happy times!

Everything is about having a good time.  Lincoln just LOVES playing, relaxing in his new chair watching his favourite cartoons, giggling, and he loves to eat!  He has mastered many skills I didnt even think were possible at his age.  He has started to whistle  -  for real.  Today he started whistling when I did, which is very impressive!  He has also learned all of the animals, and some of the animal sounds.  We got him a barn for christmas (early i  know) which came with a bunch of animals and he LOVES playing with it!  He is officially drug free for about a month now...(and by drug free I mean he is no longer on asprin for a blood thinner).  But since being off of asprin, he has gotten an ear ache in both ears (at the same time :( )  and a sore throat.  The sore throat seems to have cleared, but the ear infections seem to be having a harder time healing, so he is now on a month long of antibiotics in the hopes that the pinkness in his middle ear will disappear - seeing as his ear infection was about a month ago.  If not, we will be referred to an ENT Dr. (ear nose throat) to see if he needs to have tubes put in in replace of his own tubes - which are very narrow because he has Down Syndrome.  We had our first visit with the occupational therapist (who looks at fine motor skills),  and she says that Lincoln is right on track for any child at his age - which is amazing... making me beleive more and more that his case is just mild!!
I am 1/2 way through my pregnancy already, time sure seems to be flying by - which is great because we cant wait to meet Lincolns little brother!!!  He was so excited and gave me a high five when I told him.  I think he might have a clear idea that there is something going on, even though my belly bump isnt too big.  When we go to our friends place, who have a baby, i point out the baby, and say tickle the baby, and he scoots over and tickles the baby.  When we are home, i tell him to tickle the baby, and he scoots over to me and tickles my tummy, which is cute!!  He is starting to understand so much more - almost anything i say really, but whether he listens or not is another story - i think the terrible 2's have started early :P  We start our speech sessions again on the 3rd of December.  The speech therapist was pretty excited to learn the Lincoln has started pointing.  He points to everything like he really wants to know what it is!!   As far as his walking - well, i still think its just around the corner.  He is so close!!  he will stand all day holding on to things, and i think if my house was FULL of furnature, he would walk all day too... but its not.  He has mastered walking behind his *walking* toys, so we have a few of them around for him to cruise around with.
We go back to sick kids on Jan. 07 for another echo, which i'm pretty sure will be nothing but the same good news!!  I just find it amazing every day how much there is available to us, free of charge.  All of the therapists that are working with us are great, and Lincoln loves them all, and they really give us good ideas on how to do the activities at home - in a fun way!!

Thanks for reading!!

exciting news :)

Its been a while, and wow, how things have changed.  Our little boy is a cruiser!!  He loves walking around on furniture, and even walking while pushing boxes!  He is doing soo well, that the physio therapists said they didnt have to schedule another appointment, and i dont really have to do my daily exercises with him anymore because he is doing so well!  Hopefully he will be walking soon.  Really hoping he will be walking before his 2nd birthday because Mike and I are expecting another baby - due on Lincoln's birthday!! But by the way things are going, i'm pretty sure he will be walking!  We have gone through the first set of genetic testing, and got the results back today - tested negative for down syndrome!!!  YAY!!  On another exciting note, I have decided to start recording on paper, all of the words that Lincoln understands, and when I was finished... i had completed a FULL page!  Its amazing how fast he is learning!  He still really only says dada and baba, hey you (or what sounds like hey you) and a few other things.  Speech therapy will start up again around December, and hopefully we can get a mama out of him ;)  We are also starting occupational therapy this month, so that will be interesting to find out where he is at there... I think he is doing pretty good, but we'll see!  Other than that, not too much else is new. He got a cold the other week, but it seems to have passed without a majour infection, so thats good! (colds or flus get us a little worked up because of the fact his body has a hard time fighting the virus).   We left Lincoln for the weekend for the first time this weekend while my brother got married.  I was nervous about leaving him as he has a tendency to not eat or drink for other people... but he has been doing so well lately, that his grandpa and nanny said he did great eating and playing and sleeping!  so... i think its time for a vacation!  lol.  Other than that, i dont think there is much else new.
Thanks for reading!

The Holden's.

climbing right up on the growth chart!!

Well, we are still keeping pretty busy... yesterday we had a speech therapy class - and Lincoln said his first word - while we were playing with the ball, he said : "ba, ba, baLL"  i was shocked!  and was happy that the speech therapist got to experience it with me :)  Today we went in for a weigh in - not because we're concerned any more, but because everyone misses Lincoln at the Haliburton Highlands Family Health Team, they call, knowing that things must be going great cause they havent heard from us, but wanted to see Lincoln, so we made the trip to pop him on the scale - and HOLY!!  I mean, i know his 6-12 month clothes were getting smaller, but yesterday I noticed they didnt even fit anymore - GO LINCOLN GO!  95th percentile - the growth chart had a line that shot STRAIGHT up!!  So that is so great to know that he is finally back up there, now we just have to convince Dad that we need to go shopping for some new clothes ;)  wish me luck!!
Another thing Lincoln has really picked up on is sign language... He TELLS me when he wants to eat - that is one that he has mastered - he uses it to tell me everything, so we're working on more, and he is getting all done down pat too, which is good, because before when I would ask him if he was all done, he would sign *eating* and turn his head... but now he is getting it down... he sure is a quick learner!!

Lincolns new favourite thing to do is to pull himself up on everything!  he really enjoys standing, which is great to work out his leg muscles!  His bum scoot is faster than a running child, honest - one minute he is here, the next he is creeping over to the dogs water dish to splash.  Keeping me busy!

Our next visit to Sick Kids isnt until January - so they must not be too concerned!  YIPPEE!!!

things are going GREAT!!!

I've been a bit of a bad blogger lately, i've been pretty busy, but I will try to write more often.  Well, its been a bit over 2 months since his surgery, and Lincoln is just sky rocketing - literally!!!  Its amazing how much has changed!!  I had him standing alone for like 3 seconds the other day.  He is moving all around the house - still doing the army crawl, but he is ALL OVER! Anyone thats been to our house will know that its VERY open concept, so its hard to confine Lincoln into staying in just one room - he always seems to go for the dogs water dish... argh...  His eating has made a drastic change - as he has gained 2.5 pounds since his surgery - and likely MORE :)  He loves to eat!  He has taken a hate towards formula, so he is now on homo milk and LOVES IT!  The pediatrician said she couldnt hear the heart murmur when she listened to him, which is exciting news, and says that he looks GREAT!  The physio therapist says that she wont have to do much work with him as he is doing very well :)  This is all great news!  We've been back to sick kids on July 02 where another sedated ECHO was preformed, and I just got the results from the cardiologist - his note read - no, no, no, no, normal, excellent, excellent, normal NO MURMER :)  PLUG in place!  I cried of happy thoughts when i got it yesterday!  I am SO happy for Lincoln!!!!  2 more sedated ECHOs have yet to be preformed, but just as routine, one at 6 months from procedure, and 18 months from procedure day.  Its just too bad they have to sedate him - as he HATES that, oh well... While doing my research on Down Syndrome - I have found that there is actually a different growth chart for children with Down Syndrome - which puts Lincoln in the 75th percentile...which i find more comforting than the 4th percentile!!  Everything is looking up these days, which is exciting!  We are busy at least 2 days a week with appointments whether it be physio, speech or occupational therapy, but after every appointment, I get more ideas on how to get Lincoln reaching his FULL potential!!
Thanks for reading :)


Michelle

Heart Surgery SUCCESS!!

Well the surgery went amazing!! Its incredible that He doesnt even have a scar on him from it! We went down to Sick Kids on Wednesday for a pre-clinic, in which we speak with the surgeon, and they go over the procedure, side effects, and risk factors. The procedure would be done thru a vein in the groin, where a scope would go up to the heart with a plug to close the holes and they would put a camera down his throat to see what they were doing. Given that Lincoln has pulmonary hypertension, the risk factors were increased which scared Mike and I quite a bit. After speaking with them on Wed. they said there was a 70% chance that they would actually close the holes on Thursday, all depending on how much pressure was on his lungs, how big the holes were and how small the holes were. On Thursday we had to be at Sick Kids by 6:30 am, so that left little time for a full night sleep for us. When we got to Sick Kids, we registered and spoke with the anesthesiologist, who also informed us of the risk factors because he has pulmonary hypertension (which is a large amount of pressure on the lungs - due to oxygen flow from the heart). When the surgeon came in to take Lincoln away from us, she informed us about the chances that they would actually DO the surgery (via a catheter) ... because they usually dont do it via catheter on babies that are less than 22 lbs... which Lincoln is 18.5 lbs. After speaking with Dr. Lee (the cardiologist/surgeon), and her informing us on the chances they would do it, we asked if they would let us know what they decided, and she said no. The surgery would take approximately 1.5 hours - 4 hours... and she estimated it would be the full 4 hours because he is smaller than usual. When they took Lincoln away, we could only pray that everything would go according to God's plan. As we sat in our room, and literally watched the clock ticking, 3 hours went by and finally, the surgeon came in to let us know that EVERYTHING WENT AMAZING!!! He infact had 3 holes, and one of the holes measured to be 12mm in diameter - HUGE. They closed all 3 holes with one plug. Lincoln was in the recovery room, and we were able to see him! It was one of the most happiest moments in my life when I saw that he was OK!!! Thank you to everyone who had us in your prayers - God surely does great things!! We were in the recovery room for 3 hours where he was hooked up to machines that were monitoring every millisecond of beating his heart did. After the 3 hours in recovery (in which he was awake, but drowsy from the anesthetic, he had a 2 hour nap (in our room), and when he woke up - it was amazing how fast he had recovered. We were playing music for him and he was dancing, laughing, talking, and playing just as if nothing had happened! The next day, he had a few follow up appointments, which went well, and we were on our way HOME!! He remains on asprin for the next 6 months, just as a blood thinner, but as far as restrictions... he just cant jump in his jumparoo or straddle his toys for 5 days, which he seems to be fine about! We will have another follow up appointment in 6 weeks time, to see how the lungs are responding to the holes being closed. He is doing better eating already, and we have appointments in these coming weeks for speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio therapy, and feeding assessments - which is great! Lincoln started to put himself into a sitting position from laying down - which is great for him! (except he seems to mostly do it when he is in his crib - supposed to be falling asleep haha)
Thanks again for all of the support from family and friends! It sure makes a difference!

-Michelle

Heart Cathaterization

Today I got a phone call from Sick Kids with Lincoln's surgery appointment. April 29th he will be having a heart cathaterization to close his two small holes. I am nervous about the procedure even tho they do it ALL the time. I am just asking for prayers as we go through this tough time. They will be putting a tube up his groin, and thats how they dill do the surgery, so no scar will be visible, and most children get sent home the same day - but they might keep Lincoln over night just to monitor his oxygen levels due to the pressure on his lungs. Thanks for thinking of us!

the ECHO

Well, this past month has been quite entertaining - from his first tooth to getting closer to crawling with his knees (one bottom tooth and one upper molar...he is a great army crawler) and plenty of help from specialists! He is taking solids a little bit better, and his formula has been modified to get more calories into him as he has basically been the same weight since December. Other than that - He is doing great! Happy as happy can be :) I have decided I am not going back to work as daycare is not a good idea at the moment (not the interacting with other kids part - but the viruses) ... unless I have to go back to work, then I will take Lincoln into work part time.
Friday we had Lincolns ECHO done at sick kids, He was sedated and they took tons of pictures via ultrasound of his heart. After plenty of hours waiting around, we finally met with the Cardiologist. He informed us that he has 2 small holes (ASD). He couldnt tell by the pictures exactly how big each of the holes were, but he estimated that they combined would be about 8 mm in diameter. 1-3mm isnt much of a concern, 3-5mm is a little concern, and 8 would likely be surgery. At first he didnt seem to be to concerned about Lincolns ASD, (ASD = A hole in the septum between the heart's upper two chambers (the atria) is called an atrial septal defect), but when we got home, there was a message on the answering machine saying he had spoken to a few other people, and they decided it would be best if Lincoln got the holes closed because there was alot of pressure on his lungs. The surgery (from what I understand on the message) would take place at sick kids in 3-6 weeks time, but the cardiologist will phone back this week to inform us on more details. All we can do is just pray that all will go well, and that those in charge know what they are doing, so we will be in good hands!

A rough week with a bright future!

When my husband and I were expecting our first child, we were preparing for the great journey of parenthood! When Lincoln arrived into our lives on April 18, 2009, we were the happiest we ever thought we could be. He was a healthy happy baby boy! Breastfeeding did not work out, so I was a full time pumping mom as he would not latch properly. As the months grew on, so did some struggles. Lincoln only wanted (weather or not he wanted to or not i'm not sure, but its the only way it would work) He would only drink when he was sleeping, so needless to say, every two hours I would rock him to sleep so I could give him a bottle. After numerous visits to my Nurse Practitioner, she insisted that I just wasn't waiting for the hunger cues. Every time, I would go home and just wait for some type of cue, not feeding him while he was sleeping. 6 hours would go by and he would still fuss and scream when i would try to feed him. I was used to that routine, and i suppose so was he (weather he knew it or not.. i'm not sure). When it came time for solids at 6 months, he showed no interest. I wasnt too worried about it, as some babies just arnt quite ready at 6 months... at round 7 months he started taking some in, but whatever he swallowed would come back up. So again, I went to my nurse practitioner - and she set me up with a pediatrician. At 7.5 months of age, Lincoln started on formula, and started drinking while he was awake with out a fuss. 1 week before my visit with the pediatrician, Lincoln started eating solids and actually keeping it down - which was such a relief, but i decided to keep my visit with the pediatrician just so a baby specialist could take a look at him. When I walked into my appointment on January 18, the Ped. took a look at Lincoln and some of his special traits - which included a short neck, an open mouth posture, and a simian crease on his right hand. She then thought it would be best that we get blood work done as she was concerned for him being a little on the smaller side (6th percentile) and a little slow reaching his milestones - but just a little slow, he was sitting unassisted by 7.5 months. On Jan. 27th we got blood work done, and waited patiently for the results to come back. 5 weeks later, we received a phone call from the Pediatrician asking my husband and I to go to Peterborough to go over the results... it was then that we knew there was something they had found. When we got there, she went over the results with us, and informed us that our 10 month old had down syndrome. Shocked by the news, we both started to cry, and try to figure out why God had picked us. We didnt have too much time to think about it, as 2 days later, Lincoln got pneumonia. We took him to the Dr. which referred us to the hospital, where we took an ambulance to a bigger hospital - in Peterborough. He was put on oxygen because his levels were so low. While we were in Peterborough, we had some routine tests done that they do on down syndrome babies like kidneys and heart. We then found out that Lincoln has ASD - a small hole in his heart... what a week!!! one thing after another after another... by the end of our 5 day stay at the hospital... we were thrilled to come back home with our happy boy again. We came to the realization that he is who he is... we knew him as who he is for the first 10 months of his life, and finding out he had down syndrome wasnt a big deal to us... rather, just a few answers to some of our struggles. He continues to be our happy baby boy and we are blessed that God chose him to be our first child!!! As it has only been two weeks since we found out, we have arranged for a infant development worker to come in and work with us as we try to get our Lincoln crawling and eventually walking! I am very excited about this new road we are on - I'm sure it will be full of happy times spent as family, with a few rough patches along the way that we will get over with ease! We are praying for the continued health and happiness of Lincoln for many years to come! I am new to blogging, but I will try to keep up! on April 09 Lincoln goes in to sick kids for another echo on his heart, where we will meet with a cardiologist who will decide when and if Lincoln needs surgery - so that will be my next post I guess!
Thanks for reading so far!!

Michelle *