Princess Abby turns 4

Four years ago our little princess Abby was born. Actually, when Abby was born I did everything in my power to steer her away from princesses. I wasn’t a huge fan…

My how things have changed in four years! Abby loves everything princess…and so a princess party is just what she got. I couldn’t have been any happier planning a perfect princess party for my Abby girl:)

All dressed up in the beautiful Cinderella dress (made with love for Abby and Jocelyn by Aunt Kathy)

Princess Jocelyn all dressed up for her big sister’s party!

What a fun surprise! Grandma T came dressed like Snow White:) Thanks, Grandma T, for dressing up for Abby!

So many of Abby’s friends came to celebrate. The boys came dressed up as super heroes…..

The girls, princesses….of course:)

They made crowns and tiaras…

There was face painting…

and there was food…

There was cake (actually Nothing Bundt Cakes, specifically requested by Abby)

There were presents…

We attempted a group picture…..

She said her goodbyes….

and fell sound asleep!

It was a wonderful party, filled with princesses, super heroes, family and friends. We love you Princess Abby!

PS- Tomorrow we will find out if our house will have 3 princesses or 2 princesses and a super hero!

She’s amazing…

I’ve said before that this little girl is writing her own story.  She wrote another amazing chapter today.  She gave everyone who loves her incredible news.  Her mama can say that it was the best news she has ever gotten in her whole life.

The holes in her heart that weren’t supposed to close, CLOSED.  GONE.  One teeny hole remains.  It may close too, but the cardiologist wasn’t worried about it at all.  No surgery needed for this strong little girl.  They will see her when she is 4! Jocelyn is AMAZING!

And there was more good news.  Her hearing….PERFECT! 

If you aren’t smiling big enough already, I have a funny little story to tell you.  Jocelyn had to be sedated for her procedures today (no fun).  She had been given the full amount of sedation possible and was still awake.  Each time she felt someone prodding her she sat up and said, “hi” to them. It was a very drunk, “hi”. It was like she was telling them, I know you are there and don’t do anything I wont like.  It took a team effort to get her to finally relax and go to sleep.  By team, I mostly mean Chris sitting in a very, uncomfortable position on a hospital bed for 2 hours holding Jocelyn though it all. 

I have no words to describe what I am feeling now, no words are  strong enough….

I do know that we are thankful to have this little girl in our life and thankful for all the family and friends who continue to support us on this journey.  Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers today.  I can say for certain, they worked:)

Jocelyn’s happy about the good news too!  After so much good news, we definitely had to celebrate, so we headed to Point Loma Seafood:)

I forget

(I found someone jumping in their crib after naptime!)

So often I forget that my Sweet Jocelyn Rose has medical issues. She is strong, she is energetic, she is full of spunk. In the whole picture of down syndrome medical issues they are minor, and for that we are fortunate.  Still, her heart has holes.  Holes, that the doctors thought would close.  They have not:(  This week, as long as she stays healthy, we will have another sedated echo.  This time after the echo the doctor will meet with us and start discussing the plan for repair.  Nothing will happen immediately. Please say a prayer for our Sweet Jocelyn on Thursday. 

I will leave you with some cute pictures of Jocelyn and Abby doing what they do…..

Giving

 

I am sharing this you as a mother, who has a deep love for her children.  Please give  what you can no donation is to small.

My sweet friend Gina is organizing this fundraising effort for her dear friend Zoey and her two precious children.  Below I will share Gina’s message and also Zoey’s story………

As many of you know,  my good friend Zoey tragically lost her two sweet children, Jada (5) and Jordan (3), last October. Devastation, disbelief and sadness beyond measure doesn't even come close to explaining the feelings of losing your family instantaneously, as so many of you can imagine. As a mother, it is the unimaginable. Very quickly however, it was very clear that Zoey was a survivor and was going to survive and thrive FOR her children, versus a path of becoming swallowed up in the despair. Over the past year, Zoey has amazed us all as she has grieved openly and privately for her children through all forms of therapy, self awareness and inspiration to others. She and so many honor her babies every day.

Zoey knows that what brings her the most joy in the world is to be a mother and yearns for that experience again more than anything. After an unsuccessful attempt to become pregnant through invitro fertilization last month, Zoey was not sure where to turn next due to the expense of fertility treatments. In that instant it was clear to friends and family that money could not hold her back from being a mother and with Zoey's permission,the Zoey Mendoza..A New Beginning Fund was established.

Please join us in raising funds to pay for fertility treatments so that Zoey can fulfill her dream of being a mother again. No donation is too small, and I know if every person can donate a small amount - even $10.00, this dream is attainable. Please forward this to your friends and family too, if you are comfortable.

Donations can be made through the below secure site:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HM5H9WW2WFDSA

Or donations can be be directly deposited into Wells Fargo Account #: 6301219959.

Checks can be made out to "Zoey Mendoza A New Beginning Fund" and can be sent to Gina O'Bryant - 41704 Monterey Place Temecula, CA 92591.

Thank you for your kindness...

 

Please read below if you would like to hear more about Zoey's inspirational story:

Zoey was born and raised in the very family friendly community of Ashland, Or. From an early age, her one constant dream was to be a mother. From her undergrad work with pregnant and parenting teens, to her graduate work where Zoey worked with emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children in a residential setting, children always played a vital role in her life..  In 2000, Zoey moved to NJ in order to focus on building her relationship with future husband Kurtis. They married in 2002,  and wanted to start a family, but had difficulty conceiving. Zoey ultimately went thru in-vitro fertilization and was ecstatic to learn that she was pregnant with her first child.  9 months later, Jada Soleil was born, and Zoey began her journey of motherhood. Her first years with Jada were spent in wonder as she watched her beautiful daughter develop into a spirited, adventurous little girl.  When Jada was a year old, Zoey was surprised and delighted to learn that she had become pregnant again. Unfortunately, she suffered a devastating miscarriage when she was 9-weeks pregnant.  Within several months, however, Zoey was lucky enough to become pregnant a third time, and was ultimately blessed with her beautiful son, Jordan Vaughn in 2007.  Zoey felt as though her family was complete, and lived everyday in the wonderment and beauty of her children. Family time was fulfilling and full of love and excitement.  In 2009, however, Zoey’s husband started to display signs of depression and anxiety. They worked together to address his decline through individual and family therapy, but his irrational behavior became increasingly difficult to manage.  In October, 2010, Kurtis experienced what can only be described as a psychotic break, and he took the lives of Zoey’s two beloved children, and then his own.  Jada Soleil was 5-years-old, and Jordan Vaughn was 3-years-old. This horrific and devastating loss was beyond comprehension to everyone who knew Zoey and her beautiful family. In an instant, Zoey had lost everything that she had loved and yearned for her entire life. Through the intensive support of family and friends, and Zoey’s own driven exploration of how to maintain her spiritual connection with her children, she found a thread to hold on to in terms of building her future. She became determined to not allow this horrible passage to destroy the rest of her life, and she has continued to share the happiness and love that her beautiful Jada and Jordan brought to her life and the lives of so many others.

 
As part of her grief process, Zoey began to understand that she had the deep desire to bear another child, and perhaps adopt children in the future. She recently went through an attempt at in-vitro fertilization, but unfortunately, none of the five embryos survived. It is now beyond her financial capabilities to afford additional rounds of in-vitro.  Now a year after Zoey's tragedy, it is more evident than ever to her family and friends that Zoey needs to have another child. And with such a horrific tragedy comes an awareness that we CANNOT allow money hold her back from attaining this dream.  So many want to help, and there is finally a gift we can give Zoey… the gift of hope, and the possibility of being a mother once again.

With Zoey's permission, the ZOEY MENDOZA… A NEW BEGINNING FUND, has been set up with Wells Fargo Bank.  All money raised will go directly to the costs of in-vitro fertilization for Zoey.  Because there are no guarantees, our goal is raise enough money to cover two rounds of in-vitro which totals $30,000.
For a year, we have watched in amazement as Zoey has inspired so many.  Friends of friends and people across the globe have come to know Zoey. Hundreds have asked how they can help.... And now we finally have a way.  Please help us give Zoey a new beginning. Please help Zoey become a mommy again - the one thing she wants most in this world.  
Because this is not a non-profit organization, please be aware that your generous donations are not tax deductible.

Thank you for helping to fulfill Zoey's dream, and for the kindness your hearts have shown and continue to show.

Perfect Halloween

 

Tonight was great.  Thank you Caudills for hosting a perfect halloween party.  Us country folk, need city friends that live in neighborhoods to invite our kids trick or treating.  The girls had so much fun.  Abby was totally into it this year:) She went to each house on her own while mommy and daddy watched from down the walkway to the door. Little sister Jocelyn got the hang of it too.  She wanted to walk all on her own, swing her bag and get her own candy.  The pictures tell the story of the night……

   

Thank you to everyone who followed my blog this month.  October was a beautiful month.  Each night, I really enjoyed sitting down, sharing something simple or spending a little more time reflecting on our life with a little girl with down syndrome.  Tonight’s blog is the perfect ending.  Our life with Jocelyn is so typical.  We do everything that any other family would be doing, and most importantly she is doing everything that any other 22 month old would be doing on Halloween night.  I couldn’t be any more proud of my two little girls:) 

Thoughts from a pregnant Mommy

 

Here I am 3 days before I gave birth to my sweet Jocelyn Rose.  On this Christmas day I had no idea what was coming to me in just 3 days.  Everything about Jocelyn’s arrival was unexpected.  From the very beginning when she was unexpectedly born in our home to the pediatrician telling us that she suspected our new baby girl had down syndrome.  The first few weeks were painfully difficult.  I had fallen in love with a baby in my tummy and now a completely different baby was born.   

It may sound strange but I wouldn’t have changed not knowing that Jocelyn had down syndrome.  I enjoyed a wonderful stress free pregnancy.  Chris and I decided not to do any of the prenatal screening for down syndrome.  I was not in any high risk category for having a baby with down syndrome.  The blood screening has a high false positive result.  It was a decision that I do not regret.

When Jocelyn was just a few days old we sat and talked with a geneticist at Children’s hospital.  She and Chris talked medical jargon and I sat and nodded my head.  I was in a fog, but this scientific information was very therapeutic to Chris. It was determined that the type of down syndrome Jocelyn has was not genetic. It was a random chromosome addition that occurred.  Giving her 3 21st chromosomes instead of two. We had a baby that was just days old and we were already learning about having another child.  What testing would be available to us, our chances of having another child with down syndrome, and so much more. 

Now I am 15 weeks pregnant with Huth Baby #3.  We knew we wanted another child and also knew that another pregnancy would bring up so many emotions and new fears.  Our risk of having another baby with down syndrome was just a little less than 1%.  A little higher than another couple our age (31) but still less than someone over 40.   I am now in the “high risk” pregnancy category.  Pretty special, huh?

At 12 weeks we elected to have a nuchal translucency ultrasound performed.   This is a high resolution ultrasound where they measure the thickness of the nuchal ligament.  This ligament runs down the back of the baby’s neck.  They use this measurement and combine it with results from a blood screen.  The technician did the ultrasound and 10 minutes later the doctor walked in, sat down, and looked at us and said our baby was fine.  Our risk was extremely low for any type of genetic condition.  Happy, relieved tears rolled down my face.  We are done with testing.  This little baby is just fine:) 

Yes, we will find out if we will have a baby boy or baby girl.  I can honestly say that Chris or I will be thrilled with either one.  A healthy baby is what really matters. 

Today, I wouldn’t change one single thing about the baby girl that was born on December 28th, 2009.  She is absolutely perfect just the way she is, extra chromosome and all.  She has already brought so much to our family.  I can’t wait to watch her as a big sister.  Yes, she is not the baby I had fallen in love with during those 9 months, but today I am so happy that she is ours. 

 

A visit from Katie

 

Jocelyn and Abby’s second cousin (Chris’ cousin) and Uncle Dave came for a visit.  Katie has that extra special chromosome too:)  What a special afternoon we had.  Katie got to ride on Smokey.  Wow, did she love it!  She drove the golf cart and played with the dogs.  We sure had a lot of fun together.

We can’t wait for you to come back and visit us Katie! 

Then and Now

 

This picture was taken when Jocelyn was just a few days old, it’s one of my favorite baby pictures.  She was still in the NICU at children’s hospital.  On this day we gave our little girl her nickname, Sweet Jocelyn Rose. 

On these first days we were beginning to fall in love with a little girl that we never dreamed would be ours.  The first days were very difficult.  We were scared.  Scared about the present and terrified of our future.

Today we are madly in love with this little girl.  She brightens each day with her boundless energy and growing personality.  The future is not as scary to think about now.  She is teaching us to enjoy the present. 

We love you, Sweet Jocelyn Rose

My Home Teacher

Since Jocelyn was 6 weeks old she has had an infant teacher coming to our house 1-2 days per week.  Miss Regina has been working with Jocelyn for just over a year.  She works for Riverside County Department of Education for “Infant Circle”.  This is a government funded program that is available to all children who are served by Regional Center. 

Jocelyn loves Miss Regina.  When Jocelyn hears her knock on the door she looks out the little window and waves.  Jocelyn knows the next hour that Miss Regina is there is all about her!  They play, they sing, they do art, they work on puzzles, but mostly they have a good time together.  I love what a natural teacher Regina is.  Nothing is forced.  If Jocelyn wants to read, they read when she wants to sing they sing.  Regina comes with a large rolling bin filled with Educational toys, puzzles, art supplies and books.  Jocelyn loves checking out EVERYTHING in the bin.  Sometimes if Jocelyn’s lucky Regina will leave her a toy or activity to play with for the week. 

Regina also frequently is required to evaluate Jocelyn to track her development.  I appreciate that Regina does these tests naturally and uses her prior experiences with Jocelyn to answer many of the questions.  She is sensitive to the fact that many of these tests are difficult for parents to watch and look at.  They are reminders that your child is behind their peers.  On the positive side the tests show progress and are reminders of how far Jocelyn has come.  From these evaluations goals are written in the form of an IFSP (individualized family service plan). 

Each week Regina leaves  a written report of what they worked on and what we should work on for the week. 

Here is what she wrote today…

“Jocelyn was very interactive.  She is imitating a lot of gestures and movements spontaneously.  She is also initiating activity.  She is also making more spontaneous sounds and said a few words (up, boo, open).  Mom has been encouraging open cup drinking and continues to encourage language skills with books, songs and rhymes.  Jocelyn is responding to rhymes with auditory cue (familiar rhymes).  Start including size (big/little) when describing objects in her environment.”

We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful teacher come into our home each week to work with Jocelyn and teach Mommy skills to help with Jocelyn’s development. 

Sounds like a pretty neat job to me…Maybe in a few years I’ll have to look into it:)  For now I have my own little student to work with! 

21 fun facts about Jocelyn (and Abby too)

October is Down Syndrome Awareness month so I am blogging everyday (well, almost everyday).  Down Syndrome is also called Trisomy 21 because there are 3 of the 21st set of chromosomes.  Usually there are 2.  Abby, Daddy and I will share with you 21 facts about Jocelyn.

1. Jocelyn is 22 months old. 

2. Jocelyn pulls hair (Abby).

3. She loves books. Her favorite book is Quack Quack.  (Abby)

4. Jocelyn loves to brush her pony flame.

5. Jocelyn started walking when she was 20 months old.

6. Jocelyn loves to sit at her table while daddy makes his lunch and eat cheerios.

7.  Jocelyn loves to play in puddles.

8. Jocelyn can sign more, bath, eat and all done all done

9. Jocelyn weighs 20 lbs and is finally big enough to sit facing forward in her car seat.

10. Jocelyn make animal sounds.  She barks, moos, baas, and roars.

11. Jocelyn loves to tickle.  It’s how she gets your attention.

12. Jocelyn loves to try and scare you by saying boo.

13. Jocelyn loves her big sister, Abby, and copies EVERYTHING she does.  Good and Bad

14. Jocelyn loves to tackle  (Abby)

15. Jocelyn loves to play in the sandbox with me. (Abby)

16.  Jocelyn loves to use her fork and spoon when eating.  She concentrates very hard to try and stab her food.

17.  When Jocelyn sees her dad when he gets home from work she puts her hands in the air, walks to him and yells DAAAAAA!

18. Jocelyn loves to climb on tables. (Abby)

19. Jocelyn gets mad when Abby and Daddy go to feel and leave her behind.  She sits at the door, bangs on it and yells.

20. When Jocelyn sees one of her friends she gets so excited and yells and gives a big hug.

21.  We adore our Sweet Jocelyn Rose!

Now Abby really wants to share 21 things about her

1. Abby is 3 years old. 

2. Abby will be 4 on November 24th.

3. Abby loves to ride her horse smokey.

4. Abby is learning how to drive her pony flame.

5. Abby loves her teacher Ms. Elizabee.

6. Abby is learning how to write her name.

7. Abby’s favorite football team is the Chargers and calls the quarterback, “The Rivers”.

8. Abby is excited to go to the river.

9. Abby loves to watch, The Fresh Beat Band.

10. Abby is starting dance class tomorrow.

11. Abby loves to do art projects.

12. When Abby sleeps really well for naps and night time for many days the sleeping fairy comes and brings her something special.

13. Abby loves to play with Jocelyn.

14. Abby is a very smart little girl with a HUGE vocabulary.

15. Abby has very good memory.

16. Abby loves to go on emergencies with Daddy.

17. Abby helps give medicine to the dogs.

18.  Abby loves pomegranates.

19.  Abby loves to go on treasure hunts.

20.  Abby can’t wait to go to disneyland with Aunt Mimi

21. We love our Abby girl:)

A hero

What a fun surprise:) We stopped at Home Depot and look who was there. It was Rich, our favorite fireman. The man who on the night on December 28th came to our home to help take care of a brand new precious baby girl and comfort a mama who was scared. He will always be a hero to our family.

Rich held Jocelyn all the way to the hospital that night.

What an entrance Sweet Jocelyn made. Now that I know her a bit better her entrance into the world does not surprise me one bit!

Thanks to Fireman Rich and all the firefighters on Engine 92 who came to help our family on that wild night!

Family

(This is the blog that I wrote for Natalie’s blog, just in case you missed it)

This is our family…

and this is our family too…

and so is this….

Our family has grown and what excites me is our family will continue to grow. More angels will be born and we will welcome them and all those who love them with open arms. This is a journey that I am learning you can not walk alone. It takes a family to raise these gifts.

In the last 22 months I love what our family has become. I love that in a short 22 months Jocelyn has brought our family closer together, reminding us what is really important. I love the sister that Abby has become and the sister that I know she will grow into, learning lessons far beyond her years. I love the father that Chris is to his daughters. Two little girls constantly reminding him to laugh even after a long days work. I love the mother that I am becoming, learning lessons that a mother can not read about in books. I love that I feel closer to my sister now than ever before even though she is on the other side of the world. I love watching grandparents bond over two little girls that they deeply adore. I love being surrounded by friends that make sure we know that they are beside us as we take this journey. I love the amazing new people I have met and the comfort I feel when I am with them.

I have grown, our family has grown and our hearts have grown, all because of a sweet little girl that we never dreamt would be ours.

Sweet Jocelyn Rose, you really are a gift!