You fall asleep just as soon as your head hits the...crib mattress! Ralph played hard today and it shows.
Jordan's birthday is today! My handsome little man is 7 now. He is the pokiest of children. Today he missed the school bus, again. I was late for a meeting so I had to drop him at the corner by his school...and it was raining. Poor thing.
Jordan has the most amazing green eyes. He's a real heart breaker! The birthday boy got a bubble bath all to himself in mommy's tub.People, all kinds of people, are drawn to Ralph. He makes people happy, even strangers in the grocery store!
We had some fun on the trampoline this morning. I thought this would be a great time to try out the video capabilities of Richard's camera. It was VERY windy today, but if you can ignore the wind noise you'll hear Ralph laughing. Seriously, it sounds like we are in the middle of a tornado!
This October raffle is very special to me and will help build up Oleg's adoption grant fund! My friend, Michelle, has a company called Sassy Klassy 'n' More which makes wonderful, high quality handbags. The winner of my October raffle will get to create their own photo bag. With Michelle's expert assistance you will choose your own photo in black & white, color or sepia, choose coordinating fabrics, and any other customization you would like. This is over $100 in value!Isn't this a darling bag in sepia? The photo has been transferred into the fabric! Take my word, this looks fantastic close-up and in person. Hmmm...I'm thinking this would be a great Christmas present for any grandma.
Here is another example in color:
If you contribute to the chip-in AND post about the raffle on your blog I will give you an extra entry for every $5 you contribute. So, a $10 contribution plus a post on your blog gives you 12 entries. $5 by itself gets 5 entries. Get it?
Use Mr. Linky if you post on your blog don't forget to leave a comment for me here. The contest ends on October 31 and the winner will be announced November 1. Thank you and good luck!
UPDATE - The raffle has been extended to November 7. Good luck!
I was chatting with a friend yesterday who said she thinks that babies with Down Syndrome are the cutest babies of all! I think that she is right. We both have children with DS, so I guess we are not completely objective.
Ok, this is an old picture, but one of my faves. Go on, tell me this kid isn't a beauty. I love his sweet almond shaped eyes. His eyes are a deep brown so he does not have any Brushfield spots like the girl in this picture. Brushfield spots are white flecks around the iris and are a physical characteristic of DS.
Another physical trait associated with DS is a nuchal fold, a thicker than usual area of skin and fatty tissue on the back of the neck. Ralph has this and it is the sweetest, yummiest place to nibble and kiss. I love it.
For more terms and definitions check out Kimberlee Kadar-Kallen's article here. According to Kimberlee, "it has been discovered that cuteness is located on the 21 st chromosome." Amen.
This is Ralph watching Signing Time. By the way, Signing Time videos are the BEST EVER! His facial expression never changes, but his hands are never still while the video is playing! He begins his pretend signing as soon as the music starts. I wish I could get it on video.
A large percentage of babies with Down Syndrome are born completely healthy. Many are born with heart defects and other problems that are easily repaired. In a few cases the problems are serious. In Ralph's case, pulmonary hypertension makes DS look like a walk in the park.
Ralph has been pulling off his oxygen at night and when his blood oxygen levels fall his O2 alarm goes off. Nothing really new about this! I've been getting up countless times at night to fix the cannula for many, many months. Some days I wonder if I will ever get a full night sleep again!
Lately things seem to be changing. The alarm is going off less and less often. Even with the cannula off his O2 levels are not falling enough to set off the alarm! During the day, Ralph likes to take the cannula off and chew on it. Of course, I can't monitor his O2 levels during the day, because the meter just doesn't work when he is up and moving around.
So...do these changes mean that his pulmonary hypertension is resolving?
I talked to Ralph's cardiologist's P.A. today and we have a plan. Since he has an echo scheduled for later this month I will cut his liter flow in half, from 1/2 liter to 1/4, for the next couple of weeks. We will then see how the pulmonary pressures look on the echo. As I know from experience, blood oxygen levels don't always tell the whole story where PH is concerned. But, I'm still optimistic that Ralph's lungs are growing and remodeling and his PH may eventually be nothing but a bad memory.
