19 Jul 06 An extraordinary life
What an overwhelming week this has been! Hopefully it’s the start of something extraordinary.
On Friday, July 14th, our second daughter, Nicole, was born. Five hours after she arrived, we learned that she had several characteristics of Down Syndrome. This was a shock, especially under the fog of sleep deprivation. Now, five days later, the initial round of testing indicates that she does have the condition. There’s nothing easy about this, especially given everything else that’s going on in our lives, but it is less of a shock because we’ve had time to come to terms with how it will change our lives. Leaving family and friends behind in Toronto at this time seems even more difficult, given the new circumstances. Fortunately we’re going to a place (New York City) where we hope to find incredible services and support.
All of this got me thinking. Most people want an ordinary life speckled with extraordinary moments that make life memorable. It is very rare that life takes on an extraordinary turn of events that makes every day meaningful.
Anyway, we want to share this news with those of you reading this site. We are fine. We have much learning to do, and more importantly much living.
“Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition. The occurrence of Down syndrome is universal across racial and gender lines, and it is present in approximately one in 800 births in Canada.” Canadian Down Syndrome Society
The National Down Syndrome Congress also has published some great facts that put all of this in perspective. There is also a great piece that Nicole’s aunt Angela found called, “If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World.” If you have time, it’s worth the read.
We will keep you posted as our life becomes a little bit more extraordinary.
18 Jul 06 Learning the basics
We’re finding ourselves in a really weird position right now. I think we’ll call this cultural adjustment. As you can imagine, we’re needing to reinvent ourselves in the U.S. from the ground up. Everything from selecting a bank to finding an insurance company requires our attention. We’re in the process of slowly shutting down home life in Toronto with an eye to what we need to establish ourselves in New York. It’s pretty crazy. The small things aren’t as easy when you’re a foreigner. We aren’t exposed to the ads promoting different services so we’re making decisions based on word-of-mouth suggestions.
If anyone has recommendations on a good personal bank and a home insurance provider, we’re all ears. We have been told that Washington Mutual is pretty good. Any other suggestions? Please leave a comment if you have an opinion. We’ll let you know how we make out.
17 Jul 06 Classic VW Beetle for sale
Well, we’re starting to purge some of our special items. David has decided to sell his 1972 VW Super Beetle, which we’ve named “Emily Kar”. This car is an antique that’s in great shape and has very low mileage for its age. We’ve posted an advertisement on Craigslist and are placing our poster in some Toronto garages that specialize in vintage VWs. If you know anyone interested in vintage VWs, let them know!
14 Jul 06 Welcome Nicole Mary Bradfield!
The wait is over! Karyn and David are pleased to announce the arrival of Nicole Mary Bradfield on Friday, July 14, 2006 @ 4:02 a.m., one day before her Daddy’s birthday. Nicole was a healthy 8 lbs. 11 oz. Mommy and baby are doing well in the care of Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Daddy will take Marley to meet her sister this afternoon.
13 Jul 06 Still waiting for the baby
Well, this morning we woke up and for the third day this week, we thought we’d end up at the hospital today. Nope. Not yet.
Karyn has been having contractions since last night but they’re irregular and not strong enough for us to go to the hospital. The early labour contractions started Sunday morning but seem to subside when Karyn lies down. This has been the trend this week. On and off.
So we’re waiting.
