Snow

I just wanted to update everyone with a few pictures from our visit to the Island. We did get a bit of snow which David got to walk in. He thought it was pretty neat but we are going to have to get him a full snow suit if he is going to further explore.
And yes he is wearing a tutu but don't blame mom... it was my cousins. I would have taken more pictures but he wasn't too happy with the new frilly pink thing.

Fun in the back yard

Jelly Belly

Last night I said I would try to post some more pictures of David soon and I couldn't resist this morning when I caught him with a mouth full of jelly beans. I was in his room packing clothes for this weekend and I thought things were a little too quiet. Sure enough he had pushed a container to my dresser and helped himself. I thought it was fitting to include him getting into the celery earlier this week. He grabbed it off the cutting board while Grammy was making stir-fry.

Trisomy Bracelets

Hello everyone... Just wanted to let those who have requested bracelets know that our order arrived today! David and I are getting ready to visit family on the Island so we are looking forward to that. Hope that everyone is having a good week. I will try to post more pictures of David soon.

Please watch...

Elliot's Story
(click above)
I just watched this today and I would really appreciate it if everyone would take a few minutes to watch it as well. Elliot was diagnosed with Trisomy 18... very similar to the Trisomy 13 our Noah has been diagnosed with. We don't know how many ballons will be released for Noah but we know that he is alive... we feel him moving every day.

Baby Boy

Some of you have been asking if we have named our baby boy and we are very excited to share with you that we have.
Choosing a name for our son has been very important to us. We chose both names for their meanings and of coarse he is named after his daddy as well.
Noah Jonathan Neufeld is the name we have given him.
Noah means "Peace; Comfort; Rest" and Jonathan means "God has given; Gift of God"
Along with naming Noah we are currently preparing for his Dedication which will take place at our home church on December 9th (the service begins at 11am and if anyone would like more information please contact us).

Time

Time is a strange thing. When we feel different emotions it seems to either pass by more slowly or more quickly... usually the opposite of what we would like. When we first learned that our baby boy was very sick and that he isn't expected to live, time almost stopped and I wondered countless times how I can manage the next four months of my pregnancy (should I carry to term).
Almost 3 weeks have passed and I am beginning to realize that time is a good thing. We have had time to learn more about Trisomy 13.
Time to accept that we may not have much time with our little boy.
Time to come to terms with things as a family.
Time is helping us to prepare.
But mostly I am thankful for time because it is helping me learn how to love. When we first found out that baby was very sick I couldn't help but try to distance myself and prepare for the worst. More and more as I am processing everything... recovering from the shock... and beginning to heal... I am learning to love.
I am thankful for each day that I have left in my pregnancy and I will love him through every moment we have in this special bond we share. I am thankful for any and every moment God gives us with our son before He takes him home and I will love him every minute, every hour and every day that we have with him for however long we are given. And when the time comes for him to go to heaven I will love him every moment of the rest of my life.

How are you doing?

I have been wanting to give an update on how everything is going and when people ask "How are you?" it is really a difficult question to answer. I can say that Jonathan and I are doing okay but what does "okay" really mean? It means that we are sad that we won't likely have much time with our baby boy if any. It means that some days are better then others and that each day has its share of heartache. With so many questions that remain unanswered we really have to take things "one day at a time." Will I carry to full term? Will we meet our son before he goes to heaven? How long do we have? How sick will he be? These are all questions we will not have answers to until the time comes. Despite our sadness we still smile together. David makes that very easy for us and we are even more thankful for him now then we have ever been. This morning he spat his soother out and gave me his first "real" snack on the lips, puckered up kiss and I am reminded once again that the joys of motherhood make all the difficult times and sleepless nights worth while.

I know our family and friends have been doing their own research on Trisomy 13 and I wanted to share a website from one of the support organizations for anyone who is interested. www.trisomy.org
I also wanted to let people know that there is a Trisomy bracelet available for $5 (please don't feel obligated) I just would like one for myself and if anyone else would like one I will be placing an order on Monday. www.trisomykidsarespecial.com
I also wanted to thank everyone for their support. We really appriciate your prayers, phone calls, e-mails, cards, hugs, and all the kind things you are doing to help us through this difficult time. So many of you are even sharing our tears and we are touched.