Raising Reid

Slow and Steady

2012-01-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

I recently came across an article a teacher wrote after speaking with her students about advice they would give moms on "mothering"... She said that year after year overwhelmingly the majority of them said that what they enjoyed most, and what made their hearts happiest was when their mothers did simple things for or with them. I loved reading this list, I found it refreshing and doable ...so sharing it here! To read the full article go here.

Here is a list of the top ten things students around the world said they remembered and loved most about their mothers.

1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.

2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.

3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.

4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.

5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.

6. At night talk to me about anything; love, school, family etc.

7. Let me play outside a lot.

8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.

9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.

10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.

This "list" written by the very ones whose voices should be heard.... says a lot. Slowing down and simmering in the simplicities of just being together and sharing life together in a slow, sweet pace sounds awfully good!
One of my New Year Resolutions...? You betcha, slow and steady baby!

Wordless Wednesday... Brothers

2012-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

"I Five.... Today

2011-12-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Today Reid would tell you.... "I five!" if you asked him.

Actually we were at the park today with some friends and I told Reid to tell the girls what today was..... I was not sure how he would respond to be honest, but he looked up at them, smiled, and said, "I five!!". When they said Happy Birthday Reid, he responded with a most adorable, "Fanks!!" with again that little smirk on his face.
If Reid had more words about him he would also say....

"I have the best big brother, EVER!"

"Daddy is my hero!"
"Follow your dreams, there isn't anything you can't accomplish if you put your mind and heart in it!"

"If you have the opportunity to sit out or dance.... DANCE!!"

"Tell someone that you love them.... To Infinity and Beyond!!"

"Laughter is good for the soul!"

"Rudolph isn't the only cute reindeer!"

"Mind your manners and don't forget to say, "Thank you... thank you very much" from time to time!"

"Hug close the ones you love!"

"If you want to hang out in only rain boots and underwear all day... so be it! Blaze your own trail!"

"Five is going to be my best year yet!"
**Top photo taken by Kelle Hampton for the Infantino/Step2 "Everybody plays" Campaign. All photos are property of this blog owner and may not be reproduced without permission.

A Beautiful New Life

2011-12-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

A little girl's "life story" has been rewritten because of this incredible family featured in the ABC News clip below.... and from what I understand the Reece's Rainbow adoption website has been on overload since this aired.... I hope it stirs more hearts and ALL of these beautiful children will find their Forever Families.... The little girl Masha they show wondering if the news reporter was her Momma? Tears poured down as I watched that, no one should be without a mom or dad... I pray this news story helps her find her very soon!!
Click here for the ABC News clip Then, to read more of Kareen's journey to her new life, go here.
A few thoughts..... Once given the diagnosis of Down syndrome from health professionals many of us walking this road were encouraged to abort, told that our child would be a burden to society, to their families, their siblings would suffer.... you scour the internet and you will find outdated and biased information pertaining to the life of a person with this extra chromosome, BUT...... you ask a family walking this road and you will get a much different answer. Of the over 500 children adopted through Reece's Rainbow, I would venture to guess that most of the adopting families either already had a child of their own with Down syndrome or an extended family member.... that says A LOT of this road, and the falsehood of the statements above. Parenting is tough..... with or without extra chromosomes, but the most beautiful tough I have ever experienced and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

From Our Home to Yours....

2011-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

I Love You to the North Pole and Back!!

2011-12-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

I have to confess, my soon to be 5 year old had not had a full blown birthday party until this year. His birth date is December 28th, and that... is such a hard time for a party. I have felt guilty over this little issue and vowed to myself that THIS year Reid would have a party with his school friends. THIS YEAR, this year, this year, this year....

But seriously, this year WAS going to be the year and it turns out that once I embraced the whole winter~Christmas theme that comes with this time of year my mind flooded with ideas and I began to wonder why I was so stumped each year with how best to pull off a party in December. ...Give me a summer birth date and I have ideas galore, Luke has benefited from a fun party or two in his little lifetime, but poor Reid~ Nada.

The more ideas rolled in, the more ~~obsessed~~ excited with the thought I became. A huge inspiration came after reading this post on Kelle's blog. I had already thought about having snow delivered but had not fully developed my ideas until I read about her North Pole party she hosted for her girls to just "embrace the fact that Christmas was encroaching"~ and that's when the flood gates opened..... "THAT'S IT" I thought....Reid would indeed have a birthday party... and it would be hosted in no other location than the North Pole (AKA my front yard) and, it would be hosted by none other than Mr. and Mrs. Claus and a cute, spunky 10 year old elf who also goes by the name Luke. Once I got the plan set in motion I reached out to Serendipity Soiree who made these invitations for me, I LOVE them, she did such a great job!
Toby knew something was up when he noticed me typing furiously one night and giggling all the while and asked what was going on... I smirked and told him that I had an idea for a party for Reid....and that, gulp, it was going to require him in a costume..... and, gulp.... memorization of a script! He gave me the o'l, "Oh no, not again...." look. He has been through this with me before, once I hosted a Scooby Doo Mystery birthday party for Luke and Toby was our "Present Thief" and he was given strict orders to follow the script I had typed out for him! Oh, the joys of parenthood..... but my amazing hunk of a husband took it all in stride and was the most lovable Santa that day, and even threw in his own spontaneous dialogue that made me howl with laughter!
Once the invitations had gone out to Reid's classmates one of the moms stopped me and said, "Just so you know..... (insert sweet little girl's name) is telling EVERYONE that she is going to the "real North Pole" for Reid's party!!". We laughed together about it, but then the pressure MOUNTED..... I. Must. Transform. This. Place. Into. The. North. Pole.... So, operation North Pole went into full affect. 1st, I literally walked up to a neighbors house a few streets over that I had never met and, gulp, gave them an invitation and asked if I could borrow 3 of their huge inflatable lawn decorations to help "set the stage" for the North Pole. This ~~stranger~~ woman surprisingly did not close the door on my face but smiled huge and said "Of course!" 2nd, I scoured the Dollar Tree and 99Cent store for as many decorations as I could find to "North Pole" the place up (though I had bought gobs of stuff, gobs of it never made its way out the door that day.... we had rain the day before so my decorating time got cut short~ but I think it was North Pole enough to do the job).
Once the decor was taken care... the kindergarten teacher in me began to relish in the fact that there were so many fabulous "stations" I could have the children rotate through... and decided that "Mrs. Claus" would read a story to the children to help conclude the party ~~while Reid's dad ran inside and changed into his Santa costume.~~
Anyway, here is what our Sunday looked like around here.

Luke was such a great sport being our "Chief Elf"! ...you could tell he loved every minute of it! ...Truth be told, he even slept in his costume that night, said it was "comfy" ;)

Our neighbor graciously made these balloon candy canes for all the kids!

We contacted our local ice company and purchased several 40 lb bags of snow which they delivered. The idea was for the children to make snowmen at one of our "stations". I had carrots, tree branches, buttons, jewels, and wiggly eyes for them to choose from. However, I think the kids found it most fun to just slide around in and throw at one another.

We set out a gingerbread decorating station.

We had an Elf Wrapping Station. At the beginning of the party I handed out elf hats from Oriental Trading Company and told the kids that Santa needed help putting the finishing touches on the gifts by adding ribbons and bows. Then, they were to add their name on the back so we knew which elf inspected it. .... They did not know that these were actually their "party gifts" and the name tags on the back was to help "Santa" call out names at the end of the party once he made his grand appearance.

I found these cute little plastic reindeer jars at the Dollar Tree and thought they would be perfect for adding "Reindeer Food" into... however, the 1st store only had 8 so I began searching other stores in the area until I had to realize I was getting neurotic about these dang reindeer jars and that no... it was not healthy to drive 10 miles to pick up the 1 jar that the store manager said he had left, sigh, so I caved and bought the Santa ones to have as back ups. I had to giggle to myself when I had 4 reindeer left over after the party because lots of kids preferred the Santa (Mama Mia... I could have saved a bundle on gas and on headaches had I allowed myself the grace to know that it is okay if reindeer food does not necessarily make it into a reindeer bottle) ;)

After the "stations" had been thoroughly visited it was time to cut the cake...which was also Toby's cue to head into the bedroom to change into the Santa costume we borrowed from a friend.

Santa and his Chief Elf had been instructed that they were not to come out of the house until I had the kids seated and I had read a book to them....

And then the time had arrived.... Santa made his debut.
....and he came bearing gifts, the presents they had finished wrapping at the "Elf Station"

Toby and I had to laugh that night.... about how much "power" comes along with wearing the big red suit. Kids crawled up on his lap unsolicited and one sweet little guy in particular looked him square in the eye and asked him if he was on the "naughty" list?? He got hugs... and kids lingering around not wanting to say good bye. One dad told me later that his little girl told him, "At first I thought it was Reid's daddy... but then I noticed hair on his hands and thought that must mean it really is Santa" ...Oh my gosh, kids are so funny! Even Reid was staring at Toby trying to figure it all out.

And as for Mrs. Claus... though she is best known for her fabulous cookie baking abilities and managerial skills with the elves, she is also known to have a bit of a sassy side to her that she unveils from time to time ;).

Reid, we had so much fun celebrating your little life! Happy 5th birthday!We love you..... to the North Pole and back!!

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-12-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Heart Day

2011-12-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today this little firefighter was a fighter of a different sort....

Three years ago today he had open heart surgery (his 2nd in 2 years).

Reid, I am so glad you are our fighter... our little rascal... and our silly, snuggly, sweet, and funny little boy! We love you and are so glad your heart is healthy and strong now! I will always look back on this day and be so grateful for those that worked to help mend you and make your heart strong!

Happy Heart Day! xoxo,
MOM

A New Tradition For Our Family

2011-12-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

We as a family are starting a new tradition... I am stealing the idea from over here.

We had "the talk" this year with Luke...and no not the "talk-talk" ;)... the red hat and white bearded guy talk....and tears gushed from his eyes. It all came about quite innocently with an email he read of mine to a friend about wishing our kids could stay little forever and always believe in Santa and he snickered at first and said, "Oh I knew...." but then it got quiet....and then his little face scrunched...and then eyes became glossy...and my sweet guy layed at the bottom of my bed and had a real. good. cry. He said it was so much fun to believe, he was really devastated. I was devastated that he was devastated and you know what... I had myself a little cry right there with him at the end of the bed. I wanted to rewind that whole night and wished I had never written the words...
But, then I ran across the idea of the Advent calendar, ~~the non chocolate one~~, and being intentional with our days before Christmas and using it to really create the Christmas spirit that ultimately we want our children to experience and know and pass on... so it helped me to come to terms with this new chapter for him. I chin-upped and decided we were moving in a different direction with our tradition...and I started to get excited about it.... and even sneaky about it because he had no idea what I was up to!
So, today when he came home from school I had our new Advent calendar out waiting for him where he would see it as soon as he walked in. I bought one big enough for us to put little notes in each day of the week with an activity or good deed...or yes, maybe even some chocolates ;).
My thought ....for our new little tradition was this.... the day #1 little door will have a note already inside it from me that states.... "Tonight the family will make a gingerbread house and brainstorm/write down ideas for the other 24 days". So, I bought a cute little gingerbread house kit...wrote my note... and had high hopes that this new tradition was going to be Norman Rockwell-esque, right from the start...day one was going to showcase the beauty and spirit I dreamt of.... and it would have ..... IF "short stuff' had not grabbed the scissors and cut his brother's homework into small pieces, and big brother not kicked him in the shins for doing it...and the two of them not tossed books about the room while in time out... nor continued to squabble at each other the remainder of the evening... Norman Rockwell it wasn't turning out to be, so sadly making our gingerbread house tonight needed a rain check.... day #1, is being moved to day #2, pending their new found good behavior. ~~The good news is we now only have to think of 23 other activities~~.
But, this is how I plan to start it each year... making our annual gingerbread house and brainstorming ideas together on day #1. I want our days to be filled with not only family activities but also times of doing something special for someone else.
I definitely want input from my family but a few ideas I have already brainstormed and prepared for are;

Leave a box of Christmas dog bone biscuits on our neighbors doorstep for the dog the boys "dog sit" for on occasion (the ones below crack me up...the biscuits are shaped as mailmen and cats)
Leave bags shown below of hot chocolate mix on neighbors doorsteps (we have several widows on our street so these are for them in particular)
Bake cookies and take to neighbors (I found these cute bag kits with name tags at Home Goods)
Bundle up and go "night time" bike riding through the neighborhood to see the lights
Make hot chocolate and popcorn and watch a movie together
Slumber party under the tree
Purchase a toy to take to the local fire station for Toys for Tots

I look forward to hearing my boys' ideas as well, and Luke already told me, "Mom, I know what will go in door #24!". We also have a tradition on Christmas Eve where we get up early...go get coffee and donuts..and head out to deliver special "care packages" Luke puts together to give to the homeless (an idea he came up with all on his own about 5 years ago). It usually takes us hours.. we drive all around finding our next special person and we end up with amazing stories from the people we encounter. There is a gentleman named Robert that we look for first, we have hunted him down the last 3 years and he is surprised every time that we remember his name. I'm just sad he's still out there. So this activity will be written down and go in door #24 along with another day of collecting supplies and putting them together.

What are your ideas?? What do you all put in your Advent calendar if you do one? According to my calculations after my contributing ideas my boys will still need 14 more ideas.... so would love your input! ...okay I am asking for it, please do tell! :)

Bagels = Zeros.... and Some iPad Love

2011-11-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know....... bagels look like zeros. ....Reid told me so.
A week or so ago while making bagels Reid shouted out, "Mom..... ZERO!!" while proudly holding up his bagel. I stopped and looked at his little face.... and realized he was connecting that a bagel is shaped like a zero, therefore it was a zero and....well, I squealed.... yes, like a girl.... no, more like a very happy momma that was celebrating that her child had made this connection and then picked that little guy up and twirled him around. These little connections are BIG connections in our world! I didn't even know he knew zero yet.
So what do you do when your child brilliantly declares bagels look like zeros? Well.... you plop him on the couch and document it baby!

and then you eat those ~~zeros~~ bagels!

********************************************************************

One of the BEST investments we have made for Reid..... which we have seen contribute to much of his progress in number and letter recognition is the iPad. I love this thing, absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. He is so independent with it and navigates himself around to the apps he wants to work in that day and I feel ZERO guilt because he is playing and learning all at the same time.

If you have thought about getting one for Christmas or are on the fence..... my advice? Get it. The advantage it gives our little ones with special needs is HUGE. In my opinion it is worth EVERY cent!

The app Reid is working on below is the iWriteWords app (it also has a # section) and I believe the one with the letters is from his Starfall ABCs app.... both are must haves.

Other items worth mentioning are the Big Grips Frame shown below in blue and the Just Mobile stylus. The Big Grips Frame goes without saying... you want to protect your investment and we have found this one to be perfect for Reid's little hands. We had our iPad about a month before we bought this and we had too many close calls with falls so I feel much better with this on! The stylus is something we decided to purchase to help him with gripping an item such as a pencil or crayon. This is also one of his IEP goals so this stylus is helping us achieve that I think. We bought it in yellow to resemble a pencil but they have lots of different fun colors. He loves using it to trace letters and numbers on the iPad... and sometimes you will even find my goofball with it behind his ear to be, well, ahem ....a goofball.

Wordless Wednesday: My Buckaroo

2011-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

The Elephant in the Room

2011-11-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so let's talk about it, the elephant in the room.... Yes, yes I do know it is a bit early to "Christmas-y" up my blog but this is the deal.... Each. And. Every. Christmas...... it sneaks right up on me even though I plan for weeks for it and before I know it I am sitting amongst the dust that flies from eager little fingers ripping open presents and I vow to do it differently the next year and savor it just a bit longer.

So this year..... I'm doing the sneaking up on and decided to start with my blog ...though with the red and white stripes on the side I don't think "sneaking up on it" is the right wording ;). The truth... I miss my old blog background and cute scrolley side bar buttons and sometimes I pop on the blog forgetting I had it changed and I get this jolt... hmnnn, maybe it is because of those stripes, hmnn might need to re-think them. Toby says he feels like he needs to visit the barber shop each time he's on. lol

Anyway.... "Christmasy" it is for awhile. I have reached out to have help with both my last 2 blog backgrounds. This time around Masto Mama Designs helped me, and she was great to work with. I love color and patterns and fonts and eventually I want to figure out how to create my backgrounds for myself.... but for now it intimidates me a wee bit too much! Santa... if you are reading this Photo Shop would come in really handy for this! xoxo

"Daddy and Mommy Welcome You................. To Life"

2011-11-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

The tiny TEN POUND... 9 year old little girl I mentioned here... Her name is Katerina and I read today that she is finally with her Forever Family.... finally she is coming home to start her life. She finally has a family of her own to love her and care for her and tell her how precious she is...
Actually her mom's words which put a frog in my throat read as..."Tiny daughter, come with us.... Daddy and Mommy welcome you to life".
Today is a good, good day!
Katerina, we celebrate with you and your family today!
To read her story go here.

Please Consider Sponsoring an Orphan...

2011-11-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

A few days ago when I wrote this post, ONE Thing I Would Want to Share, I had some people email me to see if I wanted help with raising awareness and funds for 1 orphan in particular?... and this is my answer, in case you read it too and were wondering....

As a family when we first learned of Reece's Rainbow a few years ago we scanned the site and found a little one to sponsor...actually Luke was our official "picker-outer". So, if that is what you want to do as a family as well...to get your children involved, by all means please do!! I think it is meaningful and powerful for children to understand about compassion and how they can help.

AND....Just as a little clarification in case this is the first time you have heard of Reece's Rainbow, the money you donate whether at Christmas or anytime of the year does NOT go to feeding the orphans... or clothing them...or making their orphanages more livable........ the money LITERALLY goes to paying the children's "randsom" so to speak to getting them the heck out of there and into a family's arms. The money goes directly to the child's adoption fund.... which you can watch grow right on the site.

This year little Robert from Eastern Europe grabbed Luke's heart... a little boy who will be turning 2 this December who only has $133 at this moment towards his adoption fees, which run about $25,000.

What's unique about donating at Christmas time is that when you donate $35 dollars or more you also receive a Christmas ornament with the child's picture on it...as a special reminder of the little one you have helped.

If you would like to help us raise funds for Robert we would love it (click on his name and it will direct you to his donation page) ....I like the idea of a group of people banning together to make a difference... putting our $35 together to make a bigger impact

On face book I stated it this way, "I have 344 friends on facebook, if we all sponsored 1 child we could raise over $12,000 (which is about 1/2 of the adoption fees needed) and I am sure we would never even miss that $35".

A little bit really does and can go a long way... ;)

Thank You.... Veterans!

2011-11-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you to my dad, Lee, and to my father-in-law Roger, and my uncles Alan, Dennis, Steve, Gary, Jim, and Larry (my Grandma had 4 of her 7 sons serve in the Vietnam War), Toby's uncles Den and Rod, to my brother-in-law Brian, and my nephew Brian Jr. ..... who have all served our country. We are so grateful for your sacrifices! You are my 12 favorite veterans.... but we are also grateful for your friends that you served shoulder to shoulder with. xoxo

ONE Thing I Would Want to Share...

2011-11-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

October was Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I usually participate in trying to blog each day of the month in October but this year.... I did not blog as I have in previous years (you can click on any of these years 2008, 2009, 2010 to find previous Down syndrome Awareness posts if you'd like).

However, if there was ONE thing I would want to share ...to bring awareness to, is that if any one of us were to hop in a plane...fly a little over half a day away.... we would step foot backwards in time in terms of acceptance for a child like my son. My son Reid would have no place in many eastern European countries. He would be tossed aside as worthless. He would be sent away right after birth to an orphanage where his outlook would be grim and no one to love him. If I tried to keep my son I would be ostracized by my community. His only hope would be to be adopted, and if that did not occur by the time he was 4 he would be sent to an institution where his care would be even grimmer. I have seen videos of such institutions and been just gutted by what I saw.... and because my brain cannot fathom that type of treatment I rationalized that that must not be true...or that only happens in very few places and they must be 3rd world countries... but the truth is it does happen, in fact there is a family trying to adopt a little girl from one of these institutions right now who is 9 years old....and she weighs 10 pounds. TEN POUNDS. My heart and head cannot comprehend that. Why??.... because she was born with an extra chromosome, like my son. THAT. IS. SO. WRONG. ....How can they not know that is wrong? How can they not see the beauty in these precious children?
There is a mom here in the US who after her son Reece was born with Down syndrome learned of the tragedy I wrote of above.... and she was moved to action, because these children just like her son...just like my son, deserve so much more. She started a non profit organization called Reece's Rainbow that helps raise funds for families who are wanting to adopt these children...to re-write their life story, to give them a home to call their own and a family to love them and show them they are valued and precious. In five years Reece's Rainbow has helped over 500 children find their Forever Families... unbelievable, I am so grateful she followed her heart to help make a difference!! Here in the United States there are waiting lists to adopt children born with Down syndrome, thank you USA for getting it, for valuing life...but for our little friends oceans away it is not the same, they do not have people in their country waiting to adopt them.... and they need our help.
Reece's Rainbow is kicking off their annual Christmas Angel Tree Fundraiser, where they raise money to go directly into the children's adoption funds. When you donate $35 or more, you will recieve a beautiful photo ornament of your sponsored child to hang on your tree. This is a very special way to "share Christmas" with an orphaned child. The goal is to help raise at least $1,000 for each child. Click here to see the faces of these precious little ones needing our help, waiting for their "Forever Families" and watch their funds grow as we together raise awareness of this tremendous need.

How incredible to be able to make a donation that LITERALLY will help save a life. ...And what a great message to share with your children.

Please consider sharing about Reece's Rainbow and The Christmas Angel Tree Fundraiser if you have a blog, or on facebook..... you never know just how far your efforts could go, you may know someone who can make an incredible difference in one or more of these children's lives.

Can you imagine my Reid in an orphanage? It is so unfathomable to me....

Grab This!

Words to Live By.....

2011-10-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Source: sassysites.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Potty Goggles....

2011-10-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

Potty goggles are the new thing in my house! They came about quite by accident and quite spontaneously.....and are my newest attempt to get my littlest love fully potty trained... once. and. for. all!!! This little rascal can use the potty...he knows how to use the potty... but he resists. You ask him if he has to go to the potty and he replies, "No fanks"....or quite curtly exclaims, "I dry!!" when it is quite evident that his pull up is bursting at the seams with peeps.

The other day I popped him on the potty and he kept trying to get off...so I had to pull something out of my arsenal of tricks. Out of nowhere I decided to do the o'l turn your hands into goggles thing and I heard myself say the words..."Look at my pee pee goggles, mommy wants to see the pee pee in the potty" Seriously people...you know a mom is in a state of MEGA desperation when she is saying words like..."Pee pee goggles" and "Let me see the pee pee...". BUT..... I got a giggle out of him. You get the kiddo to giggle and he is putty in your hands.... he stopped trying to squirm off the toilet and lo and behold he honored my wishes and through my fisted goggles pee pee was spotted and he was very proud of himself. Brother heard the commotion and of course he too had to make the fisted goggles....which then led itself to a basket of real goggles now ready for its purpose when the "need" arises!
We shall see how long this will last...so far so good! A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G...... to get this milestone checked off our list! ;)
Help a sistah out, I'd love to hear what is in your.... arsenal of potty training tricks!!

Living What I Dreamed....

2011-09-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I stumbled upon a song that moved me.... actually I guess you could say I had a weekend that moved me, and refreshed me, and softly reminded me that I am living my dream... and finding this song sealed that beautiful sacred weekend for me with its words... Dream by Priscilla Ahn (now located on my music list below).
Shortly after Toby and I were married we purchased the Thomas Kinkade painting to the left... we were starting our marriage, dreamed of a family...and a home to call our own. I have stared at that painting many times through the years...and loved the homey, coziness is exudes and the love I imagined that welcomes you as you walk through the door. Pregnant with Luke I would look at it and dream of the baby that was to make us a family of 3..and then along came Reid. All part of a plan.... all part of a dream.
I really cannot put into words what this weekend was for me...but it was good, it was full, it was fireplaces and candles and "fall is in the air" ish...it was rich with simple family time and there were times I found myself pulling out my camera to snap pictures of my boys just because somehow I wanted to capture the moments this weekend possessed. As I took those pictures I consciously felt like life had seized into a slow motion time frame...no sound, just slow movements and what I saw was smiles and laughter and Luke being silly and looking oh so grown up and sitting proudly next to his dad that he loves with all his heart and Reid being sweet and silly and quirky in his way that makes us all laugh out loud and then scoop him up just to drink him in.... I drank him in...I drank my family in in a way that my soul needed this weekend.
I dreamed of this.
I am grateful for the home we have built...and the love that envelopes me as I walk in the door...and the reverence to know it was part of a plan for me.

Lyrics from the song:
I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me.

I played pretend between the trees, and fed my houseguests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream

That I could fly from the highest swing.

I had a dream.

Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked God who I'm supposed to be.

The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie. I said a prayer and fell asleep.

I had a dream

That I could fly from the highest tree.

I had a dream.

Now I'm old and feeling grey. I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave.

I lived it full and I lived it well, there's many tales I've lived to tell. I'm ready now, I'm ready now, I'm ready now to fly from the highest wing.

I had a dream

"The Class List" ...What If A Child with Special Needs Is In Your Child's Class?....

2011-08-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

This post is something that has been rattling around in my head for the last week....

For the last week I have been thinking about "The Class List...."
It is almost time for school to resume...all the back to school commercials are playing round the clock, new clothes and backpacks and folders are being bought...and the ever exciting day that the "class lists" will be posted up on the office windows are soon to arrive. I don't know about you but I LOVED that day...COULDN'T wait for that day. I'd roller skate up to the school to check out the lists and hope that at least one bestie was in the same class as me...then I'd dream of what the new school year would hold.
The class list held a lot of weight as to what kind of year it would be for a kid... Spot the school bully on your list? Well, you knew you'd have to watch your back.... Spot the booger picker? You made a mental note to sit on the far side of the room away from them... Spot the cute kid you'd had a secret crush on on the list? ...You went home to spiff up your wardrobe. Yes indeed, it held a lot of weight, that class list.
But, WHAT IF you were a parent standing there next to your child scanning the lists with them and you notice a name...and know it to be of a child with special needs. What would your initial thoughts be? ..I'm talking your true, honest, quiet thoughts in your head that you might not share out...

Would it be, "Good for them for "Fully Including" their child"?
Would it be, "I think this is good, my child will learn from this experience".
Would it be, "Oh yay, we love __insert child's name___!"

Or would it be......

"This is terrible, kids with special needs belong in special ed classes!"
"Having this child in class is going to rob my child of their education because the teacher is going to have to spend so much attention on them!"
"I'm going to complain, I don't want that kid in class with my kid!"

One if not all three of those last responses belong to an entire group of parents in the next county over from me. A few years ago there was a situation where a little girl with Down syndrome was going to be fully included into one of the kindergarten classes on campus. "Fully Included" means she would school the entire day in a "general education" class from beginning to end just like everyone else assigned to that class...whereas if someone were to be "Mainstreamed" that means that for part of their day they would mainstream into the general ed class setting say for art or science or some subject but the remainder of their day would be with a special ed class. At any rate....this little girl was going to be fully included into the kindergarten classroom... and she showed up on the "class list".
In response, the parents of the children who would also be in that classroom were upset....felt their child's education was going to be harmed and started a petition NOT to have her allowed in their child's class. This is seriously what happened, parent after parent signed their name to that petition... just down the road from me a hop and a skip and just a few years ago. The school got the petition, the school buckled under the pressure....and the parent had to fight for her to stay on that class list. Her parents had to take it to the district level, argue their case, and remind them that their daughter had a legal right to school in that class. Their point was made and the little girl was allowed to remain in that class.
As I type... I can just imagine that confrontation this family had to face with essentially their own "neighbors" in the neighborhood who were rejecting their child.... I would feel so kicked in the gut by my community. I am proud of the little girl's parents for holding their head high and fighting for what was right for their daughter. In the end, the family did not start her in that particular kindergarten...where her parents would need to stand shoulder to shoulder at drop off and pick up each day with all the parents who signed the petition not to allow their child in class... They fought their fight, made their point, and then enrolled their child at a different school where she was embraced. I can't say I blame them under the circumstance.
Grown adults can be cruel, we can be uninformed, we can hold onto harmful biases, we can be arrogant and seclusive and insensitive. ....and sometimes we don't even realize we are being this way.

For those of you thinking... maybe those "petition" parents were right...maybe she would of robbed the other kids of their education". My response would be.... "Where is the evidence of that?"...they never gave the little girl the chance to prove her abilities...she was shot down because of unfounded parental fears before she even got to start her first day of school. In many cases children who are Fully Included are given full time aides beginning in kindergarten, so had she needed extra assistance she would have had her aide. This little girl would not have robbed anyone's child of their education. The thing however that most certainly was robbed was for the opportunity for "their" children to learn about acceptance and compassion and differences in a very real way..lessons that cannot be taught from a text book the way loving and accepting a peer would.
What about the response... "Kids with special needs belong in special ed classes?" My response would be, "Not necessarily, depends on the child and the child's needs...". To say they should ONLY be in special ed classes would be putting a child in a box and dare I make the comparison would be like me telling you your tall, skinny kid belongs only on the basketball team. What if baseball was actually a better fit for him, far be it from me to deny him that....nor the room to allow him to grow in that sport. There are beautiful special education classes and there are beautiful general education classes with teachers who welcome working with a child with special needs. Each special needs child has different needs and believe me, parents think long and hard about the choices for their child's education..... and those decisions are best placed in the hands of the parents who know their child best and the team of specialists and school administrators who form his/her team....not insensitive petition signing parents, that's for sure.
Why do parents choose to Fully Include? ....Sometimes it is because they feel their child would benefit from the role models their "typically developing peers" would be for them, sometimes it is because they feel their child can learn right along with the other children (and they can), sometimes it is because they feel that the high expectations that would be held for that child would motivate them to reach beyond their limitations, sometimes it is because their typically developing peers would be hugely beneficial for them in regards to speech modeling or perhaps even social modeling.

So, we take that step for our child and hope that we are not met with parents who respond as the group I had mentioned above. And as we stand there shoulder to shoulder at pick up and drop off and we see parents smile lovingly at our child... or they comment about how glad they are that our child is in class with their child... or comment on how well they did something.... or reassure you when a naughty incident happens that all kids have naughty moments.... I cannot even begin to tell you how much those words mean, truly....... they. mean. so. much!
So IF a child with special needs does indeed end up on your child's class list and you have reservations about it.... please watch and see, you just may be surprised, your pre-conceived ideas just might change.... and the words of encouragement you might even find yourself sharing with the child's parent... will make you both feel great. And... if all those things just mentioned do occur, well then I hope your child ends up on MY child's "class list"!

** Disclaimer: Sometimes, we as parents feel that mainstreaming might be better for our child, or it might be better for our child to school solely in a special ed class..... all those options are beautiful options if and when it is the right fit for our child, and we'll know when it is. I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am saying we as special needs parents are failing if we choose not to "Fully Include", that is not what I am saying or how I feel at all.

I LUHH OO TOO = I Love You Too

2011-08-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

One of the things that comes with Down syndrome is delayed speech... to be honest I cannot prattle off the medical reasoning for this, though I know I should, I've just always known to expect this and so we have had Reid in speech therapy since he was about 20 months old. As any of us traveling this road know the milestones our kids with Down syndrome achieve feel that much sweeter for us because we know it takes our kids a wee bit longer, so when Reid started to call me "Bob" at about 18 months....well, it was about the sweetest word I had ever heard! I loved finally being something..and "Bob" worked just fine!
Nowadays I am Mom... sometimes Momma, and quite often MOMMM!!! when he is in demand of something! Yes, we have moved away from Bob, as bitter sweet as that is. But lately Reid has begun saying something else that takes the cake..... he has begun to respond to the words "I love you" with the sweetest sounding "I uhh oo too". Hello... melt me right there! Not only is he saying 4 words but the last one...the word too, means he gets that it is reciprocal, you know what I mean? That is huge to me... speech wise and cognitively!
Reid.... is a funny little guy, he just is, he has a personality that cracks you up whether it is with his quirky spontaneous dance moves, his silly facial expressions, or his quick get away after stealing one of Luke's prize possessions and never looking back as he books away. He is just plain funny I tell ya, so I can only imagine once he gets his words about him the funny things that he will say. I think I got a glimpse of it the other day.... I heard him putting the milk jug away in the fridge when I was in the other room and to himself mind you... and the milk jug apparently, he said, "Bye....see oo soon!" .....to the milk jug! He stinkin told the milk jug he would see him/her soon! ...aghhhh, I love this kid!

Other common phrases that we hear around here on a daily basis from him are:

"Help you...." = Help me (with whatever task he is working on... or attempting and needs help with)

"I. Want. Ice. Keam" = I want ice cream... and all the while he is patting his chest and says each word slow and methodically, hence the periods in between each word.

"Ha...ha...I idea!!"= A-ha, I have an idea... while holding his little finger in the air and then he proceeds to show you what his idea is.... usually either ice cream in the freezer he wants you to get out for him or take you to the play room to find a new toy

And just last week Reid gathered all 4 of us in the kitchen and huddled us together.... then, proceeded to clasp his little hands together and said, "God. Ank you. Miss Katie. Sharwol. fwrends. Bodie. Mafwew. Amen." Holy toledo..... my heart swelled a hundred times its size! This guy all on his own decided we all needed to pray for his teachers from last year Miss Katie and Miss Sharyl, his friends, and especially his buddies Bodie and Matthew....

....It may indeed take awhile, but words will make their way to my son's mouth... he will say grand things one day! ....I just know it.

Boys' Bedroom Makeover

2011-08-06T21:32:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to embrace the fact that my boys are growing up... there are days I sit satisfied knowing that I am eating up and enjoying every square inch and every sweet moment of motherhood, but then there are other times when I can feel myself wish for days gone by when they were just lil-little guys, toddling around here in diapers. Yes, I know.... they are only 10 and 4 1/2 but still I find myself in reminiscent mode from time to time and wanting to hold onto these sweet times with my loves. But, I would not be a good mother if I didn't savor the memories and yet rejoice in the new chapters that each progressing year brings each of my boys... and just plain savor the beauty of watching these two grow up into amazing boys.

In the vain of letting them grow up... it was recently time to re-do the "nursery". It was becoming quite evident that the time had definitely arrived when we would hear Luke give his friends a disclaimer before entering his room whenever they came over... "Don't mind all the baby stuff on the walls...it's my brother's!" When in reality it was not exactly just his brothers but they both were living in the nursery I had originally set up for Luke. And truth be told, Luke LOVED that room.... he cried big tears one night when we were about to begin the process of the re-do and verbally walked me around the room of all the things he would stare at when he was trying to go to sleep at night. I love that I have such a rough and tumble sporty kinda guy...who is really just a mush ball of sweetness and tenderness inside!

But, it was time for the transformation to a big boy room and I gave Luke the honor of making all the decisions of the room. This control was really hard for me to let go of... but I wanted to know in the end the new room would truly be a reflection of his personality and not my influence. I have to say I think this little guy of mine has some good taste and put together a pretty cool room for he and his little brother! The only near hiccup was during the "makeover" we went to go see Toy Story 3 (best movie ever!) and as the movie began and they scanned Andy's room who was about to head off to college, Luke grabbed my arm and whispered, "Mom..... look at Andy's room, it is still the same as it was from the first movie when he was little". I could tell Luke was swallowing a frog and knew what he was getting at and asked him if he wanted me to keep his room the way it was (we already had the wallpaper border off of 2 walls at this point). He took a deep breath and hesitantly said, "No, (sigh) let's keep going". And so we did.....
Before Pictures:

I had already taken the border down before I thought to snap this picture. I had originally bought this cabinet thinking we were having a girl before Luke was born and I was planning to go with a Shabby Chic look and thought I would hang little dresses behind the glass doors. But, I loved it so much I found a way to make it work in the boys' room...

After Pictures:

I framed this piece of artwork Luke made back in the 2nd grade of he and his brother... it is the first thing you see as you walk in the room. :)

Toby's contribution to the room was this red shelf up top... we were planning to put white shelving up around 2 of the walls but he thought it would be fun to add a red one in the mix... I like it, I think it is "kicky". ....I must also confess I took control of the paint color for a brief moment. Luke wanted dark brown and I was afraid of it so made him make a lighter choice, but once we put it on a couple walls it was more like a paint can of "oooh ick!" so we went back to the store and got the paint color that was Luke's original choice.... once again I had to remind myself.... I was letting Luke run the show ;) . The pictures don't show the true color, but it is dark, think hershey chocolate bar.

Our good friend Keith put these baseball card collections together for our boys. It started when Luke was born, he dug out his old Nolan Ryan cards he had as a kid, placed them in the black frame, and surprised us with it soon after Luke was born, knowing that we chose his middle name after Nolan Ryan. ....When he heard that we were re-doing the boys' room and I was going to start searching for Greg Maddux cards so Reid had one too..... a fun box soon arrived on our doorstep from Keith... and he surprised us again, this time for our youngest. The fact that he did this for our boys still just touches my heart!

For Luke's 9th birthday we got him this signed picture of Nolan Ryan. Luke asked that we leave a note for Nolan, who would be coming to Angel's Stadium to sign the 30 paintings in this series, to be sure to have him sign his name as "Luke Ryan"... so it reads To Luke Ryan, Best wishes, Nolan Ryan. He also chose #9/30 because he was turning 9.... lucky for us I think that was one of the only ones left, whew! ;)

I think this jar of balls is probably one of my favorite things in his room... I especially like the beat up one in front with the seams busted!

Luke saw this chalkboard paint in a magazine and asked if we could use it on the closet panels. I love how it turned out! He and Reid love writing on it. Look at that little person Reid drew... ;)

Classic Boy Movies: Part of Camp Intentional

2011-07-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

My Luke is turning 10 next week.... "Double digits" as he proudly announces. Time is moving WAY too fast and from time to time he will throw out a timeline comment about how he will only be with us for 8 more years... When he says things like this I literally stop in my tracks and grab my heart feeling as though it could instantaneously combust...
So, what does a mom do when her son continues to grow at lightning speed? She throws watching "classic boy movies" into the "Camp Intentional" plan...before he is too old to appreciate these or identify with them. He is at the perfect age for these movies...and they are a refreshing break from all the technological gadgets our kids are fixated with these days.
So, through the summer we will be watching "Oldie but Goody" movies. So far we have seen the 1968 version of Tom Sawyer, Swiss Family Robinson, and Old Yeller is on the list for tonight. But, I need your help..... what are some classics that you loved watching as a kid? If you would please leave me your ideas in the comment section to add to our movie viewing repertoire, I would love it, love it!!
One of the nice things about watching the "oldies" is they are easily found on Netflix and we as a family can watch as many movies as we want for our monthly subscription of $7.99... Don't have access to Netflix on your TV?.... Below is a video showing you how you can access it, by using Boxee Box by D-Link (yes this is yours truly in this video.... my friends Steve and Mason were working on this for D-Link and asked if I would help them) Do you remember Lucy from the I Love Lucy series doing the Vitameatavegamin commercial? Ummm yeah, kinda felt like that, with LOTS of bloopers in the taking!) ;) ....if you look close you can see that "Raising Reid" comes up on one of the TV shots... (because you can also access the internet on your TV through Boxee Box) If you watch the video be sure to pause my music down below first...

A Healthy Heart Makes for a Happy Mom!

2011-07-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Today I took Reid to his annual check up for his heart.... he has had two heart surgeries in his little 4 year old life. One at 7 1/2 months and the other just before he turned 2.
The last surgery was to fix his leaking mitral valve...it had been repaired with the original surgery along with 2 holes in his heart but the valve was continuing to leak moderate to severely so needed another repair. For those of you that followed us through that repair you may remember that it was a bit touch and go and the threat loomed that a third surgery would be necessary to replace that valve altogether since the leakage continued to be severe shortly after surgery....
However, his last echocardiogram a year ago looked good with only mild to moderate amounts of mitral valve regurgitation and we were given the ok to now see the cardiologist once a year. Well, our year was up and for some reason I was particularly nervous this morning as I watched the technician measure different things on the screen during the echocardiogram and as I saw red and blue pumping through his valves, I worried that what she was seeing and measuring was indicating too much of a blood flow in the wrong direction. It's hard watching something and not knowing what the heck you are looking at... The only types of ultrasounds I like to look at are the ones where your Dr. tells you ... "See that little sac there, that's your baby growing big and strong" ....or "It looks like you are having a boy" lol!
...I held my breath as the Dr. came in to report out the results, waiting for a ball to drop, but the only thing that was dropped were the words, "I am pleasantly surprised that this echo actually looks even better than the one last year with now only trace to mild amounts of leakage...AND I am really pleased with his growth as Reid went from the 25-50th percentile on the Down syndrome growth chart to the 50-75th percentile". Could you hear me audibly exhale?.. umm, yes I do believe you could!! Yahooo... such good, good news!
So, needless to say a healthy heart makes for a happy mom today!!

Summer Time.... A Breakfast Kidnap Kickoff

2011-06-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

School has been out for 2 weeks now, hard to believe! Nothing compares to the joy of knowing that you have the whole summer ahead of you... of long, lazy days filled with warm weather, and options a plenty of fun to fill them with! However, to christen that first day of summer for our boys, a few moms and myself "kidnapped" them early in the morning and took them all out to breakfast in their jammies, moms too. The sneaky plan was this.... we met at the first house and kidnapped the boys while they were sleeping, then went on to the next house, and so on to do the same. As our number of kidnap victims grew...the boys began helping us wake each next child up... and I could hear them say, "Who's our next victim???" with laughter and excitement as they raced out of the house to the car to head to the next house... 22 of us later invaded IHOP ;)
I am not sure what qualifies more for bravery, us moms in our jammies out in public or by us having so many kids sit at their own table at the restaurant! ....either way it was so fun and made for a great memory for our boys...and a great kickoff to summer festivities!!

What prompted this breakfast kidnap bonanza was a memory I had of my Girl Scout troop moms kidnapping my friends and I when we were little....that fun memory always stuck with me... now years later I can say it was equally fun to be the kidnapper! ;)

Plus...what could be a better way to kick off "Camp Intentional, take II"?? Yes, lol, that phrase is floating about around here again this summer... more about Camp Intentional here. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Flashback- When My Chick Magnet Was Just 2

2011-05-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

What the Tooth Fairy Does....in a Pinch!

2011-04-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Sooooo.... I must confess never been this desperate before but this is what the tooth fairy does around here in a pinch, if she has no cash on hand and one of her "littles" in her home has lost a tooth. The note below...a staple from a tooth fairy visit...she always leaves a personal note and it must always be cut into the shape of a tooth and securely placed under the pillow. Now, my 9 year old I am sure no longer believes in the tooth fairy but he let it be known when he did not receive a "tooth note" on one occasion when that poor tooth fairy was much too tired in the middle of the night to bang one of these babies out. .... but here goes tonight's version and we'll see in the morning how he reacts to the "gift card" LOL. My Luke is a very particular "tooth looser".... once that tooth fairy thought it would be really cool to have him wake up to $5 in quarters under his pillow, you know.... what kid would not like to wake up to a mound of change?? Well.... that particular endeavor backfired because he woke up the morning and marched right into our room and announced, "That's it, from now on I only accept bills....the tooth fairy ripped me off!!!" He insisted that she took the quarters from his dresser where he had left a stash of change he had been collecting.... but honestly she did not borrow any of his quarters, honest!! I.... I mean, she, had money that night! ;)

4/27/2011

Dear Luke,

Wow, how exciting that

you lost your first molar all on

your own! I think your mouth

looks kinda cool with all those

gaps in them. For a 1^st lost molar

I like to do something different

than the usual $5 under your pillow,

I like to buy the child breakfast….

so here is a Starbucks gift card,

I have been told that you like their

breakfast sausage sandwiches and

orange juice there, so go enjoy it

this morning on me. Be sure to

keep brushing and flossing your

teeth! I’m sure I’ll be back again

soon. Say hi to your brother for me.

Love,

The Tooth Fairy

2011-04-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!

oops.... we had an "eggs busting out of the bottom catastrophe" ;)

Reid Shoots His Own Video.... on the iPad

2011-04-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

We recently bought Reid an iPad for therapy purposes...and I must say it has been THE BEST investment we have made. I will post more about it later...but wanted to share this video real quick that HE made that we had no idea about until this morning..... We've had the iPad for about 2 weeks and he is very self sufficient with it so often we will prop him up in our bed or on the couch with it safely secured on his lap....so we are not always with him when he is playing on his favorite applications. Well this morning we kept hearing the same sound being played over and over again this morning from our room.... we walked in to discover that he was re-playing this video that he must have shot last week sometime because I cannot even remember when he had that sweatshirt on last! We just stood there and looked at each other and then busted up! So...... not only can this guy play independently on his favorite apps and is becoming quite good at them...but apparently he is a budding videographer to boot!
So...here goes our Reid, taping his own mini video with his family none the wiser in the other room! .....little stinker!! :)

Reid's "Typical" Preschool Placement... Letter to the Parents

2011-03-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I started blogging and became so interested in other blogs was because as a parent of a child with special needs I have found that "other special needs parents" are my best resource. I have found this time and time again to be true and have gleaned some really useful information from others.... how lucky am I that the Down syndrome community is riddled with fabulous mom and dad bloggers who are fierce researchers and information seekers and that they share their findings so that we might all benefit from it...so that our kids benefit from it. It is really a beautiful and powerful thing!

So, in that vein there is something that I wanted to share that I have not thoroughly put out there....and that is Reid's preschool placement. As he was nearing 3 back in 2009 we knew his IEP with the school district was soon to be here, near Christmastime, and the school would recommend a special needs preschool setting for him.... however, we had always said that IF he could handle it we wanted Reid to go to the same typical preschool that Luke went to. Our philosophy was that in a typical setting the typical peer speech and behavior models would be great for him. Long story short... we started Reid at Luke's old school in September of 2009 @ age 2 3/4 ....once the IEP came around in December we were already convinced that this placement was working out beautifully for him so he remained there all year on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We said, "No thank you" to the school districts preschool recommendation but said, "Thank you very much" when they agreed that he would receive speech 2x/week at what would have been his district home school, as well as OT 1x/week. This year we bumped Reid to a MWF class and again.... this little guy is thriving and we are so grateful for his loving and encouraging teachers he has who just adore him and rejoice with me/him when he reaches yet one more milestone.... what more could a mom ask for! ...ok, quick brag moment....I happened to pop in at school the other day as Reid was painting at the easel... instead of the usual paint "scribbles" ...though very artistic in their own right ;), this time he had painted perfect circles all over the paper....all different colors.... we all commented on it and then his teacher busted out a, "Reid, now you need to write your name on the paper" he had never done this before...in fact we've never even asked him to do that before BUT.....we all squealed and hugged each other when this little guy made an attempt to paint letters on top of his paper and with each "letter" which looked more like tiny circles but still he was getting the concept...he then accurately said R_ E_ I_ D .....Eeek, so super exciting for him, and us!!!!

Another thing I wanted to share is a letter we had emailed to the families in his class. If you are going to do "full inclusion" it might not be a bad idea to make contact with the other families in the class so there is a comfort factor there for others and they know you are approachable and welcome any questions they might have. We are very fortunate in that we have been blessed with some amazing families in Reid's class and when we sent the following letter we had parents respond back ...insert watery eyes here... actually thanking us for having him there and for what it was teaching their child. Side note.... this did not go out at the beginning of the year as I had intended, time got away from me so I sent it out as we first came back from Christmas vacation...
Here goes our letter....
***********************************************************

January 3rd, 2011

Dear __(name of school)__ Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

I am writing because I have some pictures of your children that I have been meaning to forward to you... that I took when I spent some time here and there in class. Time keeps getting away from me and so I decided I needed to get these over to you before any more time flies by! I will forward each of you the pictures that I have of your child later today.

I also wanted to take this time to say thank you..... thank you for being so loving and supportive of Reid.

Bringing a child with special needs to a "typical" preschool is a scary thing for a parent. We have worried about many things...will my child be accepted, is it the right fit, is it meeting his needs, is he able to make friends? It may not even be necessary to explain why we chose _______ for him but thought I'd let you know a little bit about our thought process... For Reid, having Down syndrome means he will have to work a little harder to learn to do things and it will take a little longer than a "typically developing child" but he'll get there. For him, one of those milestones that will take a little longer is being able to talk. Our philosophy is that being in a typical preschool class provides typical peer speech models that will help him to develop these skills. We have found research that also supports this but for us what we have witnessed the last two weeks with him home over vacation is the proof we needed. Our little guy has just started to explode with words... beginning with the Christmas program where all our cuties marched on stage with heir little halos to sing. My husband and I both looked at each other in that room with pools of water in our eyes when we saw Reid actually singing the words to the songs, he had never put that many words together before. He has walked around the house all vacation breaking into the songs and prattling on with stories which we are not always sure exactly what he is saying (although one of his new phrases is "HOE-leeeee cow" so apparently he is talking about something big and exciting) ....but he is trying to communicate and he now has the concept of adding multiple words to his thoughts....this is huge developmentally and again I say thank you because it is because of your children... they are the best speech therapists we could ask for! :)

The second reason we chose __________ is because we live here in the neighborhood and Reid will be going to school locally with many of the children. Reid will stand out all of his life because of his extra chromosome but our hope for him is that by being in a typical setting early on he will gain friends and allies who will look out for him and who will know that he is not any different than them. ....and this is where I thank your children! There have been many moments this year that have totally melted my heart, like when we came to school late one day because of dropping my older son off and as we got there Miss _____ told a particular little boy that Reid was now there so he could show him something he had brought and had wanted to show my son... I watched as this little boy pulled a Mickey Mouse out of his back pack to show Reid and watched Reid put his little hand up to his mouth in excitement and the two of them had this sweet exchange.... That was just so precious that even though Reid's words are limited he knew enough about my son to know that that would make Reid squeal with excitement. That is just one of many stories that have helped me to take a deep breath and know that what I had hoped for was working.

I probably should have addressed this at the beginning of the year but please feel free to share with your children what Down syndrome is if you haven't already. The way we first explained it to Reid's big brother was that he was born with an extra 21st chromosome in his body and because of it it takes him a little longer to do things but that he will be able to do them with time. Depending on each child some want more information and for some that is just enough.... if you ever wanted more information please let me know... I have quite a few websites in my repertoire now ;).

Most sincerely,

Cheri and Toby

Revisiting The Glasses Topic (New Resources)

2011-03-05T21:24:00.001-08:00

I have been wanting to re-visit the whole "getting glasses" issue since I first posted about Reid needing them in August. In that post, found here, about how we introduced Reid to his new glasses I mentioned that we had bought several books that we had read over and over again to help set the stage while we were waiting for his glasses to be made. I have meant to share what books we bought on wearing glasses... but since that post I learned of a fabulous....FABULOUS resource for families embarking on the "glasses road" and wanted to draw your attention to them and their list of books...because their list is even more comprehensive than mine. The site is called Little Four Eyes.... isn't that cute? Pop on over and check them out.... there is a lot of information over there...including information on various eye issues your child might have.

As for Reid, I have had people ask how he is doing with them....and honestly besides the fact that he chucked them out the window while we were driving down the road.... and us watching in horror as car after car behind us ran over them... and then upon retrieving them discovering that they now look like they have been chewed and gnawed on by 10 wild animals... they're going great! He does not give us grief about putting them on and keeping them on and is very active in them, in fact there isn't anything he doesn't do in them... proof below ;)

Well, first off he's a pretty scholarly preschooler in them.

He can "show and tell" pictures of his best brother Luke in them.

He can play a pretty good "goofy pilgrim" in them.

He can sing you Love Me Tender as well as show off some pretty snazzy dance moves in them.

He can oversee your construction project or your home renovation in them.

There "aint nuttin" he can't climb in them.

He can throw a mean fast ball in them.

He can bowl strikes in them.

He can even sleep like a baby in them.... anytime, anywhere.

Check "Little Four Eyes" out.... my original post is being featured over there right now which is kinda fun.

*For those wondering, Reid's glasses are the Miraflex brand

A Verbal Throw Up Session

2011-02-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

So, I went to have my hair cut and highlighted today....as a mom that is one of the most luxurious escapes. A few hours of pampering and reading gossip magazines and as luck would have it this salon was handing out mimosas today..."Why thank you I believe I will have one...and another..." and before you know it you are a little tipsy and you say "yes" to every "a la carte treatment" and your bill goes through the roof ;). Hmnnn, the alcohol was probably a pretty ingenious marketing scheme now that I think about it... oh well, made for a great day. Except....after 4 hours of being gone I came home and Luke's first words were, "You look exactly the same as when you left". Note to self: educate Luke on words to say to a woman when she comes home from a day at the salon. ;)

Okay...so why all this talk about the salon? Well, this was a new gal I went to today and so there is always the "get to know you" banter.... and when the question came up about whether I had children I conscientiously said I had 2 boys who are 9 and 4 and left it at that. Usually I verbally throw up and explain that Reid has Down syndrome and a conversation ensues about it. But, I conscientiously decided that I was not required to say it so I left it at that. But, you know what I found that I wasn't settled with that... I wanted to share it and later in the conversation it did come up and she did ask questions and somehow that felt better. I don't know why that is... is it that I am just a chronic "verbal throw up-er" or is it that I wanted her to know because she was young and not married and I remember being oblivious to anything other than my "fairytale" life dreams at her age and I liked the idea of her having exposure to knowing someone who has a child with special needs because who knows what is in her future or her friends futures, it is likely one of them will have a child with special needs and I like the idea of her having some point of reference of someone who is in that place and they are not shattered...but madly in love with their children and their life.

I remember when Reid was born I thought about a woman who had children at the preschool I had worked at in college, nearly 20 years prior. Her youngest who was probably only about 9 months at that time had Down syndrome. I never talked to her, her kids were in a different class but I remember watching her... I watched her love on that little guy and she seemed so peaceful. Not sure why she stuck out to me at that time but she did. I remember seeing her at the grocery store once too, just she and that little guy in the cart with his little almond shaped eyes. I remember thinking about how put together she was and I admired the quiet strength I guess I saw in her....she had no idea who I was and would have absolutely no way of knowing that on the day my son was born I had images in my mind of her and drew strength from what I saw in her.

So there it was today...a gal, a mimosa, a little trim, a few bright highlights....and a verbal barf session. Sounds about right to start a long weekend with! ;)

...and as for the children I'm madly in love with.... here ya have it.

We are still alive... I promise ;)

2011-02-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOODNESS!!! Where does the time go? We are still alive...posting pictures to prove it! ;)
So many things to post about but not enough energy at the end of the day...
but quick highlights from our home:
Reid turned 4 end of December and I swear it is as if he woke up the morning of his birthday and decided....to....talk!! Lots of rambles but with many hand gestures and at least 2 to 4 words you can make out...he is trying so hard to tell stories and he is hysterical. Very exciting stuff.
My childhood friend's husband flew me up to Seattle to surprise her for her 40th birthday... there will be a post just on this because 1) it was deliciously fun to surprise the heck out of her AND to have a girls weekend away with no responsibilities 2) I want to share with you about the present I had made for her out of her daughter's baby clothes she had forgotten she had given me "in case" we ever had a girl... posting a picture as a teaser but in the mean time DON'T GIVE YOUR BABY CLOTHES AWAY... ;) wait until I tell you about the blankets you can have made with them.

Luke played a duet and solo in a guitar recital with his buddy ....he was also invited onto an all-star soccer team this winter to play as their goalie...he loved it!
Reid decided to "chuck" his glasses out the car window while driving down the road...but never fear "Dad" came to the rescue and found each lens and mangled frames in the road while dodging cars...they are now our "back up pair" ...Note to Self: engage the kid lock on the back windows!
Most recently, I was asked to be C0-Chair for the first ever Southern California Best Buddies 5K Walk which will happen on May 7th....much more to come on this as well. Check out their website...they are nationally and internationally represented. Such an awesome organization!
....and here are a few photos of my "newly 4 year old" and my "guitar-slash-soccer-slash-baseball season starting guy"
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"Himself"....Dressing Himself

2010-12-23T15:52:00.001-08:00

Reid has had all sorts of developmental growths of late...his speech is totally blossoming, he counts to 3 without going 1, 2, 5, 2, 1, he spots every stop sign known to man kind and signs it with his little hands (quite aggressively, it's rather funny) and then proudly shouts out "stop" for all to hear, he can kind of say Merry Christmas ..."May Mismas" is close enough in my book...although sometimes I think it gets him a little tongue tied and the other day he decided to say "Happy Birthday" instead as he swung open our front door to come inside....again, close enough in my book. ;)
However....today I highlight a different sort of developmental growth... the terrible 2 or 3 thingy where they want to dress themselves without help. I am not complaining mind you...I like that Reid wants to do things by himself, and I like that he has his own opinions about what he wants to wear.... I only wish his pick had not been last year's Christmas sweater that never made it to the attic that is a bit too snug, too small, and too short.... the jeans I am a-okay with but we need to work on which way they need to go on his little body, however this particular day was a very stubborn day and no sort of assistance from mom was to be had, none...period. He then thought a summer hat which you can find in his hand would accent the ensemble just right.
Again....even all of this is okay by me, my little boy is growing up.... Yay, for you Reid Maddux!

Our Garland Halo Wearing...Angel

2010-12-20T02:08:00.000-08:00

Today has been rainy, actually the whole weekend has been and by California standards that means "Storm Watch" are the big words on the news around here ;). I love the rain, it's dramatic and soothing and slows everything down and forces you to be indoors and settle your horses down for awhile. I like slowing down and I often need to be forced to do it...so thank you rain for pitter pattering all day on my roof and windows and helping me to take a deep breath.

However, those soothing, calming deep breaths keep getting interrupted by my Luke who very innocently keeps announcing how many days left we have before Christmas and then the pant and sputter and hyperventilating breathing begins again...sigh, Christmas can be stressful for a parent! ;) I just bought two last minute gifts for Luke, an MIT t-shirt and a penguin Pillow Pet. A true dichotomy of sorts but both totally fit his personality.

Last night Reid met Santa for the first time. We have friends who host an annual Christmas party (same friends who hosted T he Reece's Rainbow Benefit party that post can be found here) and Santa comes to visit with a list of the children's names and a wrapped gift for each one. Reid's eyes grew HUGE when Santa arrived. We saw him then break into some of his gestures from a Santa Christmas song he sang at his preschool program...side note: that was a seriously big cognitive connection, yay for Reid! There was another little girl there Reid's age who sat her little self right next to Reid and then proceeded to stare him down... like seriously staring at him and now it makes me giggle because I think she was just trying to look through his glasses which are pretty darn thick to spy his eyeballs. At any rate next thing I knew she slipped her little hand into Reid's and the two of them sat there watching Santa together....two strangers, yet by "preschooler standards" pals none-the less!

Okay....so on to what this blog title suggests...

With Christmastime comes school performances. Reid got to wear a little garland angel halo in his Christmas performance at preschool Friday. He walked onto stage with it and kept wiggling his little head so the stars on it would move about... he cracks me up. Reid was the assertive clapper in the bunch...he might not have known all the words in each song but after each one he took his clapping very seriously...if you watch the video he was the last one to finish clapping...that's how he was with each and every song :)

*Turn my music off at bottom of blog before watching.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday: Thumbs Up to the End of a Great Soccer Season (2nd Place Champs)

2010-12-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

A Day with Blogging Friends... Ella and Deedah's Dad

2010-11-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

So today was fun! We got to visit a bit with one of our blogging friends Denise and her sweet daughter Ella over at CHOC. Ella has been battling Leukemia and is in her 5th round of treatment...one more and she gets to go home, for good....what a fabulous day that will be!! All the way there Reid chirped Ella's name and he held firmly onto a little turkey art project he made for her...but when it came time to give it to her, well he kind of became an indian giver. (ooh, that felt kind of weird writing that...yikes I don't think that was politically correct...but let's just say he was none too happy seeing her walk down the hall with it). Pictures below of the art hand off... or should I say stand off! ;)

Denise...Ella is just so sweet and just so precious, we enjoyed our time with you!

"Hey...that's my tuuuurkey!"

But then...the fun continued. When I got back, sitting in my inbox was an email from Phil, "Deedah's" dad from the documentary I wrote about here stating that he was in town and would love to give the boys their own copy of Deedah... well, absolutely we were going to make that happen. A hop and a skip and a few left turns and we were there to meet another blogging friend. I love it...I love life's little surprises. So, this evening our own copy of Deedah was playing in the DVD player, what an absolute treat! I am placing the trailer in this post again in case you did not see it before. This is such a great tool to open the discussion with elementary school children about bullying... and these two siblings being the catalyst for that discussion is a perfect match. They are both adorable and articulate in their own rights! I could tell my Luke really enjoyed it as well...he and Charlotte who is nicknamed Deedah are the same age and are both the older siblings of brothers with Down syndrome and share many of the same concerns. Although Charlotte was very sweet in the way she discussed her concerns where as Luke got up off the couch and demonstrated how he would ...quote..."bash their heads in if anyone bullied Reid" ...so perhaps they are similar in "many ways" but not all ...oooh boys! ;) I think another reason Luke really enjoyed watching was that Charlotte was asked if she liked her nickname Deedah and she broke into a sweet smile and affirmed that she did because her brother gave it to her when he first attempted to say "sister".... Luke has the nickname Dah which was given to him from Reid when he first attempted to say "brother". So, I think it was very fun for Luke to hear there is a "girl version" of his nickname.
Okay...I just thought of one other thing and then I am hitting the hay because it is way past my bedtime. My last thought is this.... if this is used as a tool in schools to open the discussion of bullying which in big part is its purpose ....I just had visions of lots of brothers and sisters sitting at their desks as this documentary is being shown who have brothers or sisters that others might see as "different" in some way and I vision these young people almost sighing a sigh of relief that the elephant in the room has an opportunity to be talked about... that they can then share how much they care about their family member and share their experience and help them to have a voice where as they might not feel they can out on the playground. Hopefully the discussion will lend itself for change out on the playground for those children's siblings as well.... I have a huge hunch it will.
***turn off my music at the bottom of the blog before watching the trailer...

Deedah Trailer from Philip May on Vimeo.

31 for T21: A Down Syndrome Family Photo...and Elvis is in the HOUSE!

2010-10-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

The 30th day of October is quickly coming to a close, in fact if I don't type my little heart out it will soon be midnight...leaving one day left for blogging for Down syndrome Awareness. My attempt at 31 posts over the course of the month came very short this time around but I attempted...and I had fun reading everyone's posts and meeting new friends along the way!

....In fact, "meeting friends along the way" is what I want to end my 31 for T21 attempt with. In the last 3 1/2 years I have met some really truly amazing families....families I would have never have met had Reid not shown me. Families near and far.... down the street, the next county over, across the US, and internationally. I love knowing these families, I love seeing their little almond eye shaped beauties and knowing immediately that we share an unspoken bond that comes from a very deep emotional place within us because of our children who share that extra chromosome. It is extremely encouraging to me.

However, as I am walking deeper into this journey I am realizing that it is not just encouraging to have each other to go to and to glean from but it is vital. Without going into detail in this post we had an issue arise a week ago where a parent had/has concerns about Reid being in the "typical" preschool class with her daughter. As we have been sorting through this big ugly bump I was able to call upon so many of those "friends I've met along the way" for support, advice, and resources. It was vital...especially those first few days where this became a very emotional issue for me. Those friends helped equip me with resources, and tools, and special needs laws to help me navigate this appropriately.

I call that friendship...but my friend Kele calls that family. She wrote about that here. She even went on to create a "Down syndrome family photo" shown below. Can you see little Reid in there? ...he is next to one of his best gal pals! I love that as I scan her picture I can name so many of these kiddos...had you told me that I 'd be able to do that on the day he was born I'd have told you you were bonkers.

Your family photo might look a little bit different, maybe you've connected and clicked with different people...or maybe you haven't connected yet with others...and if that is the case I would really encourage you to reach out and to find a network of other families who also have a child with Down syndrome because I truly believe we are each other's best resources. There is a huge resource here on the internet of Down syndrome parent bloggers but I would also encourage you to find and connect with people in your immediate area because it is also good to connect in the flesh...and to begin to develop friendships for your child with other extra chromosomally kissed kiddos as well as their other friends.

...When things have calmed down and we know how things are going to play out with preschool I will blog about it because we are learning some really important lessons through it that I'd love to share. Until then....check out the king himself!

_____________________________________________

Elvis.....................is in the HOUSE!!!!

a sneak peek into Reid's Halloween costume

This was Reid's big finale pose!

31 for T21: More Alike Than Different

2010-10-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

A CHOCOHOLIC!!!!!!!!

I have read in many books and been told on more than one occasion to, "Remember that your child with Down syndrome will be more like you, and your family, than different"...How is this for "Like me"??? A chocolate addict after my own heart. Reid, you and Mommy are going to have lots of fun!
The entry above was from my "archives" and was actually the 3rd post I ever wrote...back in August of 2008. Awww, he's changed so much. He can even say chocolate now though it sounds more like chockitts.
In the vain of more alike than different I wanted to share our last year's entry in the National Down Syndrome Congress' More Alike Than Different campaign... I had actually forgotten we had even submitted it until we recently received our poster.

Hmnn, I'm having a hard time getting the image bigger but the poster says...

Who Loves to Read More, You or Me?

My name is Reid and I love..... to read! I love big books, little books, train books, truck books, pop up books, and especially.......giggle until you fall over books!

Yup, that's pretty much him!

Kids with Down syndrome are indeed more alike than different...

31 for T21: Ride 'Em Cowboy!

2010-10-20T02:31:00.001-07:00

These pictures just make me giggle!! Reid's preschool brought in a pony for the day and apparently Reid wanted NOTHING to do with it. But, the photographer was very patient from what I understand and was able to get these two shots....and I am so glad, these are such a treasure to me!

Man, my little cowboy has sure grown... in the pictures below Reid was wearing a onesie that said "Little Cowboy" on it at about 8 months. The first one in this set makes me laugh because of what you can't see, the photographer was making all these crazy sounds and flashing toys for Reid to respond to and Reid...well, he wanted nothing to do with him. I think maybe Reid was ticked at the way the guy positioned his little hand on his ear and made it all bendy...the look on his face is like, "Seriously dude, after what you just did to my ear...you ain't getting nuttin out of me after that!" ;) ... I just love his fuzzy hair in this picture though....oh and Luke's hair (that was back in the day when his hair had to be absolutely perfect or he would get so mad if even one little hair was out of place). I'm sorry but I just have to say it, it's a mom's prerogative...they are so stinkin cute!!

31 for T21: Harder Than I Thought....

2010-10-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I have debated and debated about whether or not I should blog about the documentary I referred to in the last post. I am intentionally not going to put the name of the movie in this post because I don't want my blog to bring people looking for the movie..... because I do not want anything I write to be taken the wrong way or to be offensive in the least.
But, if I were to be completely honest I had a harder time watching some parts of the documentary than I thought I would. I think because I have "arrived" so to speak in the baby and toddlerhood aspect of parenting a child with special needs...."arrived" in that I am here and it is not scary like I once feared while laying in that hospital bed post diagnosis. It took me awhile to get my legs about me but I did and I am here and it is all good. However, I realized while watching the documentary that I am still a little nervous about Reid's future. That surprised me. I guess while watching I was reminded that we will always have hills to climb and that made me a little sad. Not that I didn't already know that but it hit me in a very soft spot....the spot where moms ferociously want to protect their children and ferociously want to ensure that their child has every opportunity to live out their dreams.
Honestly most days I forget Reid has Down syndrome, it is really quite a non issue over here and when I look to Reid's future I guess I subconsciously have expectations of him being able to hold a job and able to live on his own with buddies and I would love for him to find someone special to share his life with, that is a definite prayer of mine...all of those are. But, while watching the documentary I saw a very real reality for two families that was a little bit different from what I imagined and I had to come to terms with that may be our reality as well. Maybe, maybe not. But I had to sit with my feelings for a bit and I kind of felt like I was back in that new place again of processing what all this means for us, for our family, for Reid, and for his future as I did in the early stages.
What if he does always live with us...what kind of living arrangements will we need? What if he is able to live on his own, could we afford to buy him a place to live in? He can always work with Toby in the coffee roasting facility, Toby would love it, but what if he doesn't want to? Will he question why he doesn't have his own family? ...and all the other "what ifs" began to rest heavy on me. But, I know what the truth is and the truth is one day I will have "arrived" in that future stage as well and I will look around at my surroundings and I will say the same as I do now..."I am here and it is all good". But, it is a process mentally and emotionally and sometimes things weigh more heavily on your heart than other times. This happened to be one of those times.
Then the very next day, as life does these things sometimes... a song came on the radio that I had not heard in a long time. The very song that played in the car ride home on New Year's Eve 2006 as we were bringing our newborn home from the hospital for the first time... a song called "Take My Hand" by The Kry. As I sat and listened to the song my mind went right to the vision of all of us strapped in the car that New Year's afternoon, quietly pulling out of the parking structure and hearing the words being sung on the radio... I remember asking Toby if he was listening but I knew he was as I saw the streams of tears running down his cheeks. So, here I was now almost 4 years later sitting in my car mulling over the movie and up comes that very song again. I had to smile because it was such perfect timing for a perfect reminder that no matter what, no. matter. what. the future holds it will indeed be okay, we'll figure it out.
This was an appropriate song for our initial car ride home to start our new life back in 06... and it was an appropriate song for me to hear again this week.... (pause the music at the bottom of the blog before clicking on the song Take My Hand)

Take My Hand (Lyrics)
I know there are times
your dreams turn to dust
you wonder as you cry
why it has to hurt so much
give Me all your sadness
someday you will know the reason why
wih a child-like heart
simply put your hope in Me

Chorus:
take My hand and walk where I lead
keep your eyes on Me alone
don't you say why were the old days' better
just because you're scared of the unknown
take My hand and walk

don't live in the past
cause yesterday's gone
wishing memories would last
you're afraid to carry on
you don't know what's comin'
but you know the one who holds tomorrow
I will be your guide
take you through the night
if you keep your eyes on Me

take My hand and walk where I lead
keep your eyes on me alone
don't you say why were the old days better
just because you're scared of the unknown
take My hand and walk where I lead
you will never be alone
faith is to be sure of what you hope for
and the evidence of things unseen
so take My hand and walk

just like a child
holding daddy's hand
don't let go of mine
you know you can't stand on your own

31 for T21: Will Reid get married?.... maybe

2010-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I'm totally stinking at blogging all 31 days...but I'm still going for as many posts as I can.
But...real quick...almost forgot this is on tonight..actually right now 8:00 HBO

31 for T21: Our Children are Gifts....no matter how they're packaged

2010-10-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

**Please note that you should pause the music at the bottom of my blog before viewing the Gifts video below......and it just may be necessary to have tissue near by!! ;)
I love the beauty and sweetness that oozes from this video...and the song, oh my goodness it gets me every time!! I first saw this about 3 years ago...and as I just re-watched it it made me smile to myself because as I saw these beautiful faces again I realized that I KNOW so many of these kiddos now.... thanks to their beautiful moms and dads who I have had the privilege of meeting through our blogs!

31 for T21: Will He Look Like Us?

2010-10-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Neither Toby nor I knew much about Down syndrome before Reid was born. I actually made him promise he would not start any research until we were both ready. I felt really strongly that I did not want to know Down syndrome.... I wanted to know my son.
Probably the only piece I really knew previously was that there were facial characteristics associated with Ds and this lead me to wonder if Reid would look like us... would Luke and Reid resemble each other?
Well, a few months back one of my brothers commented on this picture of me at 3 that was sitting on my moms bookcase and how much it looked like Reid. Well....I declare he was right. Perhaps it is the longer hairstyle but I do believe he looks a lot like me. That makes me happy, I love how genetics leaves a footprint of who we belong to!
And what about these two?..... look at this side profile and tell me you can't tell they are brothers?Have a said lately how much I love these two??
In an effort to aid in Down syndrome awareness below is a list of facial characteristics commonly found in individuals with Ds.... though an individual may have only a few or all of these.
Almond-shaped eyesSmall noseSlightly flattened bridge across the noseSmallish ears, positioned slightly lower on the head, with a small fold at the top of the earMouth may be smallSlightly protruding tongue, due to low muscle tone and or shallow roof of the mouthTeeth may be smaller Flattened back of the head
** I have to put a little input in here though because I don't know why but I had a hard time typing those above. One in particular...the slightly protruding tongue. As I have scoured blogs and spent time with Reid's buddies I have not seen kids with protruding tongues unless they are really tired...heck I'm sure I even do that when tired! ;) But, I point it out because our children are born with low muscle tone which contributes to the tongue finding its way out onto the bottom lip on occasion BUT.... our children receive early intervention via occupational, physical, and speech therapy that those 10, 20, 30 years ago did not receive so you do not see this characteristic like we once did.

31 for T21: The Itsy Bitsy Spiders...Got Talent

2010-10-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Itsy Bitsy Spider not only went up the water spout.......but he also ROCKED the house, at least this house.

I had to laugh out loud yesterday when Reid came proudly marching out of preschool sporting his new spider hat!