Meet Bruno.

Meet Bruno. One of the newest members of our family.

He is an English Pointer. For a bird dog, he's extraordinarily calm and mellow. He officially belongs to Jordan.

In keeping with our family's adoption style, he has a minor disability. haha! He's missing almost half a hind paw and a toe on a front paw. He was attacked, along with his puppy brothers and sisters, by an unknown varmint as a wee little baby pup. Could have been a rat, or a tomcat, or who knows.


He's settling in with our family and growing very fast!

I just had to share this photo of Ruby eating beets. This was our afternoon snack. She's so open minded about trying new foods, especially when the other children are away at school. There was no one around to make disgusting faces and noises when I opened up the can of beets!

I actually got some video of her saying, "I love beets!" I'll be saving that for when she's older and refuses to eat her veggies.

The unexpected.

Parents of babies and children, and adults too, I suppose, with Down Syndrome are typically very deeply in love with their children. It is not more, certainly not less, but different somehow than the love I feel for my other children. It's a kind of "us against the world" type of love that knits two hearts tightly together.

I'll admit, I often carry a chip on my shoulder when it comes to my boys with DS. Because as much and as deeply as I love them, I'm acutely aware that the world typically sees them differently. As less. As less important. As more work. As more trouble. I've come to expect it. And I'm ready for it. I have built a little wall around my heart. And some tougher skin.

And then...

the unexpected happens.

This boy in the stroller, my precious Theo, started Kindergarten last Tuesday. He is in a life skills program at a small school in a neighboring town, but joins a regular ed Kindergarten class for classes like phys ed, music and library.

The school change was rather sudden for my taste and I was fearful and emotional. So, I dropped in unannounced this week and took a tour of the school with him. I arrived with my old friend, "Chip Ontheshoulder," not knowing what to expect.

Theo walked down the hall between his teacher and I for a good long stretch. I decided to carry him when he stalled out near the library. As we prepared to take a look inside the library a class of children was lining up to return to their classroom.

It was Theo's Kindergarten class.

These precious little children walked out of the library and spontaneously lit up when they saw Theo in my arms. Without exception, and unprompted, each child said "Hi Theo!" and cooed over him as they passed.

I could not help myself, I cried. The walls came down. My heart was softened.

I spent some more time looking around the school after that, but I don't remember much else. I had already seen what I needed to see.

Once again I'm blown away. The little boy who laid starving and alone in a crib for four years has people all over the country rooting for him. Now he has a fan club at his new school, too. I wonder if it will ever cease to amaze me?

Beauty shop

Look who is all ready to go to school! One problem...she's only two! Oh well, we'll just start her out at home.
Look who finally has enough hair for pigtails!

If you only knew how difficult it is to get her to allow me to even comb her fuzzy, curly hair! We play a game called Beauty Shop. She sits on the bathroom counter top where she can see in the mirror, with her toes in the sink, with the water running slowly. I carefully pick out the knots while the water distracts her.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. She is strong willed.

She loves to do school. But is she right handed?
Or left handed?

I'm leaning toward left, as her grasp looks a little more natural. But, she does switch back and forth with ease.

She's a treasure.

How typical is that?

When Ralphie was a baby I wondered what it was like to have a child with Down Syndrome. I mean, really, he was a baby. He was just like all the other 7 babies I had previously cared for. I was so curious what life would look like when he was older.

Ralph is not a baby anymore. He's four. And now I know. He's just like the 7 other children that have previously raised to this point. For the most part anyway. Communication is his biggest challenge.

He's pure boy.

He's busy.

He's so typical! So much so that I often forget about Down Syndrome altogether.

He's just Ralph.

He puts his underwear on like every other four year old boy I've ever known. How typical is that?

New school for Theo

I never have cried when my children go to Kindergarten. I never got in the car and raced the bus to school to get their photo stepping off the bus for the first time. Just not my style.

Until now.

Theo is so very delayed. When you take the delays caused by Down Syndrome and then you add severe neglect, zero stimulation, and near starvation for four years you end up with a very damaged child. You can take the child out of the orphanage, but it's tough to take the orphanage out of the child.

Theo started preschool in January, going three afternoons per week. He has made some solid physical gains over the past year. In other areas he is just not making good progress, so I asked to have him reevaluated.

Last Friday we had Theo's IEP meeting and have decided to move him to a new school where he will attend 5 full days each week. It's what he needs. It's what he is ready for.

I wasn't prepared for the wall of emotions to hit me. Theo will be gone...all day long...in a neighboring town. He will have more face time with his teachers than with me. I have to buy school uniforms for him. haha! I'm going to miss him like crazy!

This morning his new bus driver called me to make arrangements for transportation. She sounds quite nice. Very grandmotherly. He gets picked up @8:20am tomorrow. Oh goodness, there go the tears again.

I may have to try to beat the bus and get some video or photos!

He started it.

I never imagined that I would have a child with Down Syndrome.

I had nothing against it, it just never even crossed my mind. Funny, because I have a cousin with DS. I also have a very close friend whose daughter has DS and shares a birthday with me. (I cringe when I think of the awful questions I used to ask her. Boy was I dumb! That's one reason why I don't really mind when people ask me dumb stuff. I remember when!)

Ralph started it.

Because of him I started blogging. Because of him I met some incredible people, some of them doctors! Because of him I go to Buddy Walks every October. Because of him I learned a new language, filled with acronyms and initials. Because of him I learned some medical skills and can change an oxygen bottle in complete and utter darkness. ha!

Because of Ralph, I did loads on internet research on Down Syndrome. In the process, I found that children with DS are still routinely placed in institutions in many countries in the world. In the process, I found Theo and then Zhen, two orphaned (rejected by their parents at birth) children with DS from Ukraine. They are now a part of my family. In the process I met some more incredible people and darling orphan children.

Soon I'll be headed back to Ukraine to try to help those children live better lives.

Ralph started it.

I'm so glad that he did.

I'm Baaaaack!

Grab This Button

I'm back from from my unofficial, lamey bloggy break in observance of Down Syndrome awareness month. Each October, I take the 31 for 21 challenge to bring awareness and education about Down Syndrome.

I have three boys with Down Syndrome. Theo is five years old. Ralph and Zhen are 4. My boys are quite young and so I still feel like a newcomer to the DS scene. It's a scene that I'm proud to be a part of.

If you want to join this blogging for DS awareness challenge, visit HERE and sign up. If you have any questions for me, leave a comment. Happy October!!

Theo

Zhen

Ralphie