Amazing pregnancy & DS Diagnosis

Since this is my first blog post and I am very new to this whole world, I wanted to start out with an overview of us. I am a 28 year old stay at home mom to an amazing little boy, Carson and a furry boy, Sammy :) Being a stay at home mom was never where I thought my life would lead me but I would not change it for anything in the world. I guess let me back up to when I found out I was pregnant to better explain.
On January 6, 2010 I found out I was pregnant. It was a great surprise and quite a shock to us. We had been married almost 4 years so that wasn't an issue, it was just that I was preparing to take the GRE to apply to Physician Assistant's school. After my first appointment with my ob/gyn I got a phone call informing me that my blood came back showing that I had an Anti-Kell Antibody in it. This can cause a problem if the baby had an Anti-Kell Antigen. It's very similar to the Rh factor but much more uncommon. So our doctor sent us to Maternal Fetal which is a specialist group for "high-risk" pregnancies. At the first ultrasound at MF they noticed that the baby's nuchal translucency fold was thicker than usual which can be a sign of genetic abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome. But his nasal bone was forming which was a good sign. We had previously declined all the testing at our ob/gyn's office because it didn't matter either way, but the specialists thought it would be a good idea to do the tests and then go from there. The screening test came back with a chance of 1/24 that our baby had Down Syndrome. All of the visits thus far had been torture because we felt like we were so unsure of what was going on. We were stuck in limbo not knowing if Carson had Down Syndrome or something else.  Finally, I made the decision to get an amniocentesis done, and my husband reluctantly agreed. On March 19, 2010 at just a day past 16 weeks pregnant I had the amnio done. It was much worse than I could have imagined and last longer than I had expected. Three days later on March 22, 2010,  I received a phone call that our baby boy did have Down Syndrome. It was obviously a lot to take in but I can say from the moment I found out I had a very strong resilience about it. He was still alive and well inside of me, it was not a life-threatening issue. There was no doubt in either of our mind's that we were going to keep Carson. I felt like knowing ahead gave us time to prepare, as much as you can with any child :) We read all sorts of books on Down Syndrome and found organizations associated with DS. Everything turned out fine with the Anti-Kell antibody as well, which was a big relief :)
I was one of those people that absolutely LOVED being pregnant! I felt like I was the best possible version of myself :) I could not wait for Carson's arrival and enjoyed every bit of my pregnancy up until his arrival. In all, having a "high-risk" pregnancy ended up being a blessing because we have two books filled with ultrasound pictures of Carson, where as most people only get 2 ultrasounds throughout their pregnancy. 
I would not change one single thing about my pregnancy with Carson. It was an amazing time, full of excitement and anticipation for what was to come. Little did I know how full my heart would grow with love for this sweet boy. 

                                                                   11 weeks, 6 days

Me & Bert the day after the amniocentesis, March 20, 2010

                                                                    16 weeks, 2 days

                                  

Bert & me at Tim Tebow signing! We are obviously very big Gator fans and even bigger Tim Tebow fans!!

                  

Once in a lifetime opportunity to meet an amazing person! We told Tebow his youngest fan was in the making :) March 27, 2010. 17 weeks, 2 days

 My two beautiful sisters and me :)Me and my middle sister Tara were pregnant at the same time! She had my beautiful niece Abby 2 months and one day before I had Carson!

 Me and Bert out in Dallas for my sister Tara's baby shower. 

April 9, 2010

19 weeks, 1 day

 17 weeks, 5 days

Bert, Tim Tebow, and me (Carson's right by the Heisman!!)

Me and my beautiful mom out on the boat :) May 9, 2010. 23 weeks, 3 days

Bert, Val, and Cade, my adorable nephew, at the Percy Harvin signing. May 15, 2010. 24 weeks, 2 days.

Percy Harvin, Bert, me, and Carson via the belly :)

May 16, 2010. 24 weeks, 3 days.

May 22, 2010. Date night out to Ruth Chris! 25 weeks, 2 days

Memorial Day Weekend, 2010. 26 weeks, 2 days. Beautiful Sanibel :)

Val, mom, and me at Charley's Pass. May 30, 2010

Robert Carson Barnes, 4D Ultrasound. 27 weeks

Bert & me before the 4D Ultrasound with the family :) June 12, 2010. 28 weeks, 2 days

Our little, expanding family. This is our "first born" Sammy :)

Babymoon at Cheeca. Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada is where we got married on April, 15 2006.

Me & my beautiful cousin Candace at her dance competition in Orlando. July 9, 2010. 32 weeks, 1 day

Last little get-a-way with my mom & Sammy. Tween Waters Captiva! Wonderful time. July 26, 2010. 34 weeks, 4 days.

Carson's crib :)

Carson's nursery

Me the night before leaving for the hospital! August 18, 2010.

37 weeks, 6 days

Bert & me before leaving the hospital!! The next time we would arrive home it would be with our little boy :) Little did we know it would be 10 days later. August 19, 2010. 38 weeks