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!