Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Noncompliance (Day 7)

I think that one of the most frustrating challenges we face with Colin is noncompliance. It is certainly not like what it used to be because at this age, Colin understands exactly what he is doing in response to an undesired task or just decides that he doesn't want to follow a direction. At any given time, he will intentionally take his time when he knows you are rushing him, will ignore you or pretend like he doesn't hear you or is just plain stubborn. We have some strategies that we use in any given situation and most of the time I can rationalize why he might be doing what he's doing, but it doesn't make it any easier when it's just frustrating. I think what makes it most frustrating is that these behaviors are not consistent and they often crop up after a period of things going pretty well (like today). I snapped a few pictures today as examples. First, we were rushing to squeeze in an errand before Cody's baseball game and I had calmly asked Colin several times to get in the car. He was not ready, so he continued to swing in the tree. 

Then, when we were in Target, he kept stopping at random displays and although I would ask him to move it along he would look right at me and continue looking at what he wanted to at his own pace. Sometimes simple strategies like placing my hand on his shoulder, trying to take his hand, or directing his attention works, but not always.

One of the ways I show Colin that I am not happy with his not listening is by giving him this "look". Every time I do it, he asks me to stop because he "doesn't like it". He asks me to "make the lines on my head go away". I happened to catch part of my conversation with him about it. In the second video he was being a little bit more silly.

Even at some of the most frustrating moments, he still finds a way to make me laugh! 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Ears (Day 6)

When we were at the Ear Nose and Throat doctor's office in late summer for a follow up visit, we were all amazed at the fact that Colin has been going there for 10 years. For the most part, we've been really lucky but this is probably the one area that he's needed the most attention medically. As a baby and toddler, Colin never had ear infections but by the time he was 6, he needed to have his tonsils and adenoids out because his sleep was terrible and it was determined that was a result of his tonsils being too big for his airway. When he would lay flat, his tonsils would cover most of his airway and then it was difficult for his body to get the oxygen he needed when sleeping. After awhile later around 7, one of his ears was not testing well and it was determined that he had fluid that was starting to solidify and so that was cleared out and a tube was put in just in his left ear. The tube lasted for just over it's liftetime (3.5 years) and came out at the start of this summer. He made it through the whole rest of the summer without any issues so the doctor feels that as he's aged and his body is physically maturing, that he should be good without having a tube any longer. Let's hope for continued success! 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Attitude (Day 5)

There are so many different things I want to talk about this month but I couldn't decide on what order I wanted to tackle them. My organized brain thought there should be some kind of theme but then my exhausted self said to just do the first thing that came to mind. There are so many awesome things that Colin is doing right now that I can't wait to talk about this month, but unfortunately, the first thing that comes to mind is the most developmentally appropriate issue we are dealing with right now...Colin's attitude. 

Throughout most of last school year, Colin was probably our "easiest" child (relatively speaking) because he was always the most compliant. He was given directions and he followed through. School was going great, socially he was doing great, etc. When summer came along, the feeling that came over me was "whoa, when did we get to the tween phase?". One of my friends makes me laugh all of the time because when I'm venting over certain things she always says to me "didn't you raise him to be like this? Didn't you raise him to be as much like his peers as he can be?". Soooo, here we are, in the tween phase. What defines this phase do you ask? Well, it's the attitude, the disgust for certain things Mom and Dad ask of him, the talking back, frustration when things don't go his way, wanting things when he wants them, rolling his eyes, etc. Chris and I often have a really hard time containing our giggles/laughter when some of these things happen because they ARE so typical but also, sometimes it's a little harder to go through typical phases with Colin because of how we have to approach our response to them. Homework has always been a relatively smooth time period of our day, but lately, Colin gets so frustrated if it's not exactly how he wants it to be. I happened to snap some quick videos of Colin during homework the other day. Please note, eye rolling and responses to things I'm saying. But also, how can you not laugh? 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Cody (Day 4)

The last of this part of the series is Cody! He is our youngest, and also deemed our "wild child". Chris and I laugh to ourselves all of the time when we look at our kids and the progression of how things changed for us from oldest to youngest. We truly thought that Colin was going to be our hardest child out of any of the kids we had, of COURSE, because he had Down Syndrome. There certainly have been challenges along the way because of that but we will tell you to this day that without a doubt, Cody has been our most difficult child to parent. 

Cody is filled with so much energy and he is our most adventurous child. He is willing to try so many different things and isn't scared to do so. When you look at his body, he is covered in so many different cuts, scrapes and bruises because he is just so active and always so willing to do things as fast or as hard as he can. He has always tried so hard to keep up with Kailey and Colin that I think it is where so many of the challenges we faced stems from. I can remember him sitting in a high chair at such a young age (6 - 9 month range)  and just reaching across and grabbing food off the closest plate. He has always wanted to do what everyone else is doing and tries very hard to do so. He loves to learn and share what he is learning with all of us. He is kind and loving and fiercely determined. We love watching how much he has been growing and changing lately, especially since starting Kindergarten. He has learned so much from being Colin's brother and we get so excited to see how he uses that in so many different ways. He is one special little boy! 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Kailey (Day 3)

I know that this month is called Down Syndrome Awareness month, but Down Syndrome is really just one small piece to our family's puzzle. Each of our three children bring their own specialness to this world and so talking about Kailey and Cody this month is just as important. In fact, while they are not the children WITH Down Syndrome, in some ways, it does play a role in who they are becoming as well. 

Kailey is our "oldest" middle child and I say that because she has many personality traits similar to that of an oldest child in birth order. She is incredibly helpful, she likes to take the lead/take charge (which at times can also be deemed "bossy"), and she watches out for others, especially Colin and Cody. At 8.5 years old, she is very "aware" of things that happen around her. She is very sensitive and at times, emotional, but she does a good job at pulling herself together. She likes to please adults whether that is Chris and I, her teachers, coaches, etc. and she cares very much what they think. She works hard to make sure she is doing things the right way. She has become very athletic and currently takes Karate classes two times a week (she is a half blue belt), plays on a travel soccer team, and also plays basketball and softball. She enjoys reading and is very artistic (which definitely doesn't come from Chris or me!). We love what Kailey being the only daughter adds to our family! 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Colin (Day 2)

Over the past 10 years of blogging, I have spent a LOT of time sharing so much related to Colin's development, hitting milestones, successes, challenges, etc. The very first time I hit "publish" on a blog post, my thought process was that it was going to be a place I needed to vent, but I very quickly realized that Colin was a very determined little boy and there was so many reasons for celebration. The blog turned into just that; a place to celebrate and at times, a space that allowed me to work through some of the emotions that Chris and I were working through. His diagnosis of Down Syndrome at birth came as a complete shock to both of us and I know the feelings that we felt that day, and for weeks following, were feelings of grief that we will never forget. What we thought would be the hardest thing we'd ever go through turned into the greatest blessing we never realized we were missing. 

Colin is just about 10.5 years old and he has such an incredible personality. He's really funny and witty and loves to make others laugh. He has ONE joke he loves to tell over and over right now that's a knock knock joke asking why the chicken likes to cross the road. The punch line is so old right now (to get to Chick-Fil-A of course!) we have a hard time laughing, but he still cracks himself up every time. He has always been and continues to be so observant and arguably, a significant skill of his that allows him to learn so much. Along with that comes determination to accomplish anything he decides he wants to accomplish. With patience and time, he continuously observes whatever it is (watching others, carefully practicing, etc.) until he feels comfortable enough to try it/practice it on his own. He's strong and lean and we've been amazed lately at how his body is shaping and becoming quite muscular! A lot of this is because he loves to participate in sports and play, he keeps practicing/trying different exercises (more on that in another post) and is very active. He still loves music, acting, being the center of attention to "perform" and is determined to have a job at Sesame Place one day in the parade. He's sensitive to others' emotions (particularly our family) and wants to comfort us if he's aware that we're not feeling the best. He's often seen putting his arm around others, sneaking kisses to the cheek, giving hugs, etc (mostly family again). He loves his school community; his teachers and his friends that he's made. 

Down Syndrome Awareness Month - Day 1

Today, October 1st, marks the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness Month and it is a time dedicated to education and awareness about all things related to Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). For many years, I would participate in a challenge sponsored by another blogger to blog for all 31 days of October but as time has gone by, it has gotten more difficult for me. I am hanging on to this blog for many personal/emotional reasons but finding the time to sit down and share the way I used to has become increasingly more challenging. Each year of the past 10 of raising Colin have all brought different challenges and achievement of milestones and this year is no different. My goal is to spend this month highlighting some of those, but also, ones related to raising three very different and unique children. 

Join me as I re-acquaint you to Colin, our 10 year old son with Down Syndrome and his 8 year old sister Kailey and 5 year old brother Cody!