Thursday was my dad AND my mother-in-law's birthday and Friday was Keith's birthday!
My dad spent his birthday doing this:
Yeah, he got to tear up the track at Daytona. I got to speak with him on Sunday and he excitedly told me about his experience and how he wants to do it again on a different track. He's an adrenaline junkie now, apparently. ;) I'm glad you found such a fun way to celebrate your birthday, Dad!
So, Friday was Keith's birthday AND it was Etta's 3-year-old well check with her pediatrician. The visit with the pediatrician went well. Etta weighs 24lbs and is 32 inches tall. The most exciting/noteworthy thing about the appointment was that the Dr had the report back from Vanderbilt's Diagnostic Imaging. We went up there Wednesday to have Etta's neck x-rayed as part of her pre-op work-up. It was also just time to do that with her. At the age of three, children with Down syndrome are checked for atlanto-axial instability (AAI). You can read more about that
by clicking here, but basically, "it's an increased flexibility between the first and second bones of the neck and since the vertebrae surround and protect the spinal cord, instability of the joint could place the spinal cord at risk for injury." Her report showed NO SIGNS of AAI! YAY! It's something that will need to be checked again in the future, but for now, we can breathe a sigh of relief instead of holding our breath every time our little acrobat does a somersault! Also at her appointment, they drew blood (poor baby) to check her thyroid (came back normal) and her CBC (just keeping an eye on those white blood cells, also came back normal).
After her appointment, we met Keith for birthday lunch at Calypso. No celebrity sightings this time, but we had a yummy lunch! That afternoon, Keith came home early and Etta and I gave him his cards and a gift and we sang "Happy Birthday" with a chocolate Gigi's Cupcake. Etta got to have a special princess cupcake, which she ATE UP!
After cupcakes, I went up to Franklin for the big
Encores and More Children's Consignment Pre-Sale! This sale happens twice a year and it's one of the biggest children's consignment sales in the area. I've been a couple of times, but this was the first year I have ever been a consignor. It was a lot of work tagging my items for the sale and taking it all up there the week before, but it will be so worth it when that check arrives in the mail in a few weeks, plus it meant that I got to shop early, before the general public (hope I sold enough stuff to cover the cost of the stuff I bought. lol.). So, the sale started at 5:00 and I didn't leave there until 9:00! I got Etta much of her winter wardrobe (hope our little mini doesn't hit a growth spurt!). I also snagged a cute wooden play kitchen (for $25! There was another one just like it and they wanted $50), Barbie car (with a barbie), another magnadoodle, a couple of hair bows, a step stool, and a couple of puzzles. It was also fun to watch a few of the items I had put into the sale walk out the door with their new owners! Hope I don't have much to pick up on Sunday.
tagging my stuff
some of the stuff I put in the sale
my golden ticket
my cart (about half-way through)
Friday wore me out and Saturday morning I was surprised to sleep in until nearly 11:00! Once I woke up, it occurred to me that I had not heard Etta playing out in the living room and that Keith must have taken her to the grocery store or maybe even over to the public pool. It turns out that he took her an hour away to the Piney River to play on the rocky beach by the water. From what I hear (and saw) they had a great time... too bad I wasn't invited (but still grateful for the rest).
After Keith and Etta got home and I got her fed and down for a nap, I ran out to take care of a few errands. Later, I spent the evening putting together little gifts for the next day's baby shower hostesses AND I baked/ decorated a cake for the next day's birthday party. I finally got to bed around 1:00.
Sunday was a big day! We got up that morning and went up to Keith's parents' house in Nashville to celebrate his and his mom's birthdays. We had a nice visit and a yummy lunch. Etta ate REALLY well at lunch. She especially loved her daddy's homemade fries!
We left there around 12:30 and Keith dropped me off at our other car in Franklin (that we had left on the way up) and he took E home for a nap while I went over to a little baby shower for me and my friend Amy. Remember when
Amy and I threw a shower for our friends Suzy and Emily? Well, yesterday Emily and Suzy (and another friend, Jennifer) threw US a shower! :) It was a great shower and I love my Ds Momma friends! (Thanks again, ladies!)
Tiff- 28 weeks pregnant, Amy- 36 weeks pregnant
cutie John Andrew
The diaper bag Amy gave me. You can't tell from this angle, but it's embroidered with "Daniel".
(how am I always the whitest person in a group!! Casper's got nothin' on me!)
Also, a quick addition to say that today was Etta's last day of therapy at High Hopes (following her surgery/recovery, she will begin to receive therapy when she starts school on August 12th). We were especially sad to say goodbye to her occupational therapist, Mrs. Shelby. I know we'll keep in touch, but she's been seeing Etta twice a week (more recently once a week) for nearly two years and this pregnant lady got teary-eyed when we hugged goodbye. (and somehow I didn't get a picture! GAH!!)
