Have you heard about the big strong man?
Ah, drinking songs.
Anyway, Noel had his 4mo pedi visit last week. He's a whopping 12+ pounds, and 23 inches long. He's only in the 10th centile for his age (in height, weight, and head circumference), but he's proportional. Yes, we know there's a DS specific height/weight chart, but this is one of the reasons I love our Dr. He fully intends on treating us as if Noel is typical until there is reason to do otherwise. Thankfully, there has been no reason to say, "Well, because he has Down syndrome, X is wrong/happening/whatever." Yay!
Also, while I'm glad to know that I come to the correct conclusions, I would have rather heard the dr say, "Nope, Steph, I don't think it's dairy. Why don't we try (insert easier thing here)." Instead, he said, "Yep, you're probably right- why don't you cut soy as well?" So, here we are. No dairy, no soy. It's really not the cheese anymore- after a month of skipping it, I'm over the initial heartbreak. To be honest, as long as I'm cooking, it's easy; it's just all the labels I have to read only to find soy protein as ingredient #7,615, or crackers with whey, or trying to find something to spread on my crumpet. Eh. Going out to eat has suddenly become something of a chore- a shame, too, because I really like to go places and eat things. And not do the dishes.
Oh, and we're teething over here! No wonder Mr. Easygoing has suddenly decided to skip naps and start waking up again at night and be a general crankpot- go figure.
oooh, a game!
3 Things That Scare Me
crazy Gramma. she's always making me jump, though nobody can figure out why.
the vaccuum
tummy rasberries. I'm unsure about those.3 People That Make Me Laugh
heh; everyone. everything. I laugh at walls. 3 Things I Love
the aquarium.
puppy kisses (ok, not really, but I tolerate the dogs snuffling in my ear)
trees3 Things I Dislike
waiting to eat
who said gas? Yeah, that sucks.
sleeping3 Things I Don't Understand
only 3?
string theory
quantuum physics (we watched a special on PBS)
James Joyce (well, Dubliners was ok, but Portrait of the Artist? Yeesh.)3 Things On My Floor
dog hair
my bumbo seat
a couple of dogs3 Things I'm Doing Right Now
looking in a mirror
holding plastic rings
waiting to be rescued from tummy time3 Things I Can Do
roll over
kick REALLY hard, usually dad's chest
laugh3 Things I Can't Do
taxes
sit up
eat cheese (no, wait, that's mom.)3 Ways to Describe My Personality
um, yeah. happy, except when I'm sad.
content, as long as I'm not cranky.3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
the kitty on my swing. "meow. do doo do doo doo do"
Baby Einstein's lullabyes cd. Been listenening to that since bfore I was born.
I like live music, too. Slept through lots of concerts- the last one was The Black Crowes.
3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
the vacuum, remember?
My dad sing. He makes up words. Its not right.
Mom's cell phone ringers- any of them. I cry. (really)3 Absolute Favorite Foods
It's just the milk, straight from the jugs, for me.3 Things I'd Like to Learn
??
stuff, and also things3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
right. y'all know the answer here?3 Shows I Watch On Occasion
Last Comic Standing
Lost
Bob the Builder (dad's been watching this since before I was born. Don't tell!)3 babies or toddlers I tag:
yeah, I always kill chain letters, too.
It's hot in Arizona
Really, really hot. And that whole dry heat vs. humidity thing? I say it's BS. Once you go over 90, it's just plain hot. I'd rather not be raisin-y, so give me the humidity, please. We spent a week visiting friends in Phoenix, and Noel is such a champ traveler:
Tomorrow is the anniversary of my embryo transfer. I remember being terrified that we were going to get cancelled- after all, we only had two eggs that fertilized and divided. To be where we are today from where we were last year... it's nothing short of amazing. Remarkable that one of these little bundles of cells is a pudgy, wiggly, utterly snuggle-able little guy.
cheese. and poop.
It's decided- Noel has a cow milk protein allergy. That means no more dairy for the boob-holder. Suck. I have a completely inappropriate love for cheese. I really, really, really like cheese. Yesterday my mom and I went to a great little German deli and had a cheese plate, and it was very good. Then we went to Ben and Jerry's and had milkshakes.
Then there was the poop incident last night, and I knew.
I knew it was the mlk. ALL the milk (because, really, I think it was an entire cow's worth). Up to now, it was kind of sporadic, the greenish tint to the diaper, sometimes a little mucusy. Never constant. I was suspicious of dairy, but it wasn't an obvious connection, and I SO love the cheese. Didn't want to give it up, you know.
But last night, about 8 hours after lunch... let's just say it was apparent. Very obvious that the dairy and the kid are not friends. So, now I feel awful that I didn't eliminate dairy from my diet when I first suspected a problem.
And besides the obvious lack of cheese issue that there is- dairy is in everyfuckingthing. Makes me tired just thinking about what I can't eat.
A friend of mine asked if it was worth the trouble- if it wouldn't just be easier to switch to formula. It would be easier, duh. It's not going to happen, though. I won't stop this whole breastfeeding thing for any reason- especially not just becuase it's hard for me- it's far too important for the boy. And I like him more than all the cheese in the world. Even leyden.
Rotten Bastards
Read this.The basic rundown is this: The Indiana Down Syndrome Foundation bought a cover (for a regional mag) at a fundraiser. The executive director of the IDSF worked with the magazine to get the shoot together and whatnot. The magazine then uses the photo on the cover and the story? It's really about how prenatal testing can, you know,
prevent this sort if thing. Like her kid and the others in the photo are the worst case scenerio. Poster children for what you don't want to happen. No information, either, about the group in the event someone wants to contact them (say, perhaps, someone who's recieved the news that their child has a genetic condition?).
Fuckers.
Now, let me follow that up with something about me. Obviously, my baby was very much wanted. I walked through hell itself to get pregnant. We got our amnio results at 30 weeks- we did it late. I really didn't think anything was wrong, so we dragged our feet. It's all here, if anyone wants the whole story. Anyway, I was talking to my best friend about it, and how the 'choice' was not an option for us, mostly because of timing, not any deeply held moral beliefs. I've terminated a pregnancy.
I threw out my standard, "I can't say what we would have decided, had we known earlier.", and she called me on it. Looked me straight in the eye and said, "You know what you would have done." She was right. I do know. It haunts me some days. I understand people not understanding. My own argument would have probably been that you can't determine severity prenatally, and I would not want to subject a child to tests and surgeries and lifelong health issues and possible dependance FOREVER on a caretaker.
Having Noel has changed my views, obviously. Looking back, I was just scared. I didn't know anything about Down syndrome or that what I thought I knew was mostly wrong, outdated, bleak. I can't blame people for not knowing, because I didn't know.
All I can do now is try to change the perception in the people I come in contact with day-to-day. I tell people that there isn's really a way to have 'mild' Down syndrome. That Noel is keeping up with his typical peers for now, and that with help, he'll continue to do well. That he has the potential to live independantly, to graduate from high school, to have a purpose in his life. I'm trying to help people understand what I wish I knew before we found out.
Yeah. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
