Fight Night!

2:43 PM Posted In , , 4 Comments »
This past Saturday we hosted UFC Fight Night...something Nguyen has been looking forward to for weeks. We always have a blast on fight nights but this year was extra fun because...


The men did all of the cooking!!

Look at this- not a single female in the kitchen!

The boys cooked an excellent dinner of carne asada tacos, spanish rice, chips and dips, and BEER!


And of course because they were *watching* a fight, they were inspired and actually challenged eachother.



Hmm.



And the ladies relaxed and watched the men make fools of themselves.
It was fabulous.



Nguyen, Danny, and Jay



As usual, whenever we host these types of shenanigans, we party way too hard and stay up WAY too late resulting in this:



and this



and this



I think the boys were playing pool?
We had a great time and can't wait for the next fight night!


Wordless Wednesday!

7:00 AM Posted In 6 Comments »

Attention fellow bloggers!

5:33 PM Posted In , 9 Comments »

Photobucket

As you may have noticed from the ticker above, my beautiful princess will be undergoing open heart surgery in less than a month.

Kele offered to make a button for my girl and I think it turned out precious. So, if you would like, please grab it and post it on your blog in the sidebar or where ever you like...

We could use any and all prayers!

Thanks again, Kele!

House of Yonk

7:00 AM Posted In , , 12 Comments »
All I can do is laugh. We have actually had a decent two months with nothing more than the sniffles so I guess I can get over it, huh?

Monday evening Gabby and I were on our way to run some errands when she yonked in the car. I thought it was a little weird because she was a little more lethargic than she usually is but it was an isolated incident so I figured it was a fluke puke.

Tuesday was uneventful...no yonking to report of.

Wednesday Gabby yonked in the evening before bed and left me a little baffled since we had been to the doctor's office that day for both kids' well-child visits and vaccinations. Was it from that? That wouldn't explain the car episode on monday though. Hmmm...

Thursday at 2am Cameron has a yonk-fest all over MY bed. Luckily I wasn't in it because I can't sleep in a bed with kids (and that's a whole other post entirely!) So Nguyen had clean-up duty. It happened again at 3am :(

Cam has been sleeping on the couch for the last two hours and Gabby is napping in her crib. Cam has a slight fever of just under 102 so I am letting it rage a bit so we can kill those nasty germs. Check out my pitiful babies on Thursday morning.


Cameron kept telling me that Gabby wanted to cuddle with him since they were both "frowing up." So I let them and I got some cute pics out of it :)


They don't look sick do they!?




Hopefully we've experienced the worst of it and we can have a peaceful night tonight.
Oh-and in case anyone cares about the stats of my two adorable kids:
Cameron- 41 inches, 41 pounds 75th percentile
Gabby- (no clue on inches), 14.8 pounds 25th percentile on the Down syndrome curve.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

A very special birthday gift...

9:00 AM Posted In , 7 Comments »
Remember that post not too long ago about the T21 Traveling afghan? Well, we are on the waiting list and should be receiving the afghan shortly but Monica (John Michael's mom) had a custom T21 afghan made by Chandos, the mastermind behind the T21 traveling afghan project, just for Gabby. It was SO thoughtful and such a perfect gift.

Here's Gabby right after she opened her gift, testing it out.



I was shocked at the colors Monica chose and told her how perfectly it was going to match Gabby's bedding. Check it out!



And Monica had no idea Gabby's bedding looked like this. I guess these colors just suit her ;)

Thank you Monica, John Michael, and Chandos!!

Gabby's First Birthday Party!

8:56 PM Posted In , 9 Comments »
This past weekend we celebrated Miss Gabby's first birthday with friends and family and we had a BLAST! It was insanely hot so everyone was either in the pool or in the house taking full advantage of the air conditioning.


I think I have decided I am just no good at hosting big parties...I forgot to put out all of the condiments for the hot dogs and hamburgers (why didn't anyone say anything!?) But all in all, it was great and I am pretty sure everyone had a good time.

I know this little lady did.

I rented a bounce house because I was worried about keeping all of the kids entertained. I am glad I did...it served its purpose.

Most of the mommies and the babies stayed inside and chatted. Gabby had all of her favorite guys there to share her special day with her.

Sheridan was as cute as can be and loved Gabby's new mailbox. If he has a birthday bash, we know what to get him ;)

Joaquin and John Michael were also there. We attempted several group shots but they weren't in the mood for a photo shoot so this is as good as it gets...and I'd say it's pretty good!

Joaquin was being his usual self and stealing hearts left and right...Gabby's included.


What a little love.
Jennifer has already proposed a wedding in 2028. I approve...I am thinking a beach wedding would be nice.


Time for presents!

Gabby got a lot of REALLY cute stuff. I am so excited about all of it!
(more about a particular present from Monica and John Michael of Monkey Musings tomorrow)


She's one of those that actually reads the cards ;)
Okay guys...so check out the cake daddy-o picked out for the Princess:
I know. (shaking head)
And believe it or not, this was a downgrade from the one he wanted to get.
And then came Gabby's first taste of anything with real texture cake.

She really had no idea what to do with it and ended up tasting very little of it. But it felt cool in her hands apparently.

Nguyen just walked by and asked me why it looks like there were five people at the party...eek! I guess I was feeling pretty comfortable with my camera in the cool house. But I promise there were lots of people taking full advantage of the pool, I just neglected to take pictures of them ;)

All in all it was a fun day and we are so happy we got to celebrate Gabby's first year with friends and family.

Look for a post sometime tomorrow about a very special gift from a fellow blogger. It's a gift that will be cherished by Gabby for many, many years, I am sure. ;)

Reflection

3:05 PM Posted In , 16 Comments »
First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Mother's in my life...you are all amazing and very much appreciated.

That being said, exactly one year ago today was the first time the doctor's told us they thought Gabby had Down syndrome. It seems so fresh in my mind, yet also at the same time, so long ago.

Looking back, that day was THE worst day of my life. Nguyen and I were absolutely devastated. I remember thinking I would never laugh again. I thought there would never be a day that passed in which I wouldn't cry. Our hearts were broken and shattered into a million pieces. Nothing would ever be the same. Strangers from across the world emailed me offering comfort and their own personal stories of traveling this unknown world of "special needs."

The emails and phone calls were truly soothing to my broken heart. Still, certain things these parents would tell me I would not believe. "One day you won't even think about Down syndrome... Your baby will bless your lives in more ways than you can ever imagine." I couldn't fathom it. I went to bed crying and woke up hoping it was all a nightmare. Over time, the nightmares began to fade and the words I heard over and over from the Down syndrome community began to hold true.

It probably wasn't until Gabby was around four months old that my heart was completely healed. I didn't think about all of the potential "problems" and worries anymore...I just lived everyday and began to feel the bliss I missed out on those four months prior. I was laughing again! Our life was finally back to normal...whatever that is!

It is hard for me to think about that very dark period in our lives. When I do look back, I can almost feel my heart aching. It's indescribable. I am just so grateful to all of our friends and family...and even complete strangers that reached out to us and helped us through. I seriously don't know how we would have gotten through it without all of you.

This blog has been my sounding board and has been the most amazing tool for healing I could have ever imagined. I know putting your heart out on the line is not for everyone but holy WOW, the things I have learned and the people I have met...words cannot explain. I am just in awe over the good in people.

Anyway, my baby is ONE. We survived our first year...she is happy, healthy, and TRULY the greatest blessing we could have ever hoped for. I can't imagine our lives without her. We wouldn't trade her for the world. We are head over heels in love with this little girl. A year ago, I wouldn't have believed me but...Down syndrome is pretty freakin' awesome!


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