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The future is now!

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I've been thinking a lot about the future. There is so much unknown, so much that could be, might be, will be. It seems silly to think about where Emma will live when she is older, what she will do for work, how her life might be.... but the truth is, this is all the stuff I worry about. There is a stigma that a person with a disability will be a burden - to their family and to society. The NDIS was brought in to bring a bit of equality to people with disabilities, so that they don't get left behind or disadvantaged because of something they have no control over. There have been many studies into early childhood education - and the result of that is that the first 5 years are CRUCIAL for EVERY child, regardless of their intellect, ability, or social standing. Emma will be receiving supports for the rest of her life, if needed, so that she isn't disadvantaged. It is my hope that by putting in the hard yards now, it will set her up for an independent life. By spending the...
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Just shove it!

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There are two meanings to the title for this post today. The first is this gorgeous photo, of my daughter shoving her birthday cake in her face. She takes life in both hands, shoves it in her face, and gets it done. Emma had the best birthday - we spent time with our family, had lots of cuddles, went out for dinner... we ate chips, cake, and biscuits and it was the great day we had planned for her. Over the last few weeks she has come in leaps and bounds - it's funny, when they're babies the milestones come one after the other and there are so many things to keep up with it's like a celebration every day. Then they stop... the milestones are bigger, harder, and less frequent. In the last few weeks Emma has begun taking steps, is saying more varied sounds, and is definitely asserting her independence at every turn. She is a beautiful soul and she has a mind of her own. She gives a great hug, but if you ask her for one and she doesn't want to give it, she shakes h...
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Almost...

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There are so many things that our girl is almost doing. She's almost walking on her own. Her physio says it's just a matter of when now, not if. Her muscles are strong enough but her will is not. One day, just like she did with crawling, she will realise that this new way is faster, more efficient, and so much cooler. For now though, she's doing this hybrid bear crawl/one handed scooch thing that is hilarious to watch. Hilarious. She stand up and gives herself a big clap, then screeches or crawls over to us and makes us clap our hands if we don't cheer loud enough for her. Almost walking. She's almost talking. This week we've heard new sounds, consistently, for words. She's always been very vocal, but more shouts or screeches rather than word sounds. She has been making mouth shapes for quite a while, but sounds are new. If you ask her what sound a lion makes she silently roars, owls have a pursed lip action, snakes are smiley. This morning she distinctl...
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I had a little cry tonight!

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Tonight I had a little cry. We'd been out for dinner at a friend's place and Emma was up a bit later than usual. She was overtired when we tried to put her down to sleep, so she was unsettled. My husband was a trooper and settled her with cuddles... he's the best dad to her and when she's grumpy she just wants him. I love it, because it means that I get to step away sometimes, and I know that she loves him as much as she loves me. Anyway, after she was asleep for a few minutes, she started calling out again so I went in and picked her up. She instantly snuggled in to my chest and her breath changed quickly to one of sleep. I sat with her in our rocking chair, and found myself crying. Tears of happiness that such a simple act of touch can settle her. Tears of sadness that she's growing up (she's almost 2 for goodness sake!!) and soon she won't need or want cuddles to sleep. Tears of worry that it won't always be as easy as a cuddle to soothe her c...
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It's okay not to love instantly.

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Honestly, it took until my daughter was about 6 months old for me to say 'I'm so glad you're mine'. If you've read our birth story you would know that it wasn't very conventional, or very positive. I was overwhelmed with worry, I was anxious about the future, I was concerned about my daughter's health. I was fiercely protective of this little girl from the minute we took her home. The first week in hospital was rocky and I felt like she wasn't ours - we kept leaving her in the special care nursery and it was all so surreal... I didn't go outside for a week and had very little concept of night and day. Time passed in 3 hour blocks, the next time we could see her, feed her, change her, and hopefully have a cuddle. There was no bond. Once we got her home and I stared at her for hours on end for a few weeks, we learnt each other's noises. I was so very concerned with keeping her fed and making sure she slept enough, and stressing about trying to ...
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When the numbers align...

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Today, Emma is 21 months old. There's 3 months until her birthday. I like 21, and I like 3 - because she's got 3 copies of chromosome 21. Also, 1 plus 2 is 3. This means that today... I'm launching this blog!!! It's the perfect day, the perfect combination, for a perfect girl. The name of the blog came to me in a dream, a dream I had of Emma on her 21st birthday, at her book signing... because she'd taken over the blog her mum had started and was famous. Of course. All of the October stuff was written in October of this year, 2017, for Down syndrome awareness month. The first few posts were written when Emma was born, and then a few months old. I found them when I went to set up this blog. People have been telling me for months that I have to write, and I know that I have to write, but the pressure of not having it perfect has made me reluctant to do it. No more. Today, my girl is 21 months old and she is THRIVING. I know this, because tonight I spe...
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October 31st, 2017

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It's the end of Down syndrome awareness month... which means the end of my daily posts and photos of Emma   :( I hope I've been able to answer some questions, share some knowledge, and influence your perception of what having Down syndrome might mean. Emma is amazing. She's just like every other child in that regard - their potential is only limited by their surroundings. I mentioned that I would change the world for her, and I know that won't be easy. One person at a time is   all it takes, so I challenge you to make one person smile tomorrow. Do it again the next day, and again the next. This is my absolute favourite photo. There... I made you smile! Off you pop to pass it on   :)
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