Thank you for my Visit!

Colin wanted to thank Uncle Rob and Aunt Corinne for coming to visit him today! He had a great 1st visit and can't wait to see them again soon!

Big Boy!

We had a great family moment the other night! Colin sat like a big boy with us at the dinner table! He used his high chair for the first time and did so well! It was fun to have our first family dinner together!

Growing Boy!

Colin had his 3 month checkup today!! He weighed in at 11 lbs. 1 oz. and was 24 1/4 inches long! He fell into the 50th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight which were both better than last time (although, we don't follow the growth charts so strictly).

Dr. Uma was very happy with Colin and his progress and he was so happy to see her! He gave her lots of smiles and by the end of the visit, was "talking" to her! He showed her how well he can hold his head up now and how active he is (he was trying to roll over even though he didn't quite get there during the visit). She felt that he is progressing so well so mommy and daddy were very proud.

He also got 2 shots today and even though he took them like a champ, he did form the pouty lip and let out a little bit of a cry. Daddy made sure to point out that he "wet" his diaper before he got the shots...haha.

Colin also had a developmental therapy visit today and his therapist was so proud of the progress he had made in the 2 weeks since she'd seen him last. He had Nana and Grandad here to watch today! He did a great job staying focused on her today, using both hands to grab toys, track objects, did well with tummy time, sang songs and was generally a very happy baby! She told us today that she will go to the daycare to make sure he is doing the things he needs to do while he is there so Mommy felt very relieved about that. She gave us a boost by telling us that she felt we were doing a great job because Colin was doing so well, so we felt so good to hear it!

Colin had a great and busy day today!

Thank you Uncle Jon!

Dear Uncle Jon~

Thank you for thinking of me when you were in Michigan. I just love my new Giraffe! I look at it and hold it all of the time. It makes me laugh and smile a lot! I can't wait to see you again!

xoxoxoxo

Love,

Colin

Our Family Trip

This weekend we went on our 1st family trip to D.C.! We are so proud of Colin because he couldn't have been more perfect! We barely heard anything more than a wimper the whole time we were away.

Here's a little chronicle of our 1st trip together...

We left on Saturday at 6am to beat the traffic. We made it all the way to the Chesapeak House around 8:30am, just in time for Colin to eat his breakfast. He slept all the way until we got to the rest stop.

When we got there, Colin ate his breakfast and was happy to get out of his seat and stretch his little legs.

He asked to finish the drive to D.C., but we were a little wary about that...

When we got to our hotel, Colin was so excited to try out Mommy and Daddy's king sized bed!

We had some family bonding time...

...and then the boys relaxed for a little while (including the giraffe!).After lunch, we went out on the town checking out the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Washington Monument. Colin actually tolerated his hat, slept through the museum, and got a one-eyed glimpse of the Washington Monument.We went back to the hotel and Colin ate his dinner and got into his pajamas. We were going to go out to dinner and then walk around the rest of the monuments at night, but unfortunately, we only made it about 3 blocks before it started pouring and we had to sprint back to the hotel. Colin was the most protected, but still got a little wet. We ended up eating dinner at the hotel while Colin slept.
The next morning, we all slept in a little bit and had breakfast at the hotel. Colin could hardly contain himself when he found out we were going to the zoo!Colin ate his lunch in the panda's area, saw the baby gorilla (she was 3 months older than him), and slept again.

We had a great time at the zoo! Colin made it all the way home until he ate his dinner (around 6:30pm). He was so perfect and we had a great family weekend together!

Physical Therapy Update

Colin had his 3rd physical therapy session yesterday and did a great job for his therapist! His Gammy and Grandpa came to watch to see how well he is doing! The therapist was so happy to see the improvements with his head and neck control that he has made in the 2 weeks since she had seen him last.

To test it out, she put him on his tummy to see how well and how long he was holding his head up and she was happy to see that he could sustain a raised head for much longer. Then, I showed her how we have been using the boppy pillow to assist with it as well because at times he seems to tolerate it more and she was ok with what we have been doing. He seems to like this way a lot sometimes:

She was also pleasantly surprised (which I have to say is something that I had not noticed as much, but his daddy noticed) with how much more Colin is keeping his hands open now instead of in a fist position. The fist position is more of a reflex that all newborns have, but eventually, they start to leave their hands open more as they learn to reach and grasp for objects (which Colin is doing a lot now).

She also practiced having Colin sit up from a reclined position and he is able to hold his up so well now! She could see the progress he has made (we've been practicing it a lot!) and was very happy with it.

Finally, she added some new activities (lifting him in a sidelying position and start bringing his feet to his hands so he can grasp them) and encouraged us to stick with some old ones for awhile.

We are so proud of Colin that he continues to work hard!

Relaxing in the Pool

Colin was invited to his good friend Liam's 3rd birthday party the other day and he had such a great time! He was able to try the pool out for the 1st time...and he LOVED it! Fortunately, the water temperature was in the 80s, so it was nice and warm for Colin. He loved floating around with his daddy in the pool.

Here's us putting Colin in for the first time:

And here is Colin enjoying himself as he relaxes in the pool...

We had a great time! We are so happy to have a little water baby on our hands!

Happy Belated Birthday Aunt Kimmy!

Colin would like to wish his Aunt Kimmy a VERY happy (belated) birthday...

Love you Aunt Kimmy! xoxoxo

Happy 3 month Birthday!!

Colin is 3 months old today! It's amazing how fast time goes by! I still drive by the hospital sometimes and it seems like just yesterday we were there!

Colin is doing a new fun thing! Because of all of the love and kisses he gets on a daily basis, he is starting to mimick the kissing noise. It's adorable. We've gotten in the habit of having his zebra and leopard kiss him while we make the kissing noise. After you make the mwah sound, he does the same thing with his lips! I haven't been able to catch it yet, but I'm hoping to have a video of that very soon!

Today was a great 3 month birthday (aside from the fact that daddy wasn't there to spend it with us). Colin slept on the beach in the morning for at least an hour and a half, had a good feeding at lunch, and then played on the beach for a good hour in the afternoon. He was so happy and making lots of noises and smiling. We had a great time together! Here is Colin relaxing on the beach on his 3 month birthday...

Developmental Therapy

I'm a little bit behind in updating the blog, but last Thursday Colin had his 2nd developmental therapy visit. He really likes the therapist and sang songs and played with toys with her. He did so much better this time than the 1st time (he made it so much longer than the 1st time).

Now that we have had 2 visits from each therapist, we are starting to understand what it all entails and what Colin will be doing on a regular basis. Each therapist gives us activities to work on unti the next visit. So far Colin is doing great!

Look what I can do!

In the past week and a half, we have noticed so many things about Colin that have been changing!

First of all, he has definitely gotten much bigger! I can tell how much longer he has gotten when we put him in his car seat, in the boppy pillow and in the crib. He doesn't seem so small and engulfed in those different objects. Here is Colin getting bigger (and in his bathing suit!)

Second, he is doing so well holding lifting his head from the floor and the boppy pillow (we use the boppy pillow because it helps to "quiet" his legs...on the floor, he just wants to go somewhere!) He has gotten so much more tolerable of tummy time and loves to look around when lifting his head, especially so he can see his favorite toy, the snow leopard! This first picture is Colin on the floor...
...and this second picture is him lifting his head in the boppy pillow...
Third, Colin is ALSO doing well holding his head in a seated postion, which is one of his exercises the physical therapist gave us to work on. Colin can sit and look around while holding his head up pretty well. Here he is looking at his mommy while I hold him in a seated position. The physical therapist told us we should put one hand on his chest and the other on his back.

Fourth, Colin is tolerating the beach so much better now! The wind has still been at it, but Colin has spent a few days where he can lay on the towel and play for around an hour. It has been so much more helpful for us! Here is Colin playing on the beach...

Colin is so happy a lot of the time and he is truly a joy to be around. He is smiling and making noises and is almost at the point of laughing. Here is our happy baby!
Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture or video of this (mostly because we were so shocked it was happening that we never thought to get the video camera!) but today, we had Colin in the boppy on his tummy on the couch. He was looking around and then started moving his legs a lot. He got himself up over the rounded side of the boppy, on to the couch, and rolled onto his back! I guess he showed us that he was done with tummy time! I tried to upload a video of our second attempt at video taping, but it won't work...

Colin is eating better for the most part (still a finicky eater) and sleeping like a champ (8-11 hours a night!). We are so proud of all of our little boy's accomplishments!!

Hiatus

I know I haven't updated in awhile, but we've been very busy this weekend spending time at the beach. I'm going to be putting up pictures in the next few days of the things Colin has been doing. He is doing really well with the activities his physical therapist gave him to help with his neck control so we are very proud of him.

Tonight, we were at the BlueClaws game visiting daddy with Aunt Kimmy. Colin was in his stroller slightly reclined when all of a sudden he tried to sit up! He got about halfway to a full sitting position! It was fun to see him try to do something new!

More updates coming soon!

Physical Therapy

Colin had a great visit with his physical therapist yesterday! While he still needs to continue on his neck strength, she noticed a big improvement from 2 weeks ago. A couple of things that she reassed were his ability to hold his head up when on his tummy (she timed it!), how well he could support his head when going from a reclined position to a sitting position, and how well he responded to different objects.

She felt that he has made some good improvements, however, she would like him to continue to really focus on tummy time. She would also like us to start a new activity by having Colin in a seated position supporting his chest and back so that he has to support his own head. Colin was awake and alert and did everything that was asked of him! He is such a good boy!

Eye Update

I forgot to write the other day about Colins' visit to the pediatric opthamologist!

Colin did VERY well. His vision is perfect and he does not have any issues with more serious conditions such as cataracts and optic nerve problems that can be associated with Down Syndrome. Colin's vision is equivalent to any 2 month old so we are very happy (especially since both Chris' and my vision are terrible!)

Another specialist we can check off of the list because Colin is as healthy as can be!

Happy Baby!

In moments like these, my heart swells and I can't believe how much I love Colin. Yesterday I posted about how there are some frustrating moments associated with activities that Colin needs to be performing on a regular basis. However, days like today trump those insecurities. Colin had a GREAT day working on tummy time (he tolerated it many times throughout the day and was lifting his head so well!), playing with his toys (he loves his zebra and his newest toys that he is enjoying are the Winnie the Pooh Beanies), grabbing and reaching for toys, tracking objects, responding to voices, and just being a happy baby. Here are 2 videos from our play session this evening and I couldn't get over how happy Colin was...see for yourself!

In this second video, you can see how Colin is smiling for his mommy and then as soon as his daddy comes over, he resonds to his voice and face.

On a funny note, Colin's pediatrician recommended that we raise the mattress in his crib by placing a pillow underneath it. This suggestion was to help combat any reflux that may occur at night. Colin starts the night out in his crib on the "inclined" portion of the mattress like this:

Part way through the night, I fixed his position because he started to do this:

And finally, in the morning, he was like this:

Even when he's sleeping, he never stops moving!!

Books to Read

I have read several different books in relation to Down Syndrome in the past week. If you are interested, I would be more than happy to lend them out.

First I read Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How having Children with Down Syndrome has Enriched their Lives. This is a collection of stories from different mothers who all have children with Down Syndrome. I read through it in only 2 days and really enjoyed it because I felt a common understanding. It feels good to hear about other stories where I could relate. I just came across the Gifts website that I really enjoyed because of the different things the site offers, plus, it lists all different blogs to look at by families with children with Down Syndrome. I submitted this blog for approval so we'll see what happens! There are some really neat things on this website including video montages, blogs, and other links.

Next, I read Another Season by Gene Stallings, one of the great football coaches at Alabama. He writes about his 3rd child's diagnosis of Down Syndrome (which at that time was considered mongoloidism) and the ups and downs of raising Johnny. It was an interesting perspective because of the difference in time periods between then (60s) and now. It made me realize how fortunate we are to be afforded the oppportunity of early intervention, clinics and highly educated physicians who care for children with Down Syndrome in a much different manner. I found a video on Youtube that you can find here about Gene Stallings and his child Johnny.

Finally, I read Road Map to Holland: How I Found my Way Through My Son's First 2 Years with Down Syndrome by Jennifer Graf Groneberg. I really enjoyed this book because of how many things reminded me of my own situation and finding out my son had DS. By the end of the book, I realized that because of the fact Colin may have areas of development that are slower than other children, we will be more patient with him and will thoroughly enjoy when Colin reaches his goals and accomplishes simple tasks that may have otherwise been overlooked. We will have a greater appreciation of the things Colin will achieve throughout his development.

Finally, I am also reading Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents Guide. There is a lot of great information, but I am taking my time with it because I have found there is so much information that some times it's too much. I have learned to take one day at a time and the information provided for now is great. Sometimes, however, it's too much to look too far into the future...

Development

One of the biggest things you will learn as a parent is that all children develop at different rates and accomplish skills in a different time frame then their peers. One of the biggest things I have learned about children with Down Syndrome is that they will accomplish all of the different areas of development, it just may be slower than their peers.


Because of this, there are several things that are stressed at this point in Colin's development. One of the main areas that Chris and I are supposed to focus on is "tummy time" so that Colin strengthens his neck and back muscles. Children with Down Syndrome often have low muscle tone, which is why we have a physical therapist. As I mentioned in a previous entry, Colin's PT is excellent and she works really well with Colin. Unfortunately, after each session, we are given different tasks to work on in the 2 weeks between sessions. One thing that I have found really hard to deal with is the stress level associated with what we should be accomplishing in a day with Colin.

I feel that stress is one of the negative things associated with Colin's diagnosis. It's not so much the diagnosis itself, but rather, the things we should be accomplishing to make sure he is developing on "pace". He's picky about tummy time, however, he has done really well the past few days in lifting his head when he is on his tummy.

I'm reminded over and over again that he will accomplish these developmental milestones...it just might take him a little bit longer than others. However, as I have learned from one of the books I just read, these little milestones will mean so much to all of us because he will work really hard to accomplish them.

Play time!

Because of a bit of reflux that Colin has been dealing with when laying flat on his back on the floor, we have been putting him in the boppy pillow underneath his monkey gym. Since he is closer to the objects hanging, he has started to really look at them and try to touch and grab on to them. I happened to catch him today grabbing onto the mirror. It's exciting to see how Colin can really focus on a toy that he wants and is starting to attempt to reach towards it.