Kate's First Day of School

Wednesday, August 30th - Kate's First Day of Pre-School

Kate had an awesome first day of school!  Her teacher wrote, "Happy, Happy Girl!" Here is what her first day's report looked like:

Kate, I am so proud of you and so is Daddy.  You are such a delight.  When I picked you up, the teacher said, "She had an AWESOME first day!"  When I picked you up the second day, she said, "Kate had another great day!  She is so fun, funny and follows directions."  I said, "She is like a ray of suhshine!"  And her teacher agreed, "That is a perfect description.  She IS like a ray of sunshine in our class."  :)

Kate, I know this is just the beginning.  You are such a gift to us and to the world.  You are going to do EXACTLY what YOU want to do in life.  A great quote from Mary Oliver that I read on another Mom's blog said, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"  I know you are going to do great things with your life.  You already have.

Love,
Mommy




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A BIG First at Funland!

Yesterday was such an awesome day!  We spent the first half of it at the beach with Matt's sister, her husband and their son.  Then we headed to the Rehobeth Beach Boardwalk in Delaware to hit up Grottos Pizza and then FUNLAND!  This great day, turned into one of the most memorable for us.  Previously, when we took Kate to local fairs where they had kiddie rides, she refused to go on them.  She covered her eyes...she cried because of the noise...she did not have fun.  Once Matt did get her to go on a ride with her cousin, but she just screamed.  My husband said he felt so bad....he wasn't sure if it was a kind of having fun, but I am scared scream or just I am scared, get me off this ride scream.  So, when we arrived to Funland, we were not sure what Kate would do.  Our son Grant and his cousin were ready to go and jumped on the boat ride immediately.  We asked Kate, but she said "no."  The boys went ride to ride having a ball.  Little Sean, who is just over one, watched them without making a fuss.  Despite our encouraging efforts, Kate refused to join her older brother and cousin....until....she saw the swings!  All of a sudden, she was pointing and making gestures that she wanted to go on the swing.  "Really? Do you want to go on the swings?"  I asked with such surprise and excitement.  Immediately she responded, "Yeah!"  OK, on to the swings....since this ride went a bit fast and swung out to the sides, we were not sure how she would react once the ride got going.  At first, she looked uncertain......then when the ride slowed down and it was time to get off, she refused!  She kept saying and signing "More!  More! More!"  Matt and I were ecstatic!  We had the biggest grins on our faces and we were high fiving each other.

Hmmm, could this be a break through?  After about four rounds on the swings, we pried her off the ride and asked her if she would like to go on another one.  She saw the pick up truck, smiled and excitedly said, "YEAH!"  No way!  We got in line and decided to let Sean join her.  It was enclosed and it seemed safe for him....well, it was a HUGE hit!  Matt's sister was beaming...so proud of Kate because she saw how unhappy Kate was in the past!  

Not only was this a first for Kate, but it was Sean's first time too!  He had a ball and was so excited to be included and to ride on a few other rides with his big sister!  What a great, great day!

Now, she was hooked!

Oh, sweet Kate, we are SO proud of you!

This may not seem like a big deal to many who read this, but it was a HUGE moment for us and a very BIG turning point for Kate!  With new circumstances, comes fear of the unknown and tremendous resistance.  We always encourage her and try to nudge her out of her comfort zone.  Sometimes, it takes a while, I mean what seems like a long while (months, maybe longer), to get her to try something and realize that she will enjoy it.  Matt's sister made a very astute observation.  She thought that maybe since Kate enjoys going on swings and is very familiar with them that perhaps it was not so scary and unknown to try the swing ride.  And this year she got a little ride on pick up truck for her birthday (the first toy she really got excited about when she discovered it at  her cousins house)...so maybe, that too was more familiar and easy to transition to trying.  Well, whatever it was, it was a pivotal moment for all of us!  Go Kate Go!

Music To My Ears!

Kate's first music therapy session yesterday afternoon was awesome!  I am SO excited that she is doing this!  Kate could not wait to get there.  As we talked about going to this new music class, Kate smiled and signed that she was very excited. When I asked her if she was excited, she said, "Yeah!"  From the minute we walked in the door, Kate was all smiles.  She was not shy at all (which is her usual response when meeting someone for the first time).   Her instructor greeted us and immediately engaged Kate.  She took her hand and they sang as they walked up the steps to her Music Room.  The room was inviting and peaceful.  It was surrounded by windows with a piano to one side, a beautiful tree nestled in the corner with lights strung from the branches and a few cool looking drums strategically hidden behind the branches (keeping it less distracting to the students).  There was a little table and two chairs with a variety of instruments placed upon it, egg shakers, drums that looked like lollipops, and bells.  Her instructor immediately sat at the piano and invited Kate to play and sing along with her.  Kate loved it!  She sang her name, sounds, words, etc.  Kate played along initially and then giggling she started to roam the house usually with an instrument in hand.  Her instructor would sing a song or play a new beat to see if Kate would echo it and come back. Sure enough, some times she echoed it and she always came back to check out this new sound.  Since I was on a tight time frame, we did not get to speak much after the lesson, but sure enough as soon as I arrived home there was a message from her instructor saying how delighted she was to meet Kate and me and that "Kate is clearly a music child."  :)  I know this is the beginning of something powerful and fun!  As I learn more about Music Therapy, I will share it.  I will try to get a few photos at our next lesson in two weeks.  Kate was on the run, so it was a little challenging to get a clear photo.  Stay tuned for more!

Cheers,
Anna

Music Therapy - Our First Encounter

I am really excited about our first music therapy session tomorrow afternoon!  I have heard the term "Music Therapy" mentioned throughout the past three years of Kate's therapy and I always wondered what that really meant.  What IS music therapy?  How is it used to help people?  Are there specific tones or rythms to address different issues?  Months ago, maybe even a year ago, my Mom and I were speaking about Kate's speech.  She was and still is only saying a few words like Momma, Dadda, More, etc.  She has really increased her "word approximations" and uses sign language to communicate her needs to us.  Kate loves music and through the Signing Time videos that teach sign language using great visuals, music and lyrics, she has really taught herself probably 100 signs (maybe more).  Granted we have done hand over hand signing with her (where we placed our hands on hers to show her how to make the sign say for milk or more, while also saying the word) and we have watched the videos with her, as well as use the signs to communicate.  Why do I mention this?  I think one of the reasons why she has learned so much from these signing videos is because she loves music and she loves to dance, both things these videos include in their production.  In speaking with my Mom about her speech, about Signing Time, about her love for music...my Mom said, "You just need to find the key for Kate and her speach will come."  Ding!  A light bulb went off!  Music.  I think music is going to be the key or an important key to help Kate with her speach and other developmental areas.  We always incorporate songs in all therapy areas to help Kate accomplish different things...speach, fine motor skills, physical therapy, cognitive development...and it works.  So, this is why I am soooo very excited to have finally found a Music Therapist and to learn how to effectively use music to tap into Kate's potential and help unlock those doors for speech and cognitive development.  For my husband and I, our two most important developmental goals for Kate are making sure her brain is stimulated and developing as it should, and that her speach is progressing so that she will be able to use words to clearly communicate.  So, stay tuned.  I will share what I learn!

Why this Blog?

Through my crazy search for resources, ideas, suggestions to help my daughter, who has Down syndrome, thrive and achieve her greatest potential, I thought it might be useful to share this information and our experiences with other families and caregivers of someone with Down syndrome.  I am constantly amazed at how the seemingly simplest activities can make such a huge difference in our daughter's developmental growth and quality of life.  I am also surprised to find that many people do not have the same information as to which tests our children should be getting each year.  I will do my best to identify and keep current these tests.  Our pediatrician is amazing and our geneticist at Children's Hospital is awesome.  As with any resource, it is always important to check with your own therapists and doctors to see if any of these suggestions are appropriate for your child.  This is very important especially since Down syndrome is a medical condition and the ways in which this condition affects each individual can be very different.  With that said, I am excited to finally begin this blog!  I have been wanting to do this for sometime now, but life is busy and it is easy to dream and never act on those dreams.  For me, I have always been passionate about helping others, mostly by sharing resources and experiences.  I often find great ideas when I connect with others.  In my effort to act and not just talk about creating this blog, I am going to blog as I build it...digging through my notebooks of information, saved websites, etc....trying to figure out how to upload the information correctly...how to lay it out appropriately, etc.  If you have found this blog and are interested in what I am putting together, thank you for your interest, time and patience.  I hope what I have to share is helpful!

Cheers,
Anna