Almost there.. but not quite!

Ethan has been pulling to a stand for a good while now and is now getting gutsy and starting to let go. I KNOW walking is right around the corner... I JUST KNOW!

To MY #1 FAN!

36 years ago today, a woman gave birth to a baby boy, that was destined to many great things.
I am fortunate to say that this boy that has grown to be a great man is my husband.

Happy 36th Birthday Santiago Saldana.

I am thankful for the great man that you are today. And I know with the help of God, you will continue to grow as a father, husband, son and brother, friend and worshiper and follower of Jesus.

Our lives together have taken a completely unexpected twist not too long ago. Thank you for remaining by my side, thank you for your love, for warm hugs and passionate kisses, your loyalty to me and your faith in me.

I will continue to love you forever and I promise to support you throughout our lives together. May God bless you with many more years, hopefully not many more or less than me. Because living without each other just wouldn’t be living.

This year, I do not have a gift for you, but what do you give a man that already has it all? You are rich in love, faith, ..hugs and kisses, giggles and smiles.. no materialistic gift could ever beat that.

Happy Birthday Hunny!

Your wife,
Erika Marquez-Saldana

What I am praying for...

Sorry guys for abandoning you all!



Our Buddy Walk is coming up real soon! This Saturday as a matter of a fact! And I have been real busy making “Ethan Heads”, as well as preparing for our After Walk Appreciation Celebration.


We are truly thankful to everyone that has contributed some way or another.



Thank you all for selling wristbands, taking pledges, donating to our garage sale! Thank you guys! We haven’t made our goal as of yet. But it was never about reaching our goal, it was always about raising awareness and for the rest of the world to see the commitment of a mother, father, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents.. of how we all came together to make a difference in the lives of those living with Down syndrome. That people with Down syndrome are worth having their family behind them and supporting them all the way.



I pray that you guys continue to support us. Just because we make it seem easy (and it is for the most part), we also face lots of hardships along the way. Hardships that break our hearts, which come it the form of prejudice and ignorance. I am sure that we all have been subjected to some form of bullying in our lives, but will Ethan be able to defend himself? How will his sisters survive the days that their beloved brother becomes some one’s target for bullying?



The Buddy Walk raises awareness about Down syndrome and promotes inclusion and acceptance for those individuals. I PRAY that those walking with us that might not personally know us or Ethan (or anyone with Ds) are able to preach this to their kids, families and friends. That we all deserve respect. Lets teach our children that there are people out there different from them, but that doesn’t mean they deserve less or have no worth in this world. God does not make mistakes and He loves us all. And lets clean up our language! Lets remove the R word from our vocabulary (retard/retarded). It is deeming to those with actual disabilities. The R word has a definition and it is not “stupid”. I’ve been labeled overdramatic for my stand on this word. Say what you want, call me what you want. Like I’ve said before, you don’t have to understand me, but please respect me. If you had a child like mine, you would be dancing to the same beat I’ve been dancing to. What is that saying?..., “you never know until it happens to you…” It is true, oh so true.



I am READY to walk in a sea of people who love someone with Down syndrome. I am ready to see the specs of baby blue shirts in an ocean of jade color shirts. To look in the eyes of other parents whom I’ve never met, yet so strongly tied to.

Ethan, I love you, and I will walk for you and others just like you. To raise awareness so that our children with Down syndrome, are accepted as a wonderfully normal part of a very diverse community.

This is it! - Thank you all!

Today is the last day of October, as well as the last day of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.  THANK  you all that have followed my blog for the past month! NO, I did not post every single day, but one look at us and you know I have not failed.
I really hope you have learned something. Most importantly I hope you have learned that Ethan is a precious human being just like any other and that his life is just as valueable as any of ours.
ALWAYS remember that Ethan is someone's son. And when I say Ethan I mean all people with any dissability. Before you are quick to judge rememeber that they  have mom and a dad who would fly to the moon and back in a second.

I also hope you have learned that we are not much different than you. We do all those other things you and your family do. We praise Jesus on Sundays, go for walks weekdays, go out to eat, and get together with friends.

Down syndrome does not define Ethan nor this family, but because of Down syndrome we are better people.

I hope you continue to follow us! I admit our life is pretty boring, but boring in a good way I say.

And of course, I couldnt end this without sharing our Halloween pictures! I must confess that I was bummed a little that we didnt get to dress up, it has always been a tradition to dress up with the kids.

 He is an elephant, in case you were wondering what the heck that was!

 Gabby, Andrea and Giselle

Drugs Kill

No, really they do!

It was DARE week at school this week.

My Precious Angel

It has been almost one whole year since this encounter….

It was Friday, October 30 2009. It was just me and Ethan that day. Ethan was wearing his black kitty cat outfit with the cute hood with the ears. He was just 10 weeks old and that was the very last day of my maternity leave.

I decided I would meet up with my boss for lunch so he could officially meet Ethan, where I would “officially” inform him of Ethan’s diagnosis.

With the convenience of online payments, I am not exactly sure why I had to go to the post office, but for some reason I did. I figured I could run in and out before having to head out to the restaurant to meet the boss-man. It was a breezy and chilly Friday. I threw a cover over Ethan’s carrier, so the chilly wind wouldn’t touch my precious newborn son. And limping to one side, (Ethan must have weigh 50lbs back then in his carrier) I waddled my way to the entrance.

Suddenly a man popped out and held the door open, even though I was still a good few feet away from him, he patiently held the door open for me. I am not sure another person would have held the door for me from that distance.

So I hurried over. As I approached the door, the man spoke to me. This was a very simple looking man, so plain that he stood out. He wore a plain brown shirt and wore a wooden cross around his neck. He looked at the carrier and said something along these lines (in Spanish) “that baby in there is an angel… God sent you that angel, he is a true angel…God has a place for you and that child in heaven…”

I think I said thank you… and somehow made it in, but I stood there confused. The man was gone, but he left me in shock. I was pretty confused that I ended up just walking out of there. The man never saw Ethan under the blanket. So where these random ramblings of some random man, or where they actual words, of something he knew that I didn’t.

If there is one thing that I do know is that Ethan is different and that his heart and soul will never know sin like mine. He is my little angel.

Dear God,

I promise to take care of your precious angel, with ALL of my heart, might and power, till the last day you allow me to. 

More Heart Talk - PDA

Ethan was born with a small PDA. We suspected it would close after a year.

Well, I tell you, his heart as is stubborn as his personality. That PDA is still there.

At the moment his PDA does not pose any harm to him nor has it interfered with his growth (obviously – have you seen the kid!). After the age of 2 is when this pesky PDA can cause some issues. We are going to do something the doctor referred to as “coiling” through a catheter.

Dr. Q stated while the chances are slim that it will repair itself, that there is still hope (he is just so darn optimistic!) it can close itself. We shall see next Spring.

The procedure seems pretty simple, yet, as a mother of course I worry.. GO AHEAD and say it , “HE’LL BE FINE”. I know I know I KNOW he will, but still…. 

What is a PDA:

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that occurs soon after birth in some babies. In PDA, abnormal blood flow occurs between two of the major arteries connected to the heart.

Before birth, the two major arteries—the aorta and the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery—are connected by a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. This vessel is an essential part of fetal blood circulation.

Within minutes or up to a few days after birth, the vessel is supposed to close as part of the normal changes occurring in the baby's circulation.  In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent). This opening allows oxygen-rich blood from the aorta to mix with oxygen-poor blood from the pulmonary artery. This can put strain on the heart and increase blood pressure in the lung arteries.

Cardiac Catheterization

(taken from the CCH)

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure that involves puncturing an artery and/or vein, usually located in the groin, so that small, long flexible tube (catheter) can be guided into the heart and major vessels around the heart.

The catheter is moved throughout the heart with the aid of fluoroscopy (x-ray machine).

Interventional catheterization is a type of cardiac catheterization where actual treatments can be performed by use of specialized catheters.

These specialized catheters include balloon catheters that can open up narrowed valves or arteries and also catheters where devices can be deployed which can close extra vessels or certain “holes” in the heart.