Happy Holidays!!

Aren't they beautiful? Why is it everyone always gives Dave a look of pity for having 4 girls?:-) It was so nice having ALL of our girls at home for Christmas...FINALLY!!

She's Here!!

Well, I'm a week late in getting this out, but I didn't get out of the hospital until Saturday and have been trying to recoup. Just like I've been telling people, this baby was like her two oldest sisters and didn't want to adhere to any C-section date...which was scheduled for December 2nd.
Madelyn Dee arrived on November 19th at 7:59 am. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz (my biggest) and was 20 in. long (just like Sydney).

Not to be outdone by her sisters' births (Sydney was breech, Reagan got cut on the face during the C-section, and Ellie and all her complications), Maddie had her own surprise for us. She decided to show up on Reagan's birthday!! Yes, our girls have their own way of trying to get attention. So Reagan had to open her presents up at the hospital. I really don't think she minded, but we'll see in a few years when it kicks in that she has to share her birthday with her sister. I'll write more later and throw in some pics of the girls with Maddie.

On Her Way!!

So I realized it had been a while since my last update and I left everyone in limbo. Well, a week and a half ago, the dietician came and weighed Ellie. She had lost little weight, but she felt this was okay since Ellie had been gaining so much and had actually been getting too many calories with all the milk. She approved 2 more hours off the pump (11 total) and encouraged us to try 1/2 oz more of milk at each meal. Ellie did better than that! In fact, one of the days she had 12 oz!! This was a new record! Okay, I need to clarify a bit. She is not actually "drinking" it from a cup. She tends to like it thicker (I use a drink thickener to do this) and a lot of times I spoon feed it to her. Sometimes she lets me tip the cup in her mouth..but I figure, whatever we can do to get her off the pump. Well when the dietician came this week, she weighed Ellie and it was a 9 oz gain from the week before (21lbs 3oz)!! She was very happy with the progress. So happy that now she is only on the pump for 9 hours (that's sleeping hours only!) and what is in the pump is half formula and half water!! Wahooooo! She also said that Ellie is really close to being off the pump!!!!! I never thought she'd move this fast. She will check her again in 2 weeks. The next steps, in case you're wondering, would be to move to only water at night and then to completely off the pump. That's how close we are~!!!!! Can you tell how excited we are ? The girls are excited too because now they don't have to worry about tripping over pump cords.

As if this weren't enough, she had another tooth break through...we are at 12 total now. It's hard to believe that 10 of those have come in since May. And....she said "ball" very clearly last week when early intervention was here and then I got her to say "bye"!! I have also moved her bed completely flat (I've been slowly moving it from an inclined position) and put crib bumpers around. This seems to be helping her with sleeping at night. I spoiled her 2 weeks ago by letting her sleep in bed with me and it's been hard keeping her in her crib every since. But she does like the bed flat now. It is easier for her to roll around, sit up and play in and she really likes to hold the edge, pull up and down and peek at who is on the other side. This is so much progress for her. I told Dave that I really believe she may be crawling or close to crawling by Christmas. She is already working her way all around the living room scooting and piveting on her bottom. It's hard for the girls to remember she can get into their stuff now.

Finally, a quick reminder that the Buddy Walk is the 18th and there is still time to donate. We are so excited to finally participate this year. Especially since she was in the hospital during it last year.

We Need A New Goal For Buddy Walk!!

Wow!! Thank you so much to all who responded so quickly and signed up for Ellie's team, made donations and/or passed the word along to friends and family. Thanks a bunch also to my sister Shelly for hosting a last minute garage sale to raise funds (she did practically everything...all I did was bring stuff over to sell). She set up a sign at the entrance letting everyone know what the funds from the sale would be used for and some people didn't even buy anything, but just gave donations. We made $350 to contribute to our team!! With that addition, our team reached the $1,000 goal in 5 days!! I'm setting a new goal, so keep passing the word. We have until October 11th to collect donations. You can also still register to be on Ellie's team, your t-shirt will just not have Ellie's Mission on the back, but we will know you're with us!!

As for Ellie, she continues to be busy. She now has a total of 11 teeth! I believe 5 of those were just in the last few weeks. She has also figured out how to get into a sitting position from being on the floor. Unfortunately, it is the wrong way (she does the splitz, bad on her hips). We've been working on the correct way, and she is getting soooo much better at it. We've also gotten her Hip Helpers (they look like biker shorts that have been sewn together). She has to wear them twice a day for 30 minutes. She does not like them. They really make her work hard and don't allow her to be so flexible with her legs. It really seems to be helping her get stronger.
The big news: 2 weeks ago we were told we could take her off her tube for 9 hours straight a day!!! This has been so awesome!! It is so nice to pick her up and not worry about a tube. Unfortunately, the girls have forgotten to be as careful when she is hooked up, but I just keep reminding them. The other big news: She said "Shoes" and "Ball" (ball is not as clear, but is definitely what she means). I think Dave grinned from ear to ear when he heard her. Her signing is sporatic but she has made signs for milk, more and drink. If she wants to talk instead though, I am very okay with that!!

A Subject Close To My Heart--Buddy Walk

This is a copy of an email I am sending out today. In case, I've missed your address, which is entirely possible, please take a moment to read it and/or share our website with others. THANK YOU!:

Dear family and friends,

Many of you know what our daughter Ellie has been through in the past year and a half and many of you have helped us out in so many ways. To this we say Thank You so very much! What you may not know is that we found out that Ellie would be born with Down Syndrome about a month before she was born. At the time we received the diagnosis, we were given a packet of information from our doctor's office. We didn't know a lot about Down Syndrome at the time, so we read everything we were given. We sent in the reply card enclosed and the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild sent us a huge package full of books, brochures, a DVD, and even some gifts along with a very nice letter letting us know that they were available when and if we needed them. We also received a call asking us if we would like support and information from another family in our area who had a child with Down Syndrome. At the time, we declined. Her medical issues and just the knowledge that she would have Down Syndrome were incredibly overwhelming. But, what we did do was read the info and books they sent us cover to cover. It was this information and one of these books that gave us the knowledge we needed to ask the right questions after Ellie was born. It was reading one of these books that led us to ask for the Echocardiogram that discovered the hole in her heart. I'm sure the hospital would have done this anyway, but in a situation where you feel completely powerless, it gave us a little bit of power. The doctors appreciated our newfound knowledge and we're sure this is why they were able to discuss Ellie's situation with us so candidly.

The reason we're sharing this with you is because we are participating in the the Buddy Walk this year. This is the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild's main fundraiser. The money donated is used to send out packets of information to doctor's offices like mine, to buy books like the one we received and send them in care packages to families who have just received the news that their child will be born/has been born with Down Syndrome. It is used for activities that allow families of children with Down Syndrome to interact and learn from each other and it is used to help families, whose child has to be hospitalized, offset some of their costs. And these are are only some of the ways in which we have been helped by the Guild. There are many more ways in which the money that is donated to them is used.

Please consider visiting our Ellie's Mission team site at http://www.kcbuddywalk.org/ . If you would like, you can make a donation to the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild from the site or you can join our team, help us to raise money and walk with us at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, October 18th. If you decide to join our team, please sign up by this Friday, September 19 so you can have our team name on your shirt!

If you've gotten this far, thank you for taking the time to read about a small part of our journey no matter what you decide to do. Please feel free to pass this email along to any of your family and friends.

David and Natalie Wonnell

Update

I didn't mean to stay away so long. So many things happening around here. Sydney and Reagan started school. Sydney loves 1st grade. I was worried about how she would handle a full day, but she actually adjusted really well. Her favorite thing though is taking the bus to Dave's school after her school is out and playing with some of her new friends until his workday is done. Dave says she has so much fun, he has to really talk her into getting into the car to come home. I miss not getting to see her so much, but I know she is having a ball. Oh, and she was chosen by her teacher to be this month's "High Five Club" student (has displayed the characteristics of trustworthiness, caring, citizenship, responsibility and respect). Her picture will be hanging on a bulletin board in the lunch room. We are so proud of her!!

Reagan is doing well too. She likes getting to leave with Sydney and Dave in the morning. They drive to Dave's school then a bus takes them to the elementary school. We hear from her teachers that she is very good in school, has great manners and is kind of quiet (yes, you heard that one correctly...a surprise to us). The only difference that I have noticed in her lately is that she is very clingly. She tells me a lot that she misses me when she is in school (she goes M-F in the morning).

The newest girl is doing fine. I had another sonogram yesterday and there is no sign of impending labor. Docs thought all looked well. She is looking healthy, weighs 2lbs, 8 oz (I think) and her growth shows her 5 days ahead of schedule. She does appear to camera shy. They tried to give me a 3-D shot of her face put she wouldn't take her arms down. As for names, we still have no clue.

As for Ellie, she has been continuing with her growth spurt. She now has a total of 9 teeth! Yes, they have been coming in like crazy. 2 just in the last week and 2 more almost ready to break through. She is pivoting all over when she is sitting (moving herself in circles) to reach what she wants. We have been practicing getting her on her knees and standing. It's hard work for her, but we've been seeing improvement. She waves hi and bye now (though not always right away) and loves pat-a-cake. She has figured out how to do the "roll it up" part with her hands and has gotten better with the "throw it in the pan" part (throwing her hands up in the air--this is hard for her). Just Friday, she surprised me with getting into sitting position on her own. I'm still not sure how she did it. She was laying down when I went into the kitchen, then I heard her fuss, came out and she was sitting up happy as a lark. She's only done it 2 other times but I'm sure she'll have it down soon. We've been working on it for weeks. She desperately wants to crawl to things on the floor but has not figured out how to coordinate her arms and her knees yet. Exciting news on the eating front is that we are working with a dietician now and I have her eating orally 5 times a day (3 meals, 2 snacks) and off her tube for 5 hours a day). We do a lot of counting calories...she needs around 150 per meal and 100 per snack. We see her again tomorrow and I hope we have worked hard enough to be able to double her time off the tube (the next step). This would basically have her off most of the daytime. Oh, and yesterday I got her to drink 8 oz of milk throughout the day (very thick and spoonfed sometimes)!!!! This is a major record!! If you remember, this is the part we struggle with; eating is no problem.

Isn't this pic awesome?!! You can't even see Dave behind her holding her up.

And great news, we are now part of the high speed internet world, so I'm attempting to add new pics to the site.

It's A Girl!!!...

Yes, you are reading that correctly. No, we are not playing any jokes. It really is a girl. Yes, they are absolutely sure, this is the 4th time we've been through this and we are pros at spotting the 3 lines that tell us it is a girl. Sorry, to make you all wait so long. Had to get used to the news ourselves. Sydney was/is disappointed. She really wanted a baby brother. I'm sure it will pass. Reagan said, "It's a girl!" with a big grin on her face. When the sonographer asked us if we could tell what it was (took her 5 minutes to get a good look....this baby is active), Dave and I immediately said a girl...the lines were pretty clear. Then we started laughing. Ellie was the only sibling in the room with us and she started cheering and clapping. Apparently, she wanted a little sister. Dave and I were so relieved to see a stomach, a 4-chamber heart pumping blood and every other thing that indicated that this is indeed a healthy baby. Yeah!!!!! And did I mention that this kid can move? She didn't sit still for any good pictures.

Monday my doctor's office called to let me know they were concerned about something they saw on the sonogram. Yes, my heart rate went way up...been there, done that, not anxious to do it again! They scheduled an appointment with a specialist to check my cervix (same one I saw with Ellie). Long story short: They were concerned that I might not be able to hold the baby well and go into premature labor. This would mean bedrest or possibly surgery to help keep the baby in. They needed a second opinion. Soooo...Tuesday I had another sonogram and am relieved to share that everything looks fine. My cervix looks good and I'm showing no signs of early labor. The doctor did question me on what my normal routine is and asked me to tone it down a bit (no picking up Reagan, not a lot of stairs, Dave gets to vacuum, be careful picking up Ellie) and wants to see me in 4 weeks, but he says it's all precautionary. So for those few who knew the situation, thank you for the prayers. For those who didn't, we really did not want you to worry. Oh, and I did have them double check the gender, you know, for those who really can't believe it's a girl.....and it's STILL a girl!:-)