CO Photos and Ben Update

Here's a long awaited blog update!  

We went to visit Grandma Bobbi and Grandpa Ed at the end of December!

Phillip shoveled the driveway!

Lots of time chillin'!

A walk with Grandma.  We didn't go far - it was COLD!

Paul thought shorts and t-shirt were a good idea for about 5 minutes.

We went to church together!

Snow fun with Uncle Dave and cousins!

Not the normal peace and quiet they were used to!

And here's a little Ben update:
 
We just got back from his 4month check-up with the pediatrician and Ben's doing just great (I didn't need the Dr. to tell me that).

He's just shy of 11 lbs which puts him solidly in the 30th percentile on the Down syndrome chart for weight. He's definitely outgrown all his 0-3 month onsies and sleepers - I love that he's growing well, it's just always sad to put away those tiny clothes! We're very pleased breastfeeding is trucking along and that he's so healthy! I'll have to do better about giving him more tummy time and "wearing" him more. With my other babies I purposely tried to DELAY their mobility (tummy time leads to rolling which leads to sitting which leads to crawling and no one wants that!) But Ben may actually need the help with muscle development that these activities can provide. He sure seems to be plenty strong, though, as we've noticed him trying to sit up lately (doing little mini crunches).

We all just love Ben and are so thankful God decided to bring him to this planet.

58 Seconds of Cute

Life is cruising along here in our busy, cozy and crazy home.  Ben is doing all the normal stuff a two-month-old baby does including smiling and cooing.  You know you want to see that:

I know he's going to have physical and mental delays of some sort, but we haven't seen any yet (other than still taking FOREVER to finish a meal!).  I also enjoy getting all the "oh what a cute baby" comments from people we meet, but in the back of my mind I know they can't tell he has Down syndrome yet.  But they're right, he sure is cute!

Quick Pic...

Sorry for the lack of pictures, etc. - just busy times around here!  But here's a shot of Ben working on smiling at me.  He likes me a lot :-)  I'll try to get some more bloggin' done one of these days...

Ben update

In our last installment I mentioned a renewed effort at breastfeeding Ben.  Well, I'm going to declare success!  Breastfeeding doesn't have to be perfect to be successful, right?  I'm more than willing to discuss the details with any of my girlfriends who'd like more info, but basically Ben's getting everything directly from me, no bottles!

yes, he's sleeping again, but I thought this one was cute w/ his tongue sticking out :-)

At his check-up with our pediatrician this morning his weight was not what I hoped, but the Dr. is satisfied.  Ben's still trucking along on the 25th percentile on the DS weight chart, so as long as he doesn't drop his ranking we'll be o.k.  He's messing plenty of diapers and has longer chunks of alert time during the day.  Ben seems content with his food intake so I have to be content with his tininess :-)

So, a big "Thanks" to everyone who encouraged us, prayed, and helped with tips and advice!  I have to say, shortly after bringing Ben home I would have bet against us getting this breastfeeding business worked out.  I'm surprised at how well he's doing at it!  And I actually don't think I would have been all that disappointed if we had to switch to formula.  There are millions of babies who are fed formula and grow up to be healthy, smart, fully functional human beings.  Bottles have benefits too, like being able to leave the baby with a sitter, letting Daddy do some of the feeding work, and mom not having to feel like she's part dairy cow for a year or more!  But I'm so enjoying Ben, settling into more of a "groove," and thankful for God's provision!

Baby Ben is one month old!

Eyes open!

He's still a tiny little guy, but has gained a whole pound since birth - now up to 7lbs 11oz.  This puts him somewhere around the 30th percentile on the Down syndrome growth chart.  He saw the cardiologist today and got a good report.  Just a tiny hole in his heart, but nothing that will cause any symptoms or require treatment.  I'm redoubling our efforts at breastfeeding -- I'd really like to switch him over from the bottles so I can stop using the dreaded pump!  All in all we're doing so well!  So thankful he's a healthy boy and a good sleeper at night.  Can't wait to start seeing smiles from this guy!

Ben at home

Big Sis 'n Ben

I don't feel quite as tired as I look

Paul likes having a little brother

Awake time (not!)

Benjamin Joseph Lowery

Here's how it all went down:

Wednesday morning we dropped off Phillip and Sarah at school then dropped off Ruth, Paul and Mary at our friend Christina Duran's house.  Russell and I got prepped at the hospital and Lila Nevins came to watch all the kids at the Duran's so that Christina could come watch the birth.  I remembered from Ruth's delivery that after she was born she had to go straight to the NICU, so I sent Russell with her and I was left all alone to recover from surgery with no way to know what was going on with the baby!  Same thing happened with Ben, so Christina was able to help keep me company, read me scripture, take pictures immediately after birth and pray with us before we went in.  She also got to share our excitement at that amazing moment of the birth of a new life on this earth.  A miracle - no matter which way a baby is delivered.

So then the hospital stay began.  I began pumping to start my milk supply and by Thursday morning I was up and around and eventually able to walk down to the NICU on my own.  I had an IV in the bend of my arm which made it really difficult to try nursing Ben.  I think my first attempt was Friday morning and he was able to latch on and suck for about 5 minuets.  This was very encouraging.  I tried to make it  down for as many feedings as possible, also trying to pump, eat meals, get my pain meds, and rest a little in between.  My Dr. would have discharged me Friday afternoon, but we didn't think Ben would be released to go home on Friday, so I opted to stay until Saturday.  Meanwhile, Ben was getting his platelets checked - they were 90k at birth, 97k on Thurs. and Friday, and 94k on Sat.  Healthy babies have platelet counts of at least 150k, but 90 was a lot better than Sarah's (under 10) and Ruth's (under 20).  He also got two echo-cardiograms and monitoring for biliruben -- we're following up with his Dr. tomorrow for the jaundice and the cardiologist in a month, but he didn't find anything concerning.

yes, I really looked that good! It had been a LONG night!

Daddy holding Ben in NICU on Friday

On Friday afternoon we got the go-ahead from the pediatric cardiologist and the NICU Dr. to discharge Ben!  However, I was already thinking we would stay until Sat., and I'd been moved to a private room (YES!), and I was appreciating the nurses support and assistance is trying to get Ben to nurse.  I wasn't quite ready to fly solo!

Saturday, Daddy, Ruth and Mary came to take us home.

The kids loved having Ben home!  He's a very sleepy boy and most of the time I have to wake him up to feed him.

***Breastfeeding info -- skip to the pics if you're not interested***  Right now I'm trying to get him to latch on at each feeding.  He's a good rooter and will sometimes latch on, but he doesn't do more than a couple sucks, looses interest, and goes back to sleep!  So then I feed him a bottle of what I've pumped (right now I'm just producing enough to keep up with each feeding).  Then I pump for about 30 min.  The whole process takes about 90 minuets from start to finish, which only leaves me 90 minuets to sleep, shower, eat, etc. until the whole process starts over again!  Exhausting!  So getting him breastfeeding, and quickly, is a huge priority.  I'll be contacting lactation support first thing Monday morning.  Any readers with good ideas here feel free to chime in.  ***ok, breastfeeding discussion over***

We like to name our kids after Biblical heroes of faith - men and women who are remembered for particular demonstrations of God's grace and providence.  We don't know much about the Benjamin of the Bible in this regard however, there is a Ben in our life who has been used by God.  When Russell was first made aware of his salvation the first Christian man he met was Mr. Ben Klafkee.  Ben invited Russell to a men's Bible study, took time to explain the scriptures to him and encouraged him in godliness.  Ben and his wife Trudy also took Russell to church with them every Sunday and had him over for lunch afterwards.  Ben loves God and let it overflow in word and deed in Russell's life.

We chose Joseph as a middle name because of the testimony of scripture in Genesis 50:20 where Joseph declares to his brothers: "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."  Many (most?) in the world today see Down syndrome as an evil that should be avoided or destroyed.  But we know that God rules sovereignly over all His creation, works all things for His glory and the good of those who love Him, and is not bound by our earthly views of evil, pain or disability.