31 for 21: Five Blessed Years - 2 years ago

Here is another post that my oldest sister did 2 years ago called "Five Blessed Years" . . . our family is VERY blessed and thankful for Osiyyah.

"Five years ago today, our life changed forever. Osiyyah & his twin sister, Yophiyyah were born.

My then 14 year old sister & I stayed with our mom in the hospital from the time she was admitted late Wednesday night, Feb. 2nd. As my sister & I stood in the hallway outside of the OR, little did we know how different our life would be from that day forward.

The twins were born naturally with no complications. Osiyyah was "Twin A" and Yophiyyah "Twin B." The babies were born at 2:05 & 2:10pm Thursday afternoon, February 3rd 2005. My sister & I briefly got a peek at the babies as the nurses wheeled them into the NICU. I remember how tiny they were. Just under 6 lbs each.

Shortly thereafter, my dad came out of the OR and went to follow the babies into the NICU. A few moments later he came back with "there is some bad news." Our hearts stopped, not knowing what he was going to say. He proceeded with "it looks like the little boy has Down syndrome." My sister & I were both relieved and I thought "oh, that's not bad."

After the babies were born and we knew this information, we went into the waiting room where the rest of the kids were and some of our friends. Being exhausted from practically no sleep in over 24 hours, my sister & I both started bawling as soon as we told everybody the news that the babies were born. We probably looked like a bunch of geeks in the waiting room that was full of other people! At that point, we were so excited to have two new babies! Praise the Lord!

From that day, our lives have changed for the better. The first few months after the twins were born, there were some challenges. With the two week NICU stay, then having to go to the pediatrician's office every 2 weeks to a month for Osiyyah. Looking back, those office visits could've been avoided had we known more. But, we live & learn.

Praise God he has given us Osiyyah. Life would be so dull & sad without him. He makes us laugh all the time.

The last 5 years have been a learning experience and I'm sure we have lots more to learn. Osiyyah is incredibly blessed to be born into our family & in this country. Into a family who loves him, even though God made him with a little something extra.

Osiyyah is thriving beyond what we ever thought and what we were ever told. I am so thankful God has given us the knowledge & understanding to help Osiyyah be where he is at today. Had we not found out about Nutrivene and the so many other things that we do with Osiyyah, I'm convinced he would not be thriving like he is today. Praise the Lord for his kindness towards Osiyyah.

To put things in perspective, if Osiyyah were born into a family in another country, especially Eastern Europe, it would be very likely that he would be in an orphanage right now. Because he is 5 years old, he would now be on his way to a mental institution. He would not be thriving. His life would consist of laying in a crib, getting hardly any attention. I can't imagine someone doing that to a child, simply because they have Down syndrome. I can hardly think about this without crying. But, this is the reality of so many children with Down syndrome in other countries. It's incredibly sad.

So, today we will sing "Ha day" (Happy birthday), as Osiyyah says, to him & his sister. And, today, as every other day, we are very thankful God has put Osiyyah in our lives.

I love you O & Yo!"

http://gotdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/2010/02/five-blessed-years.html

 

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31 for 21: The Book - Down Syndrome: What You CAN Do by Qadoshyah Fish

The Book called - Down Syndrome: What You CAN Do by Qadoshyah Fish (my oldest sister) is available on Amazon! - http://www.amazon.com/Down-Syndrome-What-You-CAN/dp/0615259162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244224020&sr=8-1

31 for 21: "Panic" to stop the Down Syndrome - By my sister

Here is another post that my oldest sister did last year.

"When a family finds out their child has Down syndrome, they want to be able to find out what they can do for their child. Some of those families look into supplements and drugs to help their baby, which I think is great. 

But, there are some who feel that families who start their baby on supplements so quickly (at a young age - just weeks to months old), are in a "panic" about the Down Syndrome and feel the need to "do something" to stop it. 

For some families this might be the case, but more often then not, the families I have talked to are not in a panic about what they can do. They simply want to do what is best for their baby and give their baby what they feel is the best chance to do well. For some families, this means starting their baby on a variety of supplements and possibly drugs as early as possible. 

We did not find out about any sort of supplemental/nutritional intervention for O until he was 8 months old. Had we found out about it when he was younger, we could've looked like we were in a "panic," because we would have started Nutrivene-D when he was just days old.

But, it's not because we want to stop the Down syndrome. It's because we want to do what we feel is best for O. And I believe that's where most families are coming from.

The earlier you can start supplementation to combat the negative effects of the extra chromosome, the better. The more time that goes on without intervention to combat the harmful aspects of Trisomy 21, the more damage that is done. You cannot fully stop the oxidative stress, mental retardation, or neurological concerns with just supplementation, but you can slow them down a lot.

I fully support and encourage parents who want to start supplementation as early as they feel is safe. For some parents that may be from day 1 and for others, that may be at a year old. For some, it may be a long list of supplements, and for others it may be a more conservative list, which slowly gets longer as the child gets older.

The biggest concern here is to make sure you, as parents or caregivers, are fully researched and convinced, in your own mind, regarding any supplement or drug you give your child.

There are things to be cautious of, especially for a young baby. You don't want to overload their system, particularly their gut, especially if they have GI concerns. But that's where researching what you are going to supplement with comes in. If you are well researched, have talked to others who are knowledgeable, you are on the right track.

I would not want to discourage someone by saying they are in a "panic" about the Down syndrome. In a sense, there is a race against time which is very real and this is why I think it's very important for supplementation to be started at an early age."

http://gotdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/2011/12/panic-to-stop-down-syndrome.html

 

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31 for 21: What is Down Syndrome?

Here is a post that my oldest sister did last year called: What is Down Syndrome?


"I haven't ever really posted anything about this on the blog before, so I thought it would be good to post. It seems so basic to those us involved with Down Syndrome, but a lot of people are totally clueless when it comes to what Down Syndrome is caused by.

Here's some basic information shared from the National Association for Down Syndrome:

Down syndrome is a genetic condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. It occurs in one in every 691 live births. Individuals with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. It is the most frequently occurring chromosomal disorder. Down syndrome is not related to race, nationality, religion or socioeconomic status. The most important fact to know about individuals with Down syndrome is that they are more like others than they are different.

Down syndrome is usually identified at birth or shortly thereafter. Initially the diagnosis is based on physical characteristics that are commonly seen in babies with Down syndrome. These include low muscle tone, a single crease across the palm of the hand, a slightly flattened facial profile and an upward slant to the eyes. The diagnosis must be confirmed by a chromosome study (karyotype). A karyotype provides a visual display of the chromosomes grouped by their size, number and shape. Chromosomes may be studied by examining blood or tissue cells.

Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction. It is not known why this occurs. However, it is known that the error occurs at conception and is not related to anything the mother did during pregnancy. It has been known for some time that the incidence of Down syndrome increases with advancing maternal age. However, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age."

http://gotdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/2011/10/31-for-21-what-is-down-syndrome.html 

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31 for 21: Liberty Singers at the American Spirit Rally

Us and another family (that we are best friends with) have a singing/dancing group called Liberty Singers. So we were the entertainment at the American Spirit Rally on Tuesday, October 2nd.

O, my brother with Down Syndrome really enjoys to sing and dance.

Come Like us on FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liberty-Singers/261987383904013?fref=ts

You can go to this link to hear some of our songs that we sing - http://www.reverbnation.com/graceyoung

Also come follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LibertySingers

Here are some pictures from the event -

The two Liberty Singer mommas.

One of the Liberty Singers singing - Grace Young.

The Liberty Singer group.

 One of the Liberty Singers playing the Guitar - Brian Young.

Some of the Liberty Singers talking to Hugh Smith.

My oldest sister, Qadoshyah, giving a speech.

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31 for 21: 5 years ago - By my sister

Here is a post that my oldest sister (Qadoshyah) did 5 years ago when O was only 2 years old.

"Looking Back Through The Past Two Years

I remember when mom was in labor.

I remember when mom was taken to the OR to deliver the twins.

I remember when Ezzy & I stood in the hallway outside of the OR awaiting the twins arrival.

I remember when the NICU nurses whisked the twins by us in the hallway.

I remember when I burst into tears after seeing their precious and tiny faces.

I remember when Abba came out of the NICU saying "it looks like the little boy may have Down syndrome."

I remember when the first & only thought I had was "that's not bad", and I purposed to be there for him.

I remember one of the first times I saw him he was under an oxygen tent and so tiny.

I remember when the twins were so tiny; their heads were smaller than the palms of my hand.

I remember when the doctors suspected he might have a hole in his heart.

I remember when he had the echocardiogram on his second day of life . . . how we waited and watched in silence for the word. After silence for a few minutes the man who did the echocardiogram said, "Everything is good." Tears of utter joy and thankfulness to God were shed.

I remember when Stacey A. heard the good news about his heart, she about dropped the pizza on mom!

I remember when he gave a little smile at only two days old.

I remember when mom tried to nurse him one of those first few times; he just laid there and wouldn’t do anything. We had to hold the oxygen on his face.

I remember when he had all those IV's in him. And, a feeding IV in his umbilical cord. The tape from the IV's were hurting and cracking his fragile skin (we had the nurses fix that).

I remember when he had the IV taken out of his umbilical cord at 3 days old. I almost passed out!

I remember when he was moved into an incubating bed because he wasn't keeping himself warm . . . now the oxygen was in his nose.

I remember when we would open up that bed to hold him, or just stick our hands through the holes to be able to touch and rub him.

I remember when we would take him out to hold him, or try to have him nurse; we had to be so careful about the IV's and all the cords that were on him. We had to watch his O2 sats too.

I remember when his little arms and legs had the IV's in them and that stiff board taped around his arms and legs.

I remember when we would try to give him a bottle in that incubator bed and he would just lay there and hardly do anything.

I remember when he had a gavage tube in his nose so that he could be fed and gain some weight.

I remember when she was discharged, after 6 days in the NICU. It made it very difficult because she couldn’t go into the NICU anymore.

I remember when we would have to leave him in the NICU. He would be awake, with his big, bright eyes starring at us, and we’d have to lay him down in that little bed . . . with no one by his side. That was so hard and sad!!

I remember when we did the "24-hour-boob-a-thon"! Going in every 2 hours so mom could nurse him. We had to show that he could come home and survive!

I remember when mom proved to the nurses that she could care for him at home . . . we just wanted him to come home with us!

I remember when the doctor agreed to let him come home after 13 days in the NICU. We were praisin' the Lord!!

I remember when he came home. I spent hours just sitting on the bed holding him, since the oxygen tanks were hard to haul around. But, we eventually started carrying him and his O2 tanks everywhere!

I remember the so many trips we made back and forth to the hospital to "weight checks" on him every couple weeks to make sure he was "surviving."

I remember when we'd question the docs, go back and forth with them and show them that he was fine with the slow weight gain he had. Little did we know what we'd find out in just a few months, the answer was right there the whole time.

I remember when he was able to get his oxygen off. 6 weeks after being home.

I remember when the docs questioned mom on vaccines for him. I'm so thankful for the speech she gave them – they were silenced. Praise the Lord we did not vaccinate him.

I remember when we had the last appointment at Olive View, what a relief we did not have to go back.

I remember when we found Dr. Kolchins. We were relieved to find a doctor who seemed to know a little about DS, we didn't have to tell him everything.

I remember when he called and said his thyroid was "borderline-hypo." We were kind of sad, but thankful that it was just that and not something worse. Little did we know that he had this problem since BIRTH!

I remember when we asked the doc for time to research. It was amazing what we found!

I remember when we started finding out what hypothyroidism was . . . it explained him to the tee!

I remember when we found out about TNI. We thought the info looked good and we had nothing to loose, but all to gain. God used TNI to improve his life SO much.

I remember when, after just days and within weeks of giving him TNI, he started to gain weight, look so much healthier, his face filled out and was not skinny anymore, he didn't look sickly and scrawny anymore, his hair started to grow, he started to grow, his tone improved greatly, and he started exceeding in gross and fine motor skills tremendously.

I remember when we went back to Olive View and got his blood work records. We were shocked to find out that he had major thyroid problems at birth. We were told his thyroid was fine, when it was not. Knowing this could have changed those first 8 months tremendously! But, praise God we were able to find out about his thyroid and TNI when we did!

I remember when he learned to sit . . . only a month after starting TNI. His tone was so improved!

I remember when he learned to drink from a sippy cup at 10 mths old.

I remember when he could stand at 12 months. God had improved his life so much in just months!

I remember when we found out about and met Dr. L. We were very thankful to find a doc who told us way more about DS than any other doc. We learned from him, instead of having to teach the doctors.

I remember when he started to crawl. It was his own way of crawling, but he was crawling! He got around very speedily!

I remember when he got his first two teeth at 15 months. They were two top molars. We thought he’d look funny, but about the same time his middle top teeth came in. Shortly thereafter his middle two bottom teeth and his bottom two molars came in. At 23 months, two more bottom teeth are coming in.

I remember when he learned to drink out of a straw at 13 months old. That honey bear straw cup from TalkTools worked so well! He learned in 2 DAYS! He was finally able to drink out of other things, besides a sippy cup. This was a great improvement for his oral motor therapy! He's on Straw #1 still at 23 months old, but he's improved so much. And, Lord willing won't be on Straw #1 too much longer.

I remember when he did his first sign, "please."

I remember when he did another sign, "eat" and another "owie." Now, he does just about any sign he's shown and he remembers them really well.

I remember how he signs "I love you" all the time. Even at times you're not expecting it. What a sweet-heart!

Now, 2 years later, he is doing so well. God has been so kind and merciful to him and us. Looking back through the past two years is amazing. Things have changed so much from when the twins were born. They are such a blessing and joy to have around. Even though he is slower than his sister and normally is 2-3 months behind her in his skills, he's still a blessing. And, God has created him the way he is! He understands a lot more than we realize, I think. May God continue to give him understanding! One of my favorite verses has got to be:

Psalm 100:3-5

"Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.""

http://gotdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/2012/10/5-years-ago.html

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31 for 21: Buckie Boys and Breeding Season!

It has been a LONG time since I posted last :) . . . but still just doin' a quick post here.

The goats have started to come into heat for past few weeks. We have gotten about 25 or so does bred so far. The sheep also have started to come into heat for the few week also. We have gotten about half bred so far . . .still waiting on the rest.

I thought I would attach some pictures of this years buckie boys that we are keeping.

Here are some pictures - 

The first three pictures below are of Powerhouse - 1 of our Nubian bucklings that we brought in this year. He is out Pruitville Nubians.

This is a picture of the 3 2012 dairy buck additions.

This is Patriot - a 4th generation Mini Nubian buckling that we brought in this year.

The next two pictures below are of a boer cross buckling that we kept back this year for a breeder.

The three pictures below are of Paul - 1 of the Nubian bucklings that we brought  in this year. He is out of Six M Galaxy Nubians.