More UT pix

Grace...Our Angel

This pregnancy has been full of learning experiences. As many of you know, I was sick with Grant the entire time. It has been the same way with this pregnancy but I’ve also had to deal with dizzy spells and I’ve actually passed out a number of times. The only thing doctors can tell me is that my veins dilate and constrict very quickly and so sometimes my blood pressure will rise or drop dramatically, therefore causing me to pass out. Through it all, Grant and Adam have been marvelous. Sweet, little Grant will come make sure I am alright as I hover over the toilet and he also enjoys “frowing up” himself. I love when he just stands there and pats my back. What a big helper. He also takes good care of me when I pass out. There are many times when he will be in the other room and hear something fall so he comes rushing in saying, “Mommy, mommy!” It breaks my heart that he is so scared that something has happened to me. But like I said, I couldn’t ask for a bigger helper. He has been so patient and cooperative with all of the doctor appointments, too.

Many of the doctor appointments have been in regards to our precious Grace. We decided to do the Nuchal Translucency test at the beginning of this pregnancy. It is a 3 part test that gives you a pretty accurate result as to whether or not your child has Down syndrome, or Trisomy 13 or 18. I went in, gave blood, then went in a few weeks later for an ultrasound. They measure the fluid behind the baby’s neck and then combine the results to give you your risk. My blood results indicated that I had a high risk of carrying a child with Down syndrome (high HCG and low PAPPA) and the measurements behind the neck were also higher than 2mm which is another indicator. Our risk for Down syndrome went from 1/900 to 1/21. To be completely honest, we were shocked to get those results. Everyone said not to worry and that it was probably a false positive. Then I gave blood again and the results went to 1/10. When we did the anatomy scan at 19 weeks, we were told that Grace has fluid in her lung. That is another sign of Down syndrome. All along the way, the doctors had pushed us to do an amniocentesis but we did not feel comfortable risking anything. Especially because it wouldn’t do Grace any good, it would just let us know 100% if she did have Down syndrome. When the fluid was found, we were told it could also indicate that she has a viral infection and that it might be treatable. Adam and I decided right then that we would do the amnio if it would help Grace. Luckily, my mom was in town and was able to extend her trip since I wasn’t able to lift Grant for 2 days. Then the waiting game began. Luckily, Grace does not have a viral infection.

It took 2 weeks but yesterday I received a call from my doctor. Grace does have Down syndrome. So many different emotions were felt. Adam and I are so lucky that Heavenly Father trusts us enough to send us such a strong spirit. We are blessed to have such a wonderful son who will be the best big brother ever! We fully accept the opportunity that Heavenly Father has given us and we just hope that we will be able to provide Grace with everything she needs. There is no doubt in our minds that she will do more for us then we will ever be able to do for her. We love you Grace! And we love you Grant…you tell everyone now that “Gracie special” but never forget that you are, too!

Utah Fun

While we were in UT we did tons of fun things. We got to see old friends, hang out with family and Grant was able to go to Wheeler Farm two times! Oh what fun. There are some pix missing from this post but we'll get them up soon! Enjoy!

It's a...

Alright, alright, you're not going to be able to tell from these pictures if it's a BoY
Or if perhaps it is a GiRl.
But you can tell that the baby is already adorable! So who will be joining us on the estimated due date of August 5th? None other than sweet, adorable, little Grace Olivia! Stay tuned for more updates...there is a lot to tell! :-)

Creations

Grant loves to color, play with Play-Doh, and he especially loves glue! One day we were coloring and playing with glue and Grant noticed his fish snacks sitting next to him. He glanced at them, then back at his paper, then once again at his snacks. He then put some glue on the paper and stuck some fish on top of it. He was so proud of himself and I thought he was quite creative. Adam and I LOVE when Grant is drawing or playing with Play-Doh and he yells out what it is he has just created. The funny thing is that lots of times, we can totally see whatever it might be...a dolphin, fish, cow, etc. If you look really close at this piece of Play-Doh, you might be able to see a gorilla. C'mon use your imagination!

While Papa was here, he and Grant would "shave" with each other. Grant loved the shaving cream. Here he is putting it on his face. He wiped a lot of it off before I could grab the camera.
What does Grant love the most about our new apartment? The yard and the TRAIN! Here he is with Daddy standing on something to get a better look at the train over our brick wall.
Choo, Choo!!!! Grant loves to watch it and say, "Bye, people!"

Smartie Pants

Grant is learning and growing so fast! Every day he amazes me! Here are a few of the things he has been doing lately. If you don't like people who brag about their kids, then stop reading this post!

* Grant does a wonderful job counting to 10. He usually starts out 3, 2, 3 then needs help with 4 and sometimes 7. Other than that, he's totally got it down!

* Grant loves his A, B, C's. He tries to sign them and this is usually how he recites them with me...
G- A,B,C,D
M- E, F,
G- G,H, I
M- J,K,
G- M,O,P
M-Q,R
G- S, T, U
M-V, W, X, Y, Z

* When you ask Grant what color something is, he automatically answers red. But if you ask him to really look at the color he does a pretty good job. One day, we were playing with playdough and he saw some dots on the box, it shocked me when he started to list the colors...and he was right! It went like this, "Boo, bwack, pink, green, lellow, boo." Wow!