Supporting each other

This is how you wear a bikini

Joel and Mel have been doing so well at their new job as parents. It's always tough to adjust to life with a newborn and the lack of sleep which comes with it. I suggested they go out for lunch together after Noah had been fed and I would meet them at Playgroup when they were done. I dropped them off and Felix, Noah and I headed to Playgroup.

I had forgotten what it's like to get two babies out of the car with two nappy bags and a pram, but I finally managed to juggle everything and make my way inside. Felix wasn't overly impressed when he realised I had Noah with me. He looked at me as if to say, "What did you bring that for?" I was sitting on the floor with Noah in my arms, so Felix buried his head, face down, in my lap and left it there for a good few minutes. He wasn't crying; it was just a silent protest that he had to share his Mummy for a little while.

Baby Noah's first Playgroup visit

Felix recovered quickly and started playing with the other kids. He loves balls at the moment and sat rolling a ball back and forward to me and then leaned in to the ball pit and played with the smaller balls in there. He didn't stray too far from me because he was still sulking a bit about having Noah there, but he was full of smiles for everyone. He was pleased to see Joel and Mel when they arrived and I was able to hand Noah back to them and he could have Mummy all to himself. I've never felt so wanted!

In the drawer again

Felix and I met a new little boy and his Mum at Playgroup. He is about the same age as Felix and has a rare Deletion Syndrome (actually it's so rare, it isn't even called a Syndrome yet). It was interesting to be educated about what Deletion is as I hadn't heard much about it before. Felix has an extra copy of the 21st chromosome, but this little boy is missing a part of the 22nd chromosome. His family are still learning (as are the Doctors) what this actually means for him. Down Syndrome is well researched and we know a lot of what to expect with Felix's development. This family have to just take a day at a time to see how their son develops and what physical, intellectual and medical issues they may have to face. He is a lovely, active little boy and you can see the love his Mum has for him. She would like to make contact with other families who have a child with the same condition. If anyone has heard of or knows anyone with the same or a similar genetic condition, could you please message me so I can pass on your details? I can't imagine not having our huge Down Syndrome family for support, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be for this family.

Felix and Jacob at Playgroup

Last night, Felix gave us a reminder of how important family time is. Over the past couple of weeks, he has become less interested in eating at dinner time. He will play with his food, spit it out or just refuse to eat it altogether. I usually feed him earlier than everyone else because he goes to bed at 6.30pm. Last night I had dinner cooked early, so the whole family sat down to eat at the same time as him. He wolfed down a massive bowl of soup and cheesy bread rolls. He was so happy to be eating with everyone. It reminded me again of how important it is for Felix to learn from the family. If he sees all of us eating and enjoying our food, he is going to be much more inclined to do the same thing. I am going to make more of an effort to have our meals ready earlier so that Felix can share mealtimes with us. Not only will it help him, but there is nothing nicer than looking around the table and watching everyone laughing and talking and enjoying time together.