Hey guys! I hope you’ve all been doing well this week. Our week has been a bit busy with four dentist appointments and a slew of other things happening but I wanted to check in and give you all a couple of quick updates.

So last week we found out what our unexpected blessing will be and we are so excited to meet our little one! Watch this quick video to find out:

Some of the kiddos were a bit disappointed but they quickly got over it and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little sister.

With the gender news, we also received the news that our little one is low risk for Trisomy 18 & 13 but she is a high risk for 21 (Down Syndrome).

This news was not totally expected and we had first learned of this possibility at our last appointment. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what to do with all the information they gave me and I had kind of held out hope that this test would come back differently but it didn’t.

To say the past couple of weeks have been emotional would be quite an understatement. I did cry quite a bit and I guess I was grieving the thought of what I had planned.

I’ve since accepted the probability, even though they have stressed that the test was not diagnostic but they’ve also stressed that our risk is significantly higher than most pregnancies, that our little one will be born with Down Syndrome.

I’ve definitely done a lot of praying and looking through articles from others that have gone through similar circumstances. A lot of those stories though turn out to be ‘false positives’ and the babies are born ‘normal’.

But I read something the other day that really made me laugh… normal is a setting on a dryer… every baby can be normal in their own special and unique way. They are created by God and He makes no mistakes so they are perfect no matter how many people try to point out their imperfections.

I’ve also read about so many families who were unsure about how they would be able to cope with a special needs child. Many of them look back and can now say that their special needs children have been their biggest blessings.

Yesterday as I was scrolling through one of my FB groups I read a quick story about someone who had been planning and preparing for a trip to Italy. When the plane landed they found themselves in Holland.

She was upset at first because it wasn’t where she had planned but in the end, she found that they were both beautiful places with different experiences.

This so describes the journey we have found ourselves in. So I’ve really been researching more about the condition although I already a child with Down Syndrome.

In a way, it has been a blessing to find out this early so we can be prepared for this possibility. I know many parents that find out at birth, or shortly after, go through a lot of the emotions that we have already been dealing with. I’d rather go through this now and be able to focus all our attention on our little one when she makes her arrival.

I know this experience will be quite different from our experience with our adopted son as he was 8 when he came into our lives. He has been a blessing in so many ways and I’m sure his little sister will be also.

We’ve also been busy trying to pick out a name for the newest addition and have been adding things to our Amazon registry. We have another ultrasound scheduled in mid-March and we will be able to see more about what to expect at her birth.

So, yeah, I still have my moments where I get really emotional because I just want our little one to be as healthy as possible. The fact that I’ve called the doctor’s office every day this week because they haven’t refilled my thyroid medication doesn’t help my stress level either.

I’ve been trying to stay busy and trying to prepare for our upcoming move!

We did get our final inspection and our certificate of occupancy but we can’t move in. Over the past weekend, we had some MAJOR ISSUES when the power and water were cut on. (We were extremely fortunate that our house didn’t burn down and that no one was seriously injured in the events that unfolded!)

We are waiting for someone to come out and fix the issues. Someone was supposed to be sent out Sunday or Monday but they called and asked if they could come out on Wednesday.

Yesterday was Wednesday but no one showed up. I got an email this morning saying they would be here tomorrow so fingers crossed that they do get here and get it all fixed so we can start the moving process.

We had been ready to start painting the kitchen and getting the great room refinished but EVERYTHING has been put on hold as we wait for the repairs to be finished.

All in all, we have been very blessed in so many ways! We thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers and pray that you all have a very blessed week!