Down Syndrome Holiday Party

We went to the annual Holiday Party and we got to see Santa and Mrs Claus. It was great seeing how Alexander reacted compared to last year! The bowling was fun too. Alexander actually got to bowl this year too. Our friends brought a ramp and Alexander was able to push his ball down the ramp - he loved it.

Calendar

Once again my little angel seems to amaze me!!! The Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis put out a calendar every year and he made the month of February. Its just not one of the little photos its the big one!!! :) He makes us so proud! The calendars are only $10 so if anyone is interested let me know and I can get you one. Its the same photo that he won honorable mention for!!!

Alexander's 2nd Birthday

Alexander's birthday was today November 24th but we had his party on November 8th, before I had Baby Girl!!! Alexander got tons of cool new toys including a Tonka truck, wooden puzzles and a cool new potty - which he has pee'd on once. Hopefully he will get the hang of it and do it more often - we keep trying everyday.

So today Grandma Yehling came over for lunch and she brought him a special cookie! He loved it and ate every last bite of it!!! He loves his cookies!!! He also got to spend time with the other AJ and play on their ride on Tonka trucks!!! One of daddy's good friends came over to see Baby Emma and they got to celebrate Alexander's birthday with him again!!! It was a fun day today be very hectic - it was the first day mama had both of her babies home with her by herself - and the dog!!!

Baby Emma Elizabeth Brewster

We were blessed with the arrival of your new little girl Emma on Saturday, November 14th, 2009!!! Emma weighed in at 8lbs even and 19 inches long. She is healthy and all is looking in our direction. Everyone says she looks like her Daddy!!!

Momma and baby got released from the hospital on Monday, November 16th. For both John and I it was very surreal to bring home our baby when she wasn't even 48 hours old. It was very weird for me. I am managing with 2 babies now but sometimes it can be tough.

Just a little update!

So I haven't written lately but I seem to never have any time. And if I do have time my son loves to bang on the computer while I am typing - typical boys....

So I am due with Baby Emma in 8 days - but maybe she will come sooner. :0) Yes we finally agreed on a name! I go back to the doctor on Nov 10 if I haven't delivered before then.

Alexander will be 2 on Nov. 24th so we are having his party this Sunday - unless our little girl arrives before then. He is doing very well and walking all the time...pretty soon he will be running.

Alexander was a little cowboy for Halloween - super cute! We trick or treated in the downtown business on Saturday and he fell asleep so maybe next year it will be more fun for him!

I will update some photos soon too!!!

Doctors

So I went to the doctor again today and everything is good! I am measuring right on! I am at 30.5 weeks and the fetal monitoring for the non-stress test is going good too. Doctor said she is going to keep me going every week for now. The rash has went away again and I hope it doesn't come back! I have gained 11 lbs and she said that is fine too! And YES I am eating! I have 9 weeks to go.......and those 9 better go fast!

Alexander is doing great too! He is still just taking steps and we hope he walks soon! Wish he would it would help me sooooo much! He will do it on his own time though!

A few pics from the past month or so!!!

Floating at Blue Springs Ranch for the day! We saw some random things along the way!

A picnic table

John and the very prego Karen

Brooke and I before the float

John and Dominick before the float

Again like I said we saw some random things like a toilet

At the Cardinals game sometime in August

The Pupp Rash is Back!

So on Monday the PUPP rash decided to return! This time it came with a vengance. It itches really bad at night and it looks horrible. Right now it is all over my stomach and my chest. The doctor said it could spread to my legs and arms too. It is not a pretty sight. When I went for my doctor appointment on Wednesday she decided to have my get on the fetal monitor every week now until baby is born. What a headache but I know it will be good for baby girl. Apparently they really do not know why people get this rash except for hormones - most studies say they are unsure why though. Some studies show that it gives fetal distress so that is why I have to get hooked up to the monitor. I guess I am just the lucky one - god only gives me what I can handle, right! So now I take Benadryl to go to sleep at night and rub lotion all day on my belly.

PUPP Rash

So yes I am the lucky one to get the PUPP pregnancy rash! Apparently this happens primarily to women that are 35 weeks along, are pregnant with boys and it last till the end of your pregnancy. Ok so I am only 26 weeks, I am suppose to be pregnant with a girl and oh my 14 more weeks I will go crazy!! So it is suppose to ease off after the first week or two and it has been almost a week. AHHH! May I also add that only about 1% of pregnant women get this horrible rash! So now I am rubbing hydrocortisone cream, Cetaphil lotion and just covering with a cool washrag. So it is doing the trick until it wears off. Then I wake up in the middle of the night going crazy! I guess if it doesn't get better I am back at the doctor next week to get a oral steriod!! Anywho I guess I am just LUCKY!!! Yeah me!

Here's the photo!!!

And he's a winner!!!

So back in March, Alexander got his photo taken with a photographer that sponsors the Down Syndrome Group of Greater St Louis. She was having FREE photo shoots - for the 2010 calendar that our organization puts out. So of course I signed up - they said free! So after the photo shoot at the Muny she asked if it was okay to put his photos in a contest. I was like yeah sure thinking that it wasn't a big deal. So then in April, Nicole called and said he was a finalist for Round 2 but that there is 4 rounds and the results will be in July!

So I found the Professional Imaging Studio that she entered his photo with online and was ecstatic. So I have been keeping close tabs on what the other photos looked like. So today we found out that he was voted as a Honorable Mention and that he will receive $500. Also I found out through Nicole that he will get a 16x20 photo and that it will be given to the DSAGSL and hung up in their office. (To bad I won't get it)

Attached is the web address to check out all the winners!!!

http://www.millerslab.com/babychildcontest/2009winners.aspx

On a side note - the little girl next to his photo is his friend Taylor. We met the day of the photo shoot and she is adorable!!!!

It's a GIRL!

On June 26,2009 I went to Barnes to have our Level 2 ultrasound. It is just a more detailed ultrasound then your normal one. It is for people who have had a child with a defect previously or if you are over 35.

I had to go to the ultrasound by myself because John was busy working that morning and couldn't get away. Luckily everything was good to go! All the markers that Alexander had on his ultrasound in England were perfect this time around. The ultrasound took about 45 minutes - they check all your main bones and the heart, kidneys ,etc. Finally at the end they said its a GIRL. I was a little shocked. In the back of my head I kind of thought it was a BOY - but I guess I was wrong.

A little girl will be great with Alexander though!!! He is starting to rub my belly when I rub it gently and say BABY! Its so cute!!

Photo Shoot

Last week I took Alexander to get some photos at Sears and I think they turned out great!! He was a ham the whole time and I chase around the studio but we managed to get some decent photos!!! I do think he was a little tired too because he was out like a light when we got home!!

Buddy Walk

The Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis was on June 14th. Our team AJ's Angels so far has raised $1735. I never thought that we would even be near $1000 and we were well over that. It was a great day and it wasn't too hot like it was last year. We all had fun and actually Alexander even fell asleep on the walk! :) I will attach the photo. I think the final count was 30 people at the actually walk to support AJ. All the kids had a great time - the got their faces painted, did hand prints, went down the slide, went in the bounce house, saw Fredbird, and we all had hotdogs chips and soda and snow cones - if you wanted to wait in the long line.

BBQ

Alexander
Alexander and his cousin Tyler - don't you guys love Tyler's new do! Only was allowed to get it once school was out for summer - he loves it though!!!

AJ - John's bestfriends son! He loved Alexander's ATV

Well today - Sunday is my mom's birthday so we had a little BBQ at our house on Sat evening. It was good just to be around our fam and a few friends and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Vegas

Our Hotel
Choclate Factory

The new bridge they are building at Hoover DamHoover Dam

In the airplane on the way to Vegas

So last weekend John, Alexander and I all went to Vegas to meet John's dad out there. We stayed at Circus Circus and it was alot of fun! Vegas was a lot of walking and very amazing. There is so much to do out there and the hotels are just breathtaking.

John and I had a night to ourselves on Friday night and we went and saw the Blue Man Group. It was pretty cool and a very fun night. We have always wanted to see that show - even had it booked one time in London - they cancelled on us.

We also went to Hoover Dam, The Chocolate Factory, Botanical Cactus Garden, went up in the Stratasphere and saw a couple stars outside the Pussy Cat Dolls Club.

Memorial Day - Camping/Boathing

Boating

On Labor Day weekend or for the English folks (Bank Holiday Weekend), we went camping and boating. This time we went to Lake Kincaid. It was a pretty hectic weekend but it was fun. Had a few problems with the boat - it not wanting to start and John running into a underwater road. You can ask John about that one!!! Oh and the lovely rain we had! But all in all it was fun!

Well when we got home we got flooded again! It was a nightmare but I think we saved our carpet this time. We still have a little musky smell but we are managing. We have the dehumidifier going all day and the Lysol is finally starting to do the trick!

Cardinals Baseball

In Mid May we took Alexander to his first baseball game. It was fun for him but it actually got pretty warm that day. Alexander got a little red that day and he also fell asleep on my lap. He was a good boy and like always he just went with the flow.

We also took John's brother David and his wife Andi. We found out that they had never been to a Cardinals baseball game either. We were utterly amazed that they had never been since they have lived in St Louis 15 years plus. I think they enjoyed theirselves though.

Houston, Texas

The Month of May - Here we go - Trip 1

So the month of May was very busy for us!

In early May - Mother's Day weekend, Heather and I headed to Houston, Texas to see our friend Nicole. It probably wasn't as fun for Nicole as she thought it was going to be because Heather also told Nicole that she was prego, also. It was still a good weekend for us and I got see a Astros baseball game, we went to Kemah - where the boardwalk is and Jarrod cooked us a Crawfish Boil. So all in all I think we had a great weekend. Also, it was very exciting seeing Nicole's expression when Heather told her she was prego.

Then we flew to the St Louis airport and John and Alexander picked me up at the airport and we went straight to my brother's for a Mother's Day celebration.

Doctor Appointment Update

Today I went to the Dr. again and so far so good! I have gained 4lbs and I am 17 weeks along. Everything seems to be going pretty good and my belly is looking very prego! I also had the quad screen today. I will find out when my ultrasound is tomorrow - it is going to be a level two ultrasound at Barnes Hospital.

So once I get my blood results and I have my next ultrasound I think I will be a little more at ease with this pregnancy. So fingers crossed everything is good.

I am having very swollen legs/ankles already and vericose veins so the dr suggested wearing the tights so I guess I am going to start wearing those ugly things now. My feet and legs are killing me but my blood pressure is still fine - so it is only because I am on my feet so much. The dr sats not to worry about it!

Revelation

So last night I stop by my sister's house and we were talking about the Buddy Walk. So my six year nephew pipes in and says "Aunt Karen is Alexander the only person I know with Down Syndrome." My sister said "did you hear him "and I was like "yeah." And then she says "yeah he's the only one you know." I was like Tyler "do you know what Down Syndrome even means." He was like "ah yeah he was born with it." He answered me like I thought he was stupid or something. :) I was like "yeah your right he was born with it but do you know what else." He was like no. Then my sister went on to say "remember sometimes it takes him longer to learn things." He was oh yeah!

Well if you don't know Tyler he is very FUN to be around and life is always a party. I can already tell that he will never think anything is wrong with our precious little angel. I already know he is going to be his little protector when Alexander gets a little older. I just thought it was sweet hearing from a six year what Down Syndrome actually meant and thought I would share.

We have a stair climber!!!

Yes that is right, we have a stairclimber in our mist. :) We have been working on crawling up our stairs since last summer and now he can finally do it. I guess I can't leave him at the bottom of the stairs when I run up stairs real quick anymore. He has been working really hard at this the past couple weeks and was having trouble with the first couple steps but now we're finally there. Last night that's all he wanted to do - may I add he was worn out and in bed early. Yeah for AJ we are so excited for you, now you just need to walk without momma and dada's help!

GREAT NEWS!

Alexander and I went to the ENT and the cardiologist today. At the ENT he had a hearing test done and they said his hearing is now excellent. Also the tubes are in nicely and there is no icky wax. When we had the hearing test in October it wasn't as good. Boy do tubes make a world of a difference.

We also went to see Dr. Sharkey our cardiologist today. She said his scar looks great and that his heart looks great on the echo. Their is still a little leakage on his mitral valve so we are going to stay on his medicine - enalapril. Enalapril is actually blood pressure medicine.

Also the bump on his chest will eventually go away when he grows taller she said. I know many people always question it. It is where they broke his sternum and when it grew back it didn't form correctly. She said it is very common and when he grows it will flatten out. Yeah!

But the great news is that we don't have to go back to both doctors for a whole year!!! YEAH!!!

My Baby AJ and Big News

So what have we been up too? Boy we always find something to do and we are always busy. In the past few weeks we have been to the MS Walk in Clayton, Easter and a few Easter Egg Hunts, etc.

Alexander just seems to amaze us everyday. He is doing new things on a daily basis. Alexander has been signing alot lately and he is cruising around the couch and pulling up. We hope he will soon be walking. But boy he is into everything. He sleeps through the night but doesn't really like his naps during the day, the sitter might get a hour out of him. Alexander has passed on the flu to all of us and has now decided pass on the running nose and cough to his mom. Alexander also has a ear infection again. At least we know his tubes are working - but the drainage is disgusting!!!!!

So many of you already know but I am announcing to the BLOG world that I am 12 weeks pregnant too. I have already been to the dr. 3 times. The first appointment my dr. did a internal exam and checked everything and I am fine. Then we went again 2 weeks and ago and then today to check for the heart beat. We didn't hear it at 10 weeks so went today and thankfully we heard it. I decided to opt out on all the early testing. I decided it was all too risky and it wouldn't change any decision for us if something is wrong. I hope and pray nothing is wrong this time though. (Even though I wouldn't trade Alexander in :) ) I go back again the first week of June and I will be just about 17 weeks then.

Next week we see the cardiologist and the ENT so check back again soon!!! I promise!

St. Patty's Day

Alexander is doing great after his two little surgeries last week! He is all healed now. We spoiled him for a few days and held him alot but he is all back to normal. He is a tough little guy!!! Last weekend we went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade and he really enjoyed being around all the people. Also, Here are some pics from the past few weeks.

Photos

Wallpaper Border

Okay we have wanted to put a wallpaper up in Alexander's room since before he was born, but never did. In England we were trying to sell the house so we only painted his room. Then we got here his room was already cream - thanks to my brother-in-law! (It was hot pink previously) Well we finally got a border a few months back and I put it up. John painted his room a pretty blue (winter lake) and I put the border up yesterday. It is a jungle theme and it is so cute. He loves it too - when I am changing him on his changing table he is playing with the animals on the border.

Once again i don't have photos yet - the computer is at Best Buy! I will defo put some up though!

Our Big Boy

Okay once again it has been awhile since I have blogged! Alexander just turned 15 months and is growing up so fast! He is finally pulling himself up and we hope that he is walking soon! Our physical therapist says he is not far off. He is going to wear little ankle braces here soon too. He tends to turn his feet in just a little bit so these will help. You won't even be able to see them when he has shoes on. :) Alexander also has 9 teeth now and is still babbling away! We sometimes wonder if he is going to ever shut up. J/K Alexander is also drinking out of a straw and is holding his bottle when we give that to him. The sitter completely gave up the bottle - only has a cup at her house. Now we have to work on holding the cup.

Alexander is now doing swimming lessons too! He didn't enjoy it the first time but this week it was a little better. He held onto me for dear life and cried. He loved it on his back though. Next week we won't make swimming because he is getting tubes in his ears. :( Poor little guy!

I will add pics soon! Have to get them from grandma she came and watched and took pictures for mom.

Update

Sorry haven't updated lately! I am always busy!!! Alexander is doing wonderful though....he is always crawling every where now. We will get to the walking sooner or later. The therapist says we are going to either get the talking first or the walking, but not both at the same time. They say the brain doesn't work like that. I think we are going to get the talking though. As is he never shuts up.....he is non-stop babble!

Alexander now has 4 therapists a week. (occupational, developmental, physical and speech) He is developing so well for all he has been through! On Tuesday we go to Children's and we see for different doctors that day! We see the eye doctor, orthapedic, urologist and Genetics doctor. It will be a long day but we are getting it all done at the same time! AJ needs tubes in his ears so we are getting those soon too! No date set yet. We are going to see what the urologist says first then set a date. We are getting both surgeries done at the same time. AJ was never circumcised and we might get that done with his tubes. The ENT said that was fine to do them both together.