Thoughts on a Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnosis

These last few weeks, I've been introduced to other mamas and families chronicling their Down syndrome "journey" thanks to the crazy - and sometimes small - world that is social media. I've stumbled upon a handful of Instagram accounts and started following along in an attempt to gain some insight as to what our future with Baker will look like should he be born with Down syndrome.


Five on Friday

Happy Friday! It's supposed to cool down a bit this weekend so that means lots of time outdoors without sweating like a P-I-G! This preggo is thankful for that!

{ONE}

Our sweet neighbors invited us to the lake on Wednesday night. They have an awesome boat and their daughter is one of G's little besties and we were so excited to get out there and relax a bit! Well, relax as much as you can with 6 little kids wanting to swim and jump off the boat and eat all the snacks.

The girls swam, Justin got up on the surfboard and I was just along for the ride. We really hit the jackpot when it comes to our neighborhood and the families that live around us. We're coming up on ONE year in our new home and we love it more every day. I'm so thankful that we get to do life with these people and have the girls growing up with some of the best kiddos around!

#HomeByOakley Home Tour :: Leighton's Room


Leighton's room has slowly been transformed from baby nursery to Big Girl status these last few months! I didn't do a full "inspiration" post like I had done with Gracyn's room and Baker's nursery. As luck would have it, she's the second child and second girl so a lot of the stuff we used came from Gracyn's room at our old house. I did score a few new-to-us pieces (mostly from Goodwill because #onabudget...) to hang on her walls and brought the dollhouse up from the playroom to store some books and blankets. I still need to find a nightstand for her but other than that, I think this room is good to go! 

Leighton :: 2.5 Years Old






Age: two and a half!

Stats: 30-ish pounds and over 3 feet tall

Clothes: Mostly 3T hand-me-downs from big sister

Favorite Foods: She used to be a great eater but Leighton tends to be pretty picky these days. Or only taking a few bites from each meal. She's much more of a snacker, I'd say. Her faves include go-gurt, string cheese, fruit snacks, goldfish, cereal with milk, veggie straws and any and all candy. And don't give her chips until she's eaten the rest of her lunch/dinner otherwise she'll ONLY eat chips. We spend many nights arguing with her to take another bite of the main dish or fruit/veggie before she can get any more chips

Favorite Toys: She doesn't seem to play independently as much as Gracyn did at this age - or at least that's just how I'm remembering things - but when she does wander off to go play, she's usually entertained by her baby dolls. Loves wrapping them up in blankets, having me put on their diapers just so she can promptly remove said diapers and feeding them. She likes to sit and color or use water color paints but only for a few minutes. And she still needs to be supervised with those otherwise she'll end up coloring on the counter or painting her arm.

Words: Her vocabulary has exploded. I need to jot things down and start a "Leighton Says..." series because she's starting to be quite the comedian. The best thing she says at the moment is, "so....okay." before she starts describing something or wanting you to do something. 

'So..okay. You come 'ere.." or "So...okay. Baby needs to eat!" before feeding her doll.

She will almost always answer a question with "I dunno..." before answering correctly. She knows her colors, for example, and if you ask her what color the strawberry is she'll reply, "I dunno, red?". Not sure where that came from!

She also thinks it's funny to say "Oh my gosh, look at her butt." from the movie Sing a few hundred times a day.

Overall, she's a sweetie. Leighton does have a mean side to her, though. Between the two of them, you'll most likely find her instigating fights, hitting, biting or pinching her older sister. She's in time-out several times a day, which really isn't effective since the behavior continues. Leighton also has a hard time listening, especially when we're outside and she wants to wander to the neighbors' yards trying to keep up with the big kids. She's definitely a handful at times, mostly for me since I"m home with her all the time. I am proud to say she's well-behaved for the most part when playing with others or at a friend's house.

She handled giving up her pacifier and switching to the big girl bed like a champ. We've started talking about potty training - purchased undies and everything, and even "tried" it one day last week but quickly decided she wasn't ready. She definitely knows when she's going or when she's all done but she has yet to tell us beforehand or actually go on the potty. We may try again later this summer or wait until after Baker is born. We'll see!

We love you, LL. You keep us on our toes and bring so much joy to our family. I can't wait to see you as a big sister!


A little side-by-side of the girls, both at 2.5 years old. So crazy to look back and realize how much they actually look alike!


Gracyn 2.5 Years Old

Bumpdate :: 30 Weeks


Size of Baby: A zucchini; 15.7 inches and 2.80 pounds. Sounds about right - at my 28-week appointment my doc squeezed in a growth scan and he was already over 2 pounds!

Total Weight Gain: maybe 20 pounds? I haven't been keeping track and pretty much don't care... However, it is swimsuit season and I'm basically a beached whale sitting on the sidelines while the kids go swimming. The fit moms at the neighborhood pool are definitely my motivation for NEXT summer, though! Ha!

Symptoms: Leg cramps! Hip pain! Both of these have started happening every night within the last few weeks or so. I was hunched over the bed super early one morning and Justin happened to wake up and semi-frantically ask me what was wrong. I had to swing my legs out of bed and prop myself up to work out the cramps that were shooting up both of my legs. Super fun! I'm also pretty stiff in the mornings after sleeping on my side all night long.

Other symptoms include a disdain for maternity shorts and the hot weather we've been having this week. That doesn't bode well for me seeing as how I'll be pregnant for basically the entire summer.

Sleep: I haven't been sleeping well at all. Pregnancy this late in the game alone makes it difficult but I'll find myself up in the middle of the night googling heart defects (my advice: don't do this...) or scrolling through the Down syndrome support group because I had to get up to pee and couldn't get back to sleep. I should say I'm hopeful this will pass but I have a feeling my mind will be racing and my anxiousness will ramp up the closer we get to meeting this sweet boy.

Gender: BOY!

Name: Baker Dee Oakley :)

Nursery: making lots of progress! The inspiration for his room can be found here! We were fortunate enough to get some clothes from our sweet neighbors and I've been going through everything and organizing all the things!

Gracyn's Thoughts: She wants to teach him how to play soccer and ride a bike. She's looking forward to holding him and feeding him and making sure he has friends to play with. Such a sweet big sister!

Leighton's Thoughts: This girl. She's OBSESSED with other babies, whether it be my cousin's 5-month old or a baby she sees at a store, always wanting to hold them and talk to them. She's insanely sweet and gentle with them so I'm hopeful she'll be the same way with Baker. Fingers crossed!

Less than 10 weeks until we meet this little fella!

And for comparison... 30 weeks with all three kiddos! My photog skillz were seriously lacking back in late 2012. Ha! Leighton wins for making me look semi-put together and Baker takes the cake for biggest and lowest. And darkest under-eye circles... ;)


30 Weeks with Leighton

Daily Dime | June 2017

What's up, Wednesday!? I'm excited to link up today with one of my fave blogger friends, Sarah and the other gals hosting The Daily Dime. Like I needed yet another reason to take an obnoxious number of photos in a day, right?!


I love documenting our every day lives around here with our Photo Every Hour posts but I don't get around to it very often these days so when Sarah mentioned she'd be hosting this link up, I was all for it! I could easily snap 10 pictures a day! Here's a little glimpse into our day yesterday: Tuesday, June 13, 2017...

Morning
I mean, she's cute and all but would it kill her to sleep in her own bed? G has been creeping into our room in the middle of the night for months now, usually like a ninja so neither Justin or I notice she's there until morning. I wake up to kicks in my belly and her kneecaps in the small of my back. Sneaky little girl...


I bought a few too many bananas at the store last week and they were all going bad so I quickly googled uses for very ripe bananas and found a super simple banana-cinnemon muffin recipe which satisfied my desire to use said bananas and my apparent muffin craving. Win-win.


They turned out good, right!? They were yummy...


Leighton thought so, too! Muffins for breakfast...


Wanna know who else thought the muffins were yummy? Rufus. 

I got a text from Justin at 9:30 last night informing me that the dog ate the leftover muffins. He managed to snag them from the back of the counter. He even ate the plastic bag. Swear words were said. I literally hate this dog, you guys. I've said it before but HE RUINS LIVES. 

I'm still recovering from the muffin fiasco this morning but getting back to our Tuesday... We wrapped up our morning by sorting through some baby clothes lent out to us by our sweet neighbors!


Afternoon
This pinterest-inspired activity lasted approximately 7 minutes - ha! It was super easy to throw together and the kids may enjoy it better on a cooler day so we'll def try it again. 

Sidewalk paint recipe: 1 cup cornstarch + 1 cup water divided into muffin tins with some food coloring. 


It was a good, good mail day! My sweet cousin had this sign made for Baker's room and I'm in love. I had pinned a sign that had this verse on it as inspiration for his nursery and I was so surprised when something similar showed up today. It's perfect.


Also in the mail? My next Influenster VoxBox! My face is excited to participate in the #RevitaliftChallenge for the next 14 days. I'll try and keep the make-up free selfies to a minimum... ;)


Evening
Leighton didn't nap yesterday so as soon as Justin got home from work, he took the girls outside while I quickly finished work and started dinner. G's little friend joined us for supper followed by ice cream sundaes for dessert...


Ending her night back where she started - in MY bed. Life really just comes full-circle sometimes, am I right? I kicked her out after the episode of Paw Patrol was over but I'm sure she'll weasel her way back in at some point. Good thing she's cute.


Looking back, our Tuesday was busy. No wonder I'm tired today... Hope you all have a great Wednesday and don't forget to check out the lovely ladies hosting the link-up today!

Kristin // Taz + Belly
Kristy // Seven Graces
Kerry // XO Kerry
Courtney // Our Alabama Life

Friday Things

It's gonna be a hot one today and the neighborhood pool is supposed to FINALLY OPEN this weekend so I'm sure we'll be logging some pool hours this weekend, along with the rest of the 'hood.

{ONE}

29 weeks along. I'll try and do a more comprehensive update next week but this week was good for the most part. He feels super low compared to the girls and I'm uncomfortable bending over and need to make sure I sit up straight so I can breath properly. I got switched to weekly biophysical checks at my OB office which means I get to see the little guy every week for the next 10 weeks or so. I'm glad that they're keeping a close eye on him but having to go to the doctor every week - sometimes multiple appointments depending on who I'm seeing - will get old really fast. I suppose it's just a precursor of what's to come, though. I expect him to have several appointments a month after he's here, too.

gracyn brought her photography skills. leighton brought the patriotism.

{TWO}

Justin and I met with the director of the Down Syndrome Guild of Kansas City on Monday afternoon. She was a great resource and they gave us a basket of information, gifts for the baby and pamphlets to hand out to friends and family who will be supporting us once Baker is born. We're excited to start attending events and meet other families in the area. Check out their site if you're interested in learning more - they have so many great programs and updated, current information available. I'm already so thankful an organization like this exists; we know Baker will be supported from day one and I can't even begin to tell you how much reassurance it gives me knowing he'll have the tools he needs to lead a happy and productive life.

We even found out that there is a little boy with DS who literally lives down the street from us in our neighborhood. I bought baby clothes at his mom's garage sale earlier this spring, before we knew anything about Baker's heart and DS diagnosis. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

{THREE}

His room is well under way! I spent some time the other weekend hanging stuff up and getting some things organized. I washed all of his clothes and realized I didn't have as many things as I thought; once I split up everything by size I realized the poor kid has probably 8 newborn or 0-3 month onesies but no pants. It'll be summer and hot when he's born but I feel like he at least needs ONE pair of pants or shorts, right?! I best get to shopping... ;)



{FOUR}

My mom and dad were in town for a few days this week watching the girls while I went into the office for work to do some training. It's a long story - one that was unfolding when we were learning about Baker's health issues - but my work situation will be changing a bit after my maternity leave. I'll be working in the office 3 days a week and from home the other two days. So, starting in November, the girls will be starting daycare on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and home with me on Tuesdays/Thursdays. The daycare center has room for Baker to start as well but we haven't made any concrete plans for him yet; it'll depend on how he's doing after he's born.

We need to keep him as healthy as possible and gaining weight like he should so his heart surgery can take place within those first 6 months. If his doctors clear him for daycare, that's an option but we may also look into an in-home daycare or even someone to come to our house and stay with him those 3 days I'm at work. More things to iron out in the next few months.

{FIVE}

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#HomeByOakley | Nursery Inspiration

I have to admit, planning a nursery for a baby boy is a nice change of pace around here! Lots of blues and grays and neutrals. A little break from alllll the pink that consumes the girls' rooms. It's been fun planning a space for this little dude, that's for sure.

At first, I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with Baker's room, I just knew I didn't want it to be theme-y. A mention of a sport here and there but I didn't want Boomer Sooner or Adrien Peterson's fat-head plastered to the wall, much to Justin's dismay...

Woodland creatures are fine, but not the nursery-rhyme cartoon ones. We're not automobile enthusiasts or sailors so I also wanted to avoid car decals and the whole nautical scene. I'm still not sure what "design style" I wanted - something fit for a baby but not uber babyish.

Easy enough, right!?

After we received Baker's heart diagnosis, I immediately jumped on the web and social media to start researching and connecting with other moms and families that had experienced a similar situation. The #heartwarrior and #chdawareness hashtags came up right away and are filled with some of the bravest, strongest people I've ever seen - and most are little babies. It's still hard for me to imagine what Baker's surgery day will be like - I could cry just thinking about handing him over to the surgical team - but I already know he's one tough cookie. He'll face more challenges in his first 6 months than some do in a lifetime.

He's strong. He's brave. Hell, he's even started teaching me how to be strong and brave.

I figured his room at home - the place where he'll be growing and gaining strength and preparing for battle (open heart surgery + life...) should remind him how freaking amazing he is. A room fit for a warrior, if you will.


Originally, I was going to paint our existing crib and dresser. I wanted something white or gray versus the dark brown we have. After painting a dresser for Leighton's room (a tour of her room is coming soon!) I quickly decided the brown was juuuuuuust fine. It would have taken a lot of effort and paint to refinish the perfectly good furniture so I decided to just leave it. I'm sure B won't mind Leighton's old teeth marks on the railings... ;)

We're also keeping our existing glider and matching ottoman but if I was made of money, I'd get a newer, more modern chair and a pouf or something like that to mix it up a bit. Budgets really are no fun.

I'm suuuuuuuper excited about the pegboard over his dresser, which we also use as a changing table. It's so fun and it was really easy to put together thanks to good old Pinterest. I can't wait to put the rest of the room together!


1 // Just Be Awesome // Words we should all live by.. ;)

2 // The Lord is With You Mighty Warrior // This sign is huge but I may try to find a smaller print with the same verse.

3 // Be Brave & Strong // This will be a good reminder to walk by every day.

4 // Crib // This one is very similar to the crib we used for both girls. 

5 // Dresser // I like using the top of the dresser as a changing table, one less piece of furniture in an already cramped room

6 // Glider // Love this one from Target!

7 // Throw // Every room needs a cozy blanket. Especially a nursery for those late nights when you just happen to sleep in the rocking chair for hours on end.

8 // Crown Town Print // Because we'll always be Royal. No matter how bad they're playing...

9 // Pegboard // Love this tutorial and this one, too!

10 // JellyCat // Gracyn's is pink, Leighton's is tan so it's only appropriate that Baker get his very own bunny, too.

11 // Metal Shelf // Extra storage, industrial look. It's a win-win.

12 // Pouf // First, poufs are stupid-expensive. Second, one day I will own one...

13 // Letter "B" // For Baker. And Boy. And Baby. 

14 // Oh Boy Print // Check out this post for cute and free printables!

15 // Curtains // My mama sent us these navy blackout curtains for B's room. They block the light really well which is a MUST since his room faces east.

16 // Metal Arrow // "I will walk by faith even when I cannot see."

17 // Changing Pad Cover (similar) // Boy-ing it up a bit and replacing our old pink and purple covers with blue stripes and polkadots.