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Post by kellyds on Sept 28, 2005 11:00:47 GMT -5
Welcome. Sounds like you have a lovely family. We only have six so far. How old is Andrew?
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Post by kellyds on Sept 11, 2005 0:14:43 GMT -5
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Post by kellyds on Jan 24, 2007 19:24:51 GMT -5
Joshua is still on the breast, but when I give him other things to drink, he uses a straw. I started him on all different sizes and shapes of straws when he was about nine months old. It made sense to me, because they utilize straws for speech therapy. He's now an expert straw sipper. I have to hold the straw or glass for him, though. He'll be two next month.
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Post by kellyds on Aug 13, 2005 17:46:42 GMT -5
I belong to a Yahoo group of people who are all interested in adopting a child with Down syndrome. Yes, it is very common. We aren't necessarily finished having biological children (except that we're so ancient it might never happen again ), but we're still getting a home study done so we'll be ready to adopt when the right child becomes available. There's a waiting list of people who want these kids.
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Post by kellyds on Aug 6, 2005 10:10:22 GMT -5
Our first four children were all named after two relatives (one for the first name and one for the middle). So, their names are a little boring. We ran out of relatives, so the latest two have names that are meaningful in other ways. When we realized Joshua had Down syndrome, we considered giving him "Courage" as a middle name, but ultimately decided to go with the name we had planned on all along. I can remember their weights, but would have to look up the lengths. James Donald 8# 9oz. Julia Beth 7# 1/4 oz. David Douglas 7# 8 oz. Carolyn Lucille 6# 11 oz. Faith Diane 7# 2 oz. Joshua Christian 6# 13 oz.
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Post by kellyds on Jul 24, 2005 20:29:22 GMT -5
I know the fear, and I'll be thinking about you. Our little Joshua had VSD surgery last month, at 3 1/2 months old. He's doing beautifully. Here are some pictures in case you think it might help to see post-surgery tubes, etc., before your little guy goes through it. Some are fairly graphic, so don't click if you will be bothered. share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANGTRkybuWrQjg
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For Bob
Jul 15, 2005 22:35:09 GMT -5
Post by kellyds on Jul 15, 2005 22:35:09 GMT -5
The statistics that say 70-90% of people with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome will abort are a little misleading. That doesn't take into account the many, many of us who choose to have no prenatal testing. OF COURSE a large percentage of those with a prenatal diagnosis will abort. Those who know they would NEVER abort don't end up with a prenatal diagnosis, because they don't get tested. For the record, although I'm 45, we could still have another baby and we know there'd be a high chance of the child having Down syndrome. Wouldn't bother me a bit. Now, the heart and other health issues . . . THOSE are the worrisome things to me.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 15, 2005 22:22:34 GMT -5
If you want your kids to make gifts for their dad, here's a cool site with some stuff to print off: www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/dad/(I like Bob's idea best. )
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Post by kellyds on Jun 11, 2005 18:47:56 GMT -5
Hi, Paul. I remember when your sister posted awhile back. She said you would be around pretty soon. I found your picture online. You have met Chris Burke! How neat! You have a terrific smile, by the way. www.screenplayers.net/seeingthelight.htmlNice to have you here.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 11, 2005 10:37:47 GMT -5
I think we might have headed off the insensitive remarks before they were made by being so positive about the situation ourselves. Although we didn't know Joshua had DS before he was born, my husband and I had discussed how we would handle the birth of a child with Down syndrome, since we are both 45. The day after Joshua's birth, I whipped together a very positive webpage, showing pictures of him with us and his siblings. I emailed it to everyone we knew, even casually. The congratulations came pouring in. Joshua turns four months old today, and we have received nothing but oohs and ahs (and lots of gifts!). If anything, people tend to go a little overboard in exclaiming how CUTE he is and how blessed we are. ;D Here's Joshua's webpage, if you are interested. www.babiesonline.com/babies/d/davenkelly/Wishing you much success with your studies.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 10, 2005 11:51:53 GMT -5
Hi, Liz. My little Joshua was born twelve days before your daughter.
My oldest child has the same birthday as your daughter (Feb. 24), only 21 years earlier! ;D
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Post by kellyds on Jun 10, 2005 11:53:28 GMT -5
What a handsome guy. That looks like fun!
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Post by kellyds on Jun 12, 2005 13:08:46 GMT -5
I have a friend who uses a Magna-Doodle instead of the Stamp n See Screen to teach HWT to her 15-year-old son with DS. The Magna-Doodle is larger than HWT's Stamp n See Screen. Mat Man is terrific for someone whose fine motor skills aren't yet developed enough to really write. The "mat" looks like a computer mouse pad, turned portrait-style, with a happy face in the upper, left-hand corner. All HWT capital letters are made with big lines, little lines, big curves, and little curves. You can buy a set of wooden lines and curves and use the mat to form letters without actually having to write them. "Mat Man" is how you introduce the mat to your child. You use the mat as Mat Man's body and use the wooden lines and curves to make arms, legs, head, etc. The HWT slate has the little happy face at the upper, left-hand corner, too. So do the spaces for the child to write letters in the workbook. Almost all the letters start at that happy face, which really helps to learn how to form them. I did get a hint from the teacher's manual regarding teaching a child to hold a pencil correctly. She says to start them out with crumbled bits of crayon instead of a pencil. A child will try to hold a pencil in his fist. He can't do that with a teeny bit of crayon. He HAS to hold the crayon between his fingers, the way you're supposed to hold a pencil, so the correct "hold" is learned and practiced from the beginning.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 9, 2005 19:46:54 GMT -5
We home school. I've used HWT for all five of our older children, and I will use it for Joshua, too. It's inexpensive enough to try, even if you aren't sure you'll like it. You don't need the teacher's manuals. Really, the info on the page that's provided for the child is sufficient. This starts at about age four. I would probably start her in Get Set For School. I'd get the student workbook and the slate. My 3-year-old is also enjoying the Stamp 'n See Screen, which is nice for more tactile learners. There are lots of other "helps" for sale on the site, but you don't NEED any of them. I've found the workbook and slate to be sufficient. Have you seen the website? It's www.hwtears.com/ . Let me know if you have any other questions. I love-love-love this program! (Some people don't like the way the cursive looks, but it's EASY to learn and very legible, which is the important thing to me.)
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Post by kellyds on Jun 7, 2005 20:23:52 GMT -5
Beautiful, beautiful . . . and, yes, VERY feminine!
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