Wednesday- Final Day Away

Very busy at Early Intervention

Wednesday was an incredibly long day. Felix and I were up very early for breakfast with Granny and Papa and a little bit of a play before we had to leave. I packed up the car, we said our goodbyes and were on our way by 9am. I was so looking forward to our whole day and couldn't wait to get started because we were headed to the Down Syndrome Society for Early Intervention with all the ladies I had been out for dinner with and their beautiful kids. I picked up our daughter, Bekah (19) on the way so I could spend some time with her and she could see Felix as well.

We arrived at Early Intervention just on time. The feeling I got when Felix and I walked in there was overwhelming. All of the gorgeous little ones in Felix's group had grown so much since I saw them last. Most I haven't seen since January and a couple I haven't seen in over a year! What struck me is how different they all looked to each other. I've mentioned before that years ago I had this weird idea that people with Down Syndrome all looked exactly the same. As Bekah pointed out to me, it's a bit like Caucasian people who sometimes say that all Asian people look the same and visa versa, because they don't know each other as individuals.

Painting with Bekah

Looking at all of those stunning little faces, all I could see was their differences. One little girl, Lilly, is the spitting image of her beautiful Mum. Another little boy, Liam, has fine red hair, the darkest eyes and the face of an angel. That's just the physical differences but their personalities are all different as well. Just like any other group of children, there are the outgoing ones like little Lola, who clapped and cheered at the end of every song. She was so enthusiastic and her whole face lit up with a huge smile. Then there is little Charlie, such a stunning looking little boy, who is a bit more shy and reserved but when he smiles it is priceless. Then there is another Liam who is the daredevil of the group, zipping down the little rollercoaster with his funky spiked up hair. Chloe is walking and is an independent little Miss. She reminds me of our Amy at the same age; she knows exactly what she wants and is very determined. You can't help but love her! And then there's Felix who sat with a huge smile on his face when everyone sang his favourite song... You guessed it...Rock a Bye Your Bear.

Making music with Mummy

The Early Intervention room is amazing. There is everything from a massive ball pit, toys and puzzles, to painting, gluing and even a sand pit inside (which Felix promptly threw a ton of sand out of). It caters for children from birth to 4 years old. Gina (the lady who runs the group), provides different activities to encourage sensory play, sharing and turn taking, fine and gross motor skills. Felix had an absolute ball. He did a painting and played with some toys, but he really enjoyed the singing time and enthusiastically shook his little pom-poms to the music. The whole group lifted up a parachute and some of the kids crawled underneath and others helped to lift it up and down. It was so cute to watch all of their different reactions.

Cuddles with Bekah

I got to catch up with all the Mums again, which was fantastic. It was beautiful to see them all with their kids and watch them interact with these little ones they love so much. Anyone who thinks that children with Down Syndrome are not worthy of life needs to come to this group and watch these children play. They are intelligent, attractive, funny, determined, loving kids who could melt the heart of the most negative person. I am proud of each and every one of them!

 I encourage everyone to celebrate people's differences. Look at your own family; not every single person is exceptionally good looking with a genius IQ and an enormous bank account (in my opinion some people that are all those things aren't always particularly nice people). Look into people's hearts and appreciate the little things which make people wonderful. You might be surprised at what you find.

Parachute Fun

I was so sad to leave Early Intervention on Wednesday, but Felix and I had to press on to our next appointment. We are so thankful to everyone who was there and for welcoming us again even though we don't get to attend very often. I bundled Felix back into the car and we headed into the city for his appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. Bekah came with me, which was great because she kept Felix occupied while we waited for his name to be called. Felix crawled around and sat in front of other patients, blowing them kisses and waving to them. He's such a social little person.

The Specialist was lovely. He was very gentle with Felix and told me that Felix's ear canals are exactly the size they should be for a child his age (not sure why so many Doctors have complained that his ear canals are too narrow for them to see anything). His eardrums are at a slightly unusual angle, but he could see them easily. He did a test which showed that there is fluid sitting behind his eardrums, causing the infections, so he will need to have grommets put in. I was hoping to avoid that, but I understand that it will be much better for him not to be getting infections all the time. We should be able to get the surgery done in the next few months.

Just too cute!

After seeing the Specialist, Bekah took Felix and I to her work for some lunch before our long drive home. It was great to catch up with her for a while. We really miss our girls, so we grab any opportunity to see them. After lunch, Felix and I started our four hour drive home. There was a lot of traffic on the road and some rain which made the trip less than ideal, but we still made it home in good time. I didn't see any kangaroos, even though it was dusk, and the only close call was with a fox but thankfully he could run fast! I must admit it was good to be home. I really missed Nate and the boys, and Felix couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he saw Daddy and his brothers.

Fast forward to now (Friday) and I have to brag.... Felix took a couple of steps today! We're so proud of him!