So blessed!!

There are so many ways that I feel my life is blessed!

I have not always had it easy. I wont go into the boring details but I have struggled, been bullied, been alone, had to make very scary decisions that impacted my future and my child's future, and I've had to rely on God knowing that I could not possibly get through things alone.

Though I do realize I have never had it as hard as some. I do think everyone goes through their own unique challenges and mine are no different. I also think that the outcome of those challenges is greatly associated with our attitudes at dealing with them!!!

I have always had a tender spot in my heart for the things beyond this world. I have always be sensitive to spiritual things. I am easily brought to tears with the smallest things. I crave the comfort of feeling close to God. I vividly remember my mom telling me once as a young girl (maybe 8) that she felt I was special in some way, that Heavenly Father had a special purpose for me. I have remembered this often and think it has made me into the person I am today. I felt that confirmed when Macy was born. Raising her along with my other kids is divine work!! I don't know if he has more in store for me, but I hope so!

Well, today was a full circle day for me.

The LDS Temple in Calgary was dedicated my a Prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Prophet prays for all the people in Calgary; LDS or not. He is the greatest man on the planet today. Having him in Calgary is a huge blessing!!

Today is full circle for me because; things in my life could have gone so different many times and I would not be where I am today; with the understanding that I have of the purpose of this life and the next. I am forever grateful to know without a doubt that I am individually loved by God and Jesus Christ. Just as my kids are and you are. That doesn't mean they will intervene in my challenges, take my pain away or say YES to every prayerful request. I understand I am being tested, refined and being taught to rely on Him in ALL things. I also know that all men were created equal, but our challenges were not.

But, I feel truly blessed to have a temple not only close enough that I can go often, but to have a temple looking out over the city where I raise my kids is HUGE! There are so many LDS people all over the world that live so far from a temple and save for a lifetime to be able to go. The Temple for LDS members is the most sacred place on earth. A place we can go to feel close to God and to do special work for ourselves, our families and others.

My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is my most prized possession. Without it, I would be nothing, my family would be temporary and the world would not make sense to me!!!

TMI???

Warning: TMI coming your way!

Don't you hate when the doctor says, "Just slip your pants off and cover yourself with this sheet!"

Yikes, as I get older or maybe with the each new pregnancy, I get more modest and uncomfortable with this!! With my first I practically begged to be "checked" frequently so I could know if everything was okay or if I was dilated. Same with the second. Third was not so much anymore.

This time, I was hoping to get away with not doing that AT ALL!!! Too bad they have this stupid thing called group B strep :( 

Don't get me wrong, as soon as those painful contractions start coming, I am all for sharing with any of the hospital staff. Heck, the janitor could watch and I wouldn't care! I'd let in a whole class of students.

But until then...

So with that out of the way, I am 36 weeks 2 days today. I had Macy at 37 weeks 3 days. Kinda gets me happy thinking its coming real soon! The doctor doesn't think I will make it to 40 weeks. Barry thinks I will have the babe in 10 days. 

With all that in mind, I'm finally trying to get some stuff ready. I'll pack a hospital bag for the first time ever this time. I'm worried with Barry home with the three others, he'll be too overwhelmed to remember the little things that I may need. 

I giddy just getting it all into the diaper bag!!! Oh boy! I seriously LOVE new baby smell, baby breath, soft hair, wrinkly feet, the first moments of breastfeeding and feeling the beauty that being a mother is!! 

And I'm not going to lie, I am looking forward to at least one night alone in the hospital with the baby!!!

Invisible, Special, and Pride

There are a few things that I do worry about with Macy... Some may come as a shock, some may not.

These aren't the typical worries. Because of my beliefs, I know without a double that Macy's future is bright!
I know that she she will struggle in life as she grows and I will have to watch her closely and protect her, but these are some of the things I worry most about.

Macy becoming Invisible-

I am sure you have all seen an adult with Down Syndrome as you go about your lives. On many of those occasions, people keep their distance. They make wide distance between themselves and that individual. Or they simply ignore them. I have never had a single negative comment about Macy, but she is still young and cute and charismatic! She is a charmer. I fear that as she grows older and into adulthood, she will slowly become "that lady with Down Syndrome" or simply "invisible, ignored, shunned to the side."

Treated "Special"-

Out of compassion and doing what they think is best, many people think those with special needs need to be treated "special." I feel like everyone is special no matter who they are and everyone deserves to be treated the same. I don't want people to allow Macy to get away with behaviors that typical people can't get away with. I know through her life things will need to be altered slightly for her. She will need extra help, modified programs and such. But, I also want her to view herself as an equal to her peers. She should not be given special treatment.

Not know who she is or be proud of that -

Macy has Down Syndrome. That is part of who she is. I get so frustrated when parents don't want to tell their child that they have Down Syndrome. Are you ashamed? I'm not. Why does Down Syndrome have to be such a negative thing? How do you think it impacts your child when you are ashamed? I am proud of who Macy is and I am well aware that Down Syndrome is part of who she is. If she didn't have that extra Chromosome, she would be different than she is. I like her the way she is. So as she grows I hope to instill a sense of pride in her. She should be proud to say she has Down Syndrome. She should be proud of who she is. I am proud of who she is and so is her Heavenly Father.

 So I encourage everyone who reads this to notice those around you with special needs. Say hi, treat them like you would treat anyone, give a hand where needed, start a conversation and mostly allow them to feel proud of themselves!!!

A funny thing about blogs...

In true bloggy fashion, most of us try not to rant too much about the negative. We focus on the uplifting and happy things in our lives, which is good. Especially when you think that you may print these writings and future generations will read them. You don't want to sound like a total fun sucker, always complaining about the hard things in your life, right!

Well, I am finding this exact thing a bit of a dilemma right now. I am seriously feeling like crap lately. So I decided to read back through my blog to find out how I felt last time at 35.5 weeks. Well, I sound pretty peachy according to my blog. So then I wonder; was I really feeling fine? Or was I trying to be positive and uplifting? I guess I will never know.

For now, my mornings are fine. I have energy, no heartburn, and I always feel ready to tackle the day. By noon though, I am so tired. By evening I am just plain cranky and uncomfortable. Well, today is especially a doozy! It's not even 5 and I have already taken 4 tums for heartburn. The bone on the left side of my groin feels bruised and hurts when I walk. I am so tired that I actually CAN'T sleep. Weird I know! To top it off, I have a wicked stomach ache and a bit of nausea! Fantastic. Lucky me I still get to take Tommy to piano in Okotoks in an hour.

I don't think my schedule lately has helped much. I have had at least one appointment a day this week, sometimes two. The rest of the week is no different. Eye appt for Tommy tomorrow. Fri I have preschool run for Kyla, Dentist check for Macy, Developmental Aide for Macy and Physio for Macy. Saturday we have primary presentation practice, Haircut for Tommy and a basketball game across the city. I think I will sleep all day Sunday just to prepare for next week.

Though, things do slow down in a few weeks. I am glad I am getting a lot of these appts out of the way now, before little one comes. Though, my life never gets too slow.

I was grateful for the surprise breakfast given to the mom's at Macy's school this morning. I think I ate 6 pieces of bacon and we laughed a lot while others watched our kids in class :)

 So like I was saying, blogs can be a funny thing. Can I even believe what I have written in the past? Is it totally true to my actual feelings or sugar coated?? Maybe a little of both.

Macy

A video for Down Syndrome Awareness Month!!! 

Macy, you are DOWN right AWESOME!!!!

Little bits!!

Yesterday I was reading through some of my pre-macy blog posts and remembered why it is so great to blog. I wrote things down that I would never have remembered otherwise. (Like at my 37 week appt the doctor didn't think I would make it another week, and what do you know... Macy came 3 days later!)

(me at 33 weeks)

Those are some of the things I want to remember!!! 

So starting with baby... Here are our name ideas. Dallas, Reid, Talon or Calder. Names may still change but if I have my way, his name will be; 

Talon Dallas Ehlert

Dallas being the place where Barry and I met. It may also happen to be Barry's favorite football team!!!

I am 35 weeks and 1 day today. I am really excited to have a baby boy in the house. It brings back memories of my first born little boy! Boys are so special!!! Especially when they love their mommas!

Barry keeps telling me that my heartburn was way worse with Macy, but I keep telling him I am just getting better at not complaining to him about it :) Because it's pretty bad!! Like, tasting acid bad. Something stuck in my throat bad. Cough attack bad!!! Yuck. So done with it!

I have an appointment tomorrow and wondering if I can talk the doctor into letting me have another ultrasound. I am so curious to know how big this babe is. It's my own crazy way of predicting when I'll have him! 

Barry is predicting I have him 2.5 weeks early. Brownie points to him for even saying that!!! I hope so!

So on to other news...

Macy is talking up a storm!!! Which is soooo important to me. I want her to learn to communicate very clear so she can have more opportunities in life. I have heard many kids and teenagers from her school PREP speak as clearly as a typical person. That is what I want for her. She has quite a list of words now, no sentences yet though. Here is her list

Hi

Bye

Yeah

No

Mom

Daddy

okay

there

this

dog

baby

bum bum

poo poo

pee pee

hot

ouch
more

done

book

ball

eat

drink

go
Hiding (sounds like heidi)

she will say "o" for open

"huh" for help when prompted

any word like please, cheese, me etc. she says "eeee"

she is trying to repeat a lot of things I say which is a big step toward talking.

I try not to give her anything or pick her up etc without making her ask. For instance; I will say, "Macy do you want up? She says "Yeah" than I say, Macy say "up" and she will say "uh" 

One word she WILL NOT say is night night. Every time I ask her if she wants to go night night... she says "NO" as clear as day!! little stinker!

She is constantly having a complete mumble jumble conversation with whomever will listen. She actually redialed my moms number on the phone the other day and my mom thought she was Kyla because she was speaking so many clear words into the phone. :)

Our next goal is to learn how to say "NAV" that is her teachers name at school and she told us that should be Macy's next word!! We love Macy's teacher!!!

As far as walking, that is where I could get really frustrated!! SHE CAN DO IT!! She doesn't doesn't want to. Yes, she will stand on her own and take 10 steps or more. She will walk between people. But just wont do it all the time. She goes up and down the stairs alone. Can climb up a slide on her own. Pushed doll strollers all over the house. But still uses "bear crawling" as her main means of transportation! She is so stubborn and I am just waiting for the day that she decides to! I know it will come, just like everything else... but on my time would be best!

Kyla started preschool this year and is in HEAVEN!! She wants to go every day! She loves to learn so much!! I am excited about this because she understands things so quickly and school will be enjoyable for her!!! She is a little perfectionist with her school work though! 

She knows all her letters, numbers up to 20 and can identify many sight words. I plan to start teaching her to read this fall. Just basic books. She is so ready!!

I am also starting to teach her concepts like; above, below, left, right, before, after, between, yesterday, tomorrow etc. I found a great app for the ipad that she really likes!!

She will spend all afternoon doing crafts or worksheets and be so happy!! Though if she EVER finds her precious artwork in the garbage, LOOK OUT MOM!! I have to be really careful when choosing when to throw things away, since I can't keep everything! I'm thinking of making an art display wall in her room! 

And this big man!!! What am I going to do with him??? He is my big middle schooler now. Am I terrified! YES! But, he tells me everything! This kid has a guilty conscience if he ever does the slightest thing wrong. 

Friday he told me he left class before cleaning up because other kids did too. He said he was feeling really bad about it and that he had prayed and asked Heavenly Father to forgive him. Than he told me that he felt he needed to tell me to feel totally better! What an awesome kid! We had a great talk about setting a good example to his friends. Being a leader. Always putting kindness first, and doing our part.

I am so proud of the person he is. So naturally nice!!! It is really just the way he is! Last month we were at the Corn maze and there was a man there with Down Syndrome who was struggling with the gate to get out of the goat pen. I noticed many people just watching him, but kind of keeping their distance. (MY WORST NIGHTMARE FOR MACY!) Well, Tommy all on his own quickly ran over and said, "Here let me help you bud." Melted my heart. I have seen him do these kinds of things on many occasions!! He is so loving with his sisters and tells me all the time that he is so glad his sister had Down Syndrome "Cause she is special and she is a perfect spirit and she makes everyone so happy!"

I love my kids! They are amazing!!!

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada

In photos, I am thankful for...

October is...

Down Syndrome Awareness Month!!!

Even though Down Syndrome will forever be a part of our lives, it is something that I don't think too much about anymore. I don't worry about Macy's future. I just have a peaceful feeling that it will all work out! I don't worry about her not being noticed or accepted. In fact, sometimes I worry more that she steals the spotlight too much!! So, for Down Syndrome awareness, I just want to say this one thing. 

"Having Down Syndrome is no big deal!!! 

How you perceive it, deal with it, embrace it and accept it... IS everything!!!" 

Look how far we have come!!!

 3 weeks old (Above)

2 1/2 yrs old!