For the second year in a row, Sammy’s Superheroes made a rollicking appearance at the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk in Duluth! What a time we had! Clark Kent, Spider Man, Captain America, and The Incredibles were all in attendance along with many other caped and masked crusaders.
This year we were sure to arrive early enough to stake out a table in the convention center to create a sort of home base for the day. Being our second time attending the walk, we were better equipped and knew what to expect. That also happened to mean I provided nourishment to all our superheroes in the form of … cupcakes. What else were you expecting?
I wouldn’t want these two getting hungry.
Bring on the buttercream frosting! We gotta keep those muscles fueled!
My entire family was in attendance for the walk this year, including my little sister, Jenny, and her kiddos. Malena the Superhero successfully photo bombed the family pic. Probably the cutest photo bomb you can find!
Pete & Papa Scott, both sporting their capes.
After taking in the bouncy houses and dancing, we headed outside for a few photos before the actual walk began. Sam & Caleb have a very similar photo from last year. They are so much bigger now!
Apparently they needed to discuss a little superhero business.
Super Daddy’s & their boys. This is Sam’s little buddy, Cody. Cody is four months old and has Down syndrome, too. Aren’t they beyond cute?! It’s going to be fun to watch them grow together over the next couple years.
A little sibling superhero action.
After photos, it was time to hit the pavement. The walk isn’t long, but it gets the attention of a whole lot of people in Canal Park and offers an opportunity for us to see how incredible the Down syndrome community is in Duluth. The weather was absolutely perfect!
The strength of these superheroes is incredible. There they are, lifting the bridge. Amazing.
Wonder Woman Amber & her superhero sidekick!
Auntie Becky and our favorite little superhero.
Oh that Nana. She’s so silly.
Pete with Malena at the end of the canal.
Auntie Jenny and Sammy baby.
And Uncle Jake.
It was exciting to have a ship pass through the canal while we were all out walking, but I think Sam was beginning to long for a nap.
Not Caleb, though! He was contemplating his next superhero strategies.
What a day it was. So many people along the shore following the walk to celebrate the gorgeous fall weather, being together, and most of all, the incredible ways our lives have all been touched by Down syndrome. I still say it was nothing I ever thought would be such an enormous part of my life, but I am so blessed to belong to the community of families and friends who love someone with a beautiful extra chromosome.
Papa and Sammy had one last superhero chat before the end of the day. No doubt planning their next crime-fighting rendezvous.
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We want to say a very heart-felt thank you to everyone who participated on Sammy’s team this year for the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk. It’s not possible to appropriately express through this simple writing how grateful we are to have friends who care so much about our Samuel and the life he gets to live. Many of you gave financially, others attended the walk, donated items to the yard sale, or sent good wishes and prayers for the walk. Each and every gesture is noticed and deeply appreciated. Together we were able to raise $1,033 for our team, exceeding our goal of $1,000. Thank you for being on this journey with us.
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. To kick it off, here’s a look back at the video I made for World Down Syndrome Day back in March.
To celebrate this month and all the beauty it represents, I’ll be focusing multiple posts on Down syndrome, beginning with the Sammy’s Superheroes and the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk that happened on Sunday. How beautiful it was! You won’t want to miss the upcoming posts!
This morning we had a little excitement in the house! The local news station WDIO Channel 10/13 sent a reporter & cameraman out to the house for a little interview as a part of their coverage of the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk coming up this Sunday.
After we explained exactly what was going on and how things worked, Ella was thrilled to be a part of it.
We gathered in the living room to talk on camera about who we are, what we’re doing as a family, and how our Sammy has changed our lives. We’re always happy to talk about the amazing Down syndrome community here in Duluth and all the support we’ve received from other families and our church in the last 16 months.
Being in the spotlight can certainly tire a little guy out.
By the end of the interview, Ella had taken over.
You can click HERE to see the story on the WDIO website. When you get to the website, click the play button to start the video.
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Sammy’s 2nd Annual Superhero Yard Sale was a success! We held it on our front lawn last Saturday and were able to collect $458 for Sammy’s team. Wohoo! If you weren’t able to make it to the sale and would still like to donate, click here. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me at olsen.angela {at} gmail.com.
The night before the sale, the place looked a little, well, messy. But what’s a mama to do when nothing can actually go out till morning? We had three other families donate to the sale, so we had a whole lot of treasures to prepare.
Bright and early Saturday morning, Pete & I started setting up, Ella began pulling out toys that were meant to be for sale, and our dear babysitter, Hannah arrived to keep the kids company so the sale could actually happen.
We filled the yard with lots & lots of stuff. (And you know what we didn’t do before the sale? Mow the lawn! Oops! We completely forgot. Oh well. People still wanted to buy our goods, even if we did have crazy grass.)
It was chilly when we first started the sale, which worried us a bit since only a few shoppers decided to check us out. An hour after the sale began, though, the sun started to peek out and so did the shoppers.
Who can resist a little girl selling cookies?! Ella took her sales role very seriously and exclaimed each time a car stopped in front of our house, “Someone is here to buy cookies!” Never mind the treasures in the yard. She was determined to sell her treats.
A little hot chocolate break.
This guy was amazing during the sale. He completely took over the money table and made the sale very enjoyable for me. Like his money belt? Fashion statement, y’all.
While he manned the money table, I got to keep things organized. The plan was to lure in shoppers with an attractive front display table. I think it worked.
Nearing the end of the sale, we simplified our displays and even cleared a few tables completely. It was a great sale. Glad we only did it for one day this year. I have big plans for the sale next year. We’ll see what happens.
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If you’re in the area, I hope you can join us for the big walk on Sunday! Everything is happening down at the DECC at 12:30. See you there!!
Thursday is World Down Syndrome Day. Why Thursday? Because every year people all over the world who have Down syndrome or love someone who does celebrate on March 21. There is great significance in the numbers that correlate with that day. Down syndrome occurs when there are three copies (instead of the typical two copies) of the 21st chromosome. Therefore, it’s 3-21, or March 21.
We have been beautifully touched by our little man’s diagnosis of Down syndrome. He has taught us so much in just 10 short months. In honor of Sam and his extra chromosome, I put together a video inspired by the International Down Syndrome Coalition and their “Who I Am” campaign. I hope you enjoy it.
I am now slightly more rested than I was early this morning when I first posted about our little one, so I feel ready to share the details of the last two and a half days. (Has it really only been that long already? Amazing!)
Things first began on Tuesday night (May 22) when I crawled into bed at about 10pm and I began to feel small contractions. They didn’t really catch my attention, though, since I had been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions (a sort of fake contraction) for about 15 weeks. A few of them did wake me during the night, though. On Wednesday morning I decided to go about my regular schedule and see what happened. While shopping at Target for a few last items for my hospital bag, I had to stop multiple times to lean on my cart and let a contraction pass. In the afternoon, Ella & I went to Becky’s to watch Malena & Maira while Becky went to the dentist. At that time, the contractions continued to strengthen and were only about 4 minutes apart. Let me tell you, it was not comfortable having the three little girls crawling all over me while the contractions hit. But it kept me somewhat distracted! After Becky got home, I paged Pete out of surgery, telling him things were getting more intense. I drove the 10 minutes to the hospital (perhaps I should not have been driving at that point, but I wasn’t completely convinced I was in labor) and let Pete drive me home. The beauty of being married to a doctor is that he was able to check my progress while we were home. Much to my relief, he confirmed that I surely was in labor and had made it to about 5cm. Yay! We took our time gathering the last things for the hospital and headed in.
After a brief stop at the store to pick up a plant (so nice to have in the room during labor) and a magazine (to fill the time during labor before the actual delivery), we arrived at the hospital at 7pm. I was definitely needing to breathe through the contractions at that point and even got to ride in a wheelchair to the OB floor. I dropped off the cupcakes I had made that afternoon for the nurses and settled into my room. I have to tell you that from the very moment I got to the room, I asked if an order could be put in for an epidural. I’ve never felt that I’m a mama who needs to go without meds, and I was worried we would miss the window if we didn’t get going on it. Shortly after that, Pete checked me again and I was between 7 and 8cm. Things were moving fast! Before 9pm…and before I was given an epidural…I hit the complete 10cm and my window for meds was closed. I have to honestly say that I wasn’t excited when I was told I would have to deliver without meds. It scared me, and I really wondered if I would be able to handle the pain. With Ella, I never made it past 6cm and, therefore, never got to push at all. The opportunity for a VBAC had come, and that did make me happy. I wanted to have the experience of pushing and breathing and being coached by Pete. I wanted to have a chance to push a baby into the world the way women have been doing it for years and years and years.
And push I did. For 2 1/2 hours I pushed. Without meds. That was a lot of work! I really focused on putting all of my energy into the pushing, not yelling or crying or cursing out my husband, as I’ve heard can easily happen. Instead, I felt incredibly close to Pete through the whole experience. He was an amazing coach. When I was discouraged, he looked right into my eyes and reassured me. I found a lot of strength in that. I also found myself talking to Jesus between contractions and pushing. I know He was giving me a great deal of strength. Everything looked like it was going well until we reached the 2 1/2 hour mark. Then our little one started to show signs of dropping oxygen levels and my cervix began to swell a great deal, to the point that it looked like it may actually be closing again. Pete & I jointly made the decision to do a c-section for the protection of the baby. I was taken down the elevator on a bed, groaning the entire way as super strong contractions ripped through me.
Though I ended up in another c-section, the entire experience was far different than when I had Ella. This time I completely dilated, pushed for a long time, tried many different positions, and really gave it everything I had. I got to experience everything I wanted to with child birth. It was time to get our baby out while he or she was still doing okay. So that’s what we did.
My mom made it to the hospital just in time to join us in the OR for the section. Pete stood next to me the entire time, looking over the sheet for the moment our little one would enter the world. I felt great peace in those moments before the birth. I was able to pray for the doctors in the room before the section began (most of whom I knew from the residency) and hummed one of my favorite camp songs about seeking Jesus’ face. Everything was perfect as I excitedly awaited the announcement of our little one’s arrival. And then it came! Pete proclaimed, “It’s a boy!” and we were both ecstatic as images of my dear Pete with his long-awaited son filled my head. I announced to all present that our son’s name would be Samuel Thomas Amani Olsen as I held back tears of joy. And then I realized how quiet the room was.
The doctors – our friends – huddled around our Samuel on the warming table while I heard only a small, weak, peep of a cry. It was a tiny sound. Though I felt peace, not concern, I asked one of the doctors to take a small step to the side so I could get my first glimpse of our little one. And that’s when I saw the first sign. His body wasn’t clenched like Ella had been when she was born. Sam’s arms were floppy. I asked Pete to bring him closer so I could see him. I longed for the first real view of my son. When Pete held him close, Samuel opened his eyes and looked right at me. And it was in that tiny instant that I knew it in my heart. Was it my mama instinct? Was it the fact that I had been carrying this beautiful little boy inside me for so many months prior to this moment of introduction? I don’t know, but it was instantly clear to me. Our little Samuel has Down syndrome.
I was wheeled into the recovery room while Pete and my mom and the other doctors took Sam up to the NICU to give him a complete exam. I don’t know how much time passed before Pete and my doctor, Maria, came through the door, quiet and serious. My thoughts were confirmed in that moment. In an instant, many things changed. But in that same instant, many things were peacefully confirmed within me. God is good. God has a plan. God created our little Samuel, and we were chosen to be his parents. What an honor.
The last 2 1/2 days have been the beginning of journey down what a doctor recognized yesterday as our “new normal.” Samuel remains in the NICU while he works through the transition from the warm, safe place of my womb to the outside world. His oxygen levels have needed the most time to adjust. He was most comfortable in a warm incubator without much handling the first 24 hours. We haven’t been able to have him in our room. We haven’t changed any of his diapers. And I just got the all-clear to try nursing him. So far he’s been getting my pumped milk through a feeding tube in his nose. Each little step he’s made forward, we’ve celebrated. Late last night, Pete sat with me as I held him on my chest. His sweet little eyes looked up at me a few times, completely melting every ounce of my heart. Pete held him for a little while, too, and Samuel eventually fell asleep cuddled with his daddy. It was so hard to leave him in the NICU to return to our room. There will soon come a time when we won’t have to leave him for a single moment. We’re praying that the time comes very, very soon.
I’m now packing and getting ready to head home…without my sweet little boy. First we’ll try nursing, though. Pete & I will both be back very often to rock Sammy and I’ll nurse him. Miss Ella is excited to see him, too. We tried having her visit him in the NICU two days ago, but it was all a bit too much for her. We’re praying Samuel will be discharged on Monday or Tuesday, though we have to keep a very open hand about that in case anything unexpected pops up.
Please pray with us for our little Samuel. Pray that his oxygen levels will get to a good place so he can breathe all on his own. Pray that he will quickly adapt to nursing. Pray that he’ll get to be home with us in the next few days. And please pray for Pete and I as we learn what this new beginning will entail and how all of this will draw us forward. Thank you!!
