I took this picture this morning before I sent Daven off with GranZ. He looked so big and tall in his overalls and I noticed how much he looked like an ol’ country boy, headed off to the farm for a hard days work. All he needed to wrap up the look was to have his Justin boots on. Sorry Chyanne, next time I will be sure to get them in the picture, along with his working gloves!

♪ Well life on a farm is kinda laid back
Aint much an old country boy like me can’t hack
It’s early to rise, early in the sack
THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY! ♪

As soon as I got done taking the picture, he fell to his bum and instantly started crying. It didn’t hurt him a bit, so I had to giggle at how dramatic he was. He doesn’t get that from his momma at all. (Insert sarcasm here)

Last night was the first time I heard Logan explain Daven and Williams Syndrome to an old high school friend of his. It was one of those conversations when an old pal calls that you haven’t talked to in about 3 years. He knew we had a son, but had no idea about the recent diagnosis. So at first, Logan dodged the questions and topic in general. But as the friend kept asking if Daven was talking and walking, Logan finally had to tell him about WS. Logan simply said, “No, he was born with a syndrome that affects his development.” Then that obviously brings on more questions from the friend. Logan did a great job explaining WS and how it will affect Daven in many different ways.

Listening to him explain things made me sad, proud, encouraged, along with so many other feelings. I tried my hardest to let Logan describe WS in his own words, without whispering what to say in his ear. I also had to hold back the tears because once again, hearing him say it…made it all real to me. I imagine we will be describing WS many more times to friends that will call out of the blue. Maybe with time, it will get easier for me.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Today, rumors at work started rustling around about a fellow co-worker of mine that is pregnant with her third child. At a routine scheduled doctors appointment today, they were given the devastating blow from the doctor that they baby has Downs Syndrome.

This news gives me a pit in my stomach. It brings back every raw emotion I have ever felt with Daven. The words; diagnosis, specialist, mental retardation, genetic, syndrome, doctors, testing…are all flying in and out of my brain. I try to think to myself, when I was in that situation, did I want somebody to come talk to me and try and comfort me? Should I go to her and say something? Should I pretend to not know anything? If I do go and try to offer support, what do I say? My words are all so insignificant. What if the doctors are wrong and the baby is perfectly normal?

I want to help in every way possible, but I don’t want to smother her with words that all seem so irrelevant. Please God, guide me in the direction I need to me. Help me say the words that will give comfort and support in a very needy time. Be with my friend as they are dealing with this heartache and watch over this precious baby tiny.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

In the world of toys, there are a handful that make Daven laugh and smile every time he sees them. He has a toy called the Busy Ball Popper. Lately, he has been so enamored with this toy. When you hit a button, it shots balls up in the air and mommy has to run all around the room trying to catch them. I think this is the part he loves the most and why mommy likes to hide the toy about every two days!

After last weeks crib diving fiasco, I was happy to pull out the Busy Ball Popper to see if he would have the same happy reaction. While he was, sure enough, happily planning with his toy, I was franticly taking pictures to make sure I had a timeline of events. Meaning, I wanted to check the swollenness and redness of Daven’s head as the time went on. (Oh that sounds so terrible!) When I went back through all my pictures I cracked up laughing at how funny this picture looks.

Not only is Daven Houdini by getting out of his crib…he also has some of David Copperfield’s talent. Watch now as he makes this ball levitate. Notice how it is floating in MID AIR!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Okay, so I guess it really was much ado about SOMETHING. Last night, I was cooking dinner while Logan was watching some high quality TV show such as CSI and Daven was in his crib playing his little heart out. As I started to wrap things up and put dinner on the table, I heard a giant crash and a huge cry! I knew instantly what had happened.

Yep, Daven fell OUT of his crib! I am absolutely ashamed to say that we haven’t lowered his crib yet (on the husband’s to-do list, the uncompleted side obviously), but had really planned on doing it this weekend.

After I heard the crash and scooped him up, I completely fell apart. I literally wanted to throw up but knew I couldn’t be away from him long enough to actually throw up. After we comforted him and looked him over, we didn’t see any signs of broken bones. Simply a “skid” mark on his forehead.

After I called GranZ freaking out, she came rushing over. We watched him play and kept a VERY close eye on him for the next three or four hours while never letting him sleep. Once we finally let him crash out (okay bad use of words) for the night, I decided to wake him up every two hours. Just to make sure he was still alert. GranZ stayed the night with us so she could help ease my fears and comfort ME because I was a mess!

As we all began to stir around this morning, we did another examination of Daven. I am happy to report that he is perfectly fine! He has a small “rug burn” on his forehead from the fall, but no sign of swelling, concussion, broken bones, and/or funny behavior.

This has been a day of bitter sweet feelings. I am thrilled he pulled and crawled up, but I will never forget that feeling in the pit of my stomach that something has just gone terribly wrong. I know this will be one of many “spills” he will have, I am just hoping that with a few guardian angels and by being an attentive MOM I can keep them down to a dull roar. I just hope he decides that sky diving isn’t a sport he is interested in again for a long time!

Thank you GOD for protecting my angel and his tiny body last night. YOU have reminded me how much he is a fighter! He is a little guy that packs a powerful punch, no matter what (floor, in this case) he is faced with.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

**On a side note, within an hour after it happened…Logan lowered the crib mattress.

***You may notice the cross Daven is chewing on in one of the pictures; this was leftover from me saying few HAIL MARRY prayers. They must have worked. ;-)

Daven has a new baby to play with. No, no, no…it isn’t our baby nor is it our puppy. My Uncle Don and Aunt Suzanne have gotten a new puppy and Daven has been so enamored with him. “Copper” is a bit overwhelmed by Daven’s loves. I am not sure that he considers tail pulling, leg pulling, and ear pulling… "loves" but so far, Copper has been very patient with him.

GranZ sent me these pictures yesterday and I just had to laugh out loud when I saw them. You can see all over Daven’s face, how in love he is with the new puppy running around. I am worried that it will only be a matter of time, before he comes running to us begging for a puppy. However, I won’t be running to any pet stores until I hear the words come out of his mouth. HA!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

As I am sure everyone is aware, Daven’s snail pace development has been a sour topic for me over the past few months. I was talking with my Auntie Al (who has been a total life saver over the past year!) about how hard it is not to be consumed by the fact that Daven is behind almost every Williams Syndrome child I know.

I was once again questioning everything from being a working mom, to how many therapy sessions he gets a week, to wondering if his scoliosis issues have something to do with the delay. As I was crying to her, she said something so profound that it has stuck with me. She stopped me and said, “Aspen, you love him first, and work him second.” Everything else just suddenly made sense to me.

She is absolutely right, as long as I love him with every fiber in my body first and foremost; all the doctors appointments, therapy sessions, milestones, and fears suddenly fade away. They fall a distance second to the smiles and giggles he gives me on a daily basis. That should be all the affirmation I long after.

As I read about all my other WS babes, I am reminded how amazing these children are. They truly have such a charm and charisma that can’t be beat by any other “normal” child. Seeing the sparkle in their eyes (literally the called “starburst” iris pattern) and the big mouthy grins…is simply a magical experience.

In my dreams last night, I dreamed that Daven suddenly started drinking from a straw (oddly enough) and then looked up at me and said “I a big boy now!” Even seeing his face and hearing his words through my dreams, I felt a sense of calm. I woke up today knowing that someday I will hear Momma, I love you, more food please (HA!), and so many other words. Until that day, I will settle for hearing his voice through my dreams.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

What a busy weekend we have all had. A lot of my family came down to help move my Cousin Marc Andrew to Portales for his first year of College. Ah, the good ol’ days. He will be living with my grandparents (Monga and Ponga) while he attends school.

With a few family members in town we spent most of the weekend in Portales. Because the rain has been non-stop here for about 4 or 5 days now, we didn’t go out to do much. We simply sat and watched the rain, ate at a few local eateries (load on the grease please!) and enjoyed each others company. We also had a few discussions about Christmas. It is almost September you know, only 124 shopping days left. (Just a reminder to those who drew my name. Micah and Uncle Marc)

Daven loves having Marc around. He spent most of the day Sunday at our house playing and loving on Daven. Marc is surprisingly great with children (most boys at that age run from crying babies) and loves spending time with him. He made Daven work hard yesterday by trying to make him stand, walk, crawl and talk. I loved watching them both play and laugh.

I figured he could help me out a bit if he comes over on Sundays by keeping Daven company. I could cook, clean, grocery shop…all of those things without having to manage Daven at the same time. Giving me a few extra hours on Sunday would be a huge help. He hasn’t officially agreed yet, but I am sure he won’t mind. (Anything to dodge homework!) Thanks in advance Marc!

In other news, um let me think…well I guess I don’t have any other news. I still haven’t seen Daven stand up again, but he did take half a step trying to crawl on Saturday.

It was nice to see you all this weekend! We promise to take care of Marc. At the least, we will keep him busy!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Last night Garrett and Micah invited us over for dinner and games. We didn’t get to the games, but I am sure you know we weren’t about to miss dinner. We actually splurged and let Papa Murphy cook dinner and all I can say is he sure knows how to make a good pizza! Yum!

Daven was a bit grumpy so we didn’t stay very long. Not sure if he needed to have a “poppy diaper” (I know you are loving this post already!) or was just wanting to be antisocial. Either way, he was happy as long as he could play with Cousin Luke’s toys! Here are both the boys playing. Daven is standing/leaning on Luke’s walker and he is trying to show Luke how to really spin a toy. Daven is the spinning champ so he was giving a few hints to his cousin.

Luke, as you can see, is much more fascinated with Daven and just wanted to touch him and talk to him. This is usually the reaction we get from Daven, but again for some reason…he just wasn’t interested in any fun last night.

While Daven was happily being a loner in Luke’s crib…Auntie Micah gave Luke a bath. Look at the rolls on this boy! What a tank! He is going to be all grown up before you know it, Auntie Micah.

No sign of Daven pulling up to stand again. GranZ said that he has tried a few more times, but hasn’t succeeded like he did that very first time. He will get there, I can feel it. He is getting much more curious about things now and that is all it takes. He isn’t going to do anything until he WANTS to do it.

Is Friday here yet?

LOVE LOVE LOVE

GranZ just called me to inform me that earlier she watched Daven go from a lying down position, to a sitting up position. But the kicker is that from sitting up, he pulled himself up to a STANDING UP position!

This is a HUGE accomplishment that I did not see coming. I have watched him sit up time and time again, but he has yet to even try to go from sitting to standing. So, you can imagine my surprise with this great news!

She also told me that after he did this he has been very active. Not wanting to take a nap, just wants to keep sitting up. He hasn’t pulled up to standing again, but is at least working those muscles. KEEP IT UP BOY!

Guess it is time to move the crib to the lowest level. I thought the day would never come! Logan, you better get the tools out…I have a chore for you!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, it was way overdue, but we have successfully given Daven a hair cut. Daddy did a great job while Mommy held him down trying to keep the squirming to a minimum. I don’t think he minds getting his hair cut; it is the part where I have to hold him down that he gets pretty grumpy about. His haircut was completely done within 15 minutes. Then we threw him in the bath and sent him to bed. He was pretty grumpy after the whole ordeal. HA!

So without further ado…I introduce Daven Tate Marshall looking so dapper with his new du.


Looking great and all grow up don’t you think? I just wish it wouldn’t grow so fast. I swear that child’s hair grows at the speed of light. He will need another haircut in two weeks I am sure. Now if he could gain weight that fast…we would be set!

I hope you all are enjoying your week. I am already wishing for Friday again. Hum, I wonder how I can call in sick for the next month or ten? Something to ponder.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

The weekend is officially over and all I have to say about it is that I have more laundry than you can shake a stick at. (“Shake a stick at,” what exactly does that mean?) What I am trying to say is that I had dirty laundry coming out of my ears. (“Coming out of my ears,” what does that mean exactly? And EWE!)

Anywho…I think I am finally all caught up on laundry. I never wish to see any dirty laundry again. Well, at least for another week. Sigh

I did get to sneak in a few raunchy movies as I had hoped, and even some cookie dough! Daven and I had a great weekend together too. Catching up on what I have missed while I was gone to Washington.

He always knows when to make me smile and when I need a little laugh. Sunday, he was taking a nice nap in his crib. When I heard him starting rustle around (over the monitor) I went in his room to check on him. Sure enough, he had pulled up to a sitting position (more like a kneeling position) and was looking down at all his toys. Just thinking to himself…”Which one can I reach from here?” Oh I melted!

I ran to grab the camera as fast as I could. When he saw me, I just got a huge smile and I couldn’t help but laugh. We just laughed together. Those precious moments only come once in a while, but when they do…I am reminded why I love being a mother!

Well, I hear him now. It is almost bed time. I am hoping to have his Daddy give him a much needed hair cut tonight. Wish us luck! That is never a fun task to take on.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I have nothing life shattering to say on this day. (Looking back now, I suppose I never have anything “life shattering” to say. Hum.)

All I can seem to think today is…Thank God It’s Friday! Whew, this week has seemed to drag on and on. I am finally starting to see an end in sight. (16 minutes and counting!)

Logan will be working most of the weekend, so I am sure Daven and I will be spending some quality time just “hanging out.” I might, however, try to sneak in a few chick flicks and cookie dough.

I hope everyone has a supercalifrgilisticexpialidocious weekend. (I say that hoping that my weekend turns out to be as long as the word supercalifrgilisticexpialidocious. Hope it works!)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

So now that I am getting settled from being gone for so long, I have noticed a few things while I was away…

• Daven has 3 molar teeth! (Now if he would just learn how to use them.)
  
• I suddenly HATE my job and just want to be at home with Daven.
  
• Logan thoroughly cleaned the kitchen and installed a microwave above my stove. (I’m loving not having my microwave take up so much counter space!)
  
• Autumn’s old room is slowly starting to look like a guest room again. (Ah crap, here come the tears again!)
  
• I think that Logan AND Daven missed me a little!
  
• The paperwork on my desk has suddenly tripled, not sure if it is because there is more work to do…or if I have just stalled too long??
  
• I didn’t realize how nice dry heat actually is. (The Humidity in Washington was almost unbearable!)
  
• The laundry basket didn’t get emptied even once while I was gone. (Big shocker there!)
• How many things, songs, and smells remind me of Autumn.
• I have such a great support system with my parents, they kept Daven almost the entire time I was gone. THANKS GranZ and PapaT!
  
• I have another great support system with all my fellow WS moms. Nancy, Lisa, Amy, Teresa, Kerry, Karen, Kati, and Pam…I love you!
  
• Seeing Washington DC, made me even “prouder” to be an American Citizen!
  
• And finally, I didn’t realize how much I could miss my two favorite boys! It is good to be home!

It sure is nice to be home again.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I have been thinking for about three days now what I would say in my first post back from the big road trip to Washington. I am overwhelmed with so many emotions and stories that I don’t even know where to begin. We saw so many amazing sites that I know it will take me a week to digest all that I have seen. We saw the Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, WW II Memorial, Georgetown, the National Cathedral, Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Union Station, The White House from a distance…and so much more.

We had a safe drive from Clovis, New Mexico to Urbana, Maryland. The official time was I believe somewhere around 24 hours and 37 minutes. Give or take a few. (And with two time zone changes…sheesh, I really don’t have any idea if that is accurate or not.) All I have to say is thank goodness I didn’t have to drive home!

Nevertheless, I am so thrilled that I had the opportunity to spend that precious time with Autumn. I will miss her terribly, but at least now I know exactly where she is and what her daily routine is like. It is all so amazing and she is in her element there.

I held strong all weekend until I got on my flight going home. We had been going 100 miles an hour and I hadn’t even had a chance to stop and think about what I was actually doing in DC. Things were great I was eating my Turkey “Samich” (as the flight attendant called it) then out of nowhere…tears started pouring down my face. I realized that I was leaving my sister to go back home nearly 1600 miles away. I had no other solution but to cry.

Suddenly I herd a few giggly girls behind me, then WHAM…they had pushed my chair. They seemed to find it quite amusing to watch my head bob back and forth while they hit the back of my chair. I know if it would have been little kids, I would have been much more tolerant to this behavior. HOWEVER, these were not 6 or 7 year old kids. I know they had to be 18 or 20 year old women. I could feel the flames brewing as I thought to myself…OHHH, today is not the day to be pushing my buttons, my friend. Finally, I had had enough. I sat up, turned around, and proceeded to shoot lasers at them out of my tear filled eyes. They looked terrified and never touched my seat or giggled again! HA!

I LOVE YOU and will miss you more than you will ever know, Autumn. We all give you hugs and kisses, and will be sending tons of prayers and good vibes in the northeast direction. I just hope you get them before somebody else snatches them up. (It is a long ways from Clovis, NM to Washington DC you know!)

It was however, so nice to get off that plane and see Logan and Daven waiting for me. I haven’t felt such a warm at home feeling until I saw those precious boys! I had forgotten how beautiful Daven was. He is truly one of the most beautiful boys in the word. (I know; I just traveled around the world.)

Okay, I have said more than enough for one day. There is always tomorrow to tell more…

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I am sure you already know, but we are having an amazing time here in Washington and the metro area. I am starting to have anxiety about leaving Autumn behind. But I do know that she will be in good hands.

We have moved her into her new apartment and her house-mates are super nice! I know that they will take great care of her. They have a brand new baby boy, I guess Autumn just can't seem to get away from baby boys (especially ones that don't sleep through the night). Here we are getting her room all set up. What a great place!

I am also officially leaving the big sister duties in Lisa's capable hands. I know she will be a great big sis (away from home) to my little sis. And in worse case scenario, she will always have food for Autumn when she is desperate!

We have already done so much that it is hard to put in writing. We have toured the National Cathedral, shopped in Georgetown, and of course gone to Target. (I think it is impossible to go inside that place and leave without spending at least $100.00)

I have attached some pictures to show off the great time we are having. I haven't even said a word about Emma and Tatum, because I don't even know where to begin. I love them more than I knew possible. Same for my dear Lisa. I will be back later with more.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Well, we have officially checked in to Hotel Ridgley. It is AWESOME! I don't have much time, so I just wanted to let everyone know that we are in Washington and had zero trouble with driving and directions. I know you are all shocked!

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts over the past few days. I know that is why we have made it here safely.

Lisa, Emma, Tatum and of course Chris are all amazing people. We are headed out now to do some serious shopping. Maybe you should keep praying for us as we break our bank accounts! HA!

Thanks again...I will write back later with more news and maybe some pictures.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Ah, we have finally made it to our goal. Memphis, Tennessee. Sigh. The trip seems to be going great so far. Autumn and I are both a bit exhausted and beat…but we will get a good nights rest and be refreshed and ready to hit the road again bright and early.

We are keeping an extensive journal of the trip. Such as *5:43 pm, played Name That Tune: Failed to stump Autumn. *7:33 pm getting a bit tired, stopping for a break at “Where are we again?”

Ha! Thanks again for the prayers. Keep em up. Gods hands are protecting us all the way to Maryland, I know it!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Today is the big day, we are officially off. The drive will start at 10:00 am today and will end (if all goes by the plan) by 10:00 pm on Thursday night. I will be sure to take tons of pictures documenting our wonderful and crazy and exciting trip. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we hit the road hard and heavy. (Or maybe you should keep every other driver in your prayers as we will be flying down that interstate! Shhh, don’t tell the authorities!)

I had so many things to say, but I can’t seem to get my thoughts together today. I am sure it is a bit of anxiety, nervousness, exhaustion and excitement about the trip. Maybe by the time I can give you an update, I will be better prepared to talk.

This will be the longest trip that I have ever taken without Daven. So I am not sure what my mood will be towards the end of my stay in D.C. I will be leaving him here with Logan and his GranZ & PapaT. (I am worried that the hardest part will be actually coming home to him. When I see that he hasn’t even noticed I have been gone. That to me, is heart wrenching.) Please also, keep GranZ, PapaT, Logan and Daven in your prayers.

I will, however, have Lisa and Emma and Baby Tatum to spoil while I am there. And yes, I will be doing some serious spoiling and buying pink dresses! ;-) No need to worry, I can give short updates while I am gone. Possibly even add a few pictures to show off.

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts everybody. Now break out the IPod, conversation questions, and portable DVD player…Load em’ up and lets roll!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

At Daven’s last well baby check up, the doctor asked that we try to feed Daven PediaSure to boost his calories from 24 to 30. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong!

For a while now, we have known that Daven is allergic to Whey protein. It is a milk based protein, which essentially means he is allergic to all milk products. When we gave Daven yogurt once, he threw up for 3 hours afterwards. He also threw up for hours after we tried a different formula. When we mentioned this to the doctor, he really pushed us to at least try the PediaSure and test it out. “You never really know when babies are allergic. It could have just been coincidental” he tells us.

So for weeks now, I have been pondering the thought of giving Daven a shot of PediaSure. My gut told me to NEVER put a milk based product in that child’s mouth, but I kept hearing the doctor say that we really needed to try it. Logan also talked to me saying that it might help beef Daven up and it would be a cheaper option than his current formula. After arguing for weeks, I gave in to Logan and the Doctor’s advice.

We added one ounce of the PediaSure to Daven’s regular bottle last night around 6:00 pm. After an hour of a truly happy child, I thought…wow, this might actually work! Gave him a bath, got him ready for bed and started rocking him to put him to sleep. Then at 8:00 pm out of nowhere, Daven started violently throwing up.

As I ran to grab towels and bins I immediately got sick to my stomach. Not because of the throw-up, but because I was the one that did this to my child! The feeling that he would be a happy and healthy boy if it wasn’t for something I had done, was haunting! I burst into tears and held him so close while he continued to throw up all over me and everything in our path. (I figure that was the least I deserved!)

Needless to say, it was once again…a long night at my house. Again, I figured that was considered paybacks for what I had put him through. He seems to be doing much better this morning. He ate a bottle and seemed to be much more contented when he went with GranZ. I am sure he was just glad to get out of my arms!

Please forgive me for putting you through that misery. I promise to keep your tummy free from any Whey/milk products and to NEVER again let anyone else convince me otherwise. I give you permission to throw up all over me any time that happens again. I love you, my angel.

LOVE LOVE LOVE