Hooray! Look at what Colin did tonight!! Please don't mind my screeching, but it obviously shows my excitement at what my little boy did. One step closer...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Cart and the Horse
One of the pieces of advice that I tend to offer up to new parents of a child with down syndrome is to avoid thinking too much about the future. I think that it is the most overwhelming part of a new diagnosis because you worry about the things to come without knowing exactly what it is going to be like. When Colin was first born, all I could think about was what his adult life would be like. There are days when I still wonder and worry about that a bit, but we really are so much better with everything.
Sometimes I should follow my own advice better though. One of the things Chris and I worry about more these days is whether or not Colin's feeding issues will be better by the time he goes back to school in September. Since we started the feeding therapy journey, we really have only seen minor improvements and he has become disinterested in feeding himself since we have had to put food in his mouth a certain way. We try not to be too stressed about it and sometimes I remind myself that September is 2.5 months away. With kids, things can change so quickly.
Yesterday while at the grocery store, we ran into the mom of a young man with down syndrome who volunteers his time working at Monmouth University with the women's basketball team. When Colin was just a few months old, Chris had a dinner that I attended with work (basketball tip off dinner) and I saw this mom walking around the room with her son. Since the diagnosis and the journey was still relatively new to us, I was unsure how to approach her, but I finally got up the nerve and told her about Colin. She immediately had a big smile on her face and told me that Colin would be one of my greatest gifts. We talked for awhile and since then, I have enjoyed sharing Colin's journey when I run into her at the different sporting events at Monmouth.
When we saw her yesterday she was chatting with Colin and she asked how he was doing. Since I knew she would "understand", I brought up the feeding issues and the fact he was working hard to walk, but wasn't quite there yet. She contined to talk to Colin and just briefly said "it's ok, he will". While I was driving home I thought about the ease with which she said "he will".
And then I realized...she is the future. Her son is walking. He eats fine. He is active in his community. He is happy. He is loved. He DID all of those things that we are struggling through right now. So colin will (which we know), but sometimes it's just hard when you are IN the moment to remember.
As a side note, Colin's had some tough times the past week with the teeth again as they are constantly popping through. But, he has had some really funny moments too. While Chris and I were sitting on the floor tonight, I was feeding Kailey and Colin was crawling all over the place laughing and having a good time. He kept coming up to Kailey and trying to take the bottle away from her. I kept telling him no, he would crawl away and then come back and try the same thing again. For some reason, on the last attempt, he went to kiss her and then instead tried to go open mouth to her head (not to bite, just to explore I guess?). I very sternly said no and then Chris raised his voice a little and told Colin to "come here". Chris was pointing to an area on the floor to the left of him. Surprisingly, he started to crawl over towards Chris and when he got to the spot, he started pointing at the floor the same way Chris was. I couldn't help it, I laughed. So funny.
No matter how much I worry, or don't follow my own advice, I love Colin so much. He makes my heart swell with pride (just like I had tears in my eyes when he was singing the ABCs with the magnet on the fridge and said "ess" and "vee" so clear! He is so much fun lately and I am truly enjoying his age and his personality. And guess what? Our TRUE summer starts on Saturday when my parents are here for 2 months in their beach house. Woo hoo!! :)
Sometimes I should follow my own advice better though. One of the things Chris and I worry about more these days is whether or not Colin's feeding issues will be better by the time he goes back to school in September. Since we started the feeding therapy journey, we really have only seen minor improvements and he has become disinterested in feeding himself since we have had to put food in his mouth a certain way. We try not to be too stressed about it and sometimes I remind myself that September is 2.5 months away. With kids, things can change so quickly.
Yesterday while at the grocery store, we ran into the mom of a young man with down syndrome who volunteers his time working at Monmouth University with the women's basketball team. When Colin was just a few months old, Chris had a dinner that I attended with work (basketball tip off dinner) and I saw this mom walking around the room with her son. Since the diagnosis and the journey was still relatively new to us, I was unsure how to approach her, but I finally got up the nerve and told her about Colin. She immediately had a big smile on her face and told me that Colin would be one of my greatest gifts. We talked for awhile and since then, I have enjoyed sharing Colin's journey when I run into her at the different sporting events at Monmouth. 
When we saw her yesterday she was chatting with Colin and she asked how he was doing. Since I knew she would "understand", I brought up the feeding issues and the fact he was working hard to walk, but wasn't quite there yet. She contined to talk to Colin and just briefly said "it's ok, he will". While I was driving home I thought about the ease with which she said "he will".
And then I realized...she is the future. Her son is walking. He eats fine. He is active in his community. He is happy. He is loved. He DID all of those things that we are struggling through right now. So colin will (which we know), but sometimes it's just hard when you are IN the moment to remember.
As a side note, Colin's had some tough times the past week with the teeth again as they are constantly popping through. But, he has had some really funny moments too. While Chris and I were sitting on the floor tonight, I was feeding Kailey and Colin was crawling all over the place laughing and having a good time. He kept coming up to Kailey and trying to take the bottle away from her. I kept telling him no, he would crawl away and then come back and try the same thing again. For some reason, on the last attempt, he went to kiss her and then instead tried to go open mouth to her head (not to bite, just to explore I guess?). I very sternly said no and then Chris raised his voice a little and told Colin to "come here". Chris was pointing to an area on the floor to the left of him. Surprisingly, he started to crawl over towards Chris and when he got to the spot, he started pointing at the floor the same way Chris was. I couldn't help it, I laughed. So funny.
No matter how much I worry, or don't follow my own advice, I love Colin so much. He makes my heart swell with pride (just like I had tears in my eyes when he was singing the ABCs with the magnet on the fridge and said "ess" and "vee" so clear! He is so much fun lately and I am truly enjoying his age and his personality. And guess what? Our TRUE summer starts on Saturday when my parents are here for 2 months in their beach house. Woo hoo!! :)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day Chris!! The kids and I love you so much and are so thankful for all that you do!! Enjoy your special day!!
And to my own dad...thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me. I love you so much!!
And to my own dad...thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me. I love you so much!!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Happy 3 Months Kailey!!
Our little girl Kailey just recently hit the 3 month mark!! She has changed so much in the past 3 months, but one of the best changes is how much she is interacting with us now. She is constantly smiling and laughing at us when we talk to her and she just loves to watch her big brother Colin!
One area where she is lucky (unlucky?) is how much we know about development now because of Colin so she is always working too! She does really well in the bumbo seat until she gets tired, and then she lets you know when it is time to get out. Doesn't it look like she is about to flip us off here?
As long as she has someone there to talk to her, she is usually pretty content int he seat!
She really loves her brother and I can't wait for them to get a little older to see how that relationship will change. I love watching her watch him because she always has a smile on her face when she is looking at him. It's really cute!
Colin has been asking to hold her more often (in his way which is to point at Kailey and say "yes" with extended arms). I haven't said no yet because I'm just so happy that he is initiating it more and taking more of an interest in her. We of course have to monitor very closely because he still doesn't have the concept of "nice/gentle" down very well. This picture cracks me up because he very rarely "gets it back" from kailey and he doesn't seem too thrilled.
I took Kailey, actually both of the kids (YIKES), to Dr. Uma on Tuesday for her 3 month checkup and she is doing wonderfully!! She was very happy when we got there (that changed) and i couldn't believe how big she looked in the umbrella stroller! Originally I brought the stroller in for Colin and she was in her carrier, however, Colin can not sit in a stroller when it is sitting still so I ended up taking him out and putting her in. It is VERY challenging to be alone with two kids at the doctor's office!
Kailey weighed in at 13 lbs and 3 ounces so she gained just over a pound in a month. She currently falls in the 75th percentile (70 percentiles? or however you say it) above Colin so no, you can NEVER compare two kids!
Kailey is on a pretty good schedule these days which always makes me happy (I am a creature of routine!). She has three 8 oz. bottles a day (morning, noon and late afternoon) and then usually one 4 oz. bottle just before bed between 7:30 and 8pm. She then sleeps from 8/8:30 until 7-8am ish. Yes, we ARE lucky! I talked to Dr. Uma about trying out cereal with her even though she is still a bit young because she never seems completely satisfied, which is how we ended up with 8 oz. per feeding. I don't want to go up from 8 oz., especially at this age, but I thought she would benefit from a little bit more fulfillment. So, Dr. Uma gave us the ok to give a whirl...
...which was just short of a disaster.
She was NOT happy and after 3 days of the attempt, we are still not quite there yet. This is ok with us, yet, I find it VERY ironic that Colin took to cereal on the FIRST attempt and is having major issues now, and she is struggling with it. Oh well, I know she will do just fine with it when she gets used to this new thing.
She is not the best with naps unless we are in the car or she is moving. She ALWAYS needs to be moving or else she is generally a bit fussy. She is actually starting to stir now in her crib from her nap and she has only been in there for an hour tops. I'll take it though, I would much rather have good nights than good naps!
We just love our little Kailey girl so much! Stay tuned for pics of our lil beach girl starting next weekend!!
One area where she is lucky (unlucky?) is how much we know about development now because of Colin so she is always working too! She does really well in the bumbo seat until she gets tired, and then she lets you know when it is time to get out. Doesn't it look like she is about to flip us off here?
As long as she has someone there to talk to her, she is usually pretty content int he seat!
She really loves her brother and I can't wait for them to get a little older to see how that relationship will change. I love watching her watch him because she always has a smile on her face when she is looking at him. It's really cute! Colin has been asking to hold her more often (in his way which is to point at Kailey and say "yes" with extended arms). I haven't said no yet because I'm just so happy that he is initiating it more and taking more of an interest in her. We of course have to monitor very closely because he still doesn't have the concept of "nice/gentle" down very well. This picture cracks me up because he very rarely "gets it back" from kailey and he doesn't seem too thrilled.I took Kailey, actually both of the kids (YIKES), to Dr. Uma on Tuesday for her 3 month checkup and she is doing wonderfully!! She was very happy when we got there (that changed) and i couldn't believe how big she looked in the umbrella stroller! Originally I brought the stroller in for Colin and she was in her carrier, however, Colin can not sit in a stroller when it is sitting still so I ended up taking him out and putting her in. It is VERY challenging to be alone with two kids at the doctor's office!
Kailey weighed in at 13 lbs and 3 ounces so she gained just over a pound in a month. She currently falls in the 75th percentile (70 percentiles? or however you say it) above Colin so no, you can NEVER compare two kids!
Kailey is on a pretty good schedule these days which always makes me happy (I am a creature of routine!). She has three 8 oz. bottles a day (morning, noon and late afternoon) and then usually one 4 oz. bottle just before bed between 7:30 and 8pm. She then sleeps from 8/8:30 until 7-8am ish. Yes, we ARE lucky! I talked to Dr. Uma about trying out cereal with her even though she is still a bit young because she never seems completely satisfied, which is how we ended up with 8 oz. per feeding. I don't want to go up from 8 oz., especially at this age, but I thought she would benefit from a little bit more fulfillment. So, Dr. Uma gave us the ok to give a whirl...
...which was just short of a disaster.
She was NOT happy and after 3 days of the attempt, we are still not quite there yet. This is ok with us, yet, I find it VERY ironic that Colin took to cereal on the FIRST attempt and is having major issues now, and she is struggling with it. Oh well, I know she will do just fine with it when she gets used to this new thing.
She is not the best with naps unless we are in the car or she is moving. She ALWAYS needs to be moving or else she is generally a bit fussy. She is actually starting to stir now in her crib from her nap and she has only been in there for an hour tops. I'll take it though, I would much rather have good nights than good naps!She is starting to tolerate tummy time much more and we just discovered that she loves to be on her tummy in front of a mirror. She thinks it's the greatest thing!
We just love our little Kailey girl so much! Stay tuned for pics of our lil beach girl starting next weekend!!Happy 3 months Kailey girl!!
Monday, June 13, 2011
When the Cat is Away? Or Not!
Usually, it's when the "cat is away, the mice will play"...
...but today, this happened when the cat was in the same room, and the cat was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even realize until it was too late!!
...but today, this happened when the cat was in the same room, and the cat was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even realize until it was too late!! I wish I had a picture of Colin's face when I realized what had happened. He looked at me so innocently when I asked him "what did you do Colin?". Kailey's room is still a work in progress to begin with, so it stunk that I had to take time to clean up a mess (that I left behind anyway).
Lol...kids!!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
One of the Most Rewarding Days
What a wonderful and special day today was! Chris and I, along with our friends Jorie, Zach, Joe and Melissa, volunteered at the annual Special Olympics of New Jersey summer games! If you had told me years ago, even 2 years ago, that this would become such a wonderful part of our life I would never have believed you.
I realized something today. WE are a part of something amazing. We get to have playdates and socialize and talk to our friends and people in the "typical" child world, but we also are a part of a family of people that are special. While I was there today, I just felt like I was a part of something and it felt really good.
Our job today was working in the Olympic village where the athletes and their families could come in and have fun playing games and score some free things from sponsors. We had so much fun working one of the inflatable "obstacle courses" helping and cheering on the people that came through. I can't even tell you how many hands I held to help them up and over a wall, and watching family and friends cheer on their loved ones. It just felt. so. good.
Later, my parents brought Colin and Kailey over and I was so happy that Colin was there. He was a hit! He was crawling all over the football field saying hi to anyone that crossed paths with him and gave out LOTS of hi-fives and kisses. So many people came over to say hi to him and I could just foresee us there one day and having Colin participating and loving every minute of it. I watched this one little boy waiting on the starting blocks in the pool showing how strong he was and trying to get the crowd pumped up and it made me giggle. He looked like Colin in about 5 years.
My cup runneth over. I am proud and honored to be part of something bigger than me.
I know Kailey is going to be Colin's biggest cheerleader...you should see how she smiles at her brother!
What a truly amazing day!! Thanks Joe, Melissa, Zach and Jorie for helping us get involved!
I realized something today. WE are a part of something amazing. We get to have playdates and socialize and talk to our friends and people in the "typical" child world, but we also are a part of a family of people that are special. While I was there today, I just felt like I was a part of something and it felt really good.
Our job today was working in the Olympic village where the athletes and their families could come in and have fun playing games and score some free things from sponsors. We had so much fun working one of the inflatable "obstacle courses" helping and cheering on the people that came through. I can't even tell you how many hands I held to help them up and over a wall, and watching family and friends cheer on their loved ones. It just felt. so. good.
Later, my parents brought Colin and Kailey over and I was so happy that Colin was there. He was a hit! He was crawling all over the football field saying hi to anyone that crossed paths with him and gave out LOTS of hi-fives and kisses. So many people came over to say hi to him and I could just foresee us there one day and having Colin participating and loving every minute of it. I watched this one little boy waiting on the starting blocks in the pool showing how strong he was and trying to get the crowd pumped up and it made me giggle. He looked like Colin in about 5 years.
My cup runneth over. I am proud and honored to be part of something bigger than me.
I know Kailey is going to be Colin's biggest cheerleader...you should see how she smiles at her brother!
What a truly amazing day!! Thanks Joe, Melissa, Zach and Jorie for helping us get involved!Thursday, June 9, 2011
Next Step
Yesterday was my last day of school for almost 3 whole months and I am so excited at the thought of spending that precious time with my kids (and of course Chris too!). Summer is absolutely my favorite time of the year and I am giddy with excitement about spending our days * relaxing * at the beach, slurping ice cream cones, and long days filled with fun.
In the middle school that I teach at, it is tradition for the teachers to all stand outside and wave goodbye to the kids as the buses pull out of the parking lot. I have to say that although this year had his moments, I was a bit teary in that moment. The last bus to pull out held the special education students and as it drove by, the boy with Down Syndrome that everyone loves was blowing kisses through the window. So much has changed in this past year for our family, but even more so for Colin. Those buses pulling out was symbolic for me waving goodbye to our challenges, our struggles, and our joys and then taking the next step to what lies ahead for us....new challenges, new struggles, but also new joys and wonderful memories. Life goes by too fast so we try to hold on to what we have now and enjoy each day as it comes.
To celebrate my last day, we walked down to the local restuarant to celebrate with dinner!! Kailey slept through most of it...
...and Colin enjoyed every single second.
He is hysterical these days...he completely posed for this picture, leaning in to my cheek and smiling for the camera. He is a cheeseball...100%.
We clicked our glasses and said cheers to a great year and what will be an even better summer.
Chris works over the summer, but not as often or as long so it's nice to spend our days together at the beach!
Colin enjoyed flirting with the waitress and waving hi to anyone in our vicinity. As you can see, there was NO ONE around us, just those hanging out at the bar.
Kailey eventually decided to join us...
...cheeseball was at it again trying on Kailey's hat!
I look forward to what lies ahead with these two!
Woo hoo!! Summer is here!!
In the middle school that I teach at, it is tradition for the teachers to all stand outside and wave goodbye to the kids as the buses pull out of the parking lot. I have to say that although this year had his moments, I was a bit teary in that moment. The last bus to pull out held the special education students and as it drove by, the boy with Down Syndrome that everyone loves was blowing kisses through the window. So much has changed in this past year for our family, but even more so for Colin. Those buses pulling out was symbolic for me waving goodbye to our challenges, our struggles, and our joys and then taking the next step to what lies ahead for us....new challenges, new struggles, but also new joys and wonderful memories. Life goes by too fast so we try to hold on to what we have now and enjoy each day as it comes.
To celebrate my last day, we walked down to the local restuarant to celebrate with dinner!! Kailey slept through most of it...
...and Colin enjoyed every single second.
He is hysterical these days...he completely posed for this picture, leaning in to my cheek and smiling for the camera. He is a cheeseball...100%.
We clicked our glasses and said cheers to a great year and what will be an even better summer.
Chris works over the summer, but not as often or as long so it's nice to spend our days together at the beach!
Colin enjoyed flirting with the waitress and waving hi to anyone in our vicinity. As you can see, there was NO ONE around us, just those hanging out at the bar.
Kailey eventually decided to join us...
...cheeseball was at it again trying on Kailey's hat!
I look forward to what lies ahead with these two!
Woo hoo!! Summer is here!!
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