World Down Syndrome Awareness Day

Today is 3-21, World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. 3 meaning the number of the 21st chromosome.

Almost five years ago, Katya was born.

The whole time my wife was pregnant, we both thought there would be something not right with our child. We didn't know what it was, but we thought it was something. When the doctor told us it was Trisomy 21, my first thought was, "What is that?" But my second thought was, "Phew! At least we finally know!" We feel very blessed to have felt that something was not right. The Lord was looking out for us as it made coming to grips with that news much more bearable.

In the NICU at about 2 days old

The last five years have been nothing but great for us. We do worry about things, but for the most part, Katya is just our daughter, and the fact that she has one extra chromosome just means there is a little bit more of her to love.

The first couple weeks when she was in the NICU were difficult, and we didn't know what the future would hold.

She still loves chilling with Dad

We quickly learned that Katya would bring happiness to us more than anything.

Precious

The above picture is one of my favorites. She is so peaceful sleeping. Just thinking about her brings peace to my heart. She doesn't judge anyone; she just loves everyone. It makes it very easy to fall in love with her every single day.

Happy 1st Birthday

By her first birthday, we were very anxious for her to start developing. All she did at this time was sit up; she didn't really roll around, or move, she just sat there all day. It helped us be humble, and celebrate the little milestones when they did come. We were already pregnant with her younger sister, and we were sure that a little competition would be good for her.

Notice the thumb

Katya has shown us that although she will have troubles, she will be mostly normal like other kids. She'll make us laugh, make us cry, and she will want to learn. She has loved books for as long as we can remember and now that she is in preschool she is getting better at understanding the idea of reading a book. Each night when we read scriptures, she wants to read them with us, and points to words in the book and says what she thinks they mean. Being in education, I have felt great concern about her education. As I mentioned earlier, I have learned to be patient and allow her to develop at her own pace. I have learned that she will learn things in her own due time. She may be behind other kids, but she still can learn, just like any other kid.

Katya's happiness infects other people. Whenever we are out in public, people smile almost nonstop as soon as they see her. I joke with my wife that if she ever leaves me a widower, I'll have no trouble finding a wife as long as I take Katya out with me. She is a magnet for all kinds of people. Old women in Costco have asked to kiss her (awkward - the request was more of a notice--I could do nothing to stop it).

Katya is almost 5. She will start Kindergarten this year. She has spent the last two years learning all kinds of great things in preschool. I am nervous for how other students will treat her. I already notice it happening more and more now than ever before. People will be mean. People will be mean to all my kids. It is sad, but that is life. Katya teaches me that I can let it roll off my back, just like it rolls off her back.

I haven't thought for a long time what it would be like if she were normal, because to us, she is normal. She is our first kid, and we didn't know any different for a long time. Now that we do, we are amazed at how unique each of our kids are. They have their own personalities.

Every so often, an adult gets brave and asks what they should tell their kids when they ask why Katya is different. I find it easiest to relate it to themselves. Think of how you have one color hair and someone else has another color hair. Think of how peoples' eye colors are different. Think of how one person is very tall, and another is very short. Think of how some people are very athletic, while others may be very smart, or very whatever. What makes Katya different is what makes her unique, just like every other person in the world.

Dance Class, in March 2011

Right now, most people can't understand what she says. Someday, they will. Right now, she can't jump very well. Someday, she will. I pray that I will still be lucky enough to share those momentous occasions with her.

Trip to Pocatello

We took a little trip up to Pocatello's for Staci's niece's blessing. Here is some video of the kids. I didn't get much, but some is better than none, right grandparents?


Since we haven't updated in a while, Tenzing learned how to crawl down stairs when we opened the door one day on our back porch, and he took off. No fear on the concrete steps; he just wanted to be outside!

Photoshopping photos...on the cheap.

One of my favorite photo effects is something I don't even know the word for, but I still love it when photos are black and white, except for certain parts that still colored. I got an app for my iPhone called Colorize. It is free right now and it is exactly what I want. All you do is load a picture, then color in with your finger different colors. Since I like the black and white with splashes of color, that is what I use. But, you could just as easily change any colors in the picture to other colors by painting over them with your selected color. This app is perfect because I choose exactly what part of the picture is what color. I don't have to rely on an algorithm or color-matching software to color things the right color. It makes it as easy as coloring a picture, without being an artist. The pics below are my favorites so far. 

 

This is one of my favorite pictures of Cali, and she loves this shirt. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of Katya; though I should left the blanket on the couch in black and white. And the purple carpet that took away from this picture, now looks fine.

Ah, yes, the AC/DC picture of Tenzing. It really pops now, and when I printed it out on paper, it looked even cooler. 

Our Christmas Tree in our living room. I thought about painting the bear in the foreground, but decided to leave it black and white. 

Our fireplace. This one is mostly black and white already, but it looks much better like this, as the colors above the half-way point don't clutter it. I like how the elf is red, too. 

So, it isn't really photoshop, but I had to ask someone to use photoshop to do this for me a couple years ago, but it is really nice that I can do it myself, now, and this app was free. 

Literal

Last night we were watching Marley and Me with Katya for a movie night.

At one point, the dad and mom take off their clothes and go skinny dipping in their pool.

After the dad took off his shirt and jumped in the pool, Katya immediately stood up, unzipped her footy pajamas, and started taking them off, saying "Water, Water, Water."

It was hilarious.

Tenzing's Laugh

Tonight while I was changing Tenzing's diaper, Cali hit the side of the changing table, and Tenzing just loved it. Usually, we try to keep our kids from hitting things close to one another, but Tenzing would have none of those silly rules.

People say Tenzing looks like me, but I see Cali in him if he is not smiling. When he laughs and smiles, though, he is like a second Katya.

And here is Katya getting in on the fun:

New videos on the YouTube

I recently uploaded a bunch of videos to YouTube. You can watch them there, or you can pass, since some of them can only be loved by their parents and grandparents.

Here is a sampling that more of you might like:

Katya Reading a Book to Us

Tenzing's First Day Part 2

The girls were overjoyed to have a new brother.

The girls were so excited to see their mommy and new brother. As I said in the last post, Cali was a little nervous about this new "living doll" and took her time. I think Katya kissed him four times before Cali got up the nerve. You can tell in the pictures that she wants to, but just isn't sure yet.

Cali finally allowed herself to give Tenzing a kiss

Tenzing's First Day

Oh, cute.

We are really excited to have this cute little guy as part of our family. He is just adorable. And the best news is that he is actually nursing, which both girls were unable to do. And so begins his fascination with breasts. What? Awkward...

Staci is being a trooper as they cut her open.

Anyway, the birth went pretty smooth until they tried to get him out. He was stuck, and they tried suctioning him four or five times, and got two pairs of forceps to finally get him out. Eventually, he came out and let out a few little cries.

The first bath.

Tenzing has spent the day with us and in the nursery. We wanted him and Staci to be able to get some rest so he spent about an hour in the nursery while Staci and I tried pitifully to get some sleep. He came down for his first bath, and then I left to get the girls.

Katya was very excited to see her brother.

Katya was all smiles the whole time, and Cali smiled a lot, too, but was more reticent, like she didn't want us to know how she felt about this little guy yet. I love the picture above because you can see how excited and happy Katya is to have Tenzing as a brother.

Katya was not afraid of smothering Tenzing in Kisses

Katya was so excited to see her little brother. She had no problem kissing him and holding him. It is so cute to see her and Cali be big sisters.

Katya Still Escapes

This video is kind of dark, so if you can't see it that well, I apologize. Katya and Cali don't take many naps anymore, but they sometimes really need to. Katya would not stay in bed today, and so you get a video.

This is NOT an Announcement!

I repeat, THIS IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

Everyone who knows me knows that I love kids and want a lot of them. So, I am constantly asking the girls if they are ready to have a little brother or sister (mostly it is just to bug Staci). So, here I am asking the girls if they want a sibling:



Katya's Answer



Cali's Answer

Cali has a little monkey backpack, and so she really likes monkeys these days.

Happy Birthday to Staci!

Last Friday was Staci's birthday. She really is a great woman, a good mother, and fantastic wife. So, I thought I would spoil her a little bit. I found a sweet deal on a Nikon D60 camera on Craigslist (my first purchase from that site, by the way). The camera was in nearly new condition, came with an extra battery, and a case. A sweet deal to say the least. Staci is happy with her new camera and has taken pictures every day since then. I like it too. I took some pretty cool photos of the girls the day after I bought it, before Staci saw it, and some neat open-aperture photos last night. It is fun to play with the cool stuff you can do with it.

So, here are some photos.

My favorite picture from the new camera so far.

Cali just loves playing in the water

The many faces of Katya

Today's Destruction

Roomba cleaning with shutter open for 5 seconds

The fire at the church next door. Not really, but it looks like it could be, right? Shutter was open for about 5 seconds

The waterbaby

About 10 seconds with the shutter open, 2 cell phones

"What's goin' on over there?"

"Now this is a french fry!"

Katya's 3rd B-Day Party Roundup

We got rained out, which was pretty much a bummer, so we took the party inside, and it was still fun. This clocks in at 4 min, 17 sec, so you may want to be related to watch the whole thing.

Staci made a great scavenger hunt, complete with a map and a buried treasure, but it didn't work out just how she wanted. Check out the sweet cupcakes at about 49 seconds into it. Staci rocks!

How Do You Know it was a Good Night in the Garden?

When it was good enough you could taste it!




I enjoy working in the garden much more this year than I did last year. It was very stressful last year because of all the classes that I was taking, work, and my calling. This year, I only have my job and my calling, and it is much better without school. The girls love working out there with us. The picture never do it justice, but the girls were covered in dirt, and enjoyed eating it, too.

The Beginning of the Birthday Festivities

Staci was so excited for Katya to get the slide from Ralph and Diana, that she had to set it up as soon as she got it. Katya and Cali love it! Katya knows that "Birthday" means something that she should be excited about, because every time we mention it, she gets all excited and laughs and hides her face.

Why Staci Should NOT Leave Me Alone to Put the Girls in Bed

Before you watch the super-cute video below, you must know how to sign Mommy. You place your thumb under your chin as in the picture above and move it up and down. Tonight when it was time for Katya to go to bed, she knew that something was not right because Mom and Dad weren't both there, it was just daddy. So, she told me that she wanted something before she could really go to bed. Watch, and enjoy.

Holding Hands

The weather was so nice on Tuesday, that we went out and played in the yard for a while. The girls loved it, and they held hands as they walked. It was very cute.



In this video, Katya is in rare form for the camera. She usually stops doing anything we thought was cute, and starts laughing at the camera and saying cheese. This time, however, she was more than happy to play along and continue being cute. I love Katya's laugh in this video.



Cali has recently started shrugging when she doesn't know where something is. We ask her to find Lamby, and she'll shrug, then crouch a little and race around the house trying to find him. So cute.

Your Backyard Friends...

Katya and Cali love "The Backyardigans" and they watch it a lot. I think it is actually a pretty cute show, and we haven't gotten annoyed with the songs, yet, and Katya gets mad if we aren't playing them when we drive around. This shot below is one of our favorite episodes, and Katya likes to dance to it, and try to dance the way that the characters do on screen. You can't see the screen very clearly on here, but if you watch it in high quality, then it works out a little better.



Oh, yeah, don't forget to make my life less stressful for voting like crazy for #9 Staci.

Why We Stay Up Late at Night

Well, Katya has developed another new skill. This one is pretty amazing, considering. She is pretty flexible and she did this twice before we got it on film. And, it was in the dark when she did it. She apparently just drops after getting up top. We have got to figure out how to make sure she stays in bed!

A Bunch of Videos

Even though I have been working, we have still taken some videos.

The first video is Cali getting ready for her bottle. She always lies down when it is time for her bottle. No matter where she is, she lies down. If she is in her high chair and we say bottle, she lays her head on the tray. She makes us laugh every time she does it.



In this second video, Cali got stuck in a bucket that we keep their living room books in.



This last video is of Katya at her preschool. She is so cute when she interacts with other kids and adults when she is not around us. She pushes in her chair at one point here, and she has been doing that with her chair at home, too.