Time Flies- 11 months old!

Wow, time has really gotten away from me these past few weeks.  It got me thinking that time with Natalie is a unique gift.  Most parents will say that kids grow up so fast.  The first year is especially quick as they change from a small sleeping-all-the-time infant to a jabbering-into-everything toddler.  Because Natalie’s low muscle tone has caused her gross motor development to lag behind, it’s hard for me to think of her as almost being a year old.  It’s as if her delayed development forces me to pay attention more and definitely causes us to celebrate small victories that might have been missed for a typically developing 3rd child.  Time for her goes a little slower and therefore allows us to enjoy her as a baby longer.

Here’s what’s been going on with us.  The day before our first check up for her star band progress, David had a car accident.  The car was not totaled but it was not drivable for 2 1/2 weeks while being repaired.  I had to postpone our first star band appointment to get some errands taken care of for the car.  We went the next week and Christina said she could already tell the cranial band was helping.  We won’t get Natalie scanned until the next appointment, though.  Tomorrow starts her 5th week of wearing the star band.  Natalie has completely adjusted with only some small redness and extreme smelliness when we take it off of her for the one hour a day.  We had a stomach bug go through the house last week so she had to take a small break from wearing it but we are all back to normal now.

I did end up painting the helmet again so got some pictures of the original pattern.  This second time seems to be working better, though, with very few scrapes in the paint job.  I used a spray primer and then the pink spray paint the first day.  The second day, I brush painted on a varnish.  The third day, I painted the butterflies and another coat of varnish.  I’m still having some trouble at the strap with paint peeling but, for the most part, it’s staying on this time.  I just love seeing her little pink helmet head to match her smiling pink cheeks!

 

 

The big kids are out of school for Christmas vacation and anxiously counting down to Christmas.  I think they tell us several times daily how many more days are left.  David and I will both be working this week so it’ll be a challenge to find ways to entertain them before the big day.  I’m hoping to get some Christmas cookie decorating in and then of course visits from two of their out of town aunts will help.

Below is an impromtu shoot in front of our Jesse tree.  We add a new ornament every night to show how the old testament stories pointed to the coming of Jesus.  So far we have a globe, apple, rainbow, sky full of stars, ram, jacob’s ladder, coat of many colors, burning bush, trumpet for Jericho.  We seem to keep falling behind so will probably end up skipping a few to get to the end.

                         

Star Band Week One

Natalie started wearing her star band on November 15th!  My first try at putting it on her made her cry but I’ve gotten better as we’ve gone along and we’ve had no tears since.  She’s been handling the change pretty well.  We started with one hour on, one hour off and today two hours on, one off.  The first day, she cried a little bit when she was on her back with the helmet on.  Today, she fell asleep on the floor while playing with it on.  Tomorrow she’ll wear it 4 hours on, 1 hour off and during naps and night time sleep.  Feels like a big jump but I think she’s already getting used to it so hopefully it won’t disturb her sleep.

 

Putting on Natalie’s Helmet

She’s also rolling all over the room now.  She just started rolling last week so I was a little worried the extra weight of the helmet would slow her progress.  It doesn’t seem to be bothering her a bit.  The pink helmet is easier for me to see pop up off the floor from the other side of the room so now I’m actually catching her rolling more often!

I couldn’t resist painting the helmet so we had a wild day once we got the star band.  I needed to get it painted and dry as fast as I could.  I like the way it turned out but am not sure if the paint will stick the whole time she has to wear it.  So far so good.  I taped it all up and spray painted the whole outside with a pink paint that said would stick to ‘most’ plastics.  Then I used acrylic paint for the butterflies and flowers and finished up with varnish to hopefully keep it from chipping.  We’ll see how it goes.

So, we’ve officially started the process.  In two weeks, we have an appointment in two weeks to check on her progress.  Though I’ll miss seeing that little head of hair, I think the cheeks make up for it!

Amy

Scan Day

We just got back from Natalie’s new scan for her cranial remolding helmet.  It was very quick.  We’ll go back in a week and a half to get the star band fitted and she’ll be wearing it from then on.  I did ask if it would hinder her progress with physical therapy.  It might take some getting used to but since it weighs only weighs 1 1/2 oz hopefully it won’t bother her that much

Natalie in the waiting room before and this after missing her morning nap!The back of her head on 11/2.

Laying in the scanner.

Natalie with Julia after the scan.  We picked the band with ‘sweet hearts’ instead of camouflage and soccer balls so Zach was not willing to be photographed!

The Helmet Journey Starts Tomorrow!

I am writing now as an amazed and stunned woman.  Some of you know this story but I’m starting from the beginning for any who might be reading from links at Alexandra’s P.H.A.T.E.   What I find so cool about this story is that we really thought it wasn’t possible at all but God had different things in mind for us.

Last Monday, I took Natalie to Level 4 Orthotics to discuss whether she needed a cranial remolding helmet or not.  We’ve been noticing a flat spot for awhile but had hoped it would get better with her learning to sit up more.  Since she is not sitting up yet at 9 months due to some delay in gross motor skills from Down’s Syndrome, it seemed to David and I that the flat spot was getting worse.  Natalie has also loved to look right from the day she was born.  Our physical therapist is always checking to see if she has torticollis and it seems Natalie just likes that side better.  After being scanned, I was told that her head shape was a Level 3 out of 5 in terms of severity.  Below is an image of her head shape currently.  When we started talking about cost, it became clear that it was not something we could afford.  Our insurance has a very high deductible so we would have to pay 100% of the cost.  Natalie needs physical therapy right now to help with her low muscle tone that comes with Down’s syndrome so that had to be our top priority in terms of finances.

I decided to look for help on the internet.  I happened to post on Facebook about it and my sister-in-law suggested looking for a used helmet.  Not sure that it was even possible, I started searching anyway.  I found a group called Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E., a group that, through a partnership with Orthomerica, is able to provide 12 helmets a year.  I e-mailed Gary Tate Natalie’s information.  One week later, I received a call from Level 4 saying that through Blake Norquist, Orthomerica had agreed to provide Natalie with a star band.  We are so thankful and stunned at how quickly this all was orchestrated!  We have an appointment tomorrow to have her scanned again since babies head shape grows so fast.  Can’t wait to take lots of pictures of the process!

Amy

Walk for Natalie

Update: To keep Google from being confused, we are removing references to last years fundraiser and team name.  Please view the 2012 blog entry (http://bit.ly/Mis8tF) and the 2012 team page (http://bit.ly/MirYSZ)

We just decided to start a ‘team’ for the 2011 [fundraiser] in Freedom Park, albeit a little late in the game. Lots of people came up with cute names so I had to go with the alliteration route too.  We decided to go with Natalie's [N---].  We are still new at figuring things out but thought this would be a great way to meet some other families and help raise a little money for Down’s Syndrome.  If you are in Charlotte and would like to walk with us, we’d be glad to have you on our team.  The walk is October 1st in Freedom Park.  There will be kid-friendly events starting at 2.  The walk starts at 4:30 and there is a hot dog supper at 5:30. 
From the [fundraiser] website:  ‘The goal of the Buddy Walk is to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Your support will help all people and families living with Down syndrome to enjoy a more successful future.’  More information on the walk can be found HERE.
Here’s a link to our fundraising page if you’d like to donate:  [Natalie's N---]
Thanks for all the love and support we have received with Natalie.  Though we have a long way to go, I can definitely say things are so much brighter today than 8 months ago.
Amy

Good news- the Prunes worked!

Bad news is the prunes worked…

After about one month of minor skirmishes in Natalie’s ongoing battle of constipation, we were back at war this past week.  She started spoon feeding one month ago and was fine for the first 3 weeks.  Everyone told me the constipation would get much worse when she added other foods into her diet and it eventually did.  Thankfully, it has not yet been as bad as a few months ago but we did have a time this weekend that she started screaming when drinking her bottle that reminded me a little of her worst bouts.  So, naturally, I’ve been trying to solve it quick.  I’ve been feeding her prunes for breakfast for almost a week now.  In the beginning, she was actually smacking her lips while eating them.  Now, she’s screwing up her face a bit.  Today, I was at school for a meeting about Zach’s first grade year.  The meeting was over and I could have stayed for lunch with him when I noticed Natalie had exploded.  Zach was disappointed but I had to bolt and get her cleaned up.  Later, after I had picked up Julia, I realized it happened again.  That turned out to be it but I was on eggshells all day thinking I had created a monster!  We are getting an appointment with a gastroenterologist hopefully in the next week or so.  I feel like I’m exhausting all possibilities.

In other news, we had a speech evaluation last week.  Natalie came out as in her age group and in some cases ahead!  Her spoon feeding as really improved and the tongue thrusting is almost gone.  I can hardly tell any difference in her learning to eat from her brother and sister.  Her physical therapist also did an evaluation just to see how her development is rating.  She is now officially behind normally developing children.  We are still working on rolling and she seems to be a ways off from sitting up.  I’m trying to be very rigid about scheduling time to work with her every day in hopes that it will help.  We know have a Zach, Julia, and Natalie homework time to every day!

I also have officially ordered my first T21 supplement.  It’s in the mail so hopefully I’ll have something to report on it the next time I get around to blogging.  I’m trying very hard to work only when the big kids are in school so if I get behind, I have to make it up at night.  Which means, blog gets put on the back burner.  Except when I have appointments, its been getting better so, hopefully, one day I’ll be organized again and have time for extra activities!

Amy

 

 

Ahhhh-va-cahh-do!

We started baby food today!  So, what do you say to get a baby to open her mouth?  Since we are starting with mashed avacado, Ahhh-va-cahh-do, naturally!  Natalie thought it was pretty funny so not only did she do a fantastic job keeping the food in, she got a chuckle out my sound effects as well!  They told us early on that she would probably be difficult to spoon feed because of the typical T21 (my new name for Down’s- sounds more positive to me) low muscle tone and strong tongue thrust reflex.  Don’t know if it’ll continue but today she did great.  Hardly thrust her tongue out at all and seemed genuinely pleased to be eating from a spoon.  I had thought of waiting until next week at the earliest since she’ll be 6 months corrected then but she’s started waking up earlier and earlier.  At first, I was thinking it was the T21 sleep problems starting.  Last week, the naturopathic doctor told me that the oxidative stress that the extra chromosome causes can disrupt sleep.  Today, though, I remembered that waking up early can be a sign of readiness for table food so I jumped in with it.  Hopefully, it will help.

It’s been awhile since I’ve written.  I had spent a lot of the early summer months preparing questions for our 6 month geneticist visit.  The visit was extremely disappointing and I’ve been pretty depressed about it for the last few weeks.  As David says, it comes in waves.  Well, I’ve been in a flood here for awhile, I think.  The geneticist doesn’t really support any nutritional intervention because there are not enough studies on it.  The genetic counselor was basically offended that I even suggest such a thing.  So, after that I scheduled an appointment with a naturopathic doctor to see if he could help.  That one wasn’t so encouraging either.  He didn’t want to do anything until she is a year or older.  I thought that since the first year of brain development is so important sooner would be better.  Of course, the naturopathic doctor is not on our insurance so I’m just sick that I wasted money that I could have used on something else that would of actually help her.  Urggh!

Some good news.  The flax seed oil is working!  Natalie has been able to poop about every other day for a few weeks now.  Once I use up the pills I’m taking for her, I think I’ll go ahead and buy the oil to put straight into her milk.  We see her atresia surgeon  this week and, I’m praying with her improvement in being able to go, that Hirschsprung’s is now out of the picture.  I also posted on facebook that she seems to have passed her hearing test from last week.  The ear that failed before passed completely.  They still want us to keep watching her, though, and possibly do tests in the sound booth when she’s old enough.  Unfortunately, if she can hear, she will lose her speech therapist.  Our current speech therapist comes with the Early Intervention for the deaf.  She said she will transition to another therapist for us.  The closest speech therapist on our insurance is in Durham so not sure what we are going to do yet.

Working on sitting up with her physical therapist.  She’s getting stronger every day.  Lately, the improvements have been slower but she’s not regressed any. at least.  She’s sitting beside me now as I type bouncing her infant seat so hard, I think she’s trying to fly!  Also, she’s saying ma-ma a lot.  Julia thinks it’s because Natalie loves me but I’m thinking it sounds more like “why don’t you come pick me up?".

Amy

Videos of Recent Development

6 months old

Half a year already?  Hard to believe.  What a huge difference life is now from when Natalie first arrived in January.  She has such a personality already.  I love to make her smile enough to see her tiny dimple.  We did an exercise in ‘what do I love about  my brother or sister’ a few weeks ago mostly to help Zach and Julia.  Zach said right away he loved how Natalie was so happy all the time.  Course, when they were watching her shots get fired in yesterday, he knew to hold his ears in preparation for the “I’m in pain cry.”

Saw the pediatrician on Monday and will see the geneticist tomorrow.  I came armed with all my research with my main goals being some sort of help for Natalie’s constipation and clearance for her to take Nutrivene-D.  For the constipation issue, the doctor doesn’t’ think it has a connection to dairy products because it would be more of the diarrhea variety rather than constipation.  I’m stilling limiting dairy just in case but not being so strict.  The doctor gave me a dosage for Miralax and said to try Prune juice daily for awhile. I mentioned that gotten a checklist from the National Down Syndrome Society for things to check in the first year.  It mentioned screening for Hirschsprung disease. I thought it would have been discovered at birth but the doctor said no and Natalie’s problems would fit that.  It’s when nerves don’t form at the end of the rectum making it difficult to feel when to go to the bathroom.  The surgeon would remove the portion of the intestines without nerves and sew it back together.  It requires a biopsy to tell for sure.  I’m supposed to ask the geneticist if that’s really something they need to check for tomorrow and then have her stomach surgeon do the biopsy.  The pediatrician said if she does improve using the Miralax and prune juice, it’s a good sign she doesn’t have Hirschsprung disease.  I gave her Miralax when we got home yesterday and she went in about 10 minutes so I’m hopeful.  I’m also continuing to take flaxseed oil in hopes that it will help her as well.

For the Nutritional Intervention, I explained I’d read that the extra chromosome causes and overabundance of the SOD gene. Too much SOD causes there to be too much hydrogen peroxide in the body, which, in turn, damages cells (just like it damages bacteria cells when you pour some on a cut). The most susceptible to H₂O₂ damage seem to be brain cells.  At first, the doctor was hesitant but when I showed her the research and the ingredients, she said she didn’t see anything in it that would hurt Natalie.  The doctor did suggest I bring it up with the geneticist too.

As for normal baby stuff, she grew a lot from her 4 month checkup.  She’s now 14 lbs 4 oz (20% on the normal development chart!) and 24 3/4” (20% on the normal development chart).  I’ve been told it’s good to even make the chart so 20% is great.  So, looks like her thyroid is functioning since she’s growing well.  The doctor said the smiling and alertness is a good sign the thyroid is fine too.  We are supposed to get it tested at 6 months so will probably do that at the geneticist office Wednesday.  Low thyroid during developmental years can lead to mental retardation and since Down’s kids can often have low thyroid, it’s very important to keep a close eye on it.  Oh, yeah- and she can grab her toes now!  :)

Starting Nutritional Research

So, I’m gathering lots of information lately on nutritional supplements.  Natalie has her 6 month checkups with the pediatrician and the geneticist next week so I’m hoping to ask a lot of questions.  I found a group called the Trisomy 21 Research Foundation that recommend the following supplements for Trisomy 21 patients:

1.NutriVene-D: to deal with the metabolic errors that occur in Down syndrome and does help decrease the incidence of infection and improve growth; secondarily, it helps improve muscle tone and the level of alertness

2. Vitamin D

3. DHA/EPA: Low DHA levels are associated with behavior problems in children. Specific behavioral (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD) and learning problems have been shown to correlate significantly with low DHA levels.  DHA is correlated with improved mental and visual function in infants. Studies show that children who were breast-fed perform better on cognitive function tests later in life (by 5-9 IQ points) than those who were formula-fed

4. Ginkgo Biloba – to combat the overabundance of GABA, the neurotransmitter that tells the brain to stop

5. Longvida Circumin:  containing the natural antioxidant curcumin ; Longvida may significantly support cognition, memory, and general health

6. Probiotics- I’m assuming for Digestion- still researching

7. Piracetam (by prescription)- enhances cognition under conditions of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), enhances memory and some kinds of learning in non-disabled persons, makes oxidative stress less severe, returns fluidity to brain membranes that have undergone hardening from lipid peroxidation and allows for increased communication between the hemispheres of the brain

So, that’s what I’m starting with.  I was currently taking DHA and Ginkgo Biloba myself in hopes that she’ll get a little bit of it through my milk.  Ginkgo B does have some warnings about febrile seizures in children under 3 so I’ve quit taking that for now.  Hope to ask the doctors at least about the Nutrivene-D.  It is specifically formulated for Down’s Syndrome and seems a good place to start.

Also, the constipation pain is still on-going for Natalie.  Last Saturday was her most recent screaming session.  It was horrible.  30 minutes inconsolable crying until she got so worn out she fell asleep.   I had quiet a bit of milk products for David’s birthday dinner and thought I could just dump the milk that night.  After that night, I’ve stopped eating all dairy and am watching ingredients in packaged foods as well.  I just keep seeing her little face in pain when I look at cheese and it’s kept me faithful.  No dairy seemed to be helping but as of today, it’s been since Monday that she was able to go last.  I did read that Serotonin can be low in Down’s Syndrome patients.  Serotonin produces peristalisis (rhythmic squeezing that moves food through the gut- sorry so graphic!).  So, I  started researching natural sources of serotonin.  Apparently, tryptophan has something to do with the body’s production of serotonin.  Turkey is  number one on the list!  We found a great turkey roast crockpot recipe this week.  Other items include:  tuna, salmon, cheese and bananas, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, flaxseed oil.  So, I’m trying to eat some of these foods too in the hope that it will help her.  A friend of my mother also recommended flaxseed oil so might go try and find that next.  We tried talking to the pediatricians’ nurse on call last night to see if we could give her Miralax before the pain started.  They told us no, we’d have to see the doctor first.  Will see how tomorrow goes and then call back again.

The broken AC is now running great so hopefuly I’m off to a good night’s sleep!

Amy

On my love of cheese

Cheese is on the top of the list of my favorite foods.  Last Wednesday, I gave up dairy products to see if it would help Natalie.  I’m not being rigid about it and searching for hidden dairy content yet but have quit all milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, cottage cheese- basically all obvious dairy foods.  Sunday, the 26th, Natalie had a 20 minute screaming session where she woke up from a nap inconsolable.  She was in obvious pain.  We eventually were able to help her poop with a suppository and then a bath finally helped her calm down more.  I’d  been wondering about dairy but since her only symptoms have been constipation and foul gas, I wasn’t sure if I needed to.  After that episode, though, I was willing to try anything.  For the last 2 months, she has only been able to poop 2 times a week at the most.  I stopped dairy Wednesday, June 29th, and she went Friday, Saturday and Monday all on her own!  Tomorrow is David’s birthday and he has requested a cream sauce pasta for the main course and ice cream cake for dessert.  I might just pump and dump since it’s his birthday but it does make me realize, we might need to change eating habits for the long term.  Though it’s not a choice I would make for myself, I’m ecstatic that it might be helping Natalie.


In my internet search for something to help Natalie’s constipation, I stumbled upon a web site called Einstein Syndrome.  It’s a site started by a mother of a 17 year old Down’s Syndrome daughter.  It has a TON of information.  For the little bit of time I’ve been able to search her articles, it seems she and many others have used the site to collect information of different therapies over the years.  The premise of the name ‘Einstein Syndrome’ comes from an article of the same name written by the web site developer, Miriam Kauk.  She states that “I am convinced that the biggest handicap Down syndrome children have is the low expectations of their parents.”   There’s so much to look at but, right now, I’m most interested in something called Targeted Nutritional Intervention.  It seems to say that Natalie’s extra chromosome causes several chemical processes to go haywire.   Different vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants can help improve growth, and even keep brain cells from dying.  I’m hoping to have a list of questions ready to ask our pediatrician and geneticist at our appointments next week.  When I first found this information, I was upset that my lack of time to research the information was shortening my daughter’s life.  I’m constantly reminded that I AM NOT THAT POWERFUL (Mary Ann Nelson- you probably never knew how that advice you gave me about a problem Julia had many years ago, would help me so many years later)!  God is the author of all Natalie’s days and is in control of her life.

I just finished filling a shadow box that a friend gave me for Natalie’s baptism.  I decided to make a quilling picture defining what her name means.  I’d looked it up before but I think this version is so much more in depth.  We thought ‘Natalie’ meant ‘born on Christmas Day.’  This week I found it meant ‘birth’ or ‘birthday'.  I also looked up the Webster version of ‘Grace.’  On her picture I put….

Natalie Grace

a birth of blessing,

favor, elegance, & beauty

I’m praying that every day for her…..

Amy

Trying to make her laugh

Natalie and Julia

Holding Her Head High

I said last week how Natalie has been holding her head up so much better lately so thought I’d show some pictures of her progress.

The blanket over the head shot- couldn’t decide which I like best….

Natalie loving the snail crawl toy that the Kersteins got her- Thank you so much!  It’s been a huge motivator for her to lift her head up during tummy time.

Her first try in the Bumbo seat!  We decided to go ahead and get one since Natalie’s been doing so much better with her head control and sitting up is our next goal.  She was cautious then happy though falling over.  She can hold her head steady for just a few seconds for me to snap a quick picture.  Natalie looks so grown up in it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok- back to work.  Summer is a challenge to get the hours in and my office is actually very busy right now!

Amy

5 months old

It’s hard to believe January 18th was 5 months ago but here we are.  Life has changed a lot in 5 months!

We went to our first Down’s Syndrome Association of Charlotte (DSAC) meeting this week.  They had childcare so Zach and Julia went with us.  There was a two hour presentation on oral motor therapy.  It’s something I would never have thought of before but extremely interesting now that we have a child with possible speech challenges.  The presenter, Lori Overland, started with telling us the following are myths of people with Down’s Syndrome- open mouth, large tongue, high palate, and inter-dental tongue posture (protruding tongue).  Her work is in strengthening the muscles of the mouth and cheek and tongue to correct those issues.  Almost all Down’s syndrome children have low muscle tone and that low tone also includes the tongue and face.  The tongue protrusion can occur because the tongue muscle needs a workout.  Since the tongue is not as strong, it doesn’t form the palate as is should when the child is an infant.  Apparently, the palate is still formable until 9 months, just like the skull.  She showed us how to do a palatal massage on Natalie before every feeding to keep the shape of it from getting high.  She also showed the group several examples of therapy tools for lip closure, lip rounding, tongue tip elevation, jaw strength.  All a little overwhelming but encouraging at the same time.  We see our speech therapist on Monday and I’m hoping to ask her if she will do oral motor planning work on Natalie.  Our speech therapist is with Early Intervention for the deaf so her main focus seems to be hearing as it effects Natalie’s speech.  After listening to Ms. Overland’s presentation, though, it sounds like we should be starting now on methods to improve mouth muscle strength as spoon feeding quickly approaches.

Friday, I went in to the early intervention office for financial reassessment.  Until now, we had only had to pay 40% of the physical therapy bill.  Due to budget cuts we are now going to start paying 100% of the bills.  Ugh!  They will give us a cap per month, though.  Our current PT is not on our insurance so we have to meet a out of network deductible.  David’s new job will have the same insurance carrier.  I looked up to see what PT, OT and speech therapists were in network.  All the speech therapists were in Durham or Raleigh and the PT and OT’s were not very close to us either, though in Charlotte.  We are now thinking we might need to go on private insurance for the kids and I and keep David with the company’s group insurance.  Much more expensive per month but possibly the only way we can get Natalie’s therapy covered for now.

We were at the beach last week with the Stuckey’s.  Great break.  Natalie had her biggest improvement this week in therapy I think because she had so much extra help from everyone at the beach.  Her head is WAY up whenever she is on the floor.  We’ve also started working on supported sitting- she ‘sits up’ between my legs.  This week, David has been home so we tackled the backyard again.  He got a lot of the hill leveled down. Though still not flat, it looks much better.  Today, he finished up the mulch.  Now, hopefully we can save for a swing set soon.

Amy

Answered Prayer

So, I think a lot of you know by now that David accepted an offer to work for Bank of America on Thursday.  Last Thursday, when we found out his original contract was going to fall through, I told the kids that we needed to pray for Daddy to find a job in the next week so he could still go on vacation with us.  I told them that God could do that (even though I wasn’t really sure I believed He would).  As the week got closer to the end, David was getting more and more depressed that we were going to have to leave him behind.  Thursday morning, I worked with a recruiter over e-mail to allow David to be able to come with us for a few days and we were so excited.  But God wanted something even better for us.  Funny how many times I’ve tried to ‘help’ God out and what He has planned is always better.  That evening, David got the offer at BOA.  My first reaction was “Are you sure?”.  I mean, I was just starting to prepare for a long haul of unemployment.  We’ve been through it before and know so many people who are out of work.  Why would God do this for us?  Do we deserve to be saved hardship?  Well, the truth is, I know we don’t, nor do we deserve anything He gives us.  So, to me, it’s just a little reminder of how His love for us is so great that He gave us what we don’t deserve, His son, so we can be with Him forever.

So we’re off for a much needed vacation.  Usually, there are LOTS of pictures taken at the beach so hopefully the next post will have some of them in it.

Amy

More Crazy Times in the Williams World

First, let me say that David has 3 job interviews today tomorrow and Thursday.  Praise God!  Unfortunately, (you knew it was coming, right?) it seems Natalie and I have been hit with a stomach virus.  Natalie is pretty happy with some occasional wimpering but she’s also going number 2 LOTS!  I’ve been in bed all day except to feed her and just ‘lost my lunch’ so to speak.  I’m feeling better so hopefully it will be short.  I would just ask for prayer that David would NOT get sick so he can go to his interviews.  We are also hopeful that his job search will be quick. He’s pretty bummed about the possibility of missing our vacation to stay home and continue searching.

Back to bed I go.

Amy

I know the plans I have for you….

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,'

declares the LORD,

'plans for welfare and not for calamity

to give you a future and a hope.

When Natalie was born, that was the verse that helped me through all the lonely middle of the night pumping sessions while she was still in the hospital.  I wrote it on her wall so I could see it while in her rocking chair.  God still has those same plans for us.  Even though we had some bad news today, those plans are for our welfare.  David was to finish his last day at Muzak tomorrow and start a new contract position on Tuesday.  The contracting company called today to say the bank lost it’s funding and they no longer need him.  He has had lots of calls throughout his job search process and is optimistic that something will come soon.  Such timing can only be God’s perfect plan.  We earnestly covet your prayer for us as we live in this stressful season that God will show us where David should go quickly. 

Amy

Lego Mania!

Zach’s birthday party was fun though crazy as usual.  I got the cake done on Friday night, thankfully, because Natalie woke up late that night with a croup-like cough so we had to let her sleep in the pack-n-play in our room.  Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep so it was good most everything was done before we went to bed.

We started out with ‘I Spy the Lego Guy.’  8 Lego men cutouts were hidden in our living room and the boys had to find them.  Zach and Julia played the night before and thought it was a lot of fun until Zach started hiding the Lego men under pillows!  Next was a Lego relay race and then on to the piñata.  I made a piñata out of a diaper box and 6 tin cans.  I covered it with green crepe paper and watered down glue.  The whole process gave me very green thumbs but still not much is growing in our yard!

After we finally had to rip it open by hand, we moved on to pizza and cake.

Zach patiently waited for pictures of the Lego cake. 

 

 

 

 

I took a 9x13 chocolate cake and cut a sliver off the end.  I cut the rest in half and stacked the two pieces on top of each other.  Natalie’s bottle tops served as the Lego bump pattern.  Then, the whole thing got covered in green icing- the birthday boy’s favorite color!  We decorated it with people to add some interest and hide some of the icing imperfections.

Make a wish, Zach!

Natalie was in and out of sleep in her infant seat the whole time.  Thought she looked a little like the Lego Man plate I made.

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, David got the boys building with Legos in what supposed to be a ‘creative collaboration’ but they just wanted to all do their own thing and it was still fun. 

The Lego pinata is in the background of this picture.  Most of the close up pictures of it had me in it too that I’d rather not see again ever.  Also, the lego man plates are on the table.  I took square yellow plates, cut out some rectangles for the Lego head bump, and drew some faces on them.  Zach’s plate was ‘Clutch Powers’ (a lego hero) and I had to make a special ‘girl’ face for Julia.

Zach had fun so it was a success.  I’m glad I only do one party a year, though!

Amy