TIME TO CATCH UP...EMMIE TURNS ONE

Wow! It's been so long since I've written. Life has been extremely hectic, to say the least!! The stresses of the day to day routine along with the emotional stress has been catching up with me. There are days when I want to run away from it all, but somehow I manage to keep on going. My little boy & girl give me the strength. One look at them & I know I have no other choice than to keep on going. This Mommy runs on Dunkin' too!! :) Those of you that know me know that I go to Dunkin' Donuts every day, sometimes twice a day for my 'lil pick me up.....an Iced Caramel Latte Lite...even Aidan knows what Mommy likes!) Whatever works, right?!?!

So much has been going on. I've decided to divide it into several different entries for easier reading. Enjoy!

Emmie is now 15 months old!! She turned 1 on Easter. It was a very special day. I felt so much on that day. I was so happy & excited for my girl's special day. I felt proud to have her as my daughter, proud of what she had accomplished & how far we had come as a family. The days leading up to Emmie's birthday were difficult for me. I found myself replaying her birth in my mind, Eric missing Emmie's birth, learning about her diagnosis, the anger, disappointment, sadness...it was hard to escape it. I missed Eric like crazy & I felt sad for Emmie that her Daddy wasn't there to celebrate.

We had a party for Emmie with lots of family & friends. It was a great day! Emmie wore a pink & white party dress with butterflies on it. She looked so sweet!! My mom gave Emmie a very special gift for her birthday. Years ago, my Grandma Joan (my mom's mother) gave me a story called, "Lacey's Pink Party Dress". I think her mother or grandmother passed it down to her. It is the story of a pink party dress that comes to life with the other clothes in the closet. The party dress wants Lacey to choose it to wear to a birthday party. It's very cute & over years it has changed. Grandma Joan personalized it for me. It is so special to me. My mom lost it over the years, but recently found it. She gave it to Emmie on her birthday. Having that connection with the women in our family is a special gift. I can't wait to tell Emmie the story when she gets older.

Emmie loved her cake & playing with her little friends. It's hard to believe she is 1 year old. It's been an amazing journey filled with so many emotions. I am grateful for each & every moment with my girl...Emily Grace, Emmie, Emmie Gracie Girl (as her brother calls her), my Lovie. I am excited to share the rest of the journey with Eric, Aidan, Emmie & all of you.
Who knows where it will take us?

MORE TO COME!!

NASCAR & DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS

NASCAR is holding a contest for a special design car & this Down syndrome Awareness design has been entered.

Please support this design!! You can vote once a day for the next 4 days. Just click on the link below & then cick to vote for the design.


http://www.sponsafier.com/share/5931

Wouldn't it be so cool to see this car racing around the track!?!?!?! :)

MY OPINION

Emmie is napping & Aidan is busy playing. I want to take a moment to respond to the "R" word entry that I posted. First, I want to thank Kristin for posting a comment. I appreciate your honesty & respect your opinion. I have been guilty of using the word myself when referring to a situation or an inanimate object.

Since having two children with special needs, I have become more aware of the language that I use. I am not going to go off on some rampage about the "R" word, but I want to ask all of you to BE MINDFUL & RESPECTFUL! It sounds so easy to do, but I think some people get caught up in the moment & don't realize that their words are hurtful to others. I also ask that if someone is using that word & you are offended by it, SPEAK UP & tell them that you are offended by it or you don't like the word & ask them to use a different word.
If you are about to use the "R" word, or some other offensive language, STOP & THINK about my children & other people's children. I know you don't mean any harm, but try to use another word & make a change. That's where it all starts.

We are off to get Aidan's glasses fixed. He has huge scratches on one of the lenses & we have to get it replaced. He has been doing a great job & wearing his glasses all day!! He also been using the potty for 2 days now!! NO MORE DIAPERS!! There is a big boy living in this house. GO AIDAN!!! :) We went to WALMART at 8:00 this morning to get a special potty prize. :) Let's hope this continues.

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!!

Find something to be grateful for each & every day. Today I am grateful for: Aidan & Emmie, the sunshine, my mom, my husband, good friends, my gym membership, my iced latte, Emmie's therapy....so much to be grateful for!!!!

THE "R' WORD

Emmie has been on Augmentin for 6 days & is starting to feel better. She has some diarrhea from the antibiotic, but that is a common side effect & will pass.

Aidan is on vacation from school this week. I am trying to keep him occupied every day. Today he got 1 of his shots for kindergarten (he was very brave & keeps admiring his band-aid), went to the library & shoveled snow. Aidan was such a big helper! I gave him 50 cents for helping me. He put it right in his piggy bank...just like his Mommy!! :)

I have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to post anything about all the Sarah Palin buzz.

If you don't know what I am talking about, let me fill you in....(This is only part of it. There has been another incident recently...more on that later.)

This was taken from CBS news:

"Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin called for President Obama to fire his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, because of an offensive comment he reportedly made. At an August strategy session of liberal groups and White House aides, the Wall Street Journal recently reported Emanuel told liberals they were "F-ing retarded" for planning to air attack ads against conservative Democrats opposed to health care reform. Palin, whose youngest child has Down Syndrome, said in a Facebook note that "our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm's recent sick and offensive tactic."

"I would ask the president to show decency... by eliminating one member of [his] inner circle, Mr. Rahm Emanuel, and not allow Rahm's continued indecent tactics to cloud efforts" to debate important issues, she wrote. The post was titled: "Are You Capable of Decency, Rahm Emanuel?"

She called out the White House for ignoring the incident while groups like the National Down Syndrome Society have condemned the remark. The White House has said Emanuel has apologized for the remark and has called the head of the Special Olympics to apologize, Politico reports.

"The White House remains committed to addressing the concerns and needs of Americans living with disabilities and recognizes that derogatory remarks demean us all," a White House official told Politico.

Nevertheless, Palin compared the remark to racist language. "Just as we'd be appalled if any public figure of Rahm's stature ever used the 'N-word' or other such inappropriate language, Rahm's slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it's heartbreaking," Palin wrote.

What are your thoughts? Was Rahm Emanuel out of line? Should he be fired? What do you think about the "R" word? I want to hear your thoughts. Let's get the dialogue rolling!

Time for this Mommy to hit the couch & get in some TV time! Good night everyone!

EMMIE IS SICK!! :(

It's been a rough few days with Emily. She has been very cranky & fussy & just "off". This is not Emmie at all. I have just been chalking it up to having a cold & teething. Last night she was up for 3 hours last night wih a runny nose, cough, crying, very uncomfortable. It was a long night & morning came very early for all of us. This is not easy to do alone. The only thing that pushes me through is knowing that Aidan & Emmie need me to be strong & be there for them, no matter how tired I am or how stressful the situation is.

Emmie had therapy this morning & she still wasn't herself. She was very hot to to the touch & cranky. I called the Dr.'s office & they got us right in. She had a fever of 103 & has an ear infection in her right ear. She is on antibiotics for 10 days. She has been so sleepy all day. My poor sweet girl, I hate to see her like that. She will have 2 doses of the antibiotcs in her today, so hopefully in a day or 2 she will be back to her happy self.

Luckily Aidan & I have stayed healthy. He has been doing such a good job with his new glasses. He looks so handsome in them. It's definitely an adjustment for him & for me too.

We are doing OK here. We hear from Eric about once a week. I have missed his calls a few times & that is frustrating. He has been extremely busy. His days are very long & stressful. This afternoon I had a little breakdown. Aidan saw me crying & he asked why I was upset. I told him that I miss Daddy very much. He said, "It will be OK. Dad will be home soon. He is saving people." That made me cry harder. My sweet boy! I hugged him so hard & it felt so good. Now, we just pick up, move on & get through the day the best we can. Tomorrow is another day.

Emmie's coughing, gotta run. Let's hope tonight is a good night.

QUICK UPDATE

Finally...a recent picture of Emmie! I am slowly getting the hang of this. I don't have too much time right now. Aidan's bus will be here shortly, but I wanted to get an entry done.

Emmie started OT (Occupational Therapy) this week. She will be getting OT services once/week. OT will focus on sensory issues & fine motor skills. I will have more information as the therapy progresses. She has only had one session.

Emmie has been grinding her teeth lately. She has 2 in the front on the bottom & 2 in the front on the top. Every once in a while, she grinds them & it sends chills all over my body!!! According to her therapists, she is seeking input in her mouth. She grinds & she also puts her hands in the praying position & bops herself on her upper lip...also seeking input.

This week I decided to take Emmie to the chiropractor. Eric & I have been going to the chiropractor for years & we feel the benefits. It helps with my headaches, back problems & overall health. I will provide more information on this topic in a later entry. I want to give you more details about the benefits...just don't have the time at the moment. Emmie will be getting adjustments 1 or 2 times/month.

Eric arrived safely in Kuwait. He recently moved to a different base in Northern Kuwait. I have not talked to him in over a week & it is getting difficult. I find myself feeling nervous & on edge at times. He called once when I was at the gym & I missed the call. I got a few emails, but nothing in the last 2 or 3 days. "No news is good news" & the military will tell you not to worry unless someone shows up at your door. Isn't that awful?!?!?!! It's crazy! I do my best to keep a positive attitude & trust that Eric is OK. I miss him like crazy! Aidan is doing OK. He misses Eric & says he wants his Daddy to come back. He knows Eric is with the Army & is helping people. What else can I say?!?!?! As always, I am asking for prayers.

A special thank you to all my "Meals on Wheels" girls....Julie, Sarah, Emily, Cindy, Ellen. They have making & delivering homemade meals. It is greatly appreciated!! At dinner time, my priorities are Aidan & Emmie. Sometimes I microwave a Weight Watcher's meal or have some cereal....whatever is quick. It is so nice to have a warm meal ready to eat...THANK YOU!!

I want to leave you with this quote that one of my friends posted on Facebook. It was very inspiring.

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen

Gotta go watch for the bus!

HELP DOWN SYNDROME AIM HIGH RESOURCE CENTER WIN $5,000...IT'S EASY!!!!

The Berkshire Bank Foundation is giving $20,000 to worthy non-profit organizations. The DSAHRC could win $5,000 with your help!!

How to vote:
---Go to: http://www.berkshirebank.com/join_the_excitement
---Under the Community Giving! section (bottom right) click "Help Us Give Away $20,000"
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---In the "Orgnization" box, type Down Syndrome Aim High (there are too many letters for the full name)
---Address is: 1 Marcus Blvd., Suite 105, Albany, NY 12205
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*Voting ends January 31, 2010

*Please help Aim High win this money. They have been so good to our family. Thank you for your support.