A New Twist to Hansel and Gretel

Reading is a passion of mine. It's one I have somehow passed on to most of my children.  So when I find a book that includes my other passion, Down syndrome, I sit up and take notice.

Recently, I was given a free children's book, Hansel & Gretel, to review.  What makes this book different from all the other Hansel & Gretel Books? Hansel has Down syndrome.  

The first time I read the book, it was by myself because I didn't want to expose my children to something inappropriate by accident. At first, I was a little bit sensitive about how Hansel reacted and his family's opinion of him, but then I realized that that was the point: depicting some of the misnomers, or poorly conceived notions much of society has associated with Down syndrome. 

Then, toward the end, Hansel became a smart, independent thinker with a big heart who was easy to forgive and see others for who they were.  Hmm.  Sounds about right. 

I examined the illustrations, which were actually felt depictions of each scene.  Those were absolutely breathtaking and worth examining again.  The details were...wow.  You've gotta see it to believe it.  Whoever made the felt scenery is amazingly talented. 

Finally, I presented the book to my 6-year-old daughter.  There was too much wording on the pages to maintain Jacob's attention, but Courtney LOVED it.  She sat with me as I read the book, then took it from me and "read" it a second time by herself, checking out all the photos. 

As a parent with a child with Down syndrome, I would recommend this book.  It's not only entertaining, but it's an interesting twist on a classic story that is sure to open many opportunities for dialogue regarding Ds, and to show the world that Trisomy 21 doesn't equate uselessness.  

Camping, Leashes, and Socialization.

Last week our family went on our much-anticipated family reunion trip to Montana.  This was more than 9-months in the works and was intended to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my husband's parents.

Extended family drove as much as 20+ hours to be a part of the week-long event which took place in a massive KOA completed with log cabins, RV spaces, and tent sites.

KC and I had discussed, and fretted over how Jacob would react to being in the woods with so much family, away from his structured activities at home, and anything familiar.  I'd recently discovered that Jake was a runner, who doesn't look back and won't stop until something stops him, or he runs into a literal wall.  The thought of him roaming freely in nature without walls to stop him terrified me.

Despite my apprehension, we made it to Montana and pitched our tents.  On day 1, Jacob ran from me twice.  And I'm talking down the gravel road, up the hill, and nearly to the bathrooms before I caught up to him and drug him home.  It's a good thing there were no cars driving around.  Then, it was a matter of, "Jacob, don't touch."  "Jacob, give me the knife."  "Jacob, don't throw rocks at the cars."  "Jacob, don't turn the spigot on full-blast and splash everyone around you."  "Jacob, sticks aren't for poking people."....  You get the picture.

The fist few days were exhausting.  Then I got sick.  I was cramping something fierce, and they seemed to be getting worse with each passing day.  I was taking every chance I could get to lay down, hoping the pain would pass and leaving the stresses of Jacob to the rest of the family.

After one particular break, I re-emerged to be informed that Jake had gotten through the electric fence designed to keep the wildlife out of the KOA and one of our family members had to go under it to retrieve him.  Wow.  Just, Wow.

So, out came the leash.  I had already spent the last 4 1/2 years promising myself I wouldn't become that parent.  You know, the one who has their kid on a leash in public places like an animal or a pet.  I, surely, could find a way to keep Jacob safely within arms reach, right? Nope.  There comes a time when a person must accept the fact that she is wrong, and realize that sometimes it is better to keep your child from being electrocuted than worrying about whether or not they look like a dog on a leash.

Surprisingly, I discovered that Jake liked the harness too.  He'd bring it to me in the morning and have me put it on him.  Sometimes, I'd follow him around, and others I'd let it dangle like a tail trailing behind him.  That darned harness was a lifesaver.  I'm not going to lie.  I'd do it again.

The other epiphany I had while camping was realizing I haven't been socializing Jake as well as I should be.  How incredibly easy is it to just say, "Nope. Let's just stay home today." Or to have the older kids stay with Jake and Courtney while I go out and run errands.  But keeping Jake locked up in our home - whether intentional or not, isn't doing that little boy and favors.  How will he learn social boundaries, how not to touch everything around him, or even how to socialize properly with strangers if he never has opportunities to have those experiences?

We had chances throughout the week to explain to his cousins that he is different and why he is different.  It was an opportunity to educate, enlighten, and show them that though he is different, Jake is still very much the same and likes to play just like every other little kid.

In spite of being sick and having to eventually go to the emergency room, I feel as if the trip was a good one.  I learned a lot, and Jake (I hope) learned a lot and was able to enjoy the experience with his extended family and loved one.  It certainly was an adventure no matter how you look at it!

Jacob - A Little Brother in the Truest Form

I've been updating many of my blogs over the last several weeks, and it's given me an opportunity to walk down memory lane.  Some of those memories were filled with laughter.  Others with sadness and tears.  But the strongest vein of thought I felt throughout the months and years with Jacob thus far has been gratitude that Jacob is in our lives.

Yes,  my 4 1/2 year old is stubborn, devious, likes to dump things on the floors...or beds...or behind couches...you get the idea.  But he's also a lover, a giggler, a hugger, curious, sweet, devoted, and constantly trying to show love toward me.  He's wise beyond his years, and yet impulsive as a one-year-old.  And...Jacob is a little brother in the truest form of the term.

Jake is only 18 months younger than Courtney, but only half her size.  So, why is it, that every time she walks in the room, he either A) follows her around like a puppy dog   B) Tries (and usually succeeds)  to tackle her.  That little boy LOVES to hear his sister scream and/or squeal.  It's like his very existence depends on how loud Courtney yelps.

At times it's frustrating, and other times, I can't help but chuckle.  It's one of hundreds of little reminders for me that, although Jake has Down syndrome, he is more like the rest of us than he is different.

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Gemiini Update: Jacob's Speech is Progressing

This is my monthly post on Jacob's speech progression using Gemiini.

Admittedly, we haven't been using Gemiini as often as I'd like.  Jake's older sister had heart surgery three weeks ago, so our focus was on her for much of April.  However, whenever possible, I would sit down with Jake and go over the videos.  Plus, they have an app that we've downloaded that Jake can click on without requiring me to log into their system to watch the videos.  I've caught him several time with his Ipad watching those videos and making the sounds and signs to the words.

I've seen a lot of progression in Jake these last several weeks.  He's progressed from using signs and a series of grunts to babbling with consonants, and even trying to use words.  This last week he pointed to an object and said "there!" (which sounded more like 'dehyr', but whose complaining?), and last night he was doing the da-da-da thing.  What a leap from absolute silence. 4 1/2 YEARS we've been trying to get Jacob so say SOMETHING, and now it's happening.  Is it bad to say there are days I want to shed tears of joy at this development?

This morning we were on again.  He only managed to watch for 10 minutes, but he did all the signs, all of the sounds associated with the animals, and was attempting to say the words.  He'd either manage to say the beginning or the end, but not the entire word.  They're baby steps, but for me they are HUGE.  I have hope.  And there's nothing better in the world than having hope for your child and his ability to communicate.

Savouring the Little Things

Yesterday my post was filled with negativity.  I am not a negative person.  I don't want negativity to eat up any more of my life than is absolutely necessary.

So, today, I choose to relish and share, but a mere moment of the blessing I call Jacob.

Two days ago it was spaghetti night.  Spaghetti is one of Jacob's favorite foods of all times.  Bar none.  It's always a treat to watch him eat spaghetti.  Not because he makes a ridiculous mess (because he does), or because he refuses to use a fork (which is also true), but by the sheer revelry he displays when savoring every last bite of his meal.

We're not talking a pile of spaghetti the size of an egg.  No way!  Jacob eats as much spaghetti as I, a full grown adult, eat.  I understand that lots of kids with Ds don't have an 'off' switch with food.  And we have yet to determine if Jake is that way yet - basically because all the rest of his siblings are athletes (and GIANT athletes at that - Elisha is 5'10" and Nathan is 6'2 - at age 15) and eat more than a football team combined when they're home.  So I have nothing to gauge his eating habits off of yet.

Anyway, I digress.  Back to Jake and his spaghetti fetish.

So we sat him down with his rather large serving of spaghetti.  As the rest of the family finished their meal, I looked over to watch Jake who had been unusually quiet.  He took one strand of spaghetti between his thumb and pointer finger (great fine motor skill practice, by the way!) and slowly pulled the noodle from the plate.  Pulling...pulling...pulling until the twelve inch string was lifted as high as his stubby little arm would go, dangling just above his mouth, enticing him to bite.

After a few seconds of watching the noodle wiggle in the air, he slowly lowered the very tip into his mouth and bit down with his lips - not his teeth.  Don't want to break the noodle, after all.  Then, he sucked, slowly drawing it into his mouth, until only a few inches remained.   As he sucked, his eyes rolled back into his skull in absolute bliss, then he closed his eyelids, half smiling at the taste of his favorite food. Then he pulled the noodle out again, sans the sauce.

Next, he repeated step 1, however, this time, he sucked harder, letting go of the noodle with his hand, and allowing the strand to flip and flop around his mouth as it got shorter and shorter, and disappeared.  Smack!  All gone.

He took a moment to chew the soft pasta and swallow, then looked at his plate and half smiled again before rooting around for another perfect noodle to repeat the process.

As I watched Jake eating his spaghetti, I was struck by how important the little things are - not only to him - but to all of us.  If we continue to get caught up in all the big stuff - then how can we appreciate the little things?

If I continue to worry about making sure all of the bills are paid on time, or keeping the house spotless (which it is NOT) how can I appreciate the fact that my husband works DANG HARD to make sure that I have the opportunity to stay at home with our little ones full time? I get to make sure they know their alphabet, hold them when they wake up from their nightmares crying, laugh with them when they run circles in the living room chasing one another, teach them to be kind to others and to take responsibility for their actions, and raise them to be productive parts of society.  This is especially true with Jake because he needs just a smidgen more time than his siblings.  And I'm blessed with the opportunity to be that kind of mom because my husband makes it so.


 I am blessed to be able to watch Jake savor his spaghetti, or run around pretending to be a robot from Megamind, or run in circles when the music comes on, or drive Courtney to school and pick her up, and volunteer at her school once a week.  I'm blessed to be there when Nathan gets home every day and to be able to ask him about his day, and tease him about girls.

Ah, what a tremendously blessed life I have.  Thank you, Jacob.  For showing me it's the little things in life worth enjoying.  All those little things begin to add up into one great big - giant even - epiphany of happiness.   Life is good.

Discrimination At Its Finest

NOTE TO READERS:  This experience happened about 3 weeks ago.  I was so worked up over the incident, I decided to table this entry until I could be more objective about the experience when writing. I believe taking a moment to step back and let things 'settle' was a good choice - if for no other reason than avoiding a blog riddled with curses and spewing with venom.  So, please realize that this post is severely subdued compared to the 'day after' emotions I was having. Do not think I don't take this sort of thing lightly.  I do.  However, I refuse to let the indignity of such behavior taint who I am as a person and how I allow my children to see me react to such situations.

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 I consider myself extremely lucky when I say that in the four years that Jacob has been a part of our family, I have never once felt as if he was discriminated against or treated poorly.

We have been truly blessed with the people we've come in contact with from the moment I discovered he had Trisomy 21 before he was born up until this afternoon.

I'm ashamed to say that when I perused the Down syndrome message boards and listened to parents vent and scream about how cruel other people were to their children, I thought they were merely thin-skinned and needed to toughen up a little.  People aren't actually out to discriminate us, they're just ignorant, right?

After today, I must take pause and wonder.

In just a few short weeks, my 15-year-old boy begins basketball.  A prerequisite, as I'm sure is required in every school across the country, is a sports physical to ensure that he is physically fit enough to participate in the strenuous activities associatated with high school sport.

A couple years ago, my family physician's office was bought out by a major corporation.  In fact, so was my pediatrician's office, our urgent care office, and nearly every other medical facility in our city.  About 90% of every medical facility (hospitals included) are owned by one of two major Corporations.  Seeing as how I'm about to rant, I will not name names so as not to be slapped with a stupid defamation lawsuit. Grrr.

From the moment the physicians were bought out, we were no longer able to make an appointment with our doctors and get in to see them same day...or within the week...or even within the next two weeks.  On average, we must wait 3-6 weeks before we can see our physicians.  I made an appointment to have Jake's eyes checked today (December 4th) and they will not be able to get him in before February 24th.  See what I mean?

That's fine. Whatever.  We'll go to urgent care when the kids are sick then, right?  You'd think so.

I found out about my older son's need for a physical 2 days before it was due.  Great.  Urgent care, here we come.  We show up 2 hours before they close, and are immediately given crap.  No.  They won't accept insurance.  We  must pay cash for a sports physical - even though the sign next to the receptionist clearly says that co-pays are expected.  Oh, wait.  It's 5:45 pm, I'm not sure the doctor will even see you because they stop doing sports physicals after 6:00.  Um. it's not 6:00.  And where did you post the allotted times for sports physicals?  I was on your website.  I'm in your lobby.  Nothing.  I'm not a mind reader. Work with me here.  Plus, it's a SPORTS PHYSICAL.  Listen to his heart, weigh him, check his blood pressure.  Sign the piece of paper. We're on our way in less than 5 minutes.  It's the easiest $50 this doctor is gonna make tonight.

The receptionist takes our paperwork - already filled out and waiting to be signed by the doctor.  We wait in the lobby for 35 minutes to find out if they will even TAKE us.  The nurse opens the door and motions to my son and I to come.  We step behind the door, she closes it, and then proceeds to tell us that they will not see my son.

Why?

Because we checked a little box that said our family had a history of heart problems.

I proceeded to tell her that the "history" was Jake.  Our 4 year-old with Down syndrome. Those heart issues were directly related to his disability and did not increase Nathan's chances at having heart issues.  It had everything to do with Jacobs extra chromosome - which Nathan obviosly does NOT have.

I kid you not, when she heard that Jake had Ds, she sneered.  I was pissed.  She then told us it was policy not to do sports physicals when the family has a history of heart issues.  I again repeated to her that Jacob's heart defects did not increase Nathan's chances of heart issues. I asked her very nicely to relay the information to the doctor and ask that the doctor make an exception.

She made another face, and said she would, then ushered us back to the waiting room to wait another 15 minutes.

A new nurse called us back.  She again told us that they do not do sports physicals for people whose families have a history of heart issues.  I relayed the same thing to her about Jake and it not increasing Nathan's chances of having issues.  This lady made an even nastier face than the first nurse and repeated the policy.  I asked her if she spoke to the doctor.  She repeated the policy again and told us that they are an Urgent Care facility and that this was not an urgent care issue - we needed to go see our family practitioner for such matters - someone who knows our family's medical history.  Then she told us that they will not serve patients who have a family history of heart issues.

At. All.

She opened the door, and essentially kicked out out of the building, refusing to see us.  Why? Because Jacob has Down syndrome.  My 15-year-old son who has NEVER been seriously sick in his life.  EVER. was denied medical treatment because his little brother had Down syndrome.  Our entire FAMILY will be denied medical treatment from that Urgent care facility - and every other facility holding that company's name (remember, they own nearly half of all medical facilities in our town now) because Jacob has Down syndrome.

Discrimination at its finest, people.

You wanna know what the funny thing is though?

This urgent care facility has essentially been our primary care provider for the past 4 years.  They've been seeing our entire family - including Jake (who, by the way has a giant scar down the front of his chest from heart surgery, so there was no hiding his heart history) - whenever we were sick. They KNOW our family history.  But because we checked one tiny little box, information WE VOLUNTEERED, we now had the plague.  No touchy.

I went home livid, to say the least.  I ranted to my husband.  I called one of my dear friends who also has a child with Ds.  I stewed.  I got madder.

I have decided that this is not over.  I am a mother of a child with Trisomy 21.  If I do not stand up for him and my children, I'm allowing this behavior to perpetuate.  I'm allowing this company to continue to discriminate.

This week, I will be writing a letter to the company's corporate office.  And I will be writing a letter to the urgent care facility, and I will be contacting our local, regional, and national Down syndrome coalitions.  And then I will be contacting an attorney.

Do I want money?  No.  Do I want retribution? No.  Do I want an apology?  Not really.  I want the policy to CHANGE.  I want people with disabilities - AND THEIR FAMILIES - to be treated just like everyone else.  Isn't that what the American Disabilities Act is all about?  Equal rights?

Quit punishing us for having, and loving, a child with disabilities.  Let us make our own choices - quit making choices for us.  Quit trying to treat us like degenerates or second-class citizens.  Because we AREN'T.

If anything, children like Jacob make us better people.  Jacob is a blessing.  Nothing less.  And I will not allow anyone else to treat him otherwise.

Now...off my soapbox.  I have some work to do. :)

Birthdays and Buddies

What a crazy busy week it's been!

Jake had is fourth birthday on Saturday (Wahoo!) and it was surprisingly low-key.  What I love about this age is that there are no real expectations from the little ones.  He didn't care that I bought him a cake.  He didn't care that the gifts never actually got wrapped - he liked playing with the bags for days afterwards.

He LOVED the car we bought him.  It had buttons for him to push that created sounds and flashing lights on the top of the hood, then the car moved forward - fast if he was on the linoleum.  The sounds drove the rest of the family crazy, but I think that was part of the mystique for Jake.

For quiet times, we bought him several small dump trucks, front loaders, bucket trucks, etc.  They're perfect for the palm of his hand and he can carry them anywhere, which is a bonus for him.

And, of course, a magic microphone to help encourage his speech.

Like I said: Low key, but nice.

Tuesday we dressed him up in his knight costume and the little ones went trunk or treating at our church.  He's been munching on candy all week.  I will be soooooooo happy when the candy is gone!












And yesterday, I got to see Josh, Jake's NICU buddy - also with Down syndrome, who was born the day after Jake.  Josh and his mom came to town and we got to spend a little over an hour catching up with one another as Josh had his monthly chemo and check-up.

I am so lucky to know Marla and Josh.  Not only because they're a great family, but how many people have the opportunity to have a child nearly the EXACT same age as your own to kind of guage things off of?  I can look at Josh and realize that he's a much better talker than Jake, but Jake is taller and bigger (probably due to genetics and the drugs from the cancer).  Both of us are going through potty training right now, and have discovered that both boys are doing it backwards from our other kids - mastering pooping in the toilet first, then peeing.  Who knew???

It's been a great reminder that we're all in the same boat, our kids do things a little differently, and sometimes slower than non Ds kids, but we're all getting it.  And, really, would you want it any other way?  Nope.  Not me.  I love Jake just the way he is.  He enriches my life in so many ways that I wouldn't have experienced if he didn't have Trisomy 21.  He makes me a better mother.  A better person.  And that's what it's all about, right?  Being the best person you can be.  Sigh.  Life is good. :)

Boo Boos and Buses

Today is a short entry...thank goodness.  

It's not my favorite, but it's part of life. 

Yesterday was picture day at the school.  Wahoo!  It's always fun to see how much Jake has changed from year to year.  

He chose out his own shirt, we put mousse in his hair to keep the cowlicks at bay, and he was stylin' by the time we were outside waiting for the bus.  

Three minutes before the bus was to arrive, as luck would have it, he was running up the driveway and tripped.  This isn't one of those oops-I-tripped-now-I'm-going-to-get-back-up kind of trips.  Oh no.  Not my Jake.  It was more like a trip over your own feet, skid for 3 feet, and check to see if any teeth are missing kind of trips.  

When the bus arrived, I had a white washcloth that had blood all over it, my T-shirt was bloody, and I was still picking debris out of his mouth from the roadway.  Plus, he had a road rash the size of a silver dollar on the bottom of his chin.  Yeah, school pictures are gonna be fantastic this year.  Not. :|

On the upside, Jake is beginning to really start babbling.  I'm hearing tons more consonants coming out of his mouth, and he's trying to say entire phrases (yes!!!!!).  This morning it was "I did it!" and this afternoon, he said "buh..." as a school bus drove by.  I squealed.  It's the little things when it comes to speech for him.  And progress is still progress.  It's great to finally see some coming out of his mouth!

But, of course, we couldn't leave this little entry on a good note.  Because it's important to see that Jake is multifaceted.  He's smart, he's feisty, he's funny, he's clumsy, and...he's a runner.  

Today when the bus came (and I silently celebrated a no-trip day), I walked four steps to get his back pack.  I kid you not.  FOUR steps. In those four steps, he decided that standing still was not enough.  After all, he saw the bus and he wanted to get on!  So when I turned my back, he put on the gas, and ran out into the middle of the street to great the bus.  GAH!!!!  I don't think I've ever ran so fast as I did trying to drag him from the middle of the road.  Luckily, the bus was still 1/2 a block away and she slowed the second she saw him step foot on the street.  But it's scary nonetheless.  And the driver and her aid had a good laugh about the situation - thank goodness!

Jacob's Annual IEP Meeting

This week was the annual IEP meeting where I sat down with all of Jakes therapists to discuss his progression over the past year and their goals for the next 12 months.

The Occupational Therapist informed me that Jake is at or beyond his age in this department, using his right hand 95%+ of the time, using forks and spoons, doing well with his signs, and using a 4-finger pincher grasp when coloring.  He is drawing, but his goal is to make the plus sign and a complete circle on his own - things that a normal 4 year-old would be attempting to do. She says he does pretty well with the scissors, and LOVES to cut things (so hide the scissors at home!), but he can't quite do a straight line all by himself yet. She said another goal was getting him to button and un-button things.  

The Physical Therapist reported that Jake is quite the runner (bahahahahaha! - ya think?? ) and has escaped from the playground area a few times.  But they're working on getting him to actually listen to instructions and follow them.  She said that he's stopped a couple of times when they called to him, which in my estimation is a HUGE improvement over the last 12 months.  She said that he's only used the toiled 1 time, so there is lots of improvement there.   I explained that Jake does quite well when he's buck nekkid, but the minute you put clothes on him, the reverts.  So, that will be another thing we will continue to work on. 

Speech Therapy was actually better than expected.  He's enunciating several of his vowels, signs several words, and is making slow progress.  I asked if they thought there were issues with his ears, and the ladies all agreed that he listens to instruction.  We decided that his issues are primarily due to stubbornness (go figure!)

Jake is now learning his colors in sign language, follows simple instructions, and they are working on giving him 2 sequential instructions to follow, which he does occasionally.  

He's extremely cognisant of the feelings of others, and will hug anyone who is sad, and try to care for anyone having fits or crying.  

The ladies seem to adore him, which is always a good thing from a mother's perspective. 

All in all, I'm thrilled with his results.  He's at, or above age in everything except for speech, and even in that area progress is occurring.  Yay, Jacob!!

Happy New Year! Onward and Upward!

If you know me, you also know it's no big surprise that you didn't get a Christmas letter this year (sorry!).  So, in lieu of Christmas cards, I thought my blog would be a great way to give all our friends and loved ones a quick break down of 2011. 

This year KC has been our rock!  Normally I just call him a tree trunk, but this year he has been promoted to "rock" ;)  In February, he broke his leg, tore all his tendons, and the mesh of tendons that keep the tibia and fibia together.  It was a LONG recovery process, but he's finally back to work and has been working long long long hours to make up for lost time. He's now the Mormon Doctrine Teacher, which keeps him on his toes, but I think he's up for the challenge :)  What little spare time he has is spent hanging out with the kiddos and supporting us in all of our massive number of activities going on around here.

As mother, I seem to be the glue that holds the family together.  I'm busy running the kids to and from school, numerous therapies and doctors appointments, transporting Elisha to all of her athletic stuff, doing all the domestic stuff, helping my sister to run her business, helping my parents with their business, and a bazillion other projects that seem to pop-up when you have 6 active people at home. My goal for 2012 is to go to bed before 2 a.m. each night.  I had a moment of insanity towards the end of the year and told our bishop that I thought Jacob was healthy enough for me to take on a job at church.  Luckily they saw through my insanity and now I'm teaching Sunbeams (3-year-olds) with Jacob in tow terrorizing those poor little kids every step of the way. Church has never been so exciting.  Luckily I bring snacks :)

Elisha is in "Beast" mode.  This year she became a Sophomore, turned 16, started driving, started her 2nd year in Varsity Volleyball and broke her foot in the 3rd game.  But of course, being Elisha, she didn't let that stop her.  As her team was practicing each day for 2 hours, she was either in the weight room lifting or in a corner perfecting some of her skills preparing for the day she could play again.  She missed the season but gained massive amounts of strength and skill as well.  She's now playing club volleyball and the track coaches are salivating over her.  Last summer she qualified for Nationals in the Junior Olympics in discus, but we weren't able to go due to time (we had a week's notice) and finances (babies with holes in their heart are expensive!). This year she plans on going and competing.  And, based on the numbers put up from last year, she will be an earnest contender to win Nationals this year.  Needless to say, some of the local colleges (WSU, ISU, and EWU) have already begun to show interest.  So these next couple of years should be interesting with her.

Nathan turned 12 this year and immediately became a pre-teen.  He now passes the sacrament at church and looks very dapper in his first real suit.  He also looks like the spitting image of his FATHER!!  He took a year off of sports to nurse his foot after surgery to lengthen his Achilles tendon and re-construct the arch in his foot.  So, to fill the time he took up reading which he has devoured!!  He goes through about 3-4 books (big ones - 500 - 700 pages each!) per week, and we just can't keep him stocked with books!  He's already as tall as his mother and stands almost a full head above everyone in his grade.  He's hoping to be able to play on the Church Basketball team this winter, and test his skills at basketball and football next year.  I have a feeling the coaches will be very happy when they see HIM show up to practice!

Courtney is our little gladiator/roller-derby/princess. You will either see her twirling around in a pretty dress, buck naked, or in various stages of undress - and often all three of those several times over the course of an hour.  Like her older brother, she stands several inches taller than her 2-year-old counterparts.  She loves singing along to the radio, watching Beauty and the Beast, Megamind, or any number of movies, climbing things like chairs, tables, counters, shelving, etc.  and listening to her family gasp and scream as she teeters precariously over the edge.  She's definitely a daredevil and I have a feeling that 2012 will be no different.  She certainly keeps a day from being boring!  But with a smile like hers how can you not love  her?

As a whole, it looks like our family has successfully learned to navigate all of the crazy obstacles and potholes life could throw at us.  We're looking forward to 2012 and all of the adventures it will bring with it.

We love you all and have appreciated all of the support you have given us in thought, prayer, service, notes, and so much more!  We have truly been blessed with an amazing group of friends, family, co-workers, and support system.  We would never have been able to do it without all of you. 

We hope that last year was a good one for each of you and that this year brings you much peace and joy. 

Very sincerely,

The Allreds

From Infant to Explorer

No news is good news.  I promise! :)

The last two months have been filled with crazy chaos, doctors, therapists, family, friends, and everything in between.

Our family and Jacob have finally begun to settle into our definition of normal - whatever that might be.

KC has begun light duty at work after breaking and dislocating his ankle and ripping all the tendons holding the two bones together.  It has been a long, hard and painful process which a an even longer road that he must continue to travel, but he's a fighter (and he's tired of being at home in the middle of the chaos!).  Now, after nearly 5 months, he is still only at about 60% usability of what he used to be.  He can only walk for a little while before he begins to experience significant pain, often walking with a cane, and by the end of the day, his ankle invariably ends up swelling to about twice its normal size.

Last month Nathan decided to join the ranks of the gimpy and had his foot worked on.  He's been growing so fast that his Achilles tendon could not grow fast enough to accommodate his growth. His feet had been collapsing in on themselves to accommodate the lack of movement.  So, they went in, lengthened the Achilles, broke his foot in two places and grafted bone in to help create a new, strong arch in his foot.  He's about 1 month in to his 4 month ordeal.  It pretty much ruined his summer, but on the upside it got him out of mowing the lawn, doing chores, and any hard labor.  So, he's decided it's a fair trade.

Elisha is neck deep in high-school teen-ager stuff. She's at the tail end of driver's ed, competing in the regionals of Junior Olympics for track, going to volleyball camp next week, and spending as much time as possible doing conditioning for varsity volleyball in the fall.  I look at her schedule and I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Courtney is still Courtney.  Funny, feisty and FAST.  With KC and Nathan down for the count, Elisha and I have found ourselves doing a lot of chasing after our ornery little toddler who does the exact opposite of what we ask her to do, running away giggling in the process.  I've already cursed her with children just like her when she grows up - twice!  Now I hope she ends up with twins! Bahahahahaha!!!

Jacob, although a tiny little tike, is no longer an infant.  It dawned on me only a couple days ago that he has come a long way from the sickly little heart baby in February.

Each and every day he progresses with leaps and bounds, much to the delight of this therapists. At 8 1/2 months he is rolling EVERYWHERE.  One minute he will be at our feet, we'll look away to talk to Courtney, look back and he will be across the room playing with a toy.  Elisha tried to put him down one day last week and rather than laying him down, she inadvertently put him on his feet.  He stood there by himself for 3 seconds!!  He's not quite sitting on his own, but each day he gets better and I figure he's only a couple weeks away from unassisted sitting.  He's been toying with crawling, but right now finds it easier to just use his legs to catapult himself in the direction he wants to go, much like a frog but not nearly as graceful.

Jake has also found his voice.  We've been working with him exhaustively to make noise - ANY noise.  Who knew that once I got a quiet child, I'd be freaked out that he was so quiet?!  So, we do lots of therapy with him, and he's finally beginning to pronounce his consonants - lots of da da's, ga ga's, ba ba's and such.  His speech is still significantly delayed, but we're finally getting something out of him, and I'm OK with that.

And, my favorite announcement of the month, he's FINALLY not sleeping in our bed any more!  Jacob is quite the cuddler - he likes to sleep with his face planted in a pillow, with a blanked over it, or in my case, firmly planted in the base of my back or in my rib cage.  I've spent month sleeping (if you call it that) stick straight for fear that I'd roll over him in my sleep.  He's finally in his own bed and I can sleep soundly!  Thank heaven for the little things.