I am so blessed.

Just feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude lately.  I have a job that I absolutely love and have enjoyed my whole life!  Whether it's working in Early Intervention or babysitting my grand kids I am doing what I love, and I learn something new everyday! 

Just the other day I had the opportunity to have 2 of my granddaughters come to one of the Early Intervention classes.  One of them is 2 1/2 years old and the other is only 1 1/2 years old.  This class is for children 2 1/2 - 3 years old with delays, but we love having non-delayed peers come in the class to 'teach' the other kids appropriate play and behaviors.  So the younger one of my granddaughters (C) gets to come just because she has a lot of language, and because it's a really small class!  So I watch them - as I'm manhandling another child across the room! - and am just in awe of the process of life and how C , no matter how smart she is, has such a hard time sitting down for any length of time.  A on the other hand, is sitting and participating like a champ.  Just those few months of learning added to A vs. C and her attention span is tenfold. 

I guess in my profession it makes me more aware of the little things kids seem to do automatically and we take them for granted.  Using our hands;  did you know there's a real learning process there?  We all start grasping things from the outside in, so from our pinkie to our thumb.  As our grasp gets improved we only need to use our three inner fingers - thumb, pointer and middle finger - to rake things into our palm.  As our eye-hand coordination improves, and we learn to get a better pinch, we only need the two fingers - thumb and pointer.  It just takes time!  Some people more time than others.  And some people, depending on their ability, may never be able to have a fully functioning pincer grasp.  But how many of us just watch a baby reaching for his binky and never even notice  how  that just occurred?  It's amazing!!!

And then there's the love of my life.  My honey bunny.  My sweetheart.  I love my George so much that sometimes it hurts.  That may seem odd, but it's true.  I miss him when we aren't together.  But I am so lucky to have him, and to love him and that he loves me back!  I know that's a rare thing to have in this world, and I am very gratefully to have someone who I love and respect soooo much!  Ewww!!  So mushy!!

And then there's my Al.  Oh, that boy!  He's been struggling with low oxygen saturations for about 6 months now and I'm worried they may put him on oxygen 24/7, but he has so much spunk and charisma that he can get away with just about anything!  He puts his oxygen on the other day because he had lost the chance to watch a movie after school because of bad behaviors, but his teacher said if he wore his oxygen he could watch a short one.  So, he so dutifully put the oxygen on, had me take a picture of him to send to his teacher and said, "MMMM.  This makes me feel better!"  Then when I went down 10 minutes later, he not only had the oxygen off, but he had broken the cannula and ripped apart the filter that goes on the back of the machine.  But, of course, the movie was still on!!  He's a smart kid.  As much as I vent about him - and I really am not complaining, it's just a lot of work being his mom! - I wouldn't trade my life with him for anything!  He teaches me so much love and understanding - that is, when I actually look at him and what he has to offer.  It's my fault I don't learn something from him, not his!!  I got a good laugh on his expense yesterday that I need to share.  We had a Stake combined YM/YW activity last night where they served us a dinner then we had a water balloon 'fight' (each team had a launcher and they launched balloons one at a time so we could make sure everyone was safe).  So Alex was conniving his way into getting some water balloons and then chasing some of us leaders with it and trying to get us wet.  I think he picked on us because we are slower than the young women, but it was still fun.  I tried to intervene and try to get him to throw it at someone from a distance so they had time to dodge it (it was chilly last night!) and I would yell, "Alex, look!  A dolphin!"  This is something we have done with him since he was young, and to this day, he will stop what he's doing and still look!!  No, he has never seen a dolphin, especially since we are usually in our house or yard when we say this, but he always trusts us and looks.   Others around us that heard got a good chuckle, but that boy just warms my heart!  AND yesterday after school his oxygen levels were above 90!  Yahoo!!!!  Keep taking deep breaths Al!!!

As you can see, I'm just gushing with love and blessings and am one lucky lady!!

Alex's first official date - a school dance!

 A few weeks ago I got a call from a girl that Alex has gone to school with all through the years, starting in first grade;  she wanted to ask Alex to the Valentine's girl's choice dance and asked me if that would be ok.  OK?  Of course it's ok! 

 

I remember this girl (Ashley) at another Valentine's dance, this one in middle school.  It was the only after school dance Alex had seemed interested in going to and his teacher was going to be there so I let him go.  I went to watch when it was about 1/2 way done and Alex had just asked Ashley to dance.  Now remember, my boy isn't known for his height, and Ashley is.  But this kind, sweet girl danced her heart out with him.  When the song was done, Alex said, "Let's dance again,"  and how Ashley handled that impressed me beyond measure.  She told him that she would love to, but he needed to learn to ask others and dance with others.  Then she asked him who he wanted to ask next and after he pointed out another girl, she encouraged him to ask her to dance.  She wasn't mean, yet firm.  She wasn't discouraging, but very encouraging.  Great girl.  So would I mind him going on his first real date, which also happens to be his first real dance with her?  Heaven's no!!

 

 

 So, this goon is on his date right now!!  We tried to take a few pictures before Ashley showed up, but he was so excited he looked like he was going to explode standing there. 

 

 His whole family was there waiting in anticipation for his date.  Look closely in the background....

 

 ...Alex is looking out the window waiting ever so patiently for his date to arrive!! 

 

She looked absolutely beautiful!  Her parents came with her because they wanted to meet Alex.  We took lots of pictures, of course, and I told Ashley's mom how sweet this was for her to ask him.  She told me that she wanted to ask him to last year's girl's choice dance because she wanted to be his first date, but that she wasn't 16 yet and they wouldn't let her.  Well, she waited a year until she was 16 and she is still his first date!!

 

 Alex gave her the corsage....

 

 

 ...and made her mom put it on her!  What you can't see is Mike is in the other room tying the tie that Ashley bought (so it would match her jewelry and sash) and struggling to get it the right length, since Alex is so short!

 

 

Then we took pictures....

... and more pictures....

...and more pictures...

...and even more pictures!  All that before they left to take pictures with their group! 

 



We kept snapping pictures even as they left because it was such a big occasion for us all! 

 

After dinner I met them at the school so I could give him his shots (which felt really awkward, like I was meeting someone for a drug fix in the school parking lot or something).  I asked Ashley if he was being good and she said he was being so good and even held her chair out for her at dinner, and all the other girls in the group chewed their dates out because Alex was the only one who had!  That's my boy!  I'm sure he's dancing up a storm.  No one dances as well as Alex and with a good friend by his side, he's going to have all the fun in the world!

 

Thanks to Ashley, and all the other friends in Alex's life who have helped him become the great young man that he is!

 

*If you want to comment on this, please comment on the blog, not on Facebook - I want Alex to see the comments in one place so it looks like a lot!!

October is a GREAT month!

I love Fall!  Love, LoVe, LOVE!!  It's crisp, cool, beautiful.  This week has been a bit too cool for me, I would rather move into it a bit more slowly, but it still has been a great Fall beginning.  But that's not why I think October is a great month.... and NO!  It definitely has NOTHING to do with Halloween!  (Not a fan!)  It has to do with 2 very important events that occur during October that have made me the person I am today.
 
October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month!  Happy month!!  Where would I be without Alex?  First of all I think I would be a more selfish person.  I would definitely still be working full time, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that me quitting work has been the best thing for my whole family, not just for Alex.  And I'm not just saying the other kids had an easy time of finding daycare.  No. Or that my house is a pristine palace.  Definitely not!!  I really feel that taking care of Alex, quitting my job, being more aware of the needs around me that I was a better mom than I would have been if he hadn't come into our lives.  Has it been easy?  NO - did you read one of the last posts?  But it has so definitely been worth it! 
 
On Facebook I posted an announcement that October was DS awareness month and to "hug everyone you see because that's what a person with DS would do."  My funniest - and most truthful comment came from Taylor.  She said, "I'm thinking I'll try to wrestle everyone I know, and hit on people I've never seen before."  Definitely a better description of our Al!

The other reason I love October is because our church has a semi-annual General Conference where our leaders speak to us and we hear beautiful music that is as inspired as the talks.  This morning's session - WOW!!!  Inspiring, electrifying, satisfying, calming...  I can't say enough!  And as I listened to the words our prophets and apostles spoke  (yes!  Living prophets and apostles spoke to us!) I was so very impressed with the happiness all the speakers exuded.  But how could they not be happy?  OK.  Maybe speaking to millions of people would make one nervous, but they still are so happy.  And that's because they are sharing the Lord's gospel.  The same gospel that Christ himself taught and was such a great example of, was restored by a young man of 14 years of age, and is still here on earth.  This church is led by Christ himself, hence the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  The prophets and apostles teach us, just as they did so long ago, but it is through inspiration so everything they say is truly what Christ wants us to hear.  Please.  Please!  Follow this link and listen to or read their words.  It will make you happy!

So.  Happy October!!  Hug someone.  Wrestle someone.  And listen to the Prophet's voice.  What a great month!