tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32201973101701448292024-03-20T14:32:19.065-07:00A Beautiful LifeThe joy of raising a child with Down SyndromeFelix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.comBlogger371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-71069845507138540462019-04-15T00:08:00.000-07:002019-04-15T00:08:56.520-07:00Update On My "Almost" 9 Year Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past couple of years, I have seen the online Down syndrome community get bigger and bigger. Our very elite "family" has welcomed many more beautiful babies with an extra chromosome, which is so very special. One of the best things about social media is that parents of kids with Down syndrome are now able to connect in a way they never could before. Even when Felix was born (8.5 years ago), I struggled to find others to share my thoughts with. To see that a whole new world has opened up to these new parents is the best!! The main reason I began this blog, many years ago, was because I struggled to find any realistic/current information on Down syndrome. I wanted to know what a day looked like in the life of a family with a child with Trisomy 21. All I could find was outdated information of doom and gloom. How lucky we are that things have changed so quickly over the past few years, and that there are so many great online resources for new parents!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For any new Mums in Australia, check out T21 Mum Australia Network on Facebook. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/t21mum/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/t21mum/</a> There are private groups available for Mums with a pre-natal diagnosis or suspected diagnosis, and other groups which correlate with the age of your child. It's a great support network. Make sure you pass on the info to anyone else you know who would love to contact other Mums to share their thoughts and feelings.<br /><div>
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What does a day in my life look like now that I have a kid, with DS, turning 9 this year?? Firstly, let me just freak out slightly that he is turning 9 this year....eeeeeek!! Where did that time go?</div>
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The biggest news of the past couple of years is that Felix toilet trained, during the day, completely, just after his 7th birthday. After years of gastrointestinal issues which really complicated things, and lots of trial and error with medication and diet, his stomach finally sorted itself out! Around his 8th birthday, he was also completely dry at night. This was a massive hurdle for us, and I am so proud of how well he has done. He has been completely dry at school for almost a year and a half now which is absolutely amazing and, although initially needing reminding, he takes himself to the toilet independently now. Its awesome!! </div>
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Back to our days... Thankfully, my little early bird is sleeping in these days until 6.30-7am, which my tired old body is very grateful for! I usually hear him in his room, having a chat to his stuffed animals or talking about his friends at school. He's pretty independent from that point on. He gets up and goes to the toilet, then heads out to the lounge room and either takes his iPad off the charger or turns on the TV and starts up the Wii until I get up to make his breakfast. He is WAY more tech savvy than me. Don't ever let him see you put the password into your phone...not even once! Just ask a friend of mine. She turned away for a second and he had unlocked her phone and was sending Snapchats!! Hahaha!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently made a visual schedule for Felix to use each day. He has a couple of different teachers and support workers during the week, plus therapies etc, and he likes to know what is happening each day. It helps him to know what he needs to organise, and what to expect during the day. He's very adaptable to change, which is awesome, but he's definitely a schedule person just like his Mum! Each night, as we tuck him into bed, we tell him what will be happening the next day. He gets super excited about what tomorrow will bring. He's such a positive little person!</div>
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Felix loves school, so it's pretty simple to get him ready in the mornings. He doesn't love unpacking his own school bag once he's there though. He would much prefer to help his friends unpack their bags. It's a work in progress, but I appreciate him wanting to be helpful!</div>
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School hasn't been without it's challenges. With each new year, brings a new teacher, new classroom, new students, different routines and dynamics. First term is always a big adjustment for Felix as he navigates the changes, and builds new relationships. This term has been particularly rough, not helped at all by lots of sickness. I've never seen a class hit by such an awful bug before. It certainly disrupted staff, and students alike! Felix was one of the last to get sick, but once he did, it knocked him around pretty badly. </div>
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Despite all of that, Felix has done pretty well with his school work. He is concentrating and engaging in his work for longer periods, particularly towards the end of term. He is nearly always keen to complete his homework. I get creative with his spelling word practice, and try to use alternatives to just a pen and paper. We will often write words in chalk on the pavement outside, use a whiteboard, wooden letters or the iPad. His spelling is progressing really well and he still loves to read, which is fantastic. He amazes me with some of the words he can read. Maths homework we do using counters or other visuals. Felix grasps concepts much more easily when he can see them laid out in front of him. </div>
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Weeknights, after school, are pretty cruisy with Felix. He is usually pretty worn out from school, so he relaxes for a while, playing in his room or watching his iPad. Weekends, and school holidays, are a bit different. Felix is still very active and doesn't like to just sit around, so I need to be one step ahead and have activities planned. I keep his "making box" well and truly stocked so we can do craft. He loves to paint, play with playdough and kinetic sand. He also loves to play games and do puzzles so we have plenty of both. Today I cut out a rabbit and chicken shape out of clear contact and stuck it to the window for him to decorate. He loved it! I try and plan lots of little outings or day trips away to keep him busy and stimulated. An active mind is a healthy mind, so I try to encourage that as much as I can.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What else can I say? Felix has impeccable manners, and rarely forgets to say please and thank you. His speech is developing beautifully, and he comes out with the funniest comments and stories. He has a great sense of humour and loves to make us laugh. He still has an amazing gift of empathy and is very sensitive to you if you are having a bad day or are feeling upset. I honestly feel so blessed to have him as part of my life. </div>
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Actually parenting an 8.5 year old child, with Down syndrome, isn't a lot different to parenting a typical child. In fact, like I have always said, children in general ALL have their challenges. It's a different type of normal. It's certainly our normal now, and I couldn't imagine life any other way!</div>
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Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-58665586606193403092017-08-28T19:35:00.000-07:002017-08-28T19:35:34.260-07:00Compassion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 7 oldest babies</td></tr>
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In September of 1996, I had just given birth to my fifth child. In that month, I had a 6 year old, 5 year old, 3 year old, 22 month old, and a newborn. They were all the easiest kids. Yes, they had their moments, as all kids do, but, if they were doing something they shouldn't have been, I could count to 3 and they would stop. They were compliant. They didn't push the boundaries, and parenting was pretty cruisy. I was living the dream! I regularly did shopping trips, which lasted several hours, with a newborn in a sling on my chest, the toddlers in my double stroller, and the older two holding on to either side of it. I was often stopped by people, complimenting me on my well behaved children. My chest would puff out with pride a little bit more every time. In hindsight, I can see that I became a little judgemental of other mothers. I would see kids throwing tantrums in the supermarket, or running off and being disruptive, and I would question their parenting. I was never nasty. I would still throw them a sympathetic glance, but I was definitely thankful that I was obviously such an amazing parent, and it showed in the exceptional behaviour of my children. Then along came baby number 6......<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey</td></tr>
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May 1998, I endured a 16.5 hour labour. I had the 'flu, which came with a raging fever, thumping head and pouring nose but, my little bundle decided (at 38weeks), it was time to make his entrance into the world. After 5 easy labours, this one dragged on forever. I was so exhausted after not sleeping for several days, and my body didn't want to play the game. But, eventually, baby number 6 made his way into the world with the loudest cry I think I've ever heard ! He was stunning. An absolutely beautiful looking newborn. I had done it again...or had I?<br />
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As the months progressed, I began to realise that this baby was quite different from the others. When he cried, it was loud and prolonged. He didn't settle easily to sleep and would often cry for hours until he finally gave in. By about 18 months, the tantrums began. He would bang his head on the side of the cot, or a door, until his head was bright red and sometimes bruised. He made his mouth bleed by slamming it repeatedly on the side of the cot. He didn't do what he was asked, and certainly didn't stop when I counted to 3. He would look me straight in the eye, almost challenging me to see how I would react. Shopping became something I dreaded. I was now the parent who shoved a lollipop into my child's mouth to make him shut up. I was the one who was stared at because my child was laying on the floor of the store, screaming and kicking his legs, refusing to move. The looks of admiration became condescending stares as people shook their heads at that young girl with ALL THOSE CHILDREN who obviously couldn't cope. I was exhausted and felt completely hopeless.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working hard at physio</td></tr>
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I truly believe I was sent a challenging child to humble me. To show me that sometimes, it doesn't matter how hard you try to do the right thing, things still don't go smoothly. There is no ideal recipe for raising children. Any judgement I previously had, went flying out of the window. I became a person who offered help when I saw another mother struggling with her defiant toddler. I was able to genuinely say, "I know how you feel!" I was able to comfort someone when they burst into tears at the checkout because their child didn't want the pink lolly, they wanted the orange one, and they were letting anyone within a kilometre radius know about it. I felt empathy for other parents, and I am so thankful that my own struggles, and sense of failure, helped me to feel that. It helped to strengthen me and give me a resilience I hadn't had before. It made me a better listener, seeking advice from others, and it developed a deep compassion in me for others who were doing it tough. Preparation for having a child with a disability maybe?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum's glasses</td></tr>
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Things have been a little challenging with Felix lately. He has moments where he will grab another child (often around the neck), or exhibit other anti-social behaviours. Without him having the speech to be able to explain why he is doing this, we (parents, teachers, therapists, support workers) can only observe the circumstances surrounding these incidents and try and work out what is triggering these behaviours. He LOVES his friends and, it has been observed by everybody, that 99% of the time, he doesn't seem to be lashing out with an angry intent but, more so, to get a reaction.<br />
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It has been observed that Felix will grab another student if he is overly excited or stimulated. He might begin to play wrestle with some of his friends but then doesn't know when to stop, and can't read social cues. He has also done it when he feels he is being ignored or left out. If he is having issues with his bowel (sometimes he still only manages a #2 once a week), he will get more and more agitated with each passing day, and his behaviour goes down hill. He is not able to tell anyone if he is feeling upset, alone, excited or in pain, but he can express himself by grabbing someone else. Definitely not the ideal as it results in upset kids, angry parents and stressed out staff members, and leaves us feeling helpless and at a complete and utter loss. Thankfully, the school is willing to ride it out with us, and are doing everything they can to stay one step ahead of him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheeeeeeeese!</td></tr>
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This brings me to last weekend. We were visiting family, including three of our Grandchildren (ages 5, 5 and 1.) Felix had been happily playing on the McDonalds playground with them, and a few other children, and they were all having a great time. I had been in the playground with them, enjoying watching them have fun. After a bit of time, I went back into the dining room (I could still see them), to finish my cup of tea. In the next couple of minutes, the playground filled up with a lot more children and I briefly lost sight of Felix. What followed was a blur.<br />
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A woman approached our table asking if the little boy (described what he was wearing) belonged to one of us. I immediately jumped up to go back into the playground. As I walked in, the woman started screaming at me that Felix had grabbed her daughter (he had let go by this stage.) I apologised, and started to climb the playground to bring him back to the table with me. She continued to scream at me.... yelling abuse towards Felix, and causing a huge scene. I apologised again and calmly explained that he had a disability and he had probably felt a bit overwhelmed by the sudden influx of children. That escalated her even more as she berated me for leaving him unsupervised, and told me he needed to know his behaviour was unacceptable. I explained that, once I got to him, he would be told off and asked to apologise. She didn't stop and, unfortunately, Felix slid down the slide just as I got to the top of the playground, and landed right at the feet of the lady. She leaned over and screamed in his face. He looked absolutely terrified. I finally managed to step in between them, told Felix he had done the wrong thing, and took him over to the little girl to say sorry. I'd like to say the woman calmed down, but she didn't. She continued screaming and shouting. Even as we left the playground, she was still shouting over my head to her husband, explaining to him what had happened. Her husband smiled at me and told me it was OK when I apologised. I guessed by his reaction that it wasn't the first time he had witnessed her behave like that.<br />
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I returned to the dining room, sat for a second, and burst into tears. I scooped up Felix and took him to the car where I sat and sobbed, ugly gut wrenching tears, for about twenty minutes. The next day, Felix's behaviour was worse than it's ever been. He was unsettled, teary, and testing the boundaries at every opportunity. It was easy to see that what had happened had completely unnerved him and he didn't know how to express it. I have finally stopped shaking but the whole situation has completely shattered my confidence. I feel anxious and know that I'm really going to have to dig deep before I feel that I can take Felix out again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAry_LPustx9aytE2O92Sj647C5WeBPCZe-rFsF_Q7rVbCVKMyPgfr3exy9cipwF3YCCTtu_8B99v5-U1azbVHjU3TEpicLlQDlCZVhZFPP_JuDuCxrbyZd-OAbleK9pUGW2x9qUUoMhk/s1600/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAry_LPustx9aytE2O92Sj647C5WeBPCZe-rFsF_Q7rVbCVKMyPgfr3exy9cipwF3YCCTtu_8B99v5-U1azbVHjU3TEpicLlQDlCZVhZFPP_JuDuCxrbyZd-OAbleK9pUGW2x9qUUoMhk/s320/blog4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loves his chooks</td></tr>
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I have really struggled with anger towards this woman. Although Felix did the wrong thing, it wasn't any different to things that happen in playgrounds every day. I've seen Felix get pushed and shoved, and dragged around by the collar of his shirt. He was always going to be disciplined and made to say sorry. I always follow through and make sure he's aware that that type of behaviour is unacceptable.<br />
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I guess my reason for writing this blog post is partly cathartic. It helps me work through things by writing them down in words. More so than that, I just want to challenge people to think about the way they react to things. Do you, like me in the early days, look at people struggling with children with challenging behaviours and think, "Thank goodness that's not me." Do you respond in anger, or disgust, and assume that the child is just "feral" or the parents are obviously useless? My plea to you is that the next time you see a child acting out, or a parent fighting back tears, that you put yourself in that person's shoes; that you offer a smile or ask if you can help in any way. Look beyond what you can see with your eyes, and show compassion. I know how something as simple as a smile from a stranger has helped me through some really difficult days of parenting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The light of my life</td></tr>
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For me.... I'm trying to feel compassion towards the woman who yelled at me, and my son, on the weekend. Maybe she was having a difficult day with her own children. Maybe she had something awful happening in her own personal life. I will never know. I will, however, take it as a reminder to myself, to be kind, to be considerate, to look at the bigger picture, and to continue to try and show compassion to those I encounter in my life.<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-68698586067985718682017-03-20T17:24:00.000-07:002017-03-20T17:24:52.394-07:00World Down Syndrome Day 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another year has rolled by and, here we are, celebrating World Down Syndrome Day again!<br />
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Why celebrate World Down Syndrome Day? When your child is diagnosed with Down syndrome, there are parts of your life that change forever. You are thrust into a world of medical appointments, therapies, advocating, researching, and days when you are on an emotional rollercoaster which would rival any theme park ride. It can be tough. There are days when you feel resentful; not of your child, but of the diagnosis that has robbed them of their health and their acceptance by society. There are days when you are angry at people's ignorance, and furious at the stares and the pointing as you walk through a shopping centre. There are days when you want to cry. No..... there are days when you DO cry, because you feel overwhelmed. You are tired of the appointments. Tired of the phone calls you have to make to get the support you need for your child. Tired of feeling like the neuro-typical people in the world do not understand your child or your life. And there are days when you are just plain sad, because people don't see your child through the same eyes you do. They don't see their beauty, their spirit, and the wonderful things they can offer the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W45y_X8l5c_Fdy_g3U5ISsLmNVvvFkuNFvYMn1_v5iTBCijZxPKZlbszeudhW8IfHPgJeGHwbwjO_nyoVaXWjvTQP_RR0vtZggGihFqdjgpL_JMmyKIvwH94icd-Z2uFGPtY4oU_d5A/s1600/blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W45y_X8l5c_Fdy_g3U5ISsLmNVvvFkuNFvYMn1_v5iTBCijZxPKZlbszeudhW8IfHPgJeGHwbwjO_nyoVaXWjvTQP_RR0vtZggGihFqdjgpL_JMmyKIvwH94icd-Z2uFGPtY4oU_d5A/s320/blog2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Since I knew of Felix's diagnosis, half way through my pregnancy, I changed. I began to see life differently to the way I had seen it before. I started to see how precious life really was. Felix's life, outside of my womb, wasn't guaranteed. We were told "This isn't going to end happily." He was expected to pass away before he even took his first breath. Each day from that point on, although tainted with grief, was a gift. I celebrated each movement and kick. I got pregnancy photos taken, and some amazing friends booked a 4D scan so we would have as many photos of our little man's face to remember him by if he passed. A diagnosis of Down syndrome, at that point, became irrelevant. I was in love with my baby just as I was with my babies before him. The love was just as strong even though he wasn't "perfect" in the eyes of the world. In fact, I felt a fierce protectiveness over him that I had never felt before.<br />
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My love for Felix was strong during my pregnancy but, when I laid eyes on that little face and saw those facial characteristics, so typical of a baby with Down syndrome, that love grew and filled my heart so much it could have burst. Nothing has changed in the past six and a half years. Felix has taught me to embrace life, to take risks, to love deeper, to be patient, to slow down, and to laugh more. More than anything, he has taught me to laugh. Not a day goes by that Felix doesn't make me laugh. He is so intuitive, and is so empathetic if someone is feeling sad or low. One smile, or funny comment from Felix, and I feel better. He loves life, and that love is infectious. He jumps in puddles, he lets the sand run through his fingers, he notices the tiny bugs in the garden. If the moon is visible in the sky, during the daytime, he will show me. He loves his family and his friends and loves nothing more than giving huge hugs. If Felix loves you, and you don't like anyone in your personal space, he will rectify that really fast!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyc-Z95xblbXf7dCn0Lh1yhW-QxniD1e3aLdmL59bISKaWmMtMU6HOCUEZkR5UqyIfljDAOozpORFIOPxV-TwV0yBJC8-j7eo6RXd9zaexPIlCPZY5gq-atQyR8YYSVGITIQh8EZa8How/s1600/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyc-Z95xblbXf7dCn0Lh1yhW-QxniD1e3aLdmL59bISKaWmMtMU6HOCUEZkR5UqyIfljDAOozpORFIOPxV-TwV0yBJC8-j7eo6RXd9zaexPIlCPZY5gq-atQyR8YYSVGITIQh8EZa8How/s320/blog4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, why celebrate World Down Syndrome Day? For me, it's a day that celebrates love. It's a day when I take some time out to reflect on how Down syndrome has impacted on my life. It's a day to celebrate diversity and the lessons we can all learn from people whose paths are different to our own. It's a day to recognise ability, and the fact that people with Down syndrome are capable of incredible things. It's a day for me to be thankful for the people I have met because of a tiny little chromosome. These people have become such an important part of my life, I can't even remember what life was like without them. It's a day to be thankful for the family and friends who are a constant support to me, and love Felix unconditionally. It takes a village to raise a child, and Felix's village is doing a fantastic job!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtQYX6Vv-5JS1Q_2YBwXzBU-qOgMMCoyli6nU-2RQpGsZzpTMJtxyXYNhIagLsOhXl7_jNMjOzi85bnKcIGRXtHhwjkfEYPU21r_iutsXCljTILPriqrA_SEvlAUDxvkZGQFBHRZBNqU/s1600/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtQYX6Vv-5JS1Q_2YBwXzBU-qOgMMCoyli6nU-2RQpGsZzpTMJtxyXYNhIagLsOhXl7_jNMjOzi85bnKcIGRXtHhwjkfEYPU21r_iutsXCljTILPriqrA_SEvlAUDxvkZGQFBHRZBNqU/s320/blog5.jpg" width="320" /></a>More than anything, World Down Syndrome Day is a day to celebrate Felix's life; the life of a six year old boy who loves to play in the dirt, and climb anything and everything. A boy who is obsessed with the alphabet and loves to read. A boy who loves to collect the eggs from his chooks and throw them some grain. A kid who has an amazing sense of humour, and laughs harder than anyone else at his own jokes. A little boy who is so polite, he even says thank you to the Doctor after a blood test, even after yelling "stop please" when the needle went in. A little boy who loves to rough house and sometimes gets a bit carried away and has to be told off. A kid who can make his own sandwich and can make me the best cup of tea. A kid who is excited to go to school, every single day, and even asks to go on the weekends. A kid who chose me to be his Mummy. I will be forever grateful!<br />
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Happy World Down Syndrome Day!<br /><br />
<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-59686598181453342252017-01-12T00:26:00.001-08:002017-01-12T00:26:54.286-08:00Speech and Learning to Read (Part 2)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszjKtPtYTzbocG8PIBgwDIxfRG7VXx5g1eHDKhlcb_X8dYla2d2kkOGR1OuRs6r0-9feehq3DPKvtcNypJOdvRBeQ3-womrwvn1ByD5GaaFp_3QzfqtjHRFxaYCl7l4NCEQRaXm4jizk/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszjKtPtYTzbocG8PIBgwDIxfRG7VXx5g1eHDKhlcb_X8dYla2d2kkOGR1OuRs6r0-9feehq3DPKvtcNypJOdvRBeQ3-womrwvn1ByD5GaaFp_3QzfqtjHRFxaYCl7l4NCEQRaXm4jizk/s320/d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix with his new words</td></tr>
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In my last blog I talked about the things we did with Felix to encourage his speech, in preparation for learning to read. In this one, I'll tell you what practical steps we took to teach him to read.<br /><br />The first thing I did, was to get some advice from a couple of people who have been working with individuals, with Down syndrome, for over twenty years. These ladies have seen what works and what doesn't work with our kids and understand the way they learn which, generally for kids with Down syndrome, is very visual. After talking to them, I invested in a laminator, started up the printer, and made sure I had plenty of photo paper and ink.<br />
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The process.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8nesGeLvMzXrNmdfsFU3iQ-NnJqr6VAaiXQE2v0dUkch3TKaOPSfrM0MlIdFPFv2zO086N6PVBSoQ5-l9JhHIW2KemQZjLAVJi48VltdHl1z8L2CTxCVoptoR5RHaW7P8IYGV341mmQ/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8nesGeLvMzXrNmdfsFU3iQ-NnJqr6VAaiXQE2v0dUkch3TKaOPSfrM0MlIdFPFv2zO086N6PVBSoQ5-l9JhHIW2KemQZjLAVJi48VltdHl1z8L2CTxCVoptoR5RHaW7P8IYGV341mmQ/s320/c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laminated photos and words</td></tr>
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Start small! Choose four things your child loves. Don't try and pick simple words, like cat and hat, just because you think they will be easy to learn. If your child doesn't have a cat and hates wearing hats, those words won't really be relatable to them. Your words could be "dinosaur", "fire engine", "Sampson" (pet dog), and "Mum". Make sure, however, that your child can say, or sign, the words you choose so they don't become frustrated.<br />
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Next, print up a photo of each word you've chosen (and laminate it for longevity), and print up the word in a simple font in a decent size. Once that's done, choose two of the words initially, and show your child which word belongs to which photo. After they have seen you match them up a couple of times, give them the words and tell them it's their turn. If they don't get them right, don't say "no" or tell them off, just say, "I think they might go here", and put the words under the correct photo. Don't make your child sit for longer than they want to. You want it to be fun. If you see them getting bored, finish up and try again another time. They will probably only want to sit for a couple of minutes initially.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdENYVgu9HlNIqMfkRJ83GF-NkDPCv9UmxKzt8-VmCXyOLTytexV0ftDkSAwvuRe-vISL2it-XSKM7au3qEN4JCAdIbCaRiXeVhQ7gd_zH8K5EGneK64dwuUCCfDgdAEiliUHo7nJ0skY/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdENYVgu9HlNIqMfkRJ83GF-NkDPCv9UmxKzt8-VmCXyOLTytexV0ftDkSAwvuRe-vISL2it-XSKM7au3qEN4JCAdIbCaRiXeVhQ7gd_zH8K5EGneK64dwuUCCfDgdAEiliUHo7nJ0skY/s320/a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another home made idea that Felix loves</td></tr>
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Once they are matching the words to the two photos easily, change it up. Put the words down first, and get them to put the picture next to the correct word. If that's too easy, see if they can tell you what the words are without the photos. When they are 100% correct every time with the two words, add another two, so they're matching four, and so on. Always make sure they know them perfectly before you add more. If frustration creeps in, and you get annoyed with them for taking to long to learn it, they will lose interest, and you'll be back to square one again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYYEqnmBp7hw6ondcPLic-luA2xmiwpB_a_2AUqvf2O4ohpaDzV9F5NaAzpIAzDAWL2USs_64IyLvldD0-zz_BzRFmnlLk_nuRv-paTwyFq6W5JgVEsOReb1873_9Ku66MV8Oqp0nFpA/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYYEqnmBp7hw6ondcPLic-luA2xmiwpB_a_2AUqvf2O4ohpaDzV9F5NaAzpIAzDAWL2USs_64IyLvldD0-zz_BzRFmnlLk_nuRv-paTwyFq6W5JgVEsOReb1873_9Ku66MV8Oqp0nFpA/s320/e.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splashing in the dirty water with the dogs</td></tr>
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Each child is different, so I can only speak from my experience with Felix, but he absolutely blew me away with how quickly he learnt to recognise sight words this way. There were days when he would sit and persist for ages and ages, and we were sometimes able to get 10+ new words in a day. His memory for visuals is incredible!<br /><br />Once he started being able to read the words without the photo prompts, we saturated him with the words in other forms. We wrote them on blackboards for him to read. We painted words and wrote words in different colours on paper. We used alphabet letters to spell out the words. In no time at all, he was writing the words himself, or spelling them out with letter cards or alphabet puzzle pieces.<br />
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The visual thing is quite interesting. If I ask Felix to spell "zebra", he will say "z...e....b...". then, if he can't remember the next letter, he closes his eyes and writes it in the air with his finger "z...e...b...," then opens his eyes and shouts out "R" then says the "a." It's like he actually has to close his eyes to see the sight word in his head, and then is able to spell it out loud. About 98% of the time, he is able to remind himself this way, and spell the word correctly.<br />
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Due to Felix's interest in reading, I have collected a lot of resources along the way. I've managed to find packs of sight words, matching games, colours, shapes etc etc from places like Kmart and Big W really cheaply. I leave them where Felix knows where they are, and he often goes and helps himself to them, and sits and "learns". He has his favourite things to do. He still loves the matching photos and words (we have made him two new packs recently.) I think he likes them because they are words he can relate to, and photos of things he's familiar with. We have several alphabet puzzles and stamps which he plays with every day too. The alphabet is still very much his favourite thing....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHySvGdyp818oIiMAWzs8aGZ4hq6JwYMlso00pgsijUvCTnfl-qVfWAvMoKrB7plF8BUiVZyVPOQzXr04fXNKDZEDh_inVLXDfbTqV_TbwluYmJOV_aBnWTuJgieZ97TxJ72ZF63Uy0sU/s1600/k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHySvGdyp818oIiMAWzs8aGZ4hq6JwYMlso00pgsijUvCTnfl-qVfWAvMoKrB7plF8BUiVZyVPOQzXr04fXNKDZEDh_inVLXDfbTqV_TbwluYmJOV_aBnWTuJgieZ97TxJ72ZF63Uy0sU/s320/k.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crafty fun before Christmas</td></tr>
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Felix now has a huge sight word vocab, and doesn't need photos when we introduce new words anymore. Repetition seems to be enough for him now, so he has been able to use the Oxford sight word list, exactly the same as the other kids in his class at school and is keeping up with the typical kids his age. We still need to make sure we put in extra time with him because, obviously, he needs a bit of extra time for comprehension and actually speaking the word isn't always easy for him. It's funny how he can read better than he can actually speak. He can read the sentence, "Mum, could you come into the kitchen please?", but if he was asking me that in every day life, he would just say, "Mum, come here please."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFynwGuXUvHQwtSFdNdlwfnFKNfdFCtDugkHCW1l9Qxlp-xPc5Ov1PxXIzxYOhExiqahRiT9Sg8Mc3X4wAgnlFSxa2sn1bSc1gcFsSWyghlEbjmuFvRW8ppMDYVpEU6A7NBJcALhrBz2w/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFynwGuXUvHQwtSFdNdlwfnFKNfdFCtDugkHCW1l9Qxlp-xPc5Ov1PxXIzxYOhExiqahRiT9Sg8Mc3X4wAgnlFSxa2sn1bSc1gcFsSWyghlEbjmuFvRW8ppMDYVpEU6A7NBJcALhrBz2w/s320/l.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this kid!</td></tr>
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Another thing I have found works well to help Felix speak a word properly, is to get him to look at my mouth while I say it, and then get him to repeat it back to me. After I have done that several times, he usually manages to say it consistently. His speech still has a long way to go, and his reading, especially comprehension, will be a work in progress for many years to come but, I'm so super proud of my little guy. His persistence and eagerness to learn is so beautiful to watch. It can be exhausting sometimes, and there are days when I would love nothing more than for him to sit and watch a movie for a couple of hours to give me a break but, I know this stage won't last forever, so I'll enjoy it while his mind is a little sponge, soaking everything up!<br /><br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-22995989490665267162017-01-12T00:26:00.000-08:002017-01-12T00:26:04.610-08:00Speech and Learning to Read (Part 1)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-nmCwNjFShZFeVwanoq2UD18swDWwPYxffAg3jKOZuAAwBh6H3Sjkq2OdW04Uy0Am98Y51o8w3LKgOSWmBNFvNGze2mnlU7zk7g-IqDZ-KxUyn_IdAMeytHSX2ICdaT0_BA26ZiKzME/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-nmCwNjFShZFeVwanoq2UD18swDWwPYxffAg3jKOZuAAwBh6H3Sjkq2OdW04Uy0Am98Y51o8w3LKgOSWmBNFvNGze2mnlU7zk7g-IqDZ-KxUyn_IdAMeytHSX2ICdaT0_BA26ZiKzME/s320/f.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with the chooks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently, I have had a couple of people ask me if I have done a blog post on how I have taught Felix to read so I thought I'd put it in writing for anyone who is interested. I'll do it in two parts; the first being speech, and the second being reading.<br />
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Firstly, I just want to say that I am not a teacher. I don't claim to be an expert on teaching a child to read. The following is just my own personal experience with Felix and what has worked for us. Secondly, every child is different. Some kids love to read, and others hate it. Each of our 8 kids have all been keen readers but we had no TV in the house for years so reading was the alternative for them. My kids have all had some friends who were never interested in reading, but excelled in other areas instead. Similarly, I have adult friends who only read when they absolutely have to. If your child is not interested in reading, even after trying everything, you're not doing anything wrong. It may not be their cup of tea..... but they will get it eventually!<br />
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We were lucky enough to have a pre-natal diagnosis with Felix. I say lucky because it meant we were able to make plans, research, ask questions, and have conversations about things we wanted to put into place for him. We knew the sky would be the limit for him but, initially, we focussed on the basics. We wanted him to be able to walk, talk, read, write, be kind and loving, and have beautiful manners. I'm proud to say, that at six years old, he has accomplished all of those things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqeDi8nlhlD2VHyPZpLBSVU7YcZdjIix15DHxPwwFaVCJQkoCnzlA6YuQxpniAfzwXwcDfSacZ-dr8VlZUUuK9RBrE7OvSbYQWk-qjdFoy3ZCBNy2XrZdFCyqPGlpv_bUBMlCu7N3CeA/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqeDi8nlhlD2VHyPZpLBSVU7YcZdjIix15DHxPwwFaVCJQkoCnzlA6YuQxpniAfzwXwcDfSacZ-dr8VlZUUuK9RBrE7OvSbYQWk-qjdFoy3ZCBNy2XrZdFCyqPGlpv_bUBMlCu7N3CeA/s320/j.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hero!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway...back to speech...<br />Initially, during my pregnancy, I read up on breastfeeding a baby with Down syndrome. <b>Breastfeeding</b> helps with tongue control and mouth placement so, it was important to me in those pre-speech days, to get him off to the best start by breastfeeding him if I was able to. Breastfeeding him was definitely not easy, and I'm thankful I had 7 successfully breastfed babies under my belt to give me some experience. I persisted, and fed him until he was 18 months, when he weaned himself.<br />
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<b>Sign language </b>has been discovered to be very beneficial in developing speech, contrary to the outdated view that using signs will make your child become lazy and refuse to speak. We started signing with Felix when he was only a few months old. By 8 months old, he used his first sign, and we were amazed at how quickly he picked them up. Even though he didn't use verbal speech until around 4 years of age, from 12 months onward, he could sign more words than typical kids would have been able to speak at the same age. I even insisted he sign "please" and "thank you" years before he could speak the words, which was pretty adorable!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNw0RaM4Wua3ypR5E-bgYU0LmcEH37XtkGj7AhHXBkcCk-Zfk0eYo8hoMbRKK3uEWwuQBt3SqrL_N-p3pnAB9A6tlQLBvvuX2B2060tSxq3vFTAIhLUUcQPsOA3C_nC-Anbmj3d6nGRo/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNw0RaM4Wua3ypR5E-bgYU0LmcEH37XtkGj7AhHXBkcCk-Zfk0eYo8hoMbRKK3uEWwuQBt3SqrL_N-p3pnAB9A6tlQLBvvuX2B2060tSxq3vFTAIhLUUcQPsOA3C_nC-Anbmj3d6nGRo/s320/g.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Adult speech during play</b> was so important in developing Felix's <b>speech</b> and <b>vocabulary</b>. If I stacked 5 blocks, I would count them... 1,2,3,4,5. I would talk about putting the red block on top of the blue block, or putting the triangle next to the rectangle. When we were driving in the car, I would point out the blue sky or the big green tree. I felt it was important to surround him with language, and use the correct words for things. A sheep was never a "baa baa", it was always a sheep. A baby was never a "bubba", it was a baby. I pointed out words on signs and tried to make him aware of his surroundings by showing him traffic lights, and planes in the sky. Recently, a little voice in the back seat of my car said, "Mum! Stop! Look for trains!" He was pointing down a side road. Sure enough, the sign, just before the train line, said Stop, look for trains!<br />
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Felix's <b>ipad </b>was a pivotal part of his speech and language development. He got it just after his second birthday and, up until recently, it has always only had educational apps on it. I can honestly say that the ipad apps taught him so many things way before I even thought about teaching them to him. I remember being blown away that he knew all of his colours (and I mean ALL....even grey and silver!) It was the same for shapes. I know adults (myself included) who couldn't tell you what a trapezoid is, but he nails it every time! All because of using the educational apps on the ipad on our long drives to the city. I figure, if he's going to be using an electronic device, he may as well be learning from it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoJ492ZoNs0fodGp9MvKeD6gUBlX13TGDHdNMXhzAJyZ_-rt0h_uPeAfhvQBOGtZADuh-sMh5YJYHlsAw0WnLe70NspTWtPhYxglE_P1dMWc_96NtNVkOqf8OhLZ_YFM17xniHWVOoIo/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoJ492ZoNs0fodGp9MvKeD6gUBlX13TGDHdNMXhzAJyZ_-rt0h_uPeAfhvQBOGtZADuh-sMh5YJYHlsAw0WnLe70NspTWtPhYxglE_P1dMWc_96NtNVkOqf8OhLZ_YFM17xniHWVOoIo/s320/h.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing up so fast....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Being our first baby in a very long time, and an extra special one at that, I tried to focus on buying him toys and puzzles with some sort of educational value; cause and effect, shape sorting, matching etc. With a bit of luck, those were actually the things he was naturally drawn to, and he developed a love for letters and numbers very early on. From birth, he had a whole wall covered in alphabet letters and he was fascinated by them. I think all of these things combined, contributed to his speech development, and ultimately his ability to recognise letters and read.<br />
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Felix has had a <b>Speech Pathologist</b> off and on since he was tiny. To be honest, these have been very hit and miss for us. I would say, for the first 3 years of his life, his speech therapy was a bit of a waste of time, as his therapists were very new to the job and none had ever worked with a child with Down syndrome before. Recently, however, we have found an amazing speechie who visits Felix at school, and works with him there. She goes out of her way to go the extra mile for him and she has fantastic suggestions, which she regularly communicates to us. Felix loves her!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk7UTKJKkmx9S1vZGyne0IGJsnbODHVqaDKVNSV1npEiRo1HI4zxbwl4uYLXD4uY0NkbD3Mkk-6zYyJW7KyPKUNbqfNAw7bNcUEOnOe7Wlx8uWjVRaz8HAdz_xo00aymHQ9YDI06OAVQ/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk7UTKJKkmx9S1vZGyne0IGJsnbODHVqaDKVNSV1npEiRo1HI4zxbwl4uYLXD4uY0NkbD3Mkk-6zYyJW7KyPKUNbqfNAw7bNcUEOnOe7Wlx8uWjVRaz8HAdz_xo00aymHQ9YDI06OAVQ/s1600/i.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say cheese!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I could go on and on, but that is a basic overview of Felix's speech development and the things I think have helped us get to the stage we're at now. Good luck to those of you walking a similar path at the moment. There will be times of discouragement, and days when your child doesn't seem to be making any progress at all. Those months and years waiting to hear that first word can be agony. <br />
I've been there many times in the past 6 years and I'm under no illusions that I won't shed many tears in the years to come. Hang in there....our kids are so worth all the hard work!!<br />
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In my next blog, I'll talk about some of the practical things we have done to teach Felix to read.<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-87783492764172424872016-05-06T04:21:00.002-07:002016-05-06T04:21:49.083-07:00The Stars Still Shine<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAGmMo0qv6U0GODNNoJWVNVcjXmZPvKUoOoZnA_O-YdTqIsRVU1Ye0qHiKiA8xmIVaJI7HqoUWlmjOcDM2mvZ2D8p-gvhr4zO27j9w6iCymmUV-EcBNUUDbBKZyb6GDFfne5m6Mt0A08/s1600/nicholas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAGmMo0qv6U0GODNNoJWVNVcjXmZPvKUoOoZnA_O-YdTqIsRVU1Ye0qHiKiA8xmIVaJI7HqoUWlmjOcDM2mvZ2D8p-gvhr4zO27j9w6iCymmUV-EcBNUUDbBKZyb6GDFfne5m6Mt0A08/s320/nicholas2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix and his doll (who also has Down syndrome)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm still not feeling able to write that much after the sadness of this week. I have tried to write another blog but my mind is a bit jumbled and all over the place but, I did think of one really beautiful little moment with Felix, yesterday, that I would like to share.<br />
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It was that time of night when, after a day at work, you look in the fridge and think, "What can I cook for dinner?" The uninspiring contents of my fridge stared back at me so, I decided to bundle Felix up into the car, and go to the supermarket for more inspiration. It was still daylight when we arrived at the shop.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOBZLL37KQXlq0VMp34bYaSbuUIlvmtgryJRXO4aqhN8Z-TqnWFZg-IWUbcZ8OioKlSLUkht0-871Gzrcve9GvMCrn-MheTnoF2kZ9DmQEP29fL08L7D9iNUXsXfpW5sEDcCH3PhwPjs/s1600/nicholas4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOBZLL37KQXlq0VMp34bYaSbuUIlvmtgryJRXO4aqhN8Z-TqnWFZg-IWUbcZ8OioKlSLUkht0-871Gzrcve9GvMCrn-MheTnoF2kZ9DmQEP29fL08L7D9iNUXsXfpW5sEDcCH3PhwPjs/s320/nicholas4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wearing" the little guy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Felix, as per usual, made a short trip to the shop slightly longer than necessary. In the trolley. Out of the trolley. Running up the aisle. Choosing things from the shelf and putting them in the trolley. Me, placing said items back on the shelf. Helping to put the shopping on to the check out. Finding the ride on car and sitting in it. Wanting to unlock the car himself. Escaping my clutches and climbing over the seat into the front. Me, wrestling him back into his car seat and strapping him in. You get the picture? Lucky he's cute!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfFSHCtJQsCq_9hamZXcOqfXmlMNuHZNH5_nsEx565WBbIS1BaFstD7lEJ2u7S8uJXpXXMNi6sG_AiPYdSTaCjpCDoR_oKsMnmF0_OzhxRIiRWLCd0SPACgRH2ulMjWPDt-Hz0-klZdI/s1600/felix+p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfFSHCtJQsCq_9hamZXcOqfXmlMNuHZNH5_nsEx565WBbIS1BaFstD7lEJ2u7S8uJXpXXMNi6sG_AiPYdSTaCjpCDoR_oKsMnmF0_OzhxRIiRWLCd0SPACgRH2ulMjWPDt-Hz0-klZdI/s320/felix+p.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing a tree before school this morning</td></tr>
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When we got home, it was dark. I was tired and in a hurry to make dinner and get it over with. Felix, being the chilled out little guy that he is, wasn't in a rush at all. He got out of the car, gazed at the sky and said, "Sun all gone!" I stopped, realising this was one of those moments when Felix was reminding me to slow down, and replied, "Yes Felix. The sun has gone to sleep now. Can you see the moon?" We both stood on the front lawn looking up but couldn't find the moon. Felix pointed and said, "Stars!" I nodded and mumbled something about there being lots of stars, and started to move towards the house with my shopping bags. When I got to the front porch I turned around and saw that Felix hadn't moved. He was still craning his neck; his face looking up to the sky.<br />
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The next moment was so beautiful. He started to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He didn't look at me. He kept his eyes on the stars. The most special bit for me was that he spoke the words in the song more clearly than ever before, and didn't stop gazing up until the whole song was finished. It melted my heart to watch him and, all the stress I was feeling up until that point, disappeared. As usual, the little guy worked his magic and filled my heart. He always knows just what I need!Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-15888361150428662842016-05-04T05:10:00.002-07:002016-05-04T05:10:35.567-07:00Fly High Little One<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNrT8Pntmh0w7mqU-8n7ijOpTPgz4SVHoJJT1Zweo2of2fh7dCzlJJE4Q8kIlTITqEYFRK40l65cg73I_X3momfbIwRHpi1itXZHhdAm3PMbYTiTFxQBHVm3b63SxgcszX2thyphenhyphensblXAk/s1600/nicholas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNrT8Pntmh0w7mqU-8n7ijOpTPgz4SVHoJJT1Zweo2of2fh7dCzlJJE4Q8kIlTITqEYFRK40l65cg73I_X3momfbIwRHpi1itXZHhdAm3PMbYTiTFxQBHVm3b63SxgcszX2thyphenhyphensblXAk/s320/nicholas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newest little star in the sky!</td></tr>
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In my last blog, I posted about how fragile our little ones, with Down syndrome, can be. Sadly, only a few days later, on May 2, heaven gained another angel. Little Nicholas was 4 years old. He was full of life, full of energy, and so unbelievably loved by his family, and everyone who knew him. The Down syndrome community, here in Australia, is a tight knit one and, I was blessed to become friends with Nicholas's Mum several years ago, through Facebook, and have followed her beautifully written blog for a very long time <a href="http://mumma-love.com/">http://mumma-love.com/</a>. I have enjoyed watching Nicholas grow and learn, through photos, and have loved reading his Mum's warm, heartfelt stories of the family she loves so much. Only three weeks ago, I told her to enjoy the extra cuddles she was getting while Nicholas was unwell. No-one would have guessed just how sick he actually was. Now we, as a community, are united in our grief for his family, but our grief doesn't even come close to what his family are going through right now. Fly high little man x x x<br />
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I have felt so many mixed emotions this week. I have felt so much sadness and cried many tears. I have felt angry that a precious little man was taken from such a beautiful family. I have felt joy as I've watched Felix play, and I've laughed at the funny things he's said and done. I've also been frightened about his health. To be honest, I have been terrified about it. Nicholas, like Felix, had always been really healthy. None of us are promised a tomorrow, so it's another reminder to live each day fully and love deeply. More than anything this week, I have held Felix tighter than I have in a very long time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXUL-RTGS8O8UqYDPeoOK_UgSzGZjK0iz2dMjOt9QBTXoA7rVkp2biEOResUBm4atzkLHB1KG1V_d2K_VJaqgayQceS0ZwoCQHQeyLI_KbHJs_NNdg6kYPdBXZtbd6chZetYk2KX7f6M/s1600/nicholas5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXUL-RTGS8O8UqYDPeoOK_UgSzGZjK0iz2dMjOt9QBTXoA7rVkp2biEOResUBm4atzkLHB1KG1V_d2K_VJaqgayQceS0ZwoCQHQeyLI_KbHJs_NNdg6kYPdBXZtbd6chZetYk2KX7f6M/s400/nicholas5.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicholas's rainbow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I saw a huge rainbow in the sky. The longer I drove, the bigger it got until I could see the whole arc from one side to the other. I stopped the car several times to take photos of it. Some of you might remember my rainbow story. After we were told, at the hospital, that Felix probably wouldn't survive, and was likely to pass away in the womb from issues with his brain, we saw a rainbow on the way home that day. Every fortnight, after that, as we drove 200km to the hospital for appointments, we saw another one. Seeing the rainbow brought me a peace that Felix was going to be OK. Ever since then, a rainbow makes me think of Felix. After a radio interview I did, a few years back, they played the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". When Felix graduated from kindy last year, what song came on as his face appeared on the power point presentation? Yep...."Somewhere Over the Rainbow".<br />
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Yesterday, when I saw the rainbow my thoughts went straight to Nicholas. When I saw that enormous, colourful arc, bursting through the clouds, I could see his sweet little face in my mind; his bright blue eyes and the blondest hair you've ever seen. It was just like he was reminding us that he's still around. I cried as I drove; tears for his family, tears for the unfairness that his body is no longer here, but thankful for the reminder that he lives on in our hearts. Sleep sweetly Nicholas x<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-70086612913569564802016-04-29T03:24:00.000-07:002016-04-29T03:24:16.414-07:00Gastroenterology<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSL6SBc9WPrzObgYPsu1NXQtkKFJtTdKQWKnZMzXO6CoazSOpby1gMZeKYygU1BpvsdKEgZ_9jDVOXsIl_Xk-2Z8eLNWeG28frRo1LXwogsb_m_bRrZ2gnCpPoxYfzs2UcpRsEENN1xs/s1600/f4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSL6SBc9WPrzObgYPsu1NXQtkKFJtTdKQWKnZMzXO6CoazSOpby1gMZeKYygU1BpvsdKEgZ_9jDVOXsIl_Xk-2Z8eLNWeG28frRo1LXwogsb_m_bRrZ2gnCpPoxYfzs2UcpRsEENN1xs/s320/f4.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road trip to the hospital</td></tr>
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We have been so lucky with Felix's health and not a day goes by when I don't think about how thankful I am that he doesn't have a lot of the medical issues often associated with Down syndrome. Fifty percent of babies with Down syndrome are born with a heart condition. Many have respiratory or bowel issues to varying degrees. Hearing and vision can be affected, there is a higher risk of leukemia, and other medical conditions too numerous to mention. That pesky extra chromosome is responsible for wreaking havoc in the precious bodies of our loved ones. That being said, with modern medicine, supplementation programs and early intervention, the life expectancy of a person with Down syndrome is now 65 years old! Only 30 years ago life expectancy was less than 30 years old. Amazing hey?<br />
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Felix only has two ongoing health issues. Croup, which likes to rear it's ugly head in winter, and some bowel issues which we're still trying to get on top of. I don't usually go into a lot of detail about his medical issues, but I've had so many people asking how things went at the Gastroenterologist and Dietician yesterday that I thought it was easiest just to blog about it. Poo story to follow......<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ79PWC3jrqLSLIYT8LyujhTeBV7uQLJ77Jddwc-beLOcN6AsQxX9NJdLNTvOXNh41VQUUwn3Qzkxjvv-HwujAys2FonBK2V6kOeKjS5IUyH24UXMpXCzDwZ8tBwQFLbFpKsSYCBeya0/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ79PWC3jrqLSLIYT8LyujhTeBV7uQLJ77Jddwc-beLOcN6AsQxX9NJdLNTvOXNh41VQUUwn3Qzkxjvv-HwujAys2FonBK2V6kOeKjS5IUyH24UXMpXCzDwZ8tBwQFLbFpKsSYCBeya0/s320/f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That face <3</td></tr>
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Felix's diet has a very delicate balance. As mentioned before, he has malabsorption of all of his sugars, including natural sugars in fruit and vegetables, and the lactose in dairy products. He also has a bacterial overgrowth in his bowel that has been treated a couple of times, but doesn't seem to go away. If he eats any sugar, the result is an overactive bowel which, without too much gory detail, means he spends a lot of time in the bath, sometimes several times a day. He also has a gluten intolerance. If he eats gluten; bread, pasta etc, it has the opposite effect and he gets completely blocked up. Last year, he was so blocked up, he didn't use his bowel for 8 days. He had foecal breath and wasn't responding to even large doses of laxatives. He was incredibly distressed and in a lot of pain. It was a horrible time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3EldujfoT5bTb9qTC4dp9Lb9WejIbwxN60dn47xsOPV3f9nHwA17qnpSuMd_X6R53VgwtlksTeLo5Arthn0CxtgwYpjDpHBICxjJ811DOPrUsPtX3o2q4rxLC9pziQSSq7EPcuw5br0/s1600/f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3EldujfoT5bTb9qTC4dp9Lb9WejIbwxN60dn47xsOPV3f9nHwA17qnpSuMd_X6R53VgwtlksTeLo5Arthn0CxtgwYpjDpHBICxjJ811DOPrUsPtX3o2q4rxLC9pziQSSq7EPcuw5br0/s320/f3.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Writing some words in the<br />waiting room</td></tr>
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For the past twelve months, we have worked out how to keep his diet very simple and, as a result, his bowel has been somewhat normal (at least compared to how it was before). The problem is that, due to very limited fruit and vegetables; the only fruit he could have was lemons, limes and avocado, and his vegetables were limited to white potato and a couple of other things which weren't terribly appetising to a little person. As you can imagine, we weren't able to get him to each much of any of those things. Thank goodness for multivitamins!!<br />
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<br />Yesterday we went to see the Gastroenterologist first. He explained that, as we suspected, we still hadn't given Felix enough gluten for them to get an accurate result on the coeliac blood test. He has suggested Felix eat gluten regularly for the next 4 months and then have another blood test. Alarm bells went off immediately in my head because I know what happens when Felix eats gluten and I don't want him to be uncomfortable and/or in pain for the next 4 months. He suggested that we give Felix daily laxatives to counteract the gluten. He said that, depending on the next lot of blood results, Felix may have to have an endoscopy and biopsy of his bowel under general anaesthetic to find out exactly what's going on. I know it's not a massive surgery compared to what a lot of parents see their kids go through but, he's already had about 6 generals since he was born, so I'm not in a rush to put him under again. It never gets easier and there are risks involved with any surgery. Sigh!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubQFKJsxZJdcyYtGzRwBOmTZOajKOtZJf_feVoRLyc9g0FQhj-Nv1sP-9VbH_zOTYCgdNm6fB-AFR9RogXVUX8zae6Q6Nlt_ngzIbVL-o7UkqpDc04cAnHXMERiXKGPHwK2PAMdWM-I0/s1600/f2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubQFKJsxZJdcyYtGzRwBOmTZOajKOtZJf_feVoRLyc9g0FQhj-Nv1sP-9VbH_zOTYCgdNm6fB-AFR9RogXVUX8zae6Q6Nlt_ngzIbVL-o7UkqpDc04cAnHXMERiXKGPHwK2PAMdWM-I0/s320/f2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strapped in for the 200km drive</td></tr>
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Our second appointment was with the Dietician. The good news is that she wants us to introduce a few more things back into Felix's diet; cucumber, carrot, zucchini, mushroom and spinach. She even said he could try pureed apple if I added glucose (glucose counteracts the effect of the fructose...this bowel thing is like a science!) She has given me a chart and said that I can play around with the fruits and vegetables with the lowest fructose levels and see how we go. It is going to make cooking so much easier! She is a little concerned about the addition of the gluten to his diet and advised me to call the hospital if I'm worried about his bowel at any time.<br />
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I know a lot of parents will agree that, when you see a whole bunch of different specialists, it can be really confusing. They won't always be on the same page and you often need to get second opinions or just trust your own instincts. Special needs parenting is a complex business. You tend to become an expert on your own child's medical issues. You spend hours researching, making phone calls, sitting in waiting rooms and advocating on behalf of your child. It can be exhausting, but is also incredibly rewarding when you see your hard work pay off. The next few months are going to be challenging but, one step in front of the other, right?<br />
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*Special mention to those who have messaged to check on the little guy... your messages always warm my heart!<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-77911339783746676602016-04-27T03:21:00.000-07:002016-04-27T03:28:24.916-07:00Fears Put To Rest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oWL0rPhSUPyiXRfBo_qEzacs5fU56uNqYs25GXpgCopCjpAw57PlXKneb8bY_kqLN23_p14uMcnXg-NlfY_KIHs-9yhCU2LsVcQvteES18Y4FkoCflnTe-zL07z-risgcrk0FMmODTQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oWL0rPhSUPyiXRfBo_qEzacs5fU56uNqYs25GXpgCopCjpAw57PlXKneb8bY_kqLN23_p14uMcnXg-NlfY_KIHs-9yhCU2LsVcQvteES18Y4FkoCflnTe-zL07z-risgcrk0FMmODTQ/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such an outdoor boy</td></tr>
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I know I raved about Felix's talking in my last blog but, wow, his speech seems to be improving by the day. He has spoken some words so clearly today; absolutely perfectly! He is attempting to construct more and more sentences and, although I don't always understand him yet, I'm excited that he's trying. We're getting there one step at a time.<br />
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A friend of mine shared something on Facebook today about how fantastic it was to watch her little boy (the same age as Felix and also rocking an extra chromosome), play on a local playground and interact with other kids there. She mentioned that it was one of the things she didn't think she would get to experience, when she was given his diagnosis at birth, and yet here he was doing the same as all the other kids. It struck a chord with me because I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday. I was waiting at a playground, for a friend to arrive, so Felix raced straight onto the playground to play with the other kids. Watching him climb quite difficult parts of the playground, race up ladders and run across bridges, it was just like watching any other child his age. I didn't have to get up and rescue him. In fact, I didn't have to help him with anything. He was a five year old boy, doing what 5 year old boys do. The other kids talked to him, took turns with him and pushed him down the slide and he did the same with them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U0fLcIEvYbs87vhpU6cEKJuJl9x-V4F87FK7NAwcWwUZLDPOghvfTe5yxvXhU2xSkzaujv_7eOw5kzq-DoX290g_OQziYGJsdAFfvRXfjFgIZfL5xrB8anUJz3ryJ3gpBAip_jcMNUY/s1600/B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U0fLcIEvYbs87vhpU6cEKJuJl9x-V4F87FK7NAwcWwUZLDPOghvfTe5yxvXhU2xSkzaujv_7eOw5kzq-DoX290g_OQziYGJsdAFfvRXfjFgIZfL5xrB8anUJz3ryJ3gpBAip_jcMNUY/s320/B.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's nothing he won't climb</td></tr>
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Like my friend, I had so many concerns after Felix's diagnosis. My brain raced ahead, not weeks, but months and years. Would he talk? Where would he go to school? Was he going to be teased by other kids? Where was he going to live as an adult? Will he always live at home? What will happen to him when I'm not around any more? I had to snap myself out of it really quickly and decide that I was going to take one day at a time, and not get ahead of myself. With each little milestone he reached, I celebrated and the future looked brighter. Yes, sometimes those milestones were months later than typical children; he didn't walk until 22 months old, he struggles to drink from a regular cup, and he's still not toilet trained. Yet others were even earlier than his typical peers; he rolled from his tummy to his back consistently from 2 weeks old. He signed "butterfly" at 8 months old and had many signs by a year old (not many typical kids "talk" that early). He started to read before he turned 3 years old! Felix, as we have discovered, does things at his own pace; sometimes that pace is really fast, and other times it's pretty chilled out which can be kind of nice!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_KyXV8qSv20GuqjhIteh40fK56BtsWcwdeBLtWtxcYau3tzPBhb8oLIDAwxVGJa8ieoh3QraBPFHhY1Su0U6lUs5N7bauf5g5Ld5g704LsXb_CxZDP_NhvR8YeSXfa3KlJriL31QLig/s1600/A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_KyXV8qSv20GuqjhIteh40fK56BtsWcwdeBLtWtxcYau3tzPBhb8oLIDAwxVGJa8ieoh3QraBPFHhY1Su0U6lUs5N7bauf5g5Ld5g704LsXb_CxZDP_NhvR8YeSXfa3KlJriL31QLig/s320/A.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix and his 'little' mate</td></tr>
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I worried, just like my friend, that Felix would be the kid at the playground who no-one wanted to play with. I pictured him being pushed around and called names until he cried. With the prognosis we were given, due to the Down syndrome/Hydrocephalus diagnosis, I couldn't even picture him walking, let alone climbing up the slide the wrong way! How naive I was! At this point in his life, Felix is surrounded by friends who want to play with him. He is invited to parties, and kids run up to him at the shop to give him a high 5 or beep him on the nose. Is it always going to be like this? Possibly not. As kids grow, their values change and some, unfortunately, lose their inclusive natures. I'm sure there will be times when Felix is teased or excluded. For now I choose to be thankful for the positive experiences we are having, and to proudly watch Felix smash stereotypes every single day and do things I never thought possible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqrlgfii6vhI5GFWREeZrhIjXTHhHQHX0b22eE2m5lLpZ_jVRP4jHMkg1R_Qi7F2BOkKD6ehbfhGHR8awIquyYPVVXQy69F1aj7MvyokyWOvVfsQrB6pqJkM8fic8IzDUJOWue6qITgY/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqrlgfii6vhI5GFWREeZrhIjXTHhHQHX0b22eE2m5lLpZ_jVRP4jHMkg1R_Qi7F2BOkKD6ehbfhGHR8awIquyYPVVXQy69F1aj7MvyokyWOvVfsQrB6pqJkM8fic8IzDUJOWue6qITgY/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My heart!</td></tr>
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I'm not saying I'll never worry, or I won't sometimes get ahead of myself. I'm a Mum. It goes without saying that I will worry about my kids. I'm just going to try my hardest not to worry any more about Felix than I do about my other kids. I believe Felix will be able to do anything he sets his mind to. I can't wait to see him working in a job he enjoys, watching movies with his friends, and bringing home someone he's fallen in love with. I'm even looking forward to the day he steals a sneaky beer from the fridge. For now, though, I'll enjoy my bouncy little boy who just looked at me through his mop of long hair and said, "You're so funny Mum!" Love that kid!<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-42338807965121633282016-04-24T06:02:00.000-07:002016-04-24T06:02:54.187-07:00Supplements<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlSDgu7R0-LpGI-5EPwhtHJFVFtSy85bXGfEs_agP5uDO8-d9vJPPxvNwrwumXJggRCrFlymaqudMehxmGy5ar9ECEaCKccaM8cNd5I0xBqTTHE-H4xBspKoS3RS_2a8eKiA-pWxauzM/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlSDgu7R0-LpGI-5EPwhtHJFVFtSy85bXGfEs_agP5uDO8-d9vJPPxvNwrwumXJggRCrFlymaqudMehxmGy5ar9ECEaCKccaM8cNd5I0xBqTTHE-H4xBspKoS3RS_2a8eKiA-pWxauzM/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grabbing a quick coffee before our big drive</td></tr>
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Not only have we been camping in the last week, but I have driven over 1000km, visiting family and dropping kids off here and there. Felix has endured it all without a complaint and, apart from losing him briefly in the shopping centre (story to follow), it has been relatively uneventful!<br />
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Firstly, for something really exciting! We have started Felix on a new supplement (resveratrol; for those walking the same path as us), and have noticed that his speech has significantly jumped in this past week. It may be complete coincidence (I'm always a little hesitant to give the full credit to a supplement) but, his speech is much clearer and he has put five or six words together on several occasions. Yesterday, driving home from the city, he said to me, "Mum, help. Ipad not working." Aaron was with me and he checked and found that the app had frozen, so he was able to fix it for him. Prior to this, Felix would have just dropped it onto the floor of the car, or yelled out, "Mum, mum", and I would have had to guess what was wrong. Today, he said, "Dad, ABC, come on, let's go!" Felix wanted one of his puzzles out of the cupboard, and wanted Dad to hurry up and get it for him. Increased speech means he can make his demands known, and I'm celebrating his new bossiness!! I had heard other parents say their kids also had a burst of speech when they started on this particular supplement, so I'm really pleased to see that Felix is reacting positively to it so far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYdlGyJLHkCjOsCiKjiRU-a8en-a13krsXFPpNXsllqEHFggWSzF4umNG91PYa7-XIKPYeMCCZztfGhr8x2I4dH4WQLXWpPX0A2aMc55P-sMseVfnw_dI2OfvDtoZOhdKjbGhBN_ud7Q/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYdlGyJLHkCjOsCiKjiRU-a8en-a13krsXFPpNXsllqEHFggWSzF4umNG91PYa7-XIKPYeMCCZztfGhr8x2I4dH4WQLXWpPX0A2aMc55P-sMseVfnw_dI2OfvDtoZOhdKjbGhBN_ud7Q/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping cook his breakfast</td></tr>
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Supplements can be a bit of a contentious issue within the Down syndrome community. As with everything, there are people at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to what supplements/dietary requirements etc to give their children with Down syndrome. Some have completely organic diets and/or supplement heavily, and others don't do anything differently than they would with their other typical children. There is no wrong or right way! I'm a big believer in doing my own research, listening to the opinions/advice of others but, ultimately, making up my own mind and deciding what I think is best for Felix. I have probably landed somewhere in the middle (and have lovely parent friends at both ends). Felix has a daily regime of supplements sneakily hidden in his food. If they taste awful (some of them smell gross), he doesn't complain about it. Some days I feel a bit like a chemist, mixing up his concoctions and, when we go away, I have to put careful thought into making sure I have everything measured out, enough to last until we're home again. It's a bit of a tedious process sometimes but, I really believe we have seen positive results. If anyone wants to contact me about supplements (my opinion only), feel free to email me!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsZNX6nRBkc1idK1cCBuSJj5ajq0H-7N3m2acW7Cn_97T_HJuqYegvPQ3EmVcH2veDMjYxW7EMi5z3BJvfxvHghGGM1ijOkbOFYpxR0qIuUznigcUBOMzLGmuedk9jXxcpgq0gSQ82J4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsZNX6nRBkc1idK1cCBuSJj5ajq0H-7N3m2acW7Cn_97T_HJuqYegvPQ3EmVcH2veDMjYxW7EMi5z3BJvfxvHghGGM1ijOkbOFYpxR0qIuUznigcUBOMzLGmuedk9jXxcpgq0gSQ82J4/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a hammock with a sheet today. He loved hanging around!</td></tr>
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Now....about Felix getting lost.....<br />
Yesterday, Felix, Aaron, and I caught up with some family members and friends. We had lunch together at a local shopping centre and then headed off to have a look around. Felix had been so good with all the travelling, and being dragged around, that I told him he could have a look at the toys in the shop. He headed off to the toy aisles with his oldest brother, Daniel (26) and Aaron (16). It was a bit of a "melt my Mummy heart" moment when I found all three of them engrossed at looking at Lego together. After promising Daniel that yes, I would buy him Lego for Christmas (yes....my 26 year old), he left to go home. I asked Aaron to watch Felix for a minute or two so I could look at something a few aisles over. About 30 seconds passed, and Aaron came up to me with a panicked look on his face. I knew straight away that he had lost Felix. He had only taken his eyes off him for a second, but he is so fast. I tried not to panic, and calmly walked up and down the rest of the toy aisles looking for him, as did Aaron and a friend of mine. None of us could find him. A couple of minutes passed and I was starting to get a bit worried, when I saw Aaron with a big smile on his face. He called me over and, there was Felix. He had climbed onto a shelf and curled up behind a large toy box and looked like he was asleep. Aaron had remembered Felix's love for climbing things and had gone back to check in the exact spot he had "lost" him. Sure enough, he was in the same place...just hidden! My heart took about an hour to slow back to regular pace, and Felix was promptly strapped back into his pram....enough adventures for that day!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHCrj2D7DbcZcHpvijY_ji8nmC-5Tq4VVvlXxcPCQJ_uEG1ogqmQJc_7zngpcckTI-GRTmWnsYqQV883NHE3okf5bsfUEUl5O6yo40_nDMfPiqpgfakydnVmTGniQndW_fo0mz1RKcyk/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHCrj2D7DbcZcHpvijY_ji8nmC-5Tq4VVvlXxcPCQJ_uEG1ogqmQJc_7zngpcckTI-GRTmWnsYqQV883NHE3okf5bsfUEUl5O6yo40_nDMfPiqpgfakydnVmTGniQndW_fo0mz1RKcyk/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaky pic of my beautiful Granddaughter, Luna. Felix loved<br />cuddling her too!</td></tr>
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I could write a lot tonight. Felix has had lots of fun times with family over the past couple of days. However, it's ANZAC day here in Australia tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to going to the dawn service bright and early in the morning so I better stop writing and get some sleep. See you back here with more Felix adventures soon!<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-81453764045181636602016-04-21T04:51:00.000-07:002016-04-21T04:51:10.025-07:00Camping Therapy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKPL9MpbeGA5qd4yamIiS6r5R3RB_EtdsC0XlWvrdsCVZVuNF5CI7_LzmNCCCzJnOSeE5V_KNuhKd295LFQa26YA-AznIxhVM41zcJG9-lAqTD5MKwJcVAenMm6eYLu5SOW9tEdDwMwE/s1600/camp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKPL9MpbeGA5qd4yamIiS6r5R3RB_EtdsC0XlWvrdsCVZVuNF5CI7_LzmNCCCzJnOSeE5V_KNuhKd295LFQa26YA-AznIxhVM41zcJG9-lAqTD5MKwJcVAenMm6eYLu5SOW9tEdDwMwE/s320/camp2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbles!</td></tr>
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It's school holidays here right now, so I decided it would be nice for us to go camping with some of Felix's older siblings. We're really lucky to live ten minutes away from a forest in a national park, which is absolutely beautiful and, once there, you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Usually we would go further away but we had too many people to fit into our car so needed to do a few trips. The forest was the perfect solution!<br />
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Felix has been camping before and really enjoys it. I think there is something magical to a 5 year old about playing out in the open, digging in the dirt, poking things with sticks and being able to pee on a tree. There's something fun about getting back to nature. Personally, I love it too (although a lot of my friends weren't as excited as I was about the long drop toilet and won't be camping with me any time soon).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TTDsqZR5e_1kTN4RWhwnpJBYk3nCJFqySmHE2xhGbC9maZ31qq2yMfrtmAbUFNg6dU52nUaPhHLBoBQjnGlngNgZfqWEft0vdTPEg3HIuCbmZYy6oqt_bFczUIjCSj4zwgWkJnjp26s/s1600/camp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TTDsqZR5e_1kTN4RWhwnpJBYk3nCJFqySmHE2xhGbC9maZ31qq2yMfrtmAbUFNg6dU52nUaPhHLBoBQjnGlngNgZfqWEft0vdTPEg3HIuCbmZYy6oqt_bFczUIjCSj4zwgWkJnjp26s/s320/camp4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A boy and his dog</td></tr>
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On this trip, we were happy to have Felix's nephew (our handsome Grandson, Noah), join us again. Felix and Noah are only a year and a half apart in age and get along really well. It was nice that they had each other to play with. We went for a big walk to try and spot some kangaroos and found a few, although we found a lot more roo poo than we did actual kangaroos. There were reminders on the ground that there had been some deer close by too, but we didn't see any during the day. The boys enjoyed listening to the kookaburras in the trees, and looking for bugs and insects in the wood pile. Our puppy spent one of the days out at the campsite with us, so Felix and Noah got lots of exercise playing with her too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gtdOjHx6L4QACZSkgImpGDrhmtHJwGZ7CPpyPoNUK1jqYr3QgvniHLYlf85osau0PJxbBAJee71hqcVcu2RVZ_F92S5SVQa3oHIee3XN5Egc_UiMvUoC1NkFkaR9ZjRDEIlAOY02wLM/s1600/camp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gtdOjHx6L4QACZSkgImpGDrhmtHJwGZ7CPpyPoNUK1jqYr3QgvniHLYlf85osau0PJxbBAJee71hqcVcu2RVZ_F92S5SVQa3oHIee3XN5Egc_UiMvUoC1NkFkaR9ZjRDEIlAOY02wLM/s320/camp.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of bush painting</td></tr>
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Due to Felix's hypotonia, he tends to tire very easily. This is something we constantly work on with therapies and, although he is a lot stronger now, he still has a long way to go to have the stamina of his peers. Camping was a fun type of therapy for him. He did lots of walking up and down hills, he helped carry things when it was time to unpack, and he ran with the puppy. Unfortunately, when he gets physically worn out, he can tend to become a bit clumsy and trip over things; a sure sign that he needs a rest. One night, he tripped and smashed his mouth against a wooden bench. His teeth bit his tongue and his top lip and there was blood everywhere. He cried for a minute but calmed down quickly so I could inspect his mouth and clean it up. Thankfully, his teeth were all still intact and, by morning, he had a slightly puffy lip, but he was fine. What's camping without at least one injury, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpostT06uBb38wd9nA3SoXq192O4oLTUWyAwWRcPgQcm-WMjMlvq8iSR0Eqt4tO3T3y8c-IZjPGsHP-nl8JTGzguocpisTzZczGhzxnbjI3WOMoI77hVQaN050X1WFNBhbWenNvYRHrxY/s1600/camp9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpostT06uBb38wd9nA3SoXq192O4oLTUWyAwWRcPgQcm-WMjMlvq8iSR0Eqt4tO3T3y8c-IZjPGsHP-nl8JTGzguocpisTzZczGhzxnbjI3WOMoI77hVQaN050X1WFNBhbWenNvYRHrxY/s320/camp9.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah and Felix</td></tr>
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Felix is a perfect sleeper.....IN HIS OWN BED. If he is away from home and we're staying with friends, in a hotel, or anywhere where he doesn't have his own room, he sleeps terribly which means I do too! The first night camping, he was overtired and very unsettled. I lay down next to him and, between midnight and 2am, endured little whispers saying, "Mum, wake up! Mum open eyes!" He also spent time stroking my face and whispering, "Aaaaaah." He then pointed out my eyes, nose, cheeks, chin, lips etc. Just the education I needed in the middle of the night while laying half on, half off a tiny mattress. Sleeping next to Felix is not for the faint hearted. The kid does not lay still for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He kicks and thrashes and, if you're lucky, you might even get a ninja kick to the face! I managed to get a total of two hours of sleep that night, so felt slightly haggard while cooking bacon and eggs in the morning. Felix, however, was at full speed like he had slept deeply all night. Incredible!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjAF7KB9wqRfBkI2A4YkJ2qeb0xk8wbJ7Kos4khafdNsSibpR2NXdc3YNuMX4-Yxaq87KaPeJ9X0__-Jp9ogY2WIak8Kv_XcmQ49PGC0S0yYZDpm_IhC0wYGb3YUCE8QBtEZc8nNaots/s1600/camp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjAF7KB9wqRfBkI2A4YkJ2qeb0xk8wbJ7Kos4khafdNsSibpR2NXdc3YNuMX4-Yxaq87KaPeJ9X0__-Jp9ogY2WIak8Kv_XcmQ49PGC0S0yYZDpm_IhC0wYGb3YUCE8QBtEZc8nNaots/s320/camp3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love!</td></tr>
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I took a lot of photos while we were camping and, one of my favourites was of Felix sniffing a tiny little flower he found on the ground. I know I talk about it all the time, but I love how Felix makes me stop and look at the things I would normally miss in the busyness of life. He always points out the moon when it is still in the sky during the day time. He hears a plane flying way before I have heard it. He notices little bugs crawling on the ground and squats down to have a look. He works to his own time frame and I have learnt (for the most part) to let him set the pace. Patience really is a virtue, and it is something Felix teaches me every single day.Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-92113843367363754932016-04-17T07:05:00.001-07:002016-04-17T07:05:42.582-07:00Party...Take Two<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8xUrPAl0Evnov5NIR8JfG07ulW50r1hAAOi-80ZrQEnaZTq9KOK8AuW7U4Tb0lqHJh8vMHVYaWKmLxY0e_AcMNMm8U-EK5cd5OHIY5Hwy_rvU2cbMclCnuBum-BU_852wQrMJQTtSVQ/s1600/mum3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8xUrPAl0Evnov5NIR8JfG07ulW50r1hAAOi-80ZrQEnaZTq9KOK8AuW7U4Tb0lqHJh8vMHVYaWKmLxY0e_AcMNMm8U-EK5cd5OHIY5Hwy_rvU2cbMclCnuBum-BU_852wQrMJQTtSVQ/s320/mum3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selfie from yesterday. Nothing like getting our sillies on!</td></tr>
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Yesterday was party, take two!! I got the date right this time, although we still had an issue with his costume. A friend kindly bought a Superman costume for Felix this past week; a size 3-5 because he's so small. Perfect right? No. The costume was so big for Felix, you couldn't see his hands or his feet. I roughly hemmed up the sleeves about 4 inches and the legs about 8 inches, and it looked about right...hahaha! I think I'm going to get good at sewing hems with his short little limbs!<br /><br />Felix had a great time at his party. He enjoyed playing with his friends, and spending lots of time on the playground. He had a few swings at the pinata, and he loved singing happy birthday. I prepared him a (boring for me, but fun for him) plate of party food. A sugar, gluten and lactose free cupcake, a gluten free bread roll with some nutalex and gluten free vegemite, a sugar and lactose free chocolate, a banana, and some gluten free chips. It didn't look particularly appetising, but he thought it was great!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAXDMv_1xvH8Xi9A9E-IUAeU1Rg5eOApfwysdh86A6wxeszDa_bbvFlahrAEduV-eAcfNQRoUizJuv3A3Nomz8gLyl5mXyDY92FVF-a9HSktdnOBhoP3Of1HRjybdER0FReiQh02094g/s1600/mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAXDMv_1xvH8Xi9A9E-IUAeU1Rg5eOApfwysdh86A6wxeszDa_bbvFlahrAEduV-eAcfNQRoUizJuv3A3Nomz8gLyl5mXyDY92FVF-a9HSktdnOBhoP3Of1HRjybdER0FReiQh02094g/s320/mum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gosh...he was so tiny!</td></tr>
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Today Felix has done lots of reading and writing (his choice; strange kid!) The latest thing he likes to do is go through the alphabet and say something which begins with each letter. He says, "A is for apple, B is for ball...." etc. It's interesting that he changes up the words he says each time, which is a great way to see, not only how much his recognition of first sounds has grown, but also his vocabulary. I never get tired of watching him learn, and get so excited with every new word I hear him speak. He's come such a long way with his speech in the past couple of years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq3JiSqxsG9PEoWkCvvIXCcKlv_W7VbmAyySQcAmCuErymlPX2H-NZStNe6y93OvlTX_7iLLTpOmCMyQK__Oe8t6bxabEMaPLJI3xaLnkv5ryDzHdXlQQqnpYgIoOVzmqtQ6HMAMHZWs/s1600/mum4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq3JiSqxsG9PEoWkCvvIXCcKlv_W7VbmAyySQcAmCuErymlPX2H-NZStNe6y93OvlTX_7iLLTpOmCMyQK__Oe8t6bxabEMaPLJI3xaLnkv5ryDzHdXlQQqnpYgIoOVzmqtQ6HMAMHZWs/s320/mum4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of his very first friend's parties.</td></tr>
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Another one of Felix's big brothers is staying with us for a few days. He arrived today, with his girlfriend, and we are heading off to go camping tomorrow. Felix loves having his older siblings here to visit. He talks about them all the time when they're not here, so he is so happy when he gets to spend time with them. This afternoon we went out for a walk, with the older kids being dragged along by the three dogs, and Felix in the carrier on my back again. When we got out to the scrub, Felix got off my back and ran with the dogs. His coordination is improving so much, and he is able to run a lot further without getting as tired as he used to. He does a lot of shouting out, "Sit, stay, good boy!" It's pretty cute!<br />
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This week I've spent a bit of time looking back at old photos of me and Felix. I love reminiscing and enjoying all the old photos over and over again. Now that he's older, and very technologically savvy, he enjoys taking selfies, so we've taken a lot of fun ones recently. I hope you don't mind me being all sentimental and sharing some old ones with you!<br />
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Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-64989119739711964892016-04-14T05:47:00.000-07:002016-04-14T05:47:55.843-07:00Superpowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC_X2G2jFONylUEVVbYBAxjZbpHwmHtZtFQ02a0IR1YSVSENMgMAX6P0X-U07uGB_GeBsJPmGhQ0GNClWjkVAqFWf5o1kfEfCuN8zKQw3-qsnoJJU15P1TBUyF0J7Ksr8W45EBezZ4jI/s1600/super3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC_X2G2jFONylUEVVbYBAxjZbpHwmHtZtFQ02a0IR1YSVSENMgMAX6P0X-U07uGB_GeBsJPmGhQ0GNClWjkVAqFWf5o1kfEfCuN8zKQw3-qsnoJJU15P1TBUyF0J7Ksr8W45EBezZ4jI/s320/super3.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5P0eZrBsb7d7bX9jKdo8OXYEsluF2yB1MpC901_FZ94tcQFhyKlPGoPJrVUtj07Rwc9kZl1fe1e6iiCUnS_0G6HiqPQjA8YE6OlwxTwFK0NvAvGv5TJoK5VZDkEsdzF0DNXDuO9twuA/s1600/super2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5P0eZrBsb7d7bX9jKdo8OXYEsluF2yB1MpC901_FZ94tcQFhyKlPGoPJrVUtj07Rwc9kZl1fe1e6iiCUnS_0G6HiqPQjA8YE6OlwxTwFK0NvAvGv5TJoK5VZDkEsdzF0DNXDuO9twuA/s320/super2.jpg" width="176" /></a>Monday night was a "Come and Try" gymnastics session for little ones at the local gym. I took Felix, knowing that he loves to be active and enjoys being with his friends. I've been looking at getting him into some kind of sport but, because he's so tiny, I haven't been too keen on sending him out to play soccer or football because he'd probably get knocked over and I really don't want to see him get hurt. When I heard about gymnastics, I thought that would be perfect for him; something he could do at his own pace, and use his bendy, hypotonic little body. I think he has natural ability with balance and flexibility. I was pretty excited!<br /><br />Felix had a great time. He loved the beam, and the coach commented on how well he could balance. He "jumped" on the trampoline. Felix's jumping looks a bit like Igglepiggle from In the Night Garden. He lifts one foot off the ground as he enthusiastically throws his arms into the air. We've got a bit of a way to go before he gets both feet off the ground, but it's pretty adorable to watch him try. He enjoyed the warm up session of running races and stretches and even shocked me with how far he could stretch out his legs; almost the full splits. Pretty impressive.<br />
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For me, it was really hard work. Felix is still working on concentrating for a full day at school so, to have to concentrate for an extra two hours after school, was a bit much for him. There were a lot of kids who came out to try the gymnastics, so they had to line up for quite a while and wait their turn. Felix did his best to try and jump the queue, and I did my best chasing him and bringing him back to stand in the line. It's times like these that I realise how much younger Felix is, in development, compared to other kids his age. I'm totally OK with that, but it made me realise that he's not quite ready to join gymnastics on a regular basis yet. I think we'll give it another try next year. Hopefully I can find something a bit less structured for him to do in the meantime.<br />
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Some extra musings for today....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVgJs9X1tgQbsBdzPsEZieVVjgZ3PYEFVxBA8GSSIV197To9HVnlZJrexbI8huM5erjh5mfAQiVq9DZUdHAzr7IjONccC0vz7OXEasmFq14eacoV94VGqlBXw7XBbqLXJGj8SHoNK94Y/s1600/super.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVgJs9X1tgQbsBdzPsEZieVVjgZ3PYEFVxBA8GSSIV197To9HVnlZJrexbI8huM5erjh5mfAQiVq9DZUdHAzr7IjONccC0vz7OXEasmFq14eacoV94VGqlBXw7XBbqLXJGj8SHoNK94Y/s320/super.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Superman</td></tr>
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One thing I wanted to mention about Felix, is his intuition. Felix has this amazing way of knowing how people are feeling. I have heard many other parents, of kids with Down syndrome, say the same thing. He exudes happiness and revels in the joy other people are feeling but, when people are down, he knows exactly what to do to bring them comfort. I've been a bit flat and unwell this week and Felix has been my little rock. He has known when to come and snuggle up to me, or ask me for a kiss. He has hugged me tighter, and spent longer sitting next to me, cuddling up against me (which is no mean feat for someone who is usually a complete wriggle bum!) I've heard some people say it's an almost supernatural awareness. I wouldn't go that far, but I do credit that extra chromosome for some extra insightfulness that a lot of us "typical" people don't have. I'm thankful for his sensitivity and, when all else fails, he's sure to bring a smile to my face.<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-88995184876866471082016-04-10T03:05:00.002-07:002016-04-10T03:05:41.253-07:00Batman (Well Kind Of)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vDg3e4PrprHqpxMFzKDFTGB3zWTaTHZkTk6pCQvZz0dMij41z9efZ3BL2CjESDmAS1yQZP8f6X8QUXk3U9IE_b3miV5ejD-lwnM-hqhhfe-iboDTziFkwmoMs4rUiia6AHeEkkBYee0/s1600/dog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vDg3e4PrprHqpxMFzKDFTGB3zWTaTHZkTk6pCQvZz0dMij41z9efZ3BL2CjESDmAS1yQZP8f6X8QUXk3U9IE_b3miV5ejD-lwnM-hqhhfe-iboDTziFkwmoMs4rUiia6AHeEkkBYee0/s320/dog2.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're making me wear this?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKSIMhVWvxIHnGUmFT4jeFxgEB2FqkI2Z_qaMme5K7dKKa2SFaNgD7wXShn6QdvKMMpjvUBh5tjm9GQvxionfmmzVFeobTuiKWIQ3I5akFm5U51q100aEb5HlRDF_Vag23n51EBQPU9A/s1600/dog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKSIMhVWvxIHnGUmFT4jeFxgEB2FqkI2Z_qaMme5K7dKKa2SFaNgD7wXShn6QdvKMMpjvUBh5tjm9GQvxionfmmzVFeobTuiKWIQ3I5akFm5U51q100aEb5HlRDF_Vag23n51EBQPU9A/s320/dog4.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our party at the park</td></tr>
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It was a wacky kind of a start to the day today. Old age must be getting to me because, my usually very organised brain, was kind of scrambled this morning. I looked at the calendar to see that Felix had a birthday party to go to. That was OK because I had bought a present already. However, on closer inspection of the invitation, it said Felix had to come dressed as a superhero. My heart sunk....I don't tend to buy "character" type clothes or costumes, and Felix hasn't shown the slightest bit of interest in them either. I raced to his bedroom drawers and "Bingo", found a Batman tshirt his Granny had bought him for Christmas. Next stop, the craft cupboard. I pulled out the hot glue gun and some velcro, a pillowcase and some yellow material and threw together something that really didn't evoke Batman at all but, hey, I tried right? A pair of black jocks over his track pant completed the look (Hahaha!) A friend offered a Batman mask for Felix to borrow...I just had to pick it up from her house. Perfect!<br /><br />I made Felix some party food (his restricted diet is a nightmare at parties). I defrosted some of his cupcakes and iced them with sugar free icing, and raced out the door to pick up the Batman mask. I drove past the park where the party was going to be held and there wasn't anyone there yet. I called Felix's Dad to get him to check the invitation....yep the 10th of April. They must be running late. I picked up the mask and drove back up to the park. Still noone. I phoned him back again to double check the invitation. It was the RSVP date that was the 10th. The party isn't until next weekend!!! Sigh! Oh well....at least I can work on improving on his costume in the meantime!!<br />
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By this stage, Felix could see the playground and really wanted to get out of the car to play. It was such perfect weather so I decided that Felix and I would hang out there for a while anyway. He had a great time on the swings...."High Mum, high!" When my arms couldn't take it any longer he went and played on the slide, and climbed everything he possibly could. It would have been nice to have some company, and some friends for Felix to play with, but we had a fun morning together despite the frantic start.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFSKirUXKIJDswAezoFX7YjqvtAfJOCm2iRMpYCcOotfNdi5gZzLlyRu0upZea84Mu7Jfo5F1KQoqON0draBFAE0o43ReB7xhwNya6xcpYC7PMRhctgDZRiG1s-4VRDlULoKK6mk_Cng/s1600/dog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFSKirUXKIJDswAezoFX7YjqvtAfJOCm2iRMpYCcOotfNdi5gZzLlyRu0upZea84Mu7Jfo5F1KQoqON0draBFAE0o43ReB7xhwNya6xcpYC7PMRhctgDZRiG1s-4VRDlULoKK6mk_Cng/s320/dog3.jpg" width="176" /></a>This afternoon, I decided to take Felix for a walk to try out a toddler carrier a friend had loaned me. He loved it!! We (or should I say I) walked about 3.5km, stopping so he could reach up and pick leaves off the trees or sniff the flowers growing there. He enjoyed being up high so he could see things better. He gets a bit bored in the pram and usually wants to climb in and out, but the carrier worked much better. He was happy just to sit and watch the world go by, chatting in my ear the whole time. He got out for a little run when I let the dog off her lead. They chased each other until Felix was worn out and happy to climb onto my back again. I'm thinking I might have to save up and buy one of my own now. It sure beats taking the pram everywhere!<br />
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Since having Felix, lots of days haven't quite ended up as expected, due to health issues, sensory issues, or just the fact that Felix likes to take his time. We've become experts at going with the flow, and whereas once I would have got annoyed when things didn't go to plan, I've learnt to roll with it and make the best out of situations when they change. Felix and I ended up having a great day today. We are both sunkissed and worn out. We'll sleep well tonight...a perfect end to the weekend!<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-69134911072490974022016-04-09T00:26:00.002-07:002016-04-09T00:26:41.391-07:00Communicating Pain<br />
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Although Felix's speech has come along really well, he still has a long way to go before he can communicate enough to express his thoughts and his feelings. I often see him frustrated with me because he's trying to tell me something, but I'm not understanding him. One of the hardest things, as a parent, is that he can't tell me when he's feeling sick or if he's hurt himself. If I see that his toe is bleeding or he has a graze on his leg, there is no way for me to know what he has done.<br />
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I know a lot of parents of kids with Down syndrome will agree with me when I say that our kids have an incredibly high pain threshold. Some people say it's because of their low muscle tone, and others say it's a sensory thing. Who really knows? The problem with a high pain threshold is that people with Down syndrome can hurt themselves, or have a significant medical issue but, because they don't appear to be in pain and may not communicate it, serious injuries and illnesses can go unnoticed for longer than they should.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIu17pjL7M9GkrT91p0DOMrcZL56CQz8Ye-Ir3M5jso_qdOvTgh6Ywx5YLtYABWXwZmkHC95tQjZANknNcSgXlBdfUYFEZwLJl7O34W0meI_veexk6eJ0Y0OA1Q3lmRtJXSDqcWBnSx4/s1600/hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIu17pjL7M9GkrT91p0DOMrcZL56CQz8Ye-Ir3M5jso_qdOvTgh6Ywx5YLtYABWXwZmkHC95tQjZANknNcSgXlBdfUYFEZwLJl7O34W0meI_veexk6eJ0Y0OA1Q3lmRtJXSDqcWBnSx4/s320/hand.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After five minutes</td></tr>
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Both the speech issues and the high pain tolerance were an issue here yesterday. Felix was grizzly most of the morning; not crying, just generally upset and sooky. He has had his usual stomach issues, so they can make him behave that way. Anyway, he had been making sad little whimpering noises for about ten minutes when I thought I better stop doing the housework and just sit and cuddle him for a while. I went into the room and he said, "Mum" and held up his arms. That's when I noticed his hand was completely purple, and I'm talking eggplant purple, and freezing cold. He had wrapped some ribbon, from one of his toys, so tightly around his wrist that it had cut off circulation. Thankfully I was able to untwist it quickly, but his hand took quite a bit of time to regain colour. It was one of those, do I need to take him to the hospital, moments. After 5 minutes, a few of his fingers were still purple at the knuckles, and his wrist was still marked, but he was able to wriggle his fingers and seemed to have sensation in all of them. My heart still hasn't completely recovered, but I'm getting there!<br />There were also positives, as far as speech goes, yesterday. I'm choosing to celebrate the positives and not dwell on the negatives too much....<br />
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<br />When I tucked Felix into bed for his afternoon rest he said to me, "blue blanket please!" He has a knitted blanket he likes to weave his fingers through. Anything with threads has always been a strong sensory thing for him. The completely unraveled car seat covers in my car are testimony to that fact. It was so awesome that he was able to communicate that to me, enunciating it perfectly. He had the biggest smile when I spread the blanket out on top of him. He looked so proud of himself for speaking so well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His hand was working well enough to ride today.</td></tr>
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Earlier yesterday, Felix was playing with some little animal counters. They are all different colours and used for practicing maths, colour recognition and sorting. This is the conversation we had:<br />Felix: "Good morning everyone!"<br />
He looked at me and said, "Mum...sing!"<br />
I obviously looked puzzled so he said in a sing-song voice, "Good morning Felix!"<br />
"Oh sorry," I said, realising he was doing show and tell. "Good morning Felix!"<br />
He smiled at me and picked up two of his counters, "red cow, yellow chicken." Followed by some Felix jibberish.<br />
I said, "Oh wow, a red cow and a yellow chicken!"<br />
He smiled, and this continued for about 15 minutes with different animals. We had to swap roles every now and again because it was "Mum's turn." He must have been missing being at school because, as well as our show and tell, he was talking about his teacher and his friends all day. So cute!<br />
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His "accent" sometimes makes words hard to understand. Yesterday, he sat next to me signing "cake" and singing something over and over. I couldn't make it out until I heard him say "hip-ray" and blow on his hand. He had been singing "Happy birthday!" He was very pleased when I finally worked it out. I'm sure he thinks I have problems with my hearing sometimes. He almost rolls his eyes at me when I finally get it......it's about time Mum!! Once I had worked out the song, it was now time to take it in turns to sing happy birthday to each other. I had to sign "cake" while I sang happy birthday to him, and then he blew the pretend candles out, and then we'd swap. I don't think I've ever sung happy birthday that many times in a row!<br />
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It's funny that that I had been so focused on speech yesterday. After lunch I got an unexpected phone call from Felix's new Speech Pathologist. She had gone to the school to have her first session with him but, as he was home sick, she asked if she could come to the house for a visit, which she did. It was encouraging to hear her praise Felix for the way his speech is developing and to see her excited about how much he could read. I needed that affirmation, so it ended the day on a really positive note.<br />
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There were definitely some "wins" yesterday as far as speech goes. I really relish those moments because with each new word or sentence it's a step towards independence for him. I have no doubt in my mind that Felix will speak well when he is older. It's just going to take a little bit longer to get there. As I have said many times before, Felix has taught me that it doesn't matter how long it takes, it's all about enjoying the view along the way.Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-77823824224112102282016-04-07T04:46:00.000-07:002016-04-07T04:48:20.987-07:00All Worn Out<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good kicking today</td></tr>
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I am sitting up in my bed, electric blanket on, and Felix snuggled up next to me. The house is quiet and we can hear the rain on the roof. These special times are probably the only things I like about the cold weather. I can't really argue about extra cuddles now, can I? The rain is beautiful too. Felix has looked out of the window a few times tonight, and said, "Mum, it's raining!" He enjoys watching it from inside the house, but he's not so keen when he's outside getting wet!<br />
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Felix went for hydrotherapy, with his Physio, today. It was probably his best session yet. He really worked hard at kicking his legs and was consistent with it for the whole session. It really tires him out so I was pleased that he pushed himself. His Physio is amazing! She comes up with all sorts of creative ways to get Felix to work his arms and his legs in the water and she knows what will keep his attention. Today, she dropped a small bucket into the water. It was attached to a rope, and Felix had to drag the rope (which was really long), as fast as he could until he could grab onto the bucket. I was surprised at how quickly he was able to do it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC0u9YPF4yEvsBGpiwzvgXPX6CEE8KsugV2pcZNLtTezGX2QnY7LLlWk5XdSQNGkUiLnS8XiIX4VfCpJ0ezTYtTSdFj0svMmd3Gbrgn8KRSfy-NqF2LhITcCXcA9SZjKYciXGeJSULw4/s1600/eyes4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC0u9YPF4yEvsBGpiwzvgXPX6CEE8KsugV2pcZNLtTezGX2QnY7LLlWk5XdSQNGkUiLnS8XiIX4VfCpJ0ezTYtTSdFj0svMmd3Gbrgn8KRSfy-NqF2LhITcCXcA9SZjKYciXGeJSULw4/s320/eyes4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye to Luna today</td></tr>
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About a week ago I mentioned about the Doctor wanting to see me about Felix's blood test results. I found out that he is really low in iron at the moment. This could be because of his ongoing bowel malabsorption issues, or it could be because of a supplement he is on which can be known to lower iron levels. I really want to keep him on the supplement because it's one, of a few he takes, that may slow the development of the plaques on his brain which will cause Alzheimers disease when he is older* The Doctor and I agreed to keep him on the supplement, but give him iron each day as well and we'll retest him in 3 months to see if things have improved. The good news; his thyroid levels are fantastic, and there is no sign of leukemia (also a lot more common with kids with DS).<br />
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This afternoon, Felix was really flat and grizzly so I've decided to take a day off work tomorrow and keep him home from school. He seems to have an upset stomach; the usual issues, plus the addition of iron supplements. He's been waking up super early; 4.45am this morning, and is ridiculously tired. The combination of tiredness and not feeling well is making him miserable so, I think a day home in his pajamas is just what he needs!! Whoever said "People with Down syndrome are always happy" hasn't met Felix when he's tired!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1Gov4oNOEEK5vFnxczCi8R78-l2BaW4XWSRHke7auF9WApSMFJlbLsdurVK30PklScVeT9juVb1UeqfzHZIydejLOZIoyckAQqAUJBkHzpbCLOkAc1Xd_Ej8IAgZt4nAWAPaOlaPR0g/s1600/eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1Gov4oNOEEK5vFnxczCi8R78-l2BaW4XWSRHke7auF9WApSMFJlbLsdurVK30PklScVeT9juVb1UeqfzHZIydejLOZIoyckAQqAUJBkHzpbCLOkAc1Xd_Ej8IAgZt4nAWAPaOlaPR0g/s320/eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pajama selfies before bed.</td></tr>
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In the time it has taken me to write this, a certain perfect (but grumpy), little man has fallen asleep right next to me. His foot is draped across my leg and he has his head on my pillow. His mouth is hanging open, his hair desperately needs a cut, and I can see a big graze on his chin from where he fell off a swing. He looks like a such a boy! I remember watching him sleep, as a tiny baby, and getting tears in my eyes because I was so thankful that he was mine. Nothing has changed. I'm looking at him tonight, and can't imagine my life without him in it. Sweet dreams!<br />
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*All people with Down syndrome will develop Alzheimer's disease at some point in their life. Some as early as their 20's and 30's, although there have been a lot of medical breakthroughs in this field in recent years. Hopefully, in Felix's lifetime, a cure will be found. In the meantime, we will try anything we can to try and slow the process.Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-50725583741203081092016-04-05T05:33:00.000-07:002016-04-05T05:33:51.464-07:00Show and Tell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUC79s5huTT4weL-H9MNpJAPjJSUzqCZzWHFGKOy7eSEvlvxIZalb4cSAnPd_gu1dI8V8qo_rrKwtcPzkpHt7WCk6MzORxZnTKtVPwnJJqcT0UVpm8bWaJ4-G5qHzQvPC9zHJBEJMKls/s1600/school3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUC79s5huTT4weL-H9MNpJAPjJSUzqCZzWHFGKOy7eSEvlvxIZalb4cSAnPd_gu1dI8V8qo_rrKwtcPzkpHt7WCk6MzORxZnTKtVPwnJJqcT0UVpm8bWaJ4-G5qHzQvPC9zHJBEJMKls/s320/school3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning cuddles</td></tr>
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Did I ever tell you how awesome it is to be a Granny? It's pretty fantastic! I'm absolutely loving having a sweet little newborn in the house. I can't get enough of baby breath and gummy smiles. Lucky I stopped after baby number 9 because I'm going to be clucky until I'm 90 years old. I could have ended up with 35 kids!! I'm counting on a house full of Grandchildren now.<br /><br />The best part of having little Luna here is watching the interaction between her and Felix. This is the longest time they have ever spent together and they have developed quite a little bond. Luna can't take her eyes off Felix.....talk about make my heart melt! She smiles and smiles at him, and he leans in and gives her little kisses and hugs. Just gorgeous!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud Granny</td></tr>
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Yesterday morning I realised, as we were walking out the door to school, that Felix didn't have anything to take for Show and Tell. Oops!! I was still a bit jet lagged from the end of daylight saving and Felix's 5.47am wake up, so my brain wasn't quite functioning. I was scrambling for an idea, when Bekah suggested Felix take Luna to show to his class. I'm so thankful she thought of something because I'm never at my most creative on a Monday morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Show and Tell</td></tr>
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Felix stood at the front of his class and said clearly, "Good morning everybody!" He then proceeded to shyly jabber in his own little language while the class listened. I helped him to hold Luna, and I explained to the class (with Felix repeating after me), that Felix was an Uncle and so Luna was his niece. The kids were very active listeners, and thought it was so funny that Felix was an Uncle even though he was only little like them. There were lots of giggles and lots of questions. Before things got too chaotic, Felix said, "Thank you for listening" and, after I gave him a quick kiss goodbye, we left him to his day.<br />
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I'm so proud of him. He has come a long way from the little boy who used to lay, face down on the floor, covering his ears because there were too many children in the room. To see him standing up at the front of a class of his peers, and show his special things is so wonderful!Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-1065219017603867652016-04-03T04:02:00.000-07:002016-04-03T04:02:39.508-07:00Proud Uncle<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbLPQyjDYeyABOn28W_YxdKYlQoC5K7tOpvZLyNdicTKcCg-vYKQXSjBGRd87ozFyAGeu9z7E35Id8sJWu4ohyphenhyphene2701YTugGo0FZGIZ47DqDU2AHpTywwJPp70gsbpvDP3mqq-jtyhMQ/s1600/lulu3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbLPQyjDYeyABOn28W_YxdKYlQoC5K7tOpvZLyNdicTKcCg-vYKQXSjBGRd87ozFyAGeu9z7E35Id8sJWu4ohyphenhyphene2701YTugGo0FZGIZ47DqDU2AHpTywwJPp70gsbpvDP3mqq-jtyhMQ/s320/lulu3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud!</td></tr>
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I've just got back from driving to the city...yet again. Days like today make me hope they hurry up and design a car that can drive itself. I'd be quite happy to sit back and relax for three hours instead of dodging kangaroos and bad drivers!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWcODr2kewVp7NN2v2HIKC2a1oYJKFR95ZIVlI70V4wfN_vH1OMPxxxtG65Mb_g6J9dWv2hkNUE4UUAXaJ2xioTe86iCmRXcAdSGQHwKFEVUPPLC6VqL18Hvi0O669cYxDpOtp_oGhoc/s1600/lulu5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWcODr2kewVp7NN2v2HIKC2a1oYJKFR95ZIVlI70V4wfN_vH1OMPxxxtG65Mb_g6J9dWv2hkNUE4UUAXaJ2xioTe86iCmRXcAdSGQHwKFEVUPPLC6VqL18Hvi0O669cYxDpOtp_oGhoc/s200/lulu5.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look at my fire station,<br />Luna!"</td></tr>
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Today's trip was extra special. I drove down to pick up Felix's sister, Bekah, and our beautiful Granddaughter, Luna. Little Luna is only 3 months old, and doesn't usually like being in the car but, she was an absolute angel the whole way home and didn't make a sound. It must be her Granny's fantastic driving!<br />
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Felix was so excited to see his sister and niece. He ran to the door with a huge smile on his face, saying "Bekah, Luna" over and over. He's always been a bit wary around babies. He doesn't like it when they cry and actually gets quite distressed, dropping his lip and putting his hands over his ears. I wasn't sure how he would greet Luna, but he went straight into the room and sat next to her. He helped change her nappy, and zipped up her sleeping bag. He asked to hold her, saying "careful" as he wrapped his arms around her. He kept giving her little kisses and touching her really gently. I was so proud of how nurturing he was.<br />
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It hadn't occurred to me that Felix hadn't seen Bekah breastfeed Luna. He usually stays away from her, just in case she cries, so he hadn't been close enough to notice. The look on Felix's face, when he saw her feeding, was priceless. He looked absolutely horrified! He kept saying, "No, Bekah, no", and looked really worried. Even after I explained that Luna was drinking milk from her Mum, he insisted, "No, Mum!" I have a feeling we are going to have some fascinating conversations as he gets older. I can only imagine the things he's going to come out with!Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-23646433256032512232016-04-02T04:21:00.000-07:002016-04-02T04:21:35.413-07:00Horsing Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Felix turned 3, we enrolled him in Riding for the disabled. We were really lucky that there wasn't a waiting list, like there is in other places, so he was able to start straight away. He was a little bit apprehensive when he first started. Some days he wasn't too keen to get up onto the horse, and other days he liked to mess around and pretend to fall off because he knew someone would catch him. He started with one person leading the horse, a couple of side walkers, and sometimes a fourth person to hold onto him so he didn't fall.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting on his reins.</td></tr>
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RDA isn't just about riding a horse from point A to point B. The instructors play games with the riders to help with their balance and encourage them to use their legs and core to stay on the horse. Felix, as we all know, is a bit cheeky sometimes, and will do things to get attention or to make people laugh at him. At RDA, I am always amazed at how they manage to get Felix to do the right thing, even if he starts off being silly. An example is when Felix's horse is led to a stand with a toy on it. The idea is that Felix picks up the toy and holds it until the horse has walked to a second point, where there is a bucket. Felix then has to throw the toy in the bucket. Initially, Felix picked up the toy and threw it straight away (and then laughed maniacally!!), which defeated the purpose of the game. The response of his instructor? She didn't say "No, that's naughty, don't do that!" Instead, they walked Felix's horse over to the bucket and said, "Oh no! Now you have nothing to throw into the bucket! Next time you need to hold the toy." He only did it a couple of times before he realised that it wasn't much fun having nothing to throw into the bucket. Now, he hangs on tightly to his toy until he reaches the bucket and then throws it. They are so good at what they do!!<br />
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We have really noticed how much stronger Felix has become through his legs and core, since doing horse riding. When he is asked to let go of the reins and put his hands up in the air (as the horse is walking), he is able to balance beautifully, with a nice, straight back. He doesn't need support on the horse anymore and his side walker is only there just in case anything unexpected happens. He likes it when the horse trots. It always makes him giggle and he looks a bit like one of those bobble-head figures. His hypotonia means that his neck isn't as strong as other kids his age, so he doesn't have quite as much control. The trotting helps strengthen those muscles, but it also makes him laugh his head off. Today, his horse decided she didn't want to trot....she was having a lazy day. Maybe next week!<br />
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I'm so thankful that Felix has the opportunity to do different therapies which, although helping him with his development, are also a lot of fun and don't seem like hard work. The great thing about horse riding is that, in addition to be physically good for him, it is increasing his confidence, teaching him a really cool skill, and is a great place for social interaction. Everyone at RDA has noticed how much Felix is talking while he's riding. They encourage him in his speech and also use signs he's familiar with to make it a really positive experience for him. If you know any kids you think might benefit from this type of therapy, make sure you mention it to them. It's so beneficial. Felix just loves it!<br /><br /><br />
<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-53608754570111382082016-04-01T05:00:00.001-07:002016-04-01T05:00:33.191-07:00Silver Lining<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever have one of those frustrating days? Nothing major goes wrong, but lots of little annoying things? Yep. I've had one of those days!!<br />
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It started off pretty normally. I dropped Felix off at his classroom and he happily did his jobs and ran off to play on the playground. When the bell went, he refused to come down from the playground (throwing bark down the slide is WAY more important than getting to class on time!) I had to manoeuvre myself up onto the playground and hold onto his foot (the only part I could reach), before he took off up to the next level, then drag him close enough to be able to grab him. That was my exercise for the morning and, like I said, that was a normal start to the day. I went off to work, slightly puffed out, but knowing Felix was happily settled in class.<br />
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Just after recess, one of Felix's support workers came to find me because she thought he didn't seem like himself and might be sick. I went into his class and saw that he was pretty flat and didn't look very well so, after a phone call to Felix's Dad, he went home for the rest of the day. He was pretty miserable most of the afternoon, so it was a good decision to send him home. I'm thankful that the staff; his teacher and support workers all know him well enough to be able to see changes in his behaviour. He still can't communicate when he is feeling sick or when he is hurt, so it's great that they observe him so carefully.<br />
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WARNING.... if you don't deal well with "poo" stories, skip over the next paragraph ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New tricks!</td></tr>
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The fact that Felix was unwell again was my first frustration. Walking in from work to a "poonami" was my second. As I've written previously, Felix has struggled with some gastrointestinal issues for the past couple of years. Nothing life threatening, but he still experiences some pain and discomfort at times although it is controlled quite well with his strict diet. Unfortunately eating gluten, which he has had to have a bit of lately prior to his blood tests, tends to block him up. He can't tell us his stomach is feeling upset, but he gets quite miserable and cranky and, after the absence of number two's, we finally figure it out. That's what was up with him today! Thankfully, after a little rest in his room, things got moving. The only problem is that Felix doesn't like the feeling of having a dirty nappy so, his solution is to take it off! Yep....taking off a nappy containing a few days worth of build up is never going to be tidy. His quilt cover, his quilt, his sheet, one of his favourite teddies, were all coated and that was my greeting when I got home from work today!! The silver lining? Felix has been happy and settled ever since!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoLHtV934Qe2rN4XJVA9Raen6ojIpNFAG5RZu-AQiKMi-x8qOYrbb4fnHrOSd_v1TGHyA4NH9E4YcqVgjmB9kfc2Jyy7yH5gikmx-R3zXjok1a27u6Wsn58e2WtFlLUFhvnRcUfA8ItQ/s1600/swing5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoLHtV934Qe2rN4XJVA9Raen6ojIpNFAG5RZu-AQiKMi-x8qOYrbb4fnHrOSd_v1TGHyA4NH9E4YcqVgjmB9kfc2Jyy7yH5gikmx-R3zXjok1a27u6Wsn58e2WtFlLUFhvnRcUfA8ItQ/s200/swing5.jpg" width="133" /></a>The rest of the night has been a series of frustrations. All Felix's washed bedding ended up coming out stained and dirtier than when I put it in the machine, so I'm off to buy a new washing machine tomorrow. My computer crashed three times before I was able to upload photos and write my blog, so I wasted an hour. Finally, the internet dropped out, just as I was about to start typing. Sigh!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6OLMHg3vkJAPvZKCkhmClKViE5ymsXYOxRg4ccdOp-g7FzL5a8loTqg_v6BBEf6ntPkdC5CiJTpdN1ccS9ZJkT-kkJGXwXwrJ78-G1mIHDz4h8_Eh2pk8HHQNCxjHjeYmAdIHY0jcl0/s1600/kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6OLMHg3vkJAPvZKCkhmClKViE5ymsXYOxRg4ccdOp-g7FzL5a8loTqg_v6BBEf6ntPkdC5CiJTpdN1ccS9ZJkT-kkJGXwXwrJ78-G1mIHDz4h8_Eh2pk8HHQNCxjHjeYmAdIHY0jcl0/s320/kid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't get enough of this kid!</td></tr>
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However.....<br />One of the many things Felix has taught me is to look for the positives in everything. Sometimes they're hard to find but, if you look closely enough they're there. In amongst the frustrations of today, there were so many little things that made me smile. The phone conversations with people I love. Bumping into friends I hadn't seen for a while. Sharing milkshakes and donuts with Aaron (16) and our dog, Atlas, while we were out for a walk. Felix's laughter and huge smiles when I pushed him on the swing (after his much needed bath) and, the fact that, despite the mess, he is feeling much better now and has fallen asleep comfortably and pain free.<br />
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I've got so much to be thankful for!<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-46895024405496246192016-03-30T04:01:00.000-07:002016-03-30T04:01:12.236-07:00School Days<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4MH-cvtZQvabdS0rKjbaW8KJtd1kh2DzFw4xKZF-udvqH2xN_sWXXxo5aCokhfDoKPVVw9fNt4zNtDPjR7fWfXAhDrOU7nPYRndJLRycD-ygL5qrj_9_KW3ufmqIy8vtst_vFsr-BN4/s1600/words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4MH-cvtZQvabdS0rKjbaW8KJtd1kh2DzFw4xKZF-udvqH2xN_sWXXxo5aCokhfDoKPVVw9fNt4zNtDPjR7fWfXAhDrOU7nPYRndJLRycD-ygL5qrj_9_KW3ufmqIy8vtst_vFsr-BN4/s320/words.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New sight words. He was more<br />excited than he looks! :)</td></tr>
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Felix was SO glad to be going back to school this morning. He couldn't get his uniform on quick enough, and was chattering away about it all morning. First it was "School...playground", followed straight afterwards with a long list of all of his friend's names. I love seeing him so happy to go to school. It makes all the nerves and anxiety I felt, in the months leading up to him going to school, fade into the background.<br />
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Felix is a stickler for routine...with everything!! School is no exception. I work at his school a couple of days a week so, on those days, he likes to help me get organised too. He takes my car keys and locks the car, then walks to the staff room with me and puts my lunch in the fridge and makes sure my bag is put away. It's adorable! I love our mornings together. We then head up to his classroom where he unpacks his bag and puts everything in the right places; communication book, library books, lunch box, reading folder, drink bottle and fruit, all in the correct spot. He has learnt it all so fast. After he has unpacked, he gets his school hat out of his tray, puts it on, and races straight outside to the playground for a quick play before the bell rings. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZl5HjBZuc2_vv6HLMTf8xvD-Hger6YZctTHnFTVfozxdwPfrUmrzA-Q5GbvWZM-qvdhTrZFKTB2mjdwoAUdKPxXd6hVZS79csmu4rkYEoATEaJwIvSUUgdvdoW9GB-c6KlFFaKFdBQI/s1600/words2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZl5HjBZuc2_vv6HLMTf8xvD-Hger6YZctTHnFTVfozxdwPfrUmrzA-Q5GbvWZM-qvdhTrZFKTB2mjdwoAUdKPxXd6hVZS79csmu4rkYEoATEaJwIvSUUgdvdoW9GB-c6KlFFaKFdBQI/s320/words2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mum...stop with the camera flash!"</td></tr>
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I was a bit worried that Felix would get lost in the crowd at school....literally. He's so much smaller than any of the other kids that I was sure he would be bowled over all the time. I shouldn't have been worried because he is so well looked after. All the kids know him by name, from the youngest kids to the high school ones. If he starts to head off to a part of the school where he's not meant to be, there is always someone willing to guide him back. If he refuses to come down from the playground, one of the bigger kids will climb up and slide down the slide with him. There is always someone walking past saying "hi" to him or giving him a high-five. It's just beautiful to watch. He's quite the little celebrity :)<br /><br />Felix was very proud that he brought home some new sight words today. He read those and then wanted to read all the ones from previous weeks as well. I still can't believe his vocabulary. I'm honestly blown away by how many words he knows. He has always been interested in reading, but that brain of his has obviously retained so much of what we have read to him and exposed him to through lots of reading activities and games. It has taken time and hard work, but has never been a chore. Felix has always loved to learn and, to see it paying off now that he is at school, is so rewarding. He has been smashing stereotypes since he was just a tiny little guy. He signed his first word, "butterfly" at 8 months old, and hasn't stopped since. Super proud!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM2vGUKBOyEpnbN4xUqpynabUpOU5XJii33qSYve4BKMPWQYjKfG9Nmy2T4TrFhYfcgf2ptMeDZlhJgxElWz4Krx8UZYu1CB0NBbByJVTBZpSfqWzdeVLM3krEJJIz6hXdB32_6ZtOAE/s1600/words3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM2vGUKBOyEpnbN4xUqpynabUpOU5XJii33qSYve4BKMPWQYjKfG9Nmy2T4TrFhYfcgf2ptMeDZlhJgxElWz4Krx8UZYu1CB0NBbByJVTBZpSfqWzdeVLM3krEJJIz6hXdB32_6ZtOAE/s320/words3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuddles with his puppy before bed.</td></tr>
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I'll miss picking him up from school tomorrow. I've got to head to the city to spend some time with one of my gorgeous older boys. He's not quite as cute, but he gives pretty good hugs! I'll probably be too cranky and tired to blog tomorrow night...so hopefully I'll have some interesting rambles in a couple of days!Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-72533833818687164442016-03-29T03:34:00.001-07:002016-03-29T03:34:32.108-07:00Bouncing Back<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwfGCkp_qb-TQ36bLV7MJ847XGyu49M6NjQiCUHCvYyqldyMweFg3-lTuG4J2AchwUSJtiMd0x2zL_t01nTzVkGeRaDR695_Ib0-FGNnM1swFoviieLhRF31kYiIZhjDmnNGGq1MAQ_0/s1600/sick2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwfGCkp_qb-TQ36bLV7MJ847XGyu49M6NjQiCUHCvYyqldyMweFg3-lTuG4J2AchwUSJtiMd0x2zL_t01nTzVkGeRaDR695_Ib0-FGNnM1swFoviieLhRF31kYiIZhjDmnNGGq1MAQ_0/s320/sick2.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those eyes!</td></tr>
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One of the things I was worried about, when Felix started school, was how his immune system would cope with all the extra bugs and germs that he would be exposed to. Winter, during kindy, was often tough, but that was only 5 days a fortnight and school is 10. It is currently week 9 of an 11 week school term and, amazingly, he has only missed 3 days with sickness despite his restricted diet that doesn't allow for a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. I'm very thankful for an excellent multi vitamin, probiotics and other supplements. They're definitely worth it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTYcj0M7_uU5hr3BrpCszXnoMdeLDCqu4MPd-u9spZz9p55F3n9G7DW8Skrto0PlLoei8HjBjvoJ0Wsw_dpTDn6HOTfVmq2XMTYPapOBQ0JaCNkrOGu78PcWcWNp294PavMNwNaXmVfo/s1600/sick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTYcj0M7_uU5hr3BrpCszXnoMdeLDCqu4MPd-u9spZz9p55F3n9G7DW8Skrto0PlLoei8HjBjvoJ0Wsw_dpTDn6HOTfVmq2XMTYPapOBQ0JaCNkrOGu78PcWcWNp294PavMNwNaXmVfo/s320/sick.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound asleep.</td></tr>
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His nemesis has always been croup. He starts off with the slightest runny nose, and by night time can be barking like a seal! He had one night of suspicious coughing last week, but was fine the next day. Yesterday, I prepared myself for the worst when he fell asleep in the middle of the day. Felix never sleeps during the day. He is like the Energiser bunny and bounces around from 6.30am, until he goes to bed at 7.30pm. Within an hour or so he had a fever, so I held my breath and waited for the coughing to start. It didn't. Instead, he threw up once...thankfully, not too much, but I wasn't looking forward to washing sheets and changing bedding all night! He seemed a bit better when he went off to bed and, I was so happy when he slept all night with no more vomiting!! Yaaaay!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineagiEADBVM-7wMf5aYMSVFSX2ju4H0fHrX-rNN2vV_VTxrCi9MfFdTQWCsP6K8hKd82SvnrbHNrorjY-0hbPFjuY2SmD5GImIV_1s8K0a9PXiDUKwzDdTgdTydOfXYGxwsVXKmqrAtQ/s1600/sick3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineagiEADBVM-7wMf5aYMSVFSX2ju4H0fHrX-rNN2vV_VTxrCi9MfFdTQWCsP6K8hKd82SvnrbHNrorjY-0hbPFjuY2SmD5GImIV_1s8K0a9PXiDUKwzDdTgdTydOfXYGxwsVXKmqrAtQ/s320/sick3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
He stayed home from school today and, when I got home from work, he was back to his usual energetic self. He was keen to do his homework and read his readers, and do some other reading activities on his ipad. He ate a bit of dinner, and rode his little bike around while wearing my boots (as you do). The funniest thing was his game of "Duck, duck, goose!" He made a circle, using halves of his plastic Easter eggs. They were the other "people" in the game. He sat in the circle and touched the eggs and said "duck" a few times before one of them was the goose. He then made the egg chase him around the circle until he sat in that egg's spot. Sometimes he had to chase the egg, and other times the eggs chased each other. I love watching him improvise when he doesn't have other kids to play with. He's such a funny kid!<br />
<br />I mentioned in a recent blog that Felix has just had blood taken to test for a whole bunch of things. I got a call from the medical centre today to say that the Doctor wants to see me to talk about the results. They said it wasn't urgent, so I'll breathe easy, but I'm interested to hear what she has to say. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the fact that I have my healthy boy back again. Hopefully he'll be off to school tomorrow, wearing out his teacher instead of me ;)<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-34602490978136383862016-03-27T03:53:00.003-07:002016-03-27T03:53:37.587-07:00Easter Bunny<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjckiVPFwBmRg5VW9Fbd44wp43cU2Gc7BAGFaW5kPtoNdexpOfqWICfnTcGkAHPkgbLUID-zjKE__4sfo3fzUNBzke67KyCcR1-r-gjB4WytezRjE_N8hBUzkqArjcC2i0eGQxgFDfHsA/s1600/bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjckiVPFwBmRg5VW9Fbd44wp43cU2Gc7BAGFaW5kPtoNdexpOfqWICfnTcGkAHPkgbLUID-zjKE__4sfo3fzUNBzke67KyCcR1-r-gjB4WytezRjE_N8hBUzkqArjcC2i0eGQxgFDfHsA/s320/bunny.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix with his haul</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMaJpNfBblAbaWD9dnJ9RsQmyS93nQP3LS30wMZSgZ6X-U81qQJGDlc_174sW5No06TVZZ6YxLwcaDioEYEEkmspI_qObF8K-EfuKNDQvJO2k9HbI51cdPLq6uxUMFqiIaQcdx-hqRdE/s1600/bunny4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMaJpNfBblAbaWD9dnJ9RsQmyS93nQP3LS30wMZSgZ6X-U81qQJGDlc_174sW5No06TVZZ6YxLwcaDioEYEEkmspI_qObF8K-EfuKNDQvJO2k9HbI51cdPLq6uxUMFqiIaQcdx-hqRdE/s320/bunny4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These plastic eggs were a hit!</td></tr>
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The Easter bunny had a bit more of a challenging time, trying to find little gifts for Felix this Easter. In the many months break I had from writing my blog, Felix has had a lot of issues with his bowel. He was diagnosed with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). This was treated with an aggressive course of antibiotics twice, but is still causing him issues. Also, after a series of hydrogen breath tests, we discovered he had malabsorption issues to lactose, lactulose, sucrose and fructose (as well as gluten for other reasons). We have had many appointments with Gastroenterology and with a Dietician, As a result, Felix has been taken off all sugars. The hardest sugar to remove from his diet has been fructose because it's in pretty much all fruit and vegetables, limiting his diet quite drastically. Felix has always LOVED his fruit, especially grapes, bananas, strawberries and apples, so it has been really tough. There have been days when he has sat by the fridge crying because he couldn't have fruit. We stuck to the new diet very strictly for a couple of months and, since then, have been able to slowly introduce a few basic things. We seem to have struck the balance now. A banana a day seems to be OK, and he seems to be tolerating some veggies like spinach, mushroom and zucchini. Fingers crossed!! We're currently waiting on results from yet another bowel test, and some blood tests so, hopefully, nothing new rears its head over the coming couple of weeks.<br />
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Anyway....back to the Easter bunny.....<br />
Due to all of the above, Felix can't eat chocolate. Thankfully he's not too much of a sweet tooth anyway, but he has always enjoyed the few little chocolate eggs he has found on Easter Sunday. This year, the bunny had to be a bit more creative, and come up with some different ideas. He did well because Felix absolutely loved his little Easter stash!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflQHjuGoi6LpKgVHor9_2B7FmFMIq9liHsO82yz5F0r3_s1QG4zzuL51IwYf2Fe_qp_Q2aC4z8_14ndtVIfeqdPg7FNuov2anxBqOETqAqQ4hd17lC9kq361bEVznW32CYIdSKCLQogk/s1600/easter+gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflQHjuGoi6LpKgVHor9_2B7FmFMIq9liHsO82yz5F0r3_s1QG4zzuL51IwYf2Fe_qp_Q2aC4z8_14ndtVIfeqdPg7FNuov2anxBqOETqAqQ4hd17lC9kq361bEVznW32CYIdSKCLQogk/s200/easter+gift.jpg" width="110" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter bunny was here!</td></tr>
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He got some plastic eggs filled with little plastic animals, miniature toy trains and cars, which he thought were great. All day he has been putting the toys back inside, and then opening them up again (the gift that keeps on giving). There were two stretchy plastic rabbits with lights inside that flashed when they were dropped on the floor. These have been thrown around the house and haven't managed to break anything yet. He got a plastic egg which, after sitting in water all day, hatched and a little bunny came out. There were new socks and a pair of firefighter pajamas. He even got a few small toy dinosaurs, because every occasion calls for a dinosaur!! Incredibly, the Easter bunny even found a few little chocolate bunnies which were sugar, lactose, and gluten free. Even more amazing is that they actually taste just like regular chocolate!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q1zxGgOK5fJOr-jc5iLIWTyuSCrPYxx8E4hQb7oMQTofBt6X4w6cKlUYgX9Lx_Cq5NKleARx5MIKDK1HC0GUfn0IWsfDxuXfbkRF4AzpITaLkT4McfjtV7FsqtmOz14ca1MXVq-b0xQ/s1600/bunny5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q1zxGgOK5fJOr-jc5iLIWTyuSCrPYxx8E4hQb7oMQTofBt6X4w6cKlUYgX9Lx_Cq5NKleARx5MIKDK1HC0GUfn0IWsfDxuXfbkRF4AzpITaLkT4McfjtV7FsqtmOz14ca1MXVq-b0xQ/s320/bunny5.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
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The rest of the day was a pretty lazy one. Felix and I went to the park and he played on the playground for a while. He loves swings at the moment, so it went a bit like this...."Mum, push, high, please", so I obediently pushed him as high as I could while he laughed and laughed. Then it was, "Mum, stop!" I grabbed the swing and stopped it. He gave me a grin and, "Mum, push, high, please", followed a few minutes later by, "Mum, stop!" This repeated itself over and over until I finally told him that Mum was worn out, and maybe he should go on the slide for a while instead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_hp_fxgsis2IkjzSJmGgn3TVAKuK0b2vfLL9xsV0GgpB1HFeTQRekuK1PVQmqUqPyVHT4qCzQ2gOUZU9k1-ydvHJj63DQ8aRt9zDZBwuiR1AVxFTXrnWp-Cvwys_Pi6PmWBve4lMtLE/s1600/easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_hp_fxgsis2IkjzSJmGgn3TVAKuK0b2vfLL9xsV0GgpB1HFeTQRekuK1PVQmqUqPyVHT4qCzQ2gOUZU9k1-ydvHJj63DQ8aRt9zDZBwuiR1AVxFTXrnWp-Cvwys_Pi6PmWBve4lMtLE/s320/easter.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be quiet Mum!</td></tr>
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I'm a bit of an Australian Rules Football fan. My team had their first game of the season today so Felix and I dressed up in our team colours and sat to watch the game on TV. Felix loves kicking the footy around and is getting really good at it. He often does it while we watch the game. What he doesn't like, though, is me yelling at the TV while the game is on. It was a close game, so I got louder as the game went on. Felix kept saying, "Mum stop!" or "Mum, noisy!" while covering his ears. He ended up deciding that wearing his earphones (which he uses in places that are too loud), was the best option. Oops!! I'll have to work on my volume control!<br /><br />
I hope you have all had a safe and relaxing Easter! Thinking of my family and loved ones today!Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-50718152670169695712016-03-26T04:35:00.000-07:002016-03-26T04:35:08.894-07:00Road Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c-uPWYn8ZNyDbd81TJuqSlxPiK4Og0lhdOMBDzPkAliN_1qn40tAGU1ljKuTLNn1dKyIZ_3Tc-Rcc6lI_RDQg2KFiL5eV306-1N2askK6rnRV1gM1RPoA9txRRSy01nhzWFgyOCk0-U/s1600/blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c-uPWYn8ZNyDbd81TJuqSlxPiK4Og0lhdOMBDzPkAliN_1qn40tAGU1ljKuTLNn1dKyIZ_3Tc-Rcc6lI_RDQg2KFiL5eV306-1N2askK6rnRV1gM1RPoA9txRRSy01nhzWFgyOCk0-U/s320/blog2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Last night the phone rang, and a very little voice on the other end asked, "Granny, when are you coming to visit?" It was my Grandson, Noah (almost 4). I asked him when he would like me to come and he replied, "Can you come tomorrow?" How could I resist?<br />
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This morning, Aaron (son #5), Felix and I got organised early, and left to drive the 200km to see Noah, and his beautiful sisters, Summer and Harper. Three Grandbabies in one day....I am one happy Granny!!<br />Felix has always been so good in the car. He never cries or gets upset...he's just happy to chill out and enjoy the drive. Now that he is talking a lot more, it's a lot of fun because he tells me what he can see out of the window. Today he was excited because he could see the moon even though it was daylight. He pointed to the left window and said, "Mum, see moon", and then pointed out of the right window and said, "Mum, sun!" Very observant, I thought.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2jq2f6JFrj5hshxj1_kdu-g_p7lEG_7sGqazXTtjsQSSfm_3TyPVnHbnGSJntHQOhs2B0LO2SfsEy3hV9jy1EOzAx-_QJqt1OP-r9Dm9CBLydJudZhhBGNno4nruBtsdpR23giQJHKI/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2jq2f6JFrj5hshxj1_kdu-g_p7lEG_7sGqazXTtjsQSSfm_3TyPVnHbnGSJntHQOhs2B0LO2SfsEy3hV9jy1EOzAx-_QJqt1OP-r9Dm9CBLydJudZhhBGNno4nruBtsdpR23giQJHKI/s200/blog3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, Felix has inherited my dislike of emus (possibly because of my reaction every time I see one). Today we saw about eight of them out in a paddock. They were fairly far away, so I felt brave enough to stop and try and take a photo. I said to Felix, "Can you see the emus?" He responded by trying to escape from his car seat, shouting, "No, Mum, no!!" Can't say I blame him. I jumped back in the car as quick as I could once they started moving!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyFi1WNr1zH0AsuyLRZWpyLjva56MVCiI0cwyLIqhpb2MyjGOvp7F2Vi2S4-188NVtNKyuqm-CQRRjiQpIkP2CaVgDjuFO_M9JRDVuCyulNgsktc0z018TxZYo4gcpuwIvQAtgXmbj3Q/s1600/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyFi1WNr1zH0AsuyLRZWpyLjva56MVCiI0cwyLIqhpb2MyjGOvp7F2Vi2S4-188NVtNKyuqm-CQRRjiQpIkP2CaVgDjuFO_M9JRDVuCyulNgsktc0z018TxZYo4gcpuwIvQAtgXmbj3Q/s320/blog5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TvqwZ0gUXbQ25VtDzOKOnxbjaxVnCzkK3_2i6vxf07DaamgSCVvhPa6kZAbyR-6drfNPJnfJ2HfoFb1GM7U0B1INHYBJ4SxoNJRuoHBfIyS9iOIkBt6MqGF3UYGNPcJs6F2xEOGE79Q/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TvqwZ0gUXbQ25VtDzOKOnxbjaxVnCzkK3_2i6vxf07DaamgSCVvhPa6kZAbyR-6drfNPJnfJ2HfoFb1GM7U0B1INHYBJ4SxoNJRuoHBfIyS9iOIkBt6MqGF3UYGNPcJs6F2xEOGE79Q/s200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a>Felix loved spending time with his nephew and nieces today. Being the youngest in a big family, and having a ten year age gap between him and Aaron, Felix is a lot like an only child. Having nieces and nephews so close in age to him is just perfect. Although he is their Uncle, they are more like siblings to him. Hearing them all play together is music to my ears. I absolutely love it! I'm so thankful that he will be able to grow up with them. Thankful for him that he will always have family, his age, to interact with and share things with and, thankful for them that they will always see people with Down syndrome as "no big deal". Felix has been in their lives since the minute they were born so to them, Felix is just Felix.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Felix and Noah</td></tr>
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I took the boys down to the beach this afternoon. There was a special event on down at the foreshore, so I thought it would be fun (and it's an excuse to go to the beach...Felix and I both LOVE the beach!) There were giant kites floating up in the sky which Felix thought were amazing. He didn't quite know where to point first. For half of the time we were there, all I heard was, "Mum, kite!" That was until he saw the helicopter giving rides to people. It would go up in the sky, circle around and then come back in to land again. He couldn't take his eyes off it, so the repetitive phrase became, "Mum, yellow helicopter" over and over again. Joel (son #2) and I decided to take Noah and Felix closer to where the helicopter was taking off and landing. We sat on the grass, and the boys happily sat for ages, chatting and pointing. Felix would sometimes say something to Noah in jibberish, and Noah would answer him as if he knew exactly what he was saying. It melted my heart just a little bit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZv8xUJfbSrpPvfKauPz5gRjrJOP86ub_vpKufox56OMT2lxtwHwcP6HSCykKaY5qN30aAMtoJBS140I8S82w6-7sVhGiPU4994lkEYkZrQGMLD8hq5YU_CGB31v8DXQJiMA-ZiKtnJo/s1600/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZv8xUJfbSrpPvfKauPz5gRjrJOP86ub_vpKufox56OMT2lxtwHwcP6HSCykKaY5qN30aAMtoJBS140I8S82w6-7sVhGiPU4994lkEYkZrQGMLD8hq5YU_CGB31v8DXQJiMA-ZiKtnJo/s320/blog6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mum...yellow helicopter!"</td></tr>
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We spent the last part of the afternoon on the playground. Felix could play on a playground for hours...literally! For a kid with hypotonia (low muscle tone), who tends to tire very easily, he has boundless energy when it comes to climbing, sliding and swinging. I was exhausted after ten minutes but, he was still going strong two hours later. Watching his dexterity and strength, I'm always reminded again of the prognosis we were given before he was born. The Geneticist told us he would, "probably not walk or talk or be able to feed himself" (among other things). Today I marveled at my perfect little man confidently navigating the playground, keeping up with the other kids, and having a wonderful time. He makes me so proud!<br />
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After exerting all that energy, I was sure that Felix would fall asleep on the 2 1/2 hour drive home because it was close to his bedtime. No... he happily munched on his snacks, pointed out the occasional sheep or cow, and played on his ipad. He's such an easy kid!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7V5Mpa1Ou6PP26Zi5ItXdOhs9_zIMVWZ1__7PzKQSE9doXXBEgLxnZ_XtXmqntnYc1biEmcbrshif-Z6PPZu8_WKpxqNUUCcAeMQixOKSSZbicOmLlG_AeQbCoUyY_OX7QTktixcLno/s1600/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7V5Mpa1Ou6PP26Zi5ItXdOhs9_zIMVWZ1__7PzKQSE9doXXBEgLxnZ_XtXmqntnYc1biEmcbrshif-Z6PPZu8_WKpxqNUUCcAeMQixOKSSZbicOmLlG_AeQbCoUyY_OX7QTktixcLno/s320/blog7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix's newest niece; little Harper</td></tr>
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Well...I hope you've all left a carrot out for the Easter bunny, and he leaves you something yummy! Enjoy your Easter celebrations tomorrow!<br /><br /><br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3220197310170144829.post-86540650738228986912016-03-25T03:46:00.001-07:002016-03-25T03:46:28.802-07:00Easter Friday<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDL5fw7tYdUoHbP_P9izmWCN8zYxVmBwVN64bzhP76GSSABo1H79fRfalUA_vGKoASe1ZaRhT6ZgTf1lgcL8ZCOpHNY7Cy9R-NnFDq8xk0CbU9S3PpRXVclzoFJUs0pWExN3nBqcKjw/s1600/easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDL5fw7tYdUoHbP_P9izmWCN8zYxVmBwVN64bzhP76GSSABo1H79fRfalUA_vGKoASe1ZaRhT6ZgTf1lgcL8ZCOpHNY7Cy9R-NnFDq8xk0CbU9S3PpRXVclzoFJUs0pWExN3nBqcKjw/s200/easter.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A perfect handprint!</td></tr>
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Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm a sucker for occasions. I love Easter, Christmas, Halloween, St Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving etc. Any excuse to decorate the house, bake some themed cookies or do craft things with the kids and I'm in my element!!<br />
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Before Felix came along, the older kids (aged 10 and up at that stage), were starting to wane in their excitement to make things. I could convince them to stick lollies on a gingerbread house (once I'd done all the boring bits), or dress up for Halloween (after I'd decorated the house) but, I knew my days were numbered before they would lose interest and prefer to spend the time on the Playstation instead (speaking about the 5 older boys, of course).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOViyqtvHVHZ9sDcJ__GeI73hbrHDKjKsOzhdV5oDS9blU14INOAgWUYWxjnG1wv9ZKUjbyaZxRCG5-4jXgc7nk5h6s-hbrIVpr6yf0V4ByBhyphenhyphenC2IkZ2ytw9fiO9YzfUMahIx0YdFJRms/s1600/easter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOViyqtvHVHZ9sDcJ__GeI73hbrHDKjKsOzhdV5oDS9blU14INOAgWUYWxjnG1wv9ZKUjbyaZxRCG5-4jXgc7nk5h6s-hbrIVpr6yf0V4ByBhyphenhyphenC2IkZ2ytw9fiO9YzfUMahIx0YdFJRms/s320/easter2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That tickles Mum!</td></tr>
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Along came Felix!<br />
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Within weeks of his birth, he had his hands and feet painted, several times, to send to friends and family. As he grew, we regularly ended up covered in paint and glitter. We made things out of pipe cleaners and cotton balls and squished playdough between our fingers. There were many times I looked down at my shirt, while out in public, to see a splash of paint, or had to pick a bit of dried glue out of my hair. Making things with Felix has always been very messy, very enthusiastic and filled with lots of giggles.<br />
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At Christmas time, my little Picasso makes wrapping paper with potato stamps and paint, until such a time as he gets too enthusiastic and it ends up being a finger painting with a few footprints (which family members usually prefer anyway!) We always make a new decoration for our tree, and he proudly hangs his finished creation....then takes it off....then puts it back on....then takes it off. You get the picture ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDwlIxK48S8Z8dos32q4_RXklIMsOvNqdk1zQcEAipKWQO0TAeLikY3GsCZZg27HpOJjEJjz16P-ljuB4FyX56DZz4K6vKViCw9XQE9mkRvh7ltvfeTAaxKEA9-fxX031bY19Ol4A2dE/s1600/easter4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDwlIxK48S8Z8dos32q4_RXklIMsOvNqdk1zQcEAipKWQO0TAeLikY3GsCZZg27HpOJjEJjz16P-ljuB4FyX56DZz4K6vKViCw9XQE9mkRvh7ltvfeTAaxKEA9-fxX031bY19Ol4A2dE/s200/easter4.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix's rAB..BiT</td></tr>
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People often comment on how clever I am for the ideas I come up with to make with him. The truth is, there is no cleverness involved. Thanks to the power of the internet, I'm able to find ideas that "actual" clever people have come up with, and steal them and use them with Felix. Genius! A big shout out to all of those people who lay awake at night, working out how to design a tractor made of egg cartons, a kitchen made from cardboard boxes and foil,or a puppy made out of cotton reels! What would we, mere mortals, do without you?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlQI2SkKdaqP32YHmgP6K0T8pbJ1SXs85LzTot4Gc98ojF_cgkY7J-v2PBOZN5bYQJBqN2YAT8O-bk0YFFAElfE0Lkt_LGup2D8BaqhUbgqAnUAH_x-syiqdFUUPwWg6rJd-Sl9fiFIU/s1600/easter7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlQI2SkKdaqP32YHmgP6K0T8pbJ1SXs85LzTot4Gc98ojF_cgkY7J-v2PBOZN5bYQJBqN2YAT8O-bk0YFFAElfE0Lkt_LGup2D8BaqhUbgqAnUAH_x-syiqdFUUPwWg6rJd-Sl9fiFIU/s200/easter7.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
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Today, Felix and I made a chicken using his hand and toe prints (thank you Pinterest). There is nothing Felix loves more than having his hands and feet painted. He thinks it's hilarious so, he was very excited when he saw that I had pulled the paints out of the cupboard. He sat as still as a statue while I painted his hands and then very carefully pushed his hand down on the paper. He's quite professional at it these days! He did the same with his feet, giggling as I wiped the paint off before he was able to run off and stain the carpet. After the paint was dry, I finished off the chicken by gluing all the pieces on. He took one look at it, threw his hands in the air and said, "Oh wow! That's good!" At which point, I got a bit teary because he spoke, yet another, very expressive sentence!<br />
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A really beautiful thing, about people with Down syndrome, is that even as they get older, they still love celebrating occasions. They often have an innocence and wonder that stays with them throughout their life. They love giving gifts. They get excited the night before Christmas, and will know where all the coolest fairy lights are. They will countdown the days until their birthday and remind everyone they see, that it's only so many more sleeps away. I often think it would be beautiful if the rest of us were more like that. We get caught up in the stress and worry of life and forget to enjoy the simple things. Felix has reminded me that it's OK to take a step away from the craziness of life sometimes, and to do things that are spontaneous and fun. I love creating memories with him and seeing the pure joy on his face when he does something he enjoys. I'm looking forward to many, many years of listening to his laughter as I share new experiences with him.<br />
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<br />Felix's Mumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14987454969120973776noreply@blogger.com0