2009

Happy Holidays from us to you.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas Tea

Yesterday we went to the Turner Dodge House for Christmas Tea with Stacy, Molly, and Daniel. It was our first time there and we had a great time. They served lots of treats with cocoa and tea, the kids listened to a story about a gingerbread baby, and then did a craft. I kept thinking that Emma and Joe seem so much more grown up to me this year than last year.

Cookies, crafts, cat.

Growing Up.

Joe is in a learning groove right now. Typically when he makes advances he then takes a few steps back. Right now he is in the advance stage and it is very exciting to watch things click for him. I am home with him today and I have seen two things I have never seen before. First, Joe, the boy who has previously despised all arts and crafts, requested markers, sat down and decorated a bag for his Dad (sorry to ruin the surprise, Chris). Up until now, I have always guided his hand as he has drawn people or whatever else he wants to draw. Today he worked on his own AND chose to use more than one color. The next thing he did was dump out all the Bananagram tiles on the floor. He likes to play with them but has never worked with the letters unless we basically force him to pick out letters and he usually says "I'm all done" after 2-3 letters. Today he was playing on his own and ran into the kitchen and said, "look, Mama, look!" I sighed as I saw all the tiles spread all over the floor and probably under the furniture. Joe kept pointing and saying, "LOOK, MAMA, I DID IT!" And so, I looked again and I couldn't believe what I saw.

Holiday Happiness and Sibling Rivalry

Ho, ho ho!

We have been busy this week. This is the last week of classes at MSU so Chris and I are busy with the end of the semester. Emma & Joe are in school one more week, although Joe has been home sick for two days. 'Tis the season for lots of holiday parties, shows, craft fairs and events. On Sunday we went to see "Click, Clack, Moo" at the Wharton Center and LOVED it! Tonight Emma and I are going to see a production of "Little Women" with some friends. We are reading the book out loud so we couldn't miss this opportunity. Calvin is adjusting well to our family even with Joe carrying him all around the house. And because nothing it seems can be easy or uncomplicated, when we took Calvin in for his follow-up vet appointment (a Humane Society requirement), it turns out he has a cold and I am now giving him 2 pills per day for 10 days. I used to agonize over giving Lucy (my former kitty) a pill because cats really resist swallowing pills. I guess after 2 kids and a lot of medical intervention I no longer have the time or energy to worry about such things and that makes giving the pill much quicker and simpler. Still, it's one more (really 2) thing to do each day. Joe has experienced some sibling rivalry with Calvin. He has been taking Calvin's toys and has wanted to sit in Calvin's bed (see photo). Fortunately, Calvin is a very relaxed cat and it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

Calvin

Emma's wish this year (and for a couple of years) was to adopt a cat at the Capital Area Humane Society. We went to the holiday open house today and found Calvin, the newest member of our family. Calvin is 7 months old and is the most relaxed cat that I have ever known. He didn't seem afraid or worried coming to our house. He has just joined in with the crew and made himself at home.

NPR story of Down Syndrome births in US

A recent study show that the number of babies born with Down Syndrome has increased over the past decade. That's an interesting that prenatal testing has dramatically increased during that same time and 90% of women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of T21 terminate the pregnancy. I like what Kidder (founder of Band of Angels) has to say about increased visibility of happy people leading happy lives as possibly contributing to the counteracting the fear (and shame?) of a T21 prenatal diagnosis. I have often wondered if knowing our family (or maybe my reading my essay for "This I Believe") has played a role in someone's decision. To read the NPR article click HERE.