Why 31 for 21?

31 for 21...I'm not sure I explained this very well a couple of days ago. October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month (31 days). And of course, Down syndrome is a third copy of the 21st chromosome. Medically, Ds is called T21 or Trisomy 21.

Why am I taking the time to do this blogging challenge? Trust me, it is NOT that I don't have anything else to do. :-)  But, I hope to raise awareness about Ds and also educate folks about Ds. Also, it is because of this 31 for 21 challenge that I learned about Ds from other bloggers and God began to prepare my heart for adopting these two precious boys.  Here is what I shared last year about the challenge, and Michelle's blogging. (Last year, I shared a Ds fact and also a blog about Ds almost everyday.)

Posted October 3, 2011 -
Blog about Ds:  http://www.zoromski.blogspot.com/  I've known Michelle since at least 2005 I think - long before I really even knew what a blog was. After Ruby and Lydia were born w/ Ds in 2007, she started a blog chronicling their journey. She posted TODAY about her story where she now has 3 daughters with Ds. Go ahead and read it. I'll wait. :-)  Little did Michelle or I know at the time, but she was educating me about Down syndrome - taking the "fear" away. Much of what I learned about Ds came through her 31 for 21 blogging challenges over the years.

I very strongly believe that Elijah and Jonathan would not be here right now if it weren't for Michelle's blogging. I'm forever deeply grateful for her dedication to sharing about her life, Ruby's life, and now Lilya's life. See, she educated me about Ds, and then opened my eyes to the plight of orphans in EE that have Ds. NEVER EVER did I picture myself adopting a child with Ds. Never. Until one night I was looking at the RR site and God....God said "Go."  And we obeyed. God gets ALL of the glory for that. He worked it out through His perfect timing. HE IS AMAZING!  If you want the really long version of that story, you can read part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE. Wow, what a trip down memory lane rereading those posts. Seems like an eternity ago, but really only just over a year.


As I was preparing this, Sarah and I were talking about how many orphans are now HOME with their forever families because of Ruby, Lydia, and Lily. I believe only God could have orchestrated this ripple effect...I come up with at least NINE off the top of my head - directly or indirectly. That's not counting the farther reaching effects that we don't know about. Of course there are other factors and God gets ALL the glory, but it is still fun to think about. And you know what, God's not done yet!

Well, I guess this post about Ds has turned into an adoption post. I can't separate them. And that's ok! :-)

Triple Trouble and DS Walk Saturday

The 3rd Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk for the Fox Cities will be held this Saturday!  We are very excited about it (even though the weather forecast is crummy). The kids have had a blast the past 2 years. And of course, it is a wonderful way to raise awareness for Down syndrome. If you are local, we would love to have you join us. you can click HERE to register. Find our team called "Triple Trouble". If you can't make it but would like to support our awesome local Ds support group, please see the donation box at the top of my sidebar. Thanks so much for your support! Preregistration closes at noon on Wed to be guaranteed a t-shirt. Registration is available at the walk.

(You can see photos from last year's walk here.)

"Triple Trouble"...why did we name our team "Triple Trouble"?

This might give you a hint...

(By the way, these were the best out of 110 photos!!! Can you tell on the last 2 photos that I had gotten the iPad out? It got the big boys' attention, but then Elijah got VERY mad he couldn't have it and we were done...)

Yep, it's Carter, Jonathan and Elijah! (We were going to name our team the "Cranky 'krainians" but thought better of it...for this year. :-)

31 for 21 and Cardiologist Update

Well, I'm attempting it again - blogging everyday in the month of October to help raise awareness for T21 or Down syndrome. I'll write a bit more tomorrow about why I'm doing this challenge and how it has helped me in the past. Most posts may be short and sweet but it's still an improvement from my lack luster blogging as of late.

Today, Jonathan had his one-year 14 month check-up for his heart.  When he got home last summer, his heart was checked since he was listed as needing "urgent heart surgery".  We continue to praise God for His healing touch that surgery was not necessary! Last summer, he was diagnosed with a small PDA and a bit larger than normal PFO.  Today, however, his PDA is too small to small to worry about and his PFO has shrunk too. Praise God! Dr. F doesn't want to see him until he turns four years old.  He said if he didn't have Down syndrome, he would release him now. But since he does, he will follow up in two years and then most likely release him. YAY!!!!  (For more information on what a PDA and PFO are, check out my post from last summer.)


Grab This Button

Flames...

I just had to share this. A friend sent me the link for this blog article last night. I can not get it out of my mind...It was written by a mother of 10, soon to be 11 Lord willing. Six biological children and four adopted, soon to be five. I think you'll get the analogy...May the Lord's Will be done in EACH of our lives.

http://redemptionwhispers.blogspot.com/2012/09/flames.html

Help Bring Maxim Home!!!

This is Maxim!!!  He is a very special little boy and has a wonderful family working very, very hard to bring him home ASAP.  Maxim is special to me for several different reasons, most of which I can't really share here. But one reason is that he shares a name with our amazing friend, Max, who has an awesome ministry helping the hopeless of his country. 

Anyway, Maxim's mom, Stephanie, is hosting a blog auction HERE.  You know how much I enjoy blog auctions! :-)  Many, many wonderful things have been donated and some even have no bids! I strongly encourage you to go check it out, bid on an item (super simple, just leave a comment with your bid and email), and help bring this very special boy home. Stephanie was hoping to raise $12,000 during this auction, but unfortunately, it is well short of that right now. Please go and help! Thanks so much for your consideration. Oh, don't wait too long as the auction ends tomorrow night at 10pm CST!

Happy 5th Birthday, Elijah!!!

Yes, Elijah is 5 years old! I can hardly believe it! Yesterday, we had a very small birthday party with grandparents. And today, Elijah and I skyped with "Mama Tanya" and "Papa Igor", his biological parents. What an incredible blessing that was! I'm so thrilled we are able to have contact with his parents. Elijah was so cute...I definitely think he remembers his parents. He was giving Mama Tanya kisses on the computer monitor. :-) We also got to say hello to his grandpa and grandma. We are very blessed indeed. He showed them the sign for "I love you" and mama and papa. I was trying to get him to count to 5, name his colors, and  say his ABCs but he doesn't like to "show off" you know.  LOL

Often adoptive parents are sad their adopted child never celebrated any birthdays in the orphanage - their birthday was just like any other day. I was thrilled last year when Mama Tanya told us they visited Elijah every year on his birthday and brought in treats for the entire grouppa! Yay!!! So not only did Elijah get treats...

but Shea did...



and maybe even Gideon did too!  (Gideon was only allowed to participate in grouppa "parties" on a very limited basis though. :-( )


Elijah was/is loved by his bio parents and I'm forever grateful for their willingness to list Elijah for international adoption!

Sarah did a wonderful post about Elijah's birthday too. http://matthew18vs14.blogspot.com/2012/09/happy-birthday-elijah.html  She included a lot of pictures from our recent trip to Bay Beach amusement park (that I have not blogged yet...will I ever catch up? Doubtful!) But let me tell you...Elijah is a total thrill seeker!  On the Tilt-a-whirl, he had his hands in the air, laughing hysterically. At the end of every ride, I had to peel him out as he kept signing and saying "More! More!" :-)

I hope you enjoy some photos from Elijah's birthday party yesterday.

Anna made and decorated the cake for me! She did a great job!

He couldn't wait until the end of the song to blow his candles out. How fun the candles were for him! Every time he hears the "Happy Birthday" song, he blows hard then claps "Yay!" Very cute!

Can you believe it??? I have two five-year olds - well for about 6 weeks anyway!
(I also have two two-year olds! :-)) 

Fun monkey card!

And this...from "Auntie Crackers" and PD.......
hmmm....I think that Auntie Crackers needs one of these at HER house for grandson, Carter!
I put clear tape over the speaker and that helped...a little...
I must say Elijah really likes it though...

Alphabet toy from Grandma and Grandpa
I love Leap Frog toys!

Elijah was giving us a concert. Rachel insisted on helping...

Happy Birthday Elijah! We love you so very much and are so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for being who you are! You have taught us so much!

(I'll try to post a complete update on Elijah's growth, health, and development after his 5 year check up on Friday.)

Homeschool Family Camp

We spent this past weekend at Homeschool Family Camp up at Silver Birch Ranch. This was our first year going, and we had lots of fun! Here are some pictures we took during the weekend (we didn't take very many!) -

Miss Rachel on the way there

Love this face!

Rebekah horseback riding

While waiting for his turn to ride, Elijah was kissing and petting the dog, Copper.

This was the closest to a smile we got with the camera, but he LOVED it! I (Sarah) had to try and guess what he was saying instead of relying on his signing, as he couldn't sign while hanging on! (He was saying "more horse", and "fun"!)

Dad ziplining - he is scared of heights so it was surprising when he landed smiling and wanted to do it again! Isaac and I (Sarah) also did it, and we enjoyed it also. It definitely is NOT as scary as it looks. But then again, the other "rides" I've been on in the past few weeks are roller coasters with 200 ft drops, so it wasn't much in comparison! ;)

Here's a vid -

Rachel waiting some-what patiently for her turn, and Jonathan wanting his nap (2 fingers in the mouth - his nuk).

Paco!

Rachel riding! She wasn't as excited as Elijah but she still enjoyed it!

In addition to horseback riding (Anna and I rode too, but no pictures), we enjoyed mini-golf, swimming, ga-ga ball, basketball, folk dancing, great food, wonderful teaching from Dave Wager, fellowship with other homeschool families with the same beliefs as us, and much more! We also got to share with several people about the plight of orphans, and our story.

We had a wonderful weekend, we are looking forward to next year!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST UPDATES

See last post... PLEASE PRAY FRIENDS!!!!

Reposted from here:

KEEP PRAYING!!!! SELAH IS STILL FIGHTING FOR HER VERY LIFE!!!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Friday morning-
Since adopting the girls, I've told my husband over and over again that I have NEVER been happier or more content in my life. Our house and arms were full and there was just so much love and peace...they were meant to be with us and fit in perfectly. I've loved having the respondsibility for their lives and have been thrilled to go to all the doctors & specialists to improve their health and well being. It's been a HONOR to take care of them, even to changing their diapers:) (yes they both still wear diapers along with Sam) I love dressing them in cute NEW clothes (after all the insituions clothing) I've loved seeing their hair grow longer and have managed to give some bows in Selahs hair a little:) I've thought so many times of the long road it was to bring them into our life and the long road they walked alone before they had a family, but God intersected our paths please keep praying

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Friday morning-
UPDATE! Overnight Selah stayed about the same, her blood pressures seem to be more stable but her heart rate is still not coming down to a more normal range. Please pray that her heart rate will come down to 60-100 beats a minute. She is at about 150...again thank you all for your prayers, I've never seen or heard of anything like the support and prayers we are getting! Thank you for bringing Selah's name to God's throne continuously. Keep praying ! We have no hope except in God!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 12am Friday morning-
I want all of you to know, I am shattered, heartbroken and helpless. I shake off and on throughout the day (literally uncontrolably) I don't know what tonight holds much less tomorrow but I still TRUST my Savior no matter where He leads... I am not bitter at all and thank God for the deep peace that comes from him. That doesn't mean I'm calm nor does that mean I'm not anixous...I am ! I can't even sleep although I only slept 2-3 hours last night but I still trust Jesus NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!!!!! So no matter what you are going through tonight, I can tell you Jesus can walk with you through it!!! I can truly testify to that! I am weak, and barely can type becaues I am shaking from stress, fear, heartache but I HOLD to Jesus' hand no matter what comes.... "where else can I go but to the Lord?"

UPDATE from Yvonne around 11pm Thursday night- 

Yvonne has posted a detailed update on her blog - Please go read it here - UPDATE!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Thursday night-

Update...Selah's heart rate is staying too high, pray for it to come down to normal, not a good sign. Also pray that her blood pressure remains stable it's going up & coming down, it needs to stay around 120/80, Her blood sugar went really low (40) & she had to be given some extra sugar. Pray that God will heal our little sweet LaLa & give her back to us whole. Hug your kids and don't take a day for granted...you don't know what can happen! Cherish the moment!

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Thursday night-

Ronald McDonald House of Rochester NY is so wondrful to us. They have provided a room in the hospital for us to sleep/take a shower in. I can't say enough about their support of our family! It's been like this everytime we've come up and they have just met our needs in such a pracital way. I'm in the room now, going to try and sleep since I didn't really sleep last night at all. Tomorrow my sweet bro in law Jim Clanton is flying up to be with us. Thank you again for all your prayers, please cover us and Selah, this is so hard....

UPDATE from Yvonne around 5:30pm Thursday evening- 

Update...Sam is completely back to normal but they are keeping him till tomorrow. Selah is still fighting! The doctor that told us yesterday that she would not make it at all said today that she may make it but will not be "Selah" meaning she has so much brain damage... We need PRAYER! Pray that her heart rate will come down to a normal level of 60-100, she is at 150 and pray that she will take more breathes on her own. Pray that she will not get any infections or fevers. Please pray for our sweet girl and for the rest of the family

UPDATE from Yvonne around 7am Thursday morning - 

Thank you all for your prayers....PLEASE keep praying...Selah's heart rate is up (not good) and she is taking less breaths on her own....we need your prayers....please please pray for her like she was your little girl!!! This morning my hope is all gone but I am thankful that you all can hold us up to the Father...

UPDATE from Yvonne around 11pm Wednesday night - 

Looking on FB and post after post after post is asking for prayer for my family....thank you so so much! They are calling the hospital where a friend's son had a near drowning and talking to them. The protcal is different then here and different than the study but he survived....

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm Wednesday night-

Thank you all for the wonderful messages of FAITH! I read through all of them, with tears running down my face. We need you all to hold us up to the Father. We are devasted and have been given no hope. Jon is heartbroken....please pray for our family...we are crying out to God but are in the middle of this and it is hard.... Selah is stable and takes a few breathes on her own & has a little response in her pupils but they still do not expect her to live. We are trusting in God and God alone right now.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!

(Repost from Sarah's blog)

UPDATE from Yvonne around 10pm -

Thank you all for the wonderful messages of FAITH! I read through all of them, with tears running down my face. We need you all to hold us up to the Father. We are devasted and have been given no hope. Jon is heartbroken....please pray for our family...we are crying out to God but are in the middle of this and it is hard.... Selah is stable and takes a few breathes on her own & has a little response in her pupils but they still do not expect her to live. We are trusting in God and God alone right now.

This is the Clanton family. They adopted two girls from Ukraine eariler this year, and Yvonne is a dear friend of mine.

This is Yvonne's facebook post from today -

PLEASE PRAY!!! If you've not heard, we've had a terrible accident. Jon took Sam and Selah on a walk on the Erie Canal before lunch today. He stopped for a minute on a level surface, to lost control of the stroller & the stroller rolled into the Erie Canal. Jon jumped into the canal right after them. He was able to hold the stroller up & fought against the current pulling him and the stroller down. He couldnt' get the kids' unhooked but was able to pull them up some and evidently got Sam's head up. Someone jumped in and took him out and Jon and another lady pulled up the stroller so they could do rescue breathing on Selah until the EMTs got there. The Erie Canal is very deep, cold, and strong currents...the sides are cement with nothing to hold to... Sam is ok, put is being kept overnight since his body temp went down to 90 degrees. At this point Selah is not expected to live...our hearts are broken. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH!!! We love her so much and have loved being her parents. We are asking God for mercy! She is on life support, currently she is in a study ( the only hope they could give us) The study is to keep her temp at a certain lower than normal point with the hope that could help. But they still give us no real hope and even if she should live, they feel she won't be "Selah" anymore. Please pray that God will give us a miracle for our little girl!!!!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH AND HER FAMILY AND SPREAD THE WORD TO RALLY MORE PRAYERS!!!

If you are not friends with Yvonne on facebook, feel free to leave a message for them here in the comments and I will make sure it gets to them!

Finally...One Year Ago Today - HOME!!!

Ok, well...it is quite a bit past July 9th.  It's my fault I didn't get the photos picked out for Sarah to use to make this awesome video for me. And then after she got it done, I didn't take the time to post it.

Anyway, I do hope you will take a few minutes (8 min and 20 sec actually) to watch this wonderful video Sarah so lovingly put together for her littlest brother. If you don't have that much time, skip ahead to about 7:20 to see some recent FUN videos of Jonathan. Since those videos were taken a couple weeks ago, he has greatly improved his walking skills and walks all of the time now. He has also become quite the little monkey boy too. Today alone we plucked him off the top of one of the school desks and my bed! Then he got half way up one of the stools that Elijah has never been able to get up on.  This child is going to give me a lot more gray hair! :-) But to think a year ago, he was just starting to sit up on his own. Amazing!!!

Enjoy the video! A HUGE thank you to Ashley again for taking our homecoming photos at the airport. We are so very grateful to all of you that have supported us throughout Jonathan's journey home. We love you all! To God be the Glory!