Our Five Ring Circus: 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Goodbye, 2013

The end of the year is always bittersweet for me.  2013 went by SO quickly!  Every year seems to go by faster than the previous one.  I just want time to slow down a bit.

We had a great year!  It started off rocky, but everything worked out perfectly.  Our family has grown so much since Liam was born. He truly completed us. Everything feels so perfect right now and I find myself desperately trying to hold on to that feeling.

I hope 2014 is just as good to us!

One year ago today, Grant and I were ending the year on a date.  We went to see Les Miserables, and I was a mess.  An absolute mess.  Tears streaming down my face, out of control, sobbing mess.  And somebody was eating Chinese food in the theater.  It reeked of broccoli.  I love broccoli, but I found myself in a rage over the horrible smell.

That should have been the first sign that 2013 was going to bring us a huge surprise.

Later, at a party with our friends, I fell asleep on the couch after drinking two caffeinated drinks.  One caffeinated drink is enough to have me wired for hours.  That should have clued me in.

The following day, as I watched the Rose Parade with my friend, I began sobbing again.  Sign #3. 

I began to suspect, but didn't believe it, because I wasn't nauseous.  Fast forward a few days later.  As the hyperemesis kicked in, there was no doubt our lives were about to change! I was so positive, I never even took a pregnancy test.

2013 in a nutshell:  8 months being sick every single day, Grant started a new job, Lexie turned 6, Lily turned 2, Liam entered our lives and introduced us to Down Syndrome, my heart grew approximately 10 times its normal size, we had a hospital stay with Liam, Dylan turned 9, and we adjusted easily to being a family of six.

2013 was the year of change, learning, and growth. 2013 brought a huge blessing into our lives. Liam made our lives better.

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2013 was so good to us and I am so thankful. I'm looking forward to a 2014 full of love, fun, and lots of time spent with those we love most!

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Saturday, December 21, 2013

October Recap

 I'm desperately trying to complete my 365 Project before the year is over!  I love the fact that I have pictures of each of my children every single day of their lives this year.  The amount of pictures can be overwhelming at times, but I love looking back to see what we did!


WEEK 40

October 1st

Typical day, followed by dinner at Amber's house.

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October 2nd

Lily, Liam, and I walked with Amber in the morning, and Jocie stopped by to visit in the afternoon. Lexie lost her first top tooth that night, and it left behind a root.  Thank goodness it fell off overnight!

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October 3rd

Stayed home all day!

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October 4th

I went to Lexie's school to have lunch with her and take her to the book fair.  We spent the afternoon and evening at my parent's house.

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October 5th

Our family participated in our first ever Dash for Down Syndrome.  This is going to be an annual event for us, and we can't wait to put together a big team for Liam next year! That evening, Dylan slept at Jack's house.

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October 6th

We spent the day visiting Grant's mom and Nannie.

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October 7th

Walked with Amber in the morning, and Lily squeezed a caterpillar and got the guts in her eye, which infected it...really disgusting!  I had a contact parent meeting that afternoon.

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Week 41

October 8th

We walked with Amber in the morning.

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October 9th

A free day!  Stayed home all day!

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October 10th

Lexie's tooth fell out in the middle of the night while she was sleeping!  Luckily, we found it in her bed! The kids had a pre-scheduled 2 hour delay, we had a big meeting with Early Intervention at our house for a complete evaluation of Liam, and that afternoon, Liam had a weight check.

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October 11th

Visited my parents that afternoon, went to Costco with my mom and the babies, and had dinner with my parents.

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October 12th

We had a fun afternoon at the pumpkin patch!  That evening, we went to Jocie's house for a party.

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October 13th

We had a lazy Sunday at home.  Grant's mom and brother stopped over to visit and watch the game.

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October 14th

No school for Dylan and Lexie!  That afternoon, we had a playdate at Soergel's Orchards with some moms and kids from a local DS facebook group I belong to.  It was nice connecting to moms in my area that have children with DS!  From there, we went to the dentist for Dylan and Lexie's exams and cleanings.

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Week 42

October 15th


That morning, we walked with Amber.



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October 16th


Woke up to great news that my blog post on What To Expect's website was featured on AOL's home page.  Went to Dylan's school to take him to the book fair.  Had Liam's first appointment at the Down Syndrome Clinic...which landed us in the hospital for his lack of weight gain!  We rushed home to pack things for everybody in the family.  My dad took Dylan, Lexie, and Lily to his house and Grant, Liam, and I headed to the hospital to be admitted.


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October 17th


Spent the entire day in the hospital. Lots of tests and consults. Liam was taken to the OR that afternoon for a scope.  It was the first time one of our children had to be put under anesthesia, and it was so scary for us.  We were so grateful for Amber's company and support while we were there, and for the distraction of my friend, Steph, having her baby. Sweet Violet arrived on her due date! Luckily, everything went smoothly, but he had to spend another night at the hospital. I didn't get to see Dylan, Lexie, and Lily at all that day.  Looking back at this picture, 2 months later, brings back all the feelings of that day, and the immense relief I felt when I saw him after he got out of the OR.

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October 18th

Most of the day was spent in the hospital, with more consults and testing. They released Liam that night.  We stopped at the pharmacy, then had dinner out with Grant's family before returning home to our very eager kids!  They missed us so much!

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October 19th
We celebrated Logan's birthday with a party at Chuck E Cheese!

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October 20th

We went to Nannie's house for a visit that afternoon. We stopped at the cemetery on the way home, to visit Grant's dad's grave.

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October 21st

Took Liam for a weight check, hospital stay follow up, and 2 month appointment. Amber and her family took us to dinner at the Olive Garden.

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WEEK 43

October 22nd

I had to run a Halloween Party planning meeting at the library for Dylan's class.


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October 23rd


We had a meeting at our house with the therapy group we chose to set Liam's Early Intervention goals.

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October 24th

We spent the day at home!

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October 25th
Liam had his first session with his Occupational Therapist!  Within 5 minutes, she showed us a simple trick to get him to feed effectively! We visited my parents, went shopping with my mom, and had dinner at my parent's house.

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October 26th

Amber and I took the kids to our township's Halloween party, and Lily won the costume contest in her age division.  It was so cold outside!  We convinced the kids to leave early by bribing them with McDonald's!  That evening we went to Amber's house for a Halloween party that Grant was co-hosting with Rex.  We ended up spending the night.

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October 27th


I barely slept, so the girls, baby, and I left around 6 AM to go home.  We went back to bed for a few hours, then spent the day at home. Grant's mom, brother, and his brother's girlfriend and son came over for the game, and we celebrated Grant's mom's birthday!

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October 28th

Liam had a weight check that morning. He finally reached...and passed...his birth weight!  7 lbs 12 oz!!! Afterward, we ran errands. That evening, we picked up Amber and Jack and went trick or treating at our local high school.

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WEEK 44

October 29th

Liam had an OT session that morning, then we ran some errands.

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October 30th


Dylan's Halloween Party at school was that afternoon.  That was the party I was chosen to organize and go to. It was a lot of fun!  He was able to leave with me after the party, and we picked Lexie up before heading home. That night we baked cookies and carved our pumpkins!

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October 31st

Happy Halloween!  I had a photo session/playdate with Steph that afternoon.  That evening, we went trick or treating in Grant's mom's neighborhood.  It was a crappy night, so we only lasted around 45 minutes!

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November 1st


The kids had a pre-scheduled 2 hour delay, which was really nice!  After they went to school, I picked up Amber, and we went Halloween clearance shopping and stopped at Starbucks.  It has become our tradition!  That afternoon and evening, we went to my parent's house.

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November 2nd
My Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill stopped by to meet Liam and drop off a bunch of baby clothes they purchased for him.  It was so nice to see them!  That evening, we went to Jocie's house to hang out.

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November 3rd

We visited Grant's mom and Nannie at Nannie's house. 

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November 4th
Took Liam to his weight check appointment, ran into Amber at the building the doctor's office is in, so she came with us to exchange some clothes at Macy's and go out to lunch. Stopped at the grocery store on the way home. That evening, my sister, Andrea, came by with Brady, Brandon, and Aubrey for a quick visit.  The kids were so excited to play with their cousins while I visited with Annie!

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It was a good month!