31 for 21 Day 7: Colin is a Brother

Recently in one of my "memories" on Facebook, it reminded me of a post I wrote after Kailey was born about the sibling relationship I was waiting to blossom. After Kailey was born, it actually took a long time before Colin would even acknowledge that she was there. We slowly watched as their relationship developed into one in which they became friends.

After Cody was born, the transition was a lot easier. We have gone through phases where Colin may not be as patient or understanding of some of the things Cody does, but overall, he really cares for his little brother and we often find sweet moments of him helping, or talking to, or just loving, Cody.

Much like any sibling relationship, there are days that are challenging, but there are also many days that make us so happy to watch them interact with each other.

31 for 21 Day 6: Colin is a Swimmer

When Colin was only a few months old, Chris and I decided to enroll him in a parent and me swim class because we wanted him to feel comfortable in the water. The beach was always such a big part of our life and we wanted it to be a part of his life too.

We found at a very early age that Colin was really fond of the water and for as long as we can remember has really not had a fear of any kind. This has been really good and scary at the same time. He feels really comfortable in the water and we have watched the reactions summer after summer from many bystanders as they watch him in the ocean. Even before he could really swim he has found a way to be completely in it.

It has been important to us to continue with swim lessons so that WE would feel more comfortable with him being in the water. We were never sure how it would go with him being in an actual swim class because we were afraid since he loved being in the water so much he would not necessarily follow along with what everyone else was doing.

A year ago, we decided to do a semi-private lesson with Colin and Kailey together with a  friend of ours who also taught swim lessons. It went well so this past summer, we decided to enroll them both in a swim lesson class. It ended up only being the two of them and one other child but it was a great transition into the class setting. It was so exciting to see how well it went. The biggest challenges were mostly due to Colin's frustrations when he couldn't keep up with Kailey because he'd be yelling at her in the pool when she was "beating" him. He did really well waiting his turn for swimming, he participated, he followed directions, and he did everything he was asked to do.

We found that by the end of the summer, Colin WAS swimming and we were so proud of that!

This also translated nicely to the summer because then we were more comfortable with him being a little bit more independent in the ocean because we knew that if he lost his footing a bit (mostly when it was high tide), he could at least swim enough to get himself to a point he could stand. The biggest thing still is that he has absolutely NO FEAR of the water.

31 for 21 Day 5: Maturity

It became very clear to Chris and I this summer that Colin had make some really big gains in terms of his maturity. He was doing a great job following directions, he wasn't as impulsive, he was happy and easy going, and his participation in all of his activities was great.

We have been so proud of Colin because he continues to work really hard in so many ways every day. We love watching him mature and blossom into the handsome, charming, little boy he is.

We can't wait to see all of the ways he will continue to grow and change!

31 for 21 Day 4: Educating Colin

When I look back at how Colin's story unfolded, I am thankful for the fact his diagnosis was a surprise to us until his birth. Because of this, we were able to hold our baby in our arms and just love him despite all of the worries and feelings of grief we were going through at the same time. So much is owed to our family and friends because they too loved him unconditionally and accepted him just as the little person he was.

September 2009 - 5 months old

This was the foundation that all of our hopes, dreams and future expectations for Colin was built upon. We started raising him just as we would have any other child and so we did everything with him. Since I had to go back to work the fall after Colin was born,  that also included finding a daycare we trusted for him to attend. We are so thankful to have found the Growing Tree because we also found teachers who accepted him for who he was and did everything they could to help him grow in so many ways for several years.

September 2010 - 1 year 5 months

The older Colin got, the more natural it felt for him to be included in every aspect of his life because we had never felt anything other than acceptance wherever we went with him. He was welcomed in school, church, our families and with our friends. Later, it became time to find a new daycare (Good Hands) and thankfully, the transition was seamless as we found another place that also welcomed, loved and accepted Colin unconditionally.  While we were always acutely aware of where Colin's differences were compared to others his age we also always knew what his strengths were and what made him happy and successful.

September 2011 - 2 years 5 months

As Colin neared his transition to preschool, our feelings about how we saw him educated and what kind of place we saw that happening started to really come to the surface. I spent a lot of time researching and found that the way we viewed Colin's inclusion in life was validated in the school setting as well with evidence based research to back it up. We had only had success in the daycare setting up to that point so we didn't see why it couldn't work anywhere else.

April 2012 - 3 years old

At many IEP meetings throughout Colin's preschool years, we discussed our future plan for educating Colin and through those years we had an amazing team of people that worked with him every day. We had decided on a self contained placement for preschool because we felt it would give him the attention he needed so that he would be ready when it came time for Kindergarten. In addition, he was still attending the daycare so he was still spending a large portion of his day interacting with his typical peers. Later, we transitioned him to the general education setting for the first year of Kindergarten and that's where our troubles began.

September 2012 - 3 years 5 months

Chris and I feel that it is extremely important for Colin to be educated in a general education setting with his typical peers. We have felt this for as long as we can remember and that still rings true today.

September 2013 - 4 years 5 months

As parents, we follow through on our own beliefs by finding many ways for Colin to be included in his life with things that he loves; soccer, karate, dance lessons, Sunday School/youth group, playdates with friends, school functions, etc. We always want Colin to feel as though his place in this world is valuable.

September 2014 - 5 years 5 months

There is no doubt that with Colin's disability, there are many challenges he faces now and will continue to face in many aspects of his life which undoubtedly includes school. We know that the ways in which he learns best are not always the traditional ways of learning and this can be difficult to accommodate in a general education setting where the needs of all have to be met, and there are state mandated tests and scores that impact educators.  However Colin, just like many people with special needs, demonstrate all of that time that when given the chance, they will amaze you with all of the things they can do. It can be done because it is done all of the time in schools throughout the country.

September 2015 - 6 years 5 months

We hope now as our first court date approaches,  that we will find a resolution that works best for Colin. We have learned in the past 7 years just how capable he is and we hope that we can move forward in the future with the district as a true team that is creative and develops the most appropriate individualized education plan that will support him through each year of his education.

September 2016 - 7 years 5 months

As I scroll through this page and look back at each of the 9 pictures, I can feel the happiness and excitement that each new year brought, but even more so, the worry and anxiety that came with them too. There is so much that has gone into preparing for each year but the bottom line is, we will do anything to make sure Colin receives the education he rightfully deserves.

31 for 21 Day 3: Camp Shriver

This summer, Colin and Kailey had a really unique opportunity to participate in Camp Shriver, a 2 week unified developmental camp for kids with and without disabilities at Special Olympics New Jersey. The camp was held for 4 days each week from 1-4pm and the kids had such a great time. We were so happy with the experience they got from participating and can't wait for them to do it again next year.

Each day the kids arrived, there was a schedule up on the board that outlined the activities for the day. The activities were varied and included main sports like soccer and basketball but also other activities like yoga, gymnastics, and other non sport specific games.

There were volunteers of various age groups and I found that both Colin and Kailey attached themselves to many of these volunteers. They were so great with all of the kids and we were so thankful for all they did to ensure the kids had a great time.

If you live in the area and this sounds like something your kids might be interested in doing, I highly recommend it to you.

31 for 21 Day 2: Meet Colin (Again)!

It wouldn't be the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness Month without the re-introduction to Colin, the first star of this blog. He was born just over 7 years ago in April and we were not expecting nor had we planned for the surprise he brought at his birth. We can vividly remember sitting there together wondering how we were going to move forward because of all of the ways we thought our life was going to change. Instead, this perfect little person has taught us things about life that we had been missing before his arrival and would never have learned if it weren't for him.  

Colin is a 7 year old little boy who attends a regular 1st grade class at our local elementary school. He loves all things sports and currently takes Karate, dance lessons (ballet and tap together), and plays rec soccer. In addition, he is an active member of his Sunday School and youth group programs at our church as well as participates in various Special Olympics programs at different times of the year. He loves to sing, dance and act out and enjoys playing with his superhero figurines. He will choose a sporting event like soccer on TV over any other show.

His favorite meal to this day is STILL cottage cheese with strawberries however, his menu also includes yogurts, pudding, cheese sticks, bananas, ice cream (vanilla and chocolate), various types of noodles with red sauce, pancakes, pizza, Perdue chicken nuggets, apple sauce, occasionally eggs, and fruit snacks. He is very curious about food and although he is not ready to try most things, he will intently watch whoever is eating something he is interested in very closely.

This summer was a big period of growth for Colin in many ways both literally and figuratively. He has matured so much, especially now that he is able to communicate better and in more complete sentences. He will tell us with his words when he is angry or frustrated and has so much more self control that he has had in the past. While we never would have considered him a "runner", he was often apt to head off in any direction if there was something that caught his eye or a thought that crossed his mind. We always had to anticipate what could happen next. However this summer, we were a lot more relaxed and trusting of him because he very rarely did this and if he did, he was able to quickly be redirected. He is also one of the most polite people I know and uses his manners most of the time.

While he still struggles socially to fully carry on a conversation in certain situations, he also has come so far in that this has been a big area of improvement for him. He needs less prompting from us in many of his social interactions and is more interested to carry on his conversations for longer periods of time.

There is absolutely no doubt that Colin loves his family. He is so sweet and caring and can often be found giving hugs and kisses to any of us at any given time. His interactions with his siblings are very typical as they can all be the best of friends or the worst of enemies. He just loves with all of his heart...

It is also important to re-introduce Colin's sister Kailey and brother Cody as they are also stars to this blog. They are considered your "typical" children compared to Colin but in our household, they all have their own specialness to them.

Kailey is 5 years old and currently attends Kindergarten in the same elementary school as Colin. She is very much a girl both in her interests and in her personality. She is the boss of the siblings and if things don't go the way she wants them to, you know about it through her actions. She loves clothes, baby dolls, jewelry and nail polish. She dances in the same ballet and tap class that Colin is in and also plays rec soccer. She currently loves school but we mostly hear about the social piece from her when she's asked how her day was. She's incredibly helpful and independent and a great eater. She can also be a bit obsessed about TV if we're not too careful.

Cody is the baby and just turned 2 years old. He's fiercely independent and MUST do all things in the same way Colin and Kailey do (and this is incredibly challenging). He's got a very funny personality and is doing many things developmentally much earlier than Colin or even Kailey were doing. He is slowly potty training himself (which is awesome) and loves Paw Patrol. He's our worst sleeper out of the bunch but things are slowly improving in that area. He has certainly brought a whole new spunk to our family!

31 for 21 Day 1: The Good Life

Welcome back to our blog for the annual 31 for 21 challenge in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness month! The goal of this month is to spend 31 days blogging about Colin and the fact he has Down Syndrome as well as to spread awareness and acceptance. In all honesty, this challenge becomes more difficult as the years pass because for the most part, our life really is quite "normal". However, there are some things that we feel are pretty unique to our family because of what Colin's extra chromosome has brought with it. Most especially, we also feel it's important to spend this time showing that Colin really does live the "good life" and we are so proud of him and how far he has come in his 7 years of life. We hope our blog is shared as an example that those with Down Syndrome have meaningful, enriched and fulfilling lives and that they are valuable members of society. In Colin's case, we fight so hard to show that he has every right to be included alongside his typical peers in all aspects of his life. We will spend some time over the next 30 days highlighting Colin's life. We hope you enjoy this time with us!