Don't let the big blue eyes fool you......
I know what you’re thinking….
“Wow, you guys sure are mean parents!”
But before you report us to child protective services I promise you we don’t make a habit out of provoking our child to cry….even if he does look super cute in the process! 🙂
Don’t let the big blue eyes fool you……
Our little boy is growing in leaps and bounds. It is so much fun having a front row seat to his daily adventures! (and seeing those physical therapy goals pay off!) It’s amazing watching his sense of wonder and curiosity develop. Noah is fascinated by anything and everything he can get his tiny little hands on (especially hair….ouch!)
I love holding Noah on my lap while I work on various tasks (aka – making a mess on our dining room table) while he watches in amazement as if everything his dad is doing is the most interesting thing on the planet! (Even though to him, in that moment, it is.) He typically just places his tiny little hands on my fingers as I type while he just relaxes and enjoys the sensory stimulation of my hands bouncing up and down as I type on the keyboard. (It’s seriously one of the cutest things ever.)
But tonight something happened…….
Tonight he did more than just relax. Tonight our little Noah crossed the line from ‘cute and innocent Noah’ to ‘I’ve got you wrapped around my tiny little fingers Noah!’
It’s true, at only 9 months old our cute, innocent, sweet, little angel has mastered the art of manipulating his daddy! (I’m not sure where manipulation is on the developmental milestone chart…but I’m pretty sure he hit this one right on time!)
But wait…How did this happen! Aren’t all children born with Down syndrome perfect little angels? That’s what everyone always tells me! Where did he learn to do this! I never saw Bert teach Ernie how to manipulate on an episode of Sesame Street. I checked his bookshelf and didn’t see a copy of “The Berenstain Bears Manipulate Their Neighbors!” And I’ve never heard Yo Gabba Gabba sing “It’s Time To Manipulate Your Daddy!”
Hmmmm…maybe it was just something he was born knowing how to do.
Maybe the next time someone says to me
“Awww…all children born with Down syndrome are just little angels, aren’t they?”
I’ll direct them to this. 🙂
(Quick Note To Parents Not Raising Children Born With Down Syndrome: I was already well aware that Noah wasn’t an angel before tonight. Unfortunately, being born with 3 copies of your 21st chromosome doesn’t make a person sin-less. Being born with Down syndrome means you’re fully human…not fully perfect. If you’re one of those people who goes around thinking (or saying!) that all children born with down syndrome are little angels, I’m giving you permission on behalf of all parents of children with special needs everywhere to say something a little more creative (and true.) For example feel free to ask any parent this question, “So what’s the last dumb/stupid/ignorant/funny thing someone has said about your child.” I’m sure you’ll get much more interesting good responses….trust me! 🙂
How old was your little one when you first realized he wasn’t a little angel after all? Do you remember what happened? Take a second to share…this ought to be good!
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Hey, careful on rewarding the cry! he'll do it for everything! I think it's a GREAT opportunity to start teaching him to sign the word "MORE" so he learns to sign instead of cry. :) xoxo I wish I started teaching Amber sooner and he will amaze you at what he will learn!
Melody that sounds like a GREAT idea! Thanks for sharing!
How old is Amber by the way?
Hi hi! It's Chie and Reina from Hawaii...Reina loves to kick the keyboard while I'm using the mouse!! Sometimes she'll kick the keys and weird stuff happen to my computer! Hehe. Noah is soooo cute~!!
@Chie, that sounds just like Noah! They both like the way things (anything!) feels. They enjoy the different textures, etc.....It's fun stuff.
Thanks for the kind words about Noah...we agree. He's a keeper! :)
I'm not sure the first time Warren demoed his manipulation for us, but he was less than a year. At 6 months old or so, he had to be put on steroids for his seizures which made him so hungry that we had to start solids to compensate. He was about a year and a half old before I could get him to hold the spoon without tossing it. We had to get a bowl with a suction cup, and a spoon attached by a cord just to keep everything on the table. :) Even once he was feeding himself one of us had to sit facing him so that he could tell he had our full attention.
@Warren's Mom
Thanks for the comments. So sorry to hear about the seizures, how is he doing now? (And how old is he now by the way?)
You should see Noah eat...it goes everywhere! Talk about a mess. I can't wait to post some videos of that! I like that bowl with a suction cup, and spoon with a cord idea! I'm going to file that away in my "good idea" file! :)
Thanks for sharing.
@Noah's dad
Warren is doing great now. He's 6 1/2 years old and is seizure free. At 6 months old he was diagnosed with infantile spasms and we did an 8 week course of an injectable steroid called ACTH gel and 3 or 4 days into the injections the seizures stopped. In theory they should never recur.
The bowl and spoon suction cup set was the greatest thing ever for us! We've moved past it now, but it was awesome. It wasn't the set by munchkin, but I can't remember who made it. Our OT connected us with it.
@Warren's Mom
That's great new! So happy to hear about Warren's good health! You guys are rocking!
By the way, you should grab a Gravatar -----> http://en.gravatar.com/
H! Liam, now 10, had a nickname until he was about 3, which clearly indicated his ability to manipulate us! We called him "King Liam." Liam, being our first child, used his birth order to clearly "work" mommy and daddy. Not only did we not know much about babies, he has Down syndrome on top of that and he knew we had a huge learning curve! He would act just utterly helpless when doing things so we would step in and do it for him. But, if mommy and daddy weren't around he "magically" was able to do whatever he needed! Hmmm. Smart, I would say! :) Thanks for your blog. I love reading it. What you said about the comments people make is just so on target. It still drives me nuts. I say to people all the time, "You have obviously not seen Liam in trouble. He is more Dennehy (our last name) than Down syndrome.
@sarra,
That is hilarious...! Maybe I should try that line!!
By the way....be sure to grab a Gravatar ----> http://en.gravatar.com/ (It makes things so much more fun!)
Great post! I love your blog, I am the mom of two children with Ds, Emir who is 7 and Ayelen who is 4. Hope we can chat one of these days! have a happy new year!
Wow....so cool! Thanks for the kind words!
How did you find out about our blog? I'd like to chat with you to! I bet you have some interesting stories. Did you adopt either of your children or are both "yours?"
By the way I like your Gravatar!
They are my biological children, but they don´t look like haha, they ask me all the time if they are adopted, first because they are blond and blue eyes and I have a very latin look, and second because it is not usual to see siblings with Ds. I found your blog at twitter, hope we can chat some day! Enjoy ur weekend!
Amen re: their sinful state. They are fully human just as we are and in need of the salvation/heart change that comes from the quickening of the Holy Spirit. My mom and Dad used to refer to my deceased sister, who had Downs as "our little angel." I was always jealous of that as a child. Now, I know some misspeak and refer to deceased people (because they were good/sweet/kind/etc) as angels (some assuming they turn into them once in heaven... including wings, etc.) Yet, the Bible tells us that we will judge angels (I Corinthians 6:3) and that angels long to look into the mystery of the gospel (I Peter 1:12) that has been revealed to mankind. Not that we transform into them. Totally different beings that God created. Specifically pertaining to children with Down Syndrome, the Lord will have mercy on whom He has mercy (Romans 9). Therefore, if He so chooses to bestow upon this precious son of mine, the knowledge of His great mercy and grace and save him, whom He created and fashioned together in my womb, then that is of His sovereign will, and I believe that He will provide Blake with all that He needs for life and godliness, according to His purpose in Christ Jesus. Obviously, it's no surprise to God that Blake has cognitive limitations when it comes to understanding the gospel. So, of course, He will make a way for Him to understand, if He wills. When Blake stomps his feet and slaps his hand to the side and says "NO," it's really not very angelic. Just like any other kid. LOL. Thanks so much for your post! :) Bless your family.
Thanks for sharing your story!
It sounds like you know just where I was coming from. :)
I'm thankful that we can trust in a God who is good in whatever He wills to do! What a friend we have in Him....
I hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas.
Reminds me of when our daughter was about a year old she had beenr quite naughty before church at then I got to church and Natalie was acting well like a 'little angel' (lol) and they said to me 'I love Downs, they don't know sin'
Grrrrr!!!!
Ha,ha..awesome! People are so..umm.....awesome?!
Where are you guys from?
Bedford in England in the UK
Cool! We have lots of 'blog friends' from the UK! We think it's awesome.
(And I think of you all so much more than 'blog' friends...I think you all as real friends!) It's an honor to be on this journey with so many incredible people. :)
Your son is seriously too cute! He made me giggle! Reuben is still my little angel! But I'm sure he will let the other side show soon xx
Thanks Libby.
How old is Reuben by the way?
Great article. Reminded me of how my daughter (who has cerebral palsy) will get careless and accidentally run into someone with her powered wheelchair and the person she ran into will apologize to her! Happens all the time.
Yes! I hate when people trivialize those with illnesses or disabilities by talking about how they are so strong and loving. It seems so patronizing, especially with adults. I think that people are afraid of being rude or politically incorrect but really the best thing is to treat the person like you would anyone else (with maybe a bit more patience and explicit instruction).