Happy Halloween!!!

 

We had a spooktacular Halloween weekend!  The weekend started with pumpkin carving:)

Mummy the Witch and Daddy the Wizard went to Halloween Party!

The Koala and Kangaroo went out for some trick-or-treating.  Abby hopped along to each house! 

  

Do you remember these days of getting home and checking out all your candy?  Abby got to pick on piece out to eat tonight.  She chose the skittles!

Thank you for allowing me to share with you during this last month a little about our life raising two very special little girls:)  I hope you’ll check back to my blog often so I can continue to give you a little peek into our life!

XOXO

We are learning….

 

We are learning so much at our weekly meetings with Jocelyn’s teacher and I LOVE IT!  I feel like we are making huge leaps with her development:)  This week the speech therapist came with her teacher.  Yah, I know, she isn’t talking yet but there is so much she can help us with.  Mostly she helped with feeding.  Here is what we are working on now….

1. Use the little blue gum massager to do a deep massage on her mouth before she eats.  This will wake up her muscles and hopefully help her strengthen the muscles in her face and mouth….which will eventually help with talking.

2. Put a puff (like a cheerio) on each side of her mouth before she gets any baby food.

3. The speech therapist left us with a special cup with a straw for her to work on drinking out of a straw and also a therapy cup for her to work on drinking.  She is not a big sippy cup fan…..I see lots of stains on the carpet in our future…but I am OK with that:)

4. We are working on teaching her conversation.  If she says something I will let her finish and then repeat it back to her….this is the beginning of learning how to have a conversation.

5. We are continuing to work on baby signs.  The teacher had a great recommendation to stop using the more sign.  She said kids will grab onto the that sign and use it for everything.  More toys, more to eat, more drink.  Instead teach signs like eat, ball, dog….where they are asking for specific things.  GOOD idea:)

Next up….the Nurse…..she will come to our house to check  her ears to make sure she doesn’t have fluid in her ears.  The speech therapist said that poor hearing is a huge factor in kids with down syndrome having speech delays. 

Is this all overwhelming……YES…..but I am no longer feeling helpless.  I am now becoming armed with knowledge and it feels so good. 

Have a Happy Halloween Eve.

xoxo

A VERY exciting day!

  What an exciting day for two little girls…and one big girl…and the daddy.  We got a PONY….no it’s not a pony….he’s a miniature horse and his name is Flame.  He is the sweetest LITTLE guy.  We got him from one of Daddy’s clients who needed to find him a new home, and we just couldn’t resist!  Thank you Dawn, we promise to take excellent care of him:)

Flame taking Abby for a walk:)

  OH my, look at  how happy these two are trotting around the property.  Flame was loving it too!  I have a feeling that there are going to be some pretty great memories made with this little guy and two little girls!  We can’t wait for you all to meet him and go for a ride or a drive:)

Happy Trails!

I have to tell you all this funny story:

Last night we were telling Abby about her new pony.  She was so, so excited but the first thing she said was, “I hope he doesn’t have diarrhea!” Uhhh…….her daddy must be a vet!  

Happy Birthday Papa

 

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Papa

Happy Birthday to you!

Wishing you a wonderful birthday!  Hope you get some good cake:)

PS- Jocelyn is a little under the weather so she was unable to make an appearance in the birthday picture:( 

Trick-or-Treat

 

This party was definitely all treats and no tricks!  There was good friends, great food, and kids having lots of fun:)  Halloween with two little girls is a fabulous time.  We dressed as zoo keepers and the we had our little Koala and very hoppy kangaroo. Thank you Morgan, Gina, Colin and Logan for having us over…..Abby is still talking about going back to go swimming…and about that pirate with the hook:)

The O’Bryant Family

The Caudill Family

 

HAPPY 10 Month Birthday Jocelyn Rose!

I did it….

 

I finally mustered up the courage to sit down and start Jocelyn’s scrapbook.  Her birth and the days following were probably the most difficult days of my life. I have no words to explain the rollercoaster ride we were on…..I do know that it’s a ride that am a better person after taking:)  There are also no words to describe how in love I am with this little girl.

Trisomy 21: AKA Down Syndrome

21 Reasons that makes my Sweet Jocelyn Rose so special…….

1. She is a very social little girl.

2. Jocelyn loves for me to sing her, “I’m a little tea pot” and “When puppy dogs wake up in the morning”

3. Abby calls Jocelyn, “Stinkerdoo” (I have no idea why)!

4. Jocelyn was delivered by her Daddy, on the bathroom floor (not on purpose).

5. Jocelyn started swimming lessons when she was 6 months old and can go under the water and hold her breath. She LOVES swimming!

6. She has an Atrial Septal Defect of her heart.  Hers is unique in that it isn’t one hole but many tiny holes. 

7. When you say to Jocelyn, “How big is Jocelyn?”  She will put her arms above her head.

8. Jocelyn is smiling in her crib every morning when I go to get her out.

9. She LOVES power cords and can find them all over the house:(

10. Her favorite thing to eat is pureed carrots.

11. She can say Dada.

12.  Jocelyn started school when she was 6 weeks old:)

13. Jocelyn is “belly crawling” all over the house.

14. Abby and Jocelyn love to play rough together.

15. She has a smile that will melt your heart.

16. Because of Jocelyn we have met some very sweet families:)

17. Instead of the typical 46 chromosomes, Jocelyn has 47.

18. Jocelyn LOVES to take a bath.

19. She rocked a mohawk until she was about 4 months old!

20. Jocelyn was named after a very naughty little girl that was in Abby’s playgroup for only 1 week.

21. Jocelyn Rose and Abigail Claire are the most wonderful little girls that so many people love so so very much:)