The Anderson Jungle

&%$# Happens!

2010-06-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Well you think by my 3rd child that I would know better. For those of you who have not had kiddos yet or who are just starting out with your 1st let me give you a piece of advice. Bathing immediately after eating is NOT a good idea! Even if you are rushed and you are behind on the bedtime routine. Aaron had his first (and I hope only) poopie in the bath experience tonight. The grossest part was the fact that the mermaid Barbies were also in the tub. Aaron thought it was so hilarious that when I finally got everything (including him) cleaned up he decided to tee-tee all over me :) I'll be up doing laundry, showering and sanitizing bath toys if anyone needs me!

New Beginnings

2010-06-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well we are all settled in the home we are renting in River Chase. I use the term settled loosely! Moving with three kiddos was challenging but we are most of the way unpacked and organized. Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way. I have said this before but we would not survive without the love and support of our family and friends! We look forward to what the next chapter has in store for us. Abby has been in town for two weeks helping us to get organized, spending time with her nieces and nephew and having some fun along the way too!!! She is an amazing person with a heart of gold and a fabulous spirit. While she was here we did a family pic - Enjoy!

Customer Service!

2010-05-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Shayne and Jeff are known for going above and beyond but check out this customer service! Friday they had a "warranty" call from one of their new homeowners...

Calendar Boy

2010-05-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Down Syndrome Association provides education, support and resources to individuals with Down Syndrome, their families, professionals, and the community while building public awareness and acceptance of the abilities of individuals with Down Syndrome.

In an effort to raise money to support these efforts the DSA sells calendars each year. We were chosen for the 2011 calendar and were awarded a free photo shoot with Angela Lynn Portraits. This is the picture that will be submitted to the calendar. Once printed it will be in black and white with a touch of color somewhere on the photo.
I am sorry - but how stinkin' cute is Aaron? He could be anywhere in the calendar from a thumbnail portrait to a month to a cover. We are shooting for at least a "travel" month but he is way to cute for a thumbnail!!!! I will, of course, let everyone know where he ends up and when the calendar are on sale!

2010-05-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

We're Baaaaaack!
Have you missed updates from the Anderson Family? Well I don't call the blog "The Anderson Jungle" for no reason! Things have been more than crazy so to get back to blogging I am catching everyone up in a sort of Christmas letter format. Here goes:

Girls participating in "Crazy Hat Day" at First Protestant School

Aaron with his 1st Blubonnet Picture.

Anderson kiddos playing in the Blubonnets

Kiddos with Abby at Clark and Jessa's wedding in February.

Family News - WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! PRAISE GOD! An incredible women purchased our beautiful home and is moving in this summer with her 8 dogs! She has been kind and generous and we know she will have an amazing life here. She has started construction on a pool and fence so it is fun to see the "finished" product. We will be renting a home in River Chase starting May29th. This is our 8th move in almost 10 years of marriage so while we are super efficient at the whole packing thing we are glad to be taking steps to simplify our life and look towards settling down in the near future. We had an eventful Winter/Spring....Ashlyn and Aaron were hospitalized for RSV at the end of January for a week. We have had countless doctor follow ups and specialist appointments for Aaron's hearing, etc. Thankfully everyone is now healthy and happy and our appointments are settling down for the summer.

Shayne - The man of the Anderson Haus is as busy as ever. Anderson-Jenkins is cranking out gorgeous homes! They have 14 on the ground as we speak. It is such a blessing that the business is booming and Shayne and I often ask why we have been so favored? He recently got to sneak away to the Devils River for a weekend getaway but hasn't had time for much excitement outside of our busy lives and 3 kiddos!

Steph - I am still in limbo land but things are slowly moving forward. There are some job prospects in the near future and if those do not pan out I am looking at furthering my education. These are some exciting times as I wait to see what direction I am led. I took Aaron to Seattle for Aubrey's wedding and we had so much fun visiting with family and friends. I am looking forward to some time with the college girls this weekend and then planning on a "relaxing" summer of Schlitterbahn, "lazy" days by the pool, and some time to just sit and play with the kids. I am gearing up with the Hunstman's Ball - benefiting the ACS again this year. I am co-chairing catering with an amazing friend so that will be fun AND we are launching the 1st annual Hoot & Holler - benefiting the Down Syndrome Association. It is going to be this fall and a ton of fun but planning a large event can be a bit overwhelming! I will update the page once more details are available!!!

Allie - Our oldest is certainly growing up. It is no secret she has been our biggest challenge, but she is growing into a little girl, full of love, wonder, and spirit! She graduates from Pre-K on the 21st and will be starting Kindergarten in August. She has gone from telling me "I AM NOT going to Kindergarten" to now wanting to ride the bus so we are definitely making some progress! We had a combined Birthday party for her and Ashlyn this year complete with Petting Zoo and she is holding on tightly to the fact that she is 5! Allie shares a special bond with Aaron and prides herself on "helping" him.

Ashlyn - Well Ashlyn is now 4 and so far that is consistently the toughest age in the Anderson household! She is beginning to exercise her independence and is having trouble with Allie bossing her around. She is caught between wanting to be a big girl and still wanting to be a baby, BUT she still wants to do everything exactly how Allie is doing it! She is fiercely addicted to chocolate and is fervently avoiding any type of vegetable. She beats to her own drum and we all wish we could hear the music and dance along with her!

Aaron - Our little man is almost one! He is such an amazing person who just reaches in and grabs the heart of everyone he meets. He has had quite the respiratory season and I think I own at least one patient room at New Braunfels Pediatrics! Other than that, though, he is completely healthy. It is quite the blessing! We were even able to cancel an appointment with the Endocrinologist because his thyroid levels have corrected themselves. His hearing is great and his vision is great so we just keep thanking GOD and monitoring his positive progress. Aaron says mama, dada and shows delight if you say the word Milk (or anything that sounds like Milk!). He loves to clap and grin at people. If you are anywhere near us be prepared to give him attention because he will stare you down until he gets you to smile at him! He is playing with toys and really wants to walk. He is not so much into the idea of crawling. He sort of gets himself into a yoga tee pee position and then gets frustrated because he can't get anywhere. He is very close to mastering movement and then my life will be officially over! Aaron has been in Kindermusik (with mommy) which he loves and we are doing swim lessons this summer (also with mommy). He is still seeing a PT through ECI and we have scheduled a speech eval. We are trying to stay on top of his development to give him the very best start in life.

All in all we are doing well and have no complaints. We are thankful to have our amazing support group! I look forward to updating the blog and keeping in touch better....

Hugs :)

Steph

I WANT my Paci!

2009-12-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

So today we had a big moment for Aaron. He was a bit fussy at nap time and he does this weird whining moaning thing to put himself to sleep. It doesn't bother me - he is a great sleeper and if that is the way he starts to snooze then fine by me. I could tell the A/C repairman was a little creeped out though. He obviously could not concentrate on balancing our system until I took care of the moaner. I carried Aaron into the kitchen to see if I could find a paci. I found an unopened package of 2 and proceeded to prop Aaron up in a sitting position supported by my chest while we opened the package together. He grabbed the package with both hands and once the package was opened he grabbed the paci and put it right in his mouth!!! Then he sucked on it until he fell asleep WITHOUT me holding it! Now this is not an event I even remember happening with my girls. It seems like they started doing this at birth BUT with our little man we celebrate every milestone. Before Aaron, I had no idea how much muscle coordination and cognitive skills it took to actually lift a paci and put it in your mouth. Not to mention the muscle tone required to actually keep the paci in your mouth without your protruding tongue kicking it out of the way. So you go Aaron! I have never been so proud of anyone sucking a pacifier before. Now - let's hope he does not form a habit:)

Santa Sighting

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

We attended Wimberley Market Days as a family and happened to run into the Big Jolly Man himself! This is the VERY first year that Allie went and sat on his lap willingly. She whispered that she wanted a Barbie for Christmas and could not stop grinning. Where were Ashlyn and Aaron you might ask? Aaron was fast asleep in the stroller and I was not about to wake him up for a Santa Sighting and Ashlyn was tucked neatly between my legs. She was yelling at Santa that she wanted a Barbie too but she was not moving ANY closer!

Aaron is 6 Months Old!

2009-12-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

I know - I can hardly believe it either! He is getting so big - so fast and time is just flying. Sometimes I wish I could pause the clock for awhile and at least get caught up or relish in every special moment. Aaron's check up went well. He is thriving, weighing in at 18.5 pounds and 27.5 inches! Our little man ranks in the 75th percentile of typically developing kids and is off the charts on the Down Syndrome Growth Chart. We are still meeting with Gayla, for developmental services through ECI and have now added Physical Therapy to his plan. He is doing well and seems to be staying on target for the important milestones. His only battle so far is the ears and we are meeting with an ENT tomorrow. He is on his second ear infection already and we want to do everything we can to keep those ears clear for speech development. Aaron is quite possibly one of the happiest babies on earth. In fact we are never quite sure what to do when he cries. He loves smiling and laughing and just wants people to interact with him. He is beginning to develop his own little attitude and was sure to show it when he received his vaccines yesterday!

Please keep the prayers coming - they are working! Aaron is healthy and the rest of his family is doing pretty OK too :)

Blessings....

2009-12-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I have waited so long to post an update. Life just gets busy sometimes and with three little ones under 4 1/2 it seems a bit crazier at our household lately! As we pass through Thanksgiving on our way to Christmas I am reminded of just how many blessings we have in our lives. We are married to the love of our lives, have three amazing children, are surrounded by an incredible group of friends and family, have food every night on our table and a very nice roof over our heads! Although 2009 has been extremely challenging and we have had some difficult situations to swallow, we find great happiness in every one of our blessings :)

Since October 9th (my last post), we have had a ton of fun! We took our very first Anderson Family Vacation to Port Aransas and I got to go to the So You Think You Dance Tour with some girlfriends. We celebrated Wurstfest (more food on a stick), Halloween, many friends Birthday Parties (both young and old), the Downtown Tree Lighting and Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures to get everyone up to date. Enjoy!

Shayne and his kiddos at Port Royal

Steph and the kiddos on the boardwalk after our late night walk on the beach

Aaron's first "dip" in the ocean - Not sure if he really likes it!!

Our two "princesses" dressed and ready to trick or treat

Aaron is VERY happy to be a puppy dog - just wait until he learns about the candy!!!

Shayne and Allie on the Merry Go Round at Wurstfest

Two sisters enjoying the Thanksgiving chapel and lunch with parents at school

Allie, Hannah (10), and Ashlyn at the Tree Lighting

Grandpa and Shayne helping the girls to get a good view of SANTA!!!!

Out Thanksgiving Feast - we sure enjoyed the company and the food! (Mary Ann is taking the photo)

Little Man Update!

2009-10-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Aaron Shayne is 4 months old! At his Checkup he was 25 3/4 long and 16 lbs 15 oz. He is a chunk! He is around the 75th percentile of typically developing kiddos and 95th percentile of kiddos with Down's. He continues to develop well. We had some poopie issues we are resolving with a little bit of Apple juice and we are working on Aaron using his upper arms a bit more. He is not real interested in grabbing a toy - but will happily play with it if you hand it to him! We could not be more pleased with his progress and continue to be blessed with his good health. He is off the nebulizer for now and the cold is gone so we will continue to pray for his health and well-being through this nasty flu season!

Aaron was able to start cereal which was an exciting event for the Anderson household! Here is his first bite....

Not sure if he likes it.....

Of course, Allie and Ashlyn had to get in on the action. They think it is so cool that he is eating "real food" now!

Shayne and I attended our first Down Syndrome Support Group Meeting. It was not quite what we expected but definitely had some good information. We left feeling a bit overwhelmed at the amount of information we still need to learn and at how this diagnosis is life-changing for our family. It is very easy to live in the moment but the diagnosis becomes quite overwhelming as we look beyond the baby stages. We believe that Aaron is going to grow up to make a difference in this world. I am just now able to read about Down Syndrome without crying so I am going to begin to take in as much information as I can so Shayne and I can help Aaron reach his true potential. Continued thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and support. Please keep it coming. We are so blessed but realize the road has only just begun :)

OctoberFest 2009

2009-10-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

We have a tradition with the Blackburn Family and the Jenkins Family to attend Octoberfest in Fredericksburg each year. This was our third annual trip and the kiddos had a great time once again! It's another event for food on a stick, cold beer and lots of fun for the little ones!

We borrowed Rilyn's hat for a picture with Aaron. I kind of think it makes him look like a gnome!

Ashlyn and Ella waiting patiently for the chicken dance!

Rilyn loves some Octoberfest!

This was a BIG year for Ella - her first adventures with Face Painting at Octoberfest! She loved it and looks beautiful!

Of course - all of the kiddos had to do it! Monkey see, Monkey Do!

Here is Landry as Batman!

Allie as a Rose Princess...

and Ashlyn as a Rainbow Kitty! What Else would she be?!

Even though it poured down rain - the kids managed to have fun in the sand - I mean mud!!!!

Our friend turns 3!

2009-10-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Some moments and pictures are just priceless! Ashlyn is giving Ella a great big Birthday hug from one 3 year old to another!

The Official Start to Food on a Stick Season in New Braunfels!

2009-10-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

The Comal County Fair kicks of our local eating on a stick season! Good food, cold beer and lots of fun for the kiddos. New Braunfels closes down for the Comal County Fair parade and Fair day(you cannot even go to the bank!) It is an awesome little fair and fun for the whole family.

Ashlyn is her parade at First Protestant School...

Allie in the First Protestant School parade. Doesn't she look excited?

A favorite - the pig ride at the fair!

This is what Aaron thinks of the fair - just wait until he can ride rides!

Daddy got to ride the horses this year - looks like fun for the whole family!

Last day of Schlitterbahn

2009-10-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

No...Schlitterbahn is not still Open. It closed for the season in mid-september; I am just a bit behind in posting the pictures! We will attend Schiltterbahn this Christmas season when they decorate the park with millions of lights and freeze one of the pools for ice-skating. You gotta love New Braunfels!

Allie, Ashlyn and Ella yelling "Schlitterbahn!!!!!!"

Ashlyn is all tired out....

I tried to be the healthy Mom!

2009-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Since I am currently at home I figured that I have no excuse not to focus on the health of my children. The girls are always hungry when I pick them up from pre-school so I pack carrots. I had to pack ranch dip also because this is the only way we get carrots into Ashlyn's hand. Little did I know, Ashlyn refused her nap that morning at school. She dived into the ranch with both hands, spread it all over her and then fell asleep. The next day I just took chips!

Aaron is Rolling Over!

2009-09-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Aaron has been trying to roll over for several weeks now and actually mastered it once and then stopped for about 2 weeks. Yesterday, September 10th was his big day. He can roll from his back to his belly over either his right or his left shoulder. This is a HUGE milestone for Aaron and one more reason for us to be so grateful for his progress. He is quite amazing. ECI gave me a growth chart and rolling over is in the 6-9 month section. In my "What to Expect the 1st Year" book, rolling over (one way) is in the "may possibly be able to do" section for the third month.
Go Aaron Go! Now we just need to work on him flipping the other way. Once he is on his tummy he gets mighty frustrated!

The stress of school pictures

2009-09-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

For some reason I did not realize that the stress of school pictures starts so early. I really thought I would not have to worry about these things until they were in at least Junior High, but no Allie wants to take a GOOD school picture NOW - in preschool. First of all they do pictures early. I had to have her there at 8am which is a stretch for us (Kindergarten is going to kill me next year!) Then Allie wanted to pick out her dress and actually asked me to iron it (How does she know what an iron is? We never use one!) Then we had the stringy hair dilemma and Allie solved the question by suggesting foam curlers. Strangely enough we have some so the girls got all dolled up for bed. Getting them to lie down on the curlers was a whole different story!

Get your Guns Up!

2009-09-11T09:35:00.001-07:00

September 5th was the opening day for Tech Football and the Anderson Clan was dressed and ready for the game! Aaron seems more excited about the ceiling fan that in participating in a Guns Up family Photo!

Celebrating the End of Summer

2009-09-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

We ventured out on "Grumpys" (that's what the kids call Shayne's Dad) deckboat on Canyon Lake to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of "food on a stick" season here in New Braunfels!

Aaron loves the boat. This year life jacket - next year waterskiing!!
Ashlyn and Hannah going for a ride. Ashlyn kept saying "Go a little bit fast now!"

Allie and Hannah in the tube. Allie did NOT want to go fast!

Sisters enjoying some fun in the sun...

WAIT LADIES..... He is TAKEN!

The "Yes I know I am WAY behind" update!

2009-08-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? July and now most of August have come and gone in a flash. There is much to tell so this will be a long post! We have been busy spending time with friends and family and enjoying all of what summer has to offer. Heat and More Heat! We have enjoyed Pontoon Weekend, a Sip and See for Aaron, a Trip to Dallas, Swimming lessons, A Weekend at the Lake, a Trip to Seattle, Aaron's 2 month Appointment and first Big Boy Bath and the girls going back to pre-school. The Anderson family is getting used to a family of five and happy to say we will begin settling into the school year. We are still hanging out in limbo land, waiting for the house to sell and to see if I will be heading back to work but we have faith that all will work out in the end. We just pray that the "end" is near. Of limbo land that is - not the real end :) OK - let the pictures and stories begin!

How big is Aaron? "So Big!" Aaron had his 2 month appointment on Aug 10th and gained 4 pounds and 3 inches in 1 month! WOW! He is 13.4 pounds and 24 1/4 inches. He is ranging 85% on the "normal kiddo" growth chart for height and is off the chart on the down syndrome growth chart.

We are so excited to see his growth. He is holding his head up and REALLY wants to roll over. If he could figure out how to get some momentum then he would be gone. We will be setting up an appointment with the Pediatric Ophthalmologist to get a baseline for Aaron's eyes. We have not seen any issues yet but it is part of his preventative care for the 1st year. We continue to be blessed with his health. We went to the Dr. with his 1st fever on Tuesday. I was certain he was going to have an ear infection. Children with down syndrome have an increased risk of ear infections because the ear canals can be narrow and small and can be blocked easily. His ears were clear though - just a case of mommy overreacting!

The Andersons and the Jenkins celebrating the 3rd year anniversary of Anderson-Jenkins Signature Homes, Ltd. It has been a WILD 3 year ride and the guys are doing great. Rebecca and I are so proud of their hard work and of the success of their business. And yes - that is a mexican martini in front of me - MY FAVORITE!!!!!

OK - Most of you know I am a wee bit crazy but I thought it would be fun to take 3 kids by myself to visit Dad, Ann and Abby in Washington. My reasons included the fact that it is roughly 30 degrees cooler in Seattle, Aaron had not met his Granny Annie and Grampy yet and my sister Abby was headed off to college. For those of you that remember Abby being the 4 year old that came to visit me at Tech - YES we are OLD! She has started school at Carol College in Helena, Montana and is majoring in nursing. We were able to visit with family, attend my great Aunts 95th birthday, see the Children's museum, go to the beach, pack Abby for school and have a ton of fun.

Here is our "row" on the plane. You should have seen people's eyes watching us and hoping we were not sitting next to them. Actually - the flight attendants were great and everyone was very helpful. No Aaron did not ride here - he sat in my lap :)

We had a few funny things happen. Aaron had a blowout as we were pulling away from the gate. Allie had to throw away a pair of panties in the airplane bathroom and Ashlyn got left at the top of an escalator because she would not step on the "machine." Other than that everyone did really good and were very well behaved.

Ashlyn and Allie roasting smores at Grampy's. Notice Allie in a sweatshirt - AWESOME!

The Everett Children's Museum was incredible and so much fun for the girls. To my New Braunfels friends - the Mckenna Museum is good - but this one blew it away!

Ashlyn milking a cow - it really worked!

My little farm girls - seems like they feel right at home!

Ashlyn on the bridge of the tree house looking for Allie

Allie in the cave looking for Ashlyn

Mommy and Aaron making wind chimes with the girls in the Art room at the Museum. Miraculously those did not make it back with us on the plane!

The museum had an amazing roof top playground. Here is Ashlyn playing hopscotch.

And Allie playing the Xylophone.

A view of the roof top playground - so cool!

Great Grandma Kate, Dad, myself and Aaron at Grandmas house.

One of my favorite places to go when I visit my Dad is Mukilteo. When I was little and stayed with Grandma and Grandpa I would always ask where Grandma was and Grandpa always replied, "she went to Mukilteo." I never thought the place was real. It is and it is a beautiful beach, boardwalk and playground with some great seafood at Ivars. This time we got fish and chips take out and had a picnic with the kiddos.

Here is Aaron under Granny Annie's Hat.

Allie and Ashlyn balancing on the drift wood logs

Mommy and Aaron in front of the Sound. I am in a sweatshirt in August!! Hallelujah!

Dad, myself and Aaron at the Logan's backyard BBQ.

We enjoyed our second Annual Lake weekend with Chris, Gena, Alyssa, Mom and Mike. It was fun, relaxing and great to visit with everyone. The kiddos had a blast. Allie even road on a jet ski!

Here is my adventuresome Mom riding a Jet Ski with Chris. Go Mom Go!

Alyssa, Ashlyn and Allie - catching some rays

The kiddos - hanging at the Lake House

OK - while we were in Seattle...Shayne with the help of Gregg installed an electric fence. Apparently our yard became the hang out of the baby cows. Ahhhhh cute. So cute except for when they eat the grass and leave behind cow presents!! My girls named these babies Allie Cow and Ashlyn cow - so creative!!!

Thank goodness for swimming lessons! At the end of July when the girls and I had seen enough of each other we had two weeks of fun in the pool! After the first day of lessons, Allie looked up at me and said "I still don't know how to swim!" Some people have no patience! The girls did great and learned a ton. They are both swimming under water now - as long as it is shallow!

The kiddos and I made the trip to Dallas to visit Andrea, Nicholas, Sophia and Marcus for Nick's birthday weekend. We had a great time and the little ones got a long well.

This is Ashlyn and Sophia eating at Mi Cocina at the Galleria.

Andrea and Aaron

The girls posing on the Galleria playground.

Lucy was very protective of baby Aaron. Only authorized adults are allowed near the baby!

Nicholas 6th Birthday Party! Allie and Ashlyn had so much fun at the Jump Zone that they want to have their parties there. Not at the jumping gym in New Braunfels, but at the Jump Zone in southlake - not sure how that is going to work!

Thank you to my Awesome hostesses for a beautiful Sip and See. It was so much fun showing off Baby Aaron and we received so many amazing gifts. Little Boys things are so much fun! From the Left: Rebecca Jenkins, Ann Byrd, Stephanie Anderson with Aaron, Heather Blackburn, Rebecca Greebon (with Emry in belly) and Casey Allen.

Aaron the "chick magnet" is 5 weeks old today!

2009-07-06T10:24:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

We had a BUSY 4th of July with lots of friends and family! We started with Aaron's 1st fourth of July picture with his sisters. Then we partied on the Guadalupe at Gregg and Rebecca's river house. We finished with fireworks at Aunt Noel's and had some VERY sleepy kiddos!

Aaron's first experience with "tubing" the Guadalupe! It was quite entertaining to watch the tubers get through the chutes!!! The girls were able to get in the water and fish with Daddy.

Shayne - enjoying a break from all of that River excitement! The boys did an Awesome Fish fry for about 50 people and I think he needed to cool off!

Allie, Ashlyn, Hannah, Aaron, Drew and Luke waiting patiently for the fireworks. Once they started we found out that you could actually NOT see the Landa Park fireworks from Aunt Noel's. They were completely blocked by a tree so the kiddos (with the exception of Aaron) hopped in the back of Shayne's truck to move closer to the action. I am not sure if they were more excited about seeing the fireworks or getting to ride in the back of a pick up!

One last wagon ride before heading home!

Grammy (Shayne's grandmother) meeting Aaron at our house.

Papa (my grandfather) was also able to meet Aaron over the Holiday at Mom's house!

We can count our blessings!

2009-07-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 30th we had a one month check up for Aaron. The goal was to make sure he is still growing and feeding well and to have a Q&A with our pediatrician now that the shock has subsided a bit. Dr. Rieger was kind enough to invite our family to attend so the Andersons, Griesings, Noel, Shayne and I crowded in the room to ask questions and feel better about Aaron's diagnoses.

Here are our blessings:

1)Aaron gained 1 pound in two weeks and 1/2 inch! Yea!! Feeding can be a big issue in Children with Down Syndrome and he is eating well.
2)Aaron's thyroid levels are normal
3)His platelet counts are normal
4)His digestive system seems to be working A-OK
5)We had previously learned that his heart is fantastic!
6)Aaron is lifting his head and focusing his eyes - everything a one month old should be doing.

I will be registering him with Early Childhood Intervention this week so we can get him started in therapy in the coming months. (thank you Rebecca G for your help and expertise!) We will begin testing his vision in the next few months and we will test his hearing and thyroid levels again at six months.

So far so good - please keep the prayers coming for this little guy. We are so VERY BLESSED to have such a large and wonderful group of friends and family. Everyone has been quick to offer support and to share experiences, tears and laughter. Together we will jump over this hurdle and give Aaron the best possible life that he can live!

A Necessary Fieldtrip

2009-06-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in New Braunfels is that there is so much to do! My sister, Abby, came in town Fathers Day weekend to meet her nephew. We had planned on staying home most of the long weekend since Aaron is so small.

WELL....we quickly realized that we were going to need to find alternate entertainment. As I was feeding Aaron, Abby ran inside and tells me that Ashlyn has decided to go #2 in the yard and then proceeded to smear it all over the white exterior stone. HUH?!!! I asked Ashlyn why she did it and she said "I dunno." Awesome. She is either bored or still mad that Aaron is not a girl!!

As I cleaned poop off of the wall we planned a trip to the Wildlife Ranch - something the kiddos would enjoy and we could do from the safety of our car.

One note: If you visit the Wildlife Ranch - I would splurge for the $3 guide that identifies each animal. Unless you are like Shayne and have a Wildlife and Fisheries Science Degree then you will not know most of them!

OK - maybe Ashlyn has a bathroom issue. Or maybe she is just 3. Of course, halfway through the Wildlife exhibit she announces she HAS TO GO POTTY RIGHT NOW! What am I supposed to do? There are clear signs everywhere to stay in your car. There are no bathrooms and I have no idea where we are in the exhibit. I might add when Ashlyn says she needs to go - she means in the next 30 seconds. Okay - so don't judge me but I happened to have a pullup in the diaper bag. We quickly changed into a pullup from panties and our problem was solved. I know - mother of the year, right?
Ashlyn LOVES animals and hung out of the vehicle through the entire park trying to get them to eat out of her hand!

Allie and Ashlyn scoping out the animal situation...

Abby feeds the Zebra and Ashlyn wonders if his head is too far in our vehicle. The Zebras were so cool but we quickly rolled up all of the windows when the Ostriches and Emus arrived. The ladies in our car did not like large pecking animals.

Zebras.......What Zebras?

Some Good News

2009-06-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 18th we had a cardiology appointment for Aaron. Congenital Heart defects affect 50% of kiddos with Down Syndrome and often lead to surgery. Praise God - Aaron's heart is perfect! Dr. Patel was amazing on the sonogram machine and it was actually quite fascinating to watch him view the heart and the blood flow. His exact words were "Aaron's heart looks fantastic!" This is such great news and a huge milestone for our little man.

Aaron's 1st BBQ

2009-06-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Aaron sleeps through his 1st BBQ at the Jenkins home!
Heather and Rilyn (8 months) with myself and Aaron. Aren't these kiddos adorable?!

The day that changed our life - June 15th

2009-06-23T20:11:00.001-07:00

Once Aaron was born hospital nurses began to notice markings that warranted a test for
Down Syndrome. This came as quite a shock to myself and Shayne. We had the quad screen that produced a negative result and had 5 ultrasounds and a completely normal pregnancy. There was absolutely no reason to suspect that there was anything wrong with our son.
The physician ordered a chromosomal test and we waited two weeks for the results. Despite his normal behavior and appearance we received the confirmation at his two week appointment. Aaron has Down Syndrome. I am still in shock as I write about this. It has been a very emotional week and a half and I do not see that changing any time soon. Shayne has been an amazing strength in our family and we would absolutely not be coping if it were not for the support of our close friends and family. We know that it is not a death sentence. We know that at some point we will look back and be thankful for this special gift. Right now, though, we feel heartbreak for our little boy who will have so very much to overcome in his life. We feel overwhelmed with the surprise of the news and the mountain of information to learn about his prognosis. Please pray for our strength as we adjust to the shock of the news and try to move forward. We have been told many times this week that God only gives you what you can handle. Did someone leave out the "on Zoloft" part of that saying? the Anderson family has had a rough 2009 so far and we are only 1/2 was through. We can only hope for some positive news in the coming days.

Welcome to the world Aaron Shayne!

2009-06-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Third time is a charm !I actually went into labor (thanks Ann and Kevin for the cooking!) and Aaron arrived 1 week ahead of schedule on June 1st. It was a super exciting middle of the night car ride to the hospital and Aaron arrived at 4:24am. He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.

Allie, Daddy and Ashlyn checking to see if we had a boy or a girl!

A proud Daddy and his perfect son!

Allie - Ashlyn Dance Recital 2009

2009-06-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting with the technology and starting a blog for our active and growing family!
The first post marks an end to the official school year and the beginning of summer and a
new era with Baby Brother Aaron. On June 6th the girls performed in their dance recital at
the Civic Center. They thought they were "so big." They got to wear big girl makeup and did
such a great job on stage. Thanks to Mom, Mike, Shayne, Noel and Hannah I was able to see the
dances even though I was 6 days postpardum!! Shayne has the "rose" tradition so Allie is pictured with 2 roses for her second recital and Ashlyn got one rose for her 1st. The roses actually made it home to save despite hitting each other on the head with them on the ride home!