School's cool.

Charlotte loves preschool. Her eyes light up at the mention of going to school, and she squeals each morning as we turn into the parking lot. When I return to pick her up at the end of the day, it usually takes my best negotiating skills to get her out to the car, as she often drops to the ground in protest because she doesn't want to leave.

I couldn't be more proud of her. I knew she was going to do well, however, I was still anxious. My anxiety is gone, and she has proven to us that we made the right choice in sending her to a "typical" preschool (as opposed to an Early Childhood program consisting of only children with special needs). Her speech is exploding, and she has grown in so many ways in just one month.

3 weeks after school started, her teachers and therapists talked to us about no longer having an aide for Charlotte. She was showing she really didn't need one. Charlotte was learning the daily routine, following directions, and participating in all the activities of the classroom without extra support. Mike & I both agreed that not having an aide for the time being was in her best interest, as our two biggest goals for her this year are independence and socialization, two things that can be hindered by having a one-on-one aide if it is not needed.

So she is now flying solo, with the exception of her OT and Speech therapist coming in once a week for a half hour each. Her teachers and therapists are phenomenal, and I credit their expectations for Charlotte as the reason why she is doing so well. We really couldn't have asked for a better start to her schooling.

I love picking her up at the end of her morning and watching her line up against the wall of the school with her peers as they come in from recess. I can't help but feel proud as I see her slip between a couple friends and sing a song with her classmates to show they are ready to listen. She's got this. School's cool.

Green and Gold

My brain is mush tonight and I am too tired to put together any coherent thoughts.

I had a great day; a good friend invited a group of us to join her and her parents in a suite at Lambeau Field to watch the Packers play. Super fun time...

Special thanks to my awesome husband who hung out with all 4 kids here all day and never uttered a word of complaint, even when "screamer" decided he didn't want to nap. Love him.


More tomorrow, my pillow is calling my name!

A favorite read.

Tonight I want to take the time to re-post a link I had posted way back when I started this blog. It is a favorite of mine, one I go back to quite a bit and re-read. It reminds me why it is so important to have the high, realistic expectations for not only Charlotte, but all my children. Enjoy.

http://www.xavier.edu/familyresiliency/paul-daugherty-keynote.cfm

*****

And because a good blog post is never complete without a picture, here is one of my girls today. Katherine came home from her first sleepover birthday party pretty exhausted, so it was a low-key day around here.

Visiting Peg

Me and the littles spent some of our rainy Friday visiting "Peg" (as Charlotte calls great-grandma) and Aunt Katie. As always, it was great to see them and grams enjoyed seeing the kids as well. 

*****

In other news, Charlotte got new shoes. Pretty cute, ey?

Also, today is day 4 of blogging for me...granted, it was a short entry, but maybe I will be able to do all 31 entries?! You'll have to wait and see! 

Bring on the doh!

Throughout the past year, Mike and I have become incredibly educated on gluten-free diets. Charlotte's celiac diagnosis last year had a bit of a learning curve, but wasn't as difficult as some may think.

At times, we have been surprised to find certain items to contain gluten that we wouldn't have thought would. Licorice, multi-vitamins, laundry detergent, diaper rash cream, salad dressings...just to name a few.

One particularly concerning item for a 3-year-old is play-doh. Charlotte is unable to use regular old play-doh. There is a big warning on the back of the package saying it contains wheat and if she were to get it under her finger nails, and then put her hand in her mouth, she would get sick. Instead, we have to make or buy gluten-free doh.

Her fantastic preschool and preschool teachers have gone above and beyond researching and making gluten-free play-doh for her classroom (even purchasing a bin full of dedicated "gluten-free" cooking items and ingredients, including a new pan and utensils). However, so far the recipes they have used have turned out pretty sticky.

So we decided to try the pre-made stuff. I ordered a pail of it to bring to preschool next week, but the girls wanted to try it out this afternoon first. 

It was a hit. Smelled a little funny, but had the same consistency. Now if only we could find a good recipe to make it, I am sure it would be a bit cheaper. Anyone know of a good one?

Tech junkies.

Some bloggers take a pledge to blog every day in October in celebration of Down syndrome awareness month. I took that pledge two years ago, and succeeded.

This year, I don't think I can publicly say I will blog for 31 days straight; things are just too crazy in my life and I never know if I will have time to take a shower each day, much less write a blog post.

BUT, I promise to try to blog more than I did last month. And the month before that. And every other month since Jack has been born.

Tonight, I am beat. Charlotte and Jack both have colds, and today was a long day. I don't feel the best myself, so I am headed to bed shortly. But, I will leave you with a picture of my older three entertaining themselves while I tended to an incredibly cranky baby this evening.

This is why we never seem to have enough bandwidth...wait until Jack is old enough to join in the tablet action.

Happy hump day y'all.

Unique

The best quote I have ever come across in all of my reading about Down syndrome:

October is Down syndrome awareness month and the above quote is the best piece of Down syndrome knowledge I can spread. Every child with Down syndrome is different; no two are exactly the same. Their likes, dislikes, quirks, traits, the way they learn....all different. With Down syndrome, as well as other disabilities, too often others insist on grouping and generalizing.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard... "Oh, that is common for kids with Downs" or "Downs kids are known for ________" or "That is just the way babies with Down syndrome are." or "You are so lucky, most kids with Downs ____________." or "She is doing so well for a child with Down syndrome." ...I would be rich.

UGH. The people behind those statements are often professionals. Whether it be a doctor, nurse, therapist, teacher, heck, even other parents of kids w/Ds. And they are always people who don't know my daughter. And you know what? Often they are wrong.

I HATE generalizations. I realize it is human nature to generalize, and I am guilty of it myself. However, Charlotte has taught me why it is so incredibly important not to do this. By generalizing, we are limiting our children; often giving them excuses to do something lesser.

When you look at Charlotte, please don't see Down syndrome. See a sassy, independent, head strong 3-year-old. A preschooler who loves ice cream, blowing bubbles, Dora the Explorer, and playing in the sandbox. A child who learns best by watching her peers & siblings, is incredibly affectionate, and whose new favorite phrase is "my iPad...please." A little girl who drops to the ground when she doesn't want to do something, not because "Downs kids are stubborn," but because Charlotte is stubborn. An incredibly smart little lady who can identify all her letters, colors, numbers, and shapes; and no, that doesn't mean she is "doing soooo well for a kid w/Ds" it means she is doing soooo well because she is Charlotte, and we expect her to do well, just as we expect her siblings to do well.

Do me a favor? Embrace difference. Be unique. Treat each person as an individual.

Happy Down syndrome awareness month.