Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Down Syndrome Creed

My face may be different but my feelings the same.
I laugh and I cry and take pride in my gains.
I was sent here among you to teach and 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 lesson 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.

-- Unknown

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bad Hair Days

It has been such a wacky winter. First two weeks of snow, and now very cold and dry. Not a typical winter at all and the worst part is what is happening to Suzanne's hair. The cold and dry makes it impossible for her very fine hair to lay flat. It floats around her head in little strands that stick straight out. She looks like a porcupine.


Suzanne has a few tactile issues, meaning that she is picky about how things feel. She doesn't really like finger paints or sticky things, she only wears shoes when she has to because she checks out everything with her toes, and she hates to have anything on her head. No hair ties, barrettes, rubber bands or hats. She'll put the hood of her jacket up only if it's really windy and her neck is cold. This makes keeping her hair neat a real chore. We've tried short hair, but daddy thinks she looks like a boy. We are now growing it out, but now she gets syrup in it on a regular basis. Things really were easier when she was practically bald with that sweet little Mohawk...


Kirk, on the other hand, is going through an earnest phase of hat hair. Grandma Pat got him a Carhartt hat at the Big R (she was appalled that he wanted the brown one) and he wears it every day,which means his hair is a mess at school every day. Uhhhh....

Mom/Della! I want to apologize for all those years of insisting on wearing flowers with plaids and stripes and mismatched colors and forgetting to wash my face before I went to school and all those other things that drove you crazy. Your grandchildren are getting even for you.


I think I'm going to dress up a little today. Yes, I'm just vacuuming and doing laundry, but I clearly need to set a better example. Kirk is probably a lost cause, but there is still hope for Suzanne. In fact, here's a picture of me cleaning the kitchen...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

White Christmas

10:32 p.m., Christmas Eve

I wish I could say that not a creature was stirring, but alas the cats are on the prowl. They know something is up and are keeping tabs on everything. Perhaps they have some kind of feline Santa radar...

Kirk is sleeping in Suzanne's room tonight--he wants to make sure that they get up at the same time, run downstairs, and open their presents together. I fear for him sometimes--I think that his vision of how things should be will not match up with reality. Which is exactly what will happen if I don't get the last of the wrapping done.

11:10 p.m., guess I dozed off for a few minutes...

Greg is busy eating the Santa cookies, but he's taking a pass on the milk. Kirk insisted on helping me decorate the sugar cookies. I frosted them and he was going to do the sprinkles. He sprinkled 3 and decided that those were for Santa and, therefore, he was done. Now that Greg has polished off his favorite cookies, he is settling in with the cat. I suspect he'll be packing it in shortly.

I'm happy because I don't have anything to put together this year. All Kirk wanted were games for his Wii and Suzanne is getting a Hannah Montana with stuff, so I dodged the bullet. I suspect we'll be getting the HT dream house later, but for tonight it is just regular wrapping.

It's been a strange week. We have had a lot of snow, which is so unusual for our area. The song here goes, "I'm dreaming of a Wet Christmas!" White Christmases just don't happen in soggy Washougal, so the 3 feet of snow in the yard looks a little strange. It is very much like Christmas used to be when I was a kid. I've been driving neighbors to the grocery store for the last few days because I was proactive and did not let the snow pile up in the driveway. Most of the neighbors didn't shovel because around here it usually melts the next day. Not me! I shoveled and shoveled and now I am not trapped in my home with my kids. Those little trips to the store are what keeps a mother sane!

Suzanne doesn't really care for the snow. It is deep enough that it's over the tops of her boots and she got some down her neck, so she is not too impressed with the cold stuff. It was hitting her in the face and she kept saying "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

11:40 p.m., still no wrapping

Greg is still awake and has turned on "A Christmas Story." We've never seen it, so at least I'll have something to entertain me while I get finished with the wrapping. Santa should be here in about 20 minutes, so I should probably get to it.

11:45 p.m., still snowing...probably need to shovel again tomorrow...

Up With Downs!

You haven't experienced life until you've experienced it Suzanne-style...