Change... and Muscles

Change is so bittersweet.

I had tears the last day of school for both kids, wishing we could stay with the wonderful teachers they'd had all year, but knowing that the kids had learned so much and were ready to move on.  And I know that more wonderful teachers are waiting for them.  Bittersweet.

Then you have the less momentous change, but change none-the-less. 

I open Blogger to find that revisions have been made.  "Posting in Blogger is more wonderful than before!" they claim.  Well, that's just great, and boy am I ever excited to find out about the "wonderful" changes they have made, but really, I'd just like to find where I click to post a new entry.  See... bittersweet.

* * * * *

Summer is here for our family, and we've already had some fun adventures!  My "Blog About..." list continues to grow, and (sadly) includes "Rylee's 8th Birthday" (from November), as well as all the fun events and holidays since then.  I hope to recap some of the highlights in more blog posts in the near future...

for now, I'll leave you with this strong, handsome little boy who is very into showing everyone (and anyone) his muscles! (And please don't tell him I called him "little"... it doesn't go over well with this FIVE year old!)

Somehow

Our cupboard has a countdown.

Yesterday, there was only one little cupcake left standing.

And this morning, Carter took it down.

Today is a big day.

Because somehow, he went from this...

 

to this.

 

He started soccer again,

and he loves having the coach try to steal his ball away.

 




He also started t-ball... and though he definitely doesn't catch every ball or hit every time, he tries hard, keeps at it, and smiles -- and really, what else matters?

He loves riding 4-wheeler with his Dad, and somehow, he's now old enough to learn to drive his own.

 

One day he showed me one of his front bottom teeth was loose,

  

 


and then, somehow, before I knew it, he was handing me his tooth at the park, making Tooth Fairy gift requests before I could even get the tooth wrapped in a tissue for safe-keeping.

(Top left: Carter wasn't too impressed with me waking him up after falling asleep on the couch to get a picture of him holding his tooth in his Tooth Fairy pouch.!  The Tooth Fairy gives quite a stash of gifts for the very first lost tooth... especially this time, when Mrs. Tooth Fairy bought a gift, and then Mr. Tooth Fairy stopped one day and got a gift also!  So, this first tooth of Carter's scored him a lot of stuff!)

 He used to dislike having any water in his face... washing hair in the bathtub was often upsetting and putting his head under water at swimming lessons was simply out of the question.

And now, during swimming lessons, his teacher sometimes has a hard time getting him to listen because he'd rather be under the water.

Last year, Rylee mastered the monkey bars, and Carter did his best to keep up. 
But, after one bar, he was asking for help.

This spring, on one of our first park visits of the year, he climbed up there to give it another shot.  

And somehow, he managed to get across all of the bars without once asking for help.

On Sunday, we will celebrate Carter's birthday with a Chuggington party,

 

because, somehow, Carter is already FIVE!

Happy Birthday Carter!  WE LOVE YOU!

3/21/12: World Down Syndrome Day

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

(hey, I still have 32 minutes left of it anyway!)

In September, when we have our local Buddy Walk, and in October, during Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I share a lot about Down syndrome... Down syndrome facts on Facebook and presentations at Rylee's school.

So when this day rolls around, (3/21 chosen because individuals with Down syndrome have 3 of the 21st chromosome) I feel like I want to share something a little different.

I want to share that even though special days or months throughout the year are great for stirring up awareness about Down syndrome, a lot of days I don't even think about Down syndrome.

Life with a child with Down syndrome is, often times, simply... life with a child.

So many moments in our lives are similar to moments in the lives of others...

Our kids argue in the back seat of the car.

Rylee complains when she has to put away her iPod at bedtime.

Rylee and Carter love playing on the swingset, and they help each other flip their legs up over the bar to hang upside down like monkeys and make their Mom incredibly nervous.

Our kids complain when we make asparagus, and ask for macaroni and cheese or hot dogs for nearly every meal.

Rylee loves watching Jordyn do her hair and make-up in the morning, and she tries to put clips and bands in her hair like Jordyn.


And then there are the moments that others may look at in our life and think, "Well, that's because Rylee has Down syndrome...."

We take Rylee to Speech Therapy on Mondays after school.

I go through Rylee's backpack after school each day and look in her communication notebook with her teachers to see how her day went (though Rylee shares a lot about her day herself!)

We go to Music Therapy on Wednesdays after school and Carter and I play games while Rylee has therapy and sometimes, Carter's called in to join them during the last few minutes of therapy.

I change the visual schedule on the table each evening at supper and we talk about who Rylee will be seeing the following day at school (therapists, etc.) and what other activities we have going on because Rylee is a very visual learner and she likes to know ahead of time what to expect.
 
Those moments are still life with a child.

They are life with our child.

And life with this child... well, it's pretty darn good.

Different and Same

Different year.  Different day.  Different clothes.

Same slide.  Same swing.  Same boy.

A few moments today took me back to a younger boy...

a different age...

the same love.

Spread the Word to End the Word: The Next Generation

Last week Jordyn's basketball team (Brandon Valley) played at a high school nearby, and because of the close proximity of the game, many of our high school's students came to cheer on their team. After the game, Jordyn asked if we had heard one of the chants the opposing team's student section had yelled during the game. Apparently, after a questionable call made by the officials (in favor of our team), the student section of the opposing team began chanting "That's Retarded!"  Jeremy and I looked at each other -- and after wondering how in the heck neither of us had heard it, my heart ached. 

As a parent, I think about the next generation. I feel like if we can bring awareness and create change in our kids, it can only get better each generation.  So, when Jordyn told me about this -- about kids in her generation -- still using this word, it felt like such a let-down. 

(Note: This is definitely not meant to be a slam at Jordyn's generation... I realize that many people in my generation still use this word, and people in generations before me still use this word... but that's for another post. :)

The following day Jordyn came home from school and told us we had to read something.  A friend of hers named Spencer had been at the game (also the Junior Class President), and had written a letter to the opposing team's high school...

and as I read it, I got tears in my eyes.

"... after a questionable call made by officials, the Washington High School Student Section disagreed with the call and made it very apparent with the use of the chant, 'That's retarded!'  This was done repeatedly....  (the behavior) was unacceptable, uncalled for, and extremely offensive.... the use of the "R Word" was taken very offensively, not only by our student body, but our parents, administrators, and coaches."

"...as the Brandon Valley administration has informed us, no matter how this word is used, it is not tolerated under any circumstances and can easily offend people with disabilities that we have in our district and were present at those games.  The only "R Word" that should be used in any high school activity is RESPECT."

This letter is so incredible on so many levels... 

... Spencer (Jordyn's friend) apparently was raised in a home environment where this word was not acceptable (way to go Spencer's parents!)

... Spencer not only believed this was unacceptable, but actually took the initiative to write a letter

... after being posted on the Brandon Valley Student Body Facebook Page, it has received hundreds of "likes" from students in our high school

... Jordyn has surrounded herself with friends like Spencer!

* * * * *

So today, on Spread The Word to End The Word, I think about the next generation. 

I think about Spencer's letter. 

I think about all the support the letter has received by the other high school students.

I think about Jordyn, who so willingly talks with a man who comes up to her after every basketball game... a man from our town with  a disability different abilities who attends every single basketball game to show his support.

I think about Jordyn's friends, who used to use the R-word, but because of Jordyn's influence, have since stopped... and are now correcting other teenagers when they say it.

I think about Carter, who will grow up only knowing acceptance and appreciation for everyone.

Yes, I think about the next generation.

They are creating awareness and change.

And so, it will only get better.

* * * * *

Please click here to take the "Spread the Word to End the Word" pledge.

You can read my post from last year's "Spread The Word" Day.

You can also read Rylee's Letter "A Little Bit About the 'R' Word" (written August 2008.)  You can also click here to download her letter.