Great Day!

We had a great day with Colin today!

First, he had his first session with his developmental therapist and we loved her! She has a great personality and you could just tell that she loved working with Colin. She has 3 kids of her own, with one on the way, and she could relate on the parent end because one of her childred needed early intervention as well. It seems that her therapy mostly involves playing with Colin with different toys that required him to track them with his eyes and she was also trying to get him to reach out for the toys. He was showing her how he can reach and grab onto different objects. She sung to him at different times and used a puppet book for Old McDonald that I loved!! My goal is to try and find that book! He was very attentive to her throughout the first half hour and unfortunately he was really tired for the 2nd half and started getting pretty fussy.

For the last half hour she just talked to us casually about different things. I've been very happy and very encouraged so far that we feel really comfortable with both therapists and that Colin has been very comfortable as well. I think it's really important for both Colin and Chris and I to feel that comfortable with them since we will be spending a lot of time with them over the next few years.

Later in the day Colin had his 2 month checkup and shots. He now weighs 9 lbs. 10 oz. and is 23 and a 1/4 inches long! Dr. Uma was so impressed with his weight and height gains that she took him off of the Neosure formula (higher calorie formula) and said that we can go back to normal formula again! Colin hasn't been on normal formula since the 1st 2 days in the hospital!

She was very happy with how alert and active he was while he was there and she took the time to answer all of my questions regarding different things such as reflux (she felt it was very minor and didn't require any medicinal interventions but suggested putting a pillow under his mattress to elevate it to a 45 degree angle), whether or not I should follow up with an ear nose and throat (ENT) doctor (not needed at this time since he is not having any problems) and the coloring of his skin when he is cold (normal). I told her about our visit to the Jersey Shore ITAP program and about his therapies so far and she was very happy to hear how great he was doing (plus she could see it herself).

She had another doctor in the office with her today and he also did a full evaluation of Colin; he was suprised to hear that Colin had Nondisjunction trisomy 21 (where there are 3 chromosomes instead of 2 in the 21st location) as compared to Mosaicism (only some cells in the body have 3 chromosomes instead of 2) because he felt he had minimal physical traits and was surprised to see how active and alert he was during the evaluation. Dr. Uma had me show this doctor the video I have on my phone of Colin rolling over at 4 weeks old because she still couldnt' get over how he is doing that already.

She said that he is really going to be all of our special baby. I love that she wants to take ownership as well because she has been so wonderful to the 3 of us and has been there since the very beginning. She was there at the delivery and has taken the time through this whole process to really sit down and discuss everything with us. Every time we are there she spends the last 5 minutes of the visit just holding Colin and really talking to him. She was disappointed she didn't get a smile from him today so hopefully next time! All of the books I have read say that you should have a doctor you really trust and we couldn't have asked for a better pediatrician.

Finally, Colin didn't even flinch when he got his 2 vaccinations today (one in each thigh). He was such a strong little boy...but does that surprise you?

Busy Weekend

Colin had a busy weekend!

First, he was there to support his mommy as I ran in the "Save Barnegat Bay 5 mile race in Lavallette on Saturday. He was also cheering on his Grandad, Uncle Pat, and Kristine! It was my goal after having Colin to be able to finish that race, but instead, I was extremely motivated over the past 5 weeks and got myself to within 2 minutes of my time last year when I was in great shape. The road to getting back in shape hasn't been easy, but I always keep Colin in mind when running. He was there on the sidelines in his "mommy rules" shirt to cheer me on and make me smile!

The rest of the weekend Colin spent at the beach. It was a little windy, so he wasn't exactly the happiest, but he did love putting on his new beach wear! Once the wind dies down I think Colin will be as happy as his mommy and daddy on the beach.

Physical Therapy

Colin had his 1st physical therapy session today and it went really well. The therapist spent almost 2 hours with us (even though she was only supposed to be there an hour! oops!) and she gave us a lot of great activities to work on with Colin. We felt pretty good because a lot of the activities she suggested are ones that we have already been doing with him, but she gave us a lot of modifications to the activities specific to his strengths and weaknesses. I have taken some pictures of the different activities for you to see so you get an idea what we will be working on with him.

We really liked the therapist and in a "small world" situation I used to wait on her at the bagel shop years ago in Lavallette!

Here are some of the activities we will be doing with Colin:

• Tummy Time with Towl Roll: In this position, we will be using a rolled up towel propped up under Colin's chest so that his elbows are on the ground. This works on head and neck control.

• Tummy Time with Towel Roll and Toys: This is the same position as above, however, we use toys in Colin's sight line so that he starts to reach for them as well as to move them so that he tracks them with his eyes while he is holding his head up. This works on head and neck control as well as focusing and tracking objects at the same time.

• Side-Lying: In this position, we use something propped behind Colin's back so that he is able to clasp his hands together and hold different toys. It is also good for his hips so that his leg drops over.

• Towel Roll Under Head: In this position, we use the towel roll under Colin's head so that he looks towards objects on his chest and starts to bring his hands towards his midline.

• Towel Roll Under Butt: We use the towel roll in this position to slightly raise up Colin's lower body so that he starts to bring his legs towards his middle as well as to use his legs to reach toys dangling above him (when using the "monkey gym").

These are just a few of the main activities we can work on with Colin. She also suggested that while Colin is on his stomach or back, we should take time occassionally to stabilize his hips so that he is not able to use his legs as much. Because his legs are so active and strong, it can sometimes cause him to use his upper body less. It's interesting to see that when we stabilize his hips, he is able to lift and hold his head for much longer at a time.

The PT stressed that overall he is doing really well; however, he has weaknesses as well with head and neck control and these activities are designed to improve upon that. Colin was very social with her and was smiling and interacting with her while she was here.

Friends

"Good company on a journey makes the way seem shorter."

This was the quote that I used in the yearbook my senior year of high school and has become ever more true as the years have gone by. Chris, Colin, and I have been so lucky to have the family and friends that we do in our lives because you all have provided us so much love and support through our journeys both separate and as a family.

Colin has been lucky to have such good friends already (he had them before he was even born!)...Here is a video of his great friend Liam singing a song to him...

Happy Father's Day!

Colin has a message to all of the fathers out there, especially his own Daddy, Grandad, and Grandpa...

Happy Birthday Colin!!

Colin is 2 months old today! Happy Birthday Colin!

It's amazing to me how fast 2 months go by (it's true when everyone says that time flies by with kids!) and while I was holding my beautiful little boy tonight (while he was smiling at me!) I was thinking about how much has happened in 2 months time.

I went into labor, I delivered Colin, we found out he was being tested for Down Syndrome, we went home with a newborn, we found out he had Down Syndrome, we started early intervention and the infant toddler assessment program, we had numerous doctors appointments, we all went to a wedding, visited with many friends and family, watched some major accomplishments (lifting his head, rolling over, smiling, sleeping through the night, etc.), and fell in love with a beautiful little boy.

We've had our down moments, but we've had so many more happy and proud moments...

Happy 2 month birthday Colin, we love you so much!!! xoxoxoxoxo

"The Climb"

I felt this song and video are very fitting for us and Colin right now. The song came on my ipod while I was running the other day and made me realize that it's not how fast he accomplishes tasks, it's about the fact that he will accomplish them. It's about "the climb", not necessarily about the end result...