Life With Ty #30 - 100 Reasons Why We Love Ty

Well, Down Syndrome Awareness month came and went very quickly!  I'll wrap this month up with a little dedication to our favorite oldest boy, with 100 of the things we love most about him!

1) He gives wet, slobbery kisses.
2) He says "bop!" instead of stop, with such conviction!
3) He is the most perfect big-brother to Brady.
4) He can throw the biggest tantrum, and wrap it up with the biggest hug!
5) He loves ride-on toys, but can only move backwards...despite his total effort to move forward!
6) He toughened us up more than we ever bargained for!
7) He loves to "read" and absorbs new words like a sponge!
8) His dance moves would make Michael Jackson jealous.
9) He only likes to draw circles, and horizontal and vertical lines when he colors pictures.
10) Elmo is the only one who can snap him out of a funky mood.
11) He loves to wipe up his own messes.
12) He can say "off" now, and take off his own jacket...you can imagine how that goes.
13) He has the funniest pretend conversations with himself on the pretend phone.
14) He can operate the i-pad better than either of us!

15) He is obsessed with Facetime on the i-pad, and is notorious for making calls by himself!
16) Playing ball absolutely cracks him up!
17) He purposely gets messy at dinner, because he knows he'll be getting a bath.
18) He is irrationally scared of bugs!
19) And sometimes thinks flowers and leaves are bugs...nature is a scary place!
20) He loves putting his shoes on...
21) And loves taking his socks off...and Brady's socks off...and my socks off...
22) He absolutely loves buses. 
23) He knows when he is in trouble, and always says "sorry" and waves almost immediately!
24) If given the choice, he will always choose a more challenging activity over an easy one.
25) He makes a really great "vrooommm" sound when he plays with his cars.

26) He has made us more tolerant, accepting people.
27) He absolutely loves graham crackers...LOVES!

28) He is a tiny little thing, but prefers to play with the bigger kids!
29) He loves to run around naked after bath time.
30) When he sees letters on signs in public, he always says the letter sounds for each one.
31) He has not yet outgrown his clothes from last fall/winter...such a peanut!
32) Yet he has a great pot-belly, with a large outie belly button!
33) He loves to sneak around his bedroom to play, when he should be sleeping.
34) He refuses to pee on the potty, but loves to watch Elmo do it on his "Elmo Potty Time" movie!
35) He always wakes up with a huge smile and a wave.
36) He "sings" along to his favorite songs...it's bad singing...but it's singing!!!
37) He taught us that "disability" only limits a child as much as you allow it to.
38) When he is feeling shy, he squeezes his eyes shut to "hide" from people!
39) He has a great head of hair!
40) His little teeth are absolutely perfect...good thing, since they were so difficult coming in!
41) He loves to discuss the weather..."rain" and "wind" are some really fun signs to do!
42) Getting greeting cards is better than presents to Ty!
43) He hates being forced to try something new, but will do it on his own when you're not looking.
44) He always signs "please" when he really wants something...so polite!
45) He is the pickiest eater in the world, but enjoys watching other people eat very much!
46) He is a master roller...he loved to roll as a baby, and still rolls sometimes now, just for fun!
47) He gives great high-fives and fist bumps.
48) He is such an independent spirit.
49) He busts out new skills when we least expect it!
50) He loves lights, and stands on his tippy toes to peek at our neighbor's porch light every night!
51) If he finds a piece of dog fur on the ground, he always picks it up and brings it to me.
52) He will tolerate just about anything if you count while you do it (medicine, cutting nails, etc)
53) He is a great helper when it comes to sweeping and cleaning!
54) He "reads" familiar books all by himself, narrating the story through words or sign.
55) He is incredibly narcissistic...he never misses a chance to look in the mirror!
56) He will lick, kiss, and bite any new food...but will not chew and swallow it!
57) He's taught me a lot about the medical world.
58) He names animals by the sounds they make...a monkey is an "ooh ooh, ahh, ahh", a sheep is a "baa baa", a cow is a "moooo".
59) He pulls the kitchen towel off of the oven handle every time he walks by...for no reason.
60) He dumps any cup or bowl of water on himself every time he finds one...for no reason.
61) He loves to put hats on his head, and loves seeing other people in hats.
62) Swinging is one of the best activities ever, according to Ty.

63) He's really great at athletic activities like hockey, golf, and lacrosse.
64) He's introduced us to a really awesome community of people.
65) He drinks his milk warm...so high maintenance!
66) His eye-lashes would make any woman jealous.
67) He is the toughest kid I know when it comes to needles.
68) Jumping to Ty, means sticking out his butt really far over and over.
69) Spotting an airplane in the sky is a very exciting event in Ty's day.
70) He has food on his clothes at any given moment.
71) He gives the best hugs.
72) He can whip through a puzzle or matching game without any help at all.
73) He is finicky about finger painting, but will happily smear his yogurt all over the table.
74) He won't eat bread, but he'll eat a ball of playdoh.

 

75) He loves to play hide and seek.
76) At the grocery store, his job is to put things in the cart, and he gets very upset if you forget!
77) He loves to blow and pop bubbles.

78) He tries to be such a tough guy when he gets hurt, and will only cry when it really hurts.
79) Smiling for the camera is second nature to him...I wonder why?!
80) He loves to hug and hold his Elmo and Ernie dolls...and then toss them by the neck to the floor.
81) He plays catch with the dog.
82) He picks up dance moves from music videos and never forgets them!
83) He looks darn good in a tux!
84) No surface is too high for climbing.
85) He's great at brushing his teeth in the mirror.
86) He fake-laughs better than anyone I know.

87) There are sticky fingerprints all over our walls and windows.
88) He loves grocery shopping at Hannafords with me because they have a big, tall fan!
89) He also loves going to TJMaxx to look in their mirrors!
90) He happily walks into speech therapy sessions all by himself like a big boy.
91) He knows where toys belong, and does a great job helping me to clean up the playroom!
92) He hates water being poured over his head, but loves when a wave crashes over him in the ocean.

93) He has great persistance.
94) He can nap through pretty much anything.
95) He is great at telling you when things are turned "off" or "on".
96) He prefers hip-hop, rap, or reggae music to any type of "kid stuff".
97) He loves to explore bags and show the contents of my purse to the world.
98) He has emptied the toilet bowl onto the floor using a cup...more than once.
99) He's very empathetic and considerate of other kids.
100) His extra chromosome has enriched our lives more than we ever thought it could.

And I could go on, and on, and on.  Happy October, Ty-Ty!  We love you!!!

Life With Ty #29 - Crackers, crackers, crackers

I'm pretty sure Ty is comprised of at least 20% graham cracker.  He doesn't just love graham crackers, he lives for and on graham crackers.  He is obsessed.

I remember the exact day that this infatuation began, too.  Ty was 15 months old, and we had just began our summer vacation together.  At that point, Ty was not yet feeding himself foods, and it was my mission to get him to do so by the end of the summer.  I put everything in front of him...fruits, vegetables, baby puffs, teething biscuits...and he wouldn't touch any of it.  Granted, he would eat all of the above if I fed them to him myself, but if he had to do the work, forget it.

So on this particular day, I was just fed up.  Ty sat in his high chair while I made myself lunch, and I found a package of graham crackers in the cabinet.  Knowing darn well Ty probably wouldn't touch it, I tossed one in front of him anyway, figuring anything was worth a shot at that point.  After making my lunch I turned around, and the graham cracker was gone.  Neither of the dogs were huddled under the high chair, and no cracker pieces were shoved on the seat next to Ty.  I couldn't believe it.  Sure enough, there were little crumbs all around his mouth, and Ty was signing "more".  Not only did he eat a new food, but he wanted more of it.  So what is a mom to do?  Give him more graham crackers of course!  With the amount of effort it took to get him to feed himself anything, if he wanted more of something, who was I to deny him?!

And so that began Ty's 17-month long obsession with graham crackers.  Today, they are a staple in our household.  Every day at 9:30am, Ty requests crackers for snack, and every day at lunch he gets a peanut butter or peanut butter and jelly "sandwich" on graham crackers.  He will eat them with any spread (hummus and cream cheese are two of the stranger spreads he has accepted!), and will dip them in any pureed food (cereal, yogurt, applesauce, etc).  I cannot leave the house without a baggie of graham crackers in my purse, and if we run out of them in the house, it most certainly warrants an emergency trip to the grocery store.  I can rattle off the serving size and nutrition facts of graham crackers, and know that eating four servings would fulfil his daily requirement of whole grains.  I have jokingly wondered what would happen if a natural disaster occurred and we were unable to get more crackers at the store for a while.  What in the world would Ty eat?!  Hey, it's not a perfect food, but it could be worse! 

So thank you, Honey Maid, for making a food that my pickier-than-picky eater of a son will eat willingly!

Life WIth Ty #28 - Imagination

One of the best parts of watching a toddler grow and develop, is watching the imagination take shape.  Around the age of one, children start to imitate adults.  They stir with big spoons in pots and pans, they hold phones up to their ears, and they "help" to sweep and vacuum around the house.  As they get good at this grown-up imitation stuff, they begin to do it on their own.  When Ty hit this stage, I would peek into the living room and see him taking clothes out of the laundry basket, *attempting* to fold them.  At the dinner table, I'd look over and see him wiping up his place with a napkin.  I watched him doing all of these "grown-up" activities, and wondered where our baby went, and when he became such an active participant in our household!

Nowadays though, Ty's imitation has transformed into imagination, and for me, this is by far the most fascinating stage to watch evolve.  In the last few months, Ty has discovered his love for talking with family members on the phone or computer.  Even when he is not talking to someone, he is "talking" to someone on any phone...fake or not...that he can get his hands on.  Several times throughout the day, I will catch Ty in a deep conversation on his phone.  He always answers the phone with an "a-woah" (hello), and then babbles away, real words sprinkled throughout his conversation, with true expression and inflection.  Once in a while he will bust out in giggles, because apparently whoever he is speaking with is pretty funny.  Most of the time, I will ask him who he is talking to on the phone, and it's never the same person.  Sometimes it's "aut" (aunt) or "pat" (his uncle), other times it's "Lala" (his grandmother), or "Nonna eh Papa" (his grandmother and grandfather who he always names as a pair), and once in a while it's "dada" (if Dad isn't home).  I think sometimes he is more amused by these pretend conversations than he is by real-life ones!

Watching him play cars is almost as entertaining as his phone conversations, too.  Just like most two year old boys, Ty loves his cars.  He gets excited to see different types of vehicles on the street...motorcycles, trucks, buses...and never misses an opportunity to point them out to us.  When he is left to play on his own, it is usually with his cars, which he drives on different surfaces throughout the house.  If you listen carefully, you'll hear the quiet "vroom vroom" sounds of the cars coming out of his little mouth, with the occasional loud bursts of "w-ash!" (crash!), "bop!" (stop!), and "oh!" (go!).  This morning I watched as he played with a race car and tow truck on the kitchen floor.  He was laying on his belly, carefully making one car follow the other on the "road".  All of a sudden the race car backed up and flew full force into the back of the tow-truck as Ty yelled, "w-ash!" and laughed hysterically.  To a two year old boy, this was a full-fledged event happening on the floor that he was fully absorbed with. 

After his speech therapy session on Friday afternoon, his therapist Emily told me that she took out the dollhouse to work on imaginary play with Ty.  To her surprise, he walked the little people all around the house (all of the men he called "papa"), "fed" them pretend food, and put one to bed as he signed "sleep".  We do not have a dollhouse at home, and I'm pretty sure Ty has never played with little plastic people before, yet he created these little "scenes" using his imagination, all on his own.  He never ceases to amaze me. 
 
It's these little imaginary games that he plays that continually remind me how much he's grown this year.  While I do catch glimpses into his imagination with the occasional words he uses while he plays, I can only guess how in-depth his mind goes.  This is only the beginning of this exciting phase of his childhood, where his imagination is vivid and powerful.  I truly look forward to watching his creativity continue to evolve, to see what sorts of adventures he can create on his own.  Imagination is one of the most amazing gifts of childhood!

Life With Ty #27 - Future Politician

Ty is a charmer.  He hasn't always been that way, but recently he has dropped the shy routine and has taken on the "wave and smile" routine of a politician.  Apparently this happened overnight, because even getting him to give a wave to a little old-lady admirer at the grocery store, was like pulling teeth not too long ago!  But at some point, something clicked, and Ty learned to turn on the charm.

Now, he loves to wave.  He waves to people who pass our cart in the store.  He waves to runners on the street.  He waves to truck drivers passing by, and waves to other kids he encounters.  Ty is just so darn excited to see other people, and to acknowledge their presence.

At the beginning of the month, we stayed at a hotel for my sister's wedding.  On the day we arrived, Mister Antsy-Pants was getting bored in the hotel room and very quickly discovered the joys of running through the endless hallways.  At the end of his route was the entrance to the hotel, where all of the wedding guests were arriving.  Now, while the old Ty would have run for the hills at the thought of having to interact with these crowds of people, new Ty parked himself at the door, and took the unofficial position of hotel greeter.  His little not-yet 3-foot self stood proudly and waved to every person who entered the lobby, flashing that million dollar smile.  He loved every ounce of attention he received.

And then there was the parade.  Last weekend, when we walked in the costume parade at the Pumpkin Festival, Ty (or Elmo, who he dressed as for the event) was incredibly overheated in his monster fur and exhausted from his 30-minute long nap in the car.  But despite his grouchy attitude, he never neglected his waving duties.  As he strolled down the street, parents would yell to their children, "Look, there's Elmo!", and as if on cue, Ty would raise his red, fuzzy arm and wave to Elmo's fans. 

I'm not sure what Ty will do in his future, but I'm pretty sure it will involve people-pleasing in some way, shape, or form!  You just can't waste a wave-smile combo like that!

Life With Ty #26 - Tummy Time

Well, Ty is past that tummy time stage, but oh man, does he love when Brady does tummy time!  The second Brady hits the floor, Ty is right down there with him.  He gets right in his face, and flashes him huge smiles of encouragement...like he remembers all too well just how hard it is!  Brady doesn't mind the wet circles that are left on his head from Ty's kisses, or the occasional "beep beep" that Ty does on his nose.  He even tolerates the "practice burping" that Ty does on his back in imitation of me...three pats, rub in circles, three pats, and repeat. 

 

Brady really is a good sport, and despite all of the well-intentioned pestering, he always lasts longer in tummy time with Ty's encouragement than he does with mine.  Ty apparently gives that big-brother motivation that only he can provide!  Brady sure is lucky to have such a supportive sibling! 

Life With Ty #25 - If I could tell you - Parents' Edition!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about explaining Down Syndrome to children.  But I got to thinking, and realized that parents are sometimes the ones who need to be educated first!  I promise this realization is not inspired by any of you that I know!  It came up after a recent class that Ty attended, and it occurred to me that sometimes other parents may not know how to act toward a little guy with Down Syndrome, and often "over-compensate" to be extra nice to him.  It got under my skin just a tad! :)  So if Ty could give those parents a piece of his mind, it would sound a little like this...

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If I could tell you something about me, it would be that I am way more like your two year old than you think!  Most of the time I am on a mission, and when I don't get my way, I can get a little loud!  If I see a toy that I want, well, I grab it!  I don't care if it's in someone else's hand...if I want it, it becomes mine!  I also get really tired of listening to my mom tell me to do this and that.  She should know by now that I really prefer to operate on my agenda, not hers.  I have definite likes and dislikes, and I make sure the world knows what they are.  I mean, come on, I'm a two year old, I'm not perfect!

My mom, she's a tough cookie though.  She does not like to let me get away with anything!  If I take a toy from another kid, she actually makes me give it back, and doesn't seem to care one bit about my protest!  On those rare occasions when I'm really naughty, she even has the audacity to put me in time-out!  She also makes me wait my turn when I really want to do something, but it's not time to do it yet.  I get so sick of hearing, "First ______, then __________."  Blah, blah, blah.  I try to tell her, "No thanks, I don't want to change my diaper first, and then use the computer," but apparently she doesn't care.  She sure likes to get her way, a lot!

But you know what?  As much as I hate not getting my way all the time, I'm actually turning into a pretty good kid because of all of my "training".  Sometimes, if I'm in a "giving" mood, I'll willingly give back a toy that I take from a friend, and even do it with a smile (or not take it at all!).  And even though I do get time-outs on occasion, I sure learn my lesson quickly, and usually try not to do it again!  And even that darn "First ____, then ____" sentence I hear all the time...well, Mom must know what she's talking about, because I'm actually starting to like hearing it, since I know I'm going to get to do something really great in a few minutes!  I'm starting to realize that Mom will say a lot of nice things about my behavior and give me lots of hugs, kisses, and high-fives, if I do the right thing in the first place, so I try hard to do that now instead!  (Silly mom, she has no idea that I've figured out her little ploy!)

So my point is, help my mom out a little bit.  If I take something from your kid, please don't insist that I keep it!  Mom is trying to teach me good manners by making me give it back, and you being super nice is making her job quite difficult!  And really, if I want to use the swing that your kid is getting on, it's okay to make me wait my turn, instead of taking your kid off and making him wait instead!  I mean, what kind of world would it be if two year olds were all allowed to get what they wanted every time they made a scene?!  I'm pretty sure earmuffs would make a quick comeback! 

Basically, my mom is working just as hard to make me a responsible, respectful little boy, as you are to accomplish the same thing with your little boy or girl.  The fact that I happen to have Down Syndrome does not give me any sort of "free pass" to be a little wild-child in public!  Please continue to say hi to me, and include me in your games, and cheer me on when I try something new...but it's okay to drop the over-polite routine.  I promise, my Mom will thank you for it!!! 

Life With Ty #24 - Boys Will Be Boys

I'll let the pictures do the talking today.  Football Sunday is one of the reasons why I just love being Mom to two little guys!!!

My #1 Boy!

He's so proud of the back of this...not only can he read his name, but he can also read the #1!

My #2 little boy (in order of course!).
 He looks like a linebacker in training, but I promise it's all the clothing! :-)

Brother time!  Holding Brady always puts a smile on Ty's face...
as does the opportunity to check out his hair and face!

Brady was all smiles hanging out with his big brother, too!
I'm such a lucky mom!

Life With Ty #23 - Someday in the Future

We talk a lot about what Ty's future holds.  Our plans for him have changed drastically over the last two years, too.  When Ty was first born, we didn't know a whole lot about Down Syndrome, and what life was like for adults with DS.  Our goals for his future at that point included making friends, going to school with his typical peers, and getting a driver's license.  And while those are still goals we have for his future, our perspectives have widened greatly.

One of my biggest goals for Ty is to attend college.  He may not move away, live in a dorm, and become a frat boy (the last of which is A-OK with me!), but there is absolutely no reason for me to believe that he is not capable of attending college and graduating with a degree.  Every year, more and more colleges are offering supports for students with special needs, and are making post-secondary education a reality for kids like Ty.

So that's my goal for him.  Ty's goal?  Well, that's something that will be up to him.  I can't wait to see what his interests are as he grows and develops a sense of self.  I look forward to that day when I can ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and hear what visions he has for himself.  Best of all, with the possibilities today, I can be encouraged that Ty's goals for himself can become a reality someday, with the right supports in place.

This past weekend, we visited our old college, where Eric and I first met.  We sat on the main stretch of campus, and set Ty free.  He took off without hesitation and walked up and down campus, waving at the students who he passed.  Watching the confidence he had in himself, I could clearly see my little guy 16 years from now, repeating that same walk as one of the students.  It was a sweet moment for me (and an exhausting one for Eric, who patiently followed him back and forth across campus!), and one that solidified my goal that someday he would have that experience.

  

Life With Ty #22 - Pumpkin Festival

This past weekend our family, along with some families from our Down Syndrome playgroup, made the trek out to Keene, NH to attend the annual Pumpkin Festival.  Now I'm sure your first thought is, what the heck is a pumpkin festival?!  Here's a little visual for you:

 

 

Yes, that tower is lined with pumpkins, as was a second tower equally as large, the entire Main Street, and the center of the round-about.  The tradition of the Pumpkin Festival began in 1991, with the goal of gathering the largest number of carved, lit pumpkins in one place at one time.  It currently holds 8 records in the Guiness Book of World Records for this!  Keene's highest record is 29,068 pumpkins, though Boston, MA currently holds the world record, with 30,128 (darn Bostonians!).

 

Another fun fact:  Eric and I both went to college in Keene, where we met as freshmen.  So the town holds a little nostalgia for the both of us! 

 

Anyway, this year, we decided to bring both of our boys to introduce them to the pumpkin tradition.  The event begins with a parade through the center of town, of all of the children dressed up in their Halloween costumes.  No surprise here, Ty is Elmo this year!  Though he was sweating bullets, he wore that Elmo suit happily, and waved to kids along the parade route as parents yelled out, "There's Elmo!" (I'm pretty sure he was slightly terrified of the crowds though!)

 

 

 

The rest of the day at the festival was spent with Ty's friend Connor and his family.  We braved the crowds (and navigated through some crazy college parties!) to check out the pumpkins, visit the college campus and get some food.  The kids were wiped by the end of the day, to say the least!

 

Ty and Connor, ready to drop from the heat!

 

Ty and Daddy checking out the pumpkins...Ty was not impressed at this point!

Me and my boys on our old college campus!


 

 



After the festival, one of our playgroup families invited us all over to rest and regroup after all of the commotion!  Ty got to spend some time with his buddies Jayci, Connor, and Josie, before we headed home after our long adventure.  We'll be back next year!



Life With Ty #21 - The Wedding

On Columbus Day weekend, Eric and I made the very brave step of taking a 2 year old and a 5 week old on a four day trip.  I think this was a rite-of-passage for us as parents.  First of all, we didn't have much of a choice.  My sister was getting married...not an event you miss, or leave the kids home for!  So, about two weeks in advance I began making my packing list.  Each of us had a column, divided into categories (clothes, toiletries, food, etc), with little boxes to check off next to each item.  When all was said and done, I had created four full pages (each page with two columns of items), of crap I somehow needed to shove into the least amount of bags possible, and then shove again into our car.  It was my all time greatest organizational challenge...good thing I thrive on organization! :)

This was about 3/4 of our stuff, minus a pack and play, bouncy seat, and dog overnight bag...not bad, right?!

Three hours before departure, I had finished packing...I wasted no time!  Not one thing was left behind, everything was neatly organized into bags based on category (and labeled of course...can't stay organized without labels!), and everything was packed for easy accessibility based on the day we would be needing each item.  I'm not going to lie...I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge!!!

Okay, so on to Ty...he is the subject of the posts this month after all!  Ty was given the honor of being ring-bearer in Mel and Pat's wedding, which shows the unconditional love they have for Ty, because anyone knows a 2 year old is not going to give a stellar performance walking down the aisle, and most certainly cannot be trusted with rings unless they are made of plastic!  We arrived in Westport, Connecticut the day after our trek south began (we made an overnight pit-stop at Lala and Poppi's house).  Of course, the day of the rehearsal, and Ty was refusing to eat anything but graham crackers, and was in a stinker of a mood. But we dressed him up in his "casual" gray pin-stripe suit, packed about 50 graham crackers, and headed out to the rehearsal.

So the bridal party lined up.  We had decided that Ty would walk down the aisle next to me (the maid of honor), so he wouldn't be scared.  Our cue to walk comes, and what does Ty do?  Sit down in the wet grass, right at the start of the aisle, with his "uhhhhhh!!!" sound of disapproval...of course.  So I picked that little butt up, carried him down the aisle legs flailing, and assured the not-impressed justice of the peace that I would be coming up with a plan B for our little ring bearer!

The next day was the big event.  Someone was looking out for Mel and Pat, because it was the ONE day in two weeks that it did not rain, and was absolutely beautiful for their outdoor wedding.  Close to show time, I brought Ty to the bridal suite to dress him in his little black tux.  He sat like a little ham in the chair while I put on all 5 pieces, smiling for the cameras and loving the attention.  I had my fingers crossed that this was a good sign for his wedding performance!!!  The best part though, was when the beautiful bride emerged from her dressing room, Ty looked at her and said "WOW!" (rightfully, so!). 

Finally it was go-time...and I made my first mistake.  I put Ty's suit jacket on...with his flower boutinnere pinned to the lapel.  Now, I should mention that Ty has an irrational fear of bugs.  He has never been bitten or stung, has never accidentally eaten one...all bug experiences to this point have been positive...but he HATES them...freaks the hell out, hates them.  So on goes the beautiful tux jacket, and what does Ty think is six inches below his face?  A massive purple and white BUG.  This led to pure hysteria as Ty frantically ripped his boutinnere off of his jacket, and jumped in my arms.  So I'm holding him, and I pick up my bouquet...more "bugs", more hysteria.  (We really need to work on distinguishing different types of flowers from bugs).  Oops...not a good way to start the walk down the aisle! 

So we're lined up, ready to walk, and Ty is doing his fish out of water routine...whipping his body from side to side in an attempt to get me to put him down.  Not happening.  So I started the one game I know that will always make him stop crying or whining or misbehaving...the "What does ___ say?" alphabet game.  It goes like this...Me: "What does A say?" Ty: "ah, ah", Me: "What does B say?" Ty: "buh, buh"...all the way to z.  So there we are, maid of honor and ring bearer, walking down the aisle at a gorgeous outdoor venue on the water, listening to the string quartet play their music, playing the "What does ____ say?" game.  Classy!  But you know what?  We made it without a tantrum or tears, and I'm pretty sure the photographer was able to get a good picture or two!

The rest of the story is about the adults (which I'll save for another day), because the cranky ring-bearer was sent to his room for bed shortly after the reception began!  But all in all it was a successful event, and a successful trip.  And I have to say, he was probably the cutest ring bearer I have ever seen!  Thanks, Mel and Pat for trusting our two year old with your wedding! :)

My beautiful boys!  (Please note Ty's all black and white tie, and Brady's little shirt and tie...so cute!) 
Hoping we got a better picture of the little guys on the professional camera, but they are pretty darn cute!!!

The happy couple!!!

Life With Ty #20 - Celebrating Milestones

This week's common topic..."Celebrating Milestones"

 

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So I'm sitting here thinking about milestones Ty has reached lately.  If you're going by the developmental milestone charts, well then I could talk about how Ty can stand on his tippy toes now, or throw a ball overhand.  He is working on dressing skills, and on sorting colors into groups.  All of those things that can be checked off on a chart to show how Ty is progressing.  But really, those aren't the milestones that I focus on lately.  It's the little things that Ty does that make us say, "wow, he's like a little boy now!" that stand out in my mind when I think of Ty's milestones.  They will never be found on a milestone chart, and will never be taken into consideration when determining his current progress.  But they are the little moments in life that matter, and make you smile when you look back on them.  Those are the milestones I celebrate these days.

 

Probably the cutest little milestone is Ty's learning to play fetch with the dog.  The thing about him these days is that he watches everything and misses nothing.  (He repeated a hand gesture that he saw Daddy make in the car today...he really misses nothing!)  So he was watching Eric throw a toy for the dog to chase, and thought it was hilarious how Nick brought back the toy every time.  After the game was over, we peeked in the living room and caught Ty taking the toy from Nick and throwing it across the room.  The cutest part...when Nick didn't move, Ty waved his arm to say, "come on!" and show him where to go!  Now, it's become a regular event in the house. Whenever Nick starts chewing his toy, Ty pops out of nowhere, takes it from him, and throws it to start a game.  Sometimes Nick participates, sometimes he doesn't, but each and every time we laugh...it's a milestone that never gets old!

 

Here's a sneak peek at this milestone:  Playing Fetch With Nick

 

 

Then there's the game that Ty plays with me.  It's called, "1,2,3, Go!"  A few mini-skills have had to happen for this game to take place.  First, we are working on counting lately, which is where this game originated.  Not only are we working on counting, but Ty is working on holding up the correct number of fingers (which is pretty darn cute to watch on its own!).  Next, Ty started "running" recently (more like a very fast walk with a little pep in his step).  Finally, Ty's new word is "bop!" (stop!), which makes for a dramatic finish to the end of this game.  So this is how it's played.  Ty stands on one side of the room.  Together, we say "1, 2, 3, Go!" and his little legs take off in a trot across the room as he yells "Run! Run! Run! Run!"  When he reaches the other side, we say "Stop!"  And repeat.  It is the perfect game for running off excess amounts of energy!  What I love about this game though, is that my son is playing a game with me!  As simple as that milestone is, it's one that makes us smile every time!

 

Watch our game in action:  Run, run, run!

 

 

So as you see, milestones don't always appear on charts or graphs, or get reported in annual evaluations.  Sometimes the best milestones...the ones most worth celebrating...are those that are simply embedded in everyday life.

Life With Ty #19 - Grammy





Last night, Ty's Great-Grammy went to live with the angels.  Grammy was the only great-grandmother that Ty ever got to know, and oh, did she love her great-grandson!  

 

From the first time that she met him, Grammy always had high expectations for Ty, and knew that he would grow up just like any other child, Down Syndrome or not.  I remember going to visit one weekend, and Grammy told me she had been reading a book about Down Syndrome to learn more about Ty and what his life might entail.  One fact in particular, said that placing a toy that made noise at a child's feet, helps him to gain awareness of his legs and learn to use them more actively.  Sure enough, there was a musical toy just for that purpose waiting for him, and sure enough, he loved it!  It was so touching that someone who had grown up in a generation where Down Syndrome was hidden away, so wholeheartedly loved Ty and was willing to learn about DS, all for her great-grandson.

 



Grammy meeting Ty for the first time

 

Snuggling with Grammy

The last time we saw Grammy was over the summer when we stopped in for a surprise visit.  She was sitting in the courtyard outside, and was so happy to see Ty.  We watched as he ran laps around the courtyard, and was mesmerized by the nylon windsocks and pinwheels spinning in the gardens.  Grammy couldn't get over how well Ty was walking, and how curious he was about his surroundings.  As we left, Grammy gave us some money to buy a windsock for our garden from her, for Ty, which we picked out on our way home.  It was a really nice last day that we all spent together, and I'm so grateful that Ty got to play with Grammy that day. 

 

 

We are going to miss Grammy, and will be certain that Ty and Brady remember their great-grandmother as they grow up. 

 

We love you, Grammy!

Life With Ty #18 - Communication Part 2

I couldn't very well write that novel of a post yesterday on Ty's journey to learn to communicate, without sharing a video of his latest speaking skills!  It took me many attempts to get a small variety of his words on video, since the attention span of a toddler is non-existant!  But here he is, showing off the skills that he has worked so so hard to acquire!

Watch Here:  Talking With Ty

Life With Ty #17 - Communication

Communication has always been one of Ty's strengths, and one of his greatest challenges.  I've come to learn that speech and language is multi-faceted, and cannot simply be broken down into what a child knows and what a child can express.  In fact, receptive and expressive language are comprised of several sub-groups of skills, each of which makes up a piece of the whole speech and language puzzle.  It's pretty fascinating, actually. So for Ty, some of these pieces come very naturally, and some he really has to work hard to learn and master.   It's been quite a journey, and I am so incredibly proud of where Ty is today.

How can you not be proud of a kid this cute?!

At 7 months old, Ty was given his first gift that opened the doors to communication for him:  ear tubes!  Up to that point, Ty had persistent ear fluid, which caused mild-moderate hearing loss, depending on how much fluid was present.  In turn, he really did not have any distinguishable sounds though he was a very vocal baby.  Within a week of getting his "magic tubes" though, we heard the sound we (Eric, mostly!) had been dying to hear..."dadadadada!"  It was like Ty finally could hear what we were saying and realized, "Hey!  I can do that, too!"  By 10 months, he was calling Eric "dada" meaningfully, and would happily yell "dada!" when he came home from work.  At 11 months though, it was my turn!  I went to pick up Ty from daycare, and he happily said "mama!" and patted my cheek when he saw me.  Not to leave the dogs out, this was also the time when Ty began calling the dogs "da", so in just four short months since the surgery, he already had three word approximations.

We began the sign language journey at 12 months old.  Though we had been signing to Ty since he was an infant, this was the age when he realized our hand motions had meaning.  At first, he would copy our signs when we did them.  Over time, he started to use them on his own, and pretty soon had a small collection of words that he spoke with his hands to express his basic needs.  It was an amazing tool to supplement what he could say verbally, and also to avoid any frustration or miscommunication on his part.  Looking back, introducing sign language was probably the single most helpful thing we did to support Ty's speech and language development.

As his sign language picked up, so did his spoken language.  By 18 months, Ty could say 20+ words, and had even more signs in his repertoire.  However, this is where those subtle challenges began to present themselves.  Though Ty could say several words, we realized that most of them began with the same letter - b.  We also noticed that most of them ended with the same letter - s, or d.  So while he could say a lot, he was unable to branch out from the patterns that he was most comfortable using.  It was also around this time that we realized Ty's ear tubes were no longer functioning.  With his hearing-loss returning, he was undoubtedly not hearing sounds and words correctly, which was contributing to his inability to branch out and use words with different sounds and patterns.  To the credit of our amazing ENT who wastes no time, Ty got his second set of ear tubes immediately, and we were able to continue on our speech and language journey again. 

At 20 months, we met Ty's current speech therapist, Emily, who has been an amazing member of our team.  When Ty began therapy with Emily, he was still very much stuck in the pattern of saying words that began with "b",  and was not imitating very many sounds or words outside of the ones he already said.  Speech therapy started out slowly.  In those first few months, she focused largely on getting Ty to use signs (or the words he knew) to request something.  In a matter of a month or two, Ty went from having 30-50 signs to 150+ signs in his vocabulary.  Somehow, Emily flipped the switch that allowed Ty to realized that everything had a corresponding word or sign.  Of course, up to that point he knew that certain things in his world had words or signs - eat, drink, bath, book, dog, etc.  He understood those ones as they pertained to his life.  But Emily pushed him further and helped him realize that everything...even things that he has never seen before...have names.  This crucial step in language development led to the typical toddler game of "what's that?!"  In those couple of months Ty frantically played catch up and picked up at least one new sign every day...if not more.  He would point to something, I would show him the sign, and he could use it independently from that point.  It no longer took repetition or practice to learn signs...he just absorbed them like a sponge!  I would say that was the most important turning point in Ty's language development to this day!

Once that lightbulb went off, Ty's speech and language progress just exploded.  He started to use "touch cues"...signs done against the face to remind a child to make a particular sound, and expanded the amount of consonant and vowel sounds he was able to make.  He started repeating words when he heard them, which really expanded his spoken vocabulary.  Week after week, he happily walks his little self into the speech room and sits in his chair to repeat words, practice saying words with certain syllable patterns, and practice saying new letter sounds.  It's such difficult work for him, but he does it with a smile, and always walks into the waiting room to greet me with a smile after his session.  He loves it. 

Today, Ty still mainly uses sign language to speak.  BUT, very slowly, he is replacing those signs with actual spoken words.  Just recently he began saying the word "eat" to tell me he's hungry, rather than signing "eat".  The best part is, he says "eat" (or "et" as he says it) with the biggest smile on his face, like he knows what an achievement it is that he made that transition to the spoken word!  He's also began to use prepositions to describe the world around him, which shows good comprehension of his surroundings, but also an expanded and more sophisticated vocabulary!  For example, when he wants to get out of the playroom and roam the house he says "out"!  Or when he wants to turn a toy on he'll say "on".  And when I dress him in a zip-up sweatshirt, which he has recently learned how to unzip and take off, he'll proudly announce "off!" as he unzips it and strips down to his undershirt.  Stinker!  He probably has around 30 words in his spoken vocabulary now, which are mostly understandable, and start and end with a variety of letter sounds (the greatest achievement!!!).  He has even begun to speak 2 word phrases in therapy, which is HUGE!  The best part is, I know how hard he has worked for every single one of those words, and pride just shows all over his face when he speaks a word and is understood by someone else. 

Though it has been a challenging road to travel with Ty, speech and language is by far my favorite to see progress, and is so rewarding.  Several times a day, Ty picks up his phone (a fake one!), walks around the house with the phone to his ear, carrying on a conversation that he finds hilarious.  When I ask him who he is talking to he always has someone different on the other end...sometimes it's his aunt ("aut" as he calls her), sometimes it's his grandmother "lala", and sometimes it's his other grandmother and grandfather "nana and papa" (he always lists them as a pair!).  He most definitely has an imaginary conversation going on, and I look forward to the day when I can distingish more than a word or two in that imaginary play!  (He's a pretty funny kid...I'm sure he's got some good scenarios happening!)  For now, I'll take the new words that I hear, and appreciate every milestone in this journey, no matter how small.  Little boys who work this hard deserve BIG celebration! :)

Life With Ty #16 - Ty or Brady?

Let's play a little game...it's called "Ty or Brady?"  Ready, set, go!

 

 

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Okay, they don't totally look alike, especially in those last pictures...there are definite differences in their features, but there is no doubting that these boys are brothers!  Before Brady was born, we really wondered what he would look like, and how much he would resemble Ty.  Honestly, when your first child has Down Syndrome, there's always a part of you that wonders which features are inherited and which features are influenced by the 21st chromosome...at least that was something we had always wondered!  As soon as Brady was born though, we instantly saw the resemblance...and I'm pretty sure Eric and I referred to Brady as "Ty" on more than one occasion!  While there are subtle differences in their eyes and noses, I can honestly say that they look very much alike, Down Syndrome or not.  (And they both look very much like their daddy...he must have some very strong genes!)  Such handsome little guys! 

Life With Ty #15 - Gym Class

This past summer, we made the decision to stop physical therapy for a while and try something new.  For Ty, gross motor skills come verryyyy slowly, and we came to the realization that in 6 months, our physical therapy sessions hadn't changed at all.  We were still doing the same exercies to help him build quad strength in his legs, so he would stop locking his knees when he was standing.  It was monotonous, and Ty was no longer getting anything out of it.  So, we discovered gym class, and it was the best therapy decision we had made for Ty in a long time!

Gym class is a blast for Ty.  He is enrolled in the two-year old program, which involves three circle times, a group game, specific targeted gymnastics skills each week, and free open-gym time.  It is such a great balance between structured activities, and free exploration, which is excellent practice for preschool.  Class begins with a group circle-time, where the kids warm up their muscles, do a song and dance, and practice a certain skill, such as forward rolls.  Over time, Ty has started to participate much more in this part of class, and particularly loves the group dance...no surprise there!

 

After circle time, the kids are free to explore the gym and practice the skill of the week.  There are structures for climbing, swings, slides, hanging bars, mats, tunnels, ladders, climbing walls...you name it, they have it!  The first time I saw Ty during open gym time, I knew we made the right decision to stop formal physical therapy.  In that 45 minute block, I saw him do more gross-motor work than he had done in physical therapy in 6 months.  He worked every muscle in his body, and tried new things that I could not have bribed him into doing in a million years.  It was truly amazing.  Tell me this is not an excellent workout!

 



                                        

After a second circle time where the kids practice cognitive skills and play a group game, comes my personal favorite part of class: separation time.  The teachers gather all of the kids in the circle with a bunch of toys, while the parents sit on the sidelines and encourage their children to play independently.  First of all, this 10-minute break is sometimes the only break I get all day, so I savor every second!!!  Really though, it gives me a chance to see Ty as "one of the kids"...playing with his same-aged peers all on his own.  And you know what?  He is truly just like any other two year old.  He plays with the toys in ways appropriate to a two year old, approaches other children, interacts with the teachers, and helps to clean up at the end.  This past weekend, he sat next to a little boy who he had played with in open-gym as well, and laughed as they played songs on the drums together.  It was a sweet moment for me to sit back and observe. 

Gym class wraps up with a final circle time that includes a little story/puppet show and song.  Ty is usually pretty worn out by this point in the class, but it's a nice transition! 

I am so thankful for gym class and the opportunities that it provides for Ty to be like any other two year old.  It's his time where he is free of therapies, and can just be a kid.  Saturday mornings are a blast!