Megan Thompson Fundraising Page - Megan Thompson's Personal Page for NDSS Your Way Celebrate

This is a fundraising page dedicated to our son to help raise money for Down Syndrome Awareness. Let's celebrate his life and all those diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Every little bit adds up and helps! Thank you so much!

Megan Thompson Fundraising Page - Megan Thompson's Personal Page for NDSS Your Way Celebrate

Anything is possible.

This article right here proves that the diagnosis of Down Syndrome does not define who they are as individuals!

My son will accomplish anything and everything he wishes to; and I will make damn sure of that. There is no statistic or person that will tell me what my baby is capable of.

You go girl! Thank you for the inspiration. And once again thank you for showing us how anything is possible. God Bless.

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2054953

You learn something new everyday.

Our boy is beginning to challenge us. For the past 8 weeks I thought I had him topped and figured out, but tonight I was played by a two month old.

After his 7:30 feeding at my parents house, he fell fast asleep in his carseat all the way home. I took him out quietly, walked upstairs to his bedroom and changed his diaper with only the night light on. I got all the way to zipping up his pajamas and then BAM, those beautiful blues opened up and smiled at me.

Well, at that point I proceeded to pick him up and kiss his chubby cheeks and told him how much I loved him. I figured it was the perfect moment to read a book and get my munchkin back to sleep. Throughout our book reading all Michael wanted to do was coo all over his very tired Mommy and babble babble babble. As much as I treasure these moments, I knew it was going to be a long evening. So I said why not give him a bottle, this will surely put him to sleep. Nope! He drank the bottle right down, burped and continued to look me in the face with those beautiful darling eyes. Of course I just couldn't help but hold him, rock him, and fill his face up with millions of kisses. He has learned to push past his bedtime and now is overtired at this point- doing anything and everything to stay awake. He does not want to miss a trick. By 10:45, our little fella finally turned in and decided he could not put up the fight any longer.

Now I know that he needs to be home each night at 7:00 pm to have his last nightly feeding and go right to bed afterwards. Or at least if we are out I need to make sure I carry a set of pajamas for him so I can put him right to bed when we get home. My not so little baby is not sleeping through his nightly changes anymore--- as much as this makes me happy to have him sleeping from 8pm-6:30am, I sure am going to miss holding him all night long (but I am sure there will still be plenty of nights where he will need Mommy to rock him or take care of him... I hope!).

Michael is still on top and thriving in every aspect of his life. He has learned to smile in response to me. It is such an amazing feeling when he looks at me and gives me the biggest smiles and coo's. Now we are just working on Daddy.

Last week at his 2 month check up he was 10 lbs 9.5oz and he was 21 1/2 inches long. The doctor is very happy with how well Michael is doing. He also did so wonderful with his first set of shots. The last one did hurt a bit, I could tell by the big cry he let out and the sad face he made; but he only whimpered for a few seconds, took his pacifier and went to sleep shortly after.

This week we are working on him with tracking his toys, strengthening the muscle tone in his mouth and are awaiting our first infant massage which will help his digestive system, his muscles and dismiss any constipation he may be having. Infant massage was highly recommended by early intervention as it is very good for strengthening his overall muscles. I will be meeting with his new service coordinator who will ultimately be working with Mike and I every step of the way in EI. She will be coming to the house this week and will set up days for therapy to start coming in and work with our boy. Mike and I are very excited to get started and help Michael progress in every aspect.

This weekend we will be going back down the shore to see my parents and then Sunday we are celebrating a very special birthday! Yay, Patrick!!! We can't wait to see you and celebrate the big "1"!!!

And I thank you all for keeping up with my posts. I am sorry that it takes me a while, but my computer will be fixed next week and I will then have no excuse to not come in daily and update! I can't wait :)

(Don't forget to subscribe to my blog to get updates right to your email).


Yay, my munchkin is finally asleep!

Moving along

Michael is doing exceptionally well. His evaluation went wonderful and he passed with flying colors. Due to his diagnosis he will receive another physical therapy evaluation to make sure he does not require further therapy at this time. After his evaluation it was noted that Michael will be working with a social therapist to work on his feedings; as he does have low muscle tone in and around his mouth and tends to drip milk out. We will be working on increasing his fluid intake and strengthening the muscles in his mouth to put an end to the dripping. (Don't worry, he seems to be gaining a LOT of weight. As we think he is around 11 lbs. Up 3 lbs from his last weigh in on March 26.)

He will also have a special instruction therapist working with him on following objects, responding to faces, tolerating longer periods of tummy time, supporting his head up on his own, reaching and grabbing objects and playing with them.

These will be Michaels goals by 6 months; where he then will have another evaluation and more goals for the next 6 months and so forth. At any time that we feel he needs work in another area, we are allowed to add to his list of goals. As the parents, we control what we want him to work on. EI will always suggest where he needs help, but ultimately we decide exactly what we want to work on- and we will of course always take the therapists and coordinators suggestions.

This week has been very busy for my little sweetheart. Monday we spent the early afternoon with our close friends and attended our second Gymboree class. Then in the early evening we visited Grandma & Grandpa Delaney's. Tuesday I had Michaels meeting with EI and set up his IFSP (individualized family service plan). Wednesday I am taking Michael to a New Mom's Support Group, Thursday he will spend time with his Grandma Dee while I attend a teachers workshop and Friday is his two month check-up. Busy busy busy!!!!

Mike and I are just so excited to start working on Michaels goals and meeting his new therapists. All we want is to help our little boy reach for the stars and excel to the best of his ability.

Everyday, every week, Michael is teaching me something new. This week I am finding that I am becoming much more laid back and beginning to take each day as it comes. With our busy lives, it would be very easy for me to become overwhelmed, but I have been learning to just go with the flow. I am waking up with a happy heart every morning and always remember to remind myself "today will be a good day".

I am so grateful for my wonderful boyfriend, my beautiful son and the best family anyone could ask for (The Thompson's, Delaney's, Davis' & Malones'). Without all of you, I don't know where I would be. So tonight when I go upstairs to sleep- I'll kiss both my boys on their foreheads as I do every night and pray for all my family and thank you all for helping me to have such a blessed life.

Justice for Ethan Saylor

Just wanted to share this with all of you. Each and every time I read this I can't help but lose it and cry hysterical. Obviously this hits home and my heart aches for all individuals with DS to be treated just like everyone else. My heart aches especially for Ethan Saylor who was taken way too soon from his family. Not a day has gone by where I don't think of him and his family. Justice must be served for Ethan.

Please read the creed that I have come across and feel free to pass it along if you'd like. We need to spread this awareness each and everyday. May God Bless my Michael Vincent and all the beautiful people who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

Growing with Michael Vincent

I have been meaning to post for the past few weeks, but unfortunately my laptop is currently not working. I really need to get on that and fix it so I can start sharing some of my wonderful pictures I have of Michael.

A little over two weeks ago Michael had his cardiologist appointment to check on his PDA and the leakage in his heart. As they said the first time he had his echo cardiogram, that his PDA should close, it has! We are thrilled, yay Michael! The leak in his heart has also stopped. The only thing we discovered was that he does have a flow murmur. This is nothing to worry about because it has nothing to do with the physical aspect of his heart. It is the blood flow through his heart and it has a murmur, which is perfectly normal. We found out about 24% of the population have this.

His cardiologist is such a wonderful doctor and very personable. She made us feel very comfortable at our visit and treated our baby as if he was one of hers. I was told that he would not require a follow up because our little boy has a PERFECT heart. I was feeling very blessed after this visit. God had answered my prayers with beautiful news that our boy is in perfect physical shape thus far.

While we were at this visit we found out Michael was up to 8 lbs 14 oz. Our baby is thriving! He is finally able to fit into his 0-3 & 3 month clothing. As happy as I am about this, it also makes me sad that he no longer is the tiny peanut that was put in my arms on 2/24/13. But of course, Mike and I look very forward to watching him grow each and everyday.

Today April 8th, Michael has his evaluation with Early Intervention. It is a very important day for him and us as his parents. We look forward to learning more about our baby and how we can help him grow and reach his milestones.

As always we are constantly pushing our sweet boy to work on all of his skills. Hoping you all have a wonderful Monday and I will be in touch soon after Michaels evaluation.

The joys of Labor & Delivery with Michael Vincent

Hi all, today marks Michael's 25th day of life which also happens to be World Down Syndome Day! This year marks it's 8th anniversary in raising Global Awareness for Individuals with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome International invites everyone across the world to wear LOTS OF SOCKS on March 21, 2013 to help raise awareness on World Down Syndrome Day. So come on family, friends and all other advocates... dig those funky socks out of your drawers and wear them today to help raise awareness; And not only for Michael Vincent, but for all Individuals with Down Syndrome!

(Labor and Delivery story.....)

The last time I blogged I was impatiently waiting for my precious boys arrival. Little did I know that he planned to bless us with his presence three days later. It was an unexpected, but very exciting and thrilling moment of my life when I woke up to contractions at 2:30 AM on February 24, 2013.

On that Saturday I took it very easy. For those who know me, I am NOT one to sit back and put my feet up. I am constantly on the run, but on this day it just felt right to take it easy and put my nesting brain to rest. I spent a few hours in Michael's nursey that night; I took my pillow, blanket and turtle into his nursery, planted myself on the floor and sang along to lullabys, read bedtime stories to my then bump and cried every so often at the mere thought of holding my beautiful baby for the first time. Mike probably asked me about five times to get off the baby's floor and to come to bed, but I ignored him. I was so content in those moments. I somehow knew that my world was about to change within the next few hours. 

2:30 AM I was abruptly woken up by a little discomfort in my abdomen. This had been happening for a few weeks and I figured it was braxton hicks contractions. I got up to use the bathroom and then came back to bed. I started having the pain in my abdomen again and said to myself, "Thats weird, why did the pain subside and come back so soon?". I monitored the pain for a good twenty minutes and the contractions I was having were about 4-5 minutes apart. At this point, I knew that this could be early labor. I woke up Mike and told him I was having contractions. We then timed the contractions together and decided that I was definitely in early labor. I called my mom and she agreed that I could be in early labor and to call my doctor. I waited until 5:30 AM to call my doctor. After speaking with her, she explained that it sounded like early labor and that I could take my time to get ready and go to the hospital. So, I did just that. I took a nice hot shower and made sure I had everything together and ready to go for the hospital. My mom picked us up around 8:30 AM and we were off.

On the way to the hospital the contractions were 2-3 minute apart and VERY painful. I honestly don't think I have ever felt anything more painful in my entire life. I did not think that the pain would be that bad. Well ladies and gentlemen, it WAS that bad. I was looking very forward to getting an epidural and not feeling anymore pain. After getting to the hospital, they could not check me in to labor and delivery until I was dilated more than 3 CM. When I was first checked I was only 1 CM dilated and this really upset me. After that news, I got up out of bed and walked the entire maternity ward for a good hour so I could help speed up the dilation process. The next time I was checked I was 4 CM dilated and one very happy mommy to be. I was finally admitted and put into my labor and delivery room. I shortly after recieved my epidural and was starting to feel like myself again. The doctor checked me about every two hours and broke my water for me to speed up the process even more.

At this point it was about 9:00 PM and I have now been in labor for about 18 hours all together. All of my immediate family was there at the hospital to see me along with Mike's mother. They all made me feel very comfortable and helped me relax while we patiently waited for the doctor to come and say it was time to push. Around 10:15 PM the doctor finally came back in to check me and I  was told that I was ready to push and deliver my baby. Finally, I was going to meet the little love of my life.

Mike and I were more than excited. I don't really think you can put a time like this into words. I did four sets of pushes, the last set I pushed about six times. The doctor said to me, "Okay, keep pushing and don't stop, focus focus focus! You can do this!". I then thought to myself, "This is it, in about 10 seconds my entire life is going to change..." with that, that the next thing I knew my son was being lifted up and I heard his first beautiful cry. I honestly cannot put into words how I felt. It was the most indescribable feeling. My pregnancy was finally put behind us and here he was; the little angel that was sent from above, he was finally here and is absolutely beautiful. He was everything I knew he would be and more.

After being delivered at 10:38 PM at 7 lbs 13 oz and 21 1/4 inches, he came straight to his Mommy and we had our skin to skin contact and he immediately breastfed. Already my sweet boy was showing the world just how strong he is. I don't think I will ever have a happier moment in my entire life. It is a moment that I will treasure forever. My Michael Vincent, my pride and joy, my absolute everything. I never knew it was possible to love someone this much. It is a love I never felt before. A love I never knew existed. It is so pure, so real, and came so natural. My heart is full.

Our hospital stay was not exactly how I expected it to be. Because I delivered on Sunday evening, I was planned to be discharged Tuesday. On that Monday, February 25, there was a lot going on. Between visitors coming, doctors evaluating me, doctors evaluating the baby and trying to get some rest in between all of this- it was very over whelming. In the midst of all of this, the pediatric cardiologist came in my room to take Michael to get his heart looked at for any minor heart defects. I was so exhausted that I told Mike to go with the baby and I would stay in our room with our visitors. After an hour and a half went by and Mike was still not back I began to get worried because the baby was due to eat. I called Mike a few times and he was not answering. Not only did this upset me but I became very angry that he was ignoring my call. I knew that something was wrong. When he finally answered my call I could sense that something was wrong. "What is it?! Whats wrong with the baby? Did they find something on the sonagram?" Mike then said to me, "Yes, they did but it isn't something we really need to worry about just yet; the baby had an episode during the sonagram and has been put on oxygen. When we get to the maternity floor I will come get you so the doctor can explain everything to you".

"This seriously cannot be happening", I thought to myself. Everything was so perfect, what happened? I couldn't process anything that was going on, all I knew was that I wanted to see my baby and not let him out of my sight ever again. When I finally was brought to the nursery to see him, I immediately lost it and began to cry. There he was struggling in his crib, attached to oxygen and breathing so heavily. I didn't want him to hurt. It made me so sad to see him in this state. I could barely listen to the doctors as they spoke to me. I tried to listen to what they were saying and nodded my head at them, but I really don't think I processed anything they were saying until they told me he would be admitted into the NICU. I was scared, I didn't know what to expect with my sweetie being entered into the NICU.

To try and make the rest of my story a little short I will give you a brief overview of how things went for his week in the NICU. Upon being entered, Michael was given an x-ray. The left side of his lungs came back grey, so they put him on antibiotics. While in the NICU he was hooked up to an IV to make sure he was getting enough fluids, he was on oxygen until day two, and also on the heart rate monitors and PulseOx monitor. Thankfully, after the 48 hour antibiotics were done- everything came back clear. The baby also was being monitored for his moderate PDA that was found on the sonagram and his aortic valve leak. The PDA came back that it was closing and there was no more concern for his aorta being pinched; but Michael will be going back to have another sonagram next week to check on the aortic valve leak. Through the week he was slowly taken off the IV fluids and was monitored on his feedings to make sure he was eating enough before they released him to come home.

I was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, but I did not leave Michaels side while he was in the NICU. It was so hard for me to see my baby in this state. I cried almost everytime I held him.  My heart ached, I just wanted everything to be okay so we could go home. I didn't want him to hurt or be there; but ultimately I knew he ended up where he was for a reason and that he was in the BEST hands. Next to his crib there was a couch that I slept on every night. Well, sort of slept- when I wasn't changing diapers, feeding Michael and cherishing every single moment with him. Unfortunately with him being all hooked up, it was a little difficult to breast feed him, but I was able to pump my breast milk while he was there. The nurses, residents, and doctors were absolutely wonderful at Morristown Memorial. I can not express how helpful and wonderful they were to me and our beautiful boy. We were finally told we could go home on Friday March 1st. I was absolutely thrilled to finally take our baby home and start our life together.

We have now been home for almost three weeks and it has been the best time of our lives. Even though the staff in the NICU were wonderful, nothing is better than having him home with us. We have all adjusted very well and Michael is thriving. He has been to the pediatrician twice already and will be going back tomorrow, March 22 to check on his weight. The doctor is impressed at how well his muscle tone is, because majority of infants with DS have low muscle tone. He responds to our voices already and knows how to keep his mommy on her toes all day. I know everyone says their baby is perfect- but I absolutely mean it when I say our son is perfection. He is eating like a champ, sleeps through the night and loves his tummy time. Mike and I really stress to have the baby on his stomach so he works on using all of his muscles. It is important for babies with DS to focus on tummy time exercises to strengthen their muscle tone so they can reach milestones as quickly as possible. He loves being read to, loves listening to mommy singing to him and loves his massages after bathtime. He also loves his visits from his Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, Cousins and friends.

Our Early Intervention service coordinator has already been out to meet Michael and discuss the program with me. In a few weeks, Michael will be evaluated so we can see what areas he may need help in. We are very excited to help our baby in every aspect that he needs and to help him thrive and succeed in reaching his milestones.

For now, we are really embracing being parents and loving every minute. We have never been happier and our little family is complete. Michael is everything we ever wanted and we can't picture our lives without him. Every evening we hold him and look at each other and say, "Look at our beautiful baby, this is a product of us and he is absolutely perfect". I am getting better, but I still cry every so often when I hold him because I am so in love and I am so happy to finally have him here. I feel so blessed that he is healthy and doing so well. Being a mother is such a rewarding and amazing feeling. I have never felt more complete.

So, I know you all have been patiently waiting to meet our baby. I did not want to share him for a few weeks because I wanted our family to have our bonding time and to enjoy our little family before we shared him with "the world". Michael did have a newborn photoshoot, which he did absolutely wonderful at and his pictures are beyond beautiful.  I hope you enjoy the video I have made and be prepared to fall in love with our very lovable baby.

Also, please feel free to subscribe to my blog and follow me. This is where I will update on Michaels progress and our lives together as a family.

A quick update on how my pregnancy life has been going the last few weeks. I am finally sporting a nice sized baby bump (yay!). Although, sleeping at night has become a little less then what I am used to, I really don't mind the lack of sleep because that means baby Michael is almost here!

Each week I am seeing my obstetrician and I am also having sonograms done for bio physicals on the baby. Each week the ultrasound technician checks my amniotic fluid, the baby's heart rate and for his fetal breathing. The last two appointments have gone perfect and everything is looking wonderful. Baby's who carry trisomy 21 tend to always come early due to complications, but we have been so lucky to have no complications regarding baby Michael's health. I have a feeling he will stay inside as long as he can- we think he has become VERY comfortable inside his Momma. Then again, he could surprise us at anytime- as it is in his and Gods hands when he will make his big debut.

Tomorrow, Thursday February 21, I will be 37 weeks and my pregnancy and baby will be considered full-term. He will be considered perfectly fine to come at anytime after tomorrow. I cannot explain how happy I am to have come so far in my pregnancy and to be blessed with a stress-free last couple of months. I have absolutely no doubts that God and all of our loved ones who are no longer with us have been watching over me and my precious son.

So, the countdown is finally here! When will this beautiful baby decide to grace us with his presence? We will just have to wait and find out.... Love to all!!!!!

Hello everyone! I am proud to announce that Michael is growing consistently. We had our Growth Scan about two weeks ago and the doctor said he looks perfect. He is measuring on average just as any other typical baby. As of now, (31 weeks) he weighed approximately 4 lbs 3 oz. Maybe he will take after his Mommy and be a big fella who was a whopping 12 lbs 11 oz at birth!

Yesterday was my baby shower and I am still recovering! It was a very long but successful day. I can not express how thankful I am to have such wonderful family and friends. This little boy has no idea what is in store for him! His family already loves him so much. The shower was absolutely perfect. Special shout outs to my beautiful Mother, my best friend Kristen, Mike's mother Diane, Mike's sister Danielle and also to Jennifer for the beautiful turtle cupcakes. You are all so special to me and made my day perfect.

My family (Thompson's & Davis') and Mike's family are so very supportive and have spoiled us and baby Michael rotten. I can't even explain to all of you how thankful I am for all your generosity, love and support.

I can safely say that my baby will be the most stylish baby around. He has enough clothes to last him a lifetime. Mike and I received everything we need and more. I definitely missed the Delaney's, Davis' and friends that unfortunately could not be with us, and am very thankful for all the gifts they sent to us. Thank you all for your support and love!


Below is a 3D picture of Michael Vincent at my 31 week scan. He is so beautiful, I love him more than anything. I hope you enjoy your last few weeks in your warm little home baby, Mommy can't wait to meet you!

Michael Vincent,

Our *perfect* little miracle...

This is probably one of the hardest things that I will ever write. It has taken me seven months to figure out how I would share my life with others; and to this day, I still do not have the answers on how to perfectly put how our lives have changed in under a year. What I do know, is that the story I am about to share has changed my life indefinitely and has really helped me to become the person I have always dreamt of being. That person being a strong, devoted mother to our beautiful unborn son.
 
I once was told, "Life works in mysterious ways Megan; you never know what life will throw at you next". "All you can do is roll with the punches and learn how to swing back at life". Little did I know, life was really going to throw me some intense curve balls that I nor Mike ever thought we would be facing together.

Looking back seven months ago (mid-July 2012)...........

Waking up on this day was not unlike any other day, but little did I know it was a day that my life would change forever. I rolled out of bed, took a quick shower, got ready for work, yelled upstairs to my Mom "Have a good day, I'm leaving for work... see you later!" and hopped in the car. On my drive to work I noticed that my chest was feeling very sore; more sore than it has ever been. In the afternoon, I explained to my co-worker how horrible my chest felt. She laughed at me and said, "Well the last time my chest felt that way, I was pregnant." Her words gave me immediate chills. "Pregnant? Well, there is no way that I am pregnant- that's impossible". I laughed it off, but I could not get the thought out of my head. Could I be pregnant? I kept telling myself that I couldn't be. I quickly blocked her words out of my head until I left work. As I was driving home, I took a sharp turn into Rite Aid parking lot and sat there for a good five minutes debating if I should buy a pregnancy test or not. "Well, lets just get this over with so I can stop being paranoid", I said to myself. So I bought the test and headed home. I told Mike what was going on; he told me to calm down and that he would be right over.

As soon as he came over, I rushed into the bathroom and took the test. After the two longest minutes of my life (or so it seemed at this point in time) I turned the test over and there it was, a positive test. We were pregnant. Tears were shed by both of us, hugs and kisses were shared and fear of how our parents would react. At this point in our lives we determined that we were capable of starting a family, but this wasn't exactly the way we planned for it to start. After sharing the news with both of our parents, we were suprised with how well they took it and how supportive they were of us and our baby to be. The news of course was shocking to all, but at the end of the day we all smiled and look forward to our future as Parents, Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles.

We wanted to wait until three months to share our news with extended family and friends. That seemed the appropriate time to share this type of news considering at twelve weeks your chance of miscarrying goes down tremendously. In the meantime, Mike and I found a beautiful home to live in together and began our lives as a family.

Mid-september came and this was our three month mark of being pregnant and my scheduled twelve week sonagram. This would be the first time we would see our baby. Mike held my hand as the ultrasound technician rubbed the cold gel on my belly and proceeded to place the transducer over it. I will never forget the look in Mike's eyes when he saw our baby for the first time. He was amazed, I was amazed. It was like nothing we have ever seen before. This moment made everything so real for the both of us. He kissed me on my forehead and told me that he loved me. I fought to hold in my happy tears but let a few trickle down the sides of my cheeks. There was my baby, moving and living inside of me. I was a Mommy.

At this scan, the ultrasound tech looked over the baby and checked for the nasal bone and the nuchal translucency. As the tech was measuring the back of the baby's neck she kept saying she could not get an accurate reading. She said that a baby's neck should be no more than 3.0 mm for a normal reading, our baby was reading 3.7mm. She also checked to see if the nasal bone was present and was having trouble finding the nasal bone. I looked over at Mike and he was beginning to look scared, I told him not to worry and that everything was okay. After the tech finished with the scan, she said she wanted to bring in the doctor to try and get a better look and measurement. This really made Mike nervous, I could tell by the way he was looking at me. I didn't understand, why was he getting so nervous? "Everything is fine," I said again to him.

When the doctor came in she looked over the baby and got measurements of her own, the baby still was showing a 3.7 mm. She then turned the light on and explained what this all meant us. She said that a lot of times the baby will have a higher NT scan, some baby's even go up to 8.0mm and still turn out to be ok. She also brought up the fact that the baby did not have a present nasal bone and that this would make our risk higher. What did she mean higher? Higher for what? At this point I was very confused and cut her off while she was talking. "What do you mean our risk will be higher? Our risk will be higher for what?" The doctor then said to us, "Down Syndrome". I immediately said to myself, oh come on. What are the chances of our baby having down syndrome? The doctor explained that it would be smart for us to talk to the genetic couselor before we left and we did just that.

The genetic couselor was very kind to us. She explained further what the scan meant and what our risks could be. She said we will find out our risks once our blood tests come back. She also said that if we wanted to have a CVS done, we had to do it that day or it could not be done. Invasive testing is not something I had ever pictured myself having to do. I declined the testing, but did opt to have an amniocentesis if my risks came back high. We scheduled an amniocentesis for September 28, 2012. I did not think for a second that the risk of the baby having down syndrome would be high and that I would probably opt out of having the amnio done as well.

A few days went by and I patiently waited for a call from my doctor with my results. Finally, my phone rang and the caller ID said "Blocked Call" and I knew it was my doctors office. "Megan I want to let you know that the blood results have come back. Now with the abnormal blood results, absent nasal bone and the elevated nucal translucency your risk is 1 in 5 for Down Syndrome". His words will forever echo inside my head. He asked me if I had any other questions at the moment and that he knew how hard it must be to hear of such a high risk for a young woman. Questions? Right now the only question I had was, why is this happening to us? Why couldn't we have a pregnancy without any worries. I wanted to know why out of everyone I knew that was or is pregnant, we were the ones going through problems. Mike and I were just beginning to accept our new lives as parents and were ready to share our news with everyone.

I hung up with my doctor and called my mom. I did not call Mike, the last thing I wanted was to tell him this over the phone. My mom of course soothed me while I heard this and reminded me that this happens to a lot of women who are pregnant. That there are a lot of false positives with these tests. Nothing is set in stone and that I had to keep my head held high because there was still an 80% chance that everything was fine. Mike also felt the same way. He said that we should not worry and that our baby will be perfectly fine. There was no doubt in his mind, my parents or his parents that our baby would be okay. I was against all of them on this. I was determined to believe that our baby would be diagnosed with down syndrome. Deep in my heart, I knew that there was something going on with our baby. I knew that God would challenge me, and not because I needed a "wake up call" or "punishment", I knew he would challenge me as a mother because he knew that if anyone could handle being a mother to a baby diagnosed with Down Syndrome, it would be me.

Mike and I asked our parents to put off telling extended family and friends until we got the results from the amniocentesis. Hiding the fact that I was pregnant from even some of my best friends was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I wanted to be sure that everything was okay before we went ahead and shared our special news with our friends and family. The next two weeks were absolute torture, I wanted to fast forward to September 28 everyday. I wanted to take the amniocentesis and know what we were up against so I could prepare for our sweet little one. Mike never really wanted me to have the invasive testing done. "Why risk having this procedure, we could lose our baby and what if everything is fine? Why can't we just go on with our pregnancy and hope for the best?" he would ask. I just simply needed to know what was going on with our baby. I wanted to know so that if our baby was diagnosed with down syndrome, I wanted to be on top of everything and prepare for him in the best way I possibly could. My family insisted that our baby was okay, I insisted that yes, he is okay.. but he will have down syndrome. I don't think anyone understood what was going through my head during those two-three weeks. They probably wondered, why is she stressing herself out. Why can't she just hope for a "healthy" baby. Little did everyone know, that God instilled this power in me to face what I was up against. He helped me to see the bright side of this difficult time and guided me to a place where I could accept the fact that our baby could be diagnosed with DS.

September 28 finally arrived. It was very important for me to have my mother with me that day. She made sure that she took off of work just to be there for me and Mike. Having her with me that day reminded me that everything was going to be okay.  Before the doctor started the procedure the ultrasound tech checked on baby and made sure he was in a good position for the testing to be done. She gave us the news that the baby was a BOY and this made Mike one very happy Dad. Of course, Mommy was very happy too!  She also re-checked his NT scan and his nasal bone. She claimed that the NT scan was the same which was very good and his nasal bone was present. We were so thrilled to hear all of this good news. Finally, something good to report on. The procedure was relatively quick... I held Mikes hand, kept praying that the baby would be okay. It was not painful as I had read it to be, but it was very uncomfortable at times. The baby was not too happy about having something puncture through his little home. The doctor, Mike and my mom said that he was very jumpy and even touched the tube with his foot. After the testing, I was told that I needed to take it easy for the rest of the weekend and was not allowed to do any strenuos activity. On the following Monday we would recieve our FISH results. An amnio has a 99.4% accuracy.

We went through the entire weekend anxiously awaiting a phone call on Monday with our FISH results. FISH results are preliminary results that will tell you if your baby has Trisomy 21 which is also known as Down Syndrome. I told the genetic couselor to make sure to call me after 4 pm because I wanted Mike to be with me when I got the results. Unfortunately, Mike was ordered to work nights during this week so he could not be with me when we recieved our results. I told my mom that I would really appreciate if she could be home on Monday afternoon when I get the results; I did not want to be alone when I was told the outcome. Driving home from work on Monday was very difficult. As much as I prepared myself for the worst case scenerio, I was still very nervous. The genetic couselor was calling me on my way home, I hit the pedal faster and ignored every ring from her. My heart was racing and I just wanted to make it to my moms. I flew up my parents development and ran inside the house. Trying to catch my breath I told my mom that Eva called (our genetic couselor). I sat on the couch to try and calm down. My heart felt like it was going to jump right out of my chest and I looked at my mom and asked her for the last time before my life changed, "is everything going to be ok?"...... she looked at me and said, "Yes Megan, everything will be ok". My phone started ringing again, it was Eva. "Do I pick it up!? Oh my god... Mom do I pick it up, what do I do?", I asked. "Yes, Meg pick up the phone or give me the phone I will answer". With that I took my phone and answered the phone call....

 "Hi Megan, its Eva from Maternal Fetal Medicine. We have your FISH results here and I want to let you know the preliminary results did come back positive for Trisomy 21. I am so sorry". The first thing that came out of my mouth was "Ok." I did not know what else to say at this point. She asked me if I had any questions at the moment and I simply told her that right now I just wanted to process everything and that I was sure I would have questions for her in a few days. My mom was in shock and in disbelief. She took the phone from me and asked Eva, "How does this happen? My daughter is 24 years old, she is young, healthy and there are no traces of down syndrome in her or Mike's family." Eva then told my mom that this happens at random, and it even happens to more young women than it does to older women. That the risk should be 1 in 1,005 for Megan but her risk came 1 in 5 and she happens to be that 1. After a few short words, that I don't even remember hearing because I was in my own world, my mother hung up with Eva and hugged me and held me tight. She said she couldn't believe that this was happening and that I was right all along. I consoled my Mom and told her everything was going to be ok. I told her that my son will be a beautiful baby and that he has the best Mom. She told me that she couldn't believe how well I was handling the news. I couldn't believe it either. How in the world was I not crying at this very moment? Why wasn't I in tears grieving over the child I had "lost"? It wasn't long before the tears started streaming down my face. The reason I started crying was due to five missed phone calls and text messages from Mike wondering how everything was going and if we heard anything yet. How was I going to give him this news? How could I tell him when he had to work all night. I couldn't bear the thought of telling him, but he knew that when I wasn't answering him, something was wrong. I finally picked up his last phone call and he said to me, "Not good, huh?" and I responded to him by saying "I was right babe, I knew it all along, our baby has down syndrome".

When I thought my life changed the day I learned I was pregnant, I was wrong. My life changed the day I learned that my unborn son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Pregnancy should be the easy part, but our pregnancy has been the hardest up to this point. I knew that I could handle this, that I could prepare for our baby and give him the best life possible... but someone else felt different. After the first two weeks of our news, Mike did not handle it well. There were things discussed that I will not share, but as you should know abortion was NEVER an option. I knew that at this moment in time, Mike could not come to terms with the fact that our baby would be "different". I knew that he had to process all of this and grieve over our news; but it wasn't easy for me. There I was trying to stand tall and face this curveball that was thrown our way, and here Mike was trying to avoid it. I did not allow myself to cry around him. I knew I had to be strong and show him that we can handle this. That we will be able to give our son a beautiful life. The grieving process took some time but I let him have it. I respected his feelings and he respected mine. Once he saw how happy I was and that I was buying baby clothes and singing to my belly, it started to become real again for him. He came around and slowly was letting go of the hurt.

God helped me every step of the way to show Mike and our families that this baby will be a true joy to each and every one of us. God instilled me with the power to show everyone my true love for my unborn son. I announced to Mike that I was ready to share our news with friends and extended family that we were pregnant. I waited for so long, keeping our baby a secret and I no longer wanted to keep it hidden. We revealed our news to friends and our parents shared the special news with all of our families. We finally felt like we could breathe, move forward with this pregnancy and begin to enjoy it.

The testing of course does not stop with the amniocentesis; but I will cut it short and make it easy for all to understand. Baby's who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome have a 50% chance of having a major heart defect. We have already had our fetal heart echo sonagram done and also our anatomy scan. Our son passed these tests with flying colors. He has no major heart defects and is measuring "normal"... just as any other baby. This does not mean that this cancels out any minor heart problems. There is still a possibility that he could have a minor heart defect, but the fact that he does not have any major heart defects is a beautiful sign and he will not have to have open heart surgery as a newborn. We will go for two more sonagrams before he is delivered and those sonagrams focus on his growth. The doctors want to make sure that he is growing consistently and that there are no indications of any other issues. Because Michael is diagnosed with Trisomy 21 the placenta also carries Trisomy 21. At any time my body can sense that something is different and shut off the placenta which can cause a miscarriage, which at this point would be considered a still-birth. We have no doubt in our mind that our son will not have to suffice to any other problems while in the womb. We pray each and everyday that he will have a safe and healthy delivery for when he decides to grace us with his presence.

We have already contacted early intervention services (a program that you will all learn to know about through my blog), have his pediatrician lined up, a beautiful nursery that is almost ready for him, reached out and have joined several support groups, and are reading up on down syndrome each and everyday.

As you can see, my story is far from short. I wanted to start this blog to recognize our unborn sons diagnosis and to share it with all of our friends and family.One of my main goals with my blog is to raise awareness of what Down Syndrome really is. We want to show the world what our son is capable of and how alike he will be to every other baby. It is amazing the amount of self-satisfaction that I have in my life for a mother who is about to have a DS child. God has not "burdened us" he chose us and will bless our lives by giving us the chance to spend a life with a person that will smile more than anyone we know. Our son will enjoy all things in life and will not know what it is to take something for granted. As far as I know, children and adults that are diagnosed with down syndome are the happiest when they are making others happy. How many "normal" human beings can you say are like this?  

If I could, I would sit with each and every one of my friends and family and tell you all the same story, but I find that it is much easier for me to share it with you through my blog. I want all of our family and friends to follow this blog because this is where I will ultimately update on our sons progress and inform you about our lives as a family. I want to share our son with all of the people whom we love and those who love us. We want all of our family and friends to know that we are happy and we feel so blessed. We are absolutely thrilled to be parents and we cannot wait to finally have our son in our arms. He is perfect and he will be absolutely beautiful. I found my way through all of our hardships by instilling my trust in God. He has given us the chance to raise a baby who will change our lives forever. Our son has already shown us how to love indefinitely.

To say to you that we aren't nervous or worried would be a lie in itself. We worry about our sons future and the obstacles he will have to face; but we know that he will have the best parents that will push him to strive for the best in every obstacle and battle he faces. We will be his biggest advocates and his #1 fans. In all seriousness, what new parent isn't worried or nervous about their childs future? We all worry, it is part of being human. And that is exactly what our son is, he is a human being.. he is our baby. Down Syndrome does not define him. He simply just has three copies of his 21st chromosome and he is our *Miracle*.....