Happy Memorial Day

We headed out to the cemeteries today to visit the burial places of some of Jared’s ancestors.  We hoped this would be a fun way to teach our kids a little bit about some of the people who went before them.  Jared has told them lots of stories about many of his ancestors, and today we got to see where a few of them were laid to rest.

First we stopped at the Logan Cemetery, where Jared’s Grandma & Grandpa Ripplinger (Conrad L. & V. Beth) are buried.  (As you can see in the pictures, it snowed a wee bit over night!  Just more evidence of the crazy weather we’ve been having!)

We also saw the headstones for Lawrence and Lorraine Ripplinger (great-grandparents) and John Baptist Ripplinger (2nd great grandfather).  John Baptist Ripplinger was the first Ripplinger to join the Church (in Switzerland) and come to America.

Then we headed to Smithfield.  We were able to find the headstones for Samuel Roskelley (3rd great grandfather) and his wife, Rebecca Hendricks Roskelley.  Samuel was disowned by his family when he joined the church as a teenager in England, and he lived with Brigham Young’s family for a time after immigrating to Utah in 1853, and before settling in Cache Valley.  Samuel Roskelley was the first recorder for the Logan Temple and the great grandfather of Jared’s grandma, Vera Beth (Roskelley) Ripplinger.

After that we drove out to Richmond, where James and Drusilla Hendricks are buried.

James Hendricks is Jared’s 4th great grandfather (father-in-law of Samuel Roskelley), and he joined the church along with his wife, Drusilla, in Tennessee in 1835.  James was shot in the neck and paralyzed during the battle of Crooked River in Missouri during the years of persecution the Saints suffered before coming West.  He was given a blessing by Joseph Smith, Sr. and regained some of his mobility, allowing him to walk again.

We can’t go to Richmond without stopping at Pepperidge Farms.  Jared and the kids ran in (while I tried to feed Daniel in the car) and picked up some goldfish crackers and a few other yummies.

We headed back to Logan and, after a pit-stop at Shopko (so I could finish feeding Daniel), and Sam’s Club (so we could have lunch), we went to Millville.

Jared, Emily and Josh were able to find the headstones for Thomas Jessop (3rd great grandfather), and Johanna Ravsten Holm (3rd great grandmother).  Johanna and her son, Magnus, were Swedish immigrants.  Shortly after immigrating to Utah Johanna died and her son was left with no family around.  He ended up working on the Logan Temple construction.  Magnus Holm married Martha Louise Jessop, a daughter of Thomas Jessop.  Magnus and Martha Holm were the grandparents of Jared’s great grandmother, Lorraine (Holm) Ripplinger.

We are thankful for the heritage that has been left for us by so many strong and faithful people.  We hope our kids will always honor that heritage and carry forward with that same strength and faith.

Hoarders: Rachel Edition

 

What you see here is a pile of junk.  It includes coloring pages, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, a toy baby bottle, a valentine, a pencil, a jelly bracelet, and even some music money.  You might think these are just items gathered while I cleaned the house today.  Guess again!

Jared pulled this pile of junk out of Rachel’s pillowcase last night as he put her to bed!  Yes, it seems that my daughter is a hoarder.  She said these were all things Emily gave her.  What I have come to discover is that she hides things in her pillowcase that she isn’t supposed to have.  So I believe what she SHOULD have said was,

“Those are all the things I’ve taken from Emily’s room while she’s been at school and I don’t want to get in trouble, so I shoved them all in my pillowcase where no one will ever be able to find them!”

Girls Night Out

When the boys head off to the Priesthood Commemoration campout, the girls get to party!  And boy do we know how to party!  We started the evening off with dinner at Chick-Fil-A, because who wants to cook when they don’t have to?!?!  Rather than going in, we opted for fine dining in the front seat of the Suburban parked in the parking lot at Shopko.  Emily and Rachel shared the front passenger seat (Daniel was sleeping peacefully behind us) and we all sipped Sprite while enjoying chicken and tic-tac-toe fries.  Then we did a little shopping and picked out some new nail polish – and we may or may not have purchased 2 pounds of Jelly Bellys.  We headed home for the best part of the evening…roasting marshmallows over the stove (and a few graham crackers and chocolate chips)!  Oh yeah, we’re livin’ the life!

As soon as we’d almost made ourselves sick, we stopped to paint nails.  Pink, orange, or sparkly turquoise…so many choices!!  Emily chose sparkly turquoise, and Rachel chose alternating pink and orange.  And I painted!  (I’m kind of weird and don’t like the feel of nail polish on my fingernails.  It drives me so crazy that I just peel it off within hours!)

The evening ended with jammies and a movie – Ella Enchanted – on the laptop on my bed.  Ahhh…best movie theater in town!  (No popcorn in bed though.)

The boys came home way too early – the cold and rain scared them away.  We had a great time while it lasted and I’m so thankful I have my girls to have fun with!  And I’m so glad my girls each have a sister to enjoy.

Trisomy Tuesday

Welcome to Trisomy Tuesday (a day late)!  Every Tuesday I’m going to share 3 tidbits about Down syndrome, all in the name of educating anyone who cares to read!

Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal defect.  About 1 in 600-700 babies are born with Down syndrome each year.  Interestingly enough, based on bloodwork, the probability that our baby would have Down syndrome was 1 in 700.  (My opinion: current blood tests are a waste of money!  Just sayin’…)

While the incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the mother’s age, 80% of people with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 35.  I was 34 when Daniel was born.

People with Down syndrome are at increased risk for certain medical conditions, such as congenital heart defects, respiratory problems and hearing problems, and thyroid conditions.  Thankfully, most of the medical conditions are treatable.  We have been blessed that Daniel is as healthy and strong as he is!  Let’s pray that it stays that way!

**Information courtesy of the National Down Syndrome Society**

Special Delivery

I got my very first piece of mail the other day, see?

It was this big!!  (Almost as big as me!)

It was my social security card…ho hum…yawn

What’s a boy to do?

You Go Girl!

Dear Emily,

I am so proud of you!  You ran the Wellsville Mile for the second time – without stopping once! 

Even in the cold, you did it!  Even though you forgot your inhaler, you did it!!  You are so strong, so persistent.  You make me smile, and I’m just so proud of you!

I hope someday I can be a little more like you!

I love you!

  Love, Mom                                  

Daniel’s Heart

Heart defects are present in about 50% of babies with Down syndrome.  Daniel’s particular problem is called Complete Atrioventricular Canal (CAVC) or Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD).  It is one of the most common (if not THE most common) heart defects for kids with Down syndrome.  And of all the cases of babies born with this defect, about 50% have Down syndrome.

To put it in simplest terms, there is a large hole in the center of the heart, and one large inefficient valve instead of two smaller valves.  This picture from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a great diagram.

The problem with this heart defect is that the oxygenated and un-oxygenated blood mix around instead of staying in their respective areas.  Too much blood goes back to the lungs before traveling to the rest of the body.  That means the heart is working too hard, and the pressure in the lungs increases, leading to irreversible damage.

Daniel will need open heart surgery when he is 4-6 months old to repair his heart.  The surgeon will sew something like Gortex into the heart to close the holes.  He/she will also separate the big valve into two smaller valves.  Fortunately, this surgery is pretty straight forward and very successful.  It should be the only surgery he will need.  Amazing, right?!!

We have been told to expect a hospital stay of about one week – give or take.  I have seen lots of pictures of other kids who have gone through the same procedure.  There are lots of tubes and wires, and it is amazing to see that within 24 hours, most of them can be removed.

I am so thankful that there are people skilled enough to be able to identify and repair the problems in a heart that is the size of a strawberry!  We definitely live in a wonderful time!

**If you would like to learn more about CAVC/AVSD, go here: http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/heart-conditions/atrioventricular-canal-defects.html

Life Keeps Moving

I naively thought that once Daniel arrived, life would slow down and not be so crazy.  Hahaha!!  I don’t know what possessed me to even entertain that thought.  I must have been in dream land!  I admit that I have found myself longing for those days when Emily and Josh were little and life was simple (though at the time, I thought it was incredibly complex).  I could keep things pretty clean, and I could usually get a meal on the table without much thought.  I didn’t have to worry about who had which activity on what day, and what to do if, heaven forbid, we’d have an overlap!  Ironically, it was at that time that I also longed to be busier, to have places to go and schedules to keep!!  It’s interesting how life changes our perspective.

In all reality, life didn’t slow down (gasp!!!), and now I have this ultra-sweet, incredibly cute baby who I can’t seem to get enough of. 

I already spend most of my time feeding him, but still I can’t get enough!  Clean house??  What’s that?  Someone else needs food?  Seriously??  In my defense – it’s not just me!!  This is what I see many times over throughout the course of a day, and it involves everyone in the house.  No one can get enough!

Jared and I have learned to use this phenomenon as a bargaining tool.  “Get _______ done, and you can hold Daniel!”  Works like a charm!

Amidst the normal stuff of life – family home evening, scouts, activity days, stake meetings, errands, stake conference, yard work – we’ve started a few new things.  We’re in the process of getting Daniel enrolled in Early Intervention.  He’ll get physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and help from other professionals to assist us in all the important aspects of his early development.  The earlier we get going on all this stuff, the better off he will be.  I just wish I had retained more of what I spent my college and graduate years studying!!

I managed to find a couple of hours to get a few projects completed last week.  First off – a car seat tent.  I purchased the fabric for this project the day I went into labor!  I fully intended to sit down and get it done that day.  I think I’ve mentioned before how life seems to have a way of completely destroying plans! 

And my favorite project – a baby wrap!

Yep – that’s D-man all bundled up in there.  We both LOVE it!  It’s nice to have him with me, and still have my hands to do other things with.  And now we can go on walks and to the park and all that fun stuff that the other kids like to do.  (Crazy story – When we lived in CA, a lady came to story time with her baby all bundled up in one of these.  And she wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath!!  AAACKCK!!  I was feeling pretty embarrassed, and I’m glad my kids weren’t old enough to notice!)

And, the most exciting moment of the week came on Saturday.  I looked at Daniel and smiled, and he smiled back!  Mark that down – first responsive smile at 3 weeks, 6 days!!  And I didn’t have the camera to catch it.

Smile!

I think I caught another smile from Daniel.  Take a look!

It’s a good thing he does this so often because it makes me forget how frustrated I am at having to work so hard to get him to WAKE UP just to eat!!  A baby that actually sleeps and we have to make him wake up all the time! 

I think this kid already knows how stinkin’ cute he is.  He already uses those eyes to his advantage.  I can’t wait to see the real smiles he’ll give us!

 

And now, I digress…back to the subject of sleep.  Perhaps we’re all a little sleep deprived??