Ahh! I love stages of development!

Kheaven has been super spongy the past week or so.  Actually, it's been the past three weeks, because it seems like I noticed it the day after Halloween.  :-D

Tonight for instance, he has
said/sang Amen after prayer with the kids,
sang la, la, la,
sounded like he tried to say birthday, came out "berrrrduh"
said, "yeah" when I was reading the book, "I Can, Can You?"
let go of me to stand on his own, but then grabbed back on quickly...
moved between pieces of furniture while cruising,
made "gassy" noises using his tongue while crawling into the bathroom,
picked up a fake flower, held it over his head and said "umbrella" - When I said, "No, that's a flower," he held it to his nose and sniffed it!  :)

There were a few other things he did that were just...  amazing...  :)
All my littles are amazing.
Sometimes I think I'm just going to burst with love and appreciation of them!

Austi is six today...  I keep thinking about how absolutely adorable Nayeli is going to look in the dress my Grammy made for her.  I'll post pix of that.  :)

Happy Thanksgiving on time!

Speak for Someone Who Can't

Tonight a newborn baby boy with Down syndrome is fighting for his life in Arkansas Children's Hospital. He was born a twin and the adoptive parents chose only to take the baby without Ds. The adoption agency put a DNR (do not resuscitate) order on this baby.There are families who want to adopt this baby but we must get Governor Beebe to lift the DNR order so this baby lives long enough to unite with his forever family.


E-mail the governor.
http://governor.arkansas.gov/contact/index.php


Please feel free to use any part of my e-mail as your own.


My e-mail:
Dear Governor Beebe,
It has been brought to my attention that there is a child in an Arkansas hospital that was born with Down syndrome.  He was a twin and his adoptive parents decided to take his healthy sibling and leave him.  The adoption agency put a DNR order on him and it can only be lifted by you.


I am the parent of an amazing 14 month old who has Down syndrome.  He is healthy and vibrant and I know he will be a productive member of society someday.  Please give this precious life a chance.  He may hold answers to the cure for Alzeimers, heart disease, or something else.  If nothing else he will make a difference in the life of a family who very much wants to adopt him.


Just because the family he was originally meant to be with didn't want him doesn't mean there aren't others out there.  There are.  As a member of several Down syndrome communities I have seen an outreach in the past 24 hours.  Please, Governor, please lift the DNR order.


Sincerely,
Amy Green
Proud parent of a child with Down syndrome.

Autumn, Finally

Life hasn't been easy for the past month or so.  God is giving me strength, I believe, because if he wasn't I wouldn't be able to type this now.  Jeremy and I are no longer together.  I see no point in trying to hide it, or not writing about it.  I'm public about a lot of my life, I always have been.  Sometimes people find strength in the observations of another's struggle.  Maybe some good can come of this?

The kids are doing well!  Halloween was fine, we all still went out trick-or-treating as a family, and that was nice since he's been living with a friend lately.  From what I can tell the kids take their emotional cues from me.  If I'm okay, they're okay...  It's good to see them okay, because then I think I must be holding it together nicely.  ;-)  

^LOOK!^ Cheese-heads in Kansas.  There IS a reason I love it here!

Kheaven was in the hospital at the beginning of the month with croup.  We spent three days there, with him getting breathing treatments and shots of steroids.  A couple of days after he was released both of the other kids and myself got sick.  We are all on the tail end of it now though, and I am SO glad!  Sick babies while you're a sick mama is NO fun!

I am very blessed to have the support system I have.  My co-workers, especially, have been extraordinary.  They are my pseudo-family.  :)  I am also very blessed to have a non-coworker "family member," Kheaven's God-mother.  She has been very helpful and supportive.  I shouldn't forget to mention Kheaven's Infant Child Development team.  They are and always have been amazing people!  I know that I will endure and eventually life will seem normal to me again.  


I will continue to update when I can.  If I don't have the chance to update beforehand.  

♥Happy Thanksgiving to all!♥