A rockstar party day

 It was party time this weekend. Time to celebrate Owen's big day with everyone. Time to party like rockstars.

Our Rockstar

The cake (like you couldn't figure that out)

Big thanks to my sister Lisa for putting in so much effort to make it look so spechtacular!

The party was complete with stars hanging from the ceiling, inflatable guitars, a tattoo station, a photoshoot with all his friends, a dance party and a place to decorate a rockstar frame to put their pictures in.

 

The kids had fun.

We celebrated Owen.

What can get better than that?

Options.Recommendations.Decisions.

We have entered the second "Transition Time" of Owen's life. Most would say this is a simple one. It's just Kindergarten. But man it stresses me out. Thankfully we have options. Thankfully we have recommendations. But the problem now lies with us to make the decision. We are lucky enough not to be in a school district that says this is what you get, deal with it. We have the opportunity of multiple placement options.
We have had a few meetings to get us prepared and this week was our first look at the program we are considering. The night was termed Kindergarten Live. Owen wasn't having a good day. It was a Thursday which includes late therapies so we barely had time to get home and get the kids some quick dinner before making our way to the school. But once we got there Owen lit up and he seemed excited. We were all impressed with the school. It is only a few years old and seems small enough that Owen wouldn't get lost in the shuffle. The principal seems like a gem. We have heard fantastic things about her and her views on special education. There are 3 kindergarten teachers and each one went out of there way to talk with Owen directly and ask us questions about him. They all really expressed how they would love to have him in their class. It was everything we had hoped for.
The next step will be to do an observation during the school day and meet with the special education teachers. The program is center based (center based is having a separate classroom with strictly special education students and he would be with that group from K-5th grade) but he will participate in a regular classroom for as much as possible. Our goal is to have him in the regular classroom for a majority of the day and be pulled out for things like speech, OT, adaptive PhyEd etc. We feel like it is the best of both worlds that he can get the benefit of inclusion but also get that extra help he needs. We still have a ton of questions, concerns and things we want to see for ourselves but at least for now we feel like we are headed down the right path. We are hopeful, excited for Owen and thankful to be able to have this choice.

Family Time

The weather cooperated. The car was functioning appropriately. The stars aligned so grandma and PJ could come for a visit. The kids were beyond excited and so happy to have them here. Olivia was glued to Grandma and Owen of course followed PJ everywhere he went. And we were just happy to be together.
It doesn't take much to entertain us but to be in the same house, share a meal and play.

 It's so nice to have cousins that are close in age. Maybe in a few months they will actually get along a little better and start sharing ;)

 Little Stella and Little Marshall. So Precious.

 Unfortunately PJ didn't know I had my camera out (sorry PJ! - You really are a good sport though)

No worries though Owen participated in this horse "adventure" as well.

One my favorites of the day. Mallory reading a book to Owen. These two have really turned into great buds. Mallory plays so well with Owen and Owen loves to have her company.

Great times. Happy family. So blessed.

Awareness, Community, Support

After Owen was born and we received the news that he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, it felt like we were pulled into a whole new world. A place different than we expected to be and initially it feels like you are all alone in the experience. We learned instantly that just isn't the case. One of the amazing things about this journey is the people that it has brought into our lives. There is so much support. From people that are further into the journey and those that are just starting, all walks of life, all over the world. We meet on forums, and facebook and blogs. We've never met in person but a connection is there. Its like being part of an exclusive group. They help us through situations that are hard for others to understand, they give us advice on how to get through IEP meetings, they are always there to cheer our kiddos on through the smallest of milestones. They get it.

The Enjoying the Small Things blog has brought that community together in a big way. Lots of followers that started from a single blog post about a birth story of a special little girl named Nella. The truth and expression and feeling hit home with so many. And now in an effort to go big, they set a goal. And who knew what it would turn out to be but something way beyond expectation. We are thankful to be a part of this effort to build awareness, to be a part of this community. So take a look at this video and keep your eye out for Owen around the 5:30 mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvoKTDMhpVs

Swim Time

What a better way to spend a chilly January Saturday afternoon than at a pool! Luckily we got this opportunity for free since Erin and Matt were at a conference at a local hotel so we jumped at the chance.

The kids had a blast playing with Auntie Erin. They wanted nothing to do with their dad. Thankfully Erin is such a capable Auntie that she can juggle 4 crazy swimming kids. I got to sit and watch as she did all the hard work.

 By the time we were done with our activity the kiddos were tired but they endured through lunch at a restaurant which is rare for them. And Olivia wanted nothing more than to stay with Auntie Erin be with Erin, Play with Erin. Watch out Lisa and Anna, I think she has a new favorite!

A birthday adventure

Adventure. One of our new favorite words around here lately. Not really because of the meaning, mostly because of the pronunciation by Olivia and Owen. They have been on a Sesame Street kick and with that comes Bert and Ernie's adventure. If they hear that music they both gasp and shout "AVENTURE" so cute.

And so this is all about the adventure we attempted a few weeks back for Owen's birthday. It was mostly about running some errands but we don't need to share that part for Owen. For him, it was a get out of the house and have some fun with mom, dad and Olivia. And we really needed to get out of the house.

We made our way to the mall of america to do a few returns and then adventured into the theme park to try a few rides. There were lines. That was a big issue since Owen does not do well with lines so we only made it on 3 rides. It was enough for him though. 2 weeks later he is still talking about it.

This is the ride that he loves. This is the ride that he talks about EVERY DAY. His description is up and down up and down, boot fall. Yup his boot fell off during the ride and he panicked a bit but still laughed and laughed and laughed. Sorry the picture is so blurry. It was a hard one to capture.

After dragging them kicking and screaming from the rides we headed to Ikea for some lunch and bought Olivia's bunk beds. The lines were horrendous. Who knew a Wednesday at 2pm would be so busy? So I went to the car with the kids while Jason stood in line. When Jason got to the car, we were happily enjoying a movie and I hopped out to help him load. Unfortunately somehow during this transition, the doors got locked. Jason and I were outside loading the beds in he shut the gate and walla we have kids trapped in a locked running car. Me, I panic. Jason says, don't worry Owen can unlock the door. I really didn't believe him. I knew he could lock it but not unlock it. He was strapped in his carseat! Luckily since we had been waiting a while he had gotten himself comfortable and took his boots and socks off. So after a few minutes of prompting and convincing he used his toe to unlock the door. He was giggling the whole time and each time we asked him unlock the door he just looked at us and said "HUH?". But he did it. And we didn't have to use our AAA membership.
Phew. His big toe saved the day.

Words.Phrases.Sentences

Lately the evidence of what we have been missing has been getting more and more prominent. We've never really known that "kids say the darnest things" type of stuff. We've never experienced those little conversations back and forth and giggles about understanding things in a certain way.
It is literally beyond words to understand that experience with your child. And with Olivia we are there. We are so there and back. It is constant talking and conversing and repeating and giggling with inflection and tone and cute high pitches.

I absolutely love it.

But I miss it with Owen. And that makes me sad.

It makes me sad to think that by the time he gets the to point were he is talking like that, it won't be as cute and playful but more grown up and to the point. But the reality is that he is talking way beyond where we thought he would be and we so grateful for that. Grateful that he can express his feelings in a much better way than hitting. Grateful that we can have conversations in a different way. We may have to fill in the blanks and ask him a lot of questions to make sure we understand but there is communication and he has come a long way. And I know he wouldn't be where he is without such great experience with Anne for so many years.

There are so many times that Olivia will say things and Jason and I just have to look at each other in amazement. Not necessarily for the content but the structure. We just aren't use to it. On Monday she said "Owen, look what I did" as she just finished putting a puzzle together. She is beyond the nouns and labeling and into full on sentences. We just don't expect that kind of language around here.

Appreciate all that your kids can do and cherish those moments because not everyone gets them. Not just riding a bike without training wheels but forming sentences, putting together their first puzzle on their own, drawing a circle, using their imagination, walking down stairs. It.is.all.a.big.deal.

Five Dollars is all it takes to make a difference

Many of you have followed Kelle Hampton's blog. Nella turns 1 this month and in celebration of that Kelle has set up a fundraiser asking anyone that has been inspired by her or Nella to donate 5$ the support has been overwhelming and it all goes to National Down Syndrome Society. The original goal was $15,000. Within a matter of hours that was surpassed and now the goal for the magical 47 chromosomes is to get to $47,000.
See her blog entry at:
http://www.kellehampton.com/

Support the cause at:
http://ndss.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=461377&supid=318966917

What an amazing accomplishment!

Catch up

Trying to catch up on things has been like stepping into a huge pile of quicksand around here. The kids just can not seem to get healthy. And when the kids aren't healthy they want nothing more than to snuggle, be carried, and let me get nothing accomplished. Don't get me wrong, I love the snuggles but snuggles with crabby fighting children is not my idea of the best time...

Olivia took the brunt of it and has not been her chipper self.

I giggle every time I see this picture. It is totally her mood lately. And just about anything Owen does triggers it. And her lovely hair is what we see every morning when we go into her room to greet her.

After another trip to the dr. we are now on our second round of antibiotics for her with a diagnosis of upper respiratory infection and sinus infection. Today has been her best day so I hope that is a sign that we are finally over this hump. It has been going on since November. I have tried all the remedies to help her cough. From a spoonful of honey to vicks vapor rub on her feet. Steam bathrooms, humidifiers, cold air - we tried it all.

And then Owen picked up the germs and had the high fever, terrible cough and a nose that is so full of gunk we had a hard time finding his nose. So they gave him the same diagnosis and a round of antibiotics to kick the nastiness away. They have been whiny and angry and have wanted nothing to do with each other. But today they played. They giggled. They are starting to get healthy.

And maybe this week I will get to post about the little adventure we took for Owen's birthday....

Transition Time

Although she wasn't trying to climb out, we thought it might be time to move Olivia out of her crib and into a big girl bed. What better timing then when we were home for 10 days to give it a shot. And even better had 3 sleepless nights in a row because she was sick and just wanted to lay with us, we made the switch. I don't know why but moving my baby girl out of a crib seemed like a big deal. She isn't my baby anymore and now she just seems so much more grown up.
She handled the transition like she does everything else. A complete mastery of it instantly. She stays in it when she knows its bed time or nap time and waits for us to come get her. She loves to have a special pillow and new fairy blanket. She even lets her brother climb up into the top bunk and they pretend to have sleep overs. Yes there have been a few pushes off the ladder but I guess that comes with the territory.
Thank you Ikea for providing such inexpensive durable furniture!