Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sugar overload..
Valentine's Day has come and gone (even though Jack keeps telling me "It's Valentine's Day!) and the sugar rush and sugar crash has come and gone!
We had a great day, the kids ingested far too much sugar, and there was nothing but love!
We started the day with the decorated breakfast table and Valentine gifts in their mailboxes, which were a huge hit! Rory then surprised us with her very own handmade Valentines...
She also made some for the boys, but they were put away in a secret hiding spot, and I haven't stumbled upon it yet!
Then they were all off to school to celebrate some more, and as luck would have it Thursday just happened to be a half day for Rory and Brendan. Awesome! I preferred to call it "hop them up on sugar and send them home early day!" (We also did this the day before Christmas break, so I know what I am talking about!)
Brendan's class did crafts and then made ice cream sundaes, which he loved. He didn't really want to wait for the scoop of ice cream to appear in his bowl, so his teacher told me that he just helped himself to the gallon of ice cream!
Rory's class had a party, which I was able to go to. Let me just say that when I walked in to the classroom and saw 5 dozen cupcakes and 2 dozen doughnuts with frosting and sprinkles I almost went into a diabetic coma! Rory dove right in!
We had a great day, the kids ingested far too much sugar, and there was nothing but love!
We started the day with the decorated breakfast table and Valentine gifts in their mailboxes, which were a huge hit! Rory then surprised us with her very own handmade Valentines...
 |
| (The one on the right says "You are so osum (awesome)" |
Then they were all off to school to celebrate some more, and as luck would have it Thursday just happened to be a half day for Rory and Brendan. Awesome! I preferred to call it "hop them up on sugar and send them home early day!" (We also did this the day before Christmas break, so I know what I am talking about!)
Brendan's class did crafts and then made ice cream sundaes, which he loved. He didn't really want to wait for the scoop of ice cream to appear in his bowl, so his teacher told me that he just helped himself to the gallon of ice cream!
Rory's class had a party, which I was able to go to. Let me just say that when I walked in to the classroom and saw 5 dozen cupcakes and 2 dozen doughnuts with frosting and sprinkles I almost went into a diabetic coma! Rory dove right in!
Jack's school had a pizza party, and of course all of the cupcakes and cookies that you could imagine!
When they got home all they wanted to do was dive into their Valentine treats...oh good lord!
That was what was left of them! I have since put them all away, just like the Halloween candy, and the plan is once they all go back to school on Tuesday to the trash the treats will go!!
We capped the evening off with the family dance at our local Activities Center. They funny thing about this is that the Activities Center and the Library are in the same building, and Jack was excited to go to the dance until we got there and he heard the very loud music and then he covered his ears and said "The li-berry is quiet! This is not quiet!" He ended up dancing just a little bit, Brendan was not at all interested since his new and improved ears and taking some time to get used too! Rory of course was her usual social butterfly self and ran in, found her friends, and was dancing the night away!
We had a great time and can't wait until next year!! Hope that your Valentine's Day was the same!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
For the loves...
It's Valentine's morning, and I am enjoying my cup of coffee in the precious few moments before my cherubs awake! We spent lots of time over the past few days getting ready for Valentine's Day, each kiddo picked their own Valentine they wanted to share with their friends...
It's was also nice to hear last night the question from the kids "You are going to decorate the table for Valentine's day in the morning, so when we see it we'll be surprised, right". Hmmm..so it was a little later night than I had planned, but I know that there will be happy faces in the morning, and is there really any better way to show the 3 little loves of my life how much I love them??
Happy Valentine's Day, and be sure to tell someone how much they mean to you!
I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with tons of stories of over sugared kids!
It's was also nice to hear last night the question from the kids "You are going to decorate the table for Valentine's day in the morning, so when we see it we'll be surprised, right". Hmmm..so it was a little later night than I had planned, but I know that there will be happy faces in the morning, and is there really any better way to show the 3 little loves of my life how much I love them??
Happy Valentine's Day, and be sure to tell someone how much they mean to you!
I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with tons of stories of over sugared kids!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
4?? Are you serious?
We have no idea where 4 years have gone, but our little Jack is not so little anymore! Happy Birthday to our sweet and hysterically funny Jack!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Bloom
As this month of Down Syndrome Awareness has almost come to an end, I find myself back at the beginning. The beginning being the beginning of our journey with Down syndrome.
When Brendan was just a few months past his second birthday I remember seeing a friend posting a link to this blog post on their Facebook page, and I remember how long it took me to read through the entire story.
The blog story was one woman's account of the birth of her second child and the beginning of their journey with Down syndrome. It is raw, and honest to the core. She had not had a prenatal diagnosis, and even though we did I so related to every word that she poured into that blog, and before I closed out that window from her birth story post, I became a follower of her blog.
Kelle Hampton is the author of the blog "Enjoying the Small Things", and she is a great writer, an amazing photographer and the kind of mom that I wish I could be with all of the fun crafty things she does with her girls (very Auntie Jo like, although I don't think she has had the Nativity re-creation..that is still unbeatable!) She is not an expert on Down syndrome, she is an expert on being a mom of two girls (soon to add a boy) and an expert on the ups and downs of having a child with special needs, well about as much of an expert as I am!
When she announced that she was writing her memoir I remember wondering if I really wanted to read it, especially remembering how hard it was to complete reading her post about Nella's birth. The day it came out, I didn't go out and buy it, and I didn't buy it the next day either. Then I kept seeing people post on her blog about how great the book was, and well on day 3 I bought it..
I would love to say that I read the book in one sitting and it was amazing, but that would be a lie. First of all, if I was able to read more than 10 pages at a time that would be a HUGE victory.....no need to go into any stories of the shenanigans of Rory, Brendan and Jack... I made it to page 6, that was it. The words "I will never forget my daughter in my arms, opening her eyes over and over...she locked eyes with mine and stared...bore holes into my soul. Love me. Love me. I'm not what you expected, but oh, please love me."
I was done. My mind went back to November 2007 standing over Brendan's incubator in the NICU at Wilford Hall in San Antonio. I remember looking at him, his eyes were shut as they were for at least the first week of his life, and he had an EEG machine wrapped around his head to measure his brain activity. I said a million times in my head, and to God, I don't care if he has Down syndrome, I just want to be able to hold him and be his mom, please make him OK. See, it didn't matter that we knew that our child had Down syndrome before he was born, until we saw him, could see the 'tell tale' signs of Down syndrome, I don't think it was going to sink in. Then he was born fighting for his life and Bryan and I didn't care, Down syndrome was not our first concern, getting him breathing on his own and getting his heart fixed became the priority.
For those reasons I think I had a very difficult time getting through 2 pages before my tears would drip onto the typed words. I have heard people say that when parents find out that their child isn't 'perfect' that they grieve the loss of the child they had anticipated. I guess I never understood that until I read Kelle's book and was brought along her emotional journey. I had many a Wednesday night sitting in my car in the church parking lot after I had dropped Rory off at CCE (what I knew as CCD) and reading my book with 2 small packets of tissues next to me. (I had to make sure that I wasn't parked too close to someone else because I was sure that there would be a knock at my window to make sure I was alright, and trust me...it would have been ugly!)
Anyway, this book is amazing, and very personal. It helped me to sort through some of my emotions and heck, sometimes you just need a good cry. More importantly this isn't just a book for parents who have a child with Down syndrome, I think it's for anyone who has had any challenge or struggle. If you don't think so, just pick it up and look at her amazing pictures...stunning!
When Brendan was just a few months past his second birthday I remember seeing a friend posting a link to this blog post on their Facebook page, and I remember how long it took me to read through the entire story.
The blog story was one woman's account of the birth of her second child and the beginning of their journey with Down syndrome. It is raw, and honest to the core. She had not had a prenatal diagnosis, and even though we did I so related to every word that she poured into that blog, and before I closed out that window from her birth story post, I became a follower of her blog.
Kelle Hampton is the author of the blog "Enjoying the Small Things", and she is a great writer, an amazing photographer and the kind of mom that I wish I could be with all of the fun crafty things she does with her girls (very Auntie Jo like, although I don't think she has had the Nativity re-creation..that is still unbeatable!) She is not an expert on Down syndrome, she is an expert on being a mom of two girls (soon to add a boy) and an expert on the ups and downs of having a child with special needs, well about as much of an expert as I am!
When she announced that she was writing her memoir I remember wondering if I really wanted to read it, especially remembering how hard it was to complete reading her post about Nella's birth. The day it came out, I didn't go out and buy it, and I didn't buy it the next day either. Then I kept seeing people post on her blog about how great the book was, and well on day 3 I bought it..
I would love to say that I read the book in one sitting and it was amazing, but that would be a lie. First of all, if I was able to read more than 10 pages at a time that would be a HUGE victory.....no need to go into any stories of the shenanigans of Rory, Brendan and Jack... I made it to page 6, that was it. The words "I will never forget my daughter in my arms, opening her eyes over and over...she locked eyes with mine and stared...bore holes into my soul. Love me. Love me. I'm not what you expected, but oh, please love me."
I was done. My mind went back to November 2007 standing over Brendan's incubator in the NICU at Wilford Hall in San Antonio. I remember looking at him, his eyes were shut as they were for at least the first week of his life, and he had an EEG machine wrapped around his head to measure his brain activity. I said a million times in my head, and to God, I don't care if he has Down syndrome, I just want to be able to hold him and be his mom, please make him OK. See, it didn't matter that we knew that our child had Down syndrome before he was born, until we saw him, could see the 'tell tale' signs of Down syndrome, I don't think it was going to sink in. Then he was born fighting for his life and Bryan and I didn't care, Down syndrome was not our first concern, getting him breathing on his own and getting his heart fixed became the priority.
For those reasons I think I had a very difficult time getting through 2 pages before my tears would drip onto the typed words. I have heard people say that when parents find out that their child isn't 'perfect' that they grieve the loss of the child they had anticipated. I guess I never understood that until I read Kelle's book and was brought along her emotional journey. I had many a Wednesday night sitting in my car in the church parking lot after I had dropped Rory off at CCE (what I knew as CCD) and reading my book with 2 small packets of tissues next to me. (I had to make sure that I wasn't parked too close to someone else because I was sure that there would be a knock at my window to make sure I was alright, and trust me...it would have been ugly!)
Anyway, this book is amazing, and very personal. It helped me to sort through some of my emotions and heck, sometimes you just need a good cry. More importantly this isn't just a book for parents who have a child with Down syndrome, I think it's for anyone who has had any challenge or struggle. If you don't think so, just pick it up and look at her amazing pictures...stunning!
The great IEP paper trail
At least once every year, Bryan and I have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting, or an ARD (Admission, Review and Dismissal process) meeting, with Brendan's teachers, therapists and school administrators to discuss Brendan's goals and plan of attack for the school year. I remember the very first meeting and how I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach. Brendan wasn't even three yet and we were taking the first steps in transitioning him from Early Intervention to a school based program. Was he ready, was I ready? It was the first step in a very long road, and let me tell you, it never gets any easier.
Our first meeting at his school in Texas had me in tears in the first 5 minutes and I thought that Bryan was going to put his fist through the table. The way that the state of Texas handles an IEP meeting is maddening. We had sit through and listen as they had numbers assigned to Brendan's abilities. Hearing your 3 year old son described by numbers alone just about made me pick him up and leave that place and never look back. A few tissues later, we had made it through the meeting and Bryan and I felt that we were on the right path, Brendan had a wonderful teacher who was going to be with him day in and day out and we were ready to get it going!
This year was no different, although we waived the right to have to hear all of the "numbers" so I didn't have to bust out the tissues quite so soon!
At the end of the meeting we had our ARD plan for the year, new goals and a teacher who is no nonsense! Trust me, this woman is AMAZING and she expects a lot out of Brendan, and so do we. It's time to step it up!
Here is his plan...
It is 44 pages long...WOW! Time to add it the binder of all his other IEP paperwork..
While these IEP, or ARD, meetings are long, complicated and difficult to prepare for as a parent, we are the best advocate that Brendan has. These meetings are great time to get Brendan's team all on the same page because we all want the same thing. We want Brendan to succeed, we want him to have the best tools to become the best person he can be.
Our first meeting at his school in Texas had me in tears in the first 5 minutes and I thought that Bryan was going to put his fist through the table. The way that the state of Texas handles an IEP meeting is maddening. We had sit through and listen as they had numbers assigned to Brendan's abilities. Hearing your 3 year old son described by numbers alone just about made me pick him up and leave that place and never look back. A few tissues later, we had made it through the meeting and Bryan and I felt that we were on the right path, Brendan had a wonderful teacher who was going to be with him day in and day out and we were ready to get it going!
This year was no different, although we waived the right to have to hear all of the "numbers" so I didn't have to bust out the tissues quite so soon!
At the end of the meeting we had our ARD plan for the year, new goals and a teacher who is no nonsense! Trust me, this woman is AMAZING and she expects a lot out of Brendan, and so do we. It's time to step it up!
Here is his plan...
It is 44 pages long...WOW! Time to add it the binder of all his other IEP paperwork..
While these IEP, or ARD, meetings are long, complicated and difficult to prepare for as a parent, we are the best advocate that Brendan has. These meetings are great time to get Brendan's team all on the same page because we all want the same thing. We want Brendan to succeed, we want him to have the best tools to become the best person he can be.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Fall fun...kind of a big deal
Today we took a trip to the pumpkin patch to officially welcome in Fall! A few momentous things happened....
1. Brendan busted out a loud and clear " NO WAY!" when we asked him if he wanted to go for a ride on the tractor train. It wasn't such a big deal that he declined the ride, but that he did it using a word that he had never said before ...WAY. It took us by surprise...a huge and wonderful surprise!
2. Brendan found the hay stack and wouldn't get out of it! This is the same kid that 2 years ago wouldn't get into a wading pool and hated the touch of grass anywhere on his body! Today, it was a different story. He ran into the hay pile...he threw the hay...he laughed, and he smiled.
1. Brendan busted out a loud and clear " NO WAY!" when we asked him if he wanted to go for a ride on the tractor train. It wasn't such a big deal that he declined the ride, but that he did it using a word that he had never said before ...WAY. It took us by surprise...a huge and wonderful surprise!
2. Brendan found the hay stack and wouldn't get out of it! This is the same kid that 2 years ago wouldn't get into a wading pool and hated the touch of grass anywhere on his body! Today, it was a different story. He ran into the hay pile...he threw the hay...he laughed, and he smiled.
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