You What? uKloo!

Friday, 6 December 2013

uKloo (pronounced You-Clue) is a fun, engaging, early reader treasure hunt game for kids ages 4+. It was created by Doreen Dotto who has 2 boys that were reluctant readers and tried to avoid doing reading homework. She wanted to create a fun way to get them engaged in reading with a bonus of being active while doing it!

So what exactly is uKloo and how do you play it? The game comes with 4 sets of cards (3 reading levels and a set of blank dry-erase cards). You set the cards up in various locations throughout the house according to what is on the card. Once they find one card it will tell them where to find the next card and so on. The last hiding spot reveals their surprise.

The surprise can be anything you want it to be. A dollar store toy, a certificate to get ice cream, a sticker, a card from mom or dad, a lollipop, etc. It doesn't have to be complicated at all!

Examples of each level of the reading cards from early readers to more detailed readers:
1) Look beside the milk
2) Find it in your helmet
3) Search on the bed under your dad's pillow

For early readers there is also a poster of all the words that are used on the card. If a child gets stuck on a word they can refer to the poster that has a picture with each word to help them figure it out. The poster is also sorted by verbs, preposition, helper words, and nouns. The words in each category are also listed alphabetically.

My kids love this game and frequently ask to play it. Sometimes I use it as an incentive when Kayla is a bit slow getting ready for school. I'll ask her if she wants to play uKloo when she gets home and that usually perks her up! She even tried telling her aide as school about a game she was going to play at home, but he had no idea what she was talking about.

They both enjoy running around to the next spot and seeing where that card is going to take them ... and wondering when they are going to find their surprise!

Here are 2 quick videos of each of them playing the game.

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A short clip of Kayla. I had a couple more video clips of her reading her cards and finding her surprise, but they've mysteriously disappeared from my phone ... coincidentally after Kayla was looking through the videos!

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uKloo has won 9 awards (3 from Dr Toy categories), is available in Canada, US, and International, and available as a free app.

uKloo2 - Riddle Edition Treasure Hunt Game for ages 7+ was recently released and that is on my to-get list for Lucas's birthday. While Lucas does have fun with the Early Reader game, the Riddle Edition will be more challenging for him and I'm sure he would enjoy figuring out the riddles to find the next clue.

Disclaimer: I received a uKloo game for free to review, but all opinions on the game are mine and my children's!

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Put Some Wiggle in That Ziggle

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Thanks to House Party's Chatterbox feature my kids received an early Christmas present.

The Radio Flyer Ziggle is the fun way to get the wiggles out and provides for outdoor (and even indoor!) fun activities. 

When I first pulled it out of the box I sighed thinking it was going to be cumbersome to put together. By the time Joe got off the couch to help me, I pretty much had it all done. It really was pretty easy to assemble! The seat is adjustable to grow with your child, but unless I missed something, the only way I could see to adjust it was to unscrew it and put it on the next setting. It would be nice if there was something you could click together to move the seat forward/backward instead of having to unscrew it ... but other than that ... no complaints!

The suggested age is 3-8, but since Kayla is a little on the smaller size for a 10 year old she is able to comfortably use this too. Her legs are a little bit long for it, but for now she can still fit without her knees hitting the handlebars.

It doesn't take much for kids to figure out how to use it - you just move the handlebars back and forth and just wiggle!

It glides smoothly and easily and when you can gain some speed you can drift into 360 degree spins.

Joe and I both commented, as we were watching Kayla and Lucas try this out, that we wished there was one for bigger 'kids' because we wanted to try it out too!

Lucas' review, "That was amazing!" Kayla thought it was pretty easy to use and she liked it too.

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Impressed With Her Flexibility

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Kids with Down syndrome can be extra-flexible. I think this is a result of having low muscle tone/loose ligaments.

When Kayla was a baby/toddler people would often comment on her flexibility. I'm talking about being able to raise your legs straight up in the air almost touching your ears.

Lucas is impressed with Kayla's skills and has commented on this several times over the past few months. If he's trying to get by her in the van she swings her legs around and up for him to go across instead of bending her knees and bringing them to her chest.

A few months ago he was trying to find the words to explain this to me and he came up with: "Disability people can do something that not disability people can do! Watch Kayla, see how far her legs go up? Wow! Mine can't do that!"

(Before anyone says anything, yes, I realize that was not People First Language; however, he's 5 years old. He was trying to figure out the words to use to explain what he was thinking. The PFL will come with time. I modeled it for him by saying, "I don't think it's necessarily that people with disabilities can do that, I think it's more likely that people with Down syn can do that because they can be more flexible.)

I thought it was cool that he thought it was cool that she could do something that he couldn't, because she has Down syndrome.

My kids humored me and re-enacted Lucas trying to get by Kayla and Kayla raising her legs, so you can see that flexibility in action.

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This doesn't have anything to do with being flexible, or having Down syndrome, but Lucas noticed something else Kayla can do that he can't (yet!). She can pick him up and carry him, but because she's still taller than him, he's not able to lift her up. He thinks that's cool too. "I can run faster than Kayla and Kayla is stronger than me!"

And since Kayla had those Shoulder Buddies I mentioned in the previous post about sensory issues, I did a quick video of what she likes about them. 

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Just Like You - Down Syndrome

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

I shared this video last year, and am sharing again because the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City did such a wonderful job with the Just Like You advocacy and awareness video.

It's nice to see the different sets of friends and hear them talking about their friendships.

I was thinking of sharing this video with Kayla's class - 4th graders. The video is 13 minutes long, do you think that age group will maintain interest in this video, or is it too long to show during my talk? I haven't yet talked with her teacher so I'm not sure how much time I'll even have in the classroom. I like to show a picture of Kayla's chromosomes and just talk about why she has Down syndrome and then a little bit about what that means for Kayla.

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Switch & Go Dinos Giveaway

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Contest is now closed! Congrats to the winner of the prize pack: Heather! 

I have a 5 year old boy. 5 year old boys usually go hand in hand with dinosaur fascination. So when there was an opportunity for bloggers to review, and host a giveaway, of VTech's new Switch & Go Dinos I knew this would be something fun for Lucas to try out and give his review of the products.

We received Jagger the T-Rex and 3 assorted smaller dinos.

All of the Switch & Go Dinos transform from a dinosaur to a vehicle. They have an LCD screen for customizable animated faces; and in dinosaur mode the action buttons make dinosaur noises and state interesting facts about each type of dinosaur.

Jagger does all that and more. He is the only one that responds to specific voice commands in both dinosaur and truck mode.

I pulled T-Rex out of the box to get it all set up and figure out how to use it before I showed it to Lucas. In other words ... I played with it first!

It took me a little longer than I thought it should have to change the dinosaur to truck mode, but admittedly I didn't read the instructions first! Once I read through those I was able to quickly get the hang of it.

I tried out several of the specific voice commands that Jagger responds to (Roar with me! Make me laugh! Go forward! Go Back! are among several commands it responds to). After listening to the Jagger voice throughout all of this I tried the command for "Change your voice!" Even though I was alone in my house trying this out - it made me laugh out loud when I heard the voice change for the first time.

When Lucas came home from school I brought Jagger out. He was impressed with Jagger just as he was, but when I told Jagger to "Go forward!" and the dinosaur followed my command, Lucas was even more amazed. His eyes got wide as I tried out several other commands.

He also got a kick out of "Change your voice!" and "Go wild!" I think that one is his favorite.

Unfortunately Lucas thought Jagger would respond to anything he said and tried to get him to do other things. I gave him the card that comes with it that shows the list of commands and he was good with that!

I do wish that you didn't have to say "Hello T-Rex" and wait for a response before you give each command. It would be nice if there was a time limit for saying "Hello T-Rex" and you could do several voice commands one after the other, before having to say his name again. So far that doesn't seem to bother my kids when they've been playing with it - occasionally I have to give them a reminder to say "Hello T-Rex" when they say the command over and over and wonder why there isn't a response.

There are times when the response you get from T-Rex doesn't match the requested command ... but it is all computerized. I'm sure it has something to do with how slowly and clearly you're speaking and the tone of voice. If T-Rex doesn't understand the command he'll respond to try again later. Again, this doesn't seem to bother my kids when that happens. They just try again! And they laugh if he does something they didn't say to do. Kayla has been having just as much fun playing with Jagger as Lucas is.

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You have the chance to win the complete line of Switch & Go Dinos just by entering a picture of your child doing their best dinosaur impression on VTech's Facebook contest. (You have to 'like' the page first to get the contest details.) Contest ends on Sep 9 at 8:00 am ET.

You can also enter my blog giveaway for 1 winner to win a set of 3 assorted smaller Switch & Go Dinos. Just leave a comment on this post saying which of the dinosaurs (besides the obvious Jagger!) you think your child would like the most.Winner will be picked by Random.org on Mon, Sep 9. (Must be US resident).

Lucas kept thanking me for 'buying me this dinosaur!' and I had to explain to him that I didn't buy this one. We received Jagger, and the 3 assorted smaller dinos, from VTech to review on my blog. Then I had to explain what a review is and what my blog is! Lucas gives this 2 thumbs up!

Disclosure: "The VTech product, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by VTech." All opinions are mine and my children's. 

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Rehearsal and Performance

Thursday, 20 June 2013

I am so proud of Kayla. So proud of her during rehearsals and during the Snow White play - wardrobe malfunction and all.

I had no idea what to expect out of this whole experience. I had no idea what to expect from Kayla. Rehearsing for a play was new for both of us. It was a whirlwind week ... but so fun!

Rehearsals on Tue and Wed were 2 hrs. Rehearsal on Thur was 4 hrs with 1/2 hr snack break. On Fri they were there for 4 hrs with a 1/2 snack break and then immediately performed the play. They were there from 2:30 until 7:45: whew!

I was the only parent who stayed for the rehearsals. Everyone else dropped their kids off and left. Yes, I can be a bit of a 'helicopter mom' at times. As I said, we've never done this before so I didn't know what to expect from Kayla.This was a new environment and new adults and kids that she would be with. Several questions went through my mind.

Would she listen and pay attention?
Would she follow directions?
Would she be impulsive and run around instead of sitting still?
Would she focus?
Would she talk and disrupt?
What would she do during the times her group wasn't actively involved in rehearsals (when they weren't on stage).
Would she get bored and decide to wander off?

I have to say - she blew my fears out of the water.

Not to say that my fears weren't valid. Case in point: This week she is at Vacation Bible School. On the 2nd day she told me she ran away and they chased her. Yes, one of the adults confirmed her story. Another volunteer took her to the bathroom and then she bolted. Ran for the steps and went up the balcony in the sanctuary and hid. Testing boundaries? I have no idea; she's not usually such a runner anymore.

So I stayed throughout most of the rehearsals to keep an eye on her and intercede if I needed to. Which I didn't. The 2nd day I went out of the gym where they were rehearsing and sat in the lounge area. She only opened the door once with Kelly running after her telling her that her mother was sitting right out there. Kayla only wanted her water though; she didn't realize I had left her bottle inside.

During their 4-hr rehearsal on the third day I waited until after they had their snack break before I went to get myself something to eat. She had been doing so well sitting in the theater all that time. Most of the time it wasn't her group's turn to rehearse so they had to sit in the theater chairs quietly watching ... and waiting ... and waiting. She did so great. She stayed in her seat. She was quiet. She was captivated by the acting going on on the stage.

Just one little snag when I left to get something to eat and came back to find her still sitting in the seat when her group was on stage rehearsing. When I asked why she wasn't up there I was told because she wanted to be on stage sitting next to Snow White. Sigh ...

She re-enacted scenes at home. She quoted other characters' lines. Seriously, I was surprised when we were driving home and, unprompted, she said the turtle's line, "What's the hurry? Wait for me?" (Pause) and then continued on, "Slow and steady wins the race." And she remembered every word.

She learned her cues, and hand motions, and the group song.

During the performance she had a wardrobe malfunction. The frog foot came off her shoe. I was so proud of her for staying in character and continuing on with the scene instead of getting up and going to find someone to fix it (which I can imagine her doing). She didn't yell out that the foot came off, she didn't yell out that she needed help. She just held it up so we could see that it came off.

And I admit it took every bit of this 'helicopter mom' to keep my butt in my seat! Because I wanted to help. I wanted to quietly walk up to the front of that stage and fix the foot for her...because I wanted to make sure she stayed seated. We hadn't talked about what to do in a situation like that. But somehow, she just knew. She knew to remain seated with her cast mates.

She took off the huge frog gloves and attempted to fix it herself. It came off again, the second time she was on stage. Thankfully, the last time she was on stage she was without the frog feet so they wouldn't have to distract her anymore.

Here is Kayla's first acting gig:

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And with a clearer picture, here she is during the group song. She doesn't take after me as I would lip-synch! She's a bit off in her timing, but she did it. And if you listen closely you can hear Kayla's voice singing. Singing along like everyone else. So proud of her.

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I have a feeling there will be more plays in her future!

 

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Kayla's Runway Debut

Monday, 13 May 2013

Last week Kayla and I drove to Maryland for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's Be Beautiful Be Yourself Gala and Fashion Show in Washington DC. Kayla was one of 25 models with Down syndrome who walked the runway with guest escorts.

Humor on our drive: As we were driving through VA we were stopped at a light when I noticed sign pointing out George Washington's birthplace to the right. I told Kayla, "Oh look! Remember learning about George Washington? The president? That sign says he was born here." Kayla looked at the corner on her right and said, "Here? At CVS?" Also: It's an 8 hr drive. She woke up from a 20-minute nap saying, "Whew! That's a long nap!"

We had such a fun time last week. Kayla tried on several dresses and she chose this one because of the way it twirls. She loves to twirl in a dress and this dress was a big hit to her.



She had her hair curled, a smidgen of blush and eye shadow applied, nails polished, and her pretty purple dress on ... she was ready to go!



Her escort was GDSF Spokesperson and Supermodel Beverly Johnson. (Here are a couple of pictures from the professional photographers of Kayla meeting Beverly Johnson and walking the runway.)





After the fashion show the crowd enjoyed listening to Sheryl Crow perform several songs. The models got back up on the stage and danced the night away. (Here is a picture of Kayla with Sheryl Crow.)



I was so proud of Kayla! She's never done anything like this before (the closest thing would be the one dance recital she was in last year). Yet she seemed so poised and confident walking that stage! Albeit a little faster than I think she was supposed to ... as you'll see in the video she lets go of Beverly's hand as if to say, "I got this! I can do this myself! I know what I'm doing!"



You can read more about the gala in the article Global Down Syndrome Gala a Huge Success and Supermodel Spotlights Down Syndrome.

There were several representatives from the NIH there who heard, more than once, how Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic conditions, yet the least funded. Hopefully funding for Down syndrome research will increase.

What a great night!

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Dignity of Risk

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

ESNP has an interesting video about Garrett, a young man with Down syndrome, and his training leading up to his first MMA fight.

Overall I thought they did a great job reporting this piece on Garrett, but I wish there wasn't the need to report that "Garrett is very highly functioning for someone with Down syndrome. He reads at the 3rd grade level and has the cognitive ability of an 8 or 9 year old." I didn't think that had relevance to his journey of participating in his first MMA fight. (The highly functioning for someone with Down syndrome bit I'll save for another blog post.)

I thought it was sad to hear that while growing up he didn't want to have friends, or associate with, any one who had Down syndrome or other disabilities. He didn't want to be called Garrett because Garrett was someone who has Down syndrome. We have talked to Kayla about having Down syndrome, she knows she has Ds, but I don't think at this point she grasps exactly what that means or how that affects her. I am trying to prepare myself that one day she may express being upset about having Down syndrome.

Garrett's father said a lot of people gave him a hard time for allowing Garrett to participate in this fight. I loved that he gave Garrett the opportunity. It's called the "dignity of risk" - “Dignity of risk” means respecting each individual’s autonomy and self-determination (or “dignity”) to make choices for himself or herself. Garrett trained for the fight and wanted to get in the ring; they found a fighter with the same height and build who agreed to fight him.

Garrett's reaction time isn't as quick as his opponent; I liked that his opponent didn't take advantage of that situation. He legitimately landed some punches and slams on Garrett ... as did Garrett to his opponent.

I thought the ending was a great wrap-up showing Garrett's journey of self-awareness and self-acceptance.

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A Fact, A Fallacy, A Photo

Thursday, 21 March 2013

A Little Moxie is hosting a blog hop for World Down Syndrome Day: 3 for 21.

The instructions are easy:
Post a fact
Post a fallacy
Post a photo

These can be "related to Down syndrome, to the spirit of inclusion, advocacy/awareness."

Fact:  People with Down syndrome are not always happy. They are individuals with a wide range of emotions. Example: Yesterday morning Kayla was not happy with me at all when I said she couldn't wear flip flops to school. This morning she was mad that she couldn't wear gloves (because I have no idea what she did with them) and was refusing to get up off the floor and walk to the bus stop. She has feelings beyond the range of being happy and content with everything in her life.

Fallacy: People with Down syndrome can't learn, or reach a plateau and stop learning. (Hint: Just like everyone else they'll only reach a plateau if not given an opportunity to learn.).

Here is Kayla reviewing what she learned about the Antebellum Period:

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And a picture of Kayla:



  

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Who I Am

The International Down Syndrome Coalition for Life's campaign for WDSD is "Who I Am" - based on a song by Sarah Conant.

When I asked Kayla, "Who are you?" She said, "I'm Kayla!"

So there you have it. She's Kayla. Just Kayla.

But if you asked me who she is I'd say (besides the obvious of being my daughter and a great big sister) I'd say she's an almost 10 year old girl who is:

loved
valued
wanted
included
friendly
funny
creative
imaginative
strong-willed (because that sounds more positive than stubborn!)
confident
independent
defiant
moody
challenging
opinionated
adventurous
determined
world-traveler (we went to Denmark and Sweden last summer)


I'd tell you that she likes
popcorn
cereal
pizza
ham
cheese
yogurt
sleep-overs
roller coasters (she doesn't get that from me!)
water parks
beaches
playgrounds
being outside
roller skating
movies
hotels (she's always saying "I want to go to a hotel to sleep.")
friends
drawing
painting
going to the ballet
playing dress-up

That's Kayla. She is who she is and that's all she needs to be.

Here she is all dressed up when we went to the ballet to see Snow White.

 Enjoy this video, set to the song of Who I Am...

 

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Modern Families

Friday, 8 March 2013

Katie Couric had a segment on modern families and what they look like today. One of the families profiled were Bill and Shelley - the couple I blogged about that were the subject of the article No Disability Could Keep Them Apart from the Washington Post.

Bill gave a passionate statement at the end of the video. I loved what he had to say; and I love that it came directly from a person with a disability.

"Yes, of course we have challenges. But the real challenge, the real disability, is the ignorance, the uneducated. So if you see people w/disabilities like us, or other disabilities, keep your eyes open, keep your ears open, then you'll give them the respect they so (richly?) need." 

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His Own Bike Milestone

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

I've been neglectful.

I excitedly posted a video and blogged about Kayla finally riding a bike; it was a milestone that felt like a long time coming.

But Lucas had a bike milestone back in October that I haven't yet mentioned.  And his was just as exciting.

He started riding a bike without training wheels.

He had been trying off and on a few times in the months before that, but he didn't seem to feel sure of himself without the training wheels. Then in Oct we were at a birthday party at a park. Someone brought a few kid's bikes ... none of which had training wheels. Lucas saw a couple of his friends up on those bikes riding around and decided to give it another go - and that was it. He was off and riding without any training wheels. The training wheels came off his own bike as soon as we got home.

While I was very excited for him ... and we let him know how excited and proud we were of him ... there was also a tinge of sadness.

Sadness because he was 4.5 and the training wheels felt like the last symbol of that young toddler/preschool age. It just felt like he was growing up too fast.

There was also sadness because he was 4.5 and riding without training wheels and Kayla was 9 and not even riding a bike with training wheels. I didn't want him to pass her up so easily, or so soon. Things already come so much easier and naturally to him. Reading is another area where he is doing this, too.

So while I wasted no time in blogging about, and posting on FB, Kayla's riding accomplishment...I hadn't yet gotten around to Lucas's big bike riding milestone. With Kayla I felt like everyone would understand what there was to celebrate, but with Lucas I felt like it was just natural and expected of a typically-developing child to meet those milestones.

Yet even though it is natural, and did come easy to him, it's still a milestone to be celebrated. I have two children who will be, and are, reaching milestones at their own pace and in their own way. One may struggle and take a longer time to achieve those accomplishments, and the other may not have as much trouble with the natural progression of milestones.

But they both deserve to be celebrated.

Lucas got a new bike for his birthday since he was getting too big for his first bike. So, finally, a video of Lucas riding a bike without training wheels. This kid, growing up too fast.

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Bible Stories for Kids

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Several months ago Lucas came across a Bible Stories for kids book and asked if I would buy it. He seemed really excited about the book and it was easy enough for him to read, so I said yes. It quickly became one of his favorite books; but it only has a handful of stories.

So when the Tyndale Blog Network was offering a book called Bible Stories that End with a Hug by Stephen Elkins to review I thought Lucas would enjoy this book as well ... and it has 75 easy-to-understand Bible stories.

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This hard cover book is a great way to introduce younger kids to the stories in the Bible. It has charming illustrations and short descriptions of the stories that will keep a child's attention. Each page also contains a Bible verse, lessons on how to apply the story to your child's daily life, and a special 'hug time' at the end of each story. For example: the story on Love, Listen, and Obey features the verse from Exodus 20:12: Honor your father and mother. Then the lesson talks about honoring your parents by loving them, listening to them, and obeying them. Then it is Hug Time! "Give the one who honors their father and mother a great big hug."

It's a great way to end the night with a bedtime story followed by a great big hug.

 

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Progression of a Bike Rider

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Almost 2 years ago I wrote this post about Kayla not riding a bike. It was about where we had been so far in that journey (i.e. never rode a tricycle), my hopes/wishes/dreams for her to ride a bike, and the sadness I felt because she wasn't doing it. Not only was she not doing it, but she wasn't showing any interest in wanting to ride a bike.

For almost 2 yrs her bike (which used to be my sister's, and which I thought would motivate her - "This used to be Aunt Kelly's bike! Don't you want to ride it?") hung in our garage. I had finally backed off (read: gave up) on encouraging her to try riding that bike anymore. It sat unused in the garage, taking up space on the floor. I finally hung it from the hooks in a feeling of defeat.

On that post 2 yrs ago, a blogging friend left a comment with a link to this WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Trailer. That product sat in my Amazon Wish List for a year and a half. I looked at it every so often and debated whether to finally order it or not. I was hesitant to spend that much money on it because what if she wouldn't get on that either? What a waste of money it would be if it just sat, unused, in our garage as well. If she wasn't motivated to get on a bike what made me think she would get on this?


They (whoever they are) say that having a child with special needs/disabilities makes you a more patient person, but that's not been the case with me. Honestly, I was frustrated. Frustrated that she didn't try. Frustrated that she didn't want to. Frustrated because I still longed for her to enjoy bike riding. Frustrated because I didn't know the why of it. Frustrated because she would move the pedals back and forth instead of continuously rotating them around in a circle. Frustrated because I didn't know what was causing the block with her riding a bike. I felt like she was fully capable of doing it, but didn't know where the connection was missing.

Over the past few months she slowly started showing some interest in getting on Lucas's bike. She would pedal in our driveway (but it's slightly sloped so that helped her feel like she was going somewhere), but it was mostly the same story. She would pedal a few rotations and be done. Or she would go back and forth on the pedals going no where. When she did go a little ways in the driveway she wouldn't make any effort to steer and would just go off the side to the grass. Then she was done riding. I would ask if she wanted me to get her bike down and it was still a 'no.' I praised her for any amount of pedaling she did.

When I placed an order through Amazon this past Christmas, I finally placed that bike trailer in my cart and checked out. Joe put it together a few weekends ago. Kayla seemed excited about it, seemed willing to try, and I held my breath. We live on a loop and Joe rode around the loop with her. She giggled pretty much the whole time. They pulled back in the driveway and she immediately said, "Go again!" And they did. I think they even went a 3rd time. I was so happy - at least with this we could finally go the park and take a family bike ride.

When she got off the school bus the next day, the first thing she said was "I want to ride my bike around the block!" She was referring to the bike-trailer bike - and she was so enthusiastic about it - so we did. Then I carefully broached the subject of trying to ride her own bike. (Which had previously been taken down and tried again; and which Lucas was riding because he was too big for his bike.) She actually said yes. She pedaled it in the driveway. She said she wanted to go around the block. I didn't think she was quite ready for that so I told her to try going down to the bus stop. She didn't make it that far. She kept looking down and not steering. She would end up in the grass and have to be re-directed back to the sidewalk.

She started getting on Lucas's old bike more often; then, last Friday she rode her bike down the street to a friend's house. It was the farthest she's ever gone, but it was slow-going. She said she wanted to "go slow" and she went painstakingly slow. I sounded like a broken record, "Keep pedaling, c'mon Kayla, you need to go a little faster than that." We finally made it to their house.

Then, on Sunday, she rode Lucas's old bike - which if it's too small for him now, it's too small for her (but she seems to feel more comfortable on it) all the way around our loop (I think it's about 1/2 a mile). For the most part she was steering pretty well, too. She did it. I couldn't believe she finally rode that bike a meaningful distance.

As I posted on FB when I shared this video, "Yes, she's 9.5 yrs old. Yes, she is too big for the bike. Yes, the bike has training wheels. But, she is riding a bike!" I've waited, what feels like, a long time for this milestone.

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And I was reminded of that saying, She'll do it in her own time; she'll do it when she's ready." 

 

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Little Violinists

Friday, 21 December 2012

We started out the first day of Winter Break by going to see a semi-staged production of Hansel and Gretel by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

I admit I didn't know what 'semi-staged' meant and thought it was going to be like the production of The Wiz we took the kids to see earlier this year. It wasn't quite like that; Hansel and Gretal were center stage with the orchestra behind them. While they did act out their scenes there wasn't spoken dialogue - it was all sung in mostly an opera tone. I admit I had a hard time deciphering most of the words when sung that way so it was a little hard to follow along with exactly what they were saying (singing). So the kids were a little antsy during some parts, but mostly entertained throughout - especially when the witch came on scene. Overall we all enjoyed the production.

Before the production they had an Instrument Petting Zoo where the kids could try out different instruments. I got such a kick out of watching Kayla play the violin. She seemed to really enjoy it as you can see her whole body got in to the rhythm of the music she was creating.

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Lucas had fun with it too:

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Good for a Laugh

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

If you need a good laugh...

I felt kind of bad laughing at this guy, but he was laughing and his friends were laughing, and well...I just had tears running down my cheeks listening to them.

Warning: most of this is in German (I think!) but there are a few (loud!) words in English. Those just happen to be a couple of cuss words. So if you watch this around your kids, or at work, you might want to have the sound turned really low, or off.

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Just Like You

Friday, 2 November 2012

The Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City produced a wonderful DVD called Just Like You - Down Syndrome. The informational DVD showcases 3 young people with Down syndrome and their friendships with people who don't have Down syndrome. It's educational about what Down syndrome is, and isn't, and the value of their friendships. This is something that schools would benefit from showing!

I love when Rachel says "It's just one part of my beautiful self!"

 

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Perfect

Saturday, 27 October 2012

ESPN has a segment called E:60 that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at a story they're reporting on.

They recently had an episode titled "Perfect." The description: "There was a time when Heath White chased perfection. E:60 s Tom Rinaldi tells the story of a how the birth of a girl with Down Syndrome led to the re-birth of a man who thought he had everything, until he discovered the joy of pushing Paisley."

This was such a moving piece to watch. The raw emotions in Heath admitting he did not want his wife to continue with this pregnancy; he did not want a daughter who has Down syndrome....and for his wife, whom an abortion was not an option. They tell their story of how Paisley changed her father's views on life.

It is well worth the 15 minutes to watch it.


 

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Afternoon Greeting

Thursday, 4 October 2012

This is how Kayla greets me every day after getting off the school bus. Every day.

Needless to say, I look forward to this part of my day. Seeing her run around the corner from the bus stop ... she runs from the moment she's off the bus until she's rounded the corner and gives me a hug. And that big smile of hers. Love it.

I've also let go a bit. Cut some strings. Given her some more independence. I no longer go and stand and wait at the spot where the bus drops her, and the other kids, off. It's not that far, at a house just around that corner, but it's something. When I hear the bus I go wait in our driveway, or right across the street. She is growing up after all.

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This post is also linked up with the Down Syndrome Awareness Weekend Blog Hop.
 

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The No-Cry Kids, Episode 1

Saturday, 25 August 2012

Elizabeth Pantley, author of the No-Cry Sleep Solution, has created a video montage filled with adorable pictures of sleeping babies, kids, moms, and dads ... interspersed with some sleeping advice.

At 1:32 in this video is one of my favorite pictures of Kayla and Joe.


 

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