A late checking in

[Guest guest]

Hi all.

As usual, I am not writing here so much, mostly I do not have so much to

contribute with, since so much is different here in Sweden were we live.

We have different health care system, schooling system, well almost

everyting.

I do really appreciate being a part of this group anyway, just to have

this constant reminder that we are not alone and that there are other

people in this world with a family similar to ours. Thank you for

sharing, it is very very appreciated!

And welcome to all new families!

My boys just turned 4 years and the winter olympic games is now bringing

very much memories back. 4 years ago we watched the games, fed the boys,

watched some more, cried a bit, Sweden won a couple of gold medals (!),

we had a meeting with a doctor and so forth. We tried to figure out what

this new life was going to be, how we were to cope with everything, and

how life would turn out for our little boys. Those were tough times,

mostly emotionally, for us.

But this was going to be about how we are right now The boys are both

pretty healty and is bringing so much joy and happiness to our lives!

Love (not DS) is coping with the winter infections much better this

year, he gets fever a day or two and after that he is ok again. Mattis

(DS) is also coping better this year, but he is now on his first

antibiotics since June, so we are happy about that. He had both an ear

infection and a throat infection so I felt like a bad mommy that hadn't

understood earlier. It's hard when the communication is lacking.

Mattis is really strong physically. He jumps up and down most of the

time, climbs everywhere. His focus area in motor training is now to be

able to stand on one foot, and to balance on a BRÄDA. In communication

we are working on some sounds which is hard for him. It's mostly K as in

Cool, G as in Go and R which in swedish is more like spanish R than

english.... well, hard to explain. Anyway, it is the speaking, signing

and communication we have to work the hardest with, but he is doing so

much progress right now so it is fun.

In daycare/preschool he is doing fine. Mattis and his two DS-friends is

having their training sessions almost every day by themselves, and they

eat by themselves and the aides (resource-persons in swedish system

wording), but otherwise they are in the " normal group " with the other

kids, where also Love is, and that is working really well. There are now

16 children in the group where 3 has DS, so DS is not an issue for all

the kids yet, it is so common in their world. As far as I know, noone

has not yet asked why the DS-boys are different or anything like that.

That is interesting to me, how old are kids when they start wondering?

We try to ask Love now and then what he thinks about Mattis not talking

so much, and why we are signing etc. Love just do not want to talk about

that, it seems like he do not think there is any differences. Do anyone

recognize this?

Well, once again, thank you for sharing!

/ - mom to Mattis (DS) and Love, 4 years old.

--

Brandström

anna@...

0709-421858