"...Nothing is Impossible!"

Boy!  It seems like forever since I have blogged on this site.  But now that we are 4 months away from having a new little guy around our house I guess it is time to start it up again so family and friends far and away can watch and enjoy this little guy grow.

It has been a very enlightening pregnancy from the start.  It was a little scary in the beginning but all has been good and easy with the overall pregnancy even with my "advanced maternal age."  I did find out early on at about 14 weeks that I once again have gestational diabetes which may really be type 2 when it is all said and done.  The Dr. made me take the test early because I had it with Addison as well.  It really isn't that bad.  I just need to poke my finger four times a day and watch what I eat.  But it really has been good for me and I have not had any weight gain.  In fact, I have lost weight in a healthy way.  

Now on to more important things, we went to a scheduled ultrasound at about 20 weeks to find out the sex of our new little baby!  We were so excited!  We found out the baby was going to be a little boy!  Juan and Nicholas were smiling from ear to ear, however Addison really wanted a little sister, she cried.  On this day, we also found out a little bit more news about our little guy that we really were not expecting.  We found out he has a common heart defect that appears in about 20% of Down Syndrome babies.  So, what does this mean...more testing.  First, due to my "Advanced Maternal Age" I needed to undergo the voluntary/mandatory blood work for Down Syndrome and many other genetic birth defects that babies can be born with.  The Dr. also wanted me to go get a Fetal Echo Cardio ultrasound, mind you all this all happened within 2 hours of being in the Dr.'s office.  "Talk about being a nervous wreck."  I wasn't sure at this point whether to cry, worry, or be completely angry.  I guess, I felt a little of everything!  Thank goodness Juan and my sister Kristan were with me because I think I only heard about three quarters of what was being told to me.

Later on, that same day I went and had the Fetal Echo Cardio Ultrasound and the results confirmed that my new precious baby boy will be born with a heart defect.  The good news about this heart defect called Complete AV Canal Defect is that they know a lot about it and it can be fixed.  What this means is he has his valves and the tubes that the heart needs to pump the blood he is just missing the chambers to keep the red (oxygenated blood) and blue (non~oxygenated) blood from mixing.  In most cases he will be born and go home from the hospital and be able to sustain with his heart until about 4-6 months when he will need to have heart surgery.  Another plus is that we live in the Valley of the Sun where Phoenix Children's Hospital is in our backyard and he will have some of the best Dr.s in the world looking after him and giving him the best care possible.  I know a lot to take in right!

Still, with all this news I was not fully done with all the results.  About 1 week later I received a phone call from the genetic counselor that my blood results confirmed that we tested positive for Down Syndrome.  Then, with whose results instantly the Dr. wanted to complete more tests, an amniocentesis.  The risks for me and this little boy were to high for me to take any chances at this point so I opted against these tests.  "I mean, what will they really tell us."  We are not 100% sure that the results are that he has Down Syndrome but we are preparing for this "Great Adventure!"  So, we are researching and reading and doing whatever we can to make sure this little guy will have a happy, fun, loving, and positive environment to grow up in.

We know that this will not be an easy road by no means.  We also know that everything happens for a purpose and God has a special reason for why this cute little fella will bless our lives!  We would like for you all to keep us in your prayers because with this comes little or lots of health hurtles depending on where he will fall on the broad spectrum of Down Syndrome.  We are all okay with the news, meaning it isn't something we wanted to hear, but is something that we can live with.  As a family we will be strong and work through this together like all things we are challenged with. 

I have always had a special heart for these types of children and know that I can look back on my life.  I think that God has slowly been preparing my heart to handle this situation with the best of my ability.  "....for nothing is impossible through God who strengthens me!"

I didn't write this to upset anyone to to have people feel sorry for us.  We wanted to give our family and friends time to process the information just like we needed.  We know that this little guy is going to have more love and support from family and friends than he will not even know or understand because these are the types of people we surround ourselves with.  We appreciate more than words can ever express in advance for all of your love and support.

We love you all!

 
The Espinoza Family

Juan, Shawn, Nick, and Addison