Change of Plans

This Peacock ate peanuts out of Judson's hand. The bird was just wandering around the parking lot being your basic mooch. A rabbit was also munching crackers right out of our hands.

So THE PLAN was to go HERE so the kids(and Moms) could visit with old friends and get to know some new friends. The REALITY was soon after I pulled into the parking lot, at least FOURTEEN school buses pulled in behind me. So while we were blocked in by the buses, we fed a peacock and a rabbit and came up with ANOTHER PLAN. In the end, while we didn't get to be outside with the animals, we did get to meet our new friends and visit with our old friends. We just had to do it a McDonalds. Since I don't post pics of other folks kids very often, I'll just post a pic of my kids at Plan B Place. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

In the end, we like our new friends and hope to go to feed the animals another time. We WILL call ahead of time to make sure there won't be fourteen buses!

O.T.

Don't close your eyes....

Borrowed this from downsyn.com

The Creed of Babies with Down Syndrome

My face may be different
But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry
And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you
To teach you to love
As God in the heavens
Looks down from above
To Him I'm no different
His love knows no bounds
It's those here among you
In cities and towns
That judge me by standards
That man has imparted
But this family I've chosen
Will help me get started
For I'm one of the children
So special and few
That came here to learn
The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance
It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose
Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life
To live and embrace
And I'll do it as you do
But at my own pace

Buddy Walk 2009

The line behind us

The line ahead of us.

Buddy Walk was a huge success. There were over 2,000 people! I do not know the grand total of monies raised as donations can continue through the end of October.

Nana and Pop came with us. Pop was a good sport. He wasn't expecting so many people and was not exactly comfortable with the sheer numbers. He hung in there though. I don't think he realized how many people are touched by Down Syndrome.

I think the thing that struck me was EVERYONE had a smile on their face. We (as in families touched by Down Syndrome) don't think of it as a sad thing. These kids are amazing and make so many people happy. So the next time you see someone with Down Syndrome, do not feel sad. Do not pity. Be happy, we are.

It was a joyous occasion!Nana and Pop and the Oooties!

The Fam!
Nothing like a lot of wind and bright sunshine to get that good squint!

The Twins!
So, you might say to yourself, why in the middle of Georgia would you dress these kids in ORANGE. I think that is obvious. What is not so obvious is that child safety 'specialist' will tell you if you are going to be in a big crowd where the possibility exists that your child could wander away(and not be able to tell someone their name, etc), dress them in something that will set them apart. They were the only 2 in Tennessee orange today.

Preparing for Buddy Walk

Should have requested bigger t-shirts to go over all the layers of clothing. It's our first CHILLY Buddy Walk. In years past, we've worn shorts and sweated to the oldies the DJ played. This year, I suspect we will not be sweating. I also bet a lot more adults will be dancing to get warm. Hopefully, by 1pm when it starts it will be in the low 50's which would be nice...accept... It's supposed to be windy. That should really freak out the sinuses! The sun is supposed to shine. That's a good thing this year.

We're excited because this year, Nana and Pop are joining us. So stay tuned for pictures!

A Feel Good Story

Sometimes we think things are obvious. Sometimes it takes someone who's been there, done that to open our eyes. This teenager has opened the eyes of many.

Buddy Walk

Hooray, Buddy Walk is this weekend. Cannot wait. Supposed to be sunny and cool. Nana and Pop are going to join us. It's going to be a great weekend. Stay tuned for pictures and reports. Thanks to everyone who has donated to Team Stricklin. We made over $800. The local chapter has raised over $130K. There is still time to donate if you'd like. Just click HERE.

Best Part

The best part of decorating for Halloween (and any holiday) is the reaction of each of the children. They love it.

Look What I Can Do....Almost

Notice, shirt on backwards and both legs in one hole.

With a little help from Mom.

He's come a LONG way from the 'learned helplessness' stage he was in just months ago!

DS Awareness and Adoption

We are sponsoring a little guy on Reece's Rainbow this Christmas. Meaning, that we are trying to raise $1000 for his adoption fund. Why? Because....Just because.

1. Because we are passionate about adoption.
2. Because no child should live out their life without a mom or dad
3. Because this little guy has Down Syndrome and needs someone to be his voice
4. Because we want to do everything we can to raise awareness for Down Syndrome and Adoption
5. Because that is what you do when you are passionate
6. Because there is someone out there looking for a little 2 year old boy to adopt IF they only had the money.

So, stay tuned for more. Our little guy will be on Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel page starting in November. His name is Art. Maybe you can donate to Art's adoption fund or maybe there will be another angel that catches your eye. Your donations may help some family step forward and commit to adopting one of these children. There is a waiting list in the US for families who want to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. There are many families who would adopt internationally if they had the money to pay the adoption costs. Typical costs for international adoptions can run from $20K to $40k. That's a lot of money to come up with in a lump sum.

IEP (Individualized Education Plan)

We got Sawyer's IEP done yesterday. Pretty painless 2 hour process. I'm happy with the things we have on his IEP for this year. Not looking forward to the Spring when we have to come up with a new one to transition him to kindergarten.

Pride in Ownership

twenty-six school days to create
some good days
some not so good days
all well worth it
look at that smile
we will do it again

Break from DS Awareness

We just call him "Corporal CLINGER"

That is a sparring glove he has on.
(It does coordinate with the rosette on the waist band of the dress)I fully intend to use these for blackmail purposes later on. His sister dresses him up just about every day. The other two have pretty much told her NO but alas, Little T still plays along. You'll hear him playing with his race cars, making all the little car sounds. You'll go look and he's wearing a dress with a car in each hand. It's all good!

DS Awareness-Common Misconception

MYTH: Having a child with Down syndrome takes away from other children.

FACT: We try very to schedule time for each child to have 'their time'. Right now, Judson is probably the one who gets the most 'me' time, simply due to his age and what is available. This month alone Judson has 4 Tiger Cub outings plus his regular 'stuffs'.

This week we have school for Sawyer, Tiger Cubs for Judson, Doctor's appts, Karate for everyone, IEP meeting at Sawyer's School. (Lucky us, everyone gets to go) Sawyer will have OT on Tuesday.

We're hoping to squeeze in a family trip to the Botanical Garden in between rains. Plus the incidental trips to the grocery store, etc. And hopefully try to get some outside play time.

We really aren't different than any other family with four kids who are beginning to grow up and want to do things. It's busy and hectic and stressful sometimes and full of laughter and noise and fun. Tonight we all watched the Handy Manny special on Disney. It was the quietest the kids had been all day.

I hope that my children will learn patience (with themselves and others) and compassion and humility and love. I think Sawyer will help teach them because he is the best model I know for compassion and humility and love. Patience????? Well, we're still working on that.

This is one of my favorite pics of the boys. Sawyer LOVES Judson. Tonight he was wrestling with Judson and for the most part, Judson did well wrestling back. The one thing that Sawyer wants most is to be considered a 'big boy' just like Judson.

DS Awareness-School Report

Sawyer's Friday report (they send home a little report everyday):

"Sawyer enjoyed field day activities today. Everyone enjoyed Sawyer's smile."

Imagination (Down Syndrome Awareness)

Sawyer has a wonderful imagination. He loves to dress up and play imaginary games. In this video, he's a super hero whose cape is not working. (If you watch Imagination Movers you'll remember this) He loves the show. So, don't pay attention to the disaster in the room as I'm trying to get winter clothes and summer clothes swapped. (amongst other things in the room that has become an 'everything' room) Just pay attention to Sawyer and his wonderful imagination.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is DS Awareness month. What do you know about DS? Did you know there are 3 types? Trisomy 21 is the most common. It is where all cells have an extra set of the 21 chromosome. This is the type that Sawyer has. There is also Mosaic where some cells have an extra set of the 21st chromosome but not all. There is also Translocation. This is where the extra set of the 21st chromosome attaches to a different chromosome.

Did you know that people with Down Syndrome are more like you and me than they are different? They laugh and cry. They get angry. They get happy. They have things they are good at. They have things they are not so good at. Sawyer, for instance, is by far the most social child I have. He easily meets people. He'll ask them their name and introduce himself and others around him. Everyone at his school knows him. I know this because I'm constantly out in public and someone will say, "Hey Sawyer". They call him the "Mayor of Mountain Park" (his school). He is the most musically inclined of all my kids. Loves music and playing the drums. He is not the most athletic. This is not because he doesn't like sports because he really does. He probably understands more about sports than my other children. The problem is his body does not always work as well as his sister Ansley, who is probably the most athletic of my 4 children. Sawyer is extremely good at memorizing. (shows, songs, ABC's, numbers) He is very stubborn about displaying his talent for memorizing. He and Ansley are rivals as to who is the most stubborn.

So there is your primer for Down Syndrome. As the month goes by, I'll try to post stories about Sawyer. Maybe I'll post pictures if he cooperates. Here is one of him with his siblings. He loves them (in that brotherly annoying way) and they love him. (as only siblings can)

Playtime!!!!!!!!! (and the weather finally cooperated)

Games were played, Treasures collected, Rides had, and Memories made

Love This...Don't I Always

http://tesoro-photo.com/Slideshows/Ethiopia2009/

Real Men

Real men can wear skirts while playing football!
They don't like it very well when brother sticks his finger in their ear.

Great Organization

This organization was started by adoptive moms who saw a need and are trying to fill it. Great organization and a great group of moms!

http://www.ethioamericanfamily.org/home

Just Trying to Recover

Why haven't I posted? Let's call it "The Flood of 2009". Twenty (that's a 2 and a 0) inches of rain in less than 5 days. In fact, over 10 inches came down Sunday night and Monday morning. We (Randy and I) were literally up all night Sunday and early Monday morning. Randy stood in 3+ inches of rain on our back patio with a push broom pushing water out of our back door. I sopped up water with towels. All week long in between bouts of thunder and lightening, we'd go out with shovel and pick ax and dig out a trench to help the water drain from that area.

We had our basement water proofed several years ago. There is a french drain along the back of the house where the patio is. Part of our problem was a stopped up gutter that could never be cleared due to the constant rain. There is a wall system on the other side of the house that directs water into a drain. Water was flowing down that system under the a/c system into the drain. It looked like a water fall, it was coming so fast and furious. Most of the night, it held and did the job it was supposed to do. Sometime closer to day light it failed. We aren't sure whether the water backed up from the drain or the system has a weak spot. Either way, it started coming into our storage area and partially onto the carpeted area. So we began moving stuff out of the area and Randy used the wet vac to suck up the water. All during this time, the kids slept! Luckily, the rain stopped not too long after that and we were able to contain the influx of water.

We were very lucky. Most of our neighbors had several inches of rain in their basements. Many people in the area had 'feet' of water in their houses. Some have insurance. Some do not. It's a mess to say the least. There is one road close to us that will be closed indefinitely as they fix the damage caused by the water. We are on the east side. The folks on the west side have it multitudes worse than we have it. We are counting our blessings. We are also saying a little prayer for those families who lost loved ones during this time.

Just Because

Everyone should have such a blessing. Read This Please.

Saturday's Adventure

Today was the monthly Down Syndrome group meeting. What a great time the kids had. We stayed 3 hours and they would have stayed another 3. They were thrilled, to say the least.

We met at a 'therapy/play place'. Here are some of the things we did. Again, my camera and I are having a bad time. I should have taken Judson's birthday camera!

There were 'wheeled' vehicles (bikes, scooter,trikes, tractors)

There were climby things of all sorts
Ball Pit
Play RoomSwings
Zip Lines

They tell me Turner did the zip line too and I missed it!

They also had: art room, kitchen for parties, sensory room, therapy rooms

Great times were had by all.

Friday's Fabulous Fotos

World of a 7 year old

If you'd like to see life as a 7 year old, go HERE.

Hike @ Fort Donelson

Pictures

What to do when the cat won't let you sleep. (Yes, I could have done something to the cat but I chose to post pics)

We spent the last few days in Tennessee visiting family. Here are some pics. (Can't believe I didn't get the camera out and get pics of Gigi, Margaret, Cousin Abbey. I"m slipping)

At my Dad's place: (on ballgame day, hence some Orange and White)


We also went to Fort Donelson. I took the 2 little ones for snacks and then exploring while Randy took Ansley and Judson hiking. (you'll have to wait for hiking pictures. They are on Judson's camera and I haven't downloaded them)

Sawyer is trying to move the cannon.

It was an earthen fort, not what you typically think of when you hear the word 'fort'.

Be sure the check out Judson's blog in a couple of days. We'll put some pictures he took on there. He got a new camera for his birthday and is enjoying learning how to use it.

We are Back

Pictures to follow. Have to decompress right now.

Toothless

Buddy Walk 2009

Hey. It's Buddy Walk time. If you're in the area, wish you'd come out and support us. Here's the link with all the info. Check out the items on the left hand side of the screen. There is a place to volunteer if you're in the area. We also appreciate any financial donations you wish to make. The money goes for advocacy/education for peoples with Down Syndrome. It is tax deductible.

CLICK HERE.

Guess Where We Went Today?

"Chip-Poo-Lay" or you may know it better at Chickfila. Only Sawyer eats the chicken but they all love the play place. We all got free chicken sandwiches for wearing sports team logos. Now I have a frig full of sandwiches!

He's 7!

Wow. Where has the time gone. Seems like yesterday he looked like:Then only a day or two ago that he had his first haircut:
His first (technically his 2nd but he was too little to enjoy the 1st) Halloween:Where has the time gone between:


And this:

How lucky I am to have such a wonderful son!

Status Quo

Sawyer had his follow up cardio appointment today. They were able to get a better look a the clot. The clot is about the size/shape of a pinto bean, 1.2cm at it's longest. As of now, we're maintaining the current course. (he did up the aspirin dosage to a full aspirin/day) Other options are very invasive: Open heart (on bypass) or meds that require daily shots or blood work. He said on the extreme end you might could find a "Cath Cowboy" to go in and try to cut it off and bring it out. Not something you'd really want to try.

We will go back in 2 months to see if there is any change. The hope is his heart will outgrow the clot or if they have to do surgery, they can postpone it until he is older and bigger/stronger. BTW, Sawyer tracks on the 75th percentile (plus) on height and 25th percentile on weight, using the down syndrome charts. That's pretty good since he doesn't even make the charts our pediatrician uses.

Alphabet

So, Ansley is working on an ABC book. Each day, she cuts out 10 pictures starting with the 'letter of the day' and glues them on a piece of paper. Then by the time we finish, we'll put it all together into a book. This appeals to her very artistic side. Plus, she loves to cut and glue. The thing she doesn't realize is she is also learning to figure out the beginning sounds of words. That appeals to me!

Today was the letter "I". The first 20 minutes was spent saying, "I can't do it" "It's too hard" "It's boring". Translation, I"m confused about "I" words. I don't recognize "I" in this book. She just doesn't want to admit any 'weakness' or ask for help. (We are working on that) What I've realized when this is happening, I need to point out her need to ask for help. Then I point out some words that begin with "I". Then she can continue on. I do have to leave the room or she'll just let me do it all for her.

I went to the next room and pretended to be working but actually I was listening for signs of T-R-O-U-B-L-E. What I hear next is: " 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I did it! Sometimes I think I'm a Genius!"

Emergency!

This just in! Ansley fell off her bike and scraped her hand. THEN while running, she fell and scraped her knee. She is now convalescing on the couch wishing she had NEVER, EVER gone outside. Fiddle-de-dee, Miss Scarlett.
Notice the large 'bandage' over the wound. That is because it is BLEEDING! SEE!Now someone else is 'tick' too.

(notice the shoes on the wrong feet)