Nesting. Sort of.

Just a few weeks until the baby comes and things around here have been a bit crazy. The term "nesting" really changes meaning when you are about to have your fourth child. Back when I was pregnant with Katherine and Will, "nesting" meant I went into high gear freezing cookies in anticipation of visitors after the baby came home, washing and folding piles of newborn clothes, and making sure my sock drawer was organized.

These days, I have come to the conclusion that visitors aren't going to get snacks when they come to meet the new baby, I really only need a couple newborn outfits,  and I could care less what my sock drawer looks like. Instead, the past two weeks have been wall-to-wall meetings and appointments, trying to fit it all in before the new boy decides to join us. In addition to multiple medical appointments--new orthotics, eye doc, annual cardiologist check--we have also been trudging through the special education process with our local school district in preparation for Charlotte's third birthday (which has added three additional meetings in the past week to our crazy schedule for assessments). Add in weekly OB appointments for me and weekly therapy for Charlotte and we are beat.

Thankfully, things look like they will slow down a bit this week. With the exception of Charlotte's IEP meeting on Wednesday afternoon, I think we will be back to normal for a couple weeks.

I am also super grateful for Charlotte's much improved attitude towards medical professionals. Remember this?



This was Charlotte's reaction to doctors and nurses back in October during her hospitalization and for months following it. I couldn't even take her to my doctor appointments without her crying/screaming.

Thankfully, those days are behind us, and she has been amazing the past few weeks.




(hanging out watching Elmo during her ECHO)

Maybe a hospital bag will be packed this week and a carseat installed, and if not, no worries I didn't have those things done when I went into labor with Charlotte, and we survived.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday: Zoo class (Birds!)

Is anyone out there?

I am not sure how many readers I have left. I realize I am averaging 3-4 blog entries a month, and that often readers disappear when a blog is neglected. I have been reading a lot of my old entries lately and realized how much I really enjoy having them to look back on. I am hoping to get back to regular blogging (or at least Wordless Wednesdays to start!) after the baby is born.

Lots has been going on here; so much, that I don't really know where to start. I am coming up on my final three weeks of pregnancy and feeling good physically, but "done" emotionally. It seems as during the past few months there has been a lot of stress in our lives, and finding time to really think about what is good and important has been hard to find.

Until tonight. Katherine and Will are obsessed with Wheel of Fortune lately. Dinner, showers, and homework all have to be planned around Pat Sajak, and if for some reason we can't fit it all in, the DVR has to be set to record Channel 5 at 6:30PM. It is fun to hear them talk about how they can't wait to watch, and Katherine is actually quite good at figuring out the puzzles.

However, tonight Wheel of Fortune wasn't on. Katherine was devastated and couldn't understand why the guide said it was going to be on, and yet it wasn't. It was preempted because of the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. As I sat and tried to explain this to my 7-year-old, it hit me that this is one of the moments that I dread as a parent. Trying to explain why such evil exists in this world; why time after time there are individuals out there who think it is okay to kill and hurt innocent people? Obviously our conversation was short, and not many details were given--just that there was important news that needed to be on instead.

Tonight, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I am hugging my children and my husband a bit tighter. As the five (well, six really!) of us sat reading books on Katherine's bed tonight, I was able to focus on what is important. Life is crazy, and such a roller coaster at times, and sometimes it is hard to look past the evil that exists. However, we must try, because on the flip side, there is so much good in this world as well.

Spring break fun.

It is super cold still in the upper midwest. In fact, we still had snow on the ground during much of this spring break. It made doing fun, outdoor activities a bit tougher this year, but we powered through. We did hit the zoo one day, and even though it was a bit chilly, the kids had a good time. One more day until school starts up again for the older two! Hoping for spring weather in the near future; I can no longer zip my winter coat thanks to my expanding belly and my growing feet would love to slip into a pair of flip flops.....














Happy spring....I think?!

World Down Syndrome Day 2013

Today, 3/21, is a day to celebrate and recognize those who have three copies of the 21st chromosome (get it? 3/21?); also known as Down syndrome. It is hard to believe that three years ago I had no idea a day like today existed. My knowledge of Down syndrome was limited, and never in a million years did I think one of my own children would have Down syndrome.

It is amazing where life takes us, paths that we may not ask to be brought down, but yet we begrudgingly go because we have no choice. It is also amazing how sometimes as we make our way down these paths we learn things along the way; hidden traits about ourselves and who we are and what we are capable of, as well as what is really important in life.

And yet, as we travel down these paths, we are at times reminded of those early days when things were oh so very new, and very, very hard. We are also reminded that even though we have accepted this path, it is not always easy.

But most of the time, acceptance of this new road is good. We focus on what we have learned, and where we are going.

I am so, so proud to be Charlotte's mom. She has taught me more in the past three years than I have learned in a lifetime. This path isn't so hard anymore, and though in a lot of ways we are just getting started, I no longer fear where we are going.

So today (tonight actually...a little late on this post, sorry!), I celebrate Charlotte for all she is and all she will be, as well as all our friends who also have three copies of that crazy little 21st chromosome. Little math lesson for you, 47 > 46 ;-).

47 days.

It has been 47 days since my last true Charlotte update. Yikes! Time flies when life is crazy, doesn't it?

To make up for it, I owe you 47 tidbits about Charlotte and her current state of being.

1. As of today, her new favorite word is "mine!" Very important word to know with two older siblings. 
2. She has gotten quite a bit taller the past few months; grown at least two inches since the beginning of the year, and is now just a hair under the island in our kitchen (which is why Mike just out corner safety guards on it to protect her little head since she often doesn't watch where she is going!). 
3. Favorite toys: babies, blocks, and balls. Apparently she likes things that start with the letter "b."
4. No more crib! She was not a fan of the toddler bed, however, so she now sleeps on a mattress on the floor in her room (which isn't the prettiest sight, but will work until she is a bit more agile and doesn't fail around so much when she sleeps.). Her crib is now waiting for the new boy. 
5. She has to sleep with five baby dolls every night. She asks for five babies when we tell her it is time for bed, and I count them as we line them up against the wall each night. 
6. Favorite foods: pancakes, pizza, blueberries, yogurt, potatoes ("tatoes!"), and grapes
7. She has left her love of "Signing Time" behind and replaced it with an obsession with Dora the Explorer; following in her big sister's footsteps, as this was Katherine's favorite show at age 2 as well. 
8. Her favorite Dora character is Swiper the sneaky fox, and when he comes on, Charlotte comes and finds us to tell us "Awww, Man!"
9. She still is, and hopefully always will be, a book lover. When the older kids go to bed, Charlotte often spends a good hour rotating between Mike and I, bringing books to read. 
10. She loves practicing her colors, and is pretty good at identifying red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and green. She says all of them, except for orange (which she signs), and has great accuracy at picking out things of a certain color. 
11. Since the crib-to-bed transition, she has pretty much given up naps, which to put it bluntly, sucks. 
12. When she doesn't want to nap, she stands at the gate at her door and yells, "Mommy, Daddy, Will, Kaaa-keeee!" over and over again. 
13. Her new favorite song is "Baby You're a Firework" by Katy Perry.
14. She is still a bit shaky on her feet, and seems to struggle with balance/coordination, and is freaked out by the stairs. We are seeing a vision specialist in a few weeks to see if she has any depth perception issues. 
15. She screeches when any one opens the freezer because she thinks she is going to get ice cream (and no, we don't each ice cream that much, she just really loves it). 
16. She loves to color. Especially on the walls. Awesome.
17. She has recently figured out how to work the door knobs in our house. Also awesome. 
18. Baths and brushing her teeth are favorites. 
19. She no longer fears doctors like she did back in October after her hospitalization. I can now take her with me to my OB appointments without her screaming the minute we walk in the door. 
20. She has become so much more outgoing. No longer does she hide her face from strangers, but often says "hi" or "buh-bye."
21. When she wants something and I am not paying attention to her, she pulls on my pants let and shouts, "Ma!"
22. She loves being barefoot. Her socks and shoes come off any chance she gets. 
23. Her two and three word phrases have been increasing daily. 
24. Pumpkin muffins made by "Aunt Kate's GF bakery" are still her favorite breakfast food. Kate tried to switch it up and made banana ones last time, but the picky princess rejected them. 
25. She rocked her last developmental assessment (you know, the ones I usually dread!); she has made so much progress in the past 4 months, the therapists were blown away. 
26. Her celiac diagnosis quickly became a way of life around here. The older kids are experts at what is gluten-free and what isn't, and if they don't know, they are awesome about asking. For Charlotte, being 2 years old when she was diagnosed was probably the best thing, as she will never know any different. 
27. We start the IEP process through the public schools in the next few weeks. I am nervous, but confident things will go well. 
28. When I tell Charlotte "I love you," she says "love you" back while trying to replicate the sign for it as well. 
29. Though speech has taken the place as a lot of her signs, she does still rely on signing quite a bit. A lot of her words can sound the same and the signs help us to understand her if needed. 
30. Her receptive language skills blow me away, and are far above her expressive language. 
31. She can rock puzzles. Loves them.
32. Missy had her baby last week, and Charlotte is in love. She would sit and hold Bennett for an hour if we let her, and she screams when anyone tries to take him away from her. She stares at him and says "baby, baby, baby" over and over. 
33. We call Charlotte, "the tornado" as she often walks around the house dumping buckets of toys, coloring on walls, playing in the dog's water, etc. She has now taken to repeating us, and now walks around saying, "Nato, nato, nato!" 
34. She loves to play dress-up. Especially loves hats, shoes, and necklaces. 
35. We have been having her practice what we *think* will probably be the new baby's name. She's got it down. But don't you dare ask, because we aren't positive yet! 
36. She is freakin' stubborn. When she doesn't want to do something, she hits the ground and goes limp. Awesome. 
37. She loves the phone. Often grabs either my cell phone or the home phone, and pretends she is talking...starts out the conversation with "Hi" and then strings together a mess of babble before ending with "buh-bye."
38. She loves looking at pictures on the computer and pointing out everyone she knows. 
39. Eating out at restaurants continues to be tough. I bring her food everywhere because even though there are plenty of "gluten friendly" restaurants and choices out there, most do not take caution to prevent cross-contamination. 
40. She has a soft spot for Sophie, more so than the older kids. 
41. Sophie has a soft spot for Charlotte, probably because of all the food Charlotte shares with her (nothing like watching the $6.50 per loaf bread be hand fed to the dog!). 
42. We recently discovered she loves black beans. Eats them by the handful (while holding a spoon in her other hand). 
43. She points to my belly often and says, "baby." However, she does the same to her own belly, as well as all sorts of random people. 
44. She loves visiting "Peg"  (great-grandma) at her apartment building, and enjoys racing through the hallways with her siblings making all the residents smile. 
45. She has a strange habit of pulling her shirt up and shouting "belly" when people come over. 
46. We look forward to nicer weather, as I think this little lady is going to love being outside once it warms up. The amount of energy she has is unfounded, and needs an outlet!
47. Charlotte brings each one of an amazing amount of joy on a daily basis. Even in the midst of her "terrible (tornado) twos" she manages to make us laugh multiple times every day! 

There ya have it. Charlotte it in a nutshell. I am beat and headed to bed, so I'm not going to proofread. Forgive me for any grammatical errors! 

Charlotte and baby Bennett. Love. 

It's never okay.

It's never okay to use the word retard(ed).

No matter what your excuse....
 "it slipped"
 "I didn't mean it that way."
 "Sorry, I was just kidding around."
 "It's only a word."

I am here to tell you, it is not okay. By using this word, you hurt and degrade others. If you are still using it, do me a favor? Knock it off.

For Charlotte. For her friends who also have an extra chromosome. And for all others around the word who have an intellectual disability.

Take the pledge and never use the "r" word again. Thank you.
http://www.r-word.org/Default.aspx