Fever blues

My poor little guy has had a fever all day today. At one point, it was up to 102 degrees. He's been crying and just not happy at all. He got his flu shot 2 days ago, so I'm guessing that it's the reason why. He's been asleep more today than he's been awake. I've been giving him tylenol every 4 hours in hoping to break this fever, but so far, no good. I just want to cuddle him and make it all better!

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here.

Thank You!

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the past couple days. Just knowing I have people out their praying for us really has helped to get through this. My mother flew in from Ohio and that has also helped tremendously. There's nothing better than having your own mom to comfort you, no matter how old you are. I'm doing a lot better than what I thought I would be doing. I still feel lost, but I'm sure that it will take a long time to heal mentally from something like a miscarriage. I know part of me will never heal, but knowing that my little baby is up in heaven, helps. Thank you again for everyone's thoughts and prayers.

But the good news is, that my doctor said that we only have to wait 2 months before I can get pregnant again, so keep your fingers crossed that we'll be expecting again very soon!

This is probably the most difficult and painful post I've ever had to write. I'm miscarrying my baby. I feel so lost. I can't even think straight. I don't know what to do or say. I've never felt so lost in my life. I know God has other plans for my little baby, I just don't understand. Why me? Why did God have to pick my baby? Hopefully my baby will become Joey's guardian angel and watch after him as he grow up. But I just still don't understand. I will be taking a couple days away from posting on my blog, but please pray for me, Patrick, Joey and my little baby.

Wow, I completely forgot to do my Favorite Ingredient Friday and give an update about Thanksgiving! I've been enjoying having my husband home for a four day weekend, I've completely forgot about my poor blog!

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We ate over at my in-laws house for dinner then went over to Patrick's aunt's house for dessert later in the evening. Such great food! There's nothing better than turkey! I could skip eating the rest of the meal, JUST GIVE ME MY TURKEY! Well, ok, maybe I couldn't skip the rest. Joey was the hit of the day of corse. Pat's grandmother was so into taking pictures of Joey, she barly got any other pictures of the rest of her grandchildren.



And Friday, I didn't wake up and get to the stores at 5am, I just couldn't do it this year. Maybe next year. But I did wake up at 7:30 and headed out to Micheal's, Old Navy and Walmart. Then today, we went to the mall and got Joey's picture taken with Santa (which turned out soooooo cute- I'll post it later) and then I finally broke down and got my hair cut. I haven't had it cut in over 7 months so I figured it was about time. I let the ladt take 2 inches off!! At least I can still pull it back! OK well, I guess that's it for now!!!

Wordless Wednesday

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I-teeth oh my!

Well, little Mr. Joseph has decided to start the teething process. He has all 4 of his I-teeth coming in. They haven't broken through yet, but he has 4 lumps where they belong and the bottom two are much further along than the top. Poor little guy, I've heard that those teeth are the most painful when coming in, and lord knows how long it's going to take for them to come in, but hopefully it'll be sooner than later. The funny thing is that he's going to look like a little vampire! He has none of his front teeth yet. The bottom left one looks to be the closest. Let the teething begin!!!

Cooking Gone Bad

Has anyone else ever had a pyrex dish explode before? Patrick took the dish out of the oven and set it onto the stove. And BOOM! Neither of the burners had been turned on so I have no clue why the darn thing expoded, but glass went flying! Scared the heck out of both of us!!! I'm just glad neither of us got cut or burnt. Patrick stepped on a sliver of glass but nothing bad. The only thing I can think of this that maybe the glass had a flaw in it? I dunno...

GO BUCKS!!!

I'm ready for the big game!! Ohio State vs Michigan!!

OH-IO!!!!!! GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!

hands & knees

We've been having the hardest time getting Joey to stay on his hands and knees. The minute we put him there, he puts his hands in his mouth and falls to the ground.

He has no problems lifting himself up onto his hands and will also lift himself up with his knees, but not at the same time. I know some of this has to do with his low muscle tone but if he would just keep those darn hands out of his mouth! Any suggestions?

My little bean

I forgot to post on my doctor's appointment on Wednesday (Thanks Steph for reminding me)!!! Anyways, I'm only 6 weeks pregnant. The ultrasound showed my little bean. The doctor is having me back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound just to double check how far along I am. Plus by then we'll be able to see the heart beat and something that resembles more of a baby.

It was so funny though. My OB office has a group of about 8 doctors. I primarily try to see Dr. B and Dr. A. Well, I was walking out of the office when I saw Dr. L who helped me through the first 12 hours I was in the hospital having Joey. Needless to say, I was a pain in the butt, so he remembered me. He was tickled to see Joey and how well he is doing. Then asked if I was there for a checkup. I laughed and said "Kinda, you're going to be seeing plenty of me for a while... I'm pregnant again!". The look on his face was priceless!

Favorite Ingredient Friday

Snickerdoodle Cookies (Another craving of mine in the past week)

Ingredients
1. 1/2 cup shortening
2. 1/2 cup or 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5. 1 cup or 4 tablespoons flour
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1 teaspoon baking power
8. 4 tablespoons of cinnamon
9. 4 tablespoons of sugar

Directions
1. Cream the shortening, sugar and egg with electric mixer until smooth.

2. Sift flour, onto a wax paper, about 1 1/2 cup.

3. Measure flour, salt, and baking powder into sifter and sift over a small bowl.

4. Add the sifted ingrediennts into the sugar and shortening and egg mixture and mix well.

5. Add vanilla and stir again.

6. Dough should be soft and easy to handle. Add a little more flour (about a tablespoon or so) if dough sticks to your hands.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set out cookies sheets lined with foil 8 combine suger and cinnamon into a small bowl and set out side

9. Roll pieces of dough into the size of a small jawbreaker. Roll the ball into the sugar cinnamon mixture. Place on a foil line cookie sheet, three across and five down. Place the rack in the middle of the oven.

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown. Cookies will puff up and then will flatten down and have a crispy top.

11. Let the cookies cool on the rack.


For more Favorite Ingredient Fridays, go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Hide & Seek

Last night Joey learned that he can grab the end of the blanket and roll himself up in it (like a burrito!)!! This is his newest game...

My Blog Friends!

After reading Rebecca's post called The Whole Blogging Thing, it made me realize how much I've come to depend on my blog and other blogs to express my feelings and concerns about Joey and life in general. Back in Ohio, I had so many friends, I couldn't even count. I would have something to do every single evening if I wanted. When I moved here to Connecticut, I knew absolutely no one except for Patrick's family and a couple of his old drinking buddies. I now have a grand total of 5 friends here in Connecticut, 3 of which are parents of children with Down syndrome. For those friends, I am ever so grateful! Even with those friends, I have never been so lonely in my life! I was so accustomed to having someone to lean on whenever I needed a friend back in Ohio. But now, thankfully, I have my blogger friends whose lives are very similar to mine in being that you're parents, some with children with down syndrome, others not. You guys are my links to the outside world and at times it feels like I know you guys better than my friends who I know in person. It's nice to know I have fellow parents out there who can give me pointers and just sometimes listen to what I have to say. Thank you!

Wordless Wednesday

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Wow, I didn't realize it's been since Friday that I've posted last. I go tomorrow for an ultrasound to see how far along I actually am. I really hope I'm more like 10 weeks than 5. That means one less one to go! We'll see tomorrow!

I haven't gotten much done around the house at all. I've been so tired. Not much in the way of morning sickness except for some evenings I get nauseated. And not to mention today I ate a bowl of cereal and drank a glass of milk and threw that up. When I was pregnant with Joey, the only thing I wanted was milk but NOT THIS TIME!

I got a call from one of my best friends, Eric, from back in Ohio today. He's coming December 7-10 to see us. I'm so excited! Since we're not going back to Ohio for Thanksgiving or Christmas, it's going to be so nice to see one of my friends. My parents are coming up for Christmas, but it's still not going to be the same. This will be my first Christmas not in Ohio.

Onto a Joey update! He's still not sitting, but getting very close! He's sitting for about 20 seconds at a time and he really seems to want to sit on his own. He gets so frustrated! It seems like everyday he turns into more of a little person. His personality keeps coming out and he gets funnier each day. He's getting new facial expressions and says new sounds all the time! Not to mention he's rolling so much now! It also seems like he's wanting to crawl. He lays on his belly and his little arms and legs move so fast but he goes no where. He still needs more strength to get up on his hands and knees.

Ohhhh!! And today Joey turns 8 months old! I can't believe my baby is 8 months old! The time has flown by!!

Well, I guess that's it for now!

Favorite Ingredient Friday

To help celebrate my new founded pregnancy, I've decided to do recipes of things I will be craving and the first is my mom's pecan pie!! Also a great recipe for Thanksgiving!!

Mom's Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1. 3 Slightly beaten eggs
2. 1 cup of corn syrup
3. 2/3 cup sugar
4. 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla
6. 1 1/4 cups pecan halves
7. Pie Crust (mom cheats and buys premade)

Directions
1. Combine eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in pecans.
2. Pour filling into pie crust and place in oven.
3. To prevent overbrown of crust edges, place foil around egdes of pie. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes then remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.


To see more Favorite Ingredient Fridays, or to participate, go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!

So it starts... the never ending trips to the bathroom to pee! One of the many highlights of being pregnant!

It's so funny, I never imagined that I would be pregnant again only 8 months after having Joey. I admit, I've been wanting another child, but I didn't expect it to happen that easily! But I'm so excited!! I go to the doctors on Wednesday for an ultrasound. We're not sure how pregnant I truely am. In October my period came 2 weeks early and was very light & short, so there's a possiblity that I was pregnant then. So I'm either like 5 weeks or 10 weeks.

Well, I want to write so much more, but Joey is calling, so I'm off for now!

I have added another ad to my blog, so for any of you that are interested in Signing Time DVDs, I am now an affiliate for their company. I thought this would be a great way to hopefully help me to get some extra money to order them for Joey!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm cheating, I can't leave this a wordless message although the picture speaks for itself... that's right folks, I'm 5 weeks pregnant! I just found out today!! I'm going to have my hands full starting in July with a newborn and a 17 month old!

For more wordless wednesdays, go here!

He's on a roll!

Wow, today has been an interesting day! While feeding Joey his lunch, he decided he was going to grab his spoon from me and try to feed himself (or at least play with the spoon). So he missed his mouth and got a spoonful of pureed chicken and noodles ALL OVER his face. Then of course started banging the spoon on his tray flinging more food all over the place! I guess I better get used to that, I'm sure there's more events like that to come!

Also, he's been rolling from his back to his belly with no problem and used to roll from his belly to his back with no problem but once he started rolling from his back to belly, he stopped. WELL... today he discovered that he can do both and is now rolling ALL OVER THE PLACE! Like combat GI Joe style. Rolls 5 feet in 5 seconds. I have no clue where this new milestone came from and it's good, but was very unexpected. Needless to say, I spent much of the day baby proofing as much of the house as possible. THERE'S NO TURNING BACK NOW! He's on a roll... literally.

Sharing Gifts From The Heart

Recipe for Spicy Oatmeal Raising Cookies ingredients in a jar
1. 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2. 1/3 cup sugar
3. 3/4 teaspoon allspice
4. 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1 cup flour
7. 1 cup quick-cooking oats
8. 3/4 cup raisins
9. 1/2 cup walnuts

Instructions for jar:
1. In a 1 quart jar, pack brown sugar in bottom and make it as level as possible. Pour sugar over and level.
2. In small bowl, combine allspice, baking powder, baking soda and flour mixture over sugar. Level carefully, then tamp down.
3. Pour oats over flour and level. Sprinkle raisins on top and press down. Sprinkle nuts over raisins. Place lid on jar.


Instructions for baking:
(I usually print the baking instructions out on a pretty piece of paper and cut out card to look nice & crafty)
-1 egg
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour contents of jar into large mixing bowl. Add egg and softened butter (or margarine).
2. Beat on low speed or mix by hand until mixture is thoroughly blended.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to cooking rack. (Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen)

Icing (optional)
-1 cup powdered sugar, divided
-1-2 tablespoons milk
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. In small bowl, combine powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla. Stir until smooth, adding additional milk as necessary until drizzling consistency is reached. Drizzle over cookies and let set.



*For more Sharing Gifts from the Heart or if you would like to participate, go to Kaffee Klatsch!

Just wanted to share a local newspaper article about Chris Burke being at our convention yesterday.Burke inspires youngsters, parents through songs written by Joseph Wenzel IV

Also, there was an article in the New York Times titled A Dream Not Denied
‘Just a Normal Girl’ written by Leslie Kaufman, about a young lady that has down syndrome that is attending Becker College in Massachusetts.

Convention 2006

Yesterday was the CDSC's annual convention and it was a blast! Not only did we learn a lot more but we got to meet Chris Burke. His band performed and it was awesome! They actually had my mother in law dancing along to their music. We went to three different workshops.

The first workshop we all went to was on Oral Motor Therapy and its importance to speech production and clarity. I didn't realize that when I signed us all up for it, that it was Lori Overland's assistant so we pretty much got a repeat of when we went to see her a couple weeks ago. But it was still useful information.

The second workshop we all went to was on Otolaryngology (ENT) issues in children with down syndrome. We got so much more information on what to expect from Joey's upcoming procedure with his ears. The doctor who was there speaking agreed with our doctor about getting Joey's ears done now and also gave us some more advice. Like, did you know that instead of using Q-tips to clean out ears that it's better to use a dropper and put one or two drops of baby or mineral oil into someones ear to clean out the wax? I had no clue!

The third workshop my mother in law and I went to was on Medical Issues in Children and Infants With Down Syndrome. This was was also very informative. The doctor gave us more advice on Joey's problems with his constipation. While we went to that workshop, Patrick and my father in law went to a workshop on a due process primer. Since Patrick is an attorney, he wanted to hear what the other attorneys had to say about IDEA and other laws pertaining to children with disabilities.

Unfortunately, our forth workshop was canceled due to a death in the speakers family, it was suppose to be on Early Elementary Language. But we were all so tired, that we just decided to cut the day early and go home. We had been there since 8am and by that time it was 3:00.

Also, the keynote speaker, Steve Riggio gave a great talk about his daughter and their struggles with inclusion and other everyday difficulties. But I still think the highlight of my day was meeting Chris Burke!

Ok, just a quick update. Unfortunatly, Joey's urologist still wants to wait till he's a year old for the circumsision to apparently "let him develop more". I wanted to get it done now since at a year, he'll probably be able to take off his diaper and/ or rip off any bandage that might be on his little man parts. Oh well, I'm not too happy about having to have him put under twice in 4 months, but I'll have to live with it. Anyways...

Tommorow is the Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress's annual convention and I can't wait! It's from 8am-4pm so it's going to be a long day but worth it. We've signed up for 4 different workshops that focus on various issues with infants with Down syndrome. Also, the keynote speakers are Chris Burke and Steve Riggo who has a daughter with DS and is the vice chair for Barnes & Nobles. This is going to be such an interesting day! I can't wait! Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll have a recap of what all went on!

Today was Joey's appointment with his ENT about his hearing. He failed his hearing tests with both of his ears when he was born and at a couple months failed the left. At that time, the ENT was unable to see into his ear canals so we were scheduled for today. Still today, at almost 8 months the ENT was unable to see into either of Joey's ears. Patrick and I have both noticed lately that when we call out Joey's name, he doesn't look at us right away. We usually have to call his name out multiple times and get louder each time.

Well, his ENT wants to take Joey to the OR, sedate him to clean out his ears, do a hearing test and if needed, put tubes in. JUST WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR! I'm so nervous about having Joey put under. The good thing about this is, that since Joey was too small at birth to be circumcised, that his ENT is going to call his urologist and coordinate the procedures together! The urologist wanted to wait until Joey is 1 year old to put him under, but since they're both in Yale's operating room on the same day, they're going to try to work something out. I just hope the urologist's schedule has an opening! The younger the better to have that done! It killed me that they couldn't circumcise him at birth.

I know Joey can hear out of his right ear, I just hope there's not much of a loss in his left and that maybe it's all just fluid from his ear canals being so small. I'm suppose to get a call today or Monday with an OR appointment hopefully for both!

Favorite Ingredient Friday

Burrito Pie

INGREDIENTS
1. 2 pounds ground beef
2. 1 onion, chopped
3.2 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced
5. 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
6. 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
7. 1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce
8. 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
9. 12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
10. 9 ounces shredded Colby cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.
4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

For more Favorite Ingredient Fridays, go visit Overwhelmed With Joy!

Today has been a productive day. I'm on my second load of laundry, washed the dishes & Joey's bottels, went to a doctors appointment, got my eyebrows waxed, and even worked on some Christmas gifts! I'm quite proud of myself for getting so much done! Heck, Joey even had a productive day... he pooped! That's not been happening very often, but of corse, that's another story :)

It hit me today that Joey is going to be 8 months old in 12 days! I can't believe it! Where has the time gone! My little guy is almost 8 months old which means in 4 months he's going to be ONE YEAR OLD! Geez... time does fly by!



And since Sheena's mommy shared her post bath mohawk, I figured I would share Joey's too.

Since money is a little scarce upcoming holiday season, I've decided to add some more ads to Raising Joey. I recently became an affiliate for the Radio Flyer company, so if you decide to order a Red Wagon or Tricycle, you can order it via the link below, Thanks!!!

Wow! It's 66 degrees outside right now! I think I'm going to get a quick shower and Joey and I are going to go on a walk! The temperature is suppose to start going down starting tomorrow so we better enjoy today while we can! Maybe a quick trip to Walmart to start a little early Christmas shopping? The sun is shining, couldn't ask for a more beautiful day!!!

Speaking of Christmas, I think I'm going to make as many of our Christmas gifts as possible. One to save money and two many people tend to be more grateful for something made by hand. If anyone has any great handmade gifts ideas, throw them at me!!