Jackson's 1st Day of Preschool

Originally I was not going to have much to post because I remember back in my novice years of teaching always finding it quite funny on the first day of school to see the parents filling the halls and playground with thier cameras and kleenex. There actually was an event after class started for moms to attend called "Coffee and Kleenex". I can remember thinking - "I'll never do that!".

Well here are the pictures I took of Jackson's first day and the Starbucks "Date" we had after school. Yes, I am so one of those moms. It was just so darn cute and he's going to LOVE it. It really made me miss having a class, but it's also nice to experience the school thing from a parent perspective. I know that my experiences will only make me a much better teacher when I am back in the classroom someday.

Jackson had a blast and highlighted painting and playdough as his favorite activities. When we pulled up to school he said, "Mom, get me out!" He was referring to getting out of his car seat. And when it was time to leave there were a few tears so I decided that we should make it a "Date" at Starbucks for a chocolate milk and caramel frap light!

Much to Update...Everett

What a difference a few weeks can make! In early June we reported that Everett began to roll over, smile and began to again move. This was HUGE and we were so excited to have our little boy back that we never could have expected the changes that have come since.


Everett now rolls EVERYWHERE! He can roll from back to belly and belly to back with ease. I know this sounds like a very simple goal for a 13 month old, but for a child with down syndrome who is also blind and had a 6 month period of seizing all day this is INCREDIBLE! So now when Everett is placed on the floor he is usually found very far from his initial location. Every once in a while he'll roll into a wall or piece of furniture and then you'll hear him yell.

Yelling...that's his new thing. He can be quite vocal when he wants attention, does not feel like sleeping or when you're trying to feed him. It's so great to hear his voice and see this personality come out of him. However; the midnight talking does tend to drive me crazy.

Belly time is one of his favorite's...He really likes to be on his belly and does some neat yoga poses. His legs are going constantly and he can finally use his arms to push up and hold his head off the ground for 10-15 seconds at a time. To me this is amazing since I can't entice him with cool toys are bright colors. I think he's just determined to do it.

Playtime. Yes, that is right Everett now is able to engage in playtime. He has one of those playmats with hanging toys that jiggle and make noise. Although unable to see them, he will swat his hands and feed around to find them then either kick or grab them. He'll hold on to objects tightly and shake them to make noise. I do see some music in his future.

Then there's eating. Admittedly this is my least favorite activity each day. Everett is working on eating solids. The way this usually plays out is I try to feed him and he spits it back out at me while doing rasberries. Probably sounds really adorable, but it can also be quite frustrating. Yet I know it is one of those things that's just going to take A LOT of time, practice and patience.

As soon as I figure out how to add video to these blogs I will post some of these activities for you to enjoy. How great that I can blog about 5 different accomplishments that have all occured over a 6 week period. This provides much hope for the future.

So we will continue with weekly occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, home visits from the foundation for blind children and in September will begin center based therapy again at the Foundation for blind Children.

Certainly we still have a long way to go, but it's also so important to stop in the moment and celebrate each accomplishment. Well the yelling is starting up again so I'd better see what he needs.