Picture Time

Loving life. Thankful for my boys.

Praying for good news on Thursday from the cardiologist.

Looking forward to December 9 meeting with the food whisperer in Tucson to evaluate David's oral skills.

Hoping to schedule professional photos of the boys soon.

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I am Pro-Choice: Having a Baby with Down Syndrome was the Best Choice I Ever Made

I am pro-choice and I had a prenatal diagnosis that David would have down syndrome and I continued my pregnancy.  Because that is what pro-choice means. Pro-choice does not equal pro-termination.

I am bothered by the people that blame pro-choice people for the termination of babies with down syndrome.  Obviously not all of us make that choice (there really are others like me). There was a recent photo on facebook that just pissed me off (damn social media) a little boy with down syndrome holding a sign saying he is one of the 10% that survived Roe vs Wade.  Just because it is legal to terminate doesn't mean you should.  And even if it was illegal to terminate doesn't mean that people wouldn't.

How can the termination rate for a prenatal diagnosis of down syndrome be 90% if approximately 50% of people in the United States are pro-life, shouldn't the termination rate for pre-natal diagnosis be 50%. 

So what are the pro-life people who terminate saying about a person with down syndrome?  That is what I want to know.  Are they saying that the life of a person with down syndrome is not the same as a person with 46 chromosomes?    Are they saying their political and religious views apply to other people but not them? Are they so scared and misinformed that they think it is the right thing to do?  After someone like that terminates their pregnancy are they then pro-choice or just a hypocrite?

I am still pro-choice.  And selfishly, I wish everyone would continue a pregnancy with down syndrome so I wouldn't have to think about all of the people that think a life like David's isn't worth living. 

Picture Update

Love Swinging

Hand Me Down Toys Rock

Pumpkin Patch at the Zoo

Too Cute at the Heart Walk

More Cuteness

Snug as a Bug

Mommy Loves Me

Presenting the Newborn King

Heart Walk was a Blast

Hanging on the Monkey Bars

First Time Ice Skating



Wednesday's Words

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Winners of My First Raffle

Drum Roll

The raffle has come to an end and the culmination is the giveaway.  The number of entries is 129, the amount of money raised is $775.  I am thrilled with this number.  My fundraising continues until the day of the race, November 6th.  So while you may have missed out on the raffle prizes, it is not to late to donate to congenital heart disease research.

And the winners are

PF Changs : Adam

Starbucks: Geoff

Heart Bracelet: Sarin

Heart Pendant: Mildred

If I have not sent you a thank you email yet, I am working on it.  I am hoping to do more raffles in the future.  Thank you for your continued support on our family's journey.

24 Hours Until the Raffle

In 24 hours I am picking the 4 winners of the following prizes: $25 PF Changs Gift Card, $25 Starbucks Gift Card, heart bracelet, heart pendant.

If you want to be in on the raffle the minimum donation of $5 to my favorite charity will get you one entry, donate more get more entries.  There are only 108 entries so far.

See the rules and prizes here

Donate to help fund research for congenital heart disease here.  Your donation is tax deductible as well. And you will be entered to win one of those prizes I am talking about.

The walk is November 6th.  You can donate after today but you will not be eligible for any of the fun prizes.  And to all who have donated, I am so thankful.  This research could help save another child's life or find a new technology that makes open heart surgery obsolete in the future for some heart repairs. 

It Takes a Village (of specialists that is)

David's doctor's
Pediatrician - regular visits
Cardiologist - once every two months
Pulmonologist - once a month in winter
GI- supposed to be every three months
Pediatric Surgeon - monitors g-tube every three months
ENT - annually or if ear tubes fall out
Audiologist - every 6 months for sedated hearing test
Opthamologist - annual
Hematologist- haven't used him since the NICU but he could come in handy some day
Compounding Pharmacy - every two weeks for meds

David's therapy
evaluations every 90 days
physical therapy - once a week
feeding therapy - once a week
speech therapy - once a week
developmental specialist - once a week
occupational therapy - approved for once a week but taking a break
in patient feeding evaluation coming November 18th with the horse whisperer of feeding Marsha Dunn Klein