My husband was chuckling and shaking his head at me yesterday as I sat glued to "The Weather Channel" and some of the 24-hr news networks awaiting the pictures of devastation from Hurricane Katrina. I was worried about the storm all day - firstly because of all the problems it will cause for residents of that region and secondly for the enormous impact that destrucion of critical ports, refineries, and nautral gas/oil production and distribution facilities will have on the US economy.

Yeah, I have said before how much I hate these quizzy things but since none other than LOZ asked me to do it I will certainly indulge her request!

Seven things that scare me
aggressive drivers
guns
illegal drugs
Pamela Anderson's Fake 'n Bake tan
Most "Reality TV" game shows
All soap operas
Going to bed with my husband after he's indulged in a bean and carne asada burrito, washed down with 2 Negro Modelo beers!

Seven things I like the most
My family
My pets
Our garden/backyard and the creatures who reside there
Cooking original recipes
The beaches of Brigantine, NJ
A nice bowl of soup at a Greek diner
Playing slots in Atlantic City!

Seven important things in my room
Underwear
My ancient palm pilot
Lavender linen spray (handy after a post-burrito night!)
My in-need-of-replenishment Birkenstock collection
My bed
My 13" tv - my favorite tv in the house!
The ceiling fan

Seven random facts about me
I was born & raised in Delaware County, PA
I wear birkenstock size 39 regular
I hate fishing - its too gruesome and smelly for me to deal with
I despise large-screen tv's
A real east-coast "Corned Beef Special" is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches
I also love a good deli tuna salad sandwich...
...and an "All American" hoagie from Planet Hoagie (Hubby's fave is the Sigi)

Seven things I plan to do before I die (More like 7 things I plan to do UNTIL I die!)
Breathe
Eat
Excrete waste products
Do laundry
Do more laundry
Grocery shop
Pick dirty socks and underwear off the floor and place them in the proper receptacle (it's called a HAMPER, folks! Somehow my husband and child can't grasp the concept of the hamper)

Seven things I can do
See list above

Seven things I can't do
Live with clutter
Give a whoot about "American Idol" or Top 40 radio hits
Poop without pharmecuetical assistance
Indulge in pork, shellfish, amoxicilin, or latex products (allergies, yanno)
Have a vaginal orgasm (c'est la vie...)
Store excess bile for the emulsification of fats in my diet (no gall bladder)
Continue chain emails/games/quizzes

Seven things I say the most
No big whoop
Turn off that TV!
I love you (or the more terse yet playful "Love ya'!")
How ya' doin'?
Can I get coleslaw instead of fries?
Hiya (not "hi" or "hello")
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..." etc., etc.

Seven celeb crushes

It is still warm here in Suburban Chicago, although not sweltering like much of the summer that has past.

We are happy to have "warm" weather that invites open windows instead of energy-gorging air conditioning running day and night.

Maybe its too much fresh air rushing to my head but I cannot help but crave homemade soup! I've been thinking about making a delicious beef noodle soup all day, but my duaghter vetos the idea when I bring it up. Well, she can eat a bowl of "easy mac" while I indulge in the warm earthy goodness of tender beef, soft, simmered veggies, and a rich, satisfying broth, accompanied by a small salad and bicuits or rolls.

The weekend went surprisingly well. My husband, although worried, saddened, and anxious, is also completely accepting of baby's situation and he has told me repeatedly he supports me and my desire to "play this one out" (i.e. hopefully get to a BIRTHDAY!). The most touching thing was his statement on Friday night over dinner; man, it was right outta' some Lifetime Made-for-tv-movie:

To set the scene, hubby's full name is John Patrick. And he's a "junior".

Hubby looks over at me, beyond the box of pizza, and proclaims,

"Honey, let's name him John Patrick so everyone will know he is my son." (insert sob or charmed sigh here.)

Thus he'll be "John Patrick H.(our last name) III (the third.) Kinda WIERD that J. P. II visited me nocturnally to reassure me about J.P. III, huh?! ;) (see aug. 1, 2005 entry)

So as you can tell by the tone of my entry today, I am really upbeat about the future. I have started shopping (window shopping) for baby boy clothes - especially a cute pram suit. I had such a hard time getting one for my daughter - I bought a bunting bag only to discover at the hospital that it was WAY too big for her. So I want to make sure to get a superfly, bright color, ultra-jazzy, snuggly footed pramsuit for the lil' dude before he (hopefully) makes his appearance. I have plenty of time to find one but its fun to have a shopping "goal" for now :)

Of course I am voraciously reading about early intervention and other proactive treatments to help DS babies achieve their true potential - and some of the information is really cool. I am already excited about a yoga program for DS and other special needs babies and toddlers to help their muscle and attention span development. That and many other theraputic and nutritional resources have just recently come to light as keys to unlocking more potential than anyone thought DS kids ever had. Its incredilbe, exciting, and inspiring.

I'm still saying my daily prayers that JP's heart condition turns out to be minor or at least, fixable and that his health is otherwise in good shape. Sept. 16th is my next Level II US and fetal echocardiogram.

Speaking of cardiology, I have already been shopping around for "top docs" in echocardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery, thanks to a friend whose daughter has a congenital heart defect and my sister, who works with some of the best of the best at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. SOme of her "Top Doc" colleagues have sent me recommendations, so I feel confident that, if needed, my little guy will get Top Shelf care.

Oh, so yeah, no more "Junebug". I guess he's "JP" or "JonJon" or...some other babylike diminutive of "John Patrick". Although I have to be flexible, as my daughter is INSISTING on naming him "Max" or any one of the train engines from "Thomas the Tank " such as "Gordon", "James", or "Thomas" - we already have a "Percy" in the house!

Well, firstly I want to thank ALL of my blogworld friends near and far for their wonderful prayers, thoughts, and overall support with the issues I have had to deal with thus far this summer. My, what a summer it has been.

So...

I'll just cut to the chase:

I got "The Call" today confirming from the amnio that my baby has down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21.

Oy vey.

I'm fine with that but my main concerns RIGHT now are:

I had to cancel a routine gyne appointment due to a scheduling conflict and realized that with all of the fetal complications in this pregnancy that maybe I should switch OB/gyne practices to one that will be able to deliver at a hospital equipped to deal with my situation. It was fabulous delivering at my local hospital with my daughter, as she was a wintertime baby (we get plenty of SNOW here) and being 10 minutes away from the facility was very reassuring.

Today is the follow-up level II Ultrasound...


I have been saying my special prayers and even went to the Catholic church in Brigantine to light a candle and then bless my stomach area with holy water.

I feel rather sick to my stomach in anticipation of this appointment so I'll wrap things up and report findings later. I may also be having an amnio today but those results won't be ready for 2-4 weeks.

---

I had the amnio...FISH test reults (early chromosomal analysis) will be ready in 3 days.

The hygroma appears to be shrinking/resolving - it is now just behind the neck as opposed to covering the entire back as seen in the last ultrasound.

However its almost certain that baby boy (yes, its a BOY) has a heart defect and possibly Down's Syndrome. The Amnio results will conform or deny the DS diagnosis and at 20 weeks I can have another level II ultrasound with a pediatric cardiologist and a fetal echocardiogram.

Sounds grim, huh? Well...the only GOOD part of this (besides the shrinking hygroma) is that the "hole in the heart" may be this http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11066 which can heal on its own or is easily repairable after birth.

I've been tearful all day, and unfortunately my husband is reacting very badly to this prognosis.

However, my parents and one sister are very supportive of me and my "glass is half-full" optimism. The doctor I saw today was rather coarse and offensive - not just in what he said and how he said it but also how he SMELLED! He reeked of cigarettes with a lingering  note of B.O. on the side! Sheesh! So, I was able to throw his blunt statement that "maybe it isn't God's will to have a handicapped baby" out the window as I thought in silent reply, "Maybe it isn't God's will that YOU smell like a garbage dump, pal!"

I wish I had driven the extra hour to see Dr. Silver again but I went to his practices' local-to-my-neighborhood office and saw a different practictioner. I was nervous about having the amnio done by this slobby guy but I was there and since my "window of opportunity" was closing - and also because at that moment I had enough nerve to go through with it - I just said "ok, let's go for it." It won't change MY views on this pregnancy but I feel that with the heart situation, its a good idea to have as much info as possible so I can begin lining up specialists, etc. to take over if the pregnancy goes to full term. I state "if" because with the hygroma and heart problem, even though the baby is now active and has a great heart rate, it could still miscarry/be stillborn. So I wait...

I'll be back late on Monday...

I just popped by to report that the vacation has been ok; I've had about 1/2 of the days feelng good, energetic and the others feeling like doggie-doo, so that makes for less than stellar "tourist" activity.

We did not get called to "come on down" on the Price Is Right Live (pics to follow soon!) but it was an enjoyable experience, nonethelss.

We had a few decent beach days, and the water has been incredibly warm (no sharks though!)

Tomorrow me, hubby, kiddo, Percy (in a sizeable pet carrier, sedated on Benadryl per vet's instructions) and Annie (the beagle) head out in the 2-door '99 Chevy Monte Carlo Z34 for Brigantine, NJ. The Joisey Shore. Or as we say in Philly (all one word) "Downtheshore." For 8 days. No surfing or triathloning this year but we have tickets to attend "The Price Is Right Live" at the Showboat Casino. I'm jonesin' to hear "C'mon down!" preceeded of course, by my name which will likely be mispronounced.

My tortoise ('98 taurus se) needs some brake work so I don't trust it to deliver us safely to our destination, even though it has many fewer miles on it than the Monte. I think I may have mentioned the Monte before. It is such a cheesey car. Its SO Joisey. Its so "not" my husband but he digs it and its 3.8L v-6 nonetheless. It's white with black leathuh' interior. Needelss to say, we got it used because among the selcetions at Carmax, it was a full sized car with decent safety and gas milage rating at our price point. We only buy cars used; I am sure I have expounded upon this before.

I hate driving it because its long, difficult to handle and totally overpowered but on the plus side it has a huge trunk (for our luggage) and a cd player that you can control from the steering wheel. Hubby does all the driving on these car trips, anyway. I am in charge of snacks and handiwipes: the flight attendant/cruise director, so to speak.