Easter Friday

A perfect handprint!

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!!

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).

That tickles Mum!

Along came Felix!

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.

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 ;)

Felix's rAB..BiT

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?

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!

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.

Little Monkey

I finished work early today, so I was able to sit outside Felix's classroom and wait for him to finish. A couple of his classmates came outside to get their school bags and stopped to chat with me. The first one said, "Felix was naughty today, he was cutting things he shouldn't have been!" The second interjected with, "He was drinking out of everybody's drink bottles!"  I had to have a bit of a giggle. Our little monkey isn't going to be able to get away with much without someone letting me know!!

Much as I don't like it when he misbehaves, it does make me reflect on how far he has come. It has taken him a really long time to learn how to cut things successfully. He obviously did it quite well today, despite the fact that he was cutting something he shouldn't have been cutting. I have to be quietly proud about his newly acquired skill. As for the drink bottle...until December last year, Felix was only able to drink from a straw. We worked really hard with him over the Christmas holidays to teach him to drink from an "age appropriate" drink bottle, and in mid-January, just before he started school, we had success. He hasn't looked back! Drinking from other people's drink bottles while again, not acceptable, is his way of showing off something he has recently learnt how to do. Hopefully, over the coming months, he will learn to use these skills at more suitable times!





Felix has a few different things to do for his homework each night. He has a reader, which gets changed regularly (when I remember). He has sight words which he has to be able to read 100% correctly before he moves up to the next level. He is currently on list 6 of the Oxford word list, and absolutely loves practicing them each night. He also has some spelling words, and phonogram sounds to practice. He has a packet of laminated alphabet letters to spell out the words as I read them to him. Tonight I asked him to find the letters to spell "hen". He seemed to be taking a long time and, when I looked, all he had was the "e" and the "n". He's usually really quick to find the correct letters, so I was a bit surprised but, when I looked for the "h" I couldn't find it either. I asked him to check in his bag, and within a minute or so, I heard his little voice say "here it is!" No big deal for most people, but it's not often he strings three words together so I always get a bit excited! After his homework tonight, he had a bath. I started to wash him and he said, "No Mum, stop!" Two sentences within an hour or so... very cool, and very typical of a boy who would rather be dirty than clean!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day 2016

Felix and I with our odd socks

Today is March 21....you know what that means? It's World Down Syndrome Day! Why March 21?

The date represents the 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome present in all people who have Down syndrome....the 21st day of the 3rd month. Pretty cool hey?

We love celebrating WDSD. It's a day to reflect on the positive ways Felix, and his friends, have impacted our lives and the lives of those around us. It's a time to celebrate diversity and inclusion, and how wonderful it is to have so many different people in our lives. It's a day to remember that, despite our race, ability, sexuality or religion, we are all people with so much to offer the world and each other.

We had a fairly low key WDSD today because Felix had school. We made sure we were wearing our odd socks to show that people with Down syndrome are more alike than they are different. I painted my nails yellow and blue for Down syndrome awareness, and Felix gave his teachers and support workers gifts of odd socks and a little note about World Down Syndrome Day.

Two of Felix's friends showing their support today

A couple of Felix's support workers opened their gift and put on their odd socks, even though they were wearing shoes that looked a bit strange with socks. They looked hilarious but it made it even more special that they were happy to stand out and celebrate the day with Felix. When Felix got to school in the morning, several of the kids came up to him and showed him they were wearing odd socks too. I did get a few tears in my eyes when I saw that other people had remembered. It really means a lot to see others get involved in the fun, and show their support for Felix!

It was a busy day!

Felix finished the day with a Doctor's appointment to organise his next lot of blood tests for tomorrow morning. Even though it's been a fun day, life still goes on and the medical stuff doesn't go away. In saying that, today has reminded me that no matter what highs and lows we go through with Felix, there are so many people who are there, supporting us every step of the way.

Right now, Felix is sitting on the couch. He has one shoe on and one shoe off. He's eating a packet of veggie chips, and playing bowling on the Wii from his seat on the couch. He has a dirty face, and looks like he could fall asleep any second. He looks just like a typical boy who has had a really good day!!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!

Re-Introduction

My joy boy

It's been so long since I last wrote, that I'm going to re-introduce myself and Felix. Before I do, I just want to say thank you to all of those who have contacted me (while I've been absent), via email or through my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/abeautifullifefelixsmum/to tell me about the amazing people in your life who have Down syndrome, to ask questions, or to give me words of encouragement. You're all awesome and it makes me so thankful to be part of this big, worldwide community!

So, here goes....let's start again..

I've had 9 beautiful babies; 6 handsome boys and 3 beautiful girls. My youngest daughter was stillborn in 2004. The older kids partners are all amazing people and I have 4 exceptionally gorgeous Grandchildren... 1 Grandson and 3 Granddaughters.

Bathtime selfies with Mum

Felix is the littlest of the bunch, and was born in September 2010 after a suspected pre-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) and hydrocephalus. My pregnancy was a very nerve wracking time, with the Doctors telling us to prepare for the worst. They said he probably wouldn't survive the pregnancy due to the ventricles in his brain being enlarged to fatal levels. My Obstetric team had never actually known of a baby with Trisomy 21 and hydrocephalus, and there was talk that maybe Felix actually had Trisomy 18 or 13 instead (both of which have grim outcomes).

At the end of September, 4 weeks before his due date, our sweet little Felix arrived. Those beautiful almond shaped eyes melted my heart instantly. I was in love!

First day of school...eeeeek!

In the days that followed, Felix spent some time in the special care unit getting his strength up to learn to breastfeed, but was otherwise given a clean bill of health. His Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) diagnosis was confirmed, and in the coming year, his hydrocephalus diagnosis was changed to ventriculomegaly as the fluid levels stabalised on their own.

For a more detailed pregnancy/birth story, check out my blog from February 2012 .http://www.felixsmum.blogspot.com.au/2012_02_01_

Fast forward 5 1/2 years.....

SO much has happened since I last wrote. Felix graduated from kindergarten in December last year after 18 months of learning and growing. His development, under the care of such amazing staff, and shared with some incredible peers, went through the roof. By the time Felix finished kindy, his reading was at a level far beyond his years. He was able to read the roll, recognising and speaking all of the other student's names. He could read simple sentences, and had a huge sight word list. His speech had developed really well, helped along by the interaction he had with the other kids. Best of all, though, our shy little boy who was initially too scared to eat in front of other children, sat with the rest of the group eating his lunch. It was difficult to pick him out of the group of kids...he was one of them!
It was difficult to say goodbye to the safety and security of kindy, and send Felix off to school this year. The process of enrolling a child, with a disability, into a mainstream school is a challenging one and not for the faint hearted. There is the Psychological examination (don't get me started on that one). The Mummy heart in me wanted him to show the Psychiatrist how clever he was, but the logical side of me hoped he would fail the test dismally in order to receive the maximum amount of support he could get at school. There were meetings, toileting plans, adjustments to the classroom, sensory boxes/cushions to organise, visuals to print off,  safety issues to discuss, more meetings..... and the list goes on. I will be brutally honest and say that I had tears (and a couple of tantrums), wishing we could just send our amazing little boy off to school like any other kid. BUT... we got through it!        *** A special mention goes to the staff at his school who have bent over backwards to do everything they possibly could to make Felix's transition a happy and settled one!! Thank you, thank you, thank you ***

Sight words

Riding for the disabled

It is currently the beginning of week 8 of school. Felix is settling in more and more each day. There have been a few little teething issues; trying to work out where best to use Felix's support hours,  his concentration levels, learning the new routine, and his uncanny ability to climb anything he can find (even the sink in the classroom), but he's certainly not the only 5 year old boy who finds sitting still for extended periods a bit hard. He is zooming through his readers and his sight words, and insists on doing his homework every day...even on weekends!!  The kids at school have been THE BEST! He always has someone looking out for him, pushing him on the swing, or reminding him to go back to class when the bell rings. These kids are a huge blessing, and I am so thankful for them because I know he is in such good hands.

Felix is starting to construct sentences more and more, and makes us laugh so much with some of the things he says. He is so animated when he talks, with funny facial expressions and gestures. If he really wants to make his point, he will sign and say something at the same time, just to be sure we're paying attention. We have finally found a new speech pathologist, after a really long break, so we're looking forward to her starting work with Felix and fine tuning his speech.

He is still doing hydrotherapy and also horse riding, which he loves. He does land based physio on days when he is really tired or a bit unwell. We have seen a big improvement in his core strength and will definitely be keeping up the therapies as he grows. He sees them as a bit of fun which is a bonus because they are also making him stronger. Last week Felix participated in sports day and managed to compete in every single event, even though his hypotonia (low muscle tone) makes him have to work so much harder than the other kids. All those years of therapy are definitely paying off!!

Hydrotherapy fun!

Felix is still my absolute joy. I don't know what I did to deserve such an incredible little boy, but I'm so glad I did it :)

So Much To Say

A visiting kangaroo at playgroup

I can't believe Felix has almost finished two terms of full time kindy! In that time we have seen him develop and grow so beautifully. He now plays happily alongside other children, and most of the time he sits and eats with them. For those of you who have followed my blog, you will know how much of a big deal that is!

Progress-

Not only can Felix read his alphabet and say all of his numbers from one to twenty, but he has started to read thanks to an amazing early learning program suggested to me by Down syndrome SA. I have only worked with him on his words a few times, but he already has ten sight words memorised after only showing them to him once. He really is a little sponge who loves to learn. I can't wait to keep adding words. Hopefully he will continue to enjoy reading them, and will have a long list of words prior to starting school this time next year.

Talking-

Painting at kindy is hard work!

Felix's vocabulary is still limited, but it has grown a lot since he has been at kindy. He is becoming clearer with his words and is initiating conversation with the words he does have. This morning when I went into his room he said (and signed) "Good morning". He then went over to his cupboard and said, "nappy", because he knows that's what we do first thing. While I was making his breakfast, he told me he needed his "bowl, spoon, mins (vitamins)", and told me the porridge was "hot" when I got it out of the microwave. When we drive Aaron to the bus stop in the mornings, Felix now says "Aaron, bus, school".

In the afternoons he tells me "rest, ipad" because he wants to take his ipad into his room so he can have a little rest. Recently, after being in Adelaide for another surgery, Felix spoke to his Granny on the phone. He said "Deb, Darren, Cate, Daniel, happy, sad, baby, crying" What he was communicating, was that he had seen all four of those people. He had felt happy, but a bit sad when he was in hospital, and there was a baby on the ward who was crying (he was a bit upset about that at the time, so it must have been memorable to him).

Recovering from general anaesthetic #6

Communication is such an important part of life and, although speech isn't the only way to communicate, it certainly helps. Knowing some of Felix's thoughts and feelings now, through speech, is quite incredible and makes me so emotional.

Medical-

When I break it all down, there is actually a lot of medical stuff that has gone on this year. Thankfully, there is nothing too significant, but the inconvenience of tests, hospital appointments, diet restrictions, overnight city stays etc can all become very exhausting at times, for both Felix and the rest of us.

In the past 11 months, Felix has had a sedated MRI which showed that his Ventriculomegaly is stable, which is awesome. He has had two surgeries for grommets, his adenoids and tonsils out and, most recently, the poor little guy had a circumcision.

4th birthday

In addition to his surgeries, he has had to do four hydrogen breath tests to check for any intolerances to lactose, lactulose, sucrose or fructose. These required him to fast for long periods of time, and to have a restricted diet. Unfortunately one of the tests really upset his stomach and made his day (and mine) pretty miserable. There were lots of baths to be had (we were both covered....twice!)  We have an appointment with the Gastroenterologist in a week to get the results, and to see where we go from here. He may just need some blood work done, or it could be as nasty as a bowel biopsy. Hopefully it will be something simple and we can start working on getting his belly sorted out.

After speaking to someone, with a lot of experience with kids with Down syndrome, I have been told we need to push to find out what is happening with the hearing in Felix's left ear. She was annoyed to know that the Audiologist dismissed Felix's lack of hearing so quickly with a, "Well he has 100% hearing out of one ear so that will be enough for speech development and cognition". As she pointed out, that would never be 'good enough' for a typically developing child, and we need to push for a hearing aid for that ear if the next test comes back with the same result. It's sometimes so easy to feel intimidated by Doctors and specialists because they are the 'expert'. I need to keep reminding myself that, as Felix's Mum, I am the expert on Felix and I need to fight for what he needs. It was a good kick up the butt for me!

The London bus. Felix and his friend Liam are in the window
at the top with the balloons

Felix had his tear ducts probed when he was about 2 years old. He had always had gunky, watery eyes and the probe worked beautifully with the results being immediate. Unfortunately in the past two weeks, the gunkiness has returned. I actually took him to the GP for eye swabs because I thought he might have got conjunctivitis from kindy, but the results were negative. I have a feeling another tear duct probe might be in the future too.

Fun stuff-

There are always adventures to be had with Felix! He had a wonderful fourth birthday party a couple of months ago. He had lots of friends travel long distances to celebrate his number themed birthday party. There was lots to eat, painting and playdough, water play and bubbles, and of course playing with the sheep and the chickens. He had the best day! We are thankful to everyone who came to celebrate with us.

With the money he got from his sheep's fleece

Only a few weeks ago, Felix (and I) had the honour of being in the Adelaide Christmas pageant on the London bus! It was always a childhood dream of mine to be in the pageant, so to have this opportunity really was a once in a lifetime chance for both of us. Nine other gorgeous kids, with Down syndrome, and their parents also got to ride the bus. It was an amazing experience. My friend and I had tears in our eyes, as our two handsome little boys waved and smiled at the crowd as we drove along. We even got the chance to see Father Christmas arrive in Adelaide at the end of the pageant! Felix is still talking about the "red bus". I don't think he will be forgetting it in a hurry!

The Christmas craziness has begun with a whole bunch of extra stuff to add to my crazy schedule. During the madness, I'm so thankful to have Felix. He keeps me grounded and always reminds me that life doesn't have to be frantic all the time. He still makes me stop to smell those roses!!

Country Parenting a Child With Down Syndrome

Recently I was asked to do a guest blog for a lovely Mum who is also blessed with a very handsome little man with Down syndrome. She suggested I write about my experiences with country parenting a child with Down syndrome.  I thought I would share what I wrote here as well, since it's been ages since I updated my blog. If you would like to head over to Annie's facebook page and follow the links to her blog, the address is https://www.facebook.com/Mummalove.blog

Country Parenting a child with Down syndrome

I am a 43 year year old Mum from rural South Australia. I have had 9 children, and am Granny to 2 beautiful Grandchildren. A couple of months before my 40th birthday, I gave birth to a little guy, Felix, who has changed my life in the most incredible way. We found out at 19 weeks pregnant that Felix had an absent nasal bone; a fairly strong indicator for Down syndrome. Coupled with another few 'soft markers', including my age, our medical team were pretty convinced. We opted not to have any further testing, but studied up on Down syndrome to prepare for the birth of our son who, I might add, we had just fallen even more in love with.

At 36 weeks pregnant, my waters broke and I was flown, by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, to the city to deliver our much anticipated little boy. He was born, as expected, with those incredible almond shaped eyes, a single crease on his palm and a big gap between his toes. He had Down syndrome, and he was absolutely perfect. He only needed a couple of days in the special care unit with a NG tube for feeds, before he was strong enough to breastfeed properly and could come home on day 4. He has been charming the world ever since!

Country parenting, when you have a child with Down syndrome, provides some challenges. You need to enjoy driving long distances, have a reliable car, and a bottomless tank of petrol! Services are not at your doorstep, and it often requires having to go out of your way to access therapies, medical assistance and early intervention.

When Felix was born, we were living in a large regional country centre, four hours drive from Adelaide in South Australia. Although there weren't as many services available as there are in the city, we were lucky to have a Paediatrician who travelled regularly to the area, a team of therapists (although they changed often), a wonderful playgroup for children with special needs, a fantastic GP and a hospital emergency room for all those middle of the night croup attacks. We still had to travel to the city for specialist appointments and surgeries, but we are lucky because Felix hasn't had any life threatening health challenges.

A few months before Felix's 3rd birthday, we moved to a tiny little farming town 2 1/2 hours from Adelaide. The nearest hospital is 40km away, as is the nearest GP and Felix's Physiotherapist. Our Paediatrician is 100km away, and so is Riding for the Disabled, where Felix does horse riding. Finding therapists has been incredibly difficult, so we have resorted to driving really long distances to access quality services for Felix. This can be exhausting at times. There are often weeks when I'm in the car more than out of it. However, when I look at the way Felix is developing so beautifully, and I see the benefits of the early intervention he has received, I am so thankful and I know that all that driving has been worth it!

The pay off to country living is, of course, the lifestyle and all the learning and discovering that comes with it. Everyone in our tiny little community has embraced Felix and love spending time with him. He has been invited out to farms to watch the sheep shearing, and been driven around to see all the animals. He has patted alpacas, pigs, goats, cows, horses and sheep. He has had rides on huge pieces of farm machinery, motorbikes and go-karts. He regularly splashes in puddles and plays in the mud. He was even given a pet lamb for his 3rd birthday last year! Collecting the eggs from our chickens is one of his favourite things to do. He has learnt to be gentle with the eggs... after a bit of trial and error. There are always different places to explore, which is perfect for a boy who loves being outside. Felix is a bit of a local celebrity. Being such a small place, everyone knows him and goes out of their way to say hello. Felix always obliges with a smile and a wave. I wouldn't swap our lifestyle for anything in the world!

Things may change as Felix gets older. There may come a time when, being closer to the city, might suit Felix better. He may want to socialise on a regular basis with other kids who have Down syndrome. It will really depend on what is important to Felix and what will make him the most happy and content in his life. For the time being, country living suits him perfectly. He is happiest when he is wearing his gumboots and throwing out grain to the chooks....and I'm at my happiest watching him!

Kindy Fun

First day at Kindy

Well so much for easing Felix slowly into Kindy! He has taken to it like a duck to water and is already doing two full days a week! That was unexpected!!

Felix's first day of Kindy was an emotional one for me. I felt like after almost 4 years of being together, day in and day out, with intensive therapies, hospital stays and crazy amounts of play time, I was losing my little buddy. Having Felix around me constantly had become the norm, and the thought of dropping him off at Kindy and driving home without him seemed like an alien concept. There were also the worries that any parent, of a kid who needs a bit of extra help, has. Will he adjust to the new environment? Will they understand him? Will the other bigger kids be too rough with him? My mind was going a mile a minute!

Got his bag...ready to go

When we walked into the Kindy the first thing that hit me was that the kids were HUGE! Felix is a tiny 90cm tall and only weighs 12kg. He's probably the size of an average 2 year old. These kids were typical sized 4 year olds and towered over our little guy. Felix played coy for a little while, especially with all the excitement and noise inside the centre, but as soon as he saw the door to the playground open he walked away from us and straight outside. Once he was happily playing, we left him there for the next few hours. I didn't cry until we got back. As soon as I saw him content and happy, playing just like all the other kids I had to brush away the tears. He just looked so comfortable, covered in paint, with a big smile on his face. It was one of those moments I will cherish forever. As soon as he saw us standing there watching him he beamed the biggest grin ever. He rushed over to us and grabbed one of each of our legs and looked up, so excited to see us. After a quick leg hug, he went back over to what he was playing with which confirmed how settled he was.

Loving the Kindy playground

For the next 3 Kindy sessions we left him for 3-4 hours, but from week 3 onwards, he has been there for the two full days and is coping beautifully. The staff have told us that he is doing really well. He loves playing outside, doing crafts, and he paints lots and lots of pictures. They have also said he is cheeky and has a good sense of humour. He loves spending time gazing at himself in the mirror in the bathroom, and he has an eye for the pretty girls (volunteers at the kindy). Sounds like our boy!! The entire staff at the Kindy have been amazing. They have been so welcoming to Felix (and us), and always take the time to fill us in on his day when we arrive to pick him up. We feel so thankful! Did I mention they also love the hugs? :)

Dress ups for Kindy book week

The other kids are doting on Felix and he is always greeted by them when we arrive. The Kindy teachers have been teaching the children a few basic signs. How sweet to see Felix laying on the carpet one morning, and one of the little girls lay down beside him, face to face, and sign "Good morning" to him. Adorable!! A few of the kids have been coming up to us at the end of the day and telling us that Felix is their friend and they like playing with him. It makes me feel so warm inside to see how children that age do not discriminate. They have no pre-conceived ideas, but just see Felix as another friend to play with. Such a pity that changes in a lot of people as they grow! I also love the honesty and curiosity of kids Felix's age. One child said to me, "Why doesn't he talk?" I explained that he can't learn to talk quite as quickly as her, so he uses his hands to talk instead. She thought that was really cool and, this week, her Mum told me that she is teaching her little brother how to sign!!  Aren't kids wonderful?

In other Felix news.... We have even more speech/communication, which is super exciting. This morning I told Felix we were going horse riding. His response? "Piper...Yay!" (His horse's name is Piper). Yesterday, Felix found a picture of a tub of yoghurt in one of his sign language books. He walked up to the fridge, held up the page in his book and said, "gurt, gurt" and signed "please". He obviously really wanted yoghurt!! In my last blog I mentioned that Felix can read the alphabet... now he can say it all the way through without actually looking at any letters, which is pretty cool. When Felix and I were in the car this week, I heard him spell S-P-O-R-T-S. Looking out of my window, I saw that we were stopped next to a sport's store.

C-L-E-V-E-R

All of these things are HUGE to us. Speech is something that is coming along slowly so we celebrate every new word, and get extra excited when there are a couple of words together. Felix is attempting to say more every day and we are understanding more as well. It's a team effort. When Felix communicates something to us and we respond correctly because we understand him, he looks so satisfied and it's a great feeling. I can't 

wait to see what the coming weeks bring.