Thursday, January 24, 2013

Baby Hulk ~ What I've Learned

Oh my goodness guess what!? Baby Hulk is 2 months old today!!!! Where is the time going!!!??? This week I've noticed he is beginning to push with his arms lifting his chest up off the floor during tummy time, and he is vocalizing and smiling a lot more!


And now on to business! For those who know me, I  for some reason discover and retain ridiculous information that serves me absolutely no purpose, like that giraffe is kosher, if a Jewish person wanted to eat a giraffe or drink it's milk they could... I don't know why random facts like that interest me but they do. Well yesterday I learned some things about Down syndrome that interest me in that same way only this time it is information that is relevant so I just have to share!

Okay so! Down syndrome is an extra chromosome. Typically we have 46 chromosomes. They come in pairs, 2 sex chromosomes and then the rest are numbered by size smallest to largest 1-22. So 22 should be the smallest chromosome... but it's NOT!!!! Whoever was in charge of numbering them all screwed up! 21 is!!!! It just has a sneaky little line on it that makes it appear to be larger than 22. Okay so maybe I'm the only one who thinks it's a fun fact that someone screwed up there.

I learned this information yesterday. Baby Hulk had his first Genealogy appointment. Apparently we are over achievers. They were just expecting to tell us he needed to be in the Birth to 3 Early Intervention program and to let us know to set up an eye appointment and find a good pediatrician who is knowledgeable in DS... well... Done, meeting with Birth to 3 tomorrow, and done!

I'm super proud of my big boy and feeling like I can handle all of these appointments now. I am such a procrastinator, I hate making appointments and I dread them once they are made but I have been doing so good with making his appointments and I was actually excited to go to meet with the genetics counselor and I am even excited to have the Birth to 3 month people coming tomorrow even though my house is a mess!!! I am ready! I know Baby Hulk is awesome and I can't wait to show him off!


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Baby Hulk ~ A Family Visit

I missed my regular Thursday post marking Baby Hulk's 7th week of life because we had very special visitors! Darling Husband's sister, Hooker, her baby daddy, Goat45, and my new, one and only, nephew, Boogie Blue Eyes!!!!  It was so wonderful to have some of Darling Husband's family finally get to meet Baby Hulk. Now before I get too far past that, no, my sister in law is not in the sex industry but she is pretty rocking with a crochet hook! I really think she should join Buttons in her sky scarf journey only crocheting her way through the year's skies. I wonder what the Wisconsin skies look like!

Not much to update on so how about some pictures of Baby Hulk and his visitors!



Our adventure in the cold out by the boardwalk downtown. It was freezing!!! You can't even see Baby Hulk all bundled up in 2 blankets and a Moby Wrap! Then we came home for a special photo shoot of the babies in their cute matching get ups that Momma Pru dropped by to give to us! I love my Momma! Totally unexpected!






 Boogie Blue Eyes really loved his cousins. I wish those guys would move here! I love my family!

Tune in next Thursday! I should be back to my regular post day and should have A LOT to talk about! What with our first appointment with the genetics counselor AND Baby Hulk's hip ultrasound! I should probably push it back to Friday because that is when we will have our first home visit from Parent to Parent and Early Childhood Learning but that will have to wait until the next week! Don't worry January is FULL of appointments to share with you! So! Until next time!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Baby Hulk ~ "That's Retarded"

I have been waiting for someone to say "that's retarded" or call someone a "retard" and to be angered by it. People have said it, I just haven't been angry yet. I actually felt bad for Buttons when she herself let the "R" word slip. She cringed the moment it left her lips and covered her mouth and apologized profusely. I wasn't angry though.
 
 I just don't feel angry about it. I feel like "retarded" has become like the word "dumb". It has been used incorrectly for so long that it has lost it's power. I feel like retarded is the new dumb. Were people unable to speak offended by the usage of the word "dumb"? Are they still offended by it?

What I find offensive is when I read about down syndrome and in the list of symptoms associated with it says "mental retardation" that makes me angry because as far as I am concerned my son is no such thing! I was reading to him off the list last night and telling him what the symptoms of his syndrome were I got to mental retardation and was angry! I skipped it. I wasn't about to tell my son that he was mentally retarded!  That is worse to me than just throwing the word around! After discussing it with Darling Husband I found that it is more accepted in the community to call it an intellectual disability.  Don't call my son retarded. Call your friends retarded all you like but you better not use it in its proper form and you certainly may not use it in reference to my son! He is chromosomally fancy! (To find out more about preferred language visit here)
Baby Hulk has been his regular awesome self. He keeps sneaking smiles at us. I am not 100% sure that they are real smiles but I am pretty sure... They happen at the appropriate times but then I think we get too excited because they quickly vanish and then are replaced by a very shocked and uncertain look like, "Wait! What did I do!? Why are you squealing!?" He has also started talking back. At first I wasn't quite sure about this either because the noises he was making almost sounded like cries but it was just one shout and then he was quite content and would look at me like he was waiting for an answer to the question he had apparently just asked me. Today at exactly 6 weeks I got the 100% sure he is talking, "agoo" once again right on schedule developmentally. I love how he is paying no attention to the developmental chart of children with downs.  He really is just a normal baby.

This baby pretty much rocks! You should be jealous.













Saturday, January 5, 2013

You! Lingerie Nursing Bra Review

I just got the most fabulous nursing bra EVER!!!! I hate nursing bras! They are so ugly and sure my boobies look lovely with clothes on top but there is just something about knowing you also look good under those clothes and now I can say I do!

I have been wearing the same nursing bras I had with Lumpy and let me tell you, I have either lost weight since then or they lost elasticity because they are just not working for me, not to mention the fact that I can't wear anything lower than a crew neck shirt in them because nursing bras only come in full coverage and turtleneck if you are above a B cup and well... I am currently in an E... So I decided it was time to go on a new bra hunt. I searched and searched and finally came across You! Lingerie they actually had my size AND they were beautiful! So I treated myself to a new bra after getting Baby Hulk off the bottle and onto the boob despite the lack of support from the people I really felt like should have been encouraging it! Thinking you just can't breastfeed a baby with Down Syndrome... Well you can and I am so this was our reward. And it's AMAZING!!!!

  (a model's, NOT my boobies!)

 I was skeptical at first because it said it had no underwire... I really thought underwire was important for big boobie girls but there it was in my size.. and it was so pretty and inexpensive... who cares I thought! It can just be my beautiful sleep bra if it's that bad. So I ordered it. Just a few days later it arrived. It came in a fancy little package with a hand written note thanking me for buying it even! I put it on and wow! My boobs actually looked like the models! I was shocked! I ordered it in a 32E and they really do look exactly like that models boobs...

funny (and embarrassing)side story:
I was a little concerned I needed a bigger size. So I did what any girl would do... I snapped a picture and texted it to by best friend... too bad my best friend just happens to be Darling Husband... also too bad Lumpy had changed a few settings on my phone and picture texts were rerouted to Darling Husbands WORK EMAIL!!!!! I immediately got a phone call from him asking why I just sent a picture to his work email. I didn't! I sent you a text!!! Then I went into my phone and discovered what had occurred. I REALLY hope that is not one of the random emails the company is monitoring! I hope they at least read the message that goes along with it and don't just assume we were being pervy! How embarrassing! At least my boobies looked good!

All in all this bra is amazing. I will be ordering more as soon as possible although I will probably go up to a 32F with my next one this one is just a little too sexy for me and while my cup doesn't quite runneth over I think I could go up a size. I'm not sure if it runs small or I just don't know my size. Buttons and Stitches are both jealous of my awesome bra and even discussed possible alterations that could be done to make them into a regular bra so they can have lovely boobies as well! Seriously though! If you need a nursing bra... get one of these! I feel so fancy!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Baby Hulk ~ Eyes

That moment Baby Hulk was born, before anyone said anything. That moment when they plopped him on my chest and he looked up at me. I saw his eyes and saw the down syndrome and I was terrified. I thought no, he can't be, this isn't how things are supposed to happen. Now I look at my sweet perfect baby boy and feel so guilty that instead of the instant love and tears of joy that are supposed to happen, I looked into his beautiful eyes and thought "no". I looked him in the eyes and thought that! Now I can't help but ruin my wonderful moments with him. I am kissing his chunky cheeks and he does his little half smirk half smile face and I can see in his eyes that he loves me and I feel soooo guilty that I thought that way, that I felt that way, when we first met face to face.

I wonder what other people who should have had downs babies think when they see children with down syndrome? I shouldn't be feeling guilty. Do you know why I do have a downs baby? Why I was surprised by it? I refused the testing. I didn't want it. If there was the chance of something being wrong I didn't want to know. I didn't even want the to have the thought of terminating the pregnancy. Sure I didn't have any risk factor so it honestly didn't even cross my mind that he would have any issues, but just as I did in my previous pregnancies I didn't have the testing because while I am pro-choice, I think everyone should make their own choice and my choice, I could never have an abortion, but if I knew something was wrong, who knows where my mind would go. But I know in the end I would keep the baby no matter what so just thinking about terminating would be like 1,000x worse than it was looking into those eyes and thinking "no".

And do you know what? Those eyes are now another thing to add to the list of perfection! (DOOM!!!!!) Today Momma Pru came over to watch the big boys and Darling Husband and I loaded Baby Hulk into my car, Selina Excalibur Ladytron , and we drove up to fancy schmancy rich people Bellevue, to see a special ophthalmologist. She gave him a very thorough eye exam, dilated pupils and all, and determined he was perfect! 50% of people with down syndrome have some sort of eye problem, cataracts, a lazy eye, cross eyed. I just knew this was the doom appointment! I have the WORST EYES EVER!!!! Seriously, my feather weight glasses lenses are still 1/4 inch thick. I have hardcore coke bottle lenses. I am not even exaggerating here! I am just like one point away from being declared legally blind. So I just knew between the 50% and the 99% chances of downs and genetics this appointment was sure to result in doom. Not only did it not result in doom, the doctor told us his tracking ability and over all eye control was better than most babies his age, down syndrome or not! I had actually even wondered about that because he almost never goes all cross eyes like Lumpy and Mr. Grey did as babies. I am soooo excited!!!!

I would like to go back to the thoughts of terminating a pregnancy because you find out baby has downs. Back to those people who should have a downs baby. Shocking fact here for you. 90% of people who find out through early testing, that their baby has downs, terminate the pregnancy! 90%!!! This is amazing to me. I thought there were a LOT more pro-life people out there than that... or do the pro-life people somehow just not produce chromosomaly fancy (why yes I did just make that up) babies? I was amazed by this! I feel like people just aren't educated enough about down syndrome and how much better it is now than it was even just 30 years ago for people who have it! And look at Baby Hulk! He is AMAZING!!! I am sorry for those people. It is scary, but it is an exciting adventure we are going through with Baby Hulk of beating the odds!

Trisomy 21,
Meet Baby Hulk

Sincerely,