I Won't Ramble This Time

Well finally, it's morning time and I'm awake and not at work. I'm required to work one 3rd shift during my training, so tonight will be that night. I hope I'm able to stay awake until 8:00am tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be exhausted, but it's just one night.

Bailey had her ears checked on Tuesday. Everything was great. It seems she is hearing fine. They have recommended another test to test her 8th nerve and up. I don't know much about this test because I haven't had time to do research. The doctor said she did very well hearing voices, but she didn't do as well hearing tones. This is probably normal for her, and she'll be just fine. The doctor said it could just be due to her developmental delays, but they just want to do the tests to be sure. Oh, Bailey also got her first bite from another child yesterday. (Sorry mom and dad, I had to share) She's okay though, and it just looks like a really bad insect bite. It made her day at Chuck E. Cheese's come to a tearful end.

Aubrey is still an active two year old. She still amazes me every day. We are having problems with her telling us what to do. She says, "Mommy, calm down", "Mommy, focus". Now, the power just went out and Aubrey is saying... "No, come on TV. I want to watch Mickey Mouse. Goodness gracious, the TV is bad mommy, the TV is bad. Oh my!"

Well, I must go now. I have a busy day planned.

Trish

Take Twenty

Well, I've typed three messages, but I deleted them all. I wanted to talk about Bailey's appointment today, I wanted to talk about a friend of a friend that is losing their child to Cancer, I wanted to talk about how there's always someone out there who has it worse. But, I erased every message because none of it sounded right. So, here I am at midnight, needing to wake up in just a few hours for work, and rambling. I'll update on appointments tomorrow. Everything is going good. Molly, you and your family are in our prayers.

Goodnight,
Trish

The Weekend is Over

It's hard to believe the weekend has come and gone. Dad is still at Tampa General. They will hopefully release him tomorrow. They are going to do some light exercises with him tomorrow with the hopes that he'll have an "episode" while being connected to the monitors. We've seen him have these, but unfortunately it happens when he is in certain surroundings, which isn't happening at the hospital.

Bailey and Aubrey are both doing great. I took Aubrey to church today and they said she was very well behaved. I hope that is correct. She doesn't always say the most appropriate things, but I guess most children are that way.

Trish

The Week in Review

Once again it has been a busy week. We spent Easter at Brock and Carolyn's house. If you're reading this I want to thank you for inviting us to join your family in their celebration. Keith's dad, Molly, Tim, and friends of Carolyn's were there. We enjoyed our visit and Aubrey really enjoyed the Easter egg hunt. Bailey, of course, enjoyed the attention. She really has a way of making people fall in love with her. That night we had a little family emergency, but all is okay now.

Bailey had an appointment with her pediatrician this week. He would like us to start giving her apple juice with the hopes that she'll have a less difficult time having a bowel movement. Other than that minor problem she looks great. She's still continuing to gain weight and her lungs are clear. Good news all around! She also had PT twice this week and next week she'll start speech therapy. I hope we'll have the opportunity to feed her by mouth soon, and I'd love to see her lose the tube. Then, she'll be free of ALL medical equipment. Her eyes are also looking great, but we've noticed one is not completely straight. This is very normal for children with her history and we were prepared by the surgeon for a possible second surgery.

Aubrey is doing great. She really amazes me. I have a hard time remembering that she's only two. I took her to my parents tonight to walk their dog and she held the leash and made sure Debbie went potty. I feel that she's reached a point where she can possibly spend time with people other than family, so Sunday will be the first time I will take her to church. I'm hoping that she doesn't cause any problems. If it's as easy as I hope, I'll be taking Bailey soon.

Keith and I celebrated our third anniversary yesterday. We did a very simple celebration. Funds are not as nice as they once were. I can't believe how much things have changed for us over the past three years. Keith graduated college, we have two beautiful girls, purchased a house, I got a great promotion at work, I got laid off, and now I'm starting over again. I must say this past year has been one of the most difficult times of my life. I've survived, but there have been many times I really didn't want to get out of bed. I'm very thankful for all the support I've been given, and the new friends I've made during the changes we've encountered. I appreciate each person we've met during this journey, and they have made me hopeful for the future.

Mom and dad are spending this weekend at Tampa General. Dad is having some tests done and I hope that his numerous tests he's been through since 2005 will soon come to an end. I can't imagine going through what he and mom have had to go through. They are two very strong people and I hope to remain as strong as they are as I grow older.

This weekend is our free weekend. There is nothing on the calendar. So, tomorrow Keith will take his mom grocery shopping, then she is keeping Aubrey for the rest of the afternoon so we can clean house. Hopefully we'll finish tomorrow and be able to relax Sunday.

Also, please keep Shaun in your prayers. He had his adenoids removed today and also had tubes put in his ears. He is only a year old and this was his first surgery. Hopefully, he'll be returning home tomorrow.

Trish

Visiting and Cleaning

Today was a nice, stress free day. We went to lunch with Shelby, her daughter, and boyfriend. Service was a bit slow, but that gave us plenty of time to visit. It was so nice to see them. I remember before we had families we spent almost every weekend together. Now, we see each other maybe three times per year (birthdays). Then, Aubrey went to her Granny's house for the rest of the afternoon so I could clean house and so Keith could go grocery shopping.

We will be spending tomorrow with Keith's family. We're having an Easter egg hunt around 4:00pm and dinner will be soon after. Other than that, tomorrow will be a quiet day.

Trish

Happy Down syndrome Day!

It's March 21st, 3/21, it's World Down syndrome day! It's also Good Friday. This is going to be short and sweet because I'm exhausted and it's well past my bedtime. I wanted to let everyone know they can visit http://www.dsapolk.org/ to see pictures from the Easter egg hunt and visit to the fire station last weekend. The children really seemed to enjoy getting in the big truck!

Trish

I'm Sick

Well I guess it's my turn to be sick. I thought I could stay healthy. Especially starting a new job, I'd like to be healthy. I guess that just isn't possible. My days are long. Very long. I know, or hope, once training is complete things will get easier. I still feel like an overpaid cashier, but hopefully I'll begin training on more difficult tasks soon. The girls are still healthy. Lets hope it continues this way.

Trish