Happy New Year

Alayna is just about as excited for New Years as she was for Christmas...She can hardly wait until midnight to wear her party hat and blow her noise maker.
Ok, Ok if you know the Cannons you know we won't be up at midnight(or at least I won't). With a baby who sleeps all night I won't be wasting any of my beauty sleep on watching the clock.
Alayna is getting super spoiled by her grandparents and enjoying every minute of it. Although I am a little worried next week when they leave that I will be the only one here and she will be expecting to be held 90% of the time. Oh well, that is what grandparents are for...

I can hardly believe that in just one week Alayna will start at the Infant Development Center (IDC). She will be 3 months old too. Ugh where does the time go? I went to buy swimming diapers for her, as they have to have swimmers for their pool therapy and the smallest size was 16 pounds. I guess I will be duct taping those on her every other week when she dives in. I will be sure to take pictures of that and post it. Quite comical I am sure.
Jason is off tomorrow so we will have a nice, quiet family day to start the new year. We
hope you all have a fun, safe and Happy New Year!!!

Working out after the holidays...

A girl has to keep working on her figure after all...

Alayna continues to impress us by her daily tummy time workouts. She loves to lift up her head and shoulders and look at her musical toys in front of her, she enjoys laying around in a diaper and kicking her arms and legs to move around in circles on her tummy time mat. She is still working on rolling over from front to back (she is so close).

She has worked out so much that she no longer fits into any of her newborn clothes, on to 0-3 month sizes...Yahoo!

Christmas...

Aidan's wish for Christmas was that Alayna got to come home from the hospital. We are so glad that we have been home 2 months now and she is doing so well.





Alayna was not too thrilled with the brain squeezer that I tried to accessorize her in (maybe we need to spend a little more time with LC and learn her beauty tips).




Aidan did a great job of opening his gifts as well as Alaynas...(needless to say at 2 months she was more content hanging out on grandma's lap than opening any gifts. But, big brother had a grand time enough for both of them.)

Grandma knitted Alayna a beautiful sweater to match her blanket.

Alayna and I get a moment to pose for a picture on Christmas eve. (Her outfit says TWINKLE on it, isn't she the cutest little star?)

We hope you had as great a Christmas as we did. Grandma and Pop Pop (Rochelle's parents) arrived late Tuesday afternoon, on Christmas Eve we all attended the Kaw Prairie Barn service and watched Aunt Elise wonderfully portray Mary, then on Christmas morning Aidan was up at 7 am as usual ready to open gifts (except baby sister kept on sleeping and sleeping and finally woke up at 8am) Did I tell you she is sleeping great through the night? (I know I have but it bears repeating HAHAHA) Merry Christmas to me, no more middle of the night feedings (maybe those dark circles under my eyes will start to fade now).

Aidan lit the birthday candle and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and moved the baby Jesus in our nativity scene then he commenced to tearing into his packages.

We enjoyed hosting Uncle Ed, Aunt Jane, Kara, Kellie, grandma, Pop Pop and great grandma for Christmas dinner. I thought I wouldn't get the turkey in the oven in time so woke up at 4:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. I was so glad Alayna slept until 7:30 this morning and Jason and Aidan were quiet downstairs so I could catch up on a few zzz's.

Pop Pop and Alayna are telling each other stories.

YAHOO! It was worth waiting a week for...

WARNING: The following blog entry contains graphic material, not for the faint hearted.


Well, folks after waiting, praying, coaxing, visiting the doctor etc. we finally, after one week and one hour, have a huge bowel movement from Alayna. YIPPEE!!!! (She is just saving us money on diapers really, didn't mean to cause any concern, what a thoughtful baby!)

Our family is doing the happy dance. She does not have a blocked bowel or constipation (trust me it was flowing out well not hard or pebbly). She is indeed using up most of the breast milk for her rapid growth. We thank you for all the thoughts and prayers and check ins that everyone has made on her this week. This mommy can now sit back and relax.
Maybe she knew we had x rays scheduled tomorrow if she didn't produce... take care all and have a wonderful Christmas. Will definitely post pictures of the kids later in the week (thought you might like to skip a picture of todays adventure) HAHAHA!

DSG Christmas party

Today we attended our first DSG (Down Syndrome Guild) Christmas party. It was an awesome event attended by several hundred people from the metro area. They had a great breakfast, visits with Santa, a gift for each child that attended, wrapping paper and gift bags (compliments of Hallmark) and just a nice time to reconnect with families we met at the new parent breakfast in November and meet new families that also have a child with down syndrome.
Alayna slept most of the time but woke up just in time to have pictures made with Santa...
We were so glad to see Courtney, Justin and LC. LC looked fabulous in her Christmas outfit!
We pray that you have a peaceful week as you prepare for the birth of Christ (hint: stay away from stores that always makes me more peaceful).
If you are in the KC area and are looking for something to do on Christmas Eve, come check out our barn service it is a family friendly, cool way to celebrate Christmas. http://www.kawprairie.com/

Christmas present?

The mother instinct in me decided to take Alayna in to see the doctor today. All is well and she doesn't think she has a blockage, just using up most of the breast milk for growth. She didn't want to do x rays but will do if the problem continues. She was glad I brought her in though as children with down syndrome have intestinal issues more often than a typical child.
Alayna is up to a hefty 9 pounds 1 oz. She is growing right before our very eyes. I am sure by Christmas that she will be 10 pounds...
Alayna is sleeping through the night (or at least has been for the past few nights) she wakes up at 5 am to nurse and goes back to sleep until around 8. I know, I know angel baby...That is my early Christmas present.
I will update this weekend with pictures of Alayna & Aidan with Santa....stay tuned.

Is she sleeping through the night?

Ok, every mother has heard this question a million times. As of last night I can say yes, our girl can sleep through the night (but will she do it every night?). She went to sleep at 9pm and woke up at 5am. Of course, me being a neurotic mother (you would think this was my first rodeo) I woke up at 3 waiting for Alayna to wake up and be starving.

But, all I heard were sweet little baby sleep noises from our room (and Jason snoring) then Aidan bellowing from his bedroom, "I had a bad dream". Fortunately, a little twilight prayer for good dreams with Aidan worked and he drifted right back to sleep and a good poke to Jason and he stopped snoring.

We ask for a prayer for Alayna's body to resume its normal functioning (ok really prayers for her mother to stop worrying so much about her). Alayna's plumbing has been a little blocked up this past week, not sure if it is the quick growth, her shots knocking her system out of whack, the 2 month old don't need to poop as much as I did when I was a newborn thing, her low muscle tone, or she is using up most of the breastmilk so there isn't much waste to part with or what.

I tell you she is going to have legs like a rockette (or abs of steel)with us doing the "bicycle" motion to try to get things moving. The nurse assures me that if she has gas moving all is good (well, she does take after her father so that tooting thing is no problem for her).

Aidan was so excited that we had a few inches of snow that even with -10 degree windchills he was out playing in the winter wonderland. Alayna took one look outside and decided a nap would be a much better use of her time.

Try to stay warm (unless you are in Texas then be sure to wear your sunscreen!)

Did Someone say party? I love a party!

Party? I love a party~ oh until the next day then I am SO tired I can hardly hold my head up...
This is Alayna after a full night of Christmas partying on Friday night. The party started at 7 and she woke up around 7:30 and finally went to sleep around 11 pm. She was intrigued by all the people, voices, music and entertainment. Of course, she was passed around like a hot potato and loved every minute of it. She wasn't about to close her eyes and miss anything. She had to take it all in.
On Saturday she spent most of her day on daddy's chest fast asleep...(great excuse for Jason to lay around and doze).


Today Alayna decided to model her new outfit, compliments of "Big Sarah" . She is all ready for her next party which will be Saturday for the DSG Christmas party (she even gets to meet the big guy in the red suit - stay tuned for more pics)


Alayna is definitely a mover and a shaker, she is now kicking her legs and moving her arms when she is laying on her back and gets excited about something. Very cute.

Uncle Ed didn't think she could smile yet until she glanced up at him, shot him those big blue eyes and toothless smile. I think his heart melted on the spot.

We pray that you are getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday as we are, please know that we are having too much fun playing with Aidan and Alayna to do Christmas cards this year. (OK it is just a great excuse as I am feeling too lazy to write them out). If I took the time to do them you would definitely be on the list...

People first language

Even with my background in special education I had to adjust and use "people first" language. Here is some information from Alayna's school that will help us all put her (and others with special needs) first!

People First Language

At the Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center we believe that children are children, and come in all different packages.

All children have unique gifts and talents. We are here to help each child reach his or her potential by giving them whatever help they might require, according to their needs.

Because we have the utmost respect for our children and their families, we use “people first” language. This means that when we speak of our children, we refer to them as children first.

For example, instead of saying “special needs kids” or “Downs kids,” we say “children who have special needs” or “children with Down syndrome.”

The word “children” come first, and the disability comes second.

Two Months Old Already?

Wow, it seems unbelievable that 2 months ago our sweet Alayna came into this world. The time has definitely flown by.... We look at how big she is now and it is already hard to imagine how tiny she was at birth (I look at her preemie clothes every now and then just to remember). Our pediatrician even said, "How big was she at birth again? Wow she has grown so much in 2 months".

As I look back over the past two months we have experienced so many emotions, concerns, joys, love, and support. I again thank everyone who has visited us, prayed for us, showered us with food, gifts, support and help with Aidan. God blessed us with Alayna and so many other wonderful people in our lives. We are glad you are reading this and keeping up with our beautiful daughter & our family via this blog.

Aidan, Alayna & I were up bright and early this morning to be at the pediatricians office by 8:30. Jason helped get Aidan ready while I tended to Alayna (wow getting 2 kids ready and somewhere on time is hard work, how do you parents of more than 2 do it?)

Alayna's 2 month visit went extremely well...She is now 8 pounds 6 oz. & 19 3/4 inches long. YAHOO! She is up a half pound since last Thursday. Go girlie go. Aidan said "we can't call her peanut anymore, she is too big". She is in the 50% for weight, 10th% for height & 55% for her head circumference.

She had her 3 injections, which she was not at all pleased with Lisa our nurse for administering the shots. She made the cutest pouty lip before Lisa even stuck her. However, she didn't cry too long afterwards. Aidan said that was the most he has ever heard her cry. Which is true, she is normally laid back and doesn't cry except when she is hungry or wants a diaper change. But, after a minute she was back to her normal laid back self and snuggled right into my shoulder and went to sleep so I guess the shots didn't bother her too much.

She has met all her milestones that she is supposed to have met to this point. She continues to do well with tummy time ~ lifting her head and pushing up on her arms now. She is smiling at us, moving around lots and talking to us or toys now which is lots of fun to watch.

She won't go back to the pediatrician until February for her 4 month check up and shots. But, I will continue to blog about all her accomplishments until then.

Aidan remains the ever doting big brother. He is mature and wise before his time. We know God placed these children in our lives strategically at the right time. On Saturday night we met an adorable 4 year old girl who also has down syndrome, Aidan knew immediately and commented on the way home, "Mom I think she also has down syndrome". Then he said, "Mom I don't care if Alayna has down syndrome, I love her so much anyway." This gave us a great opportunity to talk about differences in people and how we can be accepting and help other people to be accepting of all of our differences.

They are both such a huge blessing to us we can't begin to thank God enough. Seeing Aidan unconditionally love his baby sister makes your heart melt & makes you truly thankful for all our treasures.

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Children's Mercy Genetics Clinic Visit

Today we visited Children's Mercy Hospital's Genetics Clinic (everyone is first evaluated and talked to by the genetics staff before going on to the down syndrome clinic). We met with a genetic counselor and then a great geneticist who discussed what causes down syndrome and answered all of our questions that we had about the genetics part of down syndrome. (If you are still unsure of the cause read on in red, if you already know skip down to the black text again)

What Causes Down Syndrome
The human body is made of cells. All cells contain a center, called a nucleus, in which genes are stored. Genes, which carry the codes responsible for all our inherited characteristics, are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. Normally, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when some or all of a person's cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21.
The most common form of Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21. Individuals with Trisomy 21 have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46 in each of their cells. The condition results from an error in cell division called nondisjunction. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate. As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body. This error in cell division is responsible for 95 percent of all cases of Down syndrome. For more facts about Down syndrome http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=74

We were thrilled to learn that Alayna has now caught up to Aidan's birth weight and length. As of today she is 8 weeks old and 7 pounds 14 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long. YAHOO!!! (I knew those newborn diapers were getting snug).

We have an appointment on April 1, 2009 at the Down Syndrome Clinic. This will serve as a consultative service and screening for Alayna yearly through adolescence on top of her routine visits with our family pediatrician. A team of professionals will meet and review Alayna's needs then will problem solve to help improve her quality of life. The team consists of: a pediatric geneticist and nurse practitioner, a genetic counselor, a registered dietitian, an occupational therapist, a behavioral psychologist, a clinic coordinator, an audiologist, and a speech pathologist. This clinic is not something we HAVE to do rather something we are going to try out to see if it is helpful to our family in providing more eyes in which to evaluate Alayna and make suggestions on how we can help her meet her goals. Will let you know more after April 1st.

Alayna is all decked out in her ballet outfit!

Thanksgiving, football, 7 weeks already

7 weeks old and already Alayna is the life of the party...

Alayna was the center of attention today at Uncle Ed and Aunt Jane's house (and may I add she loved every minute of it).

It was a little like a football game...First, cousin Kellie held her, then cousin Kara intercepted, then back to Kellie, oh wait here comes Aunt Jane in for the hand off, oh now Uncle Ed (but, wait he has greasy turkey fingers and fumbles her back to Kellie oh no here is great grandma in for the final hold...wow that is a lot of baby holding yardage. Of course, Alayna snoozed right through it all and enjoyed all the doting on her.

We hope that you had your fill of turkey, dressing, cranberries, pie, family & friends.

We pray that you stop for just a moment to reflect on what you are thankful for.

Our list this year is SO huge we couldn't begin to list it in one blog (well I could but you would get tired of reading it quickly, I'm afraid). SO, here is what we are thankful for the short version...(cliff notes for you teacher types out there!)

Our Amazing God who has blessed us beyond measure. Our two beautiful, healthy, wonderful children, loving families that support us, outstanding friends who comfort and care for us, our awesome church family, and all those awesome prayer warriors who continue to lift our family.

Alayna is doing well and growing like a weed, just yesterday Aidan and I were amazed that she was doing mini push ups during tummy time.

We go to Children's Mercy Hospital on Dec 4th to the Down Syndrome Clinic for a checkup. They will follow Alayna every 6 months until she is 18. Thanks for the prayers, please keep them coming.

Will leave you with a few more pics...

Uncle Ed tries and tries to wake Alayna but to no avail. Doesn't he know babies have to sleep to grow (great grandma told him so)...

Aunt Jane "Queen of the baby spoilers"

Alayna...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Please keep those prayers coming for Alayna and LC! LC reached 9 pounds 1 oz today. YAHOO! Go girl go...

Smiles continue

Alayna is being super spoiled by her Aunt Elise this week as she is on vacation. Today Elise was kissing Alayna on her neck and Alayna was loving it and showed it by grinning and making all kinds of fun baby sounds (glad I had the video camera close by).

She is watching people more, especially faces and imitating them. She also is talking and babbling a lot more now. She also tried the rolling over trick on me again this morning. Gotta watch that girl every minute.

She loves her baths and today Aidan was so excited that he got to wash her before he went to school.

She will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. Wow time is flying...

Smiles for Big Brother

Who says babies don't smile until after 2 months of age??? As you can see see Alayna didn't read that baby book. She is smiling for all she is worth at Aidan.

He loves to have her lay on the couch and then he plays peek a boo with her, going back and forth. She moves her head and tracks to find him.

It is truly amazing to watch how much love they have for each other already. (Of course, she isn't trying to get to his matchbox cars yet...). We got out the music & lights bouncer seat this week (ok Aidan is having more fun playing with it than Alayna is yet) but, I am sure she will soon love it like he did when he was a baby.

Just to prove I am not always behind the camera...

Alayna continues to nurse well and is getting bigger by the day. She will definitely let you know when she is hungry...she lets out a little yell then once she is fed she is back to her happy, laid back self.

We are so blessed by both our children and we are glad you stopped by to check in on us.

To look alike or not to look alike

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We thought we would let everyone see how Jason's genes have definitely played a huge roll in this family. Above is our little cutie, Alayna and below you will see someone she looks A LOT like (although he is a lot bigger than her at this age), Aidan. Even though she has darker hair than Aidan they both look just like that crazy British guy I married...I am SURE I carried them both and have the c-section scars to prove it.

Alayna has definitely got the boys wrapped around her little finger. Aidan loves laying with her and taking their picture and daddy loves snuggling in with her and sleeping for hours. I think I have my work cut out for me...

Baby therapy class

It must be the educator in me, Alayna and I went to sit in on our first baby class today at the Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center . See the link for more information. https://www.shawneemission.org/content/view/337/648/


Of course, at one month old she slept almost the whole time (she did wake up during music therapy for Twinkle, Twinkle (must be big brother's influence) and for the giant drum in which she laid on while we drummed on it. In physical therapy, she worked on the medicine ball to practice lifting her head and strengthen her shoulder muscles. Then we were on to occupational therapy where she laid on a cool incline mat that had music piped in and she could feel the vibrations of the music. She loved it.
She will also have speech therapies and water therapies every other week. Besides this group therapy class she will have her own physical therapy session for 30 minutes weekly.

It is an awesome program and we are hoping to get on scholarship as insurance only covers part of the cost. (If you are looking for a great place to donate to before the end of the tax year this would be one great place...)

We decided to give Alayna a little more time to be a new baby at home and we will start after the first of the year when she is 3 months old. The physical therapist gave us some things we can be working on at home until that time. But, she was pleased that Alayna already moves her head back and forth, brings her hands up to her chest and up to her mouth, and that she is able to lift her head.

Prayers for her continued success on gross motor skills, for our ability to parent she and Aidan and for Aidan's continued transition into sibling hood.

Super Growth!

This morning Aidan woke up and looked at Alayna and said, "mom she has gotten so big". It is true... Alayna is now 6 pounds 3 oz. No wonder she can't fit into any of those preemie clothes or diapers...She is 18 3/4 inches long (2 1/4 inch growth since birth). The doctor was SO pleased with her progress she said I don't even have to wake her up every 3 hours at night to nurse her anymore. Instead she can go 4 hours without feeding and we know from experience that Alayna wakes us up when she has gone that long so no more alarm setting for me. YIPPEE! Next check up with the pediatrician will be her two month visit (& shots).

After the doctors appointment we took the kids to the pottery place and had Aidan's hand prints and Alayna's footprints done on plates to commemorate their ages and size. It was really fun. (I took the camera but, forgot to take it out and use it while we were there.)

This afternoon Jason, Alayna and I are going to the Leann Britain Infant Development Center for a tour and to see what services they have to offer Alayna.

HAPPY 1 MONTH BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy one month birthday to Alayna (sing along if you like)...Where has the past month gone? Seems like yesterday we were getting that crazy call to jump in the car and run back to the hospital for a c section to deliver Alayna...Oh yeah, now I remember how we have spent the last month...running back and forth to the NICU for 17 days then happily enjoying the past 2 weeks at home where we are claiming normalcy (ok ok as normal as WE get!).

Wow how time flies when you have a newborn and are sleep deprived...Actually I am feeling great, much better than the fog of the first two weeks.

Alayna is doing so well, we know that God continues to watch over her and bless our family. She lifts her head and looks around, tracks objects with her eyes, follows sounds (especially voices) and has even been caught a few times with her itty, bitty little thumb in her mouth sucking away (I guess she learned that from her cousin, Grace)

We celebrated the day by going to church and then to small group this afternoon. Our small group friends showered us with a chili luncheon and wonderful welcome to the world cake for Alayna. Of course, I had the biggest piece of cake with the giant flower on top, that will plump Alayna up by morning (should make for some yummy milk eh?)...Thanks small group family, we love you.

We go to the pediatrician in the morning for another weigh in. The girl has a healthy appetite (who wouldn't with the way us Cannons eat? Truly it runs in the family, have you ever seen how much Jason can eat?)

She is officially out of preemie stuff...YAHOO! No more doll clothes and diapers (truly she can fill up a preemie diaper in no time~trust us!), she is a big girl wearing newborn stuff and proud of it. Hopefully she will be topping the scale at over 6 pounds sometime this week. She is determined to catch up to Aidan (he was 10 pounds at 1 month)!

We love that you stopped by to check in on our family. Thanks for the love, support, prayers and friendship. Please feel free to leave a comment and stop back soon...

Big brother loves his baby sister and she admires him already. He still sings Twinkle, Twinkle to her all the time.

Please say a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessing of Alayna. Also, LC turns 1 month tomorrow (HAPPY 1 MONTH) please also include her in your prayers for the blessings these two beautiful girls have added to our lives...

DSG Breakfast ~ Connections to others

Today we went to the DSG new parents (& grandparents) breakfast. It was a great place to connect and meet other families from around KC that are experiencing the same things we are. They had so many positive and uplifting stories of the accomplishments their kids have made so far it was truly inspirational.

We were thrilled to see Courtney, Justin & LC. LC & Alayna had their pictures made together (so sweet)! It is so nice to have this family so close and walking the same path. (Thanks photographer extraordinaire...Courtney for the awesome picture of the girls)

Grandma & Pop Pop got to meet other grandparents and hear their stories of how life with a grandchild with ds has impacted them as well as learning more information about down syndrome.

Alayna slept right through the whole meeting then almost on cue as we dismissed she knew it had been 3 hours since she had eaten and she woke up starving. Grow, grow, grow... she has another weight check at the pediatricians on Monday morning.
Aidan was thrilled to hang out in the play room with all the other kids and siblings.

We will be investigating the infant development center and how soon we can get Alayna in for therapy.

Will add more pictures tomorrow as she will be ONE MONTH OLD!!! AHH Did I just say that? Where does the time go?

Hanging out

Alayna has settled in nicely to our household. Aidan loves to hold her, talk to her and sing to her. Twinkle, Twinkle is one of her favorite songs as Aidan sang it to her nightly while she was in utero.

She is waking up early on some feedings (about half) because she is hungry. YAHOO! She is still nursing well and WOW you should hear those burps (that must be from the British side of the family). She has grown 1 1/2 inches since birth!

Here is a picture of the boys schmoozing over her....She is so stinkin' cute we can't help ourselves.

We are all excited to be going to the Down Syndrome Guild (DSG) of KC's new parent breakfast this Saturday morning. Will let you know how it goes...Have a great day!

The weigh in & more tricks

Alayna is up to 5 pounds 9 oz as of this morning. The home health care nurse said she would probably be dismissed from their services because she is nursing and gaining weight so well. Alayna has learned more tricks (as lifting her head is old news)...she was so close to rolling over today on the nurse's scale. If there weren't high sides on the scale she would have gotten all the way over. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't have a witness. Wow she is a mover and a shaker already... watch out Aidan she will be chasing you before long...

All went well on my first day at home with the kids. Aidan was really good and we even managed to have enough time before school to make spider cookies with grandma (Thanks, Big Sarah) they turned out SO cute. He gave them to the neighbor kids, grandma and pop pop and his teacher. He was truly proud of his creations!
Alayna, of course missed all the action by sleeping most of the time (how can she resist when she had grandma here to hold and spoil her). Alayna is telling BIG stories already she is such a talker (wonder where she gets that?)

Thanks for the continued prayers! We definitely are feeling them.

Sunday - Full of big outings

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Today Alayna made her debut at church (Kaw Prairie Community Church http://www.kawprairie.com/). She was of course a huge hit and her fans went wild. She loved the service so much she slept right through it, (sorry PD, I guess the sermon wasn't appealing to her).

This afternoon Alayna got to meet her great grandmother, Edna at her 95th surprise birthday party. Again, Alayna was a huge hit. She enjoyed the party so much she woke up just to enjoy some food then kept her eyes open just long enough to enjoy Aunt Jean's violin playing then off to dreamland she went.

She is growing so much (envision Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk) her preemie clothes are about to be a thing of the past. Tomorrow home health comes to weigh her again. If she has maintained weight gain like she did last week she will be discontinued from home health care's observations of her.

Jason goes back to work tomorrow so say a prayer for me as I undertake taking care of 2 children on my own each day!

Trick or Treat

October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween everyone. Alayna is sporting her pumpkin hat that her best buddy LC gave her. Aidan thought Alayna's tricks today were pretty amusing...as soon as I would change her diaper she would fill it back up. HAHAHA! Good thing Halloween is only once a year. Alayna is doing really well, she is nursing really well and waking to eat or choosing to eat early.

We made a trip out to buy fabric today with Grandma to make a sling (thank you Grandma). Alayna, of course slept the whole time but, all the ladies in the fabric store admired her.

Please continue to pray for our friend LC as she is in Childrens Mercy this weekend with heart and eating related issues.

First Doctor's visit

Wed. October 29, 2008

Today Alayna got to meet her pediatrician, Dr. Rozina for the first time. She wanted to assess Alayna before she ever gets sick and check her weight. YAHOO! Alayna has plumped up to a nice 5 pounds 6 oz.
All is well she is eating every 3 hours but still not waking up to eat. Although, she is more alert now when we wake her to feed.

Bath time fun

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I get my first bath at home with mom and dad. AHHH, I love the warm water. Boy, this is the life...

First day home

Monday, Oct 27, 2008

Home health care came out to weigh Alayna and she is up to a whopping 5 pounds 4 oz. YAHOO! She is nursing well still without any supplements.
Aidan continues to love and want to hold Alayna all the time. His comment today was, "I wish I could be her mom so I could hold her whenever I wanted to."
Our family, neighbors, friends and church family have wrapped us in so much love the past few weeks. We can't thank them enough for all the meals, babysitting, car rides etc. We are blessed.

Coming Home

Sunday, October 26, 2008

After jumping through all the hoops at the NICU for the past 2 weeks and 3 days....

We finally get to bring our little princess home. Big brother, Aidan can hardly wait to test out his skills at brothering. He packed up all of our stuff from the hospital and even pushed the cart out to the car.

Her red & white sweater and blanket outfit was made by my maternal grandmother, each one of my cousins and my siblings was brought home from the hospital in this outfit. It is 60 years old...
Alayna did very well coming home and immediately snuggled in for a sleep. She continues to nurse well.

On dismissal from the hospital she no longer needs her feeding tube, oxygen, has no heart defects, passed both hearing and vision screenings (with the help from big brother~ Aidan got to hold her as she took the hearing screening and was SO proud that he helped his baby sister pass), passed the car seat screening.

We are so thankful that our little girl is off to such a healthy start. Thank you for all your continued prayers for our family.

Birthday

Thursday, October 9, 2008

This is the chronicles of the life and times of Alayna (& her big brother Aidan.)

Born October 9, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Weight: 4 pounds 14 oz.

Height: 16 1/2 inches long

Alayna was diagnosed with down syndrome upon arrival. We are blessed by God to have this wonderful addition to our family.