutritionist said it was ok! so there!). I am excited and sending Jaw out to get more fresh food that I can puree. Hopefully with all this good real food, he will start gaining some more weight.

We are all still suffering from colds and coughs in this house so we didn't do much this week except stay inside, drink warm apple cider and egg nog, and watch movies. But it looks like everyone is getting close to getting over this thing so next week we will go see Santa, go to the speedway for the Gift of Lights and do some Christmas Shopping.

Emmett Laughing...he has a small patch of hair that always sticks up. I literally have to gel it down.

Savannah in her birthday shirt, which is now a pajama shirt and the stuffed animal lion she stole from Emmett. lolz.

All in his own time

2010-12-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

Emmett can't sit up on his own yet. It seems really selfish to even say this but....I want him to be able to sit up in his high chair for his birthday. I know this is part of life and part of the journey. A journey which requires extra patience, but even Emmett is getting frustrated. You can literally feel his little arms trying so hard to hold himself up, and eventually falling foward. I know he is trying and I'm trying to help him.

This week during physical therapy, his PT told me it probably won't happen. I'm being honest...I got upset. I actually cried after she left. (wow, bad mom moment). This is the first time I let Down Syndrome upset me over something so shallow. And of course now I feel guilty for even feeling that way, because, just like him learning to drink a bottle, and lifting his head, and rolling over....sitting up will happen eventually.

hanging out with grandpa don

the bumbo helps him sit up

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-06T02:44:00.000-08:00

The whole family is sick. Well...in this picture they look cute, but they have had runny noses and hoarse coughs.

While I too should be resting, I cannot stand a unkept house while being sick...it just makes me feel worse. So I cleaned and after I was done, Miss Belle and I made some Christmas Cookies. Nothing fancy, it was just something to keep her preoccupied while I cleaned.

Camera Flash

2010-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to get a smiling or laughing picture of Emmett becuz of the flash. He hates the flash! I mean...it is kinda annoying. I think I might have to get one of those fancy cameras where you don't have to use the flash all the time. I got a picture of him smiling on Thanksgiving...but it was with my camera phone, (which sucks!) I tried all day to get one of him smiling with my regular camera. But no, wasn't happening. And he was laughing, smiling, and babbling all day.

Holidays 2010

2010-11-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year, my favorite of course, Christmas Time! Yay! Thanksgiving is over. This was my 3rd year making Thanksgiving Dinner, along with my MIL, Kathy, and it was fun and actually less stressful than usual. This year it was just us, and my bro inlaw and sis inlaw, so we ended up making way too much food. It was ok..lots of leftovers.

Now that Jaw is back to work, me and Savannah have put up the Christmas Decorations and decorated the Tree. We also bought Elf, Christmas Vacation, all the approriate Christmas movies and of course, Christmas Music. Now when Jaw comes home from work, it will officially be Christmas Season in our home.

Next on the list, is of course, Go see Santa and drive through Festival of Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Magical Forest over in Sumemrlin. Lots of fun!

The Job

2010-11-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Johnny got the job.

Can I get a Woot Woot!

I actually haven't mentioned that he applied and was interviewed for an internal job within the hospital that he already works for. It really wasn't that big of a deal becuz he has a job and we were ok on not making this opportunity a big deal.

But...

It was offered to Jaw and we are happy.

Apparently like atleast 15 of his coworkers also interviewed and

He has been getting those comments of

"Congratulations"

when they really mean...

"damn you!"

LOL

Atleast they have a job in this economy. They should be a little more grateful.

Kelle Hampton Time

2010-11-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

Alright bloggers.
One of my most favorite Blogs, called Enjoying the Small Things, by Kelle Hampton, has become almost a mascot in the Special Needs community, especially for DS. Her daughter was born a week after little Emmett and they did not know she had DS before she was born. This woman is beautiful, writes beautiful and is an awesome photographer. She has already won Best Special Needs Blog...but is in a close second to win the Best Overall Blog, so please go and vote for her blog: Mommy Blog Awards.

Even if you don't vote...please please please....go and visit her blog becuz I swear, whether your child is with special needs or a typical child, you will love her birth story and want to continue to check on her blog.
Start here: Nella's Birth Story

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2010-11-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

I have been into Harry Potter since I was 13 years old and my Aunt Leslie gave me the first book for Christmas, almost 14 years ago. Dang! Finally saw the first part of the last movie. Totaly Loved it....Although...I agree with a friend from facebook and would have rather just sat through 6 hours then have to wait for the second half. Very true to the book, which I loved, and definently built the suspense up for the second part. I have thought every single Harry Potter movie was excellent, except for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, they left way too much out and added a couple of things that weren't in the book, which was BS; I liked it, but was very disapointed. I cannot really decide on my favorite books..obviously the Sorcerer's Stone, oh gosh, I think I like all the books. But my favorite two movies are Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. What are yours?

Enchanted

2010-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it downright is a pain in the ass to go run errands, that would usually be quick, with 2 kids. Atleast Vannah walks, but Emmett is getting bigger and his carrier is getting heavier and heavier. But while we were out...Savannah asked to put "her song" on in the car...which is actually "How Do You Know?" from the Disney movie Enchanted. Great movie...totally cheesy and basically a good spoof of disney's own princess movies. If you haven't seen it, you suck. Savannah knows every word and I just crack up listening to her sing the song. I should get video of Vannah singing and post it up soon. It is absolutely adorable and hilarious in every way. Finally, I asked her if we could listen to "Mommy's fun song", which she also likes, and is actually called "Lover" by Devendra Banhart. It is awesome. Check it out. :)

Lucille's

2010-11-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to Lucille's for my bro-in-law, Ro's Bday. Yum it was good. Me and Jaw were so good too, considering all food there is not healthy, hello...it's southern food. We didn't get soup and we didn't even touch the huge appetizer that everyone else was mowing down. We split a sandwich and each had a side and we were stuffed from that. We aren't on any special diet...just trying to control our portions and work out. It was a relief to leave from Lucille's and feel totally satisfied, instead of bloated and hurtin like everyone else. I think even Savannah overate for her tiny little body. LoL.
All in all, it was really fun to hang out with Ro and his fiance, Jauna. And Ro liked his birthday present, which was an Iphone speaker thing for his work. And it charges his Iphone too....ooooo....so high tech, jk. LoL.

Me and Emmett, Jauna, Ro, Gramma Kathy, Granpa Don, Savannah, Alex

(jaw was taking the pic)

The best waitress at Lucille's. We always get her. She is awesome. And she is super patient, always is on top of the drinks, doesn't care how many times u ask her for extra ranch. I forgot her name, but this is the girl to go to at Lucille's in Henderson.

Ready Already!

2010-11-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for Christmas already. Not because of presents...but because of the actual holiday-ness that comes along with it. I want to put up Christmas decorations and our tree already. The mall is already decorated and playing christmas music..and u can see Santa already. So...can I...or should I wait till Thanksgiving is over? We are having Thanksgiving over at the inlaws so, it's not like I need to break out the Thanksgiving decor at our house.....mmmm....but it kinda seems wrong to do it before. I'll probably wait...maybe....

Internet is back on!

2010-11-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Yay. I am back! After having no internet for like a month...actually a little over a month. We now have internet. Oh my goodness. I do not know how I did things without it...oh yes i did. I had to go over to the in laws to check mail, do banking, pay bills. I do everyone online. I even have paperless billing...so I had no idea what our bills were for the month...they were all in my email. Yah. I never wanna go through that again. I even check the news on the internet...so we had some terror threat a couple of weeks ago...yah...had no idea about that either. Just happy to have the internet back in my home, at my computer, with all my personal shiz on it. :)

Living Las Vegas

2010-11-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that we really want to move to Cali. And we still do...but we have to be realistic about where we are and what about plan A and B, ya know.
We have been living in Las Vegas for almost 2 years now and me and jaw were talking about how its not really that bad. We are actually thinking if we can sell the place we are living in now, we might even try to buy a condo or a small house. (we already found the condos that we want to live in...hey we can dream/plan).
Besides the obvious shady people, shady businesses, constant drunk people, and well, hey it's sin city right? And even though we have had a rough couple of years living here. It could be worse. It could always be worse. Home extreme Makeover taught me that...although...I'm sure our story could qualify. ;)

They do have excellent parks here though and we take Savannah all the time, cuz hello...its free. And there are a shizzz load of parks in vegas. They are clean, have shade over the jungle gyms, 90% of them have splash pads and they all have that mushy, soft, padding on the floor...no sand or dirt, which is good.
The malls are good here and one of our frequent stops, besides the Galleria Mall is Town Square cuz it mixes the park, shopping and coffee/and sometimes food.

There are plenty of places to eat, tons of shopping, the hospitals are great, duh, my hubby works at one. It may not be cali, but its close enough and we can visit OC now without spending too much money.

The Airplanes

2010-11-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

McCarran Airport is pretty much smack in the middle of vegas...also becuz it is right next to The Strip, which is also, right in the middle of vegas. Airplanes fly right over our home in the morning from the executive airport, which is fine, better than the trains in the YL...no honking and it only lasts for a few hours in the morning, and sometimes not at all when its really windy. (since they have to land a different direction). But, besides the bright Luxor light pointing up to the sky, or the Stratosphere hotel towering over all the other hotels, a staple here in Vegas, is at night...all the incoming flights to vegas are taxing through the sky in a single line over vegas and henderson. It is quite funny that like every 3 minutes a plane lands in vegas and you can see them from the strip, into henderson, over lake mead, and towards arizona. All waiting to land in sin city. pfmphh.

California

2010-11-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to California. We decided at 2 AM in the morning and left 6 hours later at 8 AM. :)
Our decision came super quick and it solely based on our nephew, Gino. He is a football player over at El Dorado. We wanted to come to his game today, which is for the championship, but Jaw had to work, so we decided the second to last game would be sufficient. They are undefeated and I know it is in everyone's nature to brag. But I am telling you this kid is a star. He is a natural born athlete, he was a star in pop warner, and next year he is getting pulled up to Varsity. The game was awesome! They of course won, but it was a close and stressful game, and according to my SIL, every single game ELDo has had has been like this and they always pull it off in the 4th qtr. Savannah got to run around with her cousin Madisyn and enjoy being around a TON of kids during the game. It was just an awesome time and NO ONE knew we were coming down, we called a half hour before the game to make sure it was at home field. It was a great time.

While in Cali...we couldn't see everyone we wanted to. But we are coming back down later in the year for a vacation so we will have time to see eveyone. But we saw of course, my dad, debi, gramma jackie, and my sister jen and her bf tommy. I was happy they all got to see Emmett all cute and laughing and cuddly. No one has seen him since he was a mere infant straight outta NICU. So it was really nice.
The day we left, in the morning we went and showed Savannah the beach, which she loved! And then we all started feeling like crap. Savannah and Emmett have had a colds, but it kinda spread around like wild fire so we decided to go see my mom and then leave. My mom's surprise was the best cuz she still didn't know we were down in Cali. So once we got to her place, Jaw took a picture of savannah in front of her car and sent it to my mom's phone. By the time we walked up to my mom's place, knocked the door and she opened the door with the best look of shock, suprise, and happiness on her face! It was the best face ever! She was so happy!
Im happy that we did that short but sweet trip and hopefully there will be many more to come! :)
I posted pix up on facebook. :) too lazy right now. ;)

A little more information....

2010-10-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Some more info on people with Down Syndrome...including why they tend to be smaller babies and why it takes them so long to sit, crawl, walk.

Approximately 50% of individuals with Down syndrome are born with a CHD (congenital heart defect). Approximately 12% are born with some sort of digestive issue. And children with Down syndrome are 10-15 times more likely to develop leukemia (though their response to treatment, I've heard, is usually better than a "typical" child who develops leukemia). Additionally, children with Down syndrome are 62 times more likely to develop pneumonia. And they are 12 times more likely to die from infectious diseases, if left untreated. They tend to get more ear infections than the general population, primarily due to VERY narrow ear canals.

There are four contributing factors to the *general* delay of sitting and walking in kiddos with Down syndrome (keep in mind that there is a huge range, just as there is in typically-developing kids, but the mean age is later and thus the range is larger):
Hypotonia

Ligamentous laxity

Decreased strength

Short limbs

(I'd like to add "stubborn" to the list, in direct contradiction to those of you out there who think that children with Down syndrome are always sweet and happy...) :-)

Hypotonia is one of the first indicators of a need for testing when a baby is born without a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Our kids can be referred to as "floppy" at birth. As they grow, it often takes longer for them to be able to pull their head off your shoulder, push up on their hands while on their tummies, etc.

Physical therapy needs to be viewed long-term. Kids who have hypotonia have great opportunities to "cheat." For example, they can go from tummy to sitting by doing the splits. So, it's important to teach them the proper way to do physical movements that will build their strength rather than just letting them take advantage of their flexibility
But here's a breakdown of the average age when walking occurs:

27% by 20 months

54% by 32 months

15% by 32 months

4% by 58 months

toddler brag

2010-10-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

This post is about a toddler brag...one that probably isn't of interest unless u are a mommy and have had this problem...or will in the future; potty training.

Well...Savannah is potty trained!!!! It it took less than a month and I. am. so. freaking happy!
I was starting to get nervous becuz she started training once she turned 2...but then Emmett was born and it was like she was over it! I guess sometimes kids kind of "go backwards" once a sibling is born, but buying diapers for an almost 3 year old was starting to get embarrassing. So the day after she turned three we just worked really hard...and it was actually Johnny who got her to put on underwear for the whole day. It was like magic...all the sudden Savannah was a "big girl". We went to walmart and bought a bunch of underwear.
But now she goes, sometimes by herself and will even wake up to go. She has only had one overnight accident, but that night she was sick and also threw up. I know she is still a lil kid and will have accidents. But I am excited now that she is potty trained, I can enroll her in gymnastics, preschool, and sports. finally! Yay...lil brag there. :)

NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH!

2010-10-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

October is our National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Since I do not have internet...I cannot write everyday for awareness. But if you have questions about Down Syndrome or any special needs, I am very educated and am willing to answer questions, even if they seem dumb or you think you will offend me..you won't...i would rather have you ask so I can tell you. I am able to check my email on my phone so email any questions you might have: johnemilyg@yahoo.com
But here are a few things I got over at Our unexpected Journey by Adrieene.

-When referring to a child with special needs, please put the special need after the child. So instead of saying he is a Down syndrome child or Down syndrome baby, you could simply say he has Down syndrome or Emmett has Down syndrome or "hey that baby has Down syndrome" NOT "hey there's a Down syndrome baby." I don't know why but when hearing someone say my child is "Down's" or "is a Down syndrome child" it totally makes me cringe. Because, our kids are so much more than just having Down syndrome. He's a little boy first and he happens to have Down syndrome.

-Children with Down syndrome most often reach milestones later than typical kids (not normal kids, typical kids-remember, my son is normal too!!;)) because of their low muscle tone. So it shouldn't be a surprise that Emmett and other children may not walk until they are 2 or later. Now you can see why we make such a big deal when he reaches those little milestones and big milestones because yes, it can seem like an eternity to do them but that's okay;)!

- Lastly, I hope you would encourage your children to play with children that have special needs {if they have a chance} because not only does it help the child with special needs (not to mention their mommy that so badly wants them to have typical peers too;)) but your child will learn compassion, patience and acceptance just by playing with someone that may need a little help. Don't we all want our kids to be kind, compassionate and patient??

ALSO.....some facts:

-Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called non disjunction. It is not known why this occurs. However, it is known that the error occurs at conception and is not related to anything the mother did during pregnancy. It has been known for some time that the incidence of Down syndrome increases with advancing maternal age. However, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age. (National Assoc. for Down Syndrome)

-do not use the term "r*tard". Why the big deal? I am perfectly fine with the term mental retardation as it is a medical term, but is not something someone has...it is to describe the level of developmental delay. "Develomentally delayed" or "intellectual disability" are acceptable. But if you are making a slang comment about "so and so is a r*tard"......as did miss jennifer aniston on Regis and Kelly....I will become unglued! If you want a more extensive reason of why people are so offended. email me. I will not be mean or crazy. promise! :)

Hiatus

2010-10-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hey i've been absent from blogging world and not making comments on blogger becuz we currently do not have internet. we should be getting it back hopefully by the begining of november. so the only way i go online is when i am at my in laws or on facebook on my phone. so...i will be back soon and check on blogs as much as a can, but I am sorry If i don't comment...i am reading though! :) be back soon.
-em

emmett laughing

2010-09-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

For the longest time, Emmett would not smile or laugh, especially after his eye surgery. Now he laughs and smiles back and we are loving it!

Buddy Walk 2010

2010-09-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well our first Buddy Walk was "great sucsess". (i know that is spelled wrong, it is supposed to be like Borat).
We got there, registered, looked around, but Savannah just had to play on the playground for about an hour. We watched kids sing, and play. There was tons of bees though. I had to explain to johnny, don't run and try not to stress when they fly around you, and they will just fly away. Bees can sense stress and fear and take it as a threat, and that is why they sting, (fun fact for ya).
So....we did the walk. It was hot and it would have been a cake walk, but right as we began the walk, Savannah wanted to be held the entire time! And pushing the stroller up the hill with all the water bottles in the bottom, was not the light walk I was anticipating. We actually had to stop and drink some water for a sec. LoL. I need to get in better shape. But it was 103 degrees out there!
After the walk, we were going to go get some food and I was looking forward to meeting some other families and parents...
but our plans changed. Savannah and another kid collided on this ramp on the playground...she fell back and hit her head on the cement. I was holding Emmett and did not see it, but Gramma Kathy was with her, so Kathy carried her back to the bench we were at, and Savannah threw up.
Jaw thought it probably was the heat combined with running around and chugging water, but becuz she hit her head, we decided it best to go to Urgent Care to make sure she didn't have a concussion. So we all ended up leaving. :(
She was okay and that was a good thing. :)
I really did enjoy and now I know what to expect for next year and we can better prepare so we can enjoy everything more. All in all..it was a great day!

Tomorrow!

2010-09-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our first Buddy Walk. I am so excited. I hope Emmett will do ok. We got him a hat and I'm gonna try sunglasses. I almost wished it was going to be an overcast day, but its not...it is going to be a bright and sunny 100 degrees. Hopefully we can keep him in a good mood. He is very sensitive to the sun..especially his eyes. But i am looking forward to it and will be posting pictures after tommorow. yay :)
and also thank you to everyone who donated money to the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada through our team, Emmett's Troopers. It is not too late to donate though. You can through Emmett's Troopers Website.
Thank you again ya'll.

A little too familiar

2010-09-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I came across this blog...not even sure how I got there and it kind of upset me. This was a mother of a child that has DS, and she has this essay on her blog that she wrote. And it is very, very similar to the Welcome to Holland essay by Emily Kingsley. Now...I have stated my views on this whole essay before. Now, I get it, I get the essay and I understand why so many mothers out there with children that have DS or any other disability love this essay. It is just not how I feel, and thats ok. (i AM in italy b*tch; lol.)

But the point is, I get it and I am glad Emily Kingsley wrote it. So back to the subject at hand...I came across this blog and her essay was so similar it actually pissed me off. Now...the whole the essay is an analogy, so I guess anyone could write an analogy of their take on having a child with special needs, and therefore wouldn't be plagiarizing... I guess? But I highly doubt this woman wrote her essay without ever seeing the Holland essay before. It is just so similar it made me mad. To the point where I am not going to read her blog. She just seems fake to me now and I don't like fake-ness. Oh drama in the blog world.

Feeling ok

2010-09-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ok...I had my freak out. I kinda freaked out in the car and got some tears out. Feeling okay now. We are gonna be ok. We just have to take it all one day at a time. Just figure it out.

But...today, my FIL, Don's best friend died. Pete wasn't just Don's best friend since they were in HS. He was a family friend. He stayed at my in laws house here in Vegas every other week.

Pete was also "Grandpa Pete", which Savannah called him. He was part of our family and it still doesn't feel real. Savannah won't be able to understand and that is one of the parts that hurts most, is that soon she will be asking for Grandpa Pete and he won't be coming back. He was just here on Tuesday and Wednesday. When Savannah saw him get outta her Grandpa Don's car...she freaked and started yelling "Grandpa Pete! Grandpa Pete!" Savannah never knew that he wasn't related to her, she loved him cuz he was a loving person. Pete was also gonna come to Emmett's Buddy Walk. He was one of the few people who didn't define Emmett by his DS. He only noticed his progress and how much we had grown since the last time he was here.
My MIL, Kathy, made him breakfast wednesday morning before he left and she is so happy she did, becuz he sure loved her pancakes.
My heart especially hurts for my FIL, Don. Having his friend around was a life lifter and company is always good for my FIL. Having his home full of family and friends makes my FIL happy, and I am said that a piece of that will now be gone.
RIP Grandpa Pete.

seriously!?!?!?

2010-09-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Today i was starting to feel better...cuz even though we are having a hard time...we will catch up...one day. I was actually gonna get on blogger and write that i was sorry for compalining and post something good. I started thinking...well, atleast half our house has electricity and it could be worse....yah....it got worse. our washing machine broke. something that is so important. we actually live on a very small amount of clothes and towels. and jaw only has a few pairs of scrubs for work, and so i wash alot! alot alot...and now our washing machine is broken. so now i have to take our clothes to the laundromat...in the ghetto..cuz in vegas...there are no laundromats in nice areas.
seriously....seriously.

I am...

2010-09-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

the biggest complainer. Oh yah...our electricity went out right...if u read my last post u would know. Well...Jaw was gonna try to pick up some extra days so we could try to pay for it with that. Yah...Johnny has mononucleosis. Yah...mono...like WTF!!!!???? He was really sick last week and had this bad cough, which we were told was bronchitis, and his work sent him home and told him to get cleared by our doctor. Well...we thought, he would take a couple of days off, get some rest and go back to work. Oh but just to be safe, the doctor ran cultures and a blood test and lo and behold....mono! And mono happens to be super contagious. He went back to the dr today to get cleared so he can go back to work....I mean...screw the electiricty...we gotta pay our bills. What happens....nope...even though he is feeling good...the mono is still "rabid" in his system and he can still infect people. So...they are not letting him go back to work this week. He has to keep on getting blood work until it shows up clear. OMG! Seriously...why is this happening to us!?

news and blues

2010-09-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Time for a kid update i guess. Well...Savannah is going to be 3 in a month. I cannot believe it. She is so big and such a little girl, along with teh attitude and bossiness that comes with all that. Savannah does this thing when she is mad or trying to get her way, she folds her arms and turns away with a mad, scrunched up face, but kinda looks over her shoulder to make sure we are watching her pout....It drives me crazy but when she does it, i always laugh behind her back. She won't go to anyone knew, and won't even say anything or look at them...which is say is a good thing. She needs mommy and daddy to still protect her. We started potty training her back in January before Emmett came home and she was doing good, but the second her brother came home...back into diapers for Savannah too. I think it was a jealous thing and our pediatrician said it is normal for toddlers to sometimes go backwards when a new sibling arrive. I would love for savannah to be wholly potty trained, but if we go out of the house...we have to put a diaper on. We are working on it though and it will happen soon. While Savannah counts her numbers and sings her alaphabet. We are working on reconizing them so she can be ready for preschool. She knows her shapes and colors so that is good though. Basiclaly just working on learning.

Emmett is doing so good. He finally holds his head up. He looks around, and smiles. And he rolls all over the place. He rolls both ways and man...he crosses the living room in 10 seconds. It is def his way of transportation right now. But we are working on straightening out his back and bearing weight on his arms. He does this little tripod thing, with his arms down by his side...he stands up on his legs, with all this weight on his frickin head! It is funny...but he just hasn't figured out how to use those arms, so PT came a few days ago and showed us the excersises we need to do with him.
He is also finally gainng weight good. He is 13.5 pounds now! Yay! And 25 inches! He will be 8 months in 2 weeks. He finally grew out of all his 3 month stuff. And it happened like in a few days...seriously. I gave him a bath last night and while Jaw was holding him...i was having a freak out, cuz i kept on bringing clothes and PJ's out and none of them fit! OMG! seriously. like maybe 2 things fit him good. The bad part of this all is now we have to go and buy some clothes and we really really really can't afford it.

Ya see..in mine and johnny's life....we had some type of power surger or something....all the outlets, fans, and lights are off in our living room, dining room, and our kitchen! Our lights, stove, oven and garbage disposal are out in our kitchen. Only the fridge and the microwave outlets work. We tried doing the basic breaker reset...didn't work. So now we have to call an electrician out. We got a hold of a few places and they said...well....it is "so and so" much for us to actually make a service call; it might get fixed when we come out...or we might find out something more serious and then we are talking the big bucks.
Big bucks! what! Seriously...everytime we catch up and get ahead, something sets us behind. And this is going to set us way behind...I don't know if we will every catch up....well...maybe if we hit the lottery! ya right!
I know its all apart of life, but we literally have not had a break since we have been together. U think i'm joking, but i'm not. It gets really frustrating and then i feel bad for complaining, cuz i know other people have it worse. I just don't know what we are doing wrong.

The 2010 Buddy Walk

2010-08-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends and Family;

Emmett and his family are participating in the Down Sydrome Organization of Southern Nevada's 2010 Buddy Walk.

The Buddy-Walk is a national event, which is a one mile friendly walk that promotes accpetance, awareness, and inclusion of individuals with Down Syndrome and also raises funds for local programs and services; as well as national advocacy.

Our team is called:

"Emmett's Troopers"

We thank you and appreciate any donation to this great cause, whether is is 1 dollar or 5 dollars. Every little bit helps! Please Visit Emmett's Page:

Emmett's Troopers

This cause is very important to us because our beautiful boy was born into this family and we did not know beforehand that he had Down Syndrome. But what a blessing this has given us and our family to become educated and advocates for him. Without the wonderful programs and community involvement, Emmett's world would be very differed; as these things provide services and education so our son can grow up and be accepted by everyone.

The Goot Life

Emotional

Cali Love

Happy Birthday Emmett

Some Education

Tis The Season

Morning Sickness

BIG NEWS!

no original posts

Kelle Hampton Post

Stupid internet

Now the Real Holiday Season can Begin

Thankful

WTF!!!!????

Baby Time!

no more spongebob

Back to Writing

Alrighty then.

This Crazy Life

No Negative Nancy here

Feeling Tired ya'll?

Preschool Again *EDITED*

September 11

The "Bad" Kids

We got a Pool!

the Graveyard Shift

a Hot Mess

Excuse me!

bridal shower games?

Fearless

big. bad. pneumonia.

Fourth of July

Another post about preschool...

For the Mamas

July

Is this really happening right now...?

Summer in Vegas

a mothers dream

News in the DS side of things

Dilemma

Long Process

MOVING

Looking Up

Drama

...these moments

My Hunger Games Casting

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

Life as We Know It

Upcoming Things

From the Blog of Ria

Micah Six Eight: Hold them Close

Everytime...

Little Miss Nevada

Catch Up

Sitting Up

All is well...

Congential Heart Defect Awareness Week

I've been absent

The Specials

Yummy Grill Sushi

Emmett's 1-yr stats....

ONEder Fund

My Life Changed Today...

One Week

In the words of Barney Stinson....

Winter Blues

Christmas ya say?

the Hunger Games

Long Hair Troubles

the Single Ladies

Pro Bass Shop Santa

Breastfeeding

My Brother's Birthday

Homemade Baby Food

All in his own time

Christmas Cookies

Camera Flash

Holidays 2010

The Job

Kelle Hampton Time

Preschool Again EDITED