Well, I blew it, forgot to blog two days running! Wish I could say I had a great reason, but I don't, just have a rotten memory is all.
I may not a blog on Friday, as I will be away at a Women of Faith conference. My best friend and I stay over night on Friday so we don't have to drive back and forth, not that it's far, lol, but it's an excuse to get a break, so we take it! This year R's Mom is coming with us, I'm sure it will be a blessing for her. I feel a bit better leaving the kids with my dh for two days since he'll have reinforcements in PJ and M. PJ will drive Joey to and from co-op on Friday while Bob is driving Anah to and from school, Jonathan will stay home with M.
Today I went into Old Navy, they had toddler T-shirts for $.47, half off of that, I got 18 of them for $.23 each! You can't beat that! Our homeschool co-op does Operation Christmas Child as a community service each year, so this year our donations will include flip flops ($.50 each), T-shirts and toothpaste (which I also have in abundance), along with our usual notebooks, pencils, crayons, toys etc. Each child packs a box for a child the same sex and age as them, this way they can relate to what their Christmas Child may like. Joey will do 3 boxes, one for Anah and one for Jonathan, even though they no longer go to the co-op, it's a tradition (one I like to keep).
Joseph is majorly struggling with Spanish and Science this year...ugh. We are doing it through co-op and it is a different curriculum than the ones he is comfortable with. To a kid with ADHD and several other diagnoses, change is not easy OR welcome. We have had a battle the past couple days, but I know I will prevail. He just has to realize that I will not back down and let him just "quit" like he would like. We have made a commitment to these classes and he also needs these classes for graduation, so it is not up for debate. I pray that with mine and his older brother's help, he will understand what he is to do and adapt to the different way in which he needs to do this work.
I guess this post wasn't much on DS, but it does relate to our family and we are all involved with DS in that way.
I'm so tired lately...the early morning drives to bring Anah to school and insomnia don't mix well. Ah well, I'm off to at least go rest. Have a blessed night.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Day 3 of 31
Pure joy. When my kids start laughing over nothing it brings pure joy to my heart. Whenever anyone laughs it makes me smile, but when my kids laugh my heart automatically lightens. My two youngest especially bring a smile to my face, sometimes even tears of joy. When I think of the rough start each of them had it blesses me to see them laughing and giggling with their siblings or dogs or even with a toy or book. Their joy is contagious, anyone that can resist it must be very hard or very sad.
Anah loves to play hide and seek with a blanket or jacket. She thinks it's the funniest thing when we "look" for her when she hides her face. Even though she's almost 13 she never developed that stage of development in the orphanage, so we go through all the "baby" stages now, progressing slowly and hopefully filling in the gaps.
Jonathan laughs hysterically when Maggie (our dog) walks past him with her tail wagging. He grabs for her tail and her back legs, I'm not sure if it's the feeling of the fur (Mr. Sensory himself) or the movement, but he laughs so hard he falls down rolling on the floor. And our wonderful dog walks over top or near him, so that he can grab her tail. Apparently she can't resist his laugh either :o) .
Anah loves to play hide and seek with a blanket or jacket. She thinks it's the funniest thing when we "look" for her when she hides her face. Even though she's almost 13 she never developed that stage of development in the orphanage, so we go through all the "baby" stages now, progressing slowly and hopefully filling in the gaps.
Jonathan laughs hysterically when Maggie (our dog) walks past him with her tail wagging. He grabs for her tail and her back legs, I'm not sure if it's the feeling of the fur (Mr. Sensory himself) or the movement, but he laughs so hard he falls down rolling on the floor. And our wonderful dog walks over top or near him, so that he can grab her tail. Apparently she can't resist his laugh either :o) .
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Day two and I almost forgot already!
Mind like a sieve, I almost forgot to blog today. PJ and M. have come back to NY to live, so are staying with us. We now have a full house, four adults, three kids and three dogs I know a lot of you have much larger families, but we're pretty full, not that I couldn't find room for a couple more kids with DS ;o) .
Bob and I went to our Pastor and his wife's son's wedding. It was so sweet. Two young people who where homeschooled, met, courted and now married. I cried from the minute she walked into the church until the minute they walked out as husband and wife, of course anyone that knows me, knows that my water works work pretty well!
PJ and M watched the kids, so Bob and I had a day without kids! I can't remember the last time we did that. We then went out to dinner, just the two of us, it was a nice break and the only meat I cut was my own! We are planning on doing that more often, now that we have built in babysitters :oD .
Anah's fever broke last night and has only been very low grade today. She is acting fine, eating and drinking, so as long as she is still ok when she wakes up, she and I will go to church with the rest of the crew. The kids are all happy to have their oldest brother and his fiancee home, they love them dearly.
My day's tidbit regarding DS is this: Children with DS are prone to having sensory issues. Jonathan was hypersensitive when we first brought him home. He now can tolerate his feet being touched (sometimes), can wear socks and shoes (until he's in the car) and can touch most textures of food. He can now also eat most textures, but his least favorite is crunchy dry food. He is finally starting to hold a spoon and cup to feed himself, he used to drop or throw the spoon or cup before, almost like it burned him to touch them. He can pick up some foods with his hands, but often winds up throwing that and then hitting his head in his "stress mode". With Jonathan we take all his sensory issues very slowly, he won't have it any other way ;oP
Bob and I went to our Pastor and his wife's son's wedding. It was so sweet. Two young people who where homeschooled, met, courted and now married. I cried from the minute she walked into the church until the minute they walked out as husband and wife, of course anyone that knows me, knows that my water works work pretty well!
PJ and M watched the kids, so Bob and I had a day without kids! I can't remember the last time we did that. We then went out to dinner, just the two of us, it was a nice break and the only meat I cut was my own! We are planning on doing that more often, now that we have built in babysitters :oD .
Anah's fever broke last night and has only been very low grade today. She is acting fine, eating and drinking, so as long as she is still ok when she wakes up, she and I will go to church with the rest of the crew. The kids are all happy to have their oldest brother and his fiancee home, they love them dearly.
My day's tidbit regarding DS is this: Children with DS are prone to having sensory issues. Jonathan was hypersensitive when we first brought him home. He now can tolerate his feet being touched (sometimes), can wear socks and shoes (until he's in the car) and can touch most textures of food. He can now also eat most textures, but his least favorite is crunchy dry food. He is finally starting to hold a spoon and cup to feed himself, he used to drop or throw the spoon or cup before, almost like it burned him to touch them. He can pick up some foods with his hands, but often winds up throwing that and then hitting his head in his "stress mode". With Jonathan we take all his sensory issues very slowly, he won't have it any other way ;oP
Friday, October 1, 2010
31 for 21
Yes, it's that time again. October, Down Syndrome awareness month. And to honor that, I will be attempting to post all 31 days in October, as I have the past two years I believe.
Posts will be my randomness, but I will also try to include something about DS each day, of course that isn't difficult since two of my darlings are chromosomally enhanced!
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, I will answer most anything.
Today my little girl spiked a fever right out of nowhere! She was home from school about 1/2 an hour, when all of a sudden she started getting really cranky. I looked over a couple minutes later and she was crying! This girl rarely cries, so I knew something was wrong, I felt her head and knew just why she was so miserable, she was burning! Of course, I don't have a themometer that works worth a darn, they all give different readings, but let's just guesstimate she was between mid 101 range to 102 something. She refuses to take any meds, so I have to sneak it in stuff. I put Motrin in her juice, which she didn't want to drink...most definitely not like her. I held her and wiped her tears for about a half hour, coaxing her to sip her juice, finally she had it down. Within an hour she wasn't any cooler so I piggy backed Tylenol, finally after about 45mins. her temp started to come down.
That's one thing I feel burdened about, is her lack of communication and her inability to let me know what hurts her or makes her feel sick. No education, institutionalization, DS and autism all add to this situation. So, I hug, kiss, rub and love her and try and make her feel better. If she gets no better, she will visit the doc. on Mon., I'm hoping it's a virus and leaves her as quickly as it came.
Posts will be my randomness, but I will also try to include something about DS each day, of course that isn't difficult since two of my darlings are chromosomally enhanced!
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, I will answer most anything.
Today my little girl spiked a fever right out of nowhere! She was home from school about 1/2 an hour, when all of a sudden she started getting really cranky. I looked over a couple minutes later and she was crying! This girl rarely cries, so I knew something was wrong, I felt her head and knew just why she was so miserable, she was burning! Of course, I don't have a themometer that works worth a darn, they all give different readings, but let's just guesstimate she was between mid 101 range to 102 something. She refuses to take any meds, so I have to sneak it in stuff. I put Motrin in her juice, which she didn't want to drink...most definitely not like her. I held her and wiped her tears for about a half hour, coaxing her to sip her juice, finally she had it down. Within an hour she wasn't any cooler so I piggy backed Tylenol, finally after about 45mins. her temp started to come down.
That's one thing I feel burdened about, is her lack of communication and her inability to let me know what hurts her or makes her feel sick. No education, institutionalization, DS and autism all add to this situation. So, I hug, kiss, rub and love her and try and make her feel better. If she gets no better, she will visit the doc. on Mon., I'm hoping it's a virus and leaves her as quickly as it came.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
School is going well
My darling daughter is doing so well! She is more interactive at home as well as verbal (babbling). She is initiating conversations (we have no idea what she is saying, we just go along with it ;o) ), and is very animated when she is telling us all about it, lol. Like an infant, she is going through the babbling stages first, I am hopeful meaningful words will follow. When she does say an occasional word, it is as clear as day and you better be paying attention or you'll miss it. One of the teachers aides in her room is named Rick, last Friday she said his name THREE times! She's never said Mommy or Daddy, but she says his name, Jonathan, Madison, Maggie, stop it and shut up (I know, of all things, she had to copy what daddy says to the dog when she won't stop barking...sigh). She doesn't say Madison or Maggie clearly (the two dogs), but we know that is what she is trying to say.
This morning she got out of the van and went into school with minimal cues and no attitude! I'm soooo relieved! Even though we knew this is what was best for her and it was what God wanted us to do, I was still so hesitant. I'm blessed that my fears were unfounded!
We will continue to drive her to and from school, 45mins each way, that's 3 hours a day in the car and that is only if traffic is moving smoothly, which is rare.
I have to confess to being exhausted. I'm NOT a morning person and I'm doing the morning run. I chose this since my hubby is less of a morning person than even me, which is HARD to believe! He has the afternoon run. I've been going to bed early, 11ish and getting up at 6:30, you'd think that would be enough, but I guess my body's alarm clock, and my lupus, don't agree. I'm already trying to plan my nap, lol.
Joseph has started his work at home. He is doing well, but is having some difficulty adjusting to the increase in work load that comes with being in 8th grade. This year he is also taking a foreign language, Spanish, through co-op. He has quite a bit of work in that each day and it isn't on the computer, so he is struggling. I'm glad that more of his work is starting to be in book form, he needs to start adjusting to this so he can handle college.
Jonathan is doing well with all his therapies. He has 11 visits each week, so we have quite a bit of schedule juggling to do, but it's worth it. All his therapists have seen an improvement with him since the spring, so I guess we must have been doing something right over the summer!
This morning she got out of the van and went into school with minimal cues and no attitude! I'm soooo relieved! Even though we knew this is what was best for her and it was what God wanted us to do, I was still so hesitant. I'm blessed that my fears were unfounded!
We will continue to drive her to and from school, 45mins each way, that's 3 hours a day in the car and that is only if traffic is moving smoothly, which is rare.
I have to confess to being exhausted. I'm NOT a morning person and I'm doing the morning run. I chose this since my hubby is less of a morning person than even me, which is HARD to believe! He has the afternoon run. I've been going to bed early, 11ish and getting up at 6:30, you'd think that would be enough, but I guess my body's alarm clock, and my lupus, don't agree. I'm already trying to plan my nap, lol.
Joseph has started his work at home. He is doing well, but is having some difficulty adjusting to the increase in work load that comes with being in 8th grade. This year he is also taking a foreign language, Spanish, through co-op. He has quite a bit of work in that each day and it isn't on the computer, so he is struggling. I'm glad that more of his work is starting to be in book form, he needs to start adjusting to this so he can handle college.
Jonathan is doing well with all his therapies. He has 11 visits each week, so we have quite a bit of schedule juggling to do, but it's worth it. All his therapists have seen an improvement with him since the spring, so I guess we must have been doing something right over the summer!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Day two
Anah did well today. I am so very hopeful for her. She seems to be having fun with her new friends and is getting more comfortable over all. This is a pic of Anah last August...what a difference a year can make!
Diane, I am anticipating homeschooling Joseph until he graduates high school, he does not do well in school, he does VERY well at home, so home it will be. Jonathan is being homeschooled this year as well as all his therapies being provided in the home. We will pray and seek God's guidance regarding where we feel Jonathan will grow and benefit the most next year, we do not have a strong feeling at this time one way or the other. We do evaluate each child throughout the year and in anticipation of each school year. Each child is different and will be treated that way, no matter what the cost, inconvenience or opinion of others in regards to our decision. Not that we don't value others input, we do, at least from people that REALLY know us, but the unsolicited opinion of others, in regards to what is "best" for our children can really get under my skin. Not that anyone has given us any lately, but we have had more than our share in the past.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
First Day of School
Today Anah started her first day of school ever! She never went to school in VN and I homeschooled her the last year and a half, so this was her first day of nonmommy school! I was so concerned that she would feel abandoned again, like she was in the orphanage at age 4. I guess the year and a half home and her ability to comprehend have shown her that she is safe and secure with us! She did start to cry as I was first leaving (to wait in the hall and see how she would do without mommy), but she quickly stopped once I was out of sight. I explained to her that she was going to stay to play and learn with new friends and that Mommy and Daddy would pick her up later in the day, after lunch time. After half an hour of hovering in the hall, I left (after checking with the teacher for the third time ;oP ) to make sure she was doing well and letting the staff know I was staying in town for the rest of the day in case they needed me... ok, so maybe mommy was more anxious than Anah, lol. We live 45mins-an hour away from the school, so I didn't want to be too far away. Bob and I have decided to drive her and pick her up every day. She could have gotten bussed, but she would have been the only student on the bus and since she is nonverbal, we didn't feel comfortable with it. Let's face it, we weren't even fully comfortable sending her to school, even though we know it's the best school for her and we were blessed to get her in there.
We have been entrusted by God with our wonderful children and we take that responsibility VERY seriously, we discuss, research and PRAY and only then decide what we feel God would have us do with each child and their abilities and needs. I am praying this will open Anah's communication up and her independence. She is so capable but has such orphanage behavior that she is fearful to do things by herself for fear of getting in trouble. Here is a pic of Anah as M. and I drove her to school. Before we picked her up I drove home, dropped off M. so she could watch Jonathan and picked up Bob. I did tell Anah Mommy AND Daddy would pick her up, so I wanted her to know I was telling her the truth. The teacher and aides said she had a great day and had lots of fun!!! YEAH, Mommy and Daddy were so excited to pick up their big girl from school!! We were so relieved she had settled in and enjoyed herself, Praise God!
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