Tawni's Birthday

I can't hardly believe it, Tawni is one years old today! What a year brings...
a year ago I quit my job to stay home and a year ago I was introduced to Down Syndrome. I really don't know what to say about it, I think about it and Tawni has really taught me. She's taught me to have more empathy, she's really mellowed me out. And moreover, what God has taught me, His plans are not my plans. He made the way for me to stay home where I thought I never would be able to. He's taught me how much more faith I need and to really lean on Him and trust Him. It' brought me and my husband and mother closer. I have had my pity parties and questioning why, but WHY not me, WHY not us, so I ask God you have given us this gift what do you want us to do with her, what more do you want us to learn and what do you want us to share?
She is the best baby, just so mellow and happy, unless you have some kind of food that she likes and wants more of. She has learned to growl at us if we don't feed her fast enough, it's just so cute!

We had a good Thanksgiving, our whole family was together which was so nice.
Got to do lots of shopping and almost done with the Christmas shopping.
Probably spent to much money, but really feel like I found some good deals.

Took Ty to the mall and he actually sat on Santa's lap and wasn't scared hopefully
when we take him back to get his picture taken he will do it again and still be happy.

Saturday

Today was our first time to meet with the Inkdots from DSACT and we had a good time!
There was a few newborns and young babies, I just wonder if the parents have totally accepted it or are they just going through the motions like I did when Tawni was younger. I need to find out if there is an opening for me so I can help out, I believe I am ready to jump in and get experienced.

Tori is over at her dad's with the other kids and I just miss them. And Tanner acts like he is trying to get out of going to Thanksgiving for me and that will just totally break my heart if he doesn't go.

I love my Tawni so much, my husband keeps telling me she is such a blessing, like I don't know that...
I was so proud of her today, just sitting up and playing and crawling around, she loved the swinging, I will have to post some pictures.

About time to go to bed...See ya!

Hard Day

Today was a little rough, Ty threw fits so bad and it just makes me so sad and I just sometimes don't know how to handle him. He gets so upset he is hard to calm down.

Tanner has ended up having a pretty bad break and is on crutches and a full leg brace, and if it gets worse then he will have to have surgery.

Also the mother I was going to get to meet today had to cancel and I totally understand I just was disappointed.

TJ has a got a new job so we went there tonight and ate some pie, that was nice except Ty started to go into melt down so we had to leave.

Well I am really tired, I hope tomorrow will be a better day and God will give me the patience and understanding I need.

The Weekend

Well it was a pretty good weekend. My dad's family totally accepted Tawni and just loved on her, and surprisingly no one asked any questions. The kids were real good, and Ty even took over a 2 hour nap, unlike Tawni who for some reason who usually is a good sleeper would not take a nap. I had to hold her for about 45 minutes just for her to take a nap. Even when we left saturday evening she only slept for about 30 minutes out of a hour and half car ride. When we made it to my mom's and gave her bath and fed her she crashed!

Sunday we went to my mom's church and it was so great! It was about no matter how big our sin He is so faithful to forgive us! Tawni went to the nursery I was pretty nervous but she did ok, the only thing is they lost her bow. Mom took us to lunch and then we loaded up and after a trip to wal-mart to get pencils and a few other things we came home. Tanner was with us for the weekend which was so nice, I really miss him!

Tawni is so cute as I am typing this Tori is playing with her and having her crawling to her and she just looks so cute! But now the crawling is over and fussiness has set in so it's time to go and feed her and get her to bed. Bye!

A good day

Today was a pretty good day, went to Bible Study, and then Tori wasn't feeling good so I got her out of school, and we made brownies, and then this evening we got Ty a haircut and he looks so cute!

We did get a bit of bad news today, Tanner, has a hairline fracture in his lower femur, we thought maybe he had just torn some cartlidge, so now he has to go see an orthopedic surgeon so that is a little scary.

Tomorrow we are going out of town to have Thanksgiving with my dad's family. We usually always have a good time, this will also be the first time for them to meet Tawni, I really think they will accept her ok, I just hope there's no pity parties, I have done that enough this past year.

Well still lots to do! Better go!

Tawni

Our little princess is getting so big, tonight she was sitting up and I really think she was trying to clap, she was so cute! And then Gerald was helping Tori with her homework and Tawni was determined to crawl over and "help" her, it was so funny, Tawni would just growl when we wouldn't let her go.

Another mom with a down's baby called me today, we are getting together next tuesday, I am so excited about it. It's exciting that Tawni could have a friend close to her age and I can have a friend to talk to.

Time to wind down and have another day tomorrow.

Another Day

Not much today, played with the babies this morning, and then met a friend for lunch at Micky D's. I worry about Ty, he can be so aggressive, and my friend also has a 2 year old son and for some reason Ty really likes to pick on him, he pinched him so hard today and just the look in my friend's eyes just hurts me and embarresses me that my son would do that. I feel like we really try with Ty's behavior but it wears me out and makes me sad, I just have to keep working with him and praying hard.

Tanner had his last football game tonight and it was exciting we won but sadly Tanner didn't get to play the dr wouldn't sign off for him to play with his injured knee which is fine with me I wouldn't want him to hurt it more. He has an MRI on thursday.

And then my mother bless her heart, her car that was almost paid off was in a wreck and totalled so she got another new car about oh 2 weeks ago and last night a friend of hers backed into it and caused about $800 worth of damage, mom's thinking maybe she should have bought a tank.

And then Princess Tawni tonight crawled across the living room floor so she could get the remote! We let her have it and then had to place it different places so she would crawl again to it. She finally caught on and found another toy and laid on her back and played. She had enough of performing.

Well it's about bed time have a few things to do before going to sleep, and I am tired....

Childeren

We took Tawni to the dr today and after waiting 45 minutes we were finally seen. And oh did I mention it was nap time and Ty was tired, so he running everywhere and kept on wanting to go in. So when we did finally get in, Tawni's ears are fine but her throat was full of green congestion, yes I know yuck! So now she is on antiobiotic, so hopefully this will help.

And yes I slept so good last night, I did hear her a few times coughing but she was ok.

My daughter, Tori, is sitting here looking over my shoulder when she should be in bed! She can be trying but I don't know what I would do without her, she is a big helper when she wants to be.

Well that's all for my exciting day, it's time to wind down and try and relax a little.

Talk to you tomorrow!

New to this

Wow this is cool, I have never done this before so here goes. I have been reading other's blogs like crazy so why not try my own?


My name is Shelli and I am the mother to 5 children and 3 step-children. My oldest TJ is 17 almost 18 (can't believe it!), Tanner is 13, Tori is 11, Ty is 2 and Princess Tawni is 11 months.
Jeannette is 15, Joey is 11, and Jacob is 9.


Our little Tawni is our icing to the cake, she had all kinds of surprises for us. For one her, we weren't expecting to have another one we really thought that 7 was plenty but here she came next to find out she was a girl and then next to find out she has Down Syndrome boy was that the big surprise! PTL she has a good heart, good hearing, and everything else seems to be good, she does have to take a laxative daily and she seems to get the croup pretty easily. This past year has been different to say the least, mostly because of my own pity parties and accepting everything. She is so precious though and has been the best mild mannered baby, God knew exactly what I needed!


These past couple of months have been so exciting to watch her grow, she can finally sit up good and play with toys, she is even trying so hard to crawl, she is doing a great job and she can really go if there is one of her brother's toys that she wants, lol!


Today was a big step for me, I moved her bed out of our room and into her own room, so let's just see how much sleep I get tonight, not to mention when she woke up from her nap she has that stupid croupy cough again, I guess there will be a dr's visit in store for us tomorrow.


Anyways, this has been fun and will write more tomorrow.