A Long Overdue Blog Post

For those I owe a phone call, it will happen eventually…but until then, I wanted to take my newly found free time to update everyone on Jack and his new school adventures.

For everyone who didn’t know, my little angel Jack turned 3 a few weeks ago. This is a huge milestone as this is the time he enters into the public school system. We have been transitioning him out of Early Intervention for about six months now in preparation for this new journey. During the six month process, John and I were overwhelmed with meetings and assessments meant to help us and the school district decide on the best services for Jack once he turned 3. It all culminated a week before his birthday with the BIG meeting (also known as an Individualized Education Plan or IEP) that put in writing where he would go and what services he would receive. John and I decided early on in the process that we wanted Jack to be in a Special Education preschool right now with a long term goal being in a typical classroom when he enters Kindergarten. This all fits in with our lifelong goals for Jack. We see him as a kid first…we don’t define him by his disability, and we want the world to see him in the same light. He is an integral part of our family, and in the same turn, we want him to be an integral part of society. Soooooo, with that in mind, John and I thought that being in “Special Ed” for preschool, where he is getting the intensive schooling he needs to prepare him for the real world of Kindergarten is an A-OK place to be.

So fast forward to April 13…Jack’s first day of school…well, let me back up for a minute…there are a few important points to mention…our biggest push was that Jack go to our home school where Bella will start in the Fall. We thought that since they had a Special Day Class (SDC), it would be perfect to have Jack around his sister and at the same time, get used to the school that he will (hopefully) be attending for the duration. Fortunately for us, the school district agreed. They also agreed to five half days a week of preschool with individual pull outs for Speech, Adaptive PE, and Occupational Therapy. He got everything we asked for…phew!
So back to the first day…Jack goes in the afternoons…it’s tough because he doesn’t really have time to take a nap…so I guess naps are history! We got him all spiffed up, armed him with his lunch and new Elmo backpack, and took him to school. We walked in the classroom, and the meltdown began…flop, drop, and roll, screaming, hysterical Jack. We eventually left, and I had a bad feeling the whole time he was gone. Sure enough, when I arrived to pick him up, the teacher said she almost called me because Jack supposedly banged his head against the door and sobbed for an hour L. My child does not bang his head, and if he was, why DIDN’T she call me?! I was miffed with a capital M. I was miffed she didn’t call me, and I was miffed because I wasn’t so sure now about this teacher who I was SO sure about at the IEP. Long story short, John told me I needed to mellow out and that it would be fine sooner than I thought…he was right…what else is new?! LOL
Day Two…30 seconds of crying…1 flop drop and roll…great day.
Day Three…no crying…was fine with me leaving…blew me a kiss goodbye.
Day Four…Had his backpack on at 10:00 ready for school...two hours early.
Today…Day 14…Ran in the door yelling Hi! Hi!!!!!!! to his classmates…Sat right down with his lunch in his special chair by the teacher…forgot I was there…I walked out…as his teacher told John the other day, “He LOVES school!”

So needless to say, I’m thrilled. So far, I’m very pleased with everything…some cute things that the teacher and aides have told us about Jack so far…
-The 5th graders come to be book buddies on Friday afternoons…Jack’s teacher told me, “He’s died and gone to heaven!” LOL
-Yesterday they told me Jack wins the best dressed award…duh!
-Jack is about HALF the size of everyone in his class…they all love him and think he’s their pet…they actually pet his head…LOL!
-He is talking A LOT! And sitting for 20 minute periods of time! And standing in line with his class without running away! Cool Stuff!

So that’s the latest…I am actually getting some actual TIME to do things (like blogging right now!) because on Tues, Wed, Thursday, Jack and Bella are in school and Grant has been napping all the way through…things are finally STARTING to calm down for me…my house has stayed clean all week and my laundry is all caught up…all good things! Hopefully this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me for awhile, but…

Rasberries!

Guitar Hero

Happy 2009! I hope everyone had a happy holiday season. My New Year's Resolution is to blog more, so we'll see how that goes! I broke the no caffeine resolution in a matter of minutes, LOL.

Santa was very good to our kids this year and got them a swingset for the backyard, which John and I happily put together for the last 3 days. This thing had about 500 pieces, and John and I guess we forgive Santa for not waving his magic finger (as Bella would say) and making the darn thing appear in our yard on Christmas morning!. It has been a huge hit so far with all of the kids so I guess the hard work was worth it, LOL! Jack has even climbed the ladder all by himself (with me spotting of course!), so I think this will be great PT for him!

The other big gift we got this year was the Wii. This has to be, by far, one of the best purchases Santa has ever made. My girls, John and me have been playing that thing NONSTOP. I got the Wii Fit from my mom, and I'm totally addicted. John is hooked on Shawn White Snowboarding, and my girls, well, they love it all. One of the family games we got for the Wii is Guitar Hero World Tour. This is like Rockband because you have the Guitar, Drums, and the Microphone if you want. We have all been rocking out over the past few days...even Jack has grabbed the microphone and danced his little heart out! Bella and Keeley were rockin' out to Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer today, and Bella, in true Bella form, delivered some great entertainment. Take a peek, LOL.

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A Day of Baking

I'm definitely not a great cook...I normally cook meals that take the least amount of time, so I can get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. Today, though, I broke a new record. Bella and I (and sometimes Jack, although he was more interested in eating the ingredients than helping to prepare them!) made three types of Christmas goodies, and I prepared the shish kebobs we're barbequing tomorrow night for the get together at our house. I'm pretty proud of the outcome and especially the fact that I was working in my kitchen from about 10:00-5:00 with one or two breaks in between. Bella had a lot of fun, and hopefully we will keep this up every year...and maybe even move on to more creative goodies than Rice Krispy Wreaths, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Oreo Balls!

Half of my shish kebobs...those suckers take forever!

Bella with all of the goodies!

Putting the kisses on the PB Blossoms

Jack helping with...err...eating the chocolate!

Jack and His Chipmunk Friends

I have been a blogging slacker lately, but this post will totally make up for it, and I promise to be a better blogger...especially since all of my shopping is done, I finished reading Twilight, and my boys have been going to sleep without a fight for the past week! It's a happy week here! Anyways, you're about to see the cutest video ever...it stars my little Jack and three little chipmunks (Trust me.) Jack is a lover...no doubt about it. He loves to give hugs and kisses to anyone and everyone...chipmunks are not exempt. See below.

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Bella Funny

We were out shopping on Saturday...it was a really windy and rainy day, and Bella noticed the tall palm trees swaying in the wind. One particular tree that had obviously lost a lot of fronds, caught her eye. This is how the conversation went.
Bella: That tree doesn't have a lot of branches like the other palm trees do.
Me: No, it sure doesn't. It only has a few.
Bella: Maybe it got a buzz cut.

Ahh, the mind of a child...I haven't laughed that hard in ages! :-) Love my girl!

Buddy Walk 2008

Here is our latest Buddy Walk Montage! We made it through sickness and rain to come together and celebrate our angel Jack on November 2 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. As of today, we have raised over $5,200.00! Amazing! Thank you everyone who has supported us...I am always blown away by the generosity of others. Enjoy!

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Halloween Montage 2008

This is long...but very cute! We had a lot of dressing up this year so there's a lot of pics! :-) Enjoy!

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DSRTF Fundraiser-One Extra Reason to Live.Love.Hope

John and I were honored to be a part of the third annual Los Angeles fundraiser for DSRTF last night at Twist Restaurant in Hollywood. This is my second time attending (first time for John), and for the second time, I left the fundraiser filled with tremendous hope for Jack's future. For the second time, Dr. Mobley and Dr. Harpold brought me to tears as they spoke from the heart about their life's passion...research that makes it a very real possibility that potential treatments will significantly improve cognition in all individuals with Down syndrome. One year ago, as I sat and listened to Dr. Mobley speak, there had been two potential therapeutic targets identified to improve memory and learning in people with DS. Yesterday, we learned that there have been two more identified, one being in the last three weeks.

What the general public may not know is that most people with DS develop the pathology of Alzheimer's in their 40's. Because of the research funded by DSRTF in the past four years (yes, it is THAT new!), the specific gene associated with the decline on cognition associated with Alzheimer's has been identified (and not just related to Down syndrome...this is related to all who develop Alzheimer's. So why bring this up? Well, apparently, the Federal Government doesn't put any worth or importance on individuals with Down syndrome. In fact, as one example, Federal funding for Cystic Fibrosis (35,000 individuals affected in the US) is about $2,800.00 per person. Federal funding for Down syndrome(350,000 individuals affected in the US) is about $40.00 per person. Anyone else see anything wrong with this picture? I, for one, am saddened by these numbers. My husband, on the other hand, is "pissed off" by these numbers. So what can we do? Well, number one is to take the back door approach...maybe no one in government thinks DS research is important...but they do care about Alzheimer's Disease. Let's get our government officials to realize that funding DS research has a high potential of unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer's. This benefits all people, including my baby...This seems to be the best way to get more funding...Number two, support DSRTF. This foundation's mission is to improve cognition for individuals with Down syndrome...they call it "the breakthrough." I tend to agree...we have to make this happen...and we will.

I highly recommend looking into DSRTF and all of the great work they are doing for individuals with Down syndrome. I will always have a place in my budget to donate to this worthy organization.

These were the centerpieces...they were old film canisters with pics of kiddos with DS on them...notice my little man Jack making his debut! I don't know if we were allowed to take them...but I did! LOL...I wasn't the only one!

Friends Forever!

The cutest little things ever...

Seriously...this pic makes me melt...it is the sweetest thing ever!