Just a quick update...
I got the call back with result of my early screening. This is a triple screen combining the results of the ultrasound (nuchal fold screening), a blood test, and medical history (Like, "have you previously had a child with Down Syndrome?" "Yes.") So they take all of that and come up with odds, basically.
So the nurse called me and said, "The results of your screening are in and it was negative." But I know too much about this, so I told her, no I want to hear the numbers. What are the odds? "Well" she said, "your odds of having a baby with Down Syndrome are 1 in 2800." WOW! With Mabry the test came back at 1 in 200... I really wonder why the jump??? Oh well, who knows. Just glad it looks good! "And your odds of having a baby with any other chromosomal abnormalities are 1 in 10,000." Yep, thats exactly the same as it was with Mabry.
Wow I guess she wasn't kidding when she said it was negative.
Now, because we've chosen not to do any "invasive" testing, not thing is for sure until the baby is born. But I'm definitely glad to know this screening came back looking so good.
And for those that have asked, no, we didn't do the the early screening with Abby. (Or Ashley or Emily). The ultrasounds in which they were unable to detect Abby's diagnosis were just the "typical" 20 week ultrasound and a couple at the end to try and figure out why she was measuring small. (But even in those last few, they weren't even thinking to look for something as huge as Down Syndrome, they were looking for placenta issues, blood flow problems, low amniotic fluid, etc.)
Anyway, at the end of the day, I'm thankful for a baby thats looking healthy. One step closer to meeting this little surprise Spencer. :)
Merry Christmas from the Spencer Family!
We didn't get a chance to send out Christmas Cards this year, but we want all of our friends and family to know that we love you all and hope you're Christmas was wonderful! And have a very happy New Year!!!!!
Without further adieu...
The church Christmas program!
Ashley is in the group to the right, on the front row, wearing the pink hat with the enormous ball! lol Emily is in the group to the left in the black shirt bouncing. :) When the camera is shaking or comes down completely its because I was laughing!! I really thought Emily was going to knock out poor Libby (to her right) with those hand motions!! ENJOY!!!
And then, the Ballet Recital!
(Really sad I didn't get one with Ashley) :(
Abby is all the way to the right of the screen in the first song (this was the younger class). She had some issues with her shoe, bless her heart! But she tried to put it back on and keep going anyway. :) Love that girl. When I put the camera down it was because I was contemplating just going up there and fixing it for her so it didn't ruin the whole thing for her! But I refrained and she seemed to have fixed it. :) At one point (1:48 in the video) she spotted Nana and was asking her if she wanted to come up on the stage. :) She's saying "Come up?" :) SO cute.
In the second group, Emily is the third one from the right (looking at the stage) and Ashley is the eight one from the right (the tall one :)).
In the last group, when they're all together, Abby and Emily are the fourth and fifth ones... and Ashley is way at the other end, but she's a head taller than all of the other girls. ;)
They ALL did an AWESOME job and I'm SOOO proud!!!
(Mrs D'Arcy said something about Abby too, but I didn't get to tape it. :( Her word was joy. :))
Ashley is in the group to the right, on the front row, wearing the pink hat with the enormous ball! lol Emily is in the group to the left in the black shirt bouncing. :) When the camera is shaking or comes down completely its because I was laughing!! I really thought Emily was going to knock out poor Libby (to her right) with those hand motions!! ENJOY!!!
And then, the Ballet Recital!
(Really sad I didn't get one with Ashley) :(
Abby is all the way to the right of the screen in the first song (this was the younger class). She had some issues with her shoe, bless her heart! But she tried to put it back on and keep going anyway. :) Love that girl. When I put the camera down it was because I was contemplating just going up there and fixing it for her so it didn't ruin the whole thing for her! But I refrained and she seemed to have fixed it. :) At one point (1:48 in the video) she spotted Nana and was asking her if she wanted to come up on the stage. :) She's saying "Come up?" :) SO cute.
In the second group, Emily is the third one from the right (looking at the stage) and Ashley is the eight one from the right (the tall one :)).
In the last group, when they're all together, Abby and Emily are the fourth and fifth ones... and Ashley is way at the other end, but she's a head taller than all of the other girls. ;)
They ALL did an AWESOME job and I'm SOOO proud!!!
(Mrs D'Arcy said something about Abby too, but I didn't get to tape it. :( Her word was joy. :))
The fight.
** Jan 14, 2011 Update** Though the seller is still there, the card was taken down! The site posted this article today. :) Small steps. :) Please continue to pray for this seller, that he finds Jesus....
Being the parent of a kid (or kids) with special needs has its challenges... in so many more ways than one.
There are countless things... comments, popular phrases, stereotypes... that are so offensive to me because they're offensive to my children. Ands really really.... REALLY hard to know when to fight a battle and when to give it up.
The mom in me wants to never give up. Fight until its finished. Change the world. Tell people that the "R" word is offensive. Correct people that Abby "has" Down Syndrome; not Abby "is" Down Syndrome. And ya know, those fights are a continuing battle. But every now and then one comes up that you either fight for, or you leave it alone.
Recently a friend shared, on Facebook, a product. A handmade item for sale on the internet that she was appalled to see, as was I. A greeting card that says "Congratulations, your kid has Down Syndrome". And on that card is an image of a young man with Down Syndrome and a word bubble that says "I can count to potato". Breaks. My. Heart. What kind of a sick...... I need to stop there.
So I contacted this seller as well as the site that they are selling through. My email kindly asked him/her to take this card down because it was offensive to me, having two children with Down Syndrome, and in this country, that is considered hate speech. And I thanked them kindly for the hasty removal of this item.
The site has not responded yet but the seller has. I was told that it is not hate speech, that "it's celebratory. Someone could have given you one of these cards, twice!" He went on to say that, "you might think it's in bad taste, but taste isn't regulated here. I will be leaving the cards up." ....Defeat.
So now, do I fight back? Do I keep this battle going no matter how far I have to go to take this thing down? Or do I pass this... lovely person... off as someone who just doesn't get it? The mom in me wants to fight. Hard. But the realist in me knows that taking this card down won't change this person's heart. I've seen too many of the other products on their list, this person is so lost. Every "greeting" card they sell is offensive to someone, in some way. And isn't the heart what really matters? I'm not really concerned that anyone will actually purchase and deliver this card to a new mom in the hospital. I'm angry because even exists. I'm mad that there are people out there who browse this site and think thats funny. But to me, it hurts. So is taking it down going to change anything? Is this seller going to think any more highly of the Down Syndrome community if this card is no longer sold? And the real question: Is raising an uproar going to lead them to Jesus?
I'm not trying to insinuate that I have the answers to these questions. I'm just sharing my hurt with fellow believers.
God, give me wisdom. Show me how You would have me handle this situation. Spirit reveal Yourself to this person that they may come to know You and Your grace and mercy. Change their heart towards your special kids as really only you can. And God I pray that no one in their right mind would buy this card and give it to someone who has a baby born with Down Syndrome (!) but only pass it by in disgust. I pray for the hearts of those who would buy any of these cards, that they too would find You God.
And Lord, divinely direct the passion in my own heart that I would speak and move with purpose and effectiveness. Amen.
Coffee and other drugs
Today I'm having the first cup of coffee I've had in weeks, aside from the occasional hot chocolate from Starbucks. And even that would fight me. (Don't think I didn't consider putting ginger ale in a Starbucks cup just to have something normal in my life. Pathetic I know.) But here I am, drinking my morning coffee out of my "beware the sleep deprived mom" mug as I check my email. So does this mean I'm feeling better? Yes, "better" is a good word.
I'm still on a full dose of Zofran (for you other prego pukers out there who will understand, that means I'm taking 8mg every 6 hours), and I can tell when its getting close to time to take more. A few weeks ago taking Zofran meant that I could keep down water... and some food, if I was lucky... but still felt miserable. The last week or more, being on Zofran has meant that I'm eating what I want, feeling decent (it doesn't help the fatigue, obviously ;)) and functioning a little more normally.
Today marks thirteen weeks, which means this is the last week of my first trimester. And I'm hoping and praying that the end of this phase is just around the corner. While I really want to savor every part of this last pregnancy, I'd also like to be able to savor my food and know I'm keeping it. :) My plan is to start to wean off of the Zofran this week and start to lean on other "tricks" that just wouldn't work with the full fledged upheaval I was previously dealing with.
And hopefully... I can enjoy a daily cup of coffee. ;)
I'm still on a full dose of Zofran (for you other prego pukers out there who will understand, that means I'm taking 8mg every 6 hours), and I can tell when its getting close to time to take more. A few weeks ago taking Zofran meant that I could keep down water... and some food, if I was lucky... but still felt miserable. The last week or more, being on Zofran has meant that I'm eating what I want, feeling decent (it doesn't help the fatigue, obviously ;)) and functioning a little more normally.
Today marks thirteen weeks, which means this is the last week of my first trimester. And I'm hoping and praying that the end of this phase is just around the corner. While I really want to savor every part of this last pregnancy, I'd also like to be able to savor my food and know I'm keeping it. :) My plan is to start to wean off of the Zofran this week and start to lean on other "tricks" that just wouldn't work with the full fledged upheaval I was previously dealing with.
And hopefully... I can enjoy a daily cup of coffee. ;)
Back by popular demand, more random blogging :)
If I were the kind of person who made news years resolutions, mine this year would be to blog more. Its very therapeutic for me. (Which would help explain the recent decline of sanity.) What woman doesn't love to talk? And whats more, talk about her kids! ;) I've said it before, but its worth repeating: this blog is a creative outlet as well as a sounding board. A way to keep family and friends up to date on the happenings of our family and also to reflect back myself. And really my blogging has only tapered off because of some crazy computer issues over the last year. But lo and behold, Jake and I were given a brand-spankin' new laptop for Christmas! *Insert deep breath* It feels so good to have nice computer. And so, back to the more frequent blogging. Or at least, I hope. :)
For now, I've got an idea... one that will eventually end up on this blog. You wanna hear it?
Every year, like many families on Christmas morning, we will try to position our video camera to view as much of the room as possible, so that all of the family can be seen opening gifts. But as our family gets bigger, this is an increasingly difficult task. Last year we managed to get the back of our kids heads and occasionally caught glimpse of a gift. So this year I'm going to do things differently. No camera going during gift opening. And then after the wrapping paper has settled, I'm going to take a few minutes with each of the kids and have an "interview" with them showing the gifts they got... among other things. ;) That way I can look back and really see the personality of each kid, remember the year they got "that" toy, and really capture everyone individually.
So thats the goal. It works in theory, but we'll see what happens. I'm excited about it. :) If anyone has any ideas on how to expound upon this idea... or has any traditions themselves along these lines, I'd love to hear it. Its only gonna be Christmas 2010 once. :)
Speaking of Christmas 2010, the girls had both of their school Christmas performances and they were totally a hit! Absolutely adorable. :) And tonight is the first of the two church plays they're singing in... Jake took them so I could stay home with our squirmy little ones and tomorrow night we'll switch so I can take them and see the play. Jake's parents are here and its REALLY good to have them home, my Dad and Margie came in today and lets just say... we're gonna be snacking on a honey baked ham for a while!!! whoo hooo!!! Thanks again guys! We had a sweet time with them, the girls sure love their Grandma and Grandpa Turner.
And last but not least, I had my appointment Friday and got to see this precious baby on a screen. :) I'm in love. Make that, head over heels in love. I don't care how many babies I have, I'm still completely in awe of God's creation in me. Fascinated that a 3 inch baby can have nail beds. Wow. Anyway, no we don't know the gender yet, though we have been asked by everyone we know. Thats an umbilical cord people, the "external" girl/boy parts don't grow in for another few weeks. :) When we know, you'll know, trust me! :) And the results from the screening won't be in for a week or so. But they did say the ultrasound looked really good. I'll update again when I get the results. Not worried but still praying for good results, obviously.
Well, signing off. Good night family and friends! Much love to you all!
For now, I've got an idea... one that will eventually end up on this blog. You wanna hear it?
Every year, like many families on Christmas morning, we will try to position our video camera to view as much of the room as possible, so that all of the family can be seen opening gifts. But as our family gets bigger, this is an increasingly difficult task. Last year we managed to get the back of our kids heads and occasionally caught glimpse of a gift. So this year I'm going to do things differently. No camera going during gift opening. And then after the wrapping paper has settled, I'm going to take a few minutes with each of the kids and have an "interview" with them showing the gifts they got... among other things. ;) That way I can look back and really see the personality of each kid, remember the year they got "that" toy, and really capture everyone individually.
So thats the goal. It works in theory, but we'll see what happens. I'm excited about it. :) If anyone has any ideas on how to expound upon this idea... or has any traditions themselves along these lines, I'd love to hear it. Its only gonna be Christmas 2010 once. :)
Speaking of Christmas 2010, the girls had both of their school Christmas performances and they were totally a hit! Absolutely adorable. :) And tonight is the first of the two church plays they're singing in... Jake took them so I could stay home with our squirmy little ones and tomorrow night we'll switch so I can take them and see the play. Jake's parents are here and its REALLY good to have them home, my Dad and Margie came in today and lets just say... we're gonna be snacking on a honey baked ham for a while!!! whoo hooo!!! Thanks again guys! We had a sweet time with them, the girls sure love their Grandma and Grandpa Turner.
A little snippet from the school play... it would be nearly impossible to describe which two they are so I'm just gonna hope that you recognize them!
And last but not least, I had my appointment Friday and got to see this precious baby on a screen. :) I'm in love. Make that, head over heels in love. I don't care how many babies I have, I'm still completely in awe of God's creation in me. Fascinated that a 3 inch baby can have nail beds. Wow. Anyway, no we don't know the gender yet, though we have been asked by everyone we know. Thats an umbilical cord people, the "external" girl/boy parts don't grow in for another few weeks. :) When we know, you'll know, trust me! :) And the results from the screening won't be in for a week or so. But they did say the ultrasound looked really good. I'll update again when I get the results. Not worried but still praying for good results, obviously.
Well, signing off. Good night family and friends! Much love to you all!
Tis the season
I've got a long day of cleaning, organizing and list making ahead of me. Because as of this afternoon, life is gonna get really crazy and I probably won't get a breath until January.
Between all four big kids, we have four class Christmas parties, one book exchange, three pajama days (one of which already past), three dress rehearsals, one ballet recitals (that all three girls are in), and four Christmas productions (both Ashley and Emily, two for church and two for school).
Aside from the kids' schedules, Jake preached in "big church" ;) twice this month, hosted a youth group fundraiser/Christmas party- a Chick-fil-A spirit night, a high school outreach to refugee families in Nashville, a Jr High outreach to a nursing home in Franklin (which ended up being canceled due to a random mass power outage, bummer!), and an intense worship night tonight at youth group. (I don't think I missed anything... !)
As for me I'm in a daily battle at home. Amy vs. Nausea. And I'm happy to report that recently I've been winning the battle and I'm only 7 lbs down from my start weight! Not too shabby! Although you wouldn't now that to look at my belly... 5th baby bumps come quick! I've got an ultrasound on Friday... the same Nuchal Translucency screening (or Nuchal Fold Scan) that we did with Mabry. Basically they measure the fluid in the back of the baby's neck to check for the possibility of the baby having Down Syndrome. I'm not too worried about it, just excited for the extra opportunity to see my little baby. :) After that we'll have the big ultrasound in late January... hopefully we'll find out at that one if we'll be blessed with a little girl or boy!
I'm almost completely done Christmas shopping, thanks to the wonderful internet! I love shopping from my couch and having my packages delivered to my doorstep! Its a beautiful thing. ;) I've tried to wrap things as they come so I don't get overwhelmed there. Somehow I managed to muster up the energy through brutal 1st trimester fatigue to tear down all my lovely fall decorations and replace them with Christmas decor! It feels great to see all of these fun decorations finally up. Although we have to keep everything decorated from 4 feet up to keep it out of the reach of 6 ( ...okay 10) busy little hands. And that includes our tree which only has ornaments on the top third! Poor little tree. :(
Last but certainly not least, we've got family coming in town for Christmas! My Dad, stepmom, and "the girls" (their two dogs, Molly and Lucy) :) are coming in to spend the day Saturday! Can't wait to see them, its been months. And Jakes parents are home from the mission field! They still have their place here and are home until after the new year. They've only been in the Dominican Republic for a month, doing some preparation work before their 4 month (I think?) Language immersion. But we're super happy to have them in town for Christmas! And my brother will be at our house for Christmas day, taking a break from his tour schedule! Busy musician. :)
Well, that about wraps up our Christmas season! Now off to my to do list for the day. I know almost all of you have just as crazy of schedules as we do... praying that through the business we are ALL able to enjoy this Christmastime before its over... and remember the tiny baby Savior who came because He loved us so... blessings to you all!!
Between all four big kids, we have four class Christmas parties, one book exchange, three pajama days (one of which already past), three dress rehearsals, one ballet recitals (that all three girls are in), and four Christmas productions (both Ashley and Emily, two for church and two for school).
Aside from the kids' schedules, Jake preached in "big church" ;) twice this month, hosted a youth group fundraiser/Christmas party- a Chick-fil-A spirit night, a high school outreach to refugee families in Nashville, a Jr High outreach to a nursing home in Franklin (which ended up being canceled due to a random mass power outage, bummer!), and an intense worship night tonight at youth group. (I don't think I missed anything... !)
As for me I'm in a daily battle at home. Amy vs. Nausea. And I'm happy to report that recently I've been winning the battle and I'm only 7 lbs down from my start weight! Not too shabby! Although you wouldn't now that to look at my belly... 5th baby bumps come quick! I've got an ultrasound on Friday... the same Nuchal Translucency screening (or Nuchal Fold Scan) that we did with Mabry. Basically they measure the fluid in the back of the baby's neck to check for the possibility of the baby having Down Syndrome. I'm not too worried about it, just excited for the extra opportunity to see my little baby. :) After that we'll have the big ultrasound in late January... hopefully we'll find out at that one if we'll be blessed with a little girl or boy!
I'm almost completely done Christmas shopping, thanks to the wonderful internet! I love shopping from my couch and having my packages delivered to my doorstep! Its a beautiful thing. ;) I've tried to wrap things as they come so I don't get overwhelmed there. Somehow I managed to muster up the energy through brutal 1st trimester fatigue to tear down all my lovely fall decorations and replace them with Christmas decor! It feels great to see all of these fun decorations finally up. Although we have to keep everything decorated from 4 feet up to keep it out of the reach of 6 ( ...okay 10) busy little hands. And that includes our tree which only has ornaments on the top third! Poor little tree. :(
Last but certainly not least, we've got family coming in town for Christmas! My Dad, stepmom, and "the girls" (their two dogs, Molly and Lucy) :) are coming in to spend the day Saturday! Can't wait to see them, its been months. And Jakes parents are home from the mission field! They still have their place here and are home until after the new year. They've only been in the Dominican Republic for a month, doing some preparation work before their 4 month (I think?) Language immersion. But we're super happy to have them in town for Christmas! And my brother will be at our house for Christmas day, taking a break from his tour schedule! Busy musician. :)
Well, that about wraps up our Christmas season! Now off to my to do list for the day. I know almost all of you have just as crazy of schedules as we do... praying that through the business we are ALL able to enjoy this Christmastime before its over... and remember the tiny baby Savior who came because He loved us so... blessings to you all!!
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