Soon to be... Auntie Elizabeth!

Beth's sister Sharaya and her husband Ryan, are due to have their baby any day now! They are having a girl, Allison Lucy. We are so anxious to meet her and to see who she looks like! The hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving is over and now we are just waiting for baby Allison. She is actually 11 days late... and counting! Sharaya will see her doctor tomorrow and there is a good possibility they will induce her then.

Allison is our first grandchild and we can hardly breathe!! The thought of holding our daughter's baby, is just beyond words. My mom passed away a few years ago and I so wish I could talk to her about all this! Did she feel this much excitement when I was pregnant? Did she create a space at home to care for the kids when they came over? Did she want to yell it from the rooftops, "I'm gonna be a Grandma!!" Or in my case, Nana!

I was recently asked, "Aren't you Sharaya's mom?" For a split second, Sharaya was back in 3rd grade and I was standing on the elementry school playground. And now, forever more, people will be asking her, "Aren't you Allison's mom?" It causes me to look at my daughter with new eyes. To see her not as my little girl, but as 'Allison's mom'.

And Beth wants to be called Auntie Elizabeth. I know she is up to the task and will shine with pride as Allison's Aunt.

At the dentist

Raise your hand if you like to go to the dentist. Yea, my hand isn't raised either. :)
Most of us don't like to go to the dentist, but they do help us keep our teeth clean and healthy. Beth went to the dentist this week. She had to have two fillings. I've actually fainted at the dentist, but Beth does so well.

She gets nervous when they lay the chair back and raise it up, but she doesn't cry or anything! She holds onto the arm rests and sometimes she shakes a little. But she is amazing! When the dentist is finished, she sits up and says she's ready to go! I wish I was as brave as her!

She's my hero!!

Game Night!

Monday nights after dinner, we have game night! We clear off the kitchen table, fix some hot tea and pull out the games. Some of our favorites are Sorry and Uno!

Brother Tom

We have learned that Brother Tom, the pastor that dedicated Beth to the Lord, has recently passed away. Twenty five years later, Beth is still walking with God. Tom and Kathy Nutt were amazing leaders, soft spoken, yet fierce for God. Brother Tom will be missed.

Vacation Pictures

We arrived home last week and have enjoyed looking at our pictures! Now we want to share them with you!

Beth and Diana had a great time at Disneyland. One of their favorite rides was Splash Mountain. You sit in a boat that looks like a log and as you go over the waterfall, you get your picture taken! They decided not to buy it because they both were screaming, they ducked down and couldn't be seen in the photo! Beth got to talk to C3PO when they went on Star Tours! She told him that she'd seen him on TV! She was so exhausted by the end of the day, she fell asleep in the car on the way back to San Diego. Awe! Isn't she cute?!

The day we left San Diego, we drove up to Fresno, then went to Yosemite the following day. We'd never been there and were overwhelmed at Gods creation! The waterfalls and rock formations were just breathtaking. We had lunch at Yosemite Village and bought a few gifts for Ryan and Sharaya before heading to our hotel for the night. It was an amazing vacation but we were all glad to get back home and sleep in our own beds!

I found that if I kept Beth informed of every plan, she was willing to join in. I hadn't done that in the past, and it really made a difference in her attitude. When we told her that we'd be going to Aunt Debbies house, then out to dinner with Grandpa, she was more content and joined in the conversations. We told her this was only for a few days and that she'd be home, in her own bedroom on Friday. She was more willing to try new things and venture to new places. I wish I had realized this years ago.

We took a 3 1/2 week vacation to the East Coast back in 2004 and she had such a terrible attitude! We'd be walking the streets of New York and she would just fold her arms and sit down on the side walk! She wouldn't talk to us or tell us what was wrong! We were so frustrated! Then further into the trip she began talking about 'our old, brown house'. It took us a few days to realize she thought this was our life now. The 'old brown house' was our home here in Washington and she thought we were never coming back. I try to imagine her confusion and sadness as she tried to come to terms with the idea she had given up all of her toys and books and her bed and dresser... brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! From that day on, we began to explain each days activities and count down to when we'd be going home.

We had never taught her the definition of vacation and just expected her to join us, happily and without complaining. What a shock it was to see 'vacation' through her eyes!

San Diego vacation!

We are on vacation in San Diego and having a great time! These are pictures of Beth in her room in our condo; at the beach at La Jolla, it was very warm and so beautiful!

The first night here, we had a family reunion! Everyone was there except Beth's sister Sharaya and her husband Ryan. Sharaya is going to have a baby in a few weeks and was unable to come down with us. Maybe we'll photoshop them in! :)

Right now Beth is at Disneyland with Diana! I'm sure they're having a lot of fun and will bring back lots of pictures!

A brief update

This has been a month full of parties! Sharaya and Beth both had birthdays and on Sunday we gave Sharaya a baby shower! Lots of friends, presents and a beautiful cake from Miss Patti! (We love her Patti cakes!)

Beth helped us set up for the shower, moving tables, arranging chairs and just helping where needed. She worked so hard she actually fell asleep in the middle of all the excitement! Pictures to come later. :)

Tomorrow we leave for vacation! We are driving to San Diego to visit family and friends and for my high school reunion. We haven't been on a road trip in more than two years and are definitely looking forward to this! Our kids have grown up taking road trips and I believe this will be number 35 for us.

I always make a packing list with 6 columns: one for the actual list, then 5 more with each of our names at the top. Beth took a giant suitcase into her room along with the list and began filling it up! When she put in some shirts, she'd put a check mark in the column with her name at the top. Then her pants, check. Shoes, check. She loves this! I let her do her own packing, but always double check it before we leave.

And speaking of packing, I need to go fill my suitcase! Clothes, check. Vitamins, check. Camera, check.

Beth is 25!

Beth is 25! Twenty Five years is a long time. Think about where you were and what you were doing 25 years ago. Go ahead, think about it. I'll wait. :)

On Wednesday, I took some cupcakes to her friends at All Aboard.

This is Beth happily eating her cupcake!

This is some of her friends at All Aboard getting their cupcakes. Everybody loved them!

Beth was a star!

We asked her what she wanted to do on her actual birthday, October 10 and of course she said bowling! So the whole family drove to Spin Alley and bowled two games. We cheated a little by using bumpers, but you've never seen Beth's sad face when she gets a gutter ball! :(

We didn't want that to happen..... on her birthday!

See, I told you the whole family went! Didn't Diana do a great job getting us all in the photo?!

The next stop was Red Robin. I don't think she liked having the balloons around her neck.

She finally got to eat her ice cream and felt better after that!

After Red Robin, we came home and she opened all her presents!! She got movies and music and games and even a beautiful pink scarf from Sharaya and Ryan! What a fun day!

Happy, Happy Birthday Beth!

Beth's Beginning Part Two

We called each of our family members and asked them to come to the hospital. We were holding Beth as we explained the limits and uncertainty of Down Syndrome. Beth was passed from one set of waiting arms to the next. They cried, they held her close and we knew, they were going to love her too.

The next couple of days brought an endless stream of visitors. Friends, extended family, doctors, specialists, therapists. During the few moments we had alone with Beth, we tried to familiarize ourselves with all the things that come with having a new baby. Never mind the Down Syndrome, how do you clean the belly button?! What about bath time, do I even dare touch the soft spot?! It was for this reason we decided to take the 'first time parents' class the hospital was offering.

The day for the class arrived and the hall was soon filled with slow moving moms. We all settled into the rocking chairs that had been placed in a circle around the room. As soon as the nurse began, she was interrupted. Another nurse looked right at me, "Cindy, your husband has been in an auto accident and is downstairs in emergency." I stood up, completely in shock and followed the nurse out of the room. Chuck is a large man and I knew he wouldn't be brought to the ER if it wasn't serious. I was unable to see him due to the sterile conditions downstairs and had to be content to just talk with him on the phone. I felt a little better after hearing his voice, but still called my mom and asked her to come. It took 5 hours for them to clean him up enough to release him. He came upstairs and told us his story.

He was leaving work to come to the hospital and slammed into the back of a flat bed pick up truck. He never saw the truck and so was going the full speed of 45 miles per hour. As he tells it, "I heard crunching so I closed my eyes and slammed on the brakes. When everything was quiet, I opened my eyes and the corner of the flat bed was 6 inches from my face."

The Lord had been with him in that truck. We later learned that an Elder in our church had a dream that Chuck, me and our baby were all killed in an auto accident. He got together with the other Elders and they prayed for Gods protection around all of us. Chuck came away from that accident with only scratches and bruises. Not even one broken bone!!

So with no car, Chuck out of work for a while and me recovering from emergency surgery, we began the life of a family with a special needs child. Social workers stopped by our house; physical therapists came to work with Beth; we joined support groups. Looking back now, I don't know how on earth we survived. But I do know that God has met our needs time and time again. He has walked this path with us, lighting the way when we didn't know where to turn. He has used our family and friends to give us hope when we thought hope was gone.

Beth turns 25 on Saturday, Oct 10 and we can't imagine our lives without her! She is the puzzle piece that completes our family! It has been a journey we didn't expect, but one we wouldn't trade for anything in the world!

Beth's Beginning

"It's a girl! You've got a girl!" The doctors words still sometimes ring in the back of my head. It's been many years since that first day of my daughters life and yet it seems just like yesterday. The Tigers had beaten the Padres in the first game of the World Series. Living in San Diego we were devoted Padre fans and our TV was tuned in to game 2 when I felt my water break. I quickly checked my already packed suitcase and with great anticipation, we headed to the hospital.

Doctor Maloney was a fantastic doctor, a grandfatherly type with a great bedside manner. He made you feel like a member of his family, rather than a patient. He told us that my water had actually ruptured the day before and our baby was at risk. He wanted to perform an emergency c-section.

After all these years, I can still remember the rhythm of those ceiling lights as they wheeled me down the hall and into the operating room. I was so relieved to see Chuck walk into that room, but noticed the small green hat barely covered his thinning blonde hair! We listened to the doctors talk about their vacations and their families, then a baby cried. "It's a girl!" Our baby girl!

Elizabeth Meigan! We had picked out the name months before. They wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Chuck. He held her out for me to see; she was the most beautiful child ever born! As the anesthetic took over my senses and I drifted off to sleep, Chuck took Beth to the nursery to be weighed and measured. The pediatrician on call looked at Chuck, "Did you know your baby has Down Syndrome?"

Chuck went out to tell the family that Beth and I were both doing well, but didn't mention anything about this stunning news. The nurses put Beth in the nursery window and our family gathered around to get a good look. They commented about her perfect, little round head, they hugged each other; but no one noticed what the doctors had discovered just moments before.

Chuck drove home that night, keeping this shattering news to himself. He prayed and asked the Lord if there was anything he could have done to prevent this. John 9:1-3 came to his mind, when the disciples ask Jesus who is to blame for the man born blind. Jesus tells them that no one is to blame, but that this happened so the work of God would be revealed in his life. Chuck crawled into bed and closed his eyes, but unlike most nights, it took him a long time to fall asleep.

As Chuck was hearing those mind-numbing words the night before, I was being wheeled into recovery, then to my room where I slept hard all night. The next morning my pediatrician came in and sat on the edge of the bed. He told me that Beth was showing signs of Down Syndrome. He talked about chromosome tests, specialists, therapy... his words drifted off into the air. I remember something about chromosomes from Biology class. Why didn't I notice last night? Does Chuck know?? As the doctors words filled my mind again, I found myself crying uncontrollably. My phone call woke Chuck. He could tell by my tears that I knew. He came to the hospital and pulled a chair up beside the bed. He took my hands and through his tears he asked, "We can still love her, can't we?"