Is everything okay in there? . . .
8/28/2007
a police officer was calling out as he was knocking harshly on our door yesterday afternoon. I was sitting on the floor with Luke, Wil and Timothy - enjoying their ability to make one another laugh - when the officer arrived. I open the door. He asks if I am alone. "My kids are here with me." He is looking at me suspiciously and asking if there are any other adults in the house, if I am sure etc. He checks behind my door, asks about the sound coming from upstairs (it is the washing machine), and asks me if I would tell him if I was in trouble. "Uh, yes, what's going on." We received a 911 call from this address and heard a child screaming in the background, he says, and couldn't get through when trying to call back. I'm not sure how this could have happened since I have been with all three and Luke is the only one capable of using the phone anyway. Once the officer leaves I take a look around and find that the phone in our office is in an old porcelain cane holder in there and is on. I remember that Wil shut himself in the room earlier, a common occurrence, and was fussing to get out. Evidently he got the phone off the cradle, turned it on and managed to punch in the very numbers he should not before tossing it in the cane holder where his cries sounded distant and muffled to the operator.
Troublemaker!!
Troublemaker!!
Labels:
I love it!
8/26/2007
It makes me so happy to see a baby with Down syndrome on the cover of a parenting magazine. It is even nicer to find such a positive article written about the joys of parenting these amazing kids. If you can get your hands on a copy. . . check it out!
Food and Fun
8/20/2007
Timothy is following in his brothers footsteps in many ways, his love of eating being at the top of the list! At the rate the three of them are eating our grocery bill will soon match our mortgage.And, as sometimes happens with the third child, we are finding that we are less concerned with certain things - like where Timothy finds his food. This is a common scene. . . (occasionally the floor is even clean)
Timothy scavenging for food beneath Wil's chair.Wil has also taught Timothy how to become an expert at one of his favorite activities. . .
emptying the toilet paper roll. It is evidently great fun because we cannot keep these two away from the toilet paper - and for some reason we cannot remember to keep the bathroom door shut. As a result this is an almost daily occurance. Timothy one-up'ed Wil today by emptying the roll on the wall and then pulling a roll from under the cabinet to shred. As you can see he is quite pleased with himself.
Mountain Getaway
8/18/2007
After a solid week of triple digit temps we packed our bags and headed for the hills. Though we did not find the traditional kind of solitude one often seeks in the mountains (we woke each morning to Luke's voice bouncing off the quiet, cool mountains, and no doubt waking the neighbors) we did enjoy time together as a family. We found a little something for everyone (James even got to do some trail running with a friend in Boone) and were able to keep a nice balance of enjoying the outdoors and not pushing the boys beyond their breaking points. Here are a some captured moments. 
Views from the parkway, always spectacular!
Some friends from Florida graciously allowed us to stay in their vacation home for the week. It was such a nice gift to us. One of the fun perks was the location - just outside of Boone with fabulous views all around, including Grandfather Mountain. The house is located in a community full of Christmas tree farms. We walked by this farm each day as we trekked up the mountain.
We made the short hike to see Linville Falls. Luke found all sorts of things to explore along the way.
"Wow, this just keeps getting better and better!" Luke declared with each new adventure. He thoroughly enjoyed hiking and playing in the cool mountain streams.
Timothy just enjoyed the action. He laughed his way through the whole trip.
Wil is proving to be quite the explorer. If there is anything around worth climbing he will attempt it. This is a new development for him so we are really happy with this new found strength, balance and confidence.
Bottoms Up
7/22/2007
Tub Time
I'm not sure when it becomes inappropriate to show your children's bottom but I thought I could get away with it one last time. Bathtime is a favorite around here. When bath water starts running they both crawl feverishly to the tub, Wil signing 'bath' repeatedly and Timothy doing spontaneous left leg lifts (sort of like a dog hiking his leg) in an effort to scale the tub. 
Do You See What I See?
6/20/2007
Evidently Wil did not. His latest opthamology appointment revealed declining eyesight. His doctor said things have been pretty blury for him, so. . . one of the issues that we were hoping to avoid is our newest challenge. Glasses. Here he is with his new specs. 
I know what you are thinking. "Oh how cute" and "look how well he is keeping them on." Just so you know, not doing so well on the latter. I am holding his arms down here to keep him from yanking the glasses off and chucking them across the room. He had also calmed down a bit after much song and dance from the rest of us. Here is how he really feels about them.
So we have something else to work on. Hopefully he will begin to make the connection that he sees much more clearly with them on. For now we are aiming for a few minutes at a time.
Dreamnight at the Zoo
6/04/2007
*Since Wil entered our family two months before he was due in 2005 we have been on a sharp learning curve. Learning about his diagnosis, Down syndrome, as well as heart defects and other medical issues associated with Ds. We have learned about various types of therapies and the importance of early therapeutic intervention for Wil. In addition to his primary pediatrician Wil has a team of seven pediatric specialists and four therapists in his life, and ours. We have learned how to talk to insurance companies, dispute denied claims, and push for coverage from government agencies designed to help medically needy children. We have learned about special needs education and special needs trusts and have had to consider, already, who will care for Wil when we cannot. We have had to learn how to deal with behavioral issues for a child who does not always understand correction. Wil is an absolute delight and Wil's care can be taxing. Apart from family and close friends few understand just how taxing our days can be, or so we often feel.
*That was not the case last weekend. Palmetto hospital here in Columbia, along with Riverbanks Zoo, hosted a very special night for the special kids in this community. Each child received a personal invitation and tickets for their whole family. It was called Dreamnight 2007: Under the Big Top. The Zoo, closed to the public for the evening, took on a circus theme and using well over 100 volunteers from around the community hosted a very unique evening that included a complimentary dinner, animal shows, animal feedings, clowns and more.
*I have a few favorite moments from the evening. The first took place when we were waiting to enter. Everyone was gathering out front waiting for the clock to strike 6:00 while being entertained by the zoo employees walking around with uncaged animals. Wil was in his stroller when this little boy, about five years old, came running over to him (his mom not far behind) pointing and saying "look, look" (with a silent 'L'). Like Wil, he had an extra chromosome and extra personality. He was chatting away, we understood very little except the excited "look" that peppered his monologue. I tried to ask his name a couple of times, he didn't care for this as was evidenced by the silent stare he gave me before turning back to Wil. His mom just looked at me and said, "yeah, don't interrupt him, we're working on that." After several minutes he spotted another little one with Down syndrome and was off again - his mom following after him.
*The next moment was walking into the zoo. We were ushered through a tunnel of people, all volunteers from the zoo and around the community, clapping and cheering and blowing bubbles. It was one of the most touching things I have experienced in a while, in part because I knew that some of the families present had been through so much more than we have and with much less support.
*Another favorite moment involved Luke. We were talking with a young man that was in a wheelchair because he had no legs. He only had small stumps just beyond his hip joints. Luke was observing the different wheelchairs around and the young man was telling him what hard work manual wheelchairs can be. Luke looked at him and said, "yes, and I see that you don't have legs, only knees on your seat." He was remarkably gracious and, I think, appreciated Luke's innocence and honesty. So did I.
*So here are a few pictures from our Dreamnight. (The dream didn't last long though, by that evening Luke had developed a high fever and a peculiar rash. And as I type this Wil is on day two of the same illness and Timothy is just beginning. Back to reality!)
Entering the Zoo
Wil watching the
gorilla's eat
Wil letting us know he is
hungry by signing 'eat'
Fatigue has set in, time to go home
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
