I make sitting look good
It is good to take a moment to celebrate how far our children really have come. Watching this video I am so proud of how well Noah is sitting. He has worked so hard to accomplish this and it was no easy feat. He worked on his core, his balance, his proprioception, and all aspects of himself just to sit up. And he isn’t just sitting; he is sitting up nice and straight.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in what are children are not doing that we forget how far they really have progressed, and how hard they worked to get there. Once we meet a goal in our therapy sessions we are on to the next one, often forgetting about what was just accomplished.
I have been doing a lot of comparing lately, and I don’t know why. I know we all do it whether we talk about it or not. I get frustrated that Noah has to work so hard to do all of these things. Our sitting marathon seemed to last forever. We waited so long for him to do this on his own. While typical children just sit one day and that is that.
So today I am going to celebrate Noah and his accomplishment. He is sitting perfectly. He is sitting and putting his hands up on a pretty awesome toy. Sitting has expanded his world and allowed him to experience new things. He has done countless sit-ups, swinging sessions, and ball exercises to get here and I am unbelievably proud It doesn’t matter what age he was when this happened… it happened, and it happened because he is one determined little man.
It is your turn to brag, what recent accomplishment has your child made that you can celebrate today! Let’s celebrate our children’s accomplishments, not compare them….whose with me?!
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living in rural australia, we dont get alot of support from special services, so every thing paul has accomplished in his 16 months he has bassicaly done on his own. he is now able to get up and down from sitting, is just starting to crawl properly and is even starting to try and pull himself up more often kneeling at a chair to play. we are very proud of everything he is doing.
Sounds like he is pretty determined as well :) I don't know if you have looked at our resource page but there are a series of books that go through therapy for motor skills, fine motor skills and early communication. It may be something that can help you if you are not getting the services you want for Paul, as it tells you what to do at home :)
yes he most definitely is. thank you, when i can find the time i will have a better look :)
Hi Sonia! Just to say I bought the books Abbie suggested a few months back and have found them really excellent - keep up the good work sounds like Paul is really rocking!
That's very cool! Thanks for sharing that with us. Which ones did you buy?
Back in July 2011, (yes I was one of the early adopters!) I was following noahsdad.com and getting very anxious at the level of therapies which seemed to be available in the US compared to here so I sent a PM to you guys asking what services Noah received and Abbie sent me back this WONDERFUL email which listed the services - (where does she get the time!!) - but MORE IMPORTANTLY she said " the point of these sessions are not to help your son progress so much, but to help us learn what activities we should be working on at home every day. You are the best therapist for your son." and she gave me the names of three books (under your developmental section Books 1 -3) on early communication skills, fine motor skills and gross motor skills in children with Down Syndrome. These books are excellent - not the sort of book you sit down and read from cover to cover but you find out the level you kiddo is operating at and then there are lists of home activities which you can do to help them progress. The three books cost me approx €45 (I got them on Amazon) but they will be referred to again and again.... Thanks again Abbie (and Rick) not only for the books but also for the encouragement! Keep up the good work!!
It is our pleasure to help out :) I am glad things are going well. I agree with you on how to use those books.
@AlisonNolan:disqus Thanks so much for the kind words! We really enjoy following your progress. It sounds like you guys are doing a great job. :)
By the way, here is the link that lists the books my wife and Alison were talking about. http://noahsdad.com/top-resources/ Please let us know if you have any questions, or suggestions about anything on there. Those OT / PT books are very useful.
I too have bought the books - and I do have resources available. The books do coincide with every therapy that Enzo is going through so I can definitely vouch that the books are good. I have Gross Motor Skills for children with Down syndrome, Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down syndrome and communication skills for children with Down syndrome. These are 3 great books and can be bought online. Best of luck Sonia...sounds like you'll be chasing your little one around before you know it!
@a710cdd3108a5e80ab419b45313709d2:disqus Thanks for sharing about your thoughts on those books. :) You guys are doing such a great job. :)
@facebook-100000400548938:disqus Keep us posted, and please let us know if there is any way we can help / support you guys.
It's amazing how many friends we have met though this website, and our Facebook page that live in Australia. I wonder how close all of you live to each other. :) Do you visit our Facebook page much? If so, you'll see Libby on there, I wonder how close you guys live to each other. She is very cool, and has a little boy with Down syndrome. It'd be great for you guys to connect (if you haven't already.)
yes there are alot of us on here. libby and i have conected on facebook but unfortunately its at least 3-4 hours driving between our towns and if i am in melbourne (which isnt very often) its usually only for doctors apts so i dont realy have the time for visiting :(
Look at him, sitting tall and proud! What a big boy he is!!!!!!! It was so cute when my two kids started to sit up on their own, how they would fold in half. I'm still amazed and in awe of the flexibility of babies. We all compare, even amongst siblings, I know I did. I'm proud of my son (16) for the way he looks out for me (I've been having some medical problems) and his care and concern for me almost makes me want to cry sometimes. I'm proud of my little fireball daughter (5), that's her in my avatar, for how fearless she is. She started competitive cheer leading in the fall, and her squad of first timers marched out onto the mats like they'd been doing it forever, and that was in front of a crowd of over a thousand people!
I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading about Noah, you and your wife are so blessed to have him in your lives. :-)
What a sweet kid to take care of his mom :) I hope that you are doing better. Thanks for the support!
@facebook-1588991264:disqus Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement! :)
It sounds like you guys are doing a great job. Glad to have you around here. :)
My 9 yr old has Asperger's, hypotonia, motor skills deficits, dysgraphia, sensory issues, speech & language deficits, among other disorders and syndromes. He cannot pedal a bike, walk down the stairs correctly, play on playground equipment easily or tie his shoes. He gets very tired walking short distances and even when just standing for a few minutes. Comparing him to other children in his class or even to his nieces who are the same age would be so easy to do.
Yet, over the years, I have learned that he will do things on his own time and there are SO many things he does really well that other children do not. He is in accelerated reading and math. With a Heavyweight Pencil his handwriting has gotten as good as any other child in his class. Instead of focusing on what he cannot do or cannot do as well as his peers, I prefer to look at all he has overcome, continues to overcome and how hard this lil one tries. He has to/has had to work so much harder than neurotypical children to get where he is. We are talking two, three times (sometimes even more) as hard as his NT peers. He is so strong, so resilient and so innovative and adaptive when figuring out how to do something 'his' way. I have learned to give up my expectations for him and have just allowed him to set his own pace and I follow. I am so proud of him! He has exceeded all of our expectations for him! He is just amazing!
I am now going through the same thing with my 10 mo old. He started PT just before missing his crawling milestone. He has already been diagnosed with hypotonia and is showing signs of possible sensory/motor skill problems. I have had to do the same thing with him ~ allow him to go at his own pace and not have any expectations of a "perfect" child. This time it has been a no brainer for me (with my first it was much harder to let go) and he has done/is doing amazingly well! He ended up crawling before missing his milestone ~ a good therapist is worth their weight in gold.
You can either look at this life we, and they, live negatively or positively. You can cry, rage and spend your time wishing (and constantly comparing) your child was just like everyone else's or you can celebrate your child, his differences and each step forward (and sometimes backwards) he takes and just love and appreciate them for who they are and who they are and who they will become. It's not easy, it can be heartbreaking at times, there will be tears and times where you just want to rage at the world (or the insurance company/teacher/school system/specialist/family member/friend/spouse, etc). You learn to wipe away the tears, dust yourself off and just keep taking one step at a time. It is so worth it, believe me.
That is a great comment! I hope we can all choose to be positive as you are doing for your kids.
One of the amazing things you can not teach is determination. Therapists, teachers, friends, have all said it, if you child has the "want" you can always find a way to make it work. Perseverance and determination will serve you and your child well!
Sue Adelman from http://www.raiseExpectations.com
I like to think Noah got his determination from me ;)
I am so proud of James, and it's made it on my FB page, the noahsdad page,...but I don't mind putting it here, too. ;)
James is a sitting champion. He could totally win awards for it. And he wasn't too happy when I started plopping him down on his tummy. But now he's working toward the champion military crawler award! It's so cool to put him in one spot...and a few minutes later, he's not there any more!
He's also a hoss at flashcards. The boy can point out things on the flashcards that I didn't know he knew! And we started playing a game with him on the iPad (Alien Buddies) that I could SWEAR he understood what he was supposed to do. But I don't know about that last one...could just be me being his proud mama. :)
I do compare, and I do get frustrated. Sometimes I think, "Oh, well. No one ever asks, 'When did your kid understand pictures on a flashcard?' so it's no big deal that it's later than typical kids." But then I realize: you know, some things he may NEVER do. So I don't have to be okay just with delayed accomplishments, but with maybe unachieved accomplishments. I have to be okay if he never makes it to thin liquids or if he can't cook a meal for himself as an adult. And really, that's fine! It just redefines what we're all taught about what's important in life. Seriously, a society that prides itself on acting like none of us need each other has issues.
We are going to have to check out this game. I love your comment! There are some things he may never do, there are some things that I will never do. We will keep celebrating :)
@facebook-9210823:disqus I agree with my wife...that is a great comment. It the end of the day we need to just trust the Lord and take life minute by minute; day by day.
Thanks for all the wisdom you share with everyone here. We appreciate you, and thankful for the kind of mom you are to James! (Oh, and feel free to brag any where you want!)
I can relate to the comparison game. Other days I realize I'm not sure where other two-year-olds are for a specific milestone, but I know that Grace is making progress, that she's further along than a month before.
The caparison game is no fun, but it is kind of nice to know where our kids fit in
This post speaks perfectly to me...I nanny 2 toddlers with DS. The 21-month-old just started walking on his own, while the 28-month-old just started moving forward in her walker. Two totally different children, but both being equally celebrated this week!
That is awesome!! What a cool job you have.
My son Caleb (15 months) sat unsupported for the first time on Sunday!!!!!! He usually sits with his hands between his legs but on this occasion he sat with his hands in front of his chest. Fortunately myself and my husband were both there to witness this momentous occasion and the look of pride on Caleb's face was just priceless :)))))))
How awesome that you were both there! GO Caleb!!!!!
I'd like to have a wee brag about my wee 5mth old grandson Matai who has DS. This week he started to roll from his back to his front, after doing a warm up of crunchies with shoulders head and legs held up off the floor. He is very nosey to see everything and very strong and determined. He was so proud of his accomplishment and now does it over and over, always followed by a beaming grin. We all think he is so clever. We are enjoying watching Noahs journey too and find it very inspirational. It is good to see what is in front of us and ideas to try out.
Go Matai!!! Don't you love how they know they are doing something great :)
Damitri's accomplishment?? he can get to a standing position on his own and hold it for abt 10-15 seconds!!! he can stan holding on to somthing for the length of a 30minute shos such as cat in the hat or sid the science kid...he likes to watch them standing in his crib
haha, that is great. Go Damitri