Summer Nights

The beach, we love the beach! This is usually something the kids and I do together, Daddy's at work, not to mention Blair and the sun don't have a very good relationship. This particular Summer has been especially warm, and being VERY pregnant along with having three munchkins in tow has proposed to be quite a challenge for me. We haven't been to the beach nearly as often as I would like.

We came up with a solution...going to the beach in the evening. It works for everyone! It isn't nearly as HOT, which makes the pregnant Mommy happy. The sun is resting which is kinder to my husbands skin. And I have a lot of help from my amazing husband with the kiddos. We relax, the kids play, and Blair has the opportunity to take tons of pictures! Not to mention everyone comes home exhausted and sleeps through the night! (except me, frequent urination and heartburn, love it, only 5 more weeks to go!)

Kaitlyn loves the sand, no texture issues here!

I was wondering how long she could go without eating it!

She made it quite awhile, and then in the mouth it went...mmmm!

The boys have a blast!

We are still sweeping up sand!

Kaitlyn required 2 baths to rid the sand from her girly parts, my goodness!

Happy Summer!

All About Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn has been busy meeting many BIG milestones. We are so proud of her. In a two week time frame she mastered ALL her new 6 month goals in OT and PT. Her biggest delay at the moment is speech. We constantly work on language stimulation, strengthening her mouth muscles and imitating her noises but she just doesn't have much to say. To be honest I'm not very concerned. She has made huge strides with her gross and fine motor skills. How much can the girl do at one time?! We are continuously monitoring Kaitlyn's ears. She has some fluid but continues to pass all her hearing tests. Regardless her hearing is muffled and they are worried that is contributing to her lack of speech. If the fluid stays tubes are in her future. Below are some SUPER cute pictures of Kaitlyn making funny faces. These faces are quite new and very exciting for us. She's moving her mouth and blowing bubbles which is a start in the right direction speech wise.

Some of Kaitlyn's Many Funny Faces

Kaitlyn forming the "ooooh" sound!

Her pouty lip!

So pretty!

And her biggest milestone.........

Sitting independently!!! Huge Milestone!

Her other BIG milestone.........

Getting up on all fours!

Yea Kaitlyn!

She is so proud of herself!

And to sweeten your day, a big smile from the princess!

Hope you have a GREAT day!

For The Big Guy (aka Grandpa S)

Sure wish we could all be together on days like today!

You were greatly missed and thought of often!

You are a special person from the inside out!

And at the TOP of 3 little munchkins special person list!

We love you so much and appreciate all that you do!

Hope you enjoyed your day, and we can not wait until we get to see you again!

so without further ado.........

HAPPY GRANDPA'S DAY!

WE LOVE YOU BIG GUY!

~Jenee, Brady, Bryce, & Kaitlyn

Making your own honey bear cup!

I've been saying for awhile that I need to order Kaitlyn a Honey Bear cup with straw. So while researching today I came across a website on how to make your own....hmmmm! I might have to try this!

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Learning to drink from a straw or hold your own cup can be really difficult for some kids.

Add to this the tendency of a lot of kids (like mine!) to chew on anything that hits their teeth and you'll be frustratingly going through straws like there's no tomorrow!

So we've come up with a solution that's simple, inexpensive, and easy to replicate. You can make a whole collection of these sippy cups and have a couple at home, at school, at grandma's house, in the car... you get the picture.

This is an easy project that will take you only minutes. Actually, once you have the items you need to make the cup, it should only take you about two seconds. Here's the simple how-to...



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What You'll Need:

•12oz honey bear container
•scissors
•nail file
•aquarium tubing (available at pet stores)


Making Your Sippy Cup

1.Clean your honey bear and remove cap with scissors.


2.After cutting off the cap the edges may be a little sharp. Use the nail file to soften these edges.


3.Cut a piece of aquarium tubing to fit into the hole in the lid. Insert tubing and you're done!


The aquarium tubing is made of medical-grade plastic and is safe for food consumption, although you may want to avoid microwaving it or sticking it in the dishwasher. It's tough, though, so your child can chew and chew as much as they want without bending or breaking the tube.
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*Warning: It was brought to my attention that the aquarium tubing is unsafe. Look into it and make your own discission. This is what I was told:

Please be careful about the aquarium tubing--it just isn't safe, especially for kids chewing on it. It has that chemical in it--BPA which is really bad for humans.
You can buy food grade tubing from Talktools--it's pretty cheap, though there is shipping cost.
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The honey bear is small, isn't too heavy, and has a nice shape that contours to little hands. Ivan finds it much easier to hold on to than a traditional children's cup.

Of course the whole cup and straw combo will only last so long. After a few months of use both the straw and honey bear will begin to look worn. But it's so easy to replace! Just make sure you buy all your honey in bear containers from now on!

Please Save The Date.....

Please Join Us for the 2010 Buddy Walk

Date: Sat., Sept. 25, 2010

Time: 10:30 am-Noon

Location: Millennium Park

Address: 1415 Maynard Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI

Wow, I can't believe it is almost that time already. Last year we were new to the Buddy Walk, but this year, since we know what it’s all about, we are hoping many friends and family can join team “Kaitlyn’s Korner” and walk with us. Hopefully we can raise a little money too. It is an amazing event to support the Down syndrome community of West Michigan and honor our princess Kaitlyn. She’s had an amazing first year and is our hero. Please save the date and come out and walk with us and join our team, we're in "Kaitlyn's Korner.”

It is guaranteed to be a special time of friends, family, and community. Not to mention our newest addition will have arrived and we can always use an extra person to snuggle one of our babies or push a stroller!!! I will get more information out regarding details, T-shirts, and if you’re able, fundraising, if you’re not that is fine, we would just be honored to have you spend the morning with us!! Thanks for saving the date, Blair & Jenee!

Some Thoughts....

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, making internal changes, becoming more vocal when I’m bothered by something, and when it’s all said and done I hope the end result is that I’m becoming a better person. This has been an ongoing process for me for sometime now but really has seemed to evolve around the time of the Down syndrome diagnosis for Kaitlyn.

I hope this post doesn’t turn into a huge rant. I’m not even sure of the end result of what I am going to say, I just know I have some thoughts to get off my chest, I mean, share.

A couple weeks ago a particular episode aired from the ABC TV show, What would you do? I took special interest in this specific episode because it dealt with individuals in a public setting being rude to individuals with Down syndrome, the whole time camera’s are rolling catching the reaction of others witnessing this horrible behavior. I won’t go into detail, watch the clip if you’d like, but to say the least my reaction to the show was completely devastating. It hit me on a personal level for obvious reasons, but ultimately it has me thinking about society as a whole…friends, family, strangers…everyone…and the lack of tact people have and their inability to think before they speak regarding all issues, public and private.

I’ve dealt with a few “comments” over the past weeks, months, and years. Some personal to me and others not, but all inconsiderate. Please, think before you speak. If I’ve learned anything it is that you have absolutely NO idea regarding a persons personal situation, even if you’re a close friend or family member and you think you have the right to speak, please proceed with caution, and think with your heart before you talk.

Here comes the rant:

• Don’t ask a young couple over and over when they are going to start a family. Maybe they have been trying for awhile now and have been dealing with miscarriages and infertility.
  
• Don’t question a Mother’s personal support system and question her inability to find a babysitter for her kids. For all you know they might have a child with special needs at home who they won’t leave with just anyone, and maybe, they normally do have some extra help but Grandma is battling cancer and fighting for her life at the moment and isn’t available to help out right now. (Grrrr to you doctors office receptionist)
  
• Don’t talk about politics with just anyone. Not everyone shares your views and that’s alright. Stop being so rude and personally attacking a persons beliefs just because they don’t share the same as you. Bite your tongue. How silly is it to have politics cause division in a family. Really.
  
• Be careful what you say about large families, maybe they wanted it that way, or maybe they trust that even though it was not their plan they trust that God’s plan is much greater then any they could have planned for themselves. (Hello, God gave me Kaitlyn, Ds and all, as well as surprise bundle #4, not my plan, but I trust His is MUCH greater, and wouldn’t change a thing)
  
• Do not stick your nose in a couple’s very personal decisions. And do not make comments trying to sway their decisions. They are intelligent individuals with a strong marriage. They will make the right choice without you butting in pushing your views.
  
• And last but not least, I know I have spoke of the “R” word and the pain it causes and I thank anyone who has stopped using that word. But today I ask you to stop saying all hurtful slang terms that our society has deemed acceptable. Look past the special needs community into all other “special” community’s of people (Gay/Lesbian community, the Little People community, etc.). There are slang hurtful terms for all types of people. The English language is so large, surely you can think of another word to use.
  

So there you have it, some of my thoughts! Stick up for people when it is the right thing to do, and bite your tongue when needed. I’m sure I’ll read this tomorrow morning and wonder what was I thinking, but tonight I post it…………

Our Vacation In Pictures

This past weekend we took a vacation way North to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, Michigan. This has become an almost annual trip that we take over Memorial Day weekend each year. We absolutely LOVE it up there. It is beautiful, relaxing, and the boys look forward to going like most kids get excited about Disney World. Boy do we have them fooled!

My 3 boys. Pure love. In 8 weeks it will be 4 boys. Holy smokes, we really need to decide on a name!

I had a few people ask, "What do you do up there, other than visiting the island?" There is so much to do. You can spend as little or as much money as you want. It is full of history, beauty, and small town charm. The first day we spent swimming, visiting the water park attached to our hotel and ended up in the quaint shopping district in the middle of Mackinaw City. Each evening they have musicians playing in a small arena in the center of town, the boys danced, Kaitlyn played in the grass, and we had a lot of ice cream.

The picture above and below is of Fort MichiliMackinaw located in Mackinaw City. It has tons of history, demonstrations, reenactment's, and a really cool little park for the kids to play at. While visiting the blacksmith in the middle of the little village in the fort Brady was given a piece of flintstone which was used back in the day to create a spark and lite the muzzle loaders and canons. It has become his most treasured item. Such a silly little boy!

The next two pictures were taken on Mackinac Island. It is so beautiful there. We lucked out this year, the lilacs were in full bloom a couple weeks early. It smelled so good. On the island there are not any motorized vehicles, the whole island gets around by horse drawn carriage or bike. Its really neat. We spent our second day there. Last year we biked the island but not this year. We have to many munchkins to pull in a cart and they didn't have bikes with training wheels. Maybe next year!

Here are a couple pictures of the Mackinaw Bridge. I think Blair took a couple hundred pictures of the bridge. These are two of my favorites.

Below are some pictures of the little water park and pool. The kids loved it. Even the large pregnant women went swimming, somethings you just do for your kids. This was Kaitlyn's first time in a pool, she loved it. Maybe its a coincidence but this week since being back she has really enjoyed her baths even more, splashing and playing in the water.

Poor Kaitlyn was in a boy's floatation device. Sorry sweet pea, the boys were here first!

Our neighbors also ventured up north the same weekend. We met up during the Memorial Day parade. These kids have known each other since birth. It was a lot of fun!

I love this next picture! Her eyes are getting so blue!

I know I'm bias, but these are some cute little munchkins!

Bryce (above), Brady (below)

Happy Memorial Day!