Getting Snowed In!

January 10, 2009

Hello!

I hope everyone is well, and you had beautiful holidays! I have been so busy with all of the holiday-ish and work-ish stuff that I haven't written in a while.

Olivia LOVES her Barbie Jeep from Santa! She drives like a pro - better than me! ;-)

We're having a nice snowstorm here in Northeast PA today. We may get more than a FOOT! I love to be snowed in with my family on a Saturday. DH worked the overnight shift last night, so he is now at home. I stocked up on groceries yesterday while Olivia was in school, so we're all set! *lol*

We're planning a trip to a zoo tomorrow to see African Penguins. I hope the roads are cleared for it! Our 10 year old, , is bringing a friend and is SO excited!

Olivia just looked up at me with a huge smile and said, "MOM".

For those of you new to the DS world.......just know that you have been given an ANGEL! Our Olivia is 4 years old, and she is a JOY that I can barely describe. Of course, the diagnosis is difficult at first, but you will come to know LOVE like you've never known before in the days to come.

Olivia just learned how to give kisses about 6 months ago. I get hugs and kisses ALL day - at random times - when it comes over her ! She tries to say, "I love you". It sounds like "Uh Dub OOO". No - she is not trying to say " W bush"! *lol*

Anyhoo - just wanted to send some sparkling good thoughts your way on this snowy day.

Hugs,

Carolyn

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it!"

~ Chas

January 10, 2009

Hi Carolyn!

We're getting the same snowstorm here in Northeast OH!

It's pretty when you're lookin' at it through your living room window, but those who are lookin' at it through their windshields are NOT having fun.

I was out last night, after dark, with snow comin' at me fast and furiously, to take 2 sons to their basketball game (45 min. away), and I turned around and came home when I got to the bypass and there was hard packed snow on it, and I could not see the lane lines! I told the boys that basketball is not worth risking our lives for. No one should be driving in this unless it is really necessary. The price of salt has gone way up, and the state is using it sparingly. But at what cost to lives and property?!

African penguins?! Surely you jest! Are they just called African penguins for some reason or are they really from Africa?!

Sounds like Olivia is doing well. I remember you were concerned that she seemed so babyish. I've had similar concerns with , who was 3 in Aug. A couple months ago, it dawned on me that we were still treating him like a baby... picking him up and taking him here or there wherever we wanted him to be... putting him in his highchair when we wanted him to eat and putting whatever food in front of him that we decided he should have, etc... and he had very little choice in anything. Since his verbal skills were only at about an 18 mo. level, that is how we treated him. It is no wonder he was having so many tantrums! But now we are trying to change that, and have made some progress, but I think we still have quite a way to go. It's hard when his communication is so limited! I could use more ideas of ways we can encourage or teach more independence.

only recently began using "Mama" to call for me or to get my attention, after it all but disappeared from his limited vocabulary for about a year! When he initiates the word "Mama", he says it clearly, but when someone asks him to say "Mama", he says "Bahbah". I think he has some verbal planning difficulties, but his speech therapist, who gets very little verbalization out of him (so how would she know) hasn't "seen enough evidence" of that kind of problem. Maybe most young children with DS have some trouble with verbal planning, I don't know. For almost everything he tries to say, he uses "buh" or "ba" or "da" or "dih" or some combination of those sounds. With lots of hard work on my part to get him to do sound play, he has learned to do other sounds: "mm", "hah", "kk", "uhllll", "nn" (occasionally), but it is very rare for him to use them voluntarily to represent words. I'm now trying

to get him to repeat sounds when he is requesting something. Like if he is signing "milk", I tell him to say "mm -- milk", and when he says "mm", I say, "Good job! You said milk!" I learned that from someone here. But it is hard to be consistent and do it every time.

Lately, is really focused on getting more food! He can have just finished a good-sized meal, and we take him out of his highchair, and he heads for the table to pull plates off and see if anyone left any food on their plate! And between meals, he finds all kinds of clever ways to get into food. Like pulling the tablecloth until he can reach the butter dish and helping himself! Or pulling a plate of Christmas cookies off the dresser in his sisters' room and eating half the cookies! He will even eat rice flour out of a 25 lb. bag!I know what you mean about those hugs and kisses! I do love 'em, too! Makes up for all the yellin' an' screamin' he does and all the mischief he gets into!

(one and only wife to Fred; mom to Kari, Melody, Faith, Heidi, Isaac, Josiah, , Alana, and ! Yes, they're all ours!)

Is. 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Getting Snowed In!To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 8:24 AM

Hello!

I hope everyone is well, and you had beautiful holidays! I have been so busy with all of the holiday-ish and work-ish stuff that I haven't written in a while.

Olivia LOVES her Barbie Jeep from Santa! She drives like a pro - better than me! ;-)

We're having a nice snowstorm here in Northeast PA today. We may get more than a FOOT! I love to be snowed in with my family on a Saturday. DH worked the overnight shift last night, so he is now at home. I stocked up on groceries yesterday while Olivia was in school, so we're all set! *lol*

We're planning a trip to a zoo tomorrow to see African Penguins. I hope the roads are cleared for it! Our 10 year old, , is bringing a friend and is SO excited!

Olivia just looked up at me with a huge smile and said, "MOM".

For those of you new to the DS world....... just know that you have been given an ANGEL! Our Olivia is 4 years old, and she is a JOY that I can barely describe. Of course, the diagnosis is difficult at first, but you will come to know LOVE like you've never known before in the days to come.

Olivia just learned how to give kisses about 6 months ago. I get hugs and kisses ALL day - at random times - when it comes over her ! She tries to say, "I love you". It sounds like "Uh Dub OOO". No - she is not trying to say " W bush"! *lol*

Anyhoo - just wanted to send some sparkling good thoughts your way on this snowy day.

Hugs,

Carolyn

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it!"

~ Chas

January 10, 2009

Just flurries here in St. Louis. Oh talking of salt for the roads, did you hear about the town in Iowa that used garlic salt to de-ice? It was donated and the only side effect was the some said it makes them hungry!! Can you imagine the smell of that town?

[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Getting Snowed In!To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 8:24 AM