Mini Me

*We've all been a bit under the weather here sorry for the lack of posts lately.*

As I was looking through some old pictures I realized that I have a mini me...yeah, I know everybody thinks he looks just like his Daddy but he really is MY mini me.


I present to you the evidence:

He's a multi-tasker

He loves to nap on the beach.

He's a messy eater

but he cleans up as well as he can.

He may not understand all the ins and outs of Alabama football but he's a fan.

See? Mini Me!

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Wordless/Full and Special Exposure Wednesday--Family Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving, we get together with as many of David's five brothers and sisters as possible. The celebration size waxes and wanes depending on how many of the nieces and nephews are able to make it too. It's always a large gathering and as you can see, everybody breaks out the cameras and the hugs.

We always take over David's youngest brother Rob's house. He has a great floor plan to squeeze in lots of people. I love our family and I love seeing them all together. It's a good thing because there are people everywhere!

This year, Jeanie and Grandma sported matching casts.

It was thrilling to see Jack right in the thick of everything this year. He did not stand to the side and watch. He jumped right in with all the other kids.

There was tooty tot singing and dancing.......

and we all piled on the trampoline. I'm pretty sure we had to have reached maximum capacity and we did not even have all the kids on there.

Jeanie couldn't jump on the trampoline but she was a great sport and took her baby cousin for a ride.

So many cute little girls in one family!!! (and those are just the ones that made it to Thanksgiving)

There was little time for contemplative reflection

but lots of time for silly happiness

and playing

and sisterly love.

I think Jack's face pretty well sums it up!

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

Don't forget to check out this week's installment of Life is Therapy.

Sometimes It Takes a Daddy

Jack and I go to the park alot. He loves to be outside and around other kids. I like the fresh air. But there are some things that Jack just won't ever get on when we're at the park. I've tried to show him how much fun the different equipment can be but he balks at the idea and heads toward more familiar ground.

David is usually at work when we are at the park but every now and then he gets to join us too. And look what happened....

Maybe this bouncy thing is not so terrible.

Yeah, no big deal. I can totally do this!

I'm holding tight!

Faster, Daddy, Faster!

Watch this!

For the readers, Mama, I know you're gonna blog this!

And here's something we never get when we are at the park without David (Daddy), a picture of Mama and wee little babe (hey, he's always my baby!)

Hope you enjoyed our evening at the park!

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.

Life Challenged Me

Sometimes life really challenges what you believe. A good faceful of life can hurt A LOT. But it also makes you think really hard about what you truly believe deep in your heart.

I recently re-iterated how we feel about the genuine curiosity and sometimes embarrassing (for their parents)comments and questions of other children when meeting Jack for the first time. I told here and in my guest post how we explain Apert syndrome to other children.

Recently, we spent a few days surrounded by lots and lots of people we don't know. Those are the times when we get the most curiosity (obviously). We had the full spectrum of reactions.

Some kids did not even seem to register Jack's obvious differences. They just played on alongside and with Jack. Some kids asked a couple of questions and then resumed playing alongside and with Jack.

Then there were just a few kids who would not get anywhere near Jack even after I tried to introduce them.

And, heartbreakingly, there were the kids that (there's just no other way to say this) were mean and hateful. The mean kids called Jack a monster and told other kids not to play with him and to run from him.

I'm not gonna lie. It hurt. It hurt real bad. I did not react well. I withdrew inward. I could not react for fear of the pain inside me jumping out and injuring those little people. And it was killing me that the mean kids were influencing the other kids. I had already tried to introduce Jack to the mean kids but they just were not going to be friendly.

It was just a shock to my system and I did not have a plan to guide me. Though I wish I could believe this would not happen again, the truth is that all kids get picked on for something sometime. Next time, I will remind the child that he is being mean (if you call someone a monster, you know you are being mean) and ask him to stop and again try to introduce Jack. If that does not work, I will ask him to take me to his parent to discuss his behavior.

I wanted to believe that Jack did not hear them but I'm sure that he did. He asked to leave although he'd been having fun and he started clinging to me. We have had a brief talk with him about how some people are mean but that is a reflection on that person and what they are going through, not a reflection of Jack.

I cried a lot and thought a lot and prayed a lot and sought out the comfort of people who genuinely and unabashedly love Jack. Being surrounded by people who love him was all Jack needed. He popped out of the shell he was about to crawl into and enjoyed the loving attention.

But what makes the difference? Why do some kids play with Jack and why are some kids mean? Can I really continue to believe in the inherent goodness of children or do I need to start being suspect of every second glance Jack gets?

After a whole lot of prayer, thinking, and discussing with my other half, I think it's the parents. If the children's parents are not comfortable with Jack and are too busy processing their own thoughts about Jack then they cannot help their children to feel comfortable. They will not encourage their children to play with him if they cannot get past his differences and see him as a child just like their child(ren).

Some people live their entire lives surrounded by people that look and act just like them. When they encounter people who are a different color or speak a different language or have a different culture or use adaptive equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, ventilators, etc.) or have a craniofacial disorder they absolutely don't know how to react. Often, lack of knowledge results in fear. It is sad but true.

So what can I do? How can I show these people that different is neither bad nor scary?

Well, one thing we can continue to do that we do already is to get out there into the world. I truly believe that it does help for people to see Jack being the adorable little kid he is.

I started this blog as a way to keep friends and family easily updated without overloading their email servers. Fortunately, other people have found our life interesting and we've spread a bit of awareness that way.

Fellow bloggers like Jamie at Alabama Bloggers, 5 Minutes for Parenting, 5 Minutes for Mom, and Jennifer have highlighted this blog and helped me to spread awareness. And my bloggy friend Melissa has offered me a guest post on her blog as well. [Promise to get that done soon!] Thank you all so much for being interested in us and for helping us to show others that, although our life is a little different, we are a family living out our lives like so many other families living out their lives.

We will continue to get out in the world and I will continue to blog but I'm also going to have to step out of my comfort zone. I find it so easy to talk to little kids and to write about how I think and feel but in the live presence of other adults I can be quite shy (friends and family please do not overload the comments with proof that I am not shy--I know all of you! *smiles*). I can connect with most kids and usually use that as my opening to connect with the parents. Obviously, that's not always a winning formula. So [deep breath], while we are out there in the big wide world I'll start stepping up and introducing myself and Jack a little more often.

Don't forget to check out the latest Life is Therapy post.

Just a Quick Thank You

I just wanted to say, "Thank you!" to the wonderful people who help to shape my perception of the world as a world of possibility and hope, a world of compassion and love. I cannot tell you how very much you've meant to me just today.

My bloggy friend Jennifer of Dust Bunny Hostage is one of those people. She has graciously put up a guest post from yours truly hoping to spread awareness and help me out with supporting Apert International. Please stop by and leave a comment with some bloggy love! :)

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.

I can't leave you without a picture of the cutie tonight. Here's an oldie but a goodie. This was the afternoon that Jack first got his glasses back in August of 2006 when he was barely a year old.

Word(less/ful) and Special Exposure Wednesday--Isaiah's Visit

Almost a month ago, our little friend Isaiah

had to go to Dallas for surgery. Isaiah's parents are such easy going folks and Isaiah is an extremely happy little guy. They actually drive to Dallas from their home in Atlanta. They were nice enough to stop by
Sidney's

house so we could all visit for a bit.

Jack was apparently feeling a bit tired.

Hey guys, Jack is down!

Come on, buddy, get up!

Jaaaack, we want to play with you!

Big boy Jack finally got up and obliged the "little ones". First, Jack took Sophie for a spin on the plasma car.

They had so much fun that Isaiah and I decided to give it a try!

Finally, Isaiah got in some final stretching before hitting the road again.

We're happy to report that Isaiah has recovered well and is already showing some new developments since his surgery.

Click for more Wordless Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday posts.

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.

Life is Therapy--Sometimes You Have to Stop & Reflect on Where You've Been

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Last week, we talked about entering your child's world. I showed a video of me trying to direct Jack's play with complete disregard for what he was doing at the moment. He ignored me. Then I decided to sing about what he was doing and we enjoyed a short interaction. You can see that post here.

That was the original beginning of this blog post and I was going to go into more detail about matching your child but I'm going to save that for next week now. This post is late getting out. Jack's been home sick from school and I have had a very busy couple of days at work. Jack seems to be getting over his pink eye and ear infection very quickly but tonight has been a rough one so far. He has thrown up into his mask already and I've already had to clean out his mask again because he's had so many secretions. Nights like these it's easy to get a little down.

But that's when I think back to days like these. Looking back, I don't know how any of us made it through that very trying period with so little restful sleep.

And I remember the gratefulness I felt in this post. Back then I was excited to see him carry little plastic balls in his hands. These days he walks around everywhere with a big green basketball.

Tonight he told me "Jack shoes off in house. Go away." because he did not want to wear the house shoes that I was trying to get on him.

When I came home today, I said, "Ah, I missed you." and Jack said "I miss you!" How very sweet. He is blossoming before my eyes.

Yes, some nights are a little rough but overall Jack is developing by leaps and bounds.

So, on those days, when you find yourself wondering if your kiddo will ever learn anything you are trying to teach him/her, take a step back and look at where you've been. It's very therapeutic for moms and dads. Life is Therapy for us too!

Other Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
Introductory Post
Prepositions at the Park
Rainy Days
Getting Your Child's Attention

Feel free to share your thoughts. How do you perk yourself up on those tough days?

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

Life is Therapy

I am starting my first ever blog series. I hope that it will be informative, encouraging, helpful, and fun.

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

The other piece to this puzzle is that just about everything can be therapy of one kind or another. Jumping in a pile of leaves? Sensory therapy (crunch of the leaves, feeling of fall after the jump), emotional therapy (joyful exuberance), play therapy (work out some pent up energy), social therapy (turn-taking as you wait for your chance to jump in the pile), physical therapy (gross motor skills required in jumping), vision therapy (identifying the pile), kinesthetic therapy (using combined senses to know when to jump), speech therapy (talking about the leaves, saying boom or crunch), and occupational therapy (picking up leaves). Get the picture?

Here's some more examples. Back in this post, I joked that Jack was getting blue speech therapy by sucking an icee through a straw. Well, it actually is speech therapy. Sucking through a straw works the muscles required for speech and sucking up an icee requires the recruitment of more muscles than say water. This post was an example of how swinging can be used for speech therapy. Of course, swinging is also sensory therapy. Riding a tricycle is physical therapy. Every bite of every meal or snack can be vision therapy and fine motor therapy and sensory therapy as the child finds, touches, and tastes their food. Get the picture?

This series is not just for children with special needs either. Parents of children with typical needs don't really call it therapy when their children practice their skills such as potty training but it's basically all therapy. We're all trying to help our children to develop skills to help them have the best lives they possibly can.

This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.

After that long-winded introduction, here is therapy at breakfast starring Jack!


***More Life is Therapy:
Prepositions at the Park
Rainy Days

Babies Love Watching Other Babies

Here's Jack watching the "Laughing Baby" video from Youtube. Click on the little laughing baby pic at the top and you can watch it too.