Tuesday 15 January 2013

New Toys New Achievements

It's been a while since the last post about Rosie as I've been wrapped up in the festivities and the more recent not-so-exciting return to work. I did contemplate sharing a post about our Christmas but decided I would keep this one to myself, it was such a special time for us celebrating altogether for the first time and truth be told I'd struggle to do it justice with my basic writing skills!

Having been thoroughly spoiled by everyone, the year started with plenty of new toys for Rosie which in turn has brought fresh challenges. One of her favourites is a drum – she loves the sound of the banging and puts a lot of effort into ensuring a good contact is made thus maximising our headaches! It's quite a large drum in comparison to Rosie and requires her to be sat slightly higher which ties in perfectly with the chair/stool supplied by her physio before Christmas. The movement used to bang the drum so energetically from a seated position means she's putting extra weight on the top of her legs and using muscles to counter balance without really realising. Playing with the drum has also shown a mini step forward in her co-ordination as she now manages to hold and hammer both drumsticks without dropping them.

I'm not sure how best to describe the next toy other than calling it a 'helter skelter giraffe type thingy'. The idea is to pick up the different coloured balls and place them in the Giraffe's mouth and watch them spin around it's neck back to the bottom whilst it makes one of those noises that only childrens toys can, you know – the type that drives you crazy after two goes. After much brotherly encouragement she is now able to pick up the balls and place them unaided into the giraffe's mouth. and quite rightly gives herself a clap at the end too!

Watching the three of them play together is brilliant and it's moments like these I really treasure knowing they won't last forever. I realise it's no revelation but Rosie, as with many younger siblings really does pick things up quicker with the boys encouragement as she loves to copy them.

Finally and arguably her most treasured gift was (brace yourselves for this because toys don't get much more exciting)...

...a silver scouring pad!

A tad random I know, however Karen had taken her to a sensory session once and within the box of items to explore was one of these and she absolutely loved it, it sparkles and has a rough texture which keeps her entertained for ages and will stand her in good stead for when she's old enough to wash the pots!

Finally, I have included a short video clip which provides evidence of our brilliant Bud becoming independently mobile. This is a remarkable step/shuffle for Rosie who has proven very lazy in her previous attempts to move, the only time of note was an attempted crawl backwards ages ago which she never did again plus the more recent encounter with the Christmas tree which also proved to be a one-off. This weekend however Rosie began to bounce a little at first and kept trying until the bounce became a shuffle and now there's no stopping her as she realises those items previously out of reach are now there for the taking!








Friday 4 January 2013

Highs, Challenges and Hopes

This post forms part of a Blog Link and aims to answer three questions asked by Hayley at Downs Side Up...I said I'd have a crack at answering them so here goes... (Please bear in mind my answers will be relative to my life with Rosie and as a new blogger. Lets face it I'm sure you're not that interested in who I hope will win the Premiership this season or that I fulfilled a dream to finally see the Stone Roses play live!).


1) What was the high point of 2012 for you?

This is a very tough question! There have been SO many highs this year that to pinpoint one seems unfair to all the others. For starters every single new achievement of Rosie's has been so exciting we've celebrated them all with such immense pride.

Finally plucking up the courage to write my feelings down and start The Futures Rosie back in February has been a major positive too, without which I probably wouldn't have the contact I do now with a whole world of wonderful and inspirational people.

There's also the amazing moment we were told that Rosie's brothers (unbeknown to us) had stood up in front of the whole School and presented a talk about Down's syndrome. Read more here: Blown Away

Then there was the incredible moment my Mum (65), Sister and I, hand-in-hand crossed the finish line as team 'Running for Rosie' at the Manchester 10k. A huge final total of £4113.61 was raised for The Down's Syndrome Association and RMHC Alder Hey. Read more here: Running for Rosie 10k

As Christmas 2011 was spent in hospital with Rosie I think it would only be fair to say the ultimate high point for 2012 came when we finally spent our first Christmas altogether as a family at home (words simply cannot describe this feeling).


2) When was the most challenging thing, the part that tested you to your limit?

The year has been pretty kind to us on the whole so nothing has tested me to the limit as such. The third and longest stint in hospital for Rosie back in April became tough as it felt like a disruption too far for the boys, but complaining about hospital stays doesn't seem appropriate especially when there are people in far worse situations than we've ever been.

I did however find a very negative comment written about one of my positive awareness campaign posters particularly hard to deal with. I've had one or two comments from trolls before on pictures of Rosie that have been quite nasty but managed to rise above them. The comment on the poster however came from a parent of an older child with DS and deemed the poster 'dangerous' and 'unhelpful'. I don't want to dwell on it though as I did eventually overcome what was written after advise and reasoning by several close friends.


3) What 3 hopes do you hold dear for 2013?

1. That Rosie's recent run of good health remains.
2. That the groundbreaking positive awareness achieved in 2012 by everyone doesn't go to waste and can continue into 2013 with the same momentum.
3. If by continuing to write about my life with Rosie into 2013 can offer any form of support, comfort or hope to even just one new parent of a baby with DS then I'll be happy.

Wishing you all a very Happy 2013!