Cause for Celebration- I can SIT!

Boo at the Zoo

Now that Joey is at school full time we have fewer family days together. We spent Columbus Day at the Bronx Zoo with some good buddies. Kids that dressed up got in free. We brought a sweet ladybug and Captain Adorable.

Buddy Walk 2011

To celebrate MeiMei's first bday we participated in the NYC Annual Buddy Walk to raise awareness for individuals with Down Syndrome. We were so touched with the outpouring of support and those that spent the day with us. There was a group of awesome volunteers from OCM and CCP that cheered the walkers along. One of the main highlights was seeing MeiMei's picture on the big screen in Times Sq. She's such a rock star! Happy Birthday baby!

ONE

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

One year ago, we had no idea what to expect or what was in store for our family. This year has proved to be a year where we were showered with blessing upon blessing. God is good and he gives wonderful gifts.

Makayla (MeiMei) has grown before our very eyes. She's feisty and sweet. She loves her brother and he brother adores her. She babbles, rolls and has the strongest legs! She used to be quite stingy with the smiles but now freely gives them out. She is soaking in the world and I can't wait to see what adventures the future holds. I know she will be used in a mighty way to break through barriers of all kinds. there are no limits!

I LOVE YOU!

Joey's First Day of School

Our little boy is all grown up. Today was his first day at University Settlement Head Start. We praise G that he got in. It's 5 days a week 8:30am to 5:30pm. He gets to socialize, play and learn and we get to rest! A win-win for all

Lin Family Reunion

a one week trip to Northampton, cabin in NH, swimming and even a troll hunt!

Joey's 3!

Kenny and I went to a parenting workshop by helen lee the author of Missional Mom. It was a great workshop and really made us think about how to raise our kids to glorify God. We got some ideas for family traditions. So, for birthdays we are telling the kids that they get something but they also give something.

For Joey's birthday he got to go to Chuck E Cheese in TORONTO and he gave his time for the Bread and Water Walk to raise money for orphans in China. He also chose a walker to donate to an orphanage in China. Every night he's been praying for the orphans. I almost talked him into giving half of his birthday money to the orphans but 2 seconds later he said he wanted to keep it. :)

We also had a great time reconnecting with my best buddy Lis and her family.

Niagara Falls

Joey and Beatrice

When I first met Lis, we were single ladies living up the New York City life as grad students. Now look at us!

Cause for Celebration- supported sitting

Our PT started using the corner of a box to encourage sitting. so far so good! Go MeiMei!

Chau Reunion

lots of cousins for joey and meimei to play with!

change is in the air

today marked the end of kenny's internship at OCM.

we said good bye at 5 of the services. hopefully, we'll still be in touch and partner together sometime in the future.

my bro was in town this weekend as well. joey loves his jojo. we went to a yankees/red sox game. it was joey's and my first time to the new stadium. my bro is a die hard red sox fan, joey of course is a yankee fan (kenny doesn't like telling people joey was actually born just outside of Boston), and i just enjoyed the garlic fries.

cause for celebration

meimei has been a lot more vocal this week!

in the middle of the night you can hear all sorts of groans, grunts, raspberries and "ehhh." while this is good for her, its not so good for those who sleep right next to her.

there's also some cause for celebration for joey...he's almost completely potty trained!
i've been brave on a few occasions and ventured out of the house with big boy underwear-- no pull ups! i've also become "one of those" moms who brings their kid to pee at a tree in the park. one day at seward park, i was sitting on the bench and my friend said, "i think joey needs to go to the bathroom." joey had pulled down his pants and underwear and was squatting by a tree. by the time i got over to him he had already pooped! i felt like i owned a dog, having to clean up after him. but what a milestone! congrats my almost 3 year old!

my poor meimei

we went to the endocrinologist today. most of our medical specialists are from weill cornell, we've been very satisfied with the level of professionalism and expertise.

basically, she had to get another blood test to determine whether or not she needs to be on thyroid medication. it's always been hard to draw blood from her. the geneticist had trouble, the pediatrician had trouble and today the nurse had trouble too. she first went fishing in the arm and got nothing. then she decided to to a heel stick... she cut meimei's heel and collected the blood drop by drop until she got the 3 vials she needed. needless to say, meimei was none too please with this. she rarely cries so when she does it's extra heartbreaking. it felt like an eternity. she was screaming with boogers streaming from her nose. my poor meimei

for all those brainiacs out there, please figure out some way to test for these things using just a drop of blood.

we'll find out the results in 5 days ... stay tuned.

add another -ist to the list

so meimei got a thyroid test last week and the results came back with slightly elevated levels of thyroid stimulating hormone which is an indication of hypothyroidism. symptoms include decreased growth rate, weight gain, constipation, lethargy, decreased muscle tone and dry skin.
thyroid issues are common with children with Down Syndrome.

so we are adding endocrinologist to our list of pediatric specialists...

geneticist
cardiologist
ENT-ist
ophthalmologist
audiologist

Tribeca Family Festival