Take that!

Today was was one of those days that just makes a momma want to cry.

Zilla had a fabulous 1 year well visit.  Her pediatrician said she was doing great all around.  And I sat there beaming my proud momma smile.
She needs to work on gaining some more weight, which we will work on, but she is just so darn active that she burns everything off too fast.  We'll see what the next couple of months bring.
But good reports otherwise!

And then the even bigger proud momma moment came ...
Bugger played in the leaves and grass in our backyard and got up and started walking all over the place on her own!
To most parents of an almost-3-year old, this would be nothing, but in our house this is huge!
She tends to hate most things having to do with outside ... grass, leaves, sand, swings, slides, etc.
She also has had a huge struggle with gross-motor skills - I would say it has been her biggest challenge overall.  And as of late, she tends to like to walk around our living room in the evening hours mostly.  And will only walk in a different environment if it is to myself her father.
So for her to enjoy the grass and leaves was the first big smile I had.
Then to watch her get up and start walking all over the place on her own with her proud smile plastered across her face ... I could have just melted.

So I know I never share pics, and this one is blurry from my phone, but I just have to share my proud momma moment ...

So I say "Take That" to that Special Needs Monster that likes to get me down.  NOT Today!

Hey germs ... begone with you

We are generally a pretty healthy house.
Well, not this week.

All 4 of us are now suffereing from some form of a cold or sinus infection or throat infection or ... something gross.

Started with Bugger last week.  Took her to the docs and was told it was a run of the mil cold, and nothing to be done.  I know I am over-reactive parent to take her 1 day in to the sniffles and eye gunk, but I am super paranoid when it comes to her.  Children with Down Syndrome tend to have smaller sinus passages and flatter ear canals which makes drainage super hard, and also the low muscle tone effects EVERY muscle, including the lungs.  So with this knowledge, in my mind, every sniffle turns to pneumonia.  Bugger has 3 ear infections and 1 sinus infection ever, so she is not prone to the nasty ickus, but I still panic anyway.
Almost a week later, and still fighting it.  No fevers, and only irritable first thing in the morning generally or at bedtime, so we just keep up with the tylenol and wiping of the nose and hope these germs pass quickly.

Zilla started a few days later.  She has caught a far less severe version of this bug from what we can tell, but still some congestion and cough and irritability.  And did I mention the 4 molars she is cutting at the moment too?  Poor kid.  Thank the heavens for tylenol!

Hubby and I both have some forms of this as well.  His is in his sinuses and causing horrible sinus pressure headaches.  My version seems to have landed in my throat. Oh the joys of fire throat that is so swollen it hurts to swallow anything at all.

These germs can leave now.
Really.
Go!

And of course the best thing to get rid of these germs, rest, was little to be found in this house this weekend.  We had the final 2 of the 1st Birthday parties for Zilla this weekend.  I am so thankful and grateful for all that our families do for us and our kids and how much they want to spoil my kiddos.  We are truly blessed.  I just wish we had all been in better spirits and health to enjoy it all a little bit more.  Zilla chowed down on cake every chance she got, and loved every bit of it, but she also dipped out of every party a little early to seek out her comfy bed.

So today ... we rest!
Well three of us anyway.  Hubby needed to make the donuts this morning, so we sent him out of the germ infested house.  Us girls are staying in our pj's.  Bugger is staying home from school one more day, and therapy has been cancelled. Now if all of us could nap at the same time it would just be pure heaven!

Bring On the Steak (and the sleep)

I am constantly reminded how different my girls are from one another.
They are 21 months apart and best friends already, but they could not be more different.

Bugger is fair-skinned and light haired like her Irish momma.
Zilla is olive-skinned and dark haired like her Italian poppa.

Bugger is petite and generally on the small end of the growth charts.
Zilla, however generally hits the 80-90 percentiles on the same growth charts.
They are currently only 1 size apart in clothes (18m & 12m), and strangers mistake them for twins all the time.

Bugger is super cautious.
Zilla is a dare-devil.

Bugger is very laid-back.
Zilla is rowdy and rambunctious.

And now the latest ... their pain tolerance.
Bugger has most of her teeth now, and most have come with very little disturbance.
Zilla has made us aware of every moment that she is teething.  She has her 4 fronts on the top and bottom, and is now working on ALL 4 of her 1-year old molars at the same time.  Oh the joy.  Every 4 hours she lets us know its time for more tylenol.  I can not wait for them to finish coming through so we can all sleep through the night again.
She was a trooper through the first of her birthday parties this past weekend.  I hope she can muster through it this weekend again for parties # 2 & 3.

For now we all need to partake in naptime to make up for what we are missing at nigh.

The Return of the Blogger

Why do I feel like I am always returning from a lapse in blogging?
Probably because I am.
I am not good at making time to blog.
I should fix that.
Will add it to the list of things to work on ... for now, here's the updates ....

Bugger is blossoming like crazy!
She did well at her T21 Clinic annual visit.  The recommendations from the developmental pediatrician were a little easier to swallow this year than last.  We were all pretty much on the same page for the most part this year with where Bugger's development is, and she was happy to hear what we are working on and also about the 2-1/2 year old preschool program.  I voiced some concerns over sensory issues ... she feels my little Bugger may be slightly more sensitive than her peers, but didn't seem to think it was of huge concern at this point.  She however did remark on Bugger's self-directed playing, which I though was a good thing, but apparently we need to work on directed play more.
Bugger has also started a preschool program through Early Intervention.  She goes 2 mornings every week, and it takes the place of the Developmental Therapy in the home. She's in an inclusion 2 year old room. It is great for her, since she obviously does not have older siblings and this gives her the environment with peers to model after and play with and learn from.  We are 3 weeks in, and she is doing great.  She plays on the playground, which she hated prior to this.  She is even more chatty than before, and is always singing new songs ... I just wish I knew what she was singing!
And the inclusion preschool program leads in to our next hurdle ... the transition from EI to preschool through our public school system.
We are a couple weeks in to the process of transition, and I have learned more acronyms than I thought I could process, and am starting to wonder if we are sending our little girl to preschool or college!  There will be more to follow on this topic as we navigate our way through this process.

Zilla is doing her own form of blossoming too.
She, on a daily basis, makes it a goal to destroy everything in her path.
She is this close to taking steps. She will take 2-3 controlled steps between myself and her father right now, but we are convinced that she will wake up next week on her 1st birthday and will be a walker.
This little one has definitely been an eye opener for me to show me just how laid back and easy going her big sister was/is.

So in my last past I noted that the Buddy Walk was my light at the end of the tunnel.  The Buddy Walk was October 2nd, and things here have not calmed down in the least bit, and I see no calm happening until about January or so.  Speaking of the Buddy Walk ... our team had a GREAT time this year ... we had about 55 people walk as a team this year, and raised over $15,000 for research at CHOP's T21 Center.
Since then, I also pulled off a small surprise party for the hubby too ... we celebrated his 30th a month early with close family and friends.
Things are going great, hectic, but great. 
This weekend will be celebrating Zilla's 1st birthday for the 1st of 4 celebrations.
And I am not making any vows to make sure I check back again soon, since we know how my track record with this thing goes.