BUDDY WALK - SEPTEMBER 29TH!

Calling All Walkers!   Please help support the Central Illinois Down Syndrome (CIDSO) organization this year during the 8th Annual Buddy Walk in Normal, Illinois.  We are forming a team this year for Quinny and we're calling it "Quinten's Quest"!  We are getting t-shirts made up with some cool graphic, and I envision swords, shields, and other "quest-like" attire for our team...so start searching those clearance items in the costume shops and dress-up areas!

If you'd like to participate in this year's Buddy Walk - there are a couple of ways we'd love for you to be with us:

1.  Save the Date Now for Saturday, September 29th and come out to Carden Park in Normal, IL!
2.  Register with our team - Quinten's Quest ($5 per walker) and Walk With Us!!
3.  Support CIDSO by donating online at www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/quintensquest/2012BW.  Our goal is to raise $1,000 this year and I know we can do it!!!
4.  Please forward the www.FirstGiving.com/fundraiser/quintensquest/2012BW link to all of your contacts and help us achieve our goal!

Here are the details for the event:

8th Annual CIDSO Buddy Walk Please join us at Carden Park (1300 E Raab Rd in Normal, IL) on Saturday, September 29th as we celebrate all persons with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. Before the walk, you and your family will enjoy entertainment for everyone, including face painting, food, and fun! After the walk, we will have raffle drawings with fabulous prizes! Download Flyer (400KB PDF) Date and Time September 29th, 2012 9:00 am - Registration begins, food & pre-walk festivities 10:30 am - Buddy Walk begins following walk - Raffle and Prizes 8th Annual CIDSO Buddy Walk Please join us at Carden Park (1300 E Raab Rd in Normal, IL) on Saturday, September 29th as we celebrate all persons with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. Before the walk, you and your family will enjoy entertainment for everyone, including face painting, food, and fun! After the walk, we will have raffle drawings with fabulous prizes! Download Flyer (400KB PDF) Date and Time September 29th, 2012 9:00 am - Registration begins, food & pre-walk festivities 10:30 am - Buddy Walk begins following walk - Raffle and Prizes

Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone enjoys their day off from work today and if you live in Illinois -please don't melt from the intense heat we are going to have today!  We are off to our annual 4th of July party where we'll swim all day long and stuff ourselves to no end all day long.  Haha.  Good thing I got up to do my 7am Bootcamp class this morning!! 

I am a bit late on getting Quinn's 6 month pictures taken - so, instead they are his 7 month pictures.  He is doing so great....beyond all expectations!  He looks so big and grown-up in these photos, I can't believe that in 5 months we'll be planning his 1st birthday party.  Time moves sooo fast.

Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

July? Really?

I really can't believe that it is July already.  I am not sure where this summer is going!  I have already gotten into the mode of thinking about school, by registering Ethan last week and most recently trying to figure out what we are going to do with him before and after school once August hits.  My mom has been watching the two older boys this summer (her first summer off ever as a Teacher) and that has helped us out tremendously.  We are getting spoiled having her around to be there in the morning when they wake up, and stay with them all day when we are at work.  I know once school hits it is going to be chaos-city again.  Especially, with Kevin traveling internationally for the next year.  His travels so far have taken him to Peru and South Africa.  He's home this week but leaves on Sunday to go to Canada (up near Montreal) for two weeks - oui oui :) I hope his French is good!  Then after he gets home on that Friday, we pack up that night and leave early Saturday morning for our vacation to Tucson, AZ for the week.   It is going to be much needed after my two weeks at home with all three of the boys.  It is exhausting work being alone.  I just keep telling myself that we can do this for a year - its going to all be good for his career, and us.  I have to keep giving myself pep talks every now and then.

I wanted to give you some updated pictures of what's been going on in our house lately. 

Quinten's Helmet - Can't you see he "loves it" ...are you kidding me, he says?

Quinten's First Taste of Solid Foods (Finally, after over 6 months we finally got the okay from his feeding/speech therapist to start on solids)....mmmmGreenbeans!

Ethan and Caden after their Tball Game.  They are undefeated this season...wink wink:)

 And finally....what boy doesn't love Chuck E. Cheese's? I took Ethan to a birthday party there yesterday, and we had a lot of fun.  He scored 100's of tickets and was so excited.  Isn't he getting so grown up? With his Foe-hawk and cute plaid shorts...can't believe he'll be 7 in a few short weeks!

Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

TBall and Helmets...Keeping Us Busy!

Well, the summer craziness has officially started for us!  Hard to believe we are already 3/4 the way through the month of June.  I always think of the 4th of July as half-way through the summer, and here it is just a few short weeks away. 

Our calendar has been jam-packed with tball games, birthday parties, doctor appointments, therapy appointments, and business trips for Kevin and I, that have taken us from Denver, CO and as far away as Lima, Peru (Kevin) and now S.Africa (Johansburg and Middleburg - Kevin).  The boys seem to adjust to us being away and life just goes about as normal as possible.

This past week - Quinten got some new head gear...a cranial helmet.  Used for "Fixin' His Flat" on the backside of his head, we hope that he'll just have to wear it for a few months.  He's doing very well with it though despite the fact that he wears it 23 hours per day.  I take it off at night to give him his daily bath and hair washing (he gets pretty sweaty and stinky in it), and also to clean the helmet with a rubbing alcohol spray.  He looks so darn cute in it though!  Its just part of the process......nothing phases me anymore.

Quinn had a great 6 month checkup (actually nearly 7 months old now) -- he weighed in at 18.5oz (98% for him), and was 26 3/4 long (85% for his age)...so he's growing nicely!  We think he'll be tall - despite the Trisomy 21, due to Kevin and me and our family members being on the taller side.  We've started adding in some solid foods for him finally and this weekend he's tried green beans and applesauce and seems to do well with them!

Grandma Jill came for a visit for the last 5 days and the boys and I have really enjoyed her being with her.  They have got to go to parks, the movie, swimming and lots of playing while she's here.  Their tball games were a lot of fun - both Caden and Ethan are doing so well this year.  I know Kevin hate to miss their games when he's traveling.  He's the head coach this year, but has probably missed half their games already.  He hadn't planned his summer to be this way at all -- but we take lots of pictures and fill daddy in over Facetime and emails when we can.

Our summer is busy - but I'll try to keep this updated when I can.  Here are some pictures!

Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

What A Difference A Year Makes!

I have been thinking a lot abou this post. In fact, I started thinking about it a few months ago and what I wanted to convey on the one year anniversary of finding out that our little son (before we knew he was even a boy) had the largest cystic hygroma on his tiny body that any of the doctor's had seen. It was June 1st last year, that I received that devastating phone call from my doctor about the previous day's ultrasound and how the baby seemed to have a concern with it (See the very first post on this blog, to read about our Journey or follow the caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick post to read all about it). I don't want to rehash the story of June 1st, or retell all of those emotions - what I do want to focus on TODAY, is celebration....and what I didn't know one year ago, that I NOW know today! Here goes.....

1. I never knew that I could love a tiny little human being as much as I love my Quinny.

2. I never knew that Down syndrome wouldn't be a word that was scary to me, or would feel so nature flowing off of my tongue.

3. I never knew the power of prayer. I truly believe that prayer is what made Quinten survive the hygroma, and arrive safely into this world despite his less than 5% change of survival.

 4. I never knew the power of friendship and how one little guy can touch so many people's lives, indirectly and directly. I continue to be overwhelmed with the stories that our friends have shared with us on how much they hurt last year, and how heavy their hearts were for us -- but now, how much they are so happy to know Quinten.

5. I never knew that we were missing something in our lives, that we didn't know we ever needed. Sometimes pain, and confusion ends up being such a bright and overwhelming clearness to life. I now realize that Quinten has brought us such a gift of acceptance, diversity, inclusion, and many other pieces that we didn't tend to focus on in our families.

6. I never knew we needed more friends or a sense of community. But with Quinten, comes a whole new set of friends from CIDSO (Central Illinois Down sydrome Organization). We have met so many wonderful people whom we would never have met before!

7. I never knew that life's small milestones could be celebrated in such a large capacity! With Quinten - every milestone he achieves, is celebrated. Not unlike my other children, just in a different way.

8. I never knew that my favorite parts of Quinten's little face and body, would be those exact characteristics that I (am being so honest here) - actually feared. His almond-shaped eyes, his little curled ears...and that cute little flattened button nose, are my favorite parts of him! Not to mention his yummy baby toes.

9. Who knew that my relationship with my husband could actually get stronger through all of this? Dealing with an emotional situation, but given a special outcome with blessed results has brought Kevin and I together on a much deeper level. He is my rock, and our family's rock - without him, I don't know where we would be.

10. I never knew that my family wasn't "complete" until Quinny arrived. We were missing something very special, and he has completed our circle of life. We are blessed as a family to have 3 healthy, happy, loving little boys - and I look at them all as perfect and unique in their own little ways. So, if any of you know of anyone who has been faced with a diagnosis of anyting - Ds, CP, Genetic Disorders, Autism....please tell them, from me - that it will be okay!

Life is not always what we thought it would be or what we thought we wanted to plan for ourselves...but someone else has a plan for us, and that plan doesn't involve us choosing our paths.

I'm glad my path took a fork in the road - but you know what? That fork, came right back around in a circle again and brought me right back to the same exact place I needed to be. Life is good!

So instead of dwelling on what a "year ago" meant for me -- Today, I choose to CELEBRATE!! And you know how I get to celebrate tonight? Kevin and I get to take Quinten and my parents to a fundraising event at ISU Ballroom for the large CIDSO Gala this evening - which kicks off the large Golf Outing tomorrow morning. Tonight we get to be surrounded with families with children of all ages, celebrating life tonight - I can't wait to meet everyone and introduce them to our little peanut! That is how I choose to celebrate. Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

Another Month Has Gone By....

Really? Another month has slipped by me, or rather flew by me and I haven't had the time to sit down and Blog! I have opened my computer many times, trying to attempt to update this blog but life is so crazy right now. I don't even know where to start? I guess that I will start by saying that I am happy that my husband is coming home from his business trip which took him to Lima, Peru for the past 11 days! We have missed Kevin terribly, and we have been operating on survival mode - which lately has been my MO (Method of Operation) in everyday life. The boys have been unbelievably perfect which he's gone and really have made these last 11 days enjoyable and very bearable making me believe that we CAN do this for the next year! Kevin will be traveling internationally for up to another year as he supports a business transaction within Caterpillar and goes out to assist customers with the transition into the CAT Logistics processes. His next trip will most likely take him to Johansburg, South Africa - which I am very jealous of! Quinten went swimming for the first time in his little life this past Memorial Day weekend and loved it! (See photo below). Ethan and Caden are officially on summer break and next week they both will be spending everyday with my mom, who has agreed to watch them for the summer (not sure she knows what she's getting into though). Quinten was fitted for his cranial helmet last week to help him with his plagiocephily (sp?) - AKA "flattened head" - and that should arrive within 2 weeks. He'll need to wear it 23 hours per day, taking it off only to bath in for 1 hour. Otherwise, he eats and sleeps in it, etc..I will send pictures later of him. It really is cute. Big Brother Caden got to attend that doctor appointment, and I let him pick out the design of the helmet. He choose a pale green, zoo animal one. Just wanted to do a quick photo dump for all of our friends and loved ones to see how much the boys are growing! Enjoy.

Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick

Quinten's Story Will Forever Be Part of the NICU at Children's Hospital

About a month ago, I was contacted by a mom who is putting together a Memorial Wall in the NICU of Children's Hospital, in memory of one of her twin daughters. She wanted to include Quinten's story! You can imagine that I was thrilled to share our story, and have him forever a part of the NICU. I explained to her that although we only spent 7 days in the NICU, Quinten's "story" began long before that and really the NICU was just a small part of what we went through. Before I had a chance to tell her Quinten's story, I wanted to ask her about her daughter who sadly passed away. As she retold her story of her identical twin daughter who passed away at 26 weeks - I got goose-bumps. She spoke my language so clearly. At 12 weeks at her first ultrasound, she was not only told that she was having twins (and she was elated), the news immediately followed with concerns with one of the twins. She had a large cystic hygroma that went from her forehead to her tailbone. I couldn't believe my ears. Her family did a lot of praying, hoping to beat the odds of the hygroma. Over the course of the remaining pregnancy her little girl's hygroma continued to grow, and she eventually developed hydrops. At 26 weeks, the twin passed away in utero and because they were identical and shared the same placenta, they had to take the other twin immediately because she kept pumping blood to the other twin but wasn't getting any oxygenated blood returned back to her. Luckily, her other twin daughter survived. Although small (2.6pounds) - the twin with the hygroma weighed 6.6 pounds because of 4 pounds of extra fluid! Her story gripped my soul, and again I feel that she like many other people I've met, were brought to me for a reason. I realized once again just how lucky we were to have Quinten in our lives - its a good reminder every once in a while, to not take things in life for granted. He did beat the odds!!

As part of this NICU memorial process - Quinten got to get a professional photo taken of him that will accompany his story. Below is the photo that was chosen of him:) Love his smile and how he smiles with his whole body, and squinty eyes!!

Quinten’s Story

In June 2011, at 12 weeks gestation, we were told that our little boy had less than a 5% chance of survival. During a routine ultrasound, a large cystic hygroma was detected on his tiny body that started at his forehead and extended to the middle of his back. We opted for an amniocentesis to get more medical information and to determine if he had chromosomal abnormalities that may have caused the hygroma. We were told that he had Down syndrome and that he may not survive to birth. The hygroma did not continue to grow, and by 26 weeks it had completely resolved and he appeared healthy otherwise.

I carried Quinten to full-term, and on November 30, 2011, he was born. The Down syndrome diagnosis really didn’t scare my husband or I, mostly we were just concerned for his heart and other potential health issues that babies with Ds are at higher risk for. We tried to prepare ourselves for a NICU stay, perfectly aware of the potential issues that may arise after he was born. But we hoped for the best. Almost immediately after Quinten was born he began having trouble with his breathing and sustaining his oxygen saturation levels (Pulse Ox). After spending three days in the nursery at OSF St. Joseph’s, he was transported by ambulance to Children’s Hospital. Handing my 3-day old son over to the ambulance medical team was the hardest thing I ever had to do. He was placed in an isolette for transport and provided oxygen for the ride over to Peoria. The ride over to Peoria was the longest 45 minutes of my life, not knowing if he made the trip okay or not. We were relieved to get the phone call that said he made the trip just fine.

He spent 10 days in the hospital (3 days at OSF Bloomington, and 7 days in the NICU) after his birth. Those days in the NICU were such a blessing to him and to us. The extensive Pediatric Specialist consults and care were so welcoming to us. Because of his Ds, he was going to need a lot of medical consultations after birth and we were able to have all of his evaluations done during his stay at the NICU. The doctors, nurses, and therapists all provided such wonderful care for our son and gave us such peace that we were in the EXACT place that we needed to be for our son. We have the deepest gratitude for all of them, and have them to thank for helping us bring our son home healthy and strong.



Vist Baby Chadwick's CaringBridge Blog: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandychadwick