Thanks!

Today has been a good day! I was able to get my friends to watch my two other angels so I could spend all day alone with Macy. Here are a few of my thanks today...

1. First and foremost - I really and truly have the most amazing friends that will do ANYTHING for me! Plus, my kids are just as happy at their house as they are at home. I trust them completely!!! I would not be dealing with all this very well if it weren't for a few very special girls in my life! (you KNOW who you are!)

2. The amazing amount of people who care!!! I do realize that everyone is still dealing with their own lives and problems... Your words bring tears to my eyes. From the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU!

3. I am so thankful I am a nurse and that I can sit with the doctor (like I did today for 20 min) and get full details about what's going on with Macy and understand what they are talking about!

4. I am so greatful that I don't feel like I just had a baby. I did not tear, got no stitches and have an amazing amount of energy! I think Heavenly Father knew that I was going to need the strength to deal with everything!

5. My kids are being so patient and sweet about everything thats going on!

6. My husband... WOW, he hasn't shed a single tear! Where is this strength coming from??? HE ROCKS!!! (Canada Revenue Agency called yesterday to talk about a problem with my maternity benefits. Barry called her and said flat out... My wife cannot deal with this right now, you are going to have to talk to me. She is very stressed out and is only thinking about the kids right now! He got it all figured out for me!)

7. I am so thankful that Macy is doing relatively well! She actually pooped today! :) I have never been more excited to see baby poop before! We are still not even close coming home - the doctor says at least two weeks probably more... But, she is stable!!

Introducing...

Macy Sharon Ehlert

She was born at 9:19 Am on Fri, Jan 29th.

6 lbs 13 oz and about 19 inches

I always knew I was a "mother of angels!"

I arrived at the hospital around 11 Pm on the 28th. They admitted me to a room at about 3. Broke my water at 5. At 7 I was dilated to a 4. By 9 I was a 10 and by 9:10 I started pushing. She didn't make me work too hard... only ten minutes. My epidural was great, I could feel a lot with very little pain. She actually came out on her own at the end. They told me to stop pushing so the doctor could get some gloves on. I said, "well, the baby is coming out on it's own so you better hurry!"

I was so sure it was going to be a boy, so I bent forward to see. To my utter surprise... She's a girl! I looked right at Barry and said, "Holy Cow, you were right all along!"

They proceeded to place her on my chest. Immediately I knew she had Down Syndrome. I will not lie... in that moment, I was filled with a sense of doom. Just a week before I had been talking to my friend who had a Down Syndrome son about how special I think he is and that I think I could handle having a child like that. I was being sincere! But, you can imagine that in that first moment, I was wondering

First, if I was seeing something that wasn't there.

Second, that our Heavenly Father sure has a way of doing things...

None of the staff said anything to us and after they left the room, I told Barry that I was 90% sure our daughter had Down Syndrome. We proceeded to start telling the staff and they called in a Pediatrician and the Genetics Doctors from Childrens to come and see her. After seeing her, before any blood tests, they said they were fairly sure she had it. I proceeded to cry. It is one thing to THINK something, but a whole different one to be told... YEP, YOU ARE RIGHT! But, I only needed about 5 minute to let it out, then I proceeded to ask the Genetic Doctor a million questions about what to expect, what medical problems to look for, life expectancy, and more!

Once they left, I started to deal with this like I did any other child. She needed her momma!! Cuddling, loving, feeding etc. I quickly fell madly in love with her and saw this as a very positive thing in my life! She is truly a GIFT sent from Heavenly Father to bless our family!

Well it didn't take long before they started taking her away from me for blood tests, Echo's on her heart and more. Put it this way, by about 5 PM, I was feeling a little "Down" myself! I needed my girl! I missed her, I wanted to put her on my chest and feel her soft warm skin!

Day two started bright and early with the NICU staff coming to take her and admit her there. So... here we go again! She was having problems with elimination, and still wasn't nursing. I was feeding her through a syringe! Well, by the next day they decided to send her to the Childrens hospital because her tummy X-ray was not promising.

That red spot on her head was where they attempted an IV (after a few of these and two IV's going bad and causing her limbs to swell... I said "NO MORE! Please put in a PICC (a more permanent line that is stable long term!)" They did!!! HALLELUJAH!

So now, she is at Childrens, she is doing great... considering! They have her on TPN (Nutrition) through her PICC, antibiotics, and are doing lots of poking and prodding! We are waiting for word on what comes next and look forward to the day when I can stop pumping and start nursing! But, I will pump as long as I have to! I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON HER :)

We are so crazy in love with her! I have never been so greedy with my babies before. But I feel like I haven't had enough time with her. My heart strings are pulled in many directions. I need to be by her side, but my other kids need me too! We just need her well so she can come home! We want to show her off!!!

She is allowed visitors and we would love you to come. But, check with us first because we want you to be able to hold her and enjoy her when you go. If there are too many people, you will feel rushed :) She needs all the LOVE she can get!

I am so sorry!!!

I know you are all anticipating for informatin and pictures. I was going to post info, but there is SO MUCH TO SAY!!! So much to be thankful for!

I just can't seem to find the time right now between pumping milk, driving across town, loving my other two kids, talking with doctors, cleaning the house for showings (yes we are still selling), and all the other things that are a normal part of life!

So, I promise there is pictures to come and more info. But for now...

She is having lots of tests, antibiotics, nutrition through her IV and we will know more in a few days. She will most likely need surgery to take out a section of her colon.

My most favorite thing to do is hold her chubby cheek to my cheek and feel her soft skin!

Though life is crazy and I may look like a bomb ready to explode at any minute (ask Nancy Leavitt) - we are doing good. We are happy. Kids are handling everything pretty great and we KNOW that she was meant to be in our family just the way she is!!! PERFECT!