Come to be in 2013!

wow  Ive been gone for a minute and haven't written in a while, but since its the Christmas holiday season and soon new years, I wanted to reflect on what we can come to be in the year 2013.
I am hoping the  new year will bring a reflection to all compassionate people and the yearning to compliment, advocate, support and love others with special needs. ! There is allot more that can be done and its time to get started!~
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

stop using the r ~~~-word

Congress banned the use of the words "retard" and "retardation" in 2010 in federal health, education and labor laws in favor of using the words "intellectual disability." The American Psychiatric Association also plans to replace the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual development disorder" in the fifth version of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, to be published by in 2013.

Then why do people cling to the word,

let alone call the president this name??

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/living/ann-coulter-obama-tweet/index.html

October is Down syndrome awareness month

For many of us, every day is a chance to promote Down syndrome awareness—advocating for our children to be included in school and community activities, highlighting their talents, giving them opportunities to show just how much they have to share. The calendar, however, provides us with one month during the year when we can really step up those efforts. October is Down syndrome awareness month!!

Which wayMom

Made it One week

Simone passed with great efforts and agility her first week of school. I think with the 5am wake up and the 7:40am start time, would have worn her out,, but she survived ,now I'm the one who is exhausted. !
she has learned to sign when to eat and a cookie..... very impressed,, now I need to locate a sign languagee class so I can catch up. The potty training is still a battle,,, she knows when to go but DON'T,,,!!
Oh well we will keep working on it,

Hurry

First day at school

Less than 24 hours!!~

I have less than 24 hours, before I send Simone to Pre-k..... oh the anxiety,, I cant sleep. So I have packed and repacked her Backpack, added her name tags to everything  that I possibly could. I'm not sure who will be  more excited her or me. Knowing Miss Simone she will probably hug all the students and teachers in her class and start running things. If you know Simone by now she is a runner and can move very fast>!! All the excitement and new learning experiences..is allot to take in.
But I know she is able. she loves to dance, sing, read books and say Noah did it!~  Poor big brother is blamed for everything right now,,LOL!~ 
well I will be posting pictures tomorrow....... stay tuned...............

Five days till school~~

On your mark- set- go-!~ It is five days till Simone attends school, and after allot of prayer, she was moved from the afternoon class, to the morning session. This is great news since I was very uneasy about her riding a school bus.

ten days to go!~

Okay , Simone has ten days before she goes off to school!~ well technically its not college, but (pre) pre-k.
The anxiety is on high alert for me,,, I'm not sure how she is going to be with the change, in daycare and now also going to school,..but this busing is really bothering me, To bus or not to bus,,, I am not feeling easy about her catching a bus from daycare to school, then school back to daycare,,, there is too much time where she is in transit, and I am not too sure about this,!  what are your thoughts, any suggestions??

18 Days before Simone starts preschool!~

 August 27th is the first day of school for many students in the metroplex and  it will be the first day for Simone attending preschool,
Yes she is three, but now she is too old for ECI which goes from age 0-3 years of age, so now off to pre-k. I have elected to go the public school route.
Since April I have met with several school officials who assessed, tested, informed and made decisions on Simone's future education. I feel she will have a positive experience, even though her class is self contained... as a matter of fact she will be the youngest at the school and will only socialize with prek, and kindergartners during recess.
Begin the count down today: Aug 8th, **DAY 19th*****

 __side reading:
Federal law reflects this understanding by requiring that preschool children with special needs (ages 3 through 5) be provided a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Research shows  many  children will benefit from inclusive preschool placements where they can learn with and from their non-disabled peers.  Four reviews of the literature undertaken since 1980 indicate that children with special needs placed in inclusive settings make at least as much progress on standardized measures of cognitive, language, motor, and social development as children in self-contained special education settings. According to researchers, inclusive placements afford preschool children with special needs learning opportunities that they will not have in a non-inclusive setting.  In addition, some researchers feel that placement in non-special education settings is simply the right and ethical thing to do for these children and their families.

My Way

In my own way and at my own Pace..! (This is what I  like to tell others who may want to point out what Simone is doing and not!.. All children born with DS will have developmental delays, it is hard to determine at birth what level  may need more help, but Simone will learn new skills, and tasks.It may take a little longer but with each task broken out into smaller ones Simone will meet her developmental milestones:
See the chart:

                       Developmental Milestones

                   

Milestone                Range for children with D.S   Typical range           Simone

GROSS MOTOR

Sits Alone                       6 - 30 Months                                      5 - 9 Months                       Physical therapy helped me before my 1^st bday

Crawls                             8 - 22 Months                                         6 - 12 Months                  I began around 8 months

Stands                              1 - 3.25 Years                                      8 - 17 Months                      1.5 years old

Walks Alone                 1 - 4 Years                                                9 - 18 Months                   2 years old *falls down I like to move real fast!

LANGUAGE

First Word                    1 - 4 Years                                               1 - 3 Years                           2 years old and still a work in progress.

Two-Word Phrases    2 - 7.5 Years                                       15 - 32 Months                my speech is not clear, just a few words, but I'm learning

PERSONAL/SOCIAL

Responsive Smile       1.5 - 5 Months                                      1 - 3 Months                    3 months

Finger Feeds                  10 - 24 Months                                   7 - 14 Months                  2 years old

Drinks From Cup Unassisted

12 - 32 Months                                   9 - 17 Months                 2 .5 years old

Uses Spoon                      13 - 39 Months                                    12 - 20 Months            1.5 years old

Bowel Control               2 -7 Years                                                                                              16 -42 Months     definitely a work in progress~~at my own pace

Dresses Self                     3.5 -8.5 Years                                        3.25 - 5 Years                not yet….but I can take my shoes and pull ups off..

Opportunity

Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at the sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.
Zora Neale Hurston
This quote inspired me to recall all the opportunities I want Simone to have in life, just like the rest of us. I am excited at her milestones she continues to make daily. I noticed at our recent family reunion in New Orleans that Simone loves to dance. She did a great job and has some moves.. LOL.!
She was the life of the party and since she was the first one to start dancing , it helped all the "grown folks get up and dance too.!~

Getting started

"Congratulations, on the birth of your daughter, even though  she has Downs, she is a baby first and foremost, then you worry about the uncertainty later. Well it's three years later and I can honestly say, having a child with Downs has changed my life for the better.  Now don't get me wrong, of course in the beginning, I  was sad at the news, scared and feeling quite alone. This would be the first child in my family with an "issue" and  if I just pray it will go away....that's what I was told.! Yesterday marked Simone's third birthday, and wow~! we have come rejoicing in all her splendor. Simone is doing  great  in many areas, from gross motor, speech, physical therapy etc, Her vision and heart checked out fine, no thyroid issues, even though she did need tubes in her ears, (which have fallen out now), our main concern is the hearing loss in the right ear. I have decided to learn sign language ,,, we will see how that goes.!