IT'S A BOY!!!

Mrs.LoneGOPinCT | 14 Dec 02 | LoneGOPinCT

[LoneGOPinCT]

I am pleased to announce the birth of our son! He is child #3, boy #2. He was born via C-section one full week before his scheduled birth and two weeks prior to his actual due date. Needless to say he threw us for a loop so it's taken us this past couple weeks to get everything straightened out that we thought we had another week to do.

He and Mrs.Lone are both doing fine. The little guy was born with Down's Syndrome (a surprise to us-no history, both under 35 & no testing during pregnancy because it wouldn't have mattered anyway), however we are very lucky that he doesn't show any signs of coronary or digestive problems that are very common with children with Down's. The combination of him being early and having DS has slowed the closing of two bypass valves in his heart (they exist in all children but generally close up prior to birth, AKA "the hole in the heart"), but the cardiologist is fairly confident that they will close up on their own and his heart looks otherwise very healthy. If not, they run a catheter into the valve and essentially scratch it with a small wire to promote scarring to close it up. He is very attentive and shows good tracking skills, good head and neck movements, no narrowing of the rib cage (also very common in DS kids), and has surpising strength so the pediatrician is very optimistic about his future.

We know it is going to be a tough road but as his Doc says, nowadays there is no reason to rule out anything for children with DS, especially the more mild cases. They are no longer institutionalized and as such have greatly benefitted from a "normalized" environment when it comes to teaching them early on and adapting them to social (i.e. school, friends, family) situations.

Some people don't quite know how to react when we tell them he has DS and in turn seem sympathetic. Trust me, we don't need sympathy. We feel blessed to have this little guy and are facing it head-on. As a few have told us, HIS prayers have been answered. It is all about him, not us. Right now he is like any other newborn. Eat, poop, sleep. We'll tackle any other obstacles as we come upon them.

We are still adjusting, but are coping surprisingly well. He's just such a cute little bugger that it probably helps! So no need to feel sympathetic, but please keep us in your thoughts and prayers to help guide us and give us the strength to keep us on track to best benefit HIM. We already consider ourselves lucky and will do our best to make sure he benefits from it!

Now, have a cigar for me!

[luckymom]

Congratulations and God bless you all.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Add another Conservative to CT's population!

[chnsmok]

Congrats Dad!

[nevergore]

Congrat's!!!

NeverGore

[TXBubba]

Congratulations on number 3!

[CindyDawg]

A new little freeper. Aw. congratulations. CD

[paul in cape]

Congratulations on your new gift to the world.

[JulieRNR21]

Congratulations & Welcome to your new son.

I grew up with a DS cousin who was the joy of our entire family.....the most sweet, loving and happy spirit....an angel that touched each one of us and added so much to all our lives.

May God Bless you & your family!

[nypokerface]

That's quite a Christmas present. I'm glad to hear your wife is doing all right and congrats on the the birth of your son.

[Peach]

Congratulations to the newest addition to your family. May God keep you in the palm of his hand. Having lived in CT for nearly 30 years, I can tell you I understand your screen name very well! Blessings to you all.

[cake_crumb]

Congratulations and an extra special Merry Christmas to you can your growing family!

[ChadGore]

Congradulations

[arly]

Congratulations ! God Bless you and your new Christmas gift from the Lord!

[jwfiv]

Babies are what it's all about, they're more precious than we can comprehend. Congratulations to you and your Mrs., and thanks for letting us know.

Love. Love. Love.

Happy Birthday, and welcome to the world, to your magic Li'l Freeper.

God bless us, each and every one.

[What Is Ain't]

Superb! When can we expect to see his first post?

[Gabz]

Congratulations. God Bless and keep you all.

[Diana Rose]

Congratulations!

You might want to check out diet therapy for DS. Saw something about it years ago. I do not know if it turned out to be snake oil or not.

Good luck and may God bless you and keep you.

[JenB]

My youngest brother has Down Syndrome. He's seven, very high-functioning. He's learning to read with Phonics and goes to a school for kids with disabilities.

It's really good that your little one has older siblings. It seems to me, from the kids I know with DS, that those with big brothers and sisters do better, as a whole, than only children. Kids with DS generally love to imitate their older sibs and it helps them develop.

If there's anything I can tell you that might help you figure out how to best prepare to help your son grow into his full potential, please ask me. And... I think you'll find him a special blessing.
Look into Early Intervention right away. My brother had physical and developmental therapy for his first three years and it really helped. Don't be afraid to tell the therapists where to get off if it's necessary, though.

[cake_crumb]

"Now, have a cigar for me!"

Swisher Sweet Little Cigar lit in honor of your new and special son. Prayers made for for all of you, but I'm sure you're up to the challenge. For what it's worth, I believe that years from now, you'll all still be considering him a blessing.