More alike than different

This time around I was super eager to get pregnant...perhaps because I could see how fast Marleigh was growing up and I wanted her to have a little friend to bond with, or maybe it was because 32 is just around the corner which would put me 'up there' when experiencing challenges such as parenting adolescence ;) Again, I took 3 digital pregnancy tests to confirm that we were expecting (you'd think I'd learn that 1 test would suffice).  It wasn't long before the exhaustion and major nausea kicked in.  At the time I was teaching kindergarten and barely survived my days spent with 5 year olds and nights with a 2 year old.  "How am I every going to handle two kids"?
Fast forward...at our 12 week ultrasound the technicians noticed that our lil' bean had excess fluid at the back of his/her neck.  What did that mean?  Our family doctor informed us that fluid in the neck can be a sign of a genetic abnormality.  Genetic Abnormality, Genetic Abnormality, Genetic Abnormality.  Those words echoed in my mind as I tried to decipher what that meant.  A week went by until we received more information about what that could mean.  A genetic counselor from the Foothills Hospital in Calgary called us and informed us that the fluid was likely 1 of 3 things.  1. Down syndrome, 2. Turner Syndrome 3. Nothing at all.  I will leave it to your discretion to google both syndromes for more information.   The waiting period of unknown was absolutely terrible.  Many restless nights, lots and lots of tears and a real deep fear of the unknown.
 At the beginning of June, I had an amniocentesis performed at the Foothills Hospital. Not  the most comfortable procedure but I am still astonished at the science behind it.  Four days later we received confirmation about our baby.  We found out that we are having another little girl which warms my heart and soul and she has Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome - her diagnosis not prognosis :) ).  Barry and I feel extremely blessed to be chosen as her parents and given the opportunity to see the world through her eyes!  What a gift for our entire family, the pure and beautiful role-model that Marleigh will be and the love that will be shared between two sisters who are more alike than different!
For now, I have monthly ultrasounds at the Foothills Hospital and we've had an ECG on her and looks like her heart is perfectly healthy.  She is growing at the 50th percentile and all of her organs are functioning perfectly.  She's a busy little girl (just like her big sis) and I'm feeling lots of kicks and squirms.  I'm still not sure where we will be delivering her but that knowledge will come as we get closer to her birth.  We are anxious and giddy about her arrival sometime in November (due date: 22nd)