Nanny & Grandad Celebrate
Congratulations to Nanny & Grandad who are celebrating their 40th Ruby Wedding Anniversary this October. We all send you lots & lots of love & wish you much happiness in all the years to come. xxxx
‘Gummy Smiles is 2 Years Old’ – Happy Birthday Louie
Our little birthday boy had a great 2nd birthday – it all started with several helium balloons scattered in the sitting room for him to notice first thing in the morning! Well, Louie went crackers, he loved them! As did his brother & sister of course! We were so pre-occupied with the balloons we were almost late for school! On Wednesdays, which is the day Louie’s birthday was on, he & I attend his brother & sister’s assembly at their school. At the end of assembly the Headmistress asks who has celebrated a birthday, so that the rest of the school can sing them happy birthday; “That includes Louie” she said over the heads of 200+ school children! So out Louie & I came so that the school could sing him a happy birthday! Louie, of course, thought this was wonderful & lapped up the attention!
As he is now 2, we can register Louie at nursery for when he is 3 years old. So off we went in person to fill out the forms at one of the two chosen potential nurseries. The nursery very kindly invited us in, and there Louie was able to stay & play for a good hour! He got snack & everything! What a birthday treat!
In the evening after a birthday ‘fun food’ dinner, Louie blew out the candles on his chocolate caterpillar cake (with lots of help from big brother & sister!) and we all had a big gooey slice each! With Daddy home, we had present time and lots of excitement as Louie mastered the delicate art of paper ripping……..Again with lots of help from……..you know who! Lots of lovely toys, books & clothes, much to the delight of all 3 of our cherubs! Bedtime followed Louie’s busy day, and a good night’s sleep surrounded by all his balloons!
AND, Louie is now taking steps on his own! What better birthday present could he (and I!) want! Up to 23 steps alone & gaining confidence each day. Louie still chooses to crawl quite a bit, as he knows he can still crawl faster then walk. But each day sees a few more unaided steps & his balance becoming steadier & steadier. Well done to our little birthday boy & a very happy 2nd birthday Sweetheart.
Mum 17th September 2009
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Sunday, 14 June 2009
General Catchup – June 2009
At 21 months Louie is still our little star. Vocally he is using lots of 's', t', 'm' sounds and developing those sounds daily. He'll point to a clock or your watch & say 't,t,t,' for 'time', and 's,s,s' for 'snack' time. He is proficient in the use of the sign for 'snack' and he'll let me know if he thinks it's time for a little bite to eat! He recognises the signs for sitting nicely, bathtime, upstairs, no, time to go, breakfast, dinner, lunch, to name but a few. We continue practising letter sounds with the phonics flash cards.
We went swimming this week, only his 2nd time due to winter illnesses & cold weather! Being that bit older he seemed more confident & less clingy. He was more comfortable to let go of me with one arm to splash about in the water. He settled more with the distraction of other mums & dads with their children coming into the pool.
Just this week Louie seems to have 'up'd the anti' a bit! By this I mean that his little character is coming out strongly. As with his brother & sister, it's almost as if someone flicks a switch. I got to the end of the week & thought 'goodness, you've been hard work this week!'. Louie is vocally very forward if he dislikes something or is getting frustrated – a sort of clench your fists, Grrrr, type of vocal!
All of a sudden nappy changes have to be done on the move – 'catch me if you can' - sort of thing! And as for getting into his car seat, or out of his high chair – well if he doesn't want to, I end up with a very rigid, straight baby, who refuses to bend!!!! All of this I went through with his brother & sister, but as I would expect, with Louie we are going through this at a slightly delayed age by comparison.
I think I am going to find Louie's strength a bit of a challenge if he continues to 'wriggle' so. With 3 pregnancies having played havoc with my back, I regularly have to admit defeat – Louie wins another one!
With a lively & VERY LOUD brother & sister, it's no surprise that Louie is getting loud too! Again, something to be managed with lots of appropriate signs – 'too noisy, calm down, shhh!'
Some very positive progress below, which continues to give us all immense hope for Louie's future. Long may it last.
Louie's Heart is Given the All Clear
When Louie was born he had a small gap in one of the valves in his heart. The Doctors wanted to monitor this & as such he was given a hospital appointment at 18 months.
Louie's heart was listened to, then the doctor had a good look with the ultra sound. To our delight the doctor said he was comfortable with Louie's heart & that he didn't need to see him again. There is still a slight gap there, but it is a normal anomaly which could be found in any one of us.
Needless to say tears of joy were shed – after all, the heart is a pretty major thing eh?
Louie's Thyroid Test is Given the All Clear
The thyroid gland produces hormones which keep the body's metabolism functioning properly. An under-active or over-active thyroid means too little or too much of this hormone is being produced. Symptoms can include lethargy, weight gain/loss, hyperactivity, hair loss, voice change, & in children it can impair development of teeth & brain.
All of this is easily treated through daily medicines. It is however vital to catch any thyroid dis-function as soon as possible, hence annual testing for the condition.
Luckily this year, Louie's test proved fine. Well done Louie.
Louie's Hearing Test is Given the All Clear
Twice now we have made the arduous journey to the hearing hospital (nightmare to get to, no parking, long walk to get to the entrance & I think it has rained on both occasions!) The first time, which was a dead end trip, I outlined in the August 2008 entry below. This time with Louie much older, our trip was a definite success.
The ear piece test was used initially, but the technicians decided we still weren't getting very far with this. Apparently most 2 year olds & under, don't like this method. The traditional method was therefore reverted to. This is basically where a noise is made behind the child & a response of some kind is looked for – ie: a flinch, or eye movement, or turning towards, or the touching of the ear or side of head that the noise is coming from.
This turned out to be very successful with Louie responding to all the noises made.
Afterwards the Doctor checked his ears & we were told there was no sign of any glue ear, & that his ear canals seemed to be a good size. This was quite important to know as a child with Down's, can have quite small canals which could lead to glue ear & /or other complications. Louie was just recovering from a heavy cold too, so given that he was still a bit blocked up, the news was all the more encouraging.
Louie will now take his 6 monthly hearing test 'in the community' which means no need to make that trip back to the hearing hospital. Wonderful!
Louie is discharged from the Physiotherapist
At 20 months, Louie is now standing alone for lengths at a time, walking 'miles' (!) using his little trundle toy, cruising absolutely everything he can, (including our legs!) crawling at break neck speed & doing everything a child of his age should be. Our lovely physiotherapist made a very quick visit a few weeks ago, saying 'you don't need us any more!'.
She described Louie as 'an absolutely delightful little boy', who is 'progressing exactly as he should be'.
Another one bites the dust!
* * * * * * * *
Louie's progress & developments are coming in leaps & bounds. I'm still desperate for him to walk, but he is so, so near now. When he just gets that final leap of confidence, he's going to go...........and fast.
As with all children, Louie & his brother & sister, continue to challenge us in both similar & different ways. But oh boy, do we love them all to absolutely bits. Hugely our pride & joy, all 3 of them. Again I say this - a very proud Mum & Dad.
Mummy - 7th June 2009
A Word from Louie..........
Congratulations to my Great Aunt Jaquie & Great Uncle Tom who celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on the 20th of this month in Canada. XXX
Louie - June 2009
At 21 months Louie is still our little star. Vocally he is using lots of 's', t', 'm' sounds and developing those sounds daily. He'll point to a clock or your watch & say 't,t,t,' for 'time', and 's,s,s' for 'snack' time. He is proficient in the use of the sign for 'snack' and he'll let me know if he thinks it's time for a little bite to eat! He recognises the signs for sitting nicely, bathtime, upstairs, no, time to go, breakfast, dinner, lunch, to name but a few. We continue practising letter sounds with the phonics flash cards.
We went swimming this week, only his 2nd time due to winter illnesses & cold weather! Being that bit older he seemed more confident & less clingy. He was more comfortable to let go of me with one arm to splash about in the water. He settled more with the distraction of other mums & dads with their children coming into the pool.
Just this week Louie seems to have 'up'd the anti' a bit! By this I mean that his little character is coming out strongly. As with his brother & sister, it's almost as if someone flicks a switch. I got to the end of the week & thought 'goodness, you've been hard work this week!'. Louie is vocally very forward if he dislikes something or is getting frustrated – a sort of clench your fists, Grrrr, type of vocal!
All of a sudden nappy changes have to be done on the move – 'catch me if you can' - sort of thing! And as for getting into his car seat, or out of his high chair – well if he doesn't want to, I end up with a very rigid, straight baby, who refuses to bend!!!! All of this I went through with his brother & sister, but as I would expect, with Louie we are going through this at a slightly delayed age by comparison.
I think I am going to find Louie's strength a bit of a challenge if he continues to 'wriggle' so. With 3 pregnancies having played havoc with my back, I regularly have to admit defeat – Louie wins another one!
With a lively & VERY LOUD brother & sister, it's no surprise that Louie is getting loud too! Again, something to be managed with lots of appropriate signs – 'too noisy, calm down, shhh!'
Some very positive progress below, which continues to give us all immense hope for Louie's future. Long may it last.
Louie's Heart is Given the All Clear
When Louie was born he had a small gap in one of the valves in his heart. The Doctors wanted to monitor this & as such he was given a hospital appointment at 18 months.
Louie's heart was listened to, then the doctor had a good look with the ultra sound. To our delight the doctor said he was comfortable with Louie's heart & that he didn't need to see him again. There is still a slight gap there, but it is a normal anomaly which could be found in any one of us.
Needless to say tears of joy were shed – after all, the heart is a pretty major thing eh?
Louie's Thyroid Test is Given the All Clear
The thyroid gland produces hormones which keep the body's metabolism functioning properly. An under-active or over-active thyroid means too little or too much of this hormone is being produced. Symptoms can include lethargy, weight gain/loss, hyperactivity, hair loss, voice change, & in children it can impair development of teeth & brain.
All of this is easily treated through daily medicines. It is however vital to catch any thyroid dis-function as soon as possible, hence annual testing for the condition.
Luckily this year, Louie's test proved fine. Well done Louie.
Louie's Hearing Test is Given the All Clear
Twice now we have made the arduous journey to the hearing hospital (nightmare to get to, no parking, long walk to get to the entrance & I think it has rained on both occasions!) The first time, which was a dead end trip, I outlined in the August 2008 entry below. This time with Louie much older, our trip was a definite success.
The ear piece test was used initially, but the technicians decided we still weren't getting very far with this. Apparently most 2 year olds & under, don't like this method. The traditional method was therefore reverted to. This is basically where a noise is made behind the child & a response of some kind is looked for – ie: a flinch, or eye movement, or turning towards, or the touching of the ear or side of head that the noise is coming from.
This turned out to be very successful with Louie responding to all the noises made.
Afterwards the Doctor checked his ears & we were told there was no sign of any glue ear, & that his ear canals seemed to be a good size. This was quite important to know as a child with Down's, can have quite small canals which could lead to glue ear & /or other complications. Louie was just recovering from a heavy cold too, so given that he was still a bit blocked up, the news was all the more encouraging.
Louie will now take his 6 monthly hearing test 'in the community' which means no need to make that trip back to the hearing hospital. Wonderful!
Louie is discharged from the Physiotherapist
At 20 months, Louie is now standing alone for lengths at a time, walking 'miles' (!) using his little trundle toy, cruising absolutely everything he can, (including our legs!) crawling at break neck speed & doing everything a child of his age should be. Our lovely physiotherapist made a very quick visit a few weeks ago, saying 'you don't need us any more!'.
She described Louie as 'an absolutely delightful little boy', who is 'progressing exactly as he should be'.
Another one bites the dust!
* * * * * * * *
Louie's progress & developments are coming in leaps & bounds. I'm still desperate for him to walk, but he is so, so near now. When he just gets that final leap of confidence, he's going to go...........and fast.
As with all children, Louie & his brother & sister, continue to challenge us in both similar & different ways. But oh boy, do we love them all to absolutely bits. Hugely our pride & joy, all 3 of them. Again I say this - a very proud Mum & Dad.
Mummy - 7th June 2009
A Word from Louie..........
Congratulations to my Great Aunt Jaquie & Great Uncle Tom who celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on the 20th of this month in Canada. XXX
Louie - June 2009
Sunday, 1 February 2009
For My Wife
God Chooses a Mum for a Disabled Child by Erma Bombeck
Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen ? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew."
"Forrester, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia."
"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God ? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God.
"Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter ? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience ?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independance. She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness ? Is that a virtue ?"
God nods. "If she can't seperate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with a child less then perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Mummy' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it!
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see --- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice --- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her patron saint ?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid air.
God smiles. " A mirror will suffice."
Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen ? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew."
"Forrester, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia."
"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God ? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God.
"Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter ? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience ?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independance. She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness ? Is that a virtue ?"
God nods. "If she can't seperate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with a child less then perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Mummy' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it!
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see --- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice --- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her patron saint ?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid air.
God smiles. " A mirror will suffice."
1st February 2009
Catch up for the New Year
Well it won’t be long before we have to buy our Louie some cruising shoes! He is confidently cruising along the settee, working his way around the kitchen table & moving around the kitchen by way of the cupboard door handles! This also means we have had the laborious task of putting cupboard locks on all the kitchen doors! An additional plus to this is that Louie’s brother & sister can no longer raid the cake & snack cupboard!
At 16 months Louie is a very confident (and fast!) crawler, showing very positive signs that independent walking won’t be far away. His brother walked at 14/15 months & his sister at 15/16 months, so Louie is still keeping up with the family pace!
He seems to be a better sleeper these days, (still only gone completely through the night just the once though!) now only waking once or twice & re-settling with water & a cuddle in the cot. Unfortunately he is not keen on cow milk or formula, so we are unable to give him a bottle or cup of milk at bedtime – Time will tell how long I can keep going now the little man has 5 perfect, & very sharp, teeth!
Louie is becoming very vocal with a range of different sounds & songs. There is definitely some understanding with his communications, as post bath I stand at the top of the stairs with him & he ‘calls’ for Daddy to say good night without prompting! At the moment Daddy is a ‘Taa Taa’ sound! Mummy is a definite ‘Muummma’!
His weight is currently 21lb & he is wearing 9 to 12 month clothes. With the clothes size Louie is again at much the same size as his brother. They are very similar in build.
As far as health is concerned, he had 2 weeks of bronchiolitis before Christmas, which meant an emergency trip to hospital to be checked out. Other than the usual run of cold & viral infections, Louie has had nothing out of the ordinary.
He eats exceptionally well & has recently taking a liking to jumbo raisins, particularly if Mummy buys the ones covered in yogurt!!!! (Just a few of these ones!)
Nanny & Grandad bought children’s electric toothbrushes for his brother & sister before Christmas, which Louie took an avid interest in! Like many wee ones, he doesn’t particularly relish tooth brushing time, so I bought an electric one for Louie too! He thinks it’s great! Still refuses to open his mouth sometimes, but he gets a much better clean with the electric brush than the other brush!
We now attend 2 toddler groups each week, which is notably improving Louie’s confidence. He is very interested in other children & seems much happier to move away from me in new environments than he has been of passed.
When we go out, Louie still steals the limelight & shopping seems to take considerably longer as strangers ‘ooh’ & ‘aah’ over him!
As one professional said “he doesn’t have the typical features of a Downs baby”, so maybe people don’t know he has Downs. Maybe they do. Maybe they are not sure. But no one has crossed ‘that fine line’ of looking/staring just yet!
With the turn of the New Year, we now have a plethora of tests coming up – hearing, heart, and thyroid. Fingers crossed all will be well. There are certainly no indications to make us think otherwise.
The little star had his MMR & pneumococcal last week. Not a whimper did he make. What a brave little soul. Very much our little shinning star.
So without doubt our little man continues to be healthy, very content, full of smiles & giggles, incredibly loving and very, very loved.
Mummy 1st February 2009
Catch up for the New Year
Well it won’t be long before we have to buy our Louie some cruising shoes! He is confidently cruising along the settee, working his way around the kitchen table & moving around the kitchen by way of the cupboard door handles! This also means we have had the laborious task of putting cupboard locks on all the kitchen doors! An additional plus to this is that Louie’s brother & sister can no longer raid the cake & snack cupboard!
At 16 months Louie is a very confident (and fast!) crawler, showing very positive signs that independent walking won’t be far away. His brother walked at 14/15 months & his sister at 15/16 months, so Louie is still keeping up with the family pace!
He seems to be a better sleeper these days, (still only gone completely through the night just the once though!) now only waking once or twice & re-settling with water & a cuddle in the cot. Unfortunately he is not keen on cow milk or formula, so we are unable to give him a bottle or cup of milk at bedtime – Time will tell how long I can keep going now the little man has 5 perfect, & very sharp, teeth!
Louie is becoming very vocal with a range of different sounds & songs. There is definitely some understanding with his communications, as post bath I stand at the top of the stairs with him & he ‘calls’ for Daddy to say good night without prompting! At the moment Daddy is a ‘Taa Taa’ sound! Mummy is a definite ‘Muummma’!
His weight is currently 21lb & he is wearing 9 to 12 month clothes. With the clothes size Louie is again at much the same size as his brother. They are very similar in build.
As far as health is concerned, he had 2 weeks of bronchiolitis before Christmas, which meant an emergency trip to hospital to be checked out. Other than the usual run of cold & viral infections, Louie has had nothing out of the ordinary.
He eats exceptionally well & has recently taking a liking to jumbo raisins, particularly if Mummy buys the ones covered in yogurt!!!! (Just a few of these ones!)
Nanny & Grandad bought children’s electric toothbrushes for his brother & sister before Christmas, which Louie took an avid interest in! Like many wee ones, he doesn’t particularly relish tooth brushing time, so I bought an electric one for Louie too! He thinks it’s great! Still refuses to open his mouth sometimes, but he gets a much better clean with the electric brush than the other brush!
We now attend 2 toddler groups each week, which is notably improving Louie’s confidence. He is very interested in other children & seems much happier to move away from me in new environments than he has been of passed.
When we go out, Louie still steals the limelight & shopping seems to take considerably longer as strangers ‘ooh’ & ‘aah’ over him!
As one professional said “he doesn’t have the typical features of a Downs baby”, so maybe people don’t know he has Downs. Maybe they do. Maybe they are not sure. But no one has crossed ‘that fine line’ of looking/staring just yet!
With the turn of the New Year, we now have a plethora of tests coming up – hearing, heart, and thyroid. Fingers crossed all will be well. There are certainly no indications to make us think otherwise.
The little star had his MMR & pneumococcal last week. Not a whimper did he make. What a brave little soul. Very much our little shinning star.
So without doubt our little man continues to be healthy, very content, full of smiles & giggles, incredibly loving and very, very loved.
Mummy 1st February 2009
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