World Down Syndrome Day 2011

3-21-2011 
For 3 copies of the 21st chromosome, unique to Down syndrome. In my opinion, creating some of the cutest of the cute out there. Don’t miss the video below.

World Down Syndrome Day.

Take the chance to tell someone a wonderful thing about someone you know with DS. Or share with someone how your views have changed now that you know and love someone with DS.  If Braska is the only person with DS that you know, be sure to brag on her a bit today. I don’t mind at all!  Feel free to link to the recent post about how far she has come since her heart surgery 4 years ago.

Today, make a decision to be intentional about making others aware that a diagnosis of DS does not have to be met with utter despair, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence, and it is not a reason to take an unborn child’s life.

Just tell someone. 

The IDSC for Life has put together a really nice video of some of our little beauties… I have my favorite in there, and a few who follow close behind her.  Maybe posting a link to this in your Facebook status or on your blog or Twitter would be a great awareness opportunity.

Stringing letters [Down syndrome, fine motor skills, OT]

My teachers at school are just the best. I like all of them so much. And it’s so much fun to see what new things we’re going to do everyday.

Miss J had a fun new thing for me to try a few weeks ago.  They are LETTERS! My favorite thing in the world!  Miss J helps me learn how to use my hands better and make them stronger, which is really hard for me.  But these fun new letters are so great I don’t even mind doing them for practice.

Then the coolest thing happened…. I got home and there were MORE letter beads, just like my ones at school!  It was like magic! Somebody special loves me a whole lot, I think!


KiKi plays with them too, but they are my special toy to practice with.  The first day we had them at home, Mommy let me play with them some after KiKi went to nap.    Here’s a little movie for you to see…  check out my skills!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mommy note:   Neat things to note in this clip…
~~Fine motor is a VERY difficult thing for Braska.  She has only been in regular fine motor focused therapy for about a year, because prior to that most of her OT time was focused on feeding.  It is one of the areas that she shows the most delay. But we’re not bothered by that.  She’s doing great! She now has two OTs at school (the best two, in my opinion!), one for feeding and one for fine motor. (They are a GREAT team and overlap a lot in each area.)
~~ Suddenly every letter was her “fav’rit”. As in, “Oh, the letter U, my fav’rit!”
~~Most of the letters you will hear her say “makes the ___ sound.”  This is something we’re working on, mostly because Kinlee is obsessed with what everything starts with and what sound all the letters make.
~~You’ll notice phrases “I better go get it” and “I do it again” and others.