This sweet soul turned six today. The partying has begun – her uncle Jason (a.k.a. Mr. Festive) happened to be in town and made sure she was engulfed by balloons, streamers, banners, and everything Frozen when she came downstairs in the morning. We brought in one of her favorite books (Crankenstein) to class and she helped me read it to the kids. We also...
Some shots from our Easter weekend. This is as good as family photos get right now…someone’s hands in her mouth, someone’s not looking, someone’s staring into space, mom and dad are trying their best not to move. The next best had someone lifting her skirt and someone else marching around us in circles. Oh the...
Happy World Down Syndrome Day everyone. I think it’s fitting that Whitney spent most of her day at her full-inclusion kindergarten classroom (I basically tout her school/teacher/staff to someone almost daily – we are so grateful for what it is right now), and then after school we went to a doctor’s appointment…because that’s the other thing people with Down syndrome do a lot, right? Well sometimes it...
Every year on March 15th my mom reminds me to “beware the ides of March.” Just kidding, right? But no, seriously, in reality I basically brace myself every time I flip to this page on the calendar. March is a month of remembrance for me, especially for very challenging experiences that have fallen on it’s pages. Yesterday (March 14th) was three years since Whitney...
My last post was a frustrated one about Whitney’s bolting away and how one result of that is choosing to stay cooped up at home to avoid the stress (and danger) of chasing her around public places. Well, I’m happy to report that we’ve had a few adventures since that post and while all involved wrangling her as she tried to wander, none involved...
It was about 5:45pm, I had just turned off the burner where dinner had just finished sauteing. I rounded the corner and saw this. Whitney. Oh my gosh. It’s deafeningly quiet, when did I see her last? hear her last? I didn’t even look around the house, I yelled up to Tyler (who was working in the office upstairs) and ran out the door...
We’ve been cycling through a series of celebration and survival modes the past two (and a half?) months…and I have a lot of catching up to do. If you were wondering where your Christmas card was I’m sorry, we didn’t get one out this year. But I LOVE getting all the cards and catching up and seeing snapshots of people’s lives. Thanks to all...
There’s some extra cuteness going around and the smiles are especially contagious. And I found the first little tooth poking through this evening! We had a 4yr (Dylan) and 4month (Leslie) checkup last week. These kids are healthy and thriving! Dylan is the size of the average 5 1/2 year old. The doctor encouraged us to “put a basketball in his hands.” I just...
We recently returned from our inaugural Disney family adventure….and now we study the Disney map at breakfast every morning. “Mom – what’s the scary parts in Indiana Jones?” “Why didn’t we go on Yeti Mountain?” Seriously, though, while totally exhausting on my end with baby back on an every-three-hour feeding schedule, Disney did not disappoint – it was every bit as magical and as...
I blinked and it’s now five weeks later. We are a whole different family now. Dylan’s hair seems a few bushy curly inches longer, Whitney is almost to her first break for school, and we heard the beginnings of Leslie’s laughing today. It’s been a whirlwind of change – we have been weathering tons of parent meetings and trainings for these co-op schools we’ve...
Whitney is 5! Whitney loves dogs, Clifford, books, Berenstain Bears, iPad (YouTube), dance parties, ballet, Frozen, Bear Necessities, playing piano, singing, cupcakes, Costco hot dogs, dressing dolls, baby Leslie, the zip line, hammock, swinging, “going to the beach”, “driving the car”, making smoothies, cooking in her play kitchen, going to school, circle time, riding the bus, greeting everyone, hugs, kisses, and life in general!...
Sisterhood. Oh what joy I have already watching my two girls together. I am pretty sure Leslie will grow up knowing deep in her soul that from her first breath she has had Whitney’s unfaltering love and devotion. Whitney has adopted Leslie for her own and can’t get enough of baby time, always asking to hold her, declaring it’s time to change her diaper,...