Busy Week Ahead

Just want to kiss those lips!

Felix and I spend a wonderful morning catching up with friends at the Kindergym. For the first time ever, Felix crawled away from me and went and interacted with some of the other children without worrying about where I was. He is getting more independent which is fantastic. I spoke to a couple of Mums this morning who asked lots of questions about Felix and Down Syndrome. They were genuine heartfelt questions which meant so much to me. No-one was being judgemental, they were just wanting to be informed. Someone who knew a bit of sign language commented on the signs that Felix was using. She was very impressed with what he could say. Another Mum asked me different signs for things and then used them to speak to Felix. She even showed her 2 year old son how to say, "Thank You" and he signed it to Felix; it was the cutest thing!

Got his bling!

Felix has a lot of appointments coming up this week. Tomorrow he has to see his Physiotherapist. She is going to work with him on some new parallel bars they have to try and encourage him to walk. It will be interesting to see how he goes as it is a completely different form of therapy than anything he has done before. Hopefully he will think it's fun and will be feeling cooperative.The Podiatrist is also going to join us, which will be a first. Felix hasn't had his feet checked before. I'm pretty confident that he holds his feet in the correct position, but I'm glad he's having them looked at so if there are any problems we can get onto them straight away. That's the benefit from lots of Early Intervention with children with Down Syndrome. Any potential difficulties can be recognised and addressed early on to allow for the best possible future for that child.

Next week Felix and I will be travelling to the city for another couple of appointments. We have booked him in to see an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. We've had some concerns regarding his ears as most of the Doctors we have seen here have been unable to see inside them because his ear canals are so tiny. His hearing is really good and we don't want undiagnosed ear infections to scar his eardrums and then affect his hearing in future. He's had a fever on several occasions which Doctors have been unable to pinpoint, so we figured it's better to be safe than sorry and have him checked out by someone who specialises in that area.

Hanging with Isaiah

We are also taking Felix to see a Speech Pathologist who has done a lot of work with children with Down Syndrome. We're looking forward to drawing on her experience and double checking that we are on the right track with Felix. One of the best pieces of advice we have been given, since having Felix, is to draw on every resource available to ensure that he receives the best possible therapy. This Speech Pathologist comes highly recommended and we're excited to see what she does with Felix.

Next Tuesday night I am going out for dinner with a group of the Mums from Felix's Early Intervention group (from the Down Syndrome Society). All the Mums are the same age as me and we all have a precious little one with Down Syndrome who are the same age as each other also. How awesome is that? The beautiful thing about this group of girls is that we can all relate to each other. Our children all have different health issues and are at different stages of development but we get SO excited for each other when our children reach a new milestone or overcome certain health problems. We share a beautiful common bond and are incredibly proud of each and every one of our gorgeous babies. I feel sorry for everyone else dining at that restaurant next week because we're going to be one very talkative bunch!!

A Felix specialty..the crazy face :)

The highlight of next week is certainly going to be attending Early Intervention at the Down Syndrome Society on Wednesday. Felix and I have only been able to go to one before because we live so far away, so I can't wait. All the kids are the same age as Felix, and I've been watching them all grow up via photos on Facebook. It's been so long since we were there last that I can't wait to scoop them all up and snuggle them. I feel like they are all family and although I've barely had any 'face-time' with their Mums, I feel so close to all of them. We have shared so much through the lives of our gorgeous kids. I really feel so privileged to have had a child with Down Syndrome so we could become part of this incredible extended family. Never have I met such patient, loving, strong, and encouraging people in my life. I feel blessed!