Anne's Originals

Falling Asleep

2011-10-05T22:13:00.002-04:00

Nick has been having trouble falling asleep lately. Sometimes, to get him to sleep at a reasonable time I'll lay down with him. It is an amazing thing to watch him fall asleep, one minute he's giggling or popping up and down and then next he's sound asleep. It's just that quick, in one instant from awake to asleep.

Be Silly

2011-10-04T08:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday after Nick came home from school, I asked him what he wanted to do, play a game? go outside & swing? watch Super Why? No. "Be silly" which meant rolling around on the floor giggling. Silly boy. He also told me that he'd gone bowling and seen his teacher from last year. I love when he shares what happened at school. He doesn't always, just the things that are important to him.

School Drop Off

2011-10-03T10:01:00.002-04:00

Nick is at a nearby elementary that is not our home school. One of the 5th graders who's on safety patrol lives in our neighborhood and knows Nick from the pool. Whenever P is on duty when we drop Nick off she makes it a point to come to the car to help him out. This morning she was there and as soon as Nick saw P he had the biggest smile on his face that lasted until he walked into school and I could no longer see him.

It just made my day!

M.E.'s new door

2011-10-02T17:59:00.002-04:00

K has been working on this for M.E. since the spring, who is a major Dr. Who fan. M.E. was away for the weekend at a church retreat and it gave us the chance to install the door while she wasn't around. She was thrilled and completely surprised.

31 for 21

2011-10-01T22:23:00.003-04:00

O.K., going to try again this year to commit to 31 posts in the month of October for DS awareness month. Since I haven't blogged in 6 months, don't hold out much hope.

Nick turned 9 a few weeks ago, hard to believe how the time has flown. It is amazing how "normal" or "typical" our family is. Nick is a typical baby brother, he figures out the right buttons irritate his brother & sister the most. Loves to wrestle with his brother (or anyone for that matter). He can pretty much take care of his personal needs.

Bad Mommy Moments

2011-04-26T15:02:00.003-04:00

We've had a couple of incidents lately that show Nick's developing skills and independence and also that we've gotten a little lax.

Last week, at the rehearsal for M.E.'s high school drama production at a local church, Nick decided it was time to go, picked up my purse, walked to the elevator, pushed the correct buttons to call the elevator and get to the first floor. Then he walked out through the parking lot to our van. Fortunately, the church has a security guard who patrols the parking lot who'd grabbed Nick before any harm could come to him.

Then Sunday afternoon, Nick plugged the iron in and managed to burn himself and the ironing board cover.

Sigh.

Visit

2010-10-22T22:32:00.002-04:00

Went for my annual pap smear/well woman visit. When the nurse checked me in she went over my chart and asked was I really gravida 10, para 3. Yep, that's me. Why does it still sting a bit all these years later?

The midwife who delivered Nick did my exam, at first she didn't remember me, it had been about 6 years since I've seen her. She asked about Nick how he was doing, etc. She mentioned that she had seen a couple earlier in the week who have a prenatal diagnosis of DS in their first baby. The Mom was taking it well, but the Dad was having a hard time. If anyone can help them through this I think that Y can. Tonight, I was remembering how kind she was after Nick's birth and how she stayed and rehashed his birth. I don't know how much she knew or suspected at the time, but it was a comfort.

Wishing that couple comfort and love as they start down this journey.

Garden

2009-07-07T12:45:00.003-04:00

Despite not so small interference...
We're getting a bumper crop from our garden this year.
Green and Purple beans
Zucchini, Yellow squash, and tomatoes
Watermelon!!

Grilled Chicken Salad

2009-07-03T12:58:00.004-04:00

Last night we grilled chicken breasts using my favorite Apple Rosemary marinade. Fortunately, there were two left over, so I made my favorite chicken salad. Here's the recipe.

In a medium bowl mix the chicken, apple, cranberries, pecans, and onion. In a small bowl mix together mayo, mustards and salt & pepper. Pour over the chicken mixture, stir together.

Apple Rosemary Marinade

2009-07-03T12:41:00.003-04:00

Here is the recipe for the Apple Rosemary Marinade for the grilled chicken breasts. This marinade also works well on pork.

Mix together and pour over chicken or pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

My Fourth Child

2009-06-12T12:42:00.002-04:00

I actually have four kids, bet you didn't know that? My fourth is Daisy the dog. She may not be human but she exhibits the same sort of sibling rivalry the other 3 do. If I hug one of the other kids she try and squirm her way between us. The other day Nate & I were snuggling on the couch. Daisy couldn't stand it, jumped up on the couch, and squirmed her way in.

Imperative not Interrogative

2009-06-12T12:35:00.003-04:00

This morning, Nate & M.E. got into it (o.k., not just this morning.) Anyway, M.E. comes up with a gash in her heal. What happened?

M.E.: "Nate pushed me into the edge of the cabinet."

Nate: "Because she pressure pointed me on the side of my head and it hurt."

M.E.: "I did that because he wouldn't stop poking me."

Mom: "Did you ask him to stop."

M.E.: "Yes!"

Nate: "No, you yelled at me to stop. Yelling is imperative not interrogative."

Sigh

Katie Beckett

2009-06-11T22:18:00.003-04:00

Nick is eligible for, and has so far been approved for a Katie Beckett (or Deeming) waiver, which helps pay some of the bills that our insurance won't cover. It is essentially medicaid for disabled children who's parents make too much money to be covered by medicaid.

When Nick was in early intervention it paid the co-pays for therapy which were substantial, at one point about $800 per month. Since he's started school, the therapies are done at school and we aren't billed. We did use it for extra PT the first year Nick was in school and for his orthotics which our insurance didn't cover.

Every year there is an annual review, which freaks me out more than any thing else, I don't find taxes anywhere as, um, taxing. And every year I debate whether to apply for it.

Anyway, the review papers came the last day of school. Of course, Nick was late for his annual physical and his doctor had retired. Plus, I didn't have a current copy of his IEP. I managed to get everything, doctor visit included done and sent everything off in the mail this morning. Then came home and realized I forgot a copy of Nick's insurance card. Argh!

Dentist

2009-06-01T10:54:00.003-04:00

Nick seems to take after his big brother in being slow to lose teeth and having lots of crowding. His bottom front teeth had started to come in even though his baby teeth haven't fallen out yet. So, this morning it was off to the dentist to have them extracted. With a little laughing gas he did very well. Even following directions to bite down on the cotton. I'll have to post of picture of his new grin once it looks less gruesome.

Hmm...

2009-05-31T22:37:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we took the big kids to see the new Star Trek movie. This weekend, we were talking about the older movies and t.v. series. So, off I went to see if Blockbuster had "The Voyage Home" or any of the other movies. They had 1 copy of "The Wrath of Khan," which was checked out.

So, from my iPhone, I checked Walmart.com. Sure, enough, they had a boxed set of "The Wrath of Kahn," "The Search for Spock," and the "The Voyage Home," in stock. They also had best of collections for the original series and the Next Generation.

Obviously, Blockbuster is missing out here. Wouldn't it be logical to think with the new movie there would be interest in the older movies? Or is Blockbuster so focused on just what's available for rent right now?

Feeling Guilty

2009-05-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

Today is Nick's spring program at school, but he's not going and I'm feeling guilty. He's not going because Nate has a guitar lesson that I hadn't managed to reschedule followed by baseball. He's not going because the program is at 6 and to get him there we'd have to leave at 4:30 but M.E. doesn't get home until then (dang Atlanta traffic).

Not going, will save him sitting in a car for more than 90 minutes in addition to his round trip on the bus today. And he won't really know or care. And I feel guilty about that. I feel guilty that he has to miss something because of his older siblings. And I feel guilty about that. You can't do everything. The other kids have to make choices in their activities but they can make their choices. Sigh.

Suddenly

2009-04-26T23:19:00.002-04:00

Nick's speech has improved so much in the past few months. He's really trying to make himself understood, to speak clearly and slowly. His favorite movie of the moment is Finding Nemo, and he's obsessed with the diver and mask. So, he's worked so hard to say diver, repeating it over and over. Today, I noticed he's starting to pick up the syllables that he often dropped in words and to pick up words in phrases he often left out. So, bu-els have become bubbles, pole has become ishing pole and the movie "Sages" has become "Ice Age."

I miss sages a bit tho.

Sweet Moment

2009-04-24T23:28:00.002-04:00

The other night at bed time, Nick patted the rocking chair and said "sit." So I sat. Then he climbed into my lap and said "sing." So, I did. I know it was partly a tactic to delay bedtime, but, it was a sweet moment, one I miss as the kids get bigger and bigger.

The next day, I was singing in the car and he said "no, sing moma." So, I kept on singing.

Amazing

2009-04-16T22:50:00.002-04:00

Since the beginning of the year, I've been working on decluttering. Today, I was going through my files of appliance and other manuals, rooting out the manuals for things long broken or that have been given away. One the items was the microwave K & I bought when we moved in together after getting engaged in 1992. On the front page was contact information, an address and a phone number. No email or web page address. Amazing, what we did before the web became such a part such a part of our everyday lives.

Spring Break Activities

2009-04-10T22:56:00.002-04:00

For Spring Break, we did a "staycation" Monday, we went to a local pool and swam. Nick was very reluctant to get into the water at first but by the end he put his face in and blew bubbles, held onto my hands and kicked. The may be the summer he learns to swim. At least he should be able to stand in the shallow end.

Tuesday, we went to Chuck E Cheese. I took a book and let the kids run loose. Nick spent most of his time in the overhead tunnels. The older kids went for the games with the possibility of winning the most tickets.

Wednesday, we hung around in our p.j.s

Thursday, two families we know from an email list came over. We had lunch, played a bit of badminton, played Apples to Apples and the moms hung out & chatted.

Friday, we went to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke. Nick loved the aquarium and practiced signing the words for all the sea animals he knows. His favorite was the beluga whales with the giant tank with the whale sharks, rays, etc. He wasn't too thrilled with the World of Coke until we came to the tasting room.

Friends

2009-04-10T15:50:00.002-04:00

We had two families over yesterday, one local, one from out of town. The moms originally met on a pregnancy due date list in 1998. We now have 10 year old boys, plus six other kids ranging in age from 15 to 6. The kids played together while the moms talked.

We've gotten together annually for 10 years, and have probably not spent more than 40 hours together in real life. It's amazing how well you can get to know someone when you email almost daily for over 11 years. We're shared to birth of our children, the deaths of friends and other trials of life. It's good to have friends.

Another Milestone of Sorts

2009-04-04T15:15:00.002-04:00

This morning, Nick had his p.j. top on inside out. My guess is that he took it off and then put it back on inside out! He's doing really well on dressing. Sometimes get things on backwards, but hey, sometimes I do that too! Now to work on socks.

Seafood Lasagne

2009-04-03T17:10:00.003-04:00

Adapted from The Silver Palate Goodtimes Cookbook, by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins. I used to make this fairly often before kids, and had forgotten how good it is.

Sauce

1 pound medium-size shrimp, shelled, deveined, and poached briefly (I used precooked)

1 pound scallops, poached briefly

1 jar (24 oz or larger) Vodka sauce

1 box no cook lasagne noodles

Filling

1 pound container ricotta cheese

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp

2 eggs

1 package (10 ounce) chopped frozen spinach

1 pound cooked lump crabmeat

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1 tablespoon dried basil

Salt & pepper to taste

2 packages sliced mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or grease 13" x 9" pan

Mix vodka sauce, scallops and shrimp.
Beat ricotta, cream cheese and eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in spinach, crabmeat, scallions, basil and salt & pepper to taste.
Spread a thin layer of sauce without seafood in the bottom of pan. Top with a layer of noodles. Cover with half of the seafood sauce and then half of the crabmeat filling.
Then add a layer of mozzarella cheese followed by a layer of noodles. Top with the remainder of sauce followed by the filling. Cover with the remaining mozzarella.
Bake until the top is bubbling and browned, about 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2009-04-03T08:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Nick had an appointment to be casted for a new pair of SMOs. He did really well, protesting a bit but not screaming the entire time. The orthotist remembered us from last year and commented on how much Nick had grown and how well he was walking. It's hard to believe it's only been a year that he's been walking. There was a time when I wondered if he would ever walk, now, I almost can't remember him not walking.

This time last year, Nick was starting to but 2 & 3 word phrases together. But, the words were one syllable or one syllable of a longer word and the phrases were often echos. Now, he's putting together real sentences with multiple syllable words. The other night in the bath he said "Go way, no wash my hair." He's also started to answer questions about things that happened. We're not quite to being able to ask him about his day but, occasionally, he'll tell us about something big that happened at school. And he actually answered a question in circle time at school.

Last year we were working on potty training but not seeing much success. Now, he mostly goes on demand and stays dry as long as we put him on the potty. Now, he can undress himself. The other day he pulled down his pants & pullup and peed on the potty all his own.

Self help skills are coming along, he has mastered a fork and spoon and eats cereal with a minimum of mess. He drinks from an open cup without spilling. Undresses himself, of course, I often find him naked in the bath tub! He knows to cover his mouth when he coughs and mostly to use tissues to wipe his nose.

When you have a child with delays, it's hard to see progress. Perhaps we need to take a longer view more often.

Struggling

2009-03-27T17:26:00.002-04:00

I'm struggling a bit with Nick's placement for next year. I'm pretty sure it's the right choice, but have reservations. It feels a bit like a step backwards. Right now, he's in full inclusion in a pre-K class. The recommendation is to put him in a self contained special education class that is partnered with a regular education kindergarten class. Initially, he'll have a minimum of 1 hour per day of regular education instruction along with going to "specials" with the regular education class. I met and saw in action the teacher Nick is likely to have. She's fantastic, and is probably a good fit for him. In know, he'll get a lot more one-on-one instruction which he really needs. But, it's still not inclusion. I have to remember inclusion is what I want and not what Nick may need.

It's never easy is it?

He is Down Syndrome - not

2009-03-26T10:52:00.003-04:00

When I first heard of people first language, it seemed a too politically correct. However, the further we get into this journey the more it makes sense.

This morning, I talked with a gentleman with an older child with DS. He said "my daughter is Down Syndrome." And then talked about someone else who "is Down Syndrome." It bothered me, a lot.

Driving home, I got to thinking about people first language and how someone isn't a label and that they are so much more than a label. Nick isn't Down Syndrome, he's Nick. But, I'm also guilty of not using people first language. Nate has a friend who's bipolar, or rather has bipolar disorder. We have another friend who is dyslexic, or rather has dyslexia. Both of these children are so much more than their disorders or disabilities.

Quote

2009-01-27T21:33:00.002-05:00

Came across this quote recently...

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.... Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Martin Luther King 1967

2009 Goals or Resolutions

2009-01-27T08:27:00.004-05:00

I'm only about 26 or so days late on writing these up, but I have been more or less working on them.

Get housework done earlier in the day. I'm pretty good about making beds, emptying the dishwasher, etc., but it doesn't get done until about 4 p.m. when the kids are home from school. Because the routine work isn't done, special projects don't get started and lots of time is lost goofing on the computer.
Knit, sew, craft from stash. No more quick trips to Michaels, Joanne's, & the yarn store just to see what's out there. There is probably enough yarn in this house to keep me knitting for the next 10 years.
Finish or frog UFOs. I've already made a good start on this finishing one afghan in 2009.
Declutter by recycling, donating, or throwing out one bag every week.
Eat out less, especially fast food.
Stick to the budget. We actually have a budget set for this year. It also means keeping up with Quicken, which I've spent the last week getting completely caught up. (Of course, this was a bit depressing looking at IRA & 401K losses from last year.)
Be more patient with the kids, hubby, & myself.
Take time to do things I enjoy, like knitting, playing the piano, etc.
Buy less junk.
Keep in better touch with old friends and make some new ones. (hmm, an excuse to use Facebook?)
Finish Nick's potty training.

Christmas Eve Eve

2008-12-23T22:47:00.004-05:00

All is quiet, everyone is asleep. All the presents are bought & wrapped, cookies made, house & tree decorated. Not much to do tomorrow except plan christmas meal, shop, enjoy the day and the kids. We're keeping it pretty low key this year, not terribly extravagant on the gifts, sticking close to home. Very peaceful a real change from years past and I'm looking forward to it.

Have several Nick stories to post, will do so soon.

Today...

2008-11-26T22:18:00.002-05:00

What a busy day...

Did four loads of laundry, folded and put away.
K took Nate to the Lego store to use a gift certificate from LAST Christmas. He bought a small Star Wars ship, a small Mars Mission ship, a large grey baseplate, and a small pick-a-brick. Took him nearly an hour to pick it all out. He's a careful shopper when he's using his own or gift money.
I took M.E. to REI to look for a jacket. Ended up with a North Face furry fleece. "Everyone" has North Face. Nick crawled in a tent and wouldn't come out. He was also kept escaping every time I turned my back, fortunately, he's not quiet and I could find him pretty quickly.
Baked cornbread and pumpkin muffins.
Made sweet potato casserole and squash delight casserole.
Made Shrimp & Hot Root Soup and the Abbots Special Abbey Trifle from the Redwall cookbook. The custard for the trifle didn't set up. Not sure what went wrong. The custard had some solid chunks in it that I pushed through the strainer. Oh well, we have vanilla & raspberry soup in a lady finger bowl.
Baked pumpkin and apple pies, they look great.
Not sure how I'll transport all of this. But, I sure won't have to do too much cooking tomorrow.
Nick, after watching a Bob-the-Builder episode where Loft falls off a bridge, kept racing into the kitchen with his toy shopping cart. Tipping it over saying "Oh no, what a mess." Coming up to me, telling me "Heavy, help, what to do?" And then I'd help him turn it upright. After about the 20th time M.E. was fed up and would upright it before he could. Nick would give her an evil, eye race out of the kitchen and then come back in again, until she was tired of it.
Just turned out the lights on two readers, was told I was so mean because their books are so good.

Still Chuckling

2008-11-21T21:32:00.002-05:00

The period of time after Nick's birth was one of my lowest, I didn't know what he would be capable of and would I love him enough. But, I was sure things were going to be alright and wished my future self could come and reassure me. Today, Nick's teacher told me about something Nick did that would make a good story for the future me to tell to the past me.

Today was the Thanksgiving lunch at Nick's school. As soon as she saw me, Nick's teacher said "I have to tell you what your son did today." "Oh, oh," I said. She replied, "Oh, it's a good story, you will really laugh."

Lately, Nick become much more interactive with others, to the point of ordering us to do what he wants. He's also, been engaging in more pretend and imaginative play.

Apparently, he walked over to his teacher with a broom in one hand and a play microphone in the other. He told his teacher, "Sing, Dog Out." Which means "Sing, 'Who let the dogs out.'" So she did, while he accompanied her pretending to play the guitar using the broom. And wouldn't let her stop for nearly 10 minutes. Boy, do I wish we had a video.

Something else to like about Nick's school

2008-11-17T22:36:00.001-05:00

The Michael's near Nick's school has a better selection of yarn than either of the two near us.

I know, I'm a bit shallow and more than little obsessed.

Hooray! Me!!

2008-11-10T22:27:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I think that having as much therapy as Nick has has made him a bit of a praise junky and when he can't get it from someone else he'll praise himself.

Nick has made great strides with fine motor lately, especially holding a fork & spoon. The other night he had a bowl of cereal after dinner. He ate a few spoonfuls without spilling and suddenly put his hands up in the air and said "Hooray! Me!" He continued to eat a few more spoonfuls and repeat the "Hooray! Me!" several more times. By the end we were all joining in.

What I've been up to

2008-11-07T09:22:00.002-05:00

Knitting, knitting, knitting, in preparation for a couple of craft fairs.

Bernat Alpaca blend

Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (I think)

Made from Debbie Mumm Traditions

Jaegar Luxury Tweed (alpaca/lambswool) in Sea Sky

A felted bag out of Paton's Merino. This is a version of the Ella scarf bag using a mosaic knit pattern.

I need to write up patterns for the cable scarves and put them on my Etsy site.

Daisy & Nick

2008-11-02T21:56:00.004-05:00

Daisy, the dog, and Nick have a relationship that can best be explained as sibling rivalry. They seem to tussle over toys just like sibs do. The other day, Nick commandeered one of my laundry baskets and was pretending to be a turtle.
Daisy came in with a toy. And before she knew what happened, a small arm shot out from under the laundry basket and snatched away her toy.
Where'd it go? She could smell it, and hear Nick's giggles.
Ah, there it is..
It's just Nick. This went on for several more rounds until Daisy ran off with her toy.

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

Not only did the big kids carve their pumpkins all by themselves, Nick was able to help with the scooping out of the pumpkin. He wasn't thrilled with the texture of the "guts" but he had a lot of fun scooping up the seeds.

Halloween

2008-10-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

Too tired to write much, but here are some pictures from Halloween...

Everyone impatient to Trick or Treat

M.E.'s Pumpkin

Nate's Pumpkin on the left, Nick's on the right.

M.E.'s pumpkin all lit up. 'Cary to quote Nick

Rascal

2008-10-29T22:32:00.002-04:00

Nick is a thumb and finger sucker. We've been working on getting him to stop, with little success. When told to take his hand out of his mouth, he used to take his hand out. Lately, when reminded he will put BOTH hands in his mouth, and adds a saucy grin!

Blustery Day

2008-10-28T13:21:00.002-04:00

Today is a beautiful, if slightly cold fall day. More typical of November here than October. But, November is just around the corner. Yikes! The good news is this blasted campaign will be over. The bad news is then Christmas is just weeks away.

Going Back to Work

2008-10-27T21:40:00.003-04:00

When M.E. was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. In my mind, I was sure I'd return to work when my youngest was in school full time, which in Georgia is kindergarten. Nick's not in kindergarten but he is kindergarten age. Now, Nick has been in school more or less full time for the past 2 plus years, so I could have started before this.

But, this fall has brought home the advantages and value of having one parent at home. Nick was out for a week probably with shigella. Nate for a week with his foot and then now another couple of days. We don't have a lot of family close by.

So far, I've applied for a few positions listed in our local newspaper, but haven't been looking very actively. Also, I'm not really sure what I want to do. I was product manager for a biotechnology instrumentation company. There aren't a lot of those types of companies here.

These are all excuses, I know. Oh well, maybe a fabulous job will fall into my lap. Or we'll win the lottery, of course, we don't play.

Halloween Party

2008-10-26T23:01:00.004-04:00

Every year the kids' Uncle B hosts a ginormous Halloween party at his farm. There are hay rides, a corn maze, a treasure hunt, horses, and of course pumpkins.

Eww, pumpkin guts.

Nate's handy work!

What happened to M.E.'s face?

Nick showing off his bad haircut and the pumpkin he likes. (At least we didn't pay for it)

Happy Birthday Honey!

2008-10-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

It's K's birthday. Won't tell you how old he is. But his present was all 6 years of "Hogan's Heroes" and german chocolate cake.

One Man Band

2008-10-25T12:15:00.004-04:00

This is from this summer, I can't figure out how to turn upright, it so here it is anyway.

'Ni 'Ni

2008-10-24T21:45:00.002-04:00

Tonight I helped serve at the middle school youth group mystery dinner. The kids are given a menu with 16 items such as "butcher's helper(knife)", "Golden rod (carrots). The kids each chose 4 items per course for 4 courses. Some kids had a knife to eat corn with or a toothpick to eat jello with. They all had a blast.

We came home to K, Nate & Nick watching Star Wars Episode 1. Nick said "Ni Ni, sleep" so, he hugged everyone and I took him up and put him to bed. He is so sweet and he likes his sleep.

A fun day, Nate is recovering, a little bored since I kept him home today to recover some more.

Splinter

2008-10-23T17:11:00.001-04:00

Nate had his surgery today to remove the piece of wood. Here is the result. He's now home and happily building Legos

CTTD #1

2008-10-20T22:12:00.003-04:00

That's Cute Things They Do. Last week Nick rediscovered the viewmaster. He was walking around looking into it bumping into walls. Of course, he has to share.

Update Post #4: Nate Turned 10

2008-10-20T22:01:00.004-04:00

Last week Nate turned 10. We celebrated as a family with a trip to Chuck E Cheese. But Nick was disappointed that the presents weren't for him.

Fortunately big brother let him help unwrap...
He's getting really good at unwrapping presents.
Nate's fav, now he only has 110 pages to go.
Cookie cake! Unfortunately, mom forgot to buy candles

Over the weekend Nate & a few buddies played Lazer Tag and of course, there were more presents.
And a cake, this time with candles.

A Dog's Life

2008-10-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

Catch Up Post #3: We Celebrated Our 16th Anniversary

2008-10-20T13:58:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe it's been 16 years. We went to McCormick & Schmick's for dinner. K is a traditional kind of guy so he likes to pick a present out of the material for each year. This year there is no traditional gift but holloware is the "modern" material. This year is was a Michael Aram platter from the Twisted Vine Collection.

What did I get for K? I cleaned the house, believe me it's pretty rare for the house to be clean.

The Wizard of Has (Oz)

2008-10-19T22:05:00.003-04:00

One of Nicky's birthday presents was the Wizard of Ha's a Veggie Tales version of the Wizard of Oz. And he's been watching it over and over...and so have all of us. But it made us realize that the older kids have never seen the original Wizard of Oz movie. They know the rough story and most of the pop culture references.

The reason they haven't seen it is that I can't stand the movie. When I was little, it scared me to death. I couldn't sit still and watch it instead ran around the room. Especially in the scenes where the Wicked Witch of the West steals Toto and those in her castle. For some reason, my mother was frustrated and aggravated with the running around. So year after year we'd watch the stupid movie when it came on tv, I was scared and she was irritated.

It makes me wonder how many things I do as parent just because that's what everyone does that aren't the best ideas

What we did today

2008-10-18T22:45:00.010-04:00

Today we set out for Stone Mountain and the Highland Games. Nate was fascinated by the caber toss. M.E. by the fiddlers. But both were disappointed that the blacksmith wasn't there. So, after a while we went over to Stone Mountain Crossroads Village to see the blacksmith there. Nate thought it was cool, Nicky thought it was too loud. Learned that a cobalt alloy is now being used on plough blades. And Kim & I had cokes, Nicky HiC, Nate dippin dotes and M.E. was cold. I should have better pictures, but I keep forgetting to take them.

Catch Up Post #2: Nate hurt his foot

2008-10-18T22:34:00.002-04:00

The day after Nick's birthday, Nate was playing outside with friends. A game that involved "fighting with sticks." We're not quite sure how it happened but somehow Nate ended up with several pieces of wood in his foot. The entry was between his 3rd & 4th toes. The first trip to the ER involved X-ray and ultrasound. Wood doesn't show up on X-ray very well, hence the ultrasound. Which doesn't seem to be the most reliable method for determining what's in there either.

The second trip to the ER involved IV antibiotics after infection set in.

This is how it looks today, a month afterwards. We've consulted a surgeon who thinks there is sill at least one piece still in his foot. The spot near his toes is a migration of the initial puncture wound and the spot further back may be a hematoma or a granuloma(?) of the foreign body (piece of wood).

Surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

Nicky to Nick

2008-10-18T22:30:00.002-04:00

Another transition in the past year has been from Nicky to Nick. It started with the OT at school requesting that Nicky be taught to write "Nick" since the letters K and Y have diagonal strokes which are difficult to execute. His teachers started calling him "Nick" and we've sort of picked up on it. Nick seems a bit more grown up especially for my big six year old. (she says somewhat wistfully).

Catch Up Post #1: Nicky Turned 6!

2008-10-17T22:00:00.003-04:00

Last Month Nicky Turned 6!

Obviously, Lightning McQueen and Woody are still among his favorites (we should have bought stock in Disney)

What an amazing year it's been:

Nicky finally put it all together and started walking independently.
He can now climb up and down stairs holding onto the hand rail and occasionally uses reciprocal steps.
He is putting together two, three and longer sentences. Some are just words and some are combinations of words and signs.
He can reliably recognize all of the letters and tell you the sound it makes.
He can write NICK.
He can count to 5 and recognize some numbers.
He is starting to use pronouns correctly, although I do miss "carry you".
He still loves music but is starting to be a critic of family members' singing.
He knows how to operate the DVD player and can turn on the tv with a remote.
He can operate the mouse to play computer games.
He knows animal signs for a vast number of animals and can make the animal's sound.
He's getting very good at bossing everyone around and ignoring us when he doesn't want to do something.
He can throw and kick a ball.
He's just such a love and a blessing.

Catching UP

2008-10-17T21:58:00.001-04:00

O.K., so I've totally dropped the ball on the 31 for 21. But, I'm really really really going to try to catch up. I figure if I write two posts per day for the next 14 days I can catch up. Yeah right.

Why I Knit

2008-10-17T07:22:00.002-04:00

Most everyone who knows me knows that I knit. Constantly or almost constantly. I've been knitting since I was 18. Mom taught me the summer before college. I knit a lot in college for relaxation and to create things. I knit several "boyfriend sweaters" for the same boyfriend and of course we didn't marry. (The only thing I've knit for my hubby is a pair of cashmere socks that shrunk in the wash). Mostly I followed patterns. After graduation I kept on knitting. About that time I discovered Barbara Walker's treasuries and started making sampler afgahns out of acrylic yarn. In retrospect, most are pretty hideous. But, that's the yarn I could afford.

Went to grad school and knit some. I was too busy in life and my next job to knit much. When I was expecting my first I knit her a sweater and then another after she was born. Lots of friends had lots of babies, so I knit lots of baby sweaters.

After Nicky was born life was chaos. But about that time knitting became very popular and the yarns that were available, oh my the yarns that were available. Started knitting scarves with novelty yarns (eyelash yarn - ugh). Then felted bags, then socks (the ill-fated cashmere ones). I started designing my own bags and socks and sweaters. Now, I rarely follow a pattern and have published a few.

It's interesting how my knitting has evolved from being very product oriented to process oriented. I've gone from being monogamous to having multiple projects in the works at all times. Gone from relying on a pattern and not always understanding what went wrong when it didn't work to designing and viewing patterns as a starting place not a bible.

Anyway, the reasons I knit:

Maintain sanity
Have something that is not undone five minutes after it's finished
Have something to do at boring meetings
Have wonderful gifts to give (or not)
Play with color and pattern
Drive my husband crazy with projects left lying around all over the place

There are many more but the first is the most important.

Start of 31 for 21

2008-10-01T08:59:00.001-04:00

Tried to post every day in October last year in honor of Nation Down Syndrome month and didn't succeed. Maybe this year will be different.

October 1 is a special day for us because Nicky came home from the hospital after 13 days in the NICU on October 1st, 2002. So, now it's been six years!

School Days

2008-09-30T22:19:00.002-04:00

Everyday, after he gets off the bus, I ask Nicky how school was and if anything happened. Usually, he says "bus" since the bus ride seems to be the highlight of the day. Today, he made the sign for Police Officer (the letter C held to your chest). It's career week and the father of another student, a police officer came to visit his classroom. Guess he made a good impression. A nurse also visited but she obviously didn't make as big of an impression.

Nicky can also pick out his name from a list of four names, write an N and an i, and tell you all the letters in his name!

First Day of School Pics

2008-09-08T22:26:00.003-04:00

Only about a month late, first day of school pictures.

Nick & Dad waiting for the bus

M.E. & N at the door, a traditional shot

N at school, I took this one to annoy him

M.E. at the bus stop another chance to bug my kids

Letters vs. Numbers

2008-09-08T22:14:00.004-04:00

Nicky can recognize all the letters, tell you what sound they make and even tell you some words that start with that letter. He knows that putting letters together makes words and can even recognize a few sight words. But, for some reason numbers are really tough. He can count to ten but if you show him a number he can't make the connection between the number and the word for it. I find it both fascinating and frustrating and for the same reason. He can obviously make a connection between an abstract concept of a written letter and the sound it makes. And the connection between a group of letters and a word and what the word means. But he does not apply the same numbers. With my older kids learning letters and numbers happened simultaneously, why not Nick? Something more to ponder and research.

In the Land of Pooh

2008-08-29T21:58:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, not AA Milne's cute cuddly character but the other kind. Nick's lower GI issues continue. The good news is he's getting lots of practice using the potty. The bad news is he doesn't always make it. This too shall pass..

I love Nick's school

2008-08-28T23:19:00.003-04:00

I don't know what the future will bring for Nicky's education, but right now I just love his school. He's in an inclusion pre-K class, something I didn't think would be possible a few years ago. Tonight was curriculum night. Nicky has been sick since the weekend so he hasn't been in school. All his teachers wanted to know how he was doing and said what a delight he's been so far. I had so much anxiety about this placement and in the first two weeks has done well. He's been writing the letters N, I & K. He's learned their routines and is starting to use the potty regularly. And they are ok with the pull-ups.

Sigh

2008-08-10T14:06:00.003-04:00

Warning: this a a feeling sorry for myself post...

My next door neighbor is having a party for all the rising kindergartners and it's driving the dog nuts. But, it's not the dog that's bugging me (or at least not most of it), rather that Nicky should be going to K this year and would be if he were a typical kid. Meanwhile, I've cleaned three pairs of poopy underwear in the past hour. So much for potty training which means he'll likely be moved either to the self-contained Pre-K class or back down to the Inclusion Preschool class he was in last year. Sigh. Now, it really wouldn't be moving back just staying in place. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

2008-08-07T21:59:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, I look at my friends with typical kids about Nicky's age and am so envious of how independent their kids are and how dependent Nicky is. But, we've seen so much growth in the past year. Walking is a huge part of it, no longer having to carry Nicky has made life easier, we even go places without the stroller and he walks. He can feed himself and drink from an open cup. He's working on dressing himself. He's speaking more and understandable to others outside the family. He definitely can make his needs and wants known. If taken to the potty regularly, he's generally dry. BM training is not happening at all at the moment. Unfortunate, since he has between 1 and 3 per day it's a problem. It'll come in time, but I'm still hoping for an instant miracle.

Connections

2008-08-04T16:17:00.003-04:00

Nicky's current movie favorites are the Ice Age movies. This afternoon he was watching the movie. I went to unload the dishwasher and he'd disappeared. He came downstairs a few minutes later with his stuffed elephant. He is now watching the movie copying Manny's actions. I just love it when he makes these sort of connections.

Seven Days From Now...

2008-08-04T09:53:00.002-04:00

Is the first day of school! Yay! Boo! Never thought I'd say this when the older two were younger but the summer is much too short. Only 11 weeks, it goes much too quickly. Is time speeding up? Or just old age?

Most of what I wanted to happen this summer has. But Nicky still isn't potty trained. He's supposed to be trained for the program he's enrolled in this year. At this point, he's mostly dry if put on the potty at regular intervals. But, he doesn't initiate anything, so I guess I'm the one who's trained.

Still hoping for a miracle.

Why?

2008-06-12T21:19:00.003-04:00

Why is it that I obsess about what could have been, or might have been or should have been, instead of what is? Especially since what is is pretty darn good?

And awfully darn cute?

Sorry for the long absence from posting, the end of school and start of summer has just been crazy. Back to semi-regular posting soon.

Encounter

2008-05-14T14:13:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, I took Nate to urgent care for an ear infection. Nicky came along. While we were sitting in the waiting area, a woman sat down across from us. Somewhat hard to understand, she asked if Nicky had Down Syndrome. I replied that he had.

Then she said: "I had Reye's Syndrome when I was 6 years old. I almost died. Now I can walk and talk. I'm a miracle baby!"

Writing, it doesn't sound all that remarkable, but this woman's joy in her accomplishments and life was so contagious I just had to share. I hope my own miracle baby has as much joy in his life as she did.

You're Weird...

2008-04-16T08:53:00.002-04:00

There is a restaurant in our village with a large grassy area in front. After eating their dinners the kids play while their parents finish up or enjoy another glass of wine. Sometimes, I'll send Nicky out with M.E. and others I go with him. He's walking but still looks a little like frankenstein. Last weekend, I went out with him while K stayed behind to pay up.

As we were walking out a little girl, about the same age, ran out of the restaurant next door. She saw Nicky and started running circles around him taunting "you're weird" in a sing song voice. It hurt and made me angry. I know, if something similar had happened to M.E. or Nate the incident would have been laughed off and forgotten. But because Nicky is different it stings and I can still hear "you're weird" running through my head. Also, because 99.9% of our interactions are positive this one sticks out even more.

Milestones!

2008-03-25T16:25:00.002-04:00

Nicky is officially walking! He's been taking independent steps since before Christmas but now he's doing it on his own and walking long distances without holding on to things. We went to the orthotist today and he was casted for AFOs (or was that SMOs). He didn't like the process one bit, he doesn't like anyone messing with his feet and the casting process is exothermic which he found more than slightly uncomfortable.

The other milestone is figuring out the computer mouse. He can now start up his favorite programs from the icons and click where he wants. His favorites are Dr. Seus's ABC and Cat in the Hat. I'm looking for suggestions for other programs he might enjoy. The kids received a new computer for Christmas and it doesn't run any of the programs I have from the older kids. It's an Intel based iMac.

Nate's First Place Tech Fair Project

2008-03-12T15:41:00.002-04:00

Nate won first place in our state technology fair for third grade, multimedia. Here is his project, originally in powerpoint, now turned into a movie.

Considering I was a chem major..

2008-03-03T11:57:00.001-05:00

I should be able to pass this thing. Although, I did need help from M.E. on one thing.

I've always suspected that...

2008-03-02T21:40:00.001-05:00

Walking to school with Nate the other morning he said:

"Two boys, a husband, a girl and a dog, you have a tough life. You know you're our slave don't you?"

Rip, Thunk

2008-02-22T21:42:00.002-05:00

Nicky loves to take his shoes and socks off, will do it anywhere, anytime, he's given the chance.

We were driving over to M.E.'s school for a dinner and an open house. It's a short drive, less than 10 minutes. About halfway there I hear rip, thunk, rip thunk from behind me.

"Nate, did Nicky take off his shoes?"

"Yep"

"Nicky, don't you dare take off your socks."

After a minute of silence...

"Na, na, na..."

"Nate, did Nicky take off his socks?"

"Yep, and he's saying na na na boo boo."

Sure enough, in the rearview mirror, I see that Nicky has his thumbs in his ears, waggling his fingers singing "na, na, na"

I did the only thing I could, laughed.

I wish I had a Crystal Ball

2008-02-09T12:29:00.000-05:00

We had Nicky's IEP meeting this week to set new goals and decide his placement for next year. His current teacher was somewhat bemused (or more like what the h---?) with his previous goals. Oh well, I think his new goals are more understandable and measurable.

His placement for next year will be in an inclusion pre-Kindergarten class. The other options are to keep him in the preschool class he's in or a self contained Kindergarten class. They pre-K curriculum is language based with an emphasis on pre-reading. I worry that we are selling him short and that he should be doing a Kindergarten curriculum next year. But, pre-reading is where he is, he recognizes most of his letters, is starting to associate sounds with them, can count to 5 more or less. Because of when his birthday is he will be in school until he is almost 22, so a few extra years at the beginning may be the best thing. But, we don't know for sure.

Also, they are not seeing any of the behavior issues we saw last year, with difficulty transitioning and refusing to work with or for therapists. We also decided against a full psych evaluation at this time, having him keep the developmental delay label. There are pluses to having him evaluated now but he also doesn't test well more by refusing to perform than by not having the ability.

Things I never expected to say to my daughter

2008-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

Don't point your epee at that boy just because he threw snowballs at you.

I couldn't handle a special needs child...

2008-01-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many times I've heard that phrase. Usually followed by some sort of praise or comment about how strong I/we are. But, that's not the case.

When I was pregnant with Nicky, the AFP indicated possibility that he had Down Syndrome. Throughout the pregnancy I prayed he didn't have Down Syndrome since I was sure that I couldn't handle it.

When Nicky was first born (at at times since then) I've been totally overwhelmed by the thought of the future and was sure I couldn't handle it. While he was still in the hospital I joined several Down Syndrome news groups, mailing lists and online forums. The information and new words were overwhelming, IFSP, OT, PT, IEP, hypothyroidism, hear defect, Hirshsprung's... the list goes on and on. Before leaving the hospital we were referred to early intervention, a program that provides therapy in home to children under the age of three with birth defects, and delays. we were also given paper work to apply for Medicaid for Nicky.

Once Nicky was home we realized that caring for a baby with Down Syndrome isn't all that different than a typical one. He was a little more floppy, we were worried about weight gain and he had a few more doctor's appointments. But day to day it was the same. I learned I could handle a child with special needs at home.

When Nicky was a month old we had our first visit from EI. A caseworker came with a nurse and a special educator. They complemented us on Nicky, how cute he was, all the things a new mother loves to hear. They suggested because of his tone we should have an evaluation by a physical therapist. She came a few weeks later and we started into the whirl of therapy, by the time Nicky was three he had 4 therapy appointments a week. But, along the way I learned that I could handle therapy and a child with special needs.

Turning three means a transition from EI to the school system as the provider of therapy and education for a child with a disability. For about a year before hand I was very apprehensive about the transition. The terms were sometimes different and the process was slightly different but the end result was the same, a group of therapists and teachers working towards Nicky reaching his full potential. Afterwards, I realized that my apprehension for Nicky's transition from EI to the school system was very similar to the transition of my older kids from preschool to kindergarten. And I learned I could handle a Nicky and the school.

Nicky's future as a teenager or an adult with a disability do overwhelm me at times. But, I realize that by that time I will be the parent of a adult with a disability not the parent of a preschooler. And I will be able to handle him and whatever come.

Anne's Excellent Goodwill Adventure

2008-01-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Cate's post on cleaning reminded me of my own adventure cleaning before Christmas.

It all started when I went into the junk heap basement store room looking for Christmas decorations and couldn't even reach them. A fit of recycling, tossing out, trips to Goodwill ensued. Not sure why we had saved every box from every electronic, computer, peripheral we have bought, but we did. Out they went.

The 6 boxes of stuff that were moved unopened from California containing hubby's bachelor kitchen equipment were dispatched to Goodwill.

Turns out the kitchen boxes contained dishes that my MIL had collected week by week with a grocery store coupon. Could I possibly check with Goodwill and see if they still have them?

Over to the drop off location. The truck has been sent on.

Over to the nearby store. Meet a very nice lady named Peggy who called the central office and see where the truck ended up. Go home and find a box with 10 diner plates.

Call Peggy again, still no news.

Go back to the store the next morning. Good news the truck ended up there! Buy back the dinner plates, bread plates, and cups & saucer. No bowls, though.

Tell hubby couldn't find bowls. He says "oh yeah Mom never bought bowls."

I'm not sure what the moral should be? Never get rid of anything? or Ask hubby first?

Oh the storeroom still contains an old furnace we kept when we replaced when the A/C died a month after we bought the house, since we might some day build a vacation home and need it. Ditto the oven & cook top from when we remodeled the kitchen.

Space Cadet

2008-01-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had to cancel a dentist appointment because Nicky had strep. I called and rescheduled it the same day. I could have sworn that the receptionist said Wednesday the 23. But it turns out that it was Wednesday the 30th. That I didn't called to confirm yesterday should have been a clue. Oops, showed up today and was told it's next week.

Scary Things you Don't Want to be Told

2008-01-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

"Here, hold this fire extinguisher in case the wiring starts to spark while I flip the light switch."

"That hump in the floor should go away after I put the header in and take the jacks down."

Yes, hubby is redoing the basement, including replacing headers, sure hope he knows what he's doing.

Snow!

2008-01-20T22:58:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had a somewhat unusual occurrence, although it's happened twice within the week. That is snow.

Neighborhood kids at the top of the hill.

Nate sledding

Nicky looking out at the white stuff. He kept expecting Frosty.

Our back yard, blanketed.

WIP (Work in Progress)

2008-01-20T22:30:00.001-05:00

Since this is sort of a knitting blog as well, here's a peek at some of the WIPs that aren't my children.

I've been playing around with mitered squares lately. Here are some knit with Patons SWS. Someday they may end up as an afghan. Don't know if it will be ugly or just interesting. M.E. has been playing with different layouts. I still have a lot of squares to go and not sure if there will be a border between squares or just around the edges. I debated between stockinet and garter mitered squares and ended up liking the feel of stockinet better. But they are slightly trickier to knit.

The beginnings of a baby sweater for a co-worker of K's. I fell in love with the feel of Berroco Comfort. It's worsted weigh nylon/acrylic. I was looking for something in a nice supper-wash wool but nothing struck my fancy. This pattern was originally written for DK, so the fabric may be too stiff. Plus the yarn is more than a little splitty.
Argh, in looking for a link I noticed that a DK weight is available as well. Didn't see that at the yarn store.

Seven Things Meme

2008-01-19T14:22:00.001-05:00

Some time ago Beth at Not That You Asked tagged me with a meme to list 7 random/weird things about me. So here goes:

1. I have a weird fetish about double light switches. We have one in the hall at the top of the stairs that controls the upstairs hall light and the foyer light. Both switches have to be in the up or down position, not mixed, I'll even climb stairs to change them.

2. I was an organic chemist in a previous life. I once set a fume hood on fire when potassium metal boiled out the end of a condenser tube. I used a one of those solid fire extinguishers to put it out. There is a cartridge that needs to be replaced after they have been fired. Someone forgot to do it, the next lab fire was pretty serious and the solid fire extinguisher wouldn't work. The entire building was evacuated because of the fire. Fortunately, it was put out.

3. My job was eliminated while one maternity leave with my daughter, I'd really wanted to quit but it still hurt to be fired. The 6 months severance did help ease the pain.

4. I've been pregnant 10 times, but only 3 live children. During my last pregnancy we filled up all the spaces on form.

5. My middle child's name came to me in a dream about Nathaniel Hawthorne. Otherwise, he would have been Nicholas, which we then used for Nicky.

6. I can't stand the taste of celery, don't like the texture much either.

7. I've never been on a diet per se, I'm now 30 pounds more than when I got married, I really need to work on eating healthier, but I like to bake too much.

I'm not sure there are any readers anymore so, if you read this consider yourself tagged.

Setting the table

2008-01-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

The other night Nicky wandered into the kitchen and saw that I was making dinner. He sat at his seat for a moment, then picked up his plate, silverware, and napkin. Carried them back into the family room and set the picnic table set up in front of the T.V.

He was so cute, I had to take a picture, and then another..

Ouch! That light hurts my eyes.

When I told him that he had to eat at the kitchen table, he brought his stuff back into the kitchen and reset his place.

Cozy?

2008-01-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

Here are 8 of the 24 dish clothes I knit for teacher & friend holiday gifts. I packed them with a bar of melt & pour soap. However, it's obvious from some of the thank you notes that the recipients had no idea what the dish clothes were. Several thanks were for a "cozy", what's a cozy?

That Potty Thing

2008-01-19T09:51:00.000-05:00

We've been working on potty training for over 6 months now and are on a plateau now. Before Winter, break Nicky was using the potty regularly at school. Over break he was sick and I was lazy resulting in regression. Since school has been back in session school has had mixed results. He is starting to tell us AFTER he's gone. Progress? He is getting mixed messages by my slacking off at home. I wonder if he is developmentally ready or not. He certainly can hold his urine for several hours and is aware but it resistant. Oh well, no one ever said it would be easy.

Cleaning

2007-11-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel like such a housewife and others, well you know. I managed to clean the main floor (dusting, vacuuming, moping, cleaning toilets, counters, etc.) in just about an hour. The actual cleaning never takes that long once I start but I have such a mental block about starting. I also like to have at least a 3 hour block to devote to cleaning, but haven't had that in two weeks. So, since feet were starting to stick to the kitchen floor...

A lot of cleaning time is really just picking up, if I could just get the kids to pick up after themselves, life would be better. In September, I did a major declutter but I noticed things are starting to junk up again. It's mostly stuff being thrown in the laundry room or on the dining room table rather than being put away.

I'll get to it, after Christmas? We'll see.

STEPS!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-18T22:06:00.000-05:00

I've heard reports of Nicky taking steps but never seen it. He's been getting to standing without holding onto anything and is very solid. Today, at a birthday party, I saw him take 3 small steps and then 2 more. YAY! He may be ambulatory one of these days.

Rainy night in Georgia

2007-11-14T23:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Happy Dance. But, now the governor can gloat.

Another Milestone

2007-10-05T18:12:00.000-04:00

Nicky has more or less figured out how to work the VCR/DVD combo deck we have. He figured out how to push the tape back in a while ago. But now he knows how to turn on the t.v. put the tape in and put a DVD in. And how to switch from tape to DVD and back again.

Important life skills for sure.

Stability

2007-10-04T22:10:00.000-04:00

Tonight Nicky got to standing from kneeling. He's getting so steady on his feet surely he'll be walking soon. He can stand unsupported for minutes at a time (a goal from when he was 18 months old). And walk holding onto one hand. His teacher had him walking holding onto a straw.

Laundry Tip - Not

2007-10-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

All summer we've (well mostly I) been having trouble with smelly, mouldy towels. Didn't want to use bleach because these were the kids' towels and they were brightly colored, also bleach seems to leave my towels a bit stiff feeling. After a bit of surfing, ask Dr. Google, I found a suggestion to use white vinegar in the rinse water to get rid of the stink. It works mostly.

But,

Don't accidently add it to the bleach dispenser instead of the fabric softener dispenser.

It adds the vinegar in with the soap, not the rinse water.

Resulting in lots and lots and lots and lots of suds. So much they were coming out the soap dispenser.

Also, don't then add the vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser in addition to vinegar you've already put in.

Three or maybe four cycles later my towels are really clean.

Carrying a little piece of them

2007-10-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

Earlier, I read this article about fetal microchimerism perhaps helping to protect women from breast cancer. During pregnancy a small number of fetal cells cross into a woman's bloodstream and take up residence in the mother's body. This is known as fetal michrochimerism. These cells persist for years after pregnancy probably for the rest of the mother's life. Somehow, this idea delights me. I find it comforting that I will always carry small bits of all my children. Just a geek, I guess.

Oh, and maternal cells cross into the fetus, so our children carry little bits of us too.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

2007-10-01T08:30:00.000-04:00

Did you know that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month?
It is. In honor of it I signed my family up for the Atlanta Buddy Walk.

Oh, and what's with the button? Trish over at Unringing the Bell has issued a challenge to bloggers to blog every day in October in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness. I'll try. We'll see if I make it.

Decluttering and UFOs

2007-09-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

I've been busy de-cluttering lately. My house really needs, my life really needs it..

My totals so far:
7 bags to St. Vincent de Paul, my clothes, kid clothes & toys and some household goods
4 bags of trash, broken toys, etc.
2 bags of plastic junk recycled
1 box of clothes to a consignment sale, netted $39.41

In the course of de-cluttering, I came across this:

It was started by my great-grandmother in the 1940s, my grandmother did some of the quilting as did my mom and I was working on it. But, I'm not sure whether to look at it as a family heirloom or a symbol of the inter-generational baggage we all pass down to our kids.

I come from a long line of hoarders. When my grandfather died in 1981, my parents donated chemical engineering journals from the 1950s to the '80s to the college where my grandfather had taught. Don't know if the college actually kept them or were polite. My other grandmother had a story about visiting her prospective in-laws for the first time and having to navigate through piles of old newspapers. Her mother questioned the wisdom of marrying into such a family.

Sigh, sometime I think it's a losing battle.

Next to tackle the basement storeroom, where, not kidding, there is an old furnace we kept because it was only 8 years old and we might someday use it. Now, it's 17 years old and we have to pay to have it hauled away. Scary, really really scary...

A Milestone of Sorts

2007-09-23T16:09:00.000-04:00

Came home from to Church to find out that Nicky had managed to lock himself in the powder room while we were gone. Didn't think he had the fine motor skills to turn the lock. Guess the fun is beginning.

Daisy Fenced a Turtle

2007-09-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

The other morning Daisy was barking furiously at the fence out back. Nate & I went out to find this poor turtle trying to get through the fence.

She (at least Nate thought she was a she based on eye color) decided to try between the next set of pickets:

No luck there either...

Nate ended up giving her a helping hand

Happy Birthday Nicky!

2007-09-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

Blow out the candles

I did it!

What could that be?

Wow! I'm Woody

Yipeee!

Ready for the Gun fight, where's my gun?

Name Calling

2007-08-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

The other night we were at our neighborhood pool. There was a father there with three boys, ages roughly 2, 4 & 6. Towards the end of the evening Nicky and the 4 y.o. were on the tennis courts chasing each other around. Nicky was growling and the boy was laughing. The 6 y.o. then joined them and started calling Nicky "idiot" and the 4 y.o. joined in with "poopyhead." As I was about to intervene the father came and grabbed both boys, berated the boys in the tone of voice usually associated with times when your kids have totally mortified you. After a few minutes of lecturing the father bought the boys over and they apologized to both Nicky & me.

Nicky was oblivious and had thought it was all just good fun. I, on the other hand, was very upset, visibly, so that I couldn't do much more than thank the boys for apologizing. If Nicky was a typical kid, the incident probably would have passed without notice or perhaps escalated with Nicky hurling his own insults. But, he's not, and this is the first time, I've experienced unpleasantness on his behalf.

Could the incident have been handled any differently? The boys' father was so furious I'm not sure they understood why their father were so angry. Not having overheard what he said to the, did he explain that Nicky has a disability? Should I have said anything? And, how to prepare for the next unpleasantness of this sort?

What we found in the garden

2007-08-15T15:56:00.000-04:00