christmas 2011

this was our first christmas as a family of 4.  we switched up tradition and went to garrett's parents house on christmas eve.  we spent some time with them during the day and then made our way to church for the 2nd annual christmas eve service.  it's tricky with little kids to sit there for 45 minutes and listen, but we managed.  at times, jay was singing the songs and it was too cute.  we made our way back to garrett's parents house for dinner and to open presents.

here are some pictures with garrett's parents, chris and gloria, with mason.  they are so in love with this little guy.

here are some of mason just hanging out with his friends.  he really has been smiling more lately as well as becoming excited about things in front of him.  it's great that he is becoming more alert lately.

if you can't tell it already, batman and his friends invaded our house this christmas.  jay is really into superheroes.  he racked up on the batman shirts as well as got a spiderman and superman shirt as well.  new shoes made the list of christmas gifts as well as legos and other cool stuff to play with and the wear.

christmas day, after we opened all the superheroes from santa, we went to my parents house to open gifts with my grandmother.  no pictures yet, but we'll have some soon.

the past two days we've tried to clean up from the gifts and put them all away, as well as exchange a few at the mall.  it's been an exhausting, but awesome christmas.

we hope each of you had a very merry christmas.

ready or not...

garrett and i at his office Christmas party this past Sunday

are you ready for CHRISTmas this year?  are the presents wrapped?  are the kids excited for santa?  did you get your Christmas cards out?  we sure didn't this year.  maybe we can get something together to send out after the holidays.  it's been a very busy time of year for us this year especially.  jay wants all the superheroes he can get.  in that list, he has now included wonderwoman which santa doesn't make yet.  we'll see how this goes over on Christmas day.  another thing is a panther jersey, but he wants cam newton, #1.  he may be disappointed because again he will just have another substitute since santa doesn't make toddler size cam newton jersey's.  as for mason, he can't ask santa for anything yet, so he won't be getting much.  he'll be getting all the clothes, diapers and wipes throughout the year he really needs.  it will be Christmas all year long for him with new diapers as presents every few hours each day.

i love my little brother!!!

i can't believe that this time of year is already here and will be gone in a blink of an eye.  mason and jay are growing too fast and before we know it, mason will be all over the place.  each day he becomes more and more wiggly.  this is actually a good thing because hopefully he is building up muscle tone which many down syndrome kids lack.  one day, he's going to figure out how to roll over, then jay won't have to roll him over himself because he thinks that mason wants to be on his tummy.

look what i found under the Christmas tree

jay, in school, is learning all about this time of year.  he's celebrated Jesus' birthday several times in Sunday school and during the week at school.  it is awesome to hear him talk  about Jesus as well as that Herod was a bad king.

all in all, i think we are ready for Christmas.  i'm excited to go to the Christmas Eve service on Saturday evening at the church.  as well as, spend time with garrett's family on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas.  next week, the four of us will get to enjoy each others' company.  garrett's taking the week off of work and since there is no daycare, we get a full week of playing with Christmas gifts.  we hope each one of you has a great Christmas as well.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

we're back...

i've been back to school for about a month now and we have started to get in the groove and juggle everything that needs to be done on a daily basis.  the kids have to be picked up, along with bottles washed and labeled for the next day, dinner ready, and putting the kids to bed on time each night.  every now and then there is a doctor's appointment that someone has to go to.  it's been crazy and busy around here.  not to mention, garrett's been trying to take his architecture exams.  he has one more test tomorrow and has passed the first five exams he took.  hopefully the last two will come back with passing scores in the next few weeks.

this past week, mason had his 2 month check up.  the stats are in and he is just a peanut.  not only is on a growth chart for regular kids, but he has his own chart for having down syndrome.

weight:  9 lbs 1 oz  (3%, ds 50%)

height:  21 1/4 inches  (3%, ds 25%)

he seems to be doing pretty well and is checking out in all areas.  the cardiologist said that there are two small holes in a vessel, but it is nothing to worry about.  they want to see him back in about 3 years.  they must not be too worried at all then.  we went to check mason's hearing as well last week, but fluid remains in both ears and there was no reason to repeat the tests we had done last time.  there was one test she was able to do and believes that there is some hearing in mason's left ear.  we confirmed last time he could hear out of his right ear.

mason is a great sleeper and normally sleeps about 8 hours straight until he wakes up.  the other day, he lasted for about 10 hours until i woke him to eat so we could leave to go somewhere.

the other thursday, jay, mason, my dad and myself made our way to the annual tree lighting in mint hill.  santa was there to see all of the kids.  jay made sure to ask santa for a lot of superheroes.  

take a look at these last two pictures.  jay and mason look a lot alike at 2 months.  it's so crazy how they resemble one another.

mason

jay

perfect

my maternity leave is coming to an end and it's back to work on monday.  i don't know what's in store for me and all the work that probably has to be done.  a workday would have been great beforehand, but jay got sick on thursday and we all had to stay home.  as i look back through these few weeks on my life and start to think, one word comes to mind PERFECT.  back in may when we found out mason would have down syndrome, it was devastating.  your dreams for your kids are to be the smartest, hit every milestone early and be the best they can be at all times felt like they had ended.  at that time, it felt like we had been hit by a mack truck and those dreams were crushed.  we excepted the fact that yes he would have delays and that there would be things he couldn't do or would take longer to do.  there were many tears the day we found out for sure this would be the diagnosis.  throughout the next few weeks/months, i know i thought about what he would look like and since all the hormones would be rushing through me after birth, what a basket case i would be once mason was here.  i guess i was preparing myself for this the rest of a the time.

the day of his birth came rushing in and i mean this literally and all of a sudden he was here.  i couldn't cry, but just look at him and smile.  it's crazy how one kid can just make you forget about everything from before.  the look on jay's eye when he saw him was priceless and still is.  for the most part, he is very gentle with him and goes up to him holding his hand and saying how small it is.  he's always interested in diaper changes and wants to watch.  jay knows nothing except that mason is his baby brother just like everyone else has a baby brother or sister.  he wouldn't treat him any differently than any other sibling.  throughout my time with mason, it has been great.  he isn't a fussy baby and just goes with the flow.  i think this has helped me along the way.  the feeling of being a basket case has not really come on.

one day, i think i was more tired than any other day because i was working on school work and just was exhausted from it.  garrett looked at me at dinner and asked if i had been crying, and i just looked up and said yes.  i started to explain and started crying again and said he's just PERFECT.  it doesn't matter the doctors' appointments i have to attend to make sure everything is alright or the delays he may have later on.  we will take this day by day, not looking too far into the future and thank God everyday for the blessing He has sent.  my worries of what he looks like were tossed out the window, especially when people just walk by the stroller and say he is just beautiful without knowing his prognosis.  and on monday when i go back to work, it is awesome to know that he is already loved by all of his teachers.  they are so excited to get him and i know will take the best care of him.

growing up

the past few weeks we've been having fun watching Mason grow little by little and Jay having fun being a big brother.  it's really cool how jay reacts to mason and how he is really interested in him.  jay wants to know if mason is going to pick him up at school.  he's also interested in mason's little hands as well as where he is at a all times.  

last week mason turned one month and i took him for his one month check up.  his stats are:

7 lbs 13 ounces (10%)

19.5 inches long (3%)

at his appointment we found out that the hospital didn't measure mason's length correctly unless a baby can shrink.  he measured there at 20.5 inches, so who knows how long he really was.  

as for an update on his ears, he can hear perfectly in his right ear, but still has fluid in his left ear.  he has mild to moderate hearing loss in that ear and we have to go back in december to check it again.  most likely the fluid in his ears is causing his hearing loss.  this is common for down syndrome babies because they have small ear canals as well as their eustachian tubes are small. 

mason's still a very good baby.  he only cries when he is tired or just irritated, which isn't much.  most of the time is pretty content.  he's started to wiggle a lot more and jolt his head back when you hold him.  he's a very good sleeper at night.  last night he went down around 8:00 and didn't wake back up until 3:30.  as long as he can continue to do that when i go back to work next week, i'll be really happy.

it's been fun being out these last few weeks with him.  i remember with jay, since he cried a lot more, i was stressed out and ready to go back to work.  this time, it's been a more relaxed experience and i'm really going to miss him during the day.  fortunately, next week we have the best teachers to take care of him at daycare.  they can't wait to get him and already have a bed for him.  he will definitely be in good hands.

every now and then mason will put his thumb in his mouth and suck it.  i was able to catch a picture of it one day.

what's up??!!

since the beginning of october, garrett has been playing flag football.  we were able to make it to one of the games the other night since it wasn't too cold outside.  here is jay with his friend jake.  they are football players in training.

halloween has come and gone, but the memories are still there.  ever since mason came, jay has worn his batman costume almost everyday.  this was probably the best $17 i've ever spent.  the costume even started to come apart he wore it so much.

here he is with his friend jesse from school at the fall festival at church.  i think jay had a blast.  he quickly understood that if he played a game, he would get candy to put in his bucket.

we found some more friends at the fall festival

(from left to right) noah, jay, brady, cooper

halloween night we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

noah, seth (he went as himself), gavin, peyton, jay

(not pictured) owen and livvie

the kids went running from house to house.  it was hilarious.  the first house, gavin and jay thought they would walk on in and visit the people.

jay loves his little brother.

stylin' in mommy's sunglasses.

here's my boys. 

some more lovin'.

sunday afternoon we celebrated noah's birthday. he turned 3 and had a huge bounce house for the kids to play in.  

the adults joined in some of the fun as well.

here was my grandmother's position most of the time with mason.

for some reason he had to have the red cupcake.  i think he definitely liked the icing.

more bounce house

piñata time!!

olin update

as we reach mason being 18 days old, i found out what his hurry to come into this world was, TO FAIL TESTS!!  he's not even in school yet, and he knows how to fail them.  in the hospital, he failed his hearing test in both ears.  yesterday, we went back for a recheck and he passed in the right ear, but failed in the left.  he has fluid in the left ear which is causing him to not hear or react to the tests.  unfortunately, we now have another appointment on the 27th this month for a 2 hour screening to see how the fluid is affecting his hearing and to see how he is hearing in the right ear.  this is typical of down syndrome babies.  i also got a call yesterday afternoon saying that he had failed his newborn screening test (heel prick test) when he was in the hospital.  they send off the blood to the state and they test it.  i'm not really sure what this test tests for, but anyway, he failed it.

as for jay, he loves his new brother.  he'll kiss him on the forehead and put a blanket on him when it falls off.  jay is basically just curious about his new brother.  when is he going to talk and walk?  eat big boy food? and so forth.  he doesn't seem jealous of him yet.  yesterday, he thought mason was hot so he had to take off his jacket.  jay constantly says the phrase "when i was a baby..." and follows it with "i couldn't walk" or "i couldn't talk".  it is really funny to hear him say this.

as for garrett and i, we are getting sleep.  mason doesn't really cry and i've been setting my alarm to wake me up to feed him in the night every 3 to 4 hours.  this is much different from jay who cried and kept us up through the night.  mason hardly makes a sound and when he does, it really isn't that loud.

family of four

we've changed from a family of 3 to a family of 4.  so far so good.  the last two nights mason has been really good.  he hasn't cried yet and we've gotten more sleep than anticipated.  we just wake to feed him and go back to sleep.  that's about the same thing during the day as well.  he will open his eyes and be awake for a while, but for the most part is motionless the rest of the day.

as for his health, mason is doing well.  no major problems that we know of.  in the hospital he did fail his hearing test, but that is not uncommon of babies.  we go back in two weeks to check that out.  he did have an echo done on his heart.  it did show a place in his heart that had not closed up yet, but should soon after birth.  it is nothing to worry about and they will just check it in about 2 months.  when the nurse practitioners checked mason in the hospital they never heard a murmur on his heart which is good.  he eats well at most feedings, but it makes it a little harder when he is asleep.

here's some pictures from the hospital that we want to share with you:

mason is assuming the position he's been in since he's arrived home.

here are the three of us minutes after mason was born.

uncle chip holding carson (6 days older than mason) and mason. all the cousins on the olin side of the family.

i think jay likes being an older brother.

the olin's and some of the wagoner's

peacefully sleeping.  i'm a babydoll.

the wagoner side of the family.

cousins on the wagoner side.

we are a family of four now.

i had to throw this one in there because my dad is never in pictures.  he's always on the other side of the camera.

one excited brother.  notice he's wearing his panther jersey; his favorite.

tuesday afternoon.  i'm ready to go home.  he's so tiny.

Mason...you only hear this in movies

It's weird to say this is our birth story of mason. His grand entrance was far from sweet and relaxing. On Saturday, contractions started around 5 or 6 in the morning erratic and spaced out probably 10 to 6 minutes apart. Nothing unusual since at the last appointments the doctor kept asking if I had been having any contractions through the weeks. I hadn't had any, so to me it could have been Braxton hicks. As the day progressed and Garrett worked outside at our house and then left to go to help at his brothers house. I was doing laundry and cleaning house and then the contractions started to get closer together. By 1:15 or so, I called Garrett to let him know that he needed to come home because the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and a little stronger. When he got home, we threw some things together with the help of my mom and were off to the hospital by 2:00. The contractions were definitely intense. At first I was saying I better be at least 5 cm, to I need an epidural immediately, to by the time we reached the parking deck, this baby is coming and coming now. Garrett got a wheel chair and rushed me into the hospital screaming. He called to the people in the elevator to hold the elevator. As we got in, I was having a huge contraction and screamed pretty loud. I think we pretty much scared the family of three with a little 3 or 4 year old looking to go to a big brother/big sister class. Once we reached the 8th floor, Garrett was running out of the elevator. We had a minor set back when a nurse was trying to help us through a door and by accident locked one of the wheels on the wheel chair. We reached the nurses station where 4 or 5 nurses were standing and we said that the baby is literally coming now. They rush us into a room and we thought it was about 2:25 at this time. With one push, the water sac was hanging out and they popped it at 2:28. Two more pushes Mason's head was out, and two more he was out at 2:31. Thanks to the nurses who delivered him and were so quick to respond. The doctor from another practice arrived a little later to finish everything up. Finally, a doctor from our practice made it. She had been biking on the booty loop and was the farthest from her car. Needless to say, if there is a next time and there are any contractions at all, we'll be heading to the hospital earlier. Mason Garrett was born Saturday, October 1st, 6 pounds 11 ounces, 20.5 inches long at 2:31 pm. Pictures to come later.

In a week...

It's almost that time for Mason to arrive. A week from today, Thursday, October 6th, we are going into the hospital to be induced at 7:30 in the morning. I'm not looking forward to the whole waiting game all day though. The doctors are choosing to induce at 39 weeks because there is no benefit for Mason to be inside until 40 weeks. Plus, by going to 40 weeks, the risk of stillborn is higher, especially in Down Syndrome babies. Fortunately, everything looks good on my end and looks like inducing should be fine, although the average induction lasts 12 hours. No fun!! It's crazy to think that in a week or less we will be introducing our newest addition, Mason, into this world. Of course, I'm going crazy trying to get everything ready at school and making sure my lesson plans are in order and the sub has everything she needs. I think teaching is one of the only jobs that you just don't leave when you go on maternity leave. There is tons of work that goes into it and me being me, especially right now, wants it to be perfect. Knowing this, you would think I've packed and been ready for the hospital for a while. It's the complete opposite. No bags are packed, but the fridge is packed with food for when we get back home. I still need to clean my house this weekend, so hopefully Mason doesn't want to make his entrance too early. On the otherhand, Jay can't wait for Mason to get here because that's when we told him he could get his batman costume for Halloween. Telling him that Halloween was a month a way wasn't working and didn't make sense to him. To be three again and have no sense of time. Look for pictures this coming week after Mason is here.

hanging in there

okay, so we are still here, just haven't given a lot of time to writing on here lately.  our weekends and days have been pretty busy and full.  between getting all my lesson plans done for geometry, doctors appointments, and preparing for a new little one to come in the next few weeks, time just slips away from us.  plus, we all could use a nap here or there and we would rather do that then be on a computer all the time.

mason update:

(35 1/2 weeks)

as for mason, we went to the maternal/fetal doctor this past friday and everything seems to be looking good on his end.  he is about 4 lbs 12 oz (23rd percentile) which is fine for down syndrome babies.  the doctor felt that this was in normal range.  he glanced over everything and thinks it all looks fine to his eyes.  we will know more once he is here about his heart and everything.  his profile pictures on the 3d and 4d ultrasounds really look like jay.  it is so cool to see.  i decided to ask the doctor what would he recommend to my ob about delivery.  he said as long as my cervix is favorable, that he would probably induce at 39 weeks.  if not, let me go an extra week and then see.  so great news to us for now.  we graduated and won't be seeing that doctor anymore.  i'm glad because i'm tired of so many different appointments.

jay update:

(3 years old)

yeah, jay keeps us on our toes.  being three just means he talks your ears off, climbs everywhere, and has a personality like no one else.  we love that he is a happy kid and enjoys playing with his friends at school and sunday school.  over the past month, we've really had fun with jay and watching him grow up.  today when we got home from church, i quickly ran to the store to grab a few things and when i came home, garrett and jay had their panthers' jerseys on.  i walked in the door and jay kept saying "mommy your panthers jersey is upstairs" as if i didn't know i had one.  he is so particular about his clothes and what we wear and where we go.  it is really funny.  as for his eating these days, it has improved tremendously.  he will eat about anything we eat and we don't take extra food with us out to resturants.  he just eats off of our plates.  we still refuse to buy him his own meal since he won't eat the whole thing.  he can deal with what we have for now.  jay also has been moved to a full bed instead of the toddler bed.  we needed to transform it back into a crib for mason's room.  he was so excited this week to get it.  he no longer wants to sleep with his blanket or monkey, but the baseball and football pillows we bought for his bed.  he thinks he's a big boy now.

as for the last month, here are a few pictures starting with some of the most recent to jay's birthday party in the middle of august.

jay can climb on the barstools to the counter and wash his own dishes, even after i said just put it in the sink and i'll get it.

we went to the stump town parade in matthews last weekend.  jay wanted candy!!  sorry, no good pictures were taken of jay during the parade.  i just wanted to throw in one.

jay has gotten really good on his bike that uncle chip gave him for his birthday.  we just make him wear the helmet, but he insisted the other day to wear the knee pads and wrist pads we bought to go with his scooter.  i think he is pretty well covered.

here's jay's new bed.  he took to it really well.  he hasn't fallen out yet, but i'm guessing he might some time soon.

mason's crib made it into his room this week.  we are ready for him.

garrett painted his room the other week and put his name on his wall.  it looks great.

on friday, we went to qudoba to eat dinner with the williams'.  afterward we went out to the fountain where jay was still hungry and i gave him the only rice krispie treat.  livvie wanted one too, so they decided to share.  livvie got the last bite though.  that a girl!!

i was lazy and didn't post anything from jay's 3rd birthday party.  you can see more pictures on my Facebook page, but here are a few pictures you can look at.  thank goodness it didn't rain!

piñata time!!  the kids loved hitting the piñata and getting all the candy afterward.

the kids eating cupcakes.

i think our child needs some body fat.  he is so cold in this picture.  we've been feeding him cookies lately to fatten him up.  i don't think it's helping.