A message from Chris

Ok........So normally I'm posting on sport and punk rock Blogs....... Since I'm madly in love with my wife and son I'll give it a go!

The last two weeks have been some of the hardest days and longest nights of my life. I learned a great deal about myself and how much being a good father and a great husband mean to me. My understanding of my parents and family has grown tremendously. Dealing with the simple fact that your child could possibly come into this world with any type of disadvantage is heartbreaking. When the doctor told us our child had a GREATER than 1 in 3 chance of having Down Syndrome I became terrified. I blamed myself for everything. I prayed every night and became a different person. I dug deep and realized God would never put me in a situation I could not handle. I had to think different and prepare my family for whatever we might face................... Thankfully, the test results came back NEGATIVE and our boy is fine! Don't let my wife fool you with all the nice things she says about me in her Blogging....... She is the back bone of the operation in the Plummer household. I don't know anyone else who can take 5 college classes, work 30 hours a week, and be pregnant all at once. She is the greatest human being I have ever come across and I work hard to enjoy every second we spend together........I am so excited to meet our son! I day dream about him all the time. I can't wait to teach him how to swing a baseball bat or kick a soccer ball. I can't wait to teach him that listening to music LOUD is the only way to do it! I can't wait to read him stories and tell him how lucky we are to have Mommy...............I Love You Stephanie and Cade! To all my friends and family who read this....... Thanks for everything! Being healthy is a privilege we take for granted......... enjoy it. Don't stare to long, take a look around!

-Christopher

Diaper Dilemma

So today I was sitting on the computer adding to our registry which has had to happen over a few days because it takes FOREVER! Not that it takes too long to decided, but the actual website takes sooo long to load. Grrrrr.... Anyway, today's major decision is which diapers to use. I know it may seem like a weird thing to be worried about but you see, I have always had my heart set on using cloth or reusable diapers. The problem lies in how to do it. This is completely my decision and though Chris supports anything I want to do, he is hesitant because as many of you know....I tend not to do laundry or clean the kitchen (or any of the house) in a timely fashion. It is not that I don't ever clean, it is just that sometimes I don't feel like it and I choose to do it later. Even though this is pretty annoying (mostly to Chris), it has not been a huge problem for us so far because we eventually finish the laundry and do the dishes. His (and my) concern is that that is not an option when we are talking about washing diapers. Diapers must be washed and dried everyday without fail or we will have a major problem. Will this happen? Who knows.

The other problem I am having is HOW to go about doing it. My mom used cloth diapers with all of us and I can remember changing Amy and Elizabeth when they were babies. At our house we simply had a small trash pail near the changing table. The yuckiness was rinsed of first by dunking the diaper in the toilet and then when the pail was full, the diapers were washed in the washer with scalding hot water. To the best of my knowledge, the pail did not stink and the diapers were always clean smelling. My mom used the plain white diapers that you had to fold and use those big diaper pins to hold the diaper on. I however have found in my research that now they have a bazillion types of reusable diapers and narrowing them down was a nightmare. I have done it though and added the chosen brand to the registry.

So I guess my question is what is the best system for us? I am thinking it would be best to do a load every night. I know this sounds like a lot of laundry, but I think it will reduce any smell that may otherwise accumulate from sitting diapers, AND it will get me into a routine that will ensure I actually do laundry! Oh! I forgot to say that for those of you who used cloth diapers and dunked them in the toilet, they now have an awesome tool that attach's to the water hose on your toilet and sprays the diapers, so no more dunking! Pretty cool. So needless to say, I have some more figuring out to do and if anyway with reusable diapering experience has any suggestions, please share! For those of you who think I am nuts and why not just use the regular disposable diapers? I have posted some facts I have learned in my research that I think you may find interesting. In addition to disposables taking years to breakdown in the landfills, it turns out that they are not all that great for babies either. I feel like this is a small way we as a family can do the best we can to make the earth a better place and take care of the health of our child.

That's all for now.

http://verybaby.com/health

Some Sunshine Through the Rain...

It has been raining in Chico for literally 3 weeks....nonstop. Early this afternoon though we saw a ray of sunshine through the rain. I got the phone call we had been waiting for so anxiously. I received the message from Maureen who is the genetic counselor we met with in Sacramento. Her message said "Stephanie please call me back because I have a little bit of good news for you". Though I was relieved to hear the words "good news," the "little bit" part made me nervous. I called her back right away and she gave me the best news I have received in a long time:

All of Cade's chromosomes are perfectly normal, which means he does not have Down's Syndrome, or any other chromosomal disorder for that matter! Yay!

I instantly felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders as my excitement about this pregnancy was restored. I felt back to normal again and life became a little less unexpected. I obviously called Chris right away and I could hear the relief in his voice too. We are very lucky. This experience was such an eye opener for us both and I really believe it changed us both for the better, not to mention bringing us closer together. I was fortunate enough the see a different side of Chris and fell even more in love with him because of the strength and support he provided me, but also because of the instant acceptance and love he had for our son...no matter what. Though I don't like to admit it, I was struggling to find acceptance for Cade knowing that he might be different. I think this is mostly because he would be different than other babies and I didn't know what it would be like. Chris on the other hand? Not even for a split second. He accepted this difference from the moment we found out it was a possibility. He never expressed concern for the mental and physical challenges Down's would bring to our son and had a calm confidence the whole time. He is amazing and I love him more than anything in the world.

During the last 2 weeks, I spent hours reading about Down's Syndrome, researching support groups in our area, and reading blogs of mothers with children who have Down's. I went looking for these people because I needed to hear from someone who knew what I was going through, that it would all be OK. I found this in 2 different blogs and instantly became attached to these little babies even though I have never even met them! They had both gone through open heart surgery at 4 months old, met with 3 different types of therapists regularly and attended countless doctors appointments each week. Despite all of these challenges, they and their mothers were surviving, thriving and loving life. All was well with them. They helped me believe that even though I wasn't sure how we would do it, we could do it. Anyway, now that I know Cade is going to be healthy and strong, I still feel an attachment to these babies and have a new soft spot in my heart for children and people with Down's Syndrome. I plan to make sure that our family gets involved in the lives of these amazing individuals somehow. I want to help bring awareness to this disorder that almost affected our lives.

As for the rest of the test results, they (the genetic people) still feel concerned because of the abnormal levels of my hormones, as well as, Cade being smaller than he "should" be. She said her concern is that because of the 2 issues, he may not be getting the necessary nutrition from my placenta. I disagree and I am not worried. We spent an hour watching him move around, suck his thumb, stick out his tongue and he looked fine to me. Just because he is a little bit smaller than normal, does not mean he isn't growing. We are going to the second ultrasound in February anyway though because they want to measure him again and compare his size then to his size at the previous appointment to make sure he grew enough. We think they just want the state to keep paying them. Whatever! If it means getting to see him again, we won't complain :)

So, needless to say, today was a great day in the Plummer household. In addition to the great news, we also received a gift for Cade from my wonderful friend Mandy... Cade's first outfits! They are soooo cute and we love them so thanks Mandy! I posted a picture of them because I couldn't help it :) I also posted a picture of the enormous protrusion sticking out of my body (still have a long way to go people!) due to repeated requests.

Thank you for all of the love, support and positive thoughts. We love you all and could not have made it through this tough time without you.

Five months and counting...


Thanks Mandy! We love them!

School Days

When I transferred to Chico State, I decided to double major in both Child Development and Psychology. I felt that since these were both areas of interest for me and I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do when I finished school, it would open more doors for me than a single degree. Cade has changed those plans.

For the last 3 semesters, I have been working with both Psychology counselors and CHDL counselors to coordinate my schedules to complete the necessary classes in a timely fashion and graduate in Spring of 2011. I have decided to take a break from the original plan and focus on completing at least ONE degree before I become a parent. I realized I only have 4 classes left to finish my Psych degree and so that is what I will do for now.

School starts tomorrow morning and I am really not looking forward to it. Semesters always fly by for me and since Cade is due to arrive in the world a mere 3 weeks after finals, this to me means that I am running out of time to get ready. Now, I know many of you will say "not to worry about getting ready" and that "as long as I have diapers and love it will all be OK," but clearly these people don't know me. I NEED to be organized. I NEED to feel prepared. By this I do not mean decorating a room, painting walls or putting furniture together. By being ready I mean mentally. I have so many things I want to do and so many books I want to read before he comes because I know that when he is here, my priorities will shift.

So I need a plan. I need to set aside time each day to:

1. Study/Do homework
2. Exercise/Eat well
3. Complete projects while I have the time

This is my plan for the next few months so wish me luck!

Oh and as a side note, there is a reason you are not supposed to go to school while you are pregnant....Having to pee every 2 seconds, taking FOREVER to remember something very simple, backaches and a very large belly trying to fit into Kindergarten-sized desks are just a few. I know that this is the right thing to do for myself and my family, but YUCK!

OK, I'm done ranting now. Hopefully my professors are understanding and supportive and hopefully I can remember what I need to know in the coming weeks!

Other side note....still waiting to hear from the genetic counselor this week. Thursday is their deadline to call so it should be in the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed for good news.

First Appearance

Smile!

Sonogram Today!

So, even before we had all the genetic stuff going on, we had scheduled our 20 weeks sonogram for today to determine Cade's actual age and make sure his heart and other organs were working and to find out if he was a he or a she!

It was so much more fun than last week's sonogram because we were only there to see him and enjoy watching him. There was no stress about something being wrong with him and we were so looking forward to this appointment.

As you know by now, it's a boy! The ultrasound tech said he looks great and has all his fingers and toes! He is measuring to be a week younger than we thought, but all I am thinking that means is that he won't be 10 pounds when he is born...yay! Most importantly, she said that though she is not a doctor, from what she can see she would be shocked if he had Down's Syndrome. Most babies with DS have a very distinct fat pack on the back of their necks, a flat-bridged nose, and have crossed fingers which results in an X looking shape on their palm. She saw none of these and in addition, said his heart looked great. Many babies with DS also have heart defects and need surgery within months of being born. Knowing that his heart looks fine, is such a relief no matter what happens.

It is amazing how much they grow in a short time and I was shocked at how much bigger and more like a baby he looked in just 1 week! During the time we were watching him, he had the hiccups (which I cannot yet feel), sucked his thumb, and stuck out his tongue. He never stops moving and gives the ultrasound techs such a hard time when they are trying to get a good look at his body parts and take pictures. He also seems to like to keep his hands near his face and stays really curled up in a ball. We were only supposed to be in there for about 15 minutes, but we were lucky enough to get to watch him for an hour. The lady must have known I needed this and it really put my mind at ease.

We got some really sweet pictures of him and even a video or two which I am going to try to post.

Keep your fingers crossed for good news this week!

It has all become a reality...

Welcome to our blog. I created this blog as a way to share our experiences, battles and joys of this pregnancy and beyond with all of our friends and family. We so appreciate your support and love and interest in our lives and through this blog we will share the fun with you!

So, this week marks the middle point of the journey. 20 weeks down, 20 to go! I cannot believe how fast it is going and yet it seems to drag some days. Up until this point, I have had a pretty uneventful experience with some annoying nausea, a few aches and pains, but generally feel the same as when I wasn't pregnant. Maybe you should ask Chris for the truth, but I feel 100% in control of my hormones and emotions :)

Last week this all changed though and we were hit with a plethora of symptoms and events. First and foremost, I finally felt some movement! I have been waiting for so long to feel him and it is so nice to really feel pregnant now and have a connection to him. I also woke up a few days ago and felt huge. There is no question that the belly looks pregnant now and is starting to get in the way of doing those everyday tasks such as putting shoes on! In addition, I had my first bout with heartburn last night and though I am halfway through the pregnancy, I now begin my days with an oh-so-fun run to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach....ah the joys :)

Secondly, we received some pretty tough news. I had some routine blood testing done to check for certain genetic disorders, but of course expected everything to come back normal. A couple weeks ago I received a phone call from my midwife who told me that my blood tests came back showing me to be at a high risk for Trisomy 21, which as some of you may know, is medical terminology for Down's Syndrome. Of course I was shocked and confused and worried all at the same time. After talking with my midwife, she told us that she wanted to refer us to a genetic counselor in Sacramento to get more details about the blood tests.

We had this meeting last Thursday and man oh man was it a looonnnnnggggg day. After a 2 hour car ride to Sacramento we arrived at the hospital and first met with the genetic counselor. I went into the appointment with a good attitude and Chris was even more confident. The genetic counselor ruined that by informing us that based on the levels of my hormones, I was at the same risk level as a 55 year old woman and that the chances of this baby having Down's Syndrome is greater than 1 in 3. WOW! I was not expecting that and it hit me like a ton of bricks. After many tears and nervousness, we made the decision to first have a second level sonogram and then an amniocentesis. The amniocentesis draws some of the fluid from the amniotic sac (yes with a long needle through my abdomon) and analyzes the baby's cells to checks for extra chromosomes. It is the only way to know for sure. It was all a blur and was very scary and hurt a lot! On the way home Chris kept reassuring me that no matter what, everything was going to be fine, but it sure didn't feel like it to me.

I had to lay around for 3 days to reduce the chances of having a miscarriage from the amniocentesis and during that time I did a lot of crying, a lot of soul searching and a lot of research about Down's Syndrome. Though I would obviously prefer for our child to be healthy, I know we can handle whatever we are given and I could not ask for a better partner to go through this with. Chris has had an amazing attitude the whole time and I could not do this without him.

We will find out the results of the amniocentesis in a week or so and then we will know whether or not Cade has Down's Syndrome. Please send some positive thoughts this way! We will keep you posted when we FINALLY hear the news.