Ms Margaret-Ann brought Ian to another Charlotte Eagles game tonight, and she got the players to sign his shirt. He is one thrilled little soccer fan.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Autographs
Buddy Walk- Save the Date!
So, last year, with all the hullabaloo about Ukraine and whatnot (seriously- did we really DO that?!?)...we totally missed the Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte.
Well, we had our reps there..the amazing Larsen family, who not only brought their ginormous family, but our kids, too (remember?). But, it's not the same as actually being there, right?
It's all good, though. Because it's time to start thinking about Buddy Walk 2012 already!
We will officially be walking this year as a family with 278 chromosomes (figure that one out!), so especially if you haven't had a chance to meet our newest Maddex, Zeke, please be sure to save the date- October 6th- and be a part of our team. We walk to spread awareness of Down syndrome- to promote the opportunities available to a population who has had to fight for the right for the life that you live every day.
Saturday October 6th. Freedom Park. Fun for all, even if you only have 46 chromosomes.
More info to come about joining our team :)
Well, we had our reps there..the amazing Larsen family, who not only brought their ginormous family, but our kids, too (remember?). But, it's not the same as actually being there, right?
It's all good, though. Because it's time to start thinking about Buddy Walk 2012 already!
We will officially be walking this year as a family with 278 chromosomes (figure that one out!), so especially if you haven't had a chance to meet our newest Maddex, Zeke, please be sure to save the date- October 6th- and be a part of our team. We walk to spread awareness of Down syndrome- to promote the opportunities available to a population who has had to fight for the right for the life that you live every day.
Saturday October 6th. Freedom Park. Fun for all, even if you only have 46 chromosomes.
More info to come about joining our team :)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
A Note on Schooling in the Fall
I'm not going to go all into details about this one, because of confidentiality of our mediation agreement with the school, but I also wanted to get some thoughts out there about Kindergarten for Chase and Zeke.
1- Both kids are going to need more support than the typical kindergartner.
2- School is there to prepare children for entrance into the real world.
3- Our priority is that Chase and Zeke will be included with the rest of their peers from day one of school.
4- The law says that we need to exhaust every support available before changing the classroom setting to a more restrictive environment. That is all we asked for for the boys.
I don't presume to be an expert on all things educational. I don't know if we are making the right decision by placing them in a regular education setting with an EC assistant.
I do know that there is extensive research about the benefits of inclusion (when provided with appropriate supports), and that I can't settle on anything else until we've tried this path. I also know it might not look like the path that someone else chooses for their child, and that's ok. We're all trying to navigate through this special-needs parenting thing the best way that we can.
I hate that there is no perfect solution, and that (like it or not) funding is limited in the school system.
I wish there was more time for teacher training, more money for programs and lower class sizes. But it is what it is.
This year should be interesting. I'm planning on some serious communication with their teacher to make sure everyone has the best chance possible for success. I'll keep you updated :)
A real honest-to-goodness post!
So, yeah. I'm still here.
The working, the mom-ing, and the wife-ing...not to mention the moving, the unpacking, and the potty-training...well, it all leaves very little time to actually sit down and compose a string of coherent thoughts. Being a teacher is super nice this time of year, though, even though I don't really have a job to go back to in the fall...
We're in full-swing summer here, though, and thankfully, the three littles are worn out enough with our crazy bucket list of summer activities that by 1pm they will all still take a nap.
Yeah. Potty training. Chase is the last hold out. Truthfully, I'm about to lose my sh*t here. The house is covered in towels, wet and dry. There are little underwears scattered everywhere. Chase doesn't want to wear a diaper, a pull up, or the Buzz Lightyear unders I got for him, but he also does not particularly want to let loose on the potty, either.
He WILL, however, sit on the potty and eat M&Ms all day long. Oh, and pee outside on the dirt. Or on the pile of rocks. I did catch him midstream today and run through the house, carrying him by the armpits, to sit him on the toilet for the last remaining squirts.
We celebrated that one a LOT.
It's all very glamorous here.
Trying to balance the needs of one kid (who needs to be about 6 inches away from a potty all day long) and the rest of the kids (who need to be running around outside or at a water park somewhere) is really, really hard. I'm trying to do as many at-home special things that I can (water balloons and Popsicles this afternoon, marble races last week) and putting the PTing on pause every once in a while in order to hit Carowinds. I know that isn't the most consistent move I can make, but we all have to make some concessions here. (Ahem, Chase, you are not the center of the universe here, DUDE.)
Anyway. I'd love your suggestions about potty training your child with Ds, mild sensory disorder, and basic stubborn-as-all-get-out attitude. Don't tell me about Cheerios, character underpants, rewards for every step of the potty process.
I need something new. Like magic. If anyone has a magic potty wand, I'd pay good money for that right now. And it's only really day 2. *sigh*
That all sounds very negative. I want to end by saying, "YAY SUMMER! I really do enjoy being with my kids. Just not the pee part."
The working, the mom-ing, and the wife-ing...not to mention the moving, the unpacking, and the potty-training...well, it all leaves very little time to actually sit down and compose a string of coherent thoughts. Being a teacher is super nice this time of year, though, even though I don't really have a job to go back to in the fall...
We're in full-swing summer here, though, and thankfully, the three littles are worn out enough with our crazy bucket list of summer activities that by 1pm they will all still take a nap.
Yeah. Potty training. Chase is the last hold out. Truthfully, I'm about to lose my sh*t here. The house is covered in towels, wet and dry. There are little underwears scattered everywhere. Chase doesn't want to wear a diaper, a pull up, or the Buzz Lightyear unders I got for him, but he also does not particularly want to let loose on the potty, either.
He WILL, however, sit on the potty and eat M&Ms all day long. Oh, and pee outside on the dirt. Or on the pile of rocks. I did catch him midstream today and run through the house, carrying him by the armpits, to sit him on the toilet for the last remaining squirts.
We celebrated that one a LOT.
It's all very glamorous here.
Trying to balance the needs of one kid (who needs to be about 6 inches away from a potty all day long) and the rest of the kids (who need to be running around outside or at a water park somewhere) is really, really hard. I'm trying to do as many at-home special things that I can (water balloons and Popsicles this afternoon, marble races last week) and putting the PTing on pause every once in a while in order to hit Carowinds. I know that isn't the most consistent move I can make, but we all have to make some concessions here. (Ahem, Chase, you are not the center of the universe here, DUDE.)
Anyway. I'd love your suggestions about potty training your child with Ds, mild sensory disorder, and basic stubborn-as-all-get-out attitude. Don't tell me about Cheerios, character underpants, rewards for every step of the potty process.
I need something new. Like magic. If anyone has a magic potty wand, I'd pay good money for that right now. And it's only really day 2. *sigh*
That all sounds very negative. I want to end by saying, "YAY SUMMER! I really do enjoy being with my kids. Just not the pee part."
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
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