Troisième

When I was younger and unmarried and childless, I had a lot of opinions about things.

I still do, but things change. Some remain the same. Others evolve.

I used to feel very strongly about the "no kid parties" thing. I've seen things done over the years that just left a bad taste in my mouth. Plus, who needs that kind of stress?

So, yeah. I was all, "Not on my watch!"

Until one day. A day that cake started sounding really good to me and I remembered that this lady at work makes reaallly good cakes. Cake. That's easy enough.

Until the cake lady asked me what the theme would be.

Theme?

Crap.

And then I needed people to help us eat that cake I ordered, since it now had a theme and themed cakes need to be eaten. And how would I entertain those people? That's what people do at parties, right? Entertain the guests? They'd need food, too, right? What about balloons and bubbles? Yes, we must have balloons and bubbles. And really cute tableware from the display at Marshall's. Along with about a zillion other little things that all of a sudden became necessary.

Like 3 gallon jugs of margaritas.

Yeesh.

Next thing you know, there was a party.

I know. I did it to myself.

But, honestly, it ended up being pretty fun!

I really was shocked.

There were adults and children and music and food and cake and an extra special guest that took up a good chunk of our driveway.


It was a gorgeous day that Playette will never remember, I know. But, I will, and so will others. I will be able to look back and think about the day that I realized how good it felt to have our friends come together to celebrate a milestone for our baby girl. They were generous and loving and kind and funny and helpful. It was a great moment in time and I appreciate everyone so very, very much.


It's hard to be away from so many people that we love, which makes the days like that of the party feel even better. I don't know how to explain it as eloquently as the emotion deserves, but it has to do with blooming where you're planted and the song about silver and gold that I learned in Brownies.

So much has changed in three years. Some things remain the same. Others evolve.

And it's good.


By the way, I was so happy she loved that cake.

That there was some good cake, y'all.

Another Year

Wow. The time really is flying.

I just realized that if Playette had had another birthday, that means that this blog has been around another year.

Thank you so much to all of you for your support, understanding, kind words, and encouragement over the last two years.

It means a lot to all of us.

When I think back to how I was when I wrote the first post, tears streaming down my face, and then when I included the link in an email to a select group of family and friends, scared to officially share that my child was born with Down syndrome, never did I imagine where we would be today.

As a mother, and more importantly as the mother to my daughter, I've changed a lot. I may have fear of the future hit me from time to time, but it does not consume me. I know where to go when I have questions. I don't keep it to myself. I know that others have been there and done that and are more than willing to give me a hand up when needed. I welcome the opportunity to do that for others.

It's a very good thing for me, this blog.

I hope that you'll continue to join us on this journey.

Again, thank you.

A Little Celebratory Therapy

On Thursday, I brought cupcakes to daycare for Playette's class.

No, wait.

Actually, what I brought was a box of cake mix and some frosting from the pantry.

Well, no, not quite.

I put that stuff on the counter and BD took it in when he dropped Playette off that morning.

Yay, me!

So as not to ruin my bid for Mother of the Year, we're not allowed to take in homemade items. We can only bring in pre-packaged things and then everything gets made at the daycare. Something about protection from allergies. Which is totally ok with me because they use that as an opportunity to have the kids participate. And it's So Stinkin' Cute. Check out how awesome they make cupcake making sound.


You totally want to make that an IEP goal now, don't you?

I went up to the daycare at snack time and got to see it all unfold. When I left, the teacher handed me this poster. Much appreciated.


The funniest part, well aside from being tagged by one of the teachers as being a kid stalker and being chased down by the director before she realized it was me because I was walking around the courtyard in my work clothes with a camera around my neck while waiting for the cupcakes to be ready, was seeing how they plated the treats for the kids. Everyone got a cupcake...aaaaand a spoonful of icing.


Awesome. They are totally on to something with that.

(Un)fortunately, I had to head back to work and Playette stayed behind a little while longer. Fourteen 2-3 year-olds on spoonfuls of frosting?


Bless them.

And ha!

Our Big Girl is Three!

Our Version of Sleeping with the Fishes

One day when BD and I were hanging out on the couch (as we are prone to do), we started checking into ways that would could spruce up Playette's room a little. BD said that it seemed a little too shrine-like for his taste. I admit, I'm no decorator, so my whole "Just put up tons of pics of the kid" theme may have gotten a little tired.

So, I took down a few big baby pictures and, instead, we opted for vinyl wall art. We started there because we love the quote that my friend M made for us before Playette was even born and the Littlest adores her numbers and letters that have been placed on the windows courtesy of Miss Tricia. Those were both easy to put up and we like easy.

BD and I discussed the fact that we'll be moving sooner than later and how whatever we put on the walls may not survive being taken down and we figured that a little decoration now was worth the risk.

Playette seems to have a thing for all things ocean-related, so we continued that trend.

We weren't worried about the sharks being scary because she has no concept yet that they should be. That's what's great about kids. They have no idea until someone tells them, so sharks with sharp teeth? Totally cool.

Plus, she loves a version of this song, so having a shark to point to really helps her to visualize.

It ended up being a fun little family activity.

By the way, I swear I participated. I fought with that sea turtle for a good long time. It just didn't make the camera.

Blank wall getting prepped


I find it hilarious that he reads instructions. I guess one of us should, right?


We had the music on so Playette was partying


BD works on the green sea turtle. This one is also helpful because of the link to Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?


Reading a book once all was done


View by the crib (yes, we're holding off on the bed transition for now)


Lurking sharks

Sprung

Last weekend, BD and I had the amazing opportunity to get some extended alone time. There's a beach around here that we've recently grown to love, so that's where we went. We had a great dinner and stayed the night in a B&B. In the morning, they brought our breakfast to the room and then we gathered our belongings and walked the shops before settling in our chairs by the water for some reading time. After, we had a great lunch and then made our way home to Playette. Even typing it out feels nice. It's important for me to take the time to acknowledge how fortunate and appreciative we are to be able to do something like that. It's one of those occasions that reminds me why we started this partnership in the first place.

Our get-away took me back to the first time we went to that same beach, about seven weeks ago, that time with Playette in tow. It was another beautiful spring day and it was during that trip that we named that patch of sand and surf our new favorite spot. It's warmer than where we live by about 10 degrees (yay!) and it's small enough that it's never uber crowded when we're there. Plus, there are great little restaurants and stores and a pier with live music and the cutest little beach houses and it's just...nice. At about 40 minutes away, it's perfect for a "staycation."

Cracking up while taking some sips.





I attempted self-portraits, but she couldn't have cared less about playing along.



She was way interested in BD reading to her though. Love these pics, especially the "Oh, no!" face.



Here, we are lucky enough to witness the Ancient Sand Throwing Ceremony.











Little Butt

Us

Also

I am loving how Playette has started something new lately. When we put her to bed, she says "all done, all done" as she rolls over and allows the blanket to be placed on her back, tiny butt perched up in the air.

It's the cutest thing. She's worn out and knows that the day has come to an end.

I love seeing the world through her eyes.

DC Urrea Peeps

Monica and David is being shown in Silver Spring this month at the Silverdocs film festival.

8:00 PM Fri, Jun 25
&
11:30 AM Sat, Jun 26

Check it out if you can.

Why does it feel like everything happens in DC now that I've left? Geez.

Mucho Stuffs

Happy June, y'all! Lots of new, fun, milestone-y, gut-wrenching stuff going on this month. Yay! and Yay?

We've been running here, there, and everywhere lately. I keep meaning to post more, I swear. But, eh. There's life to be lived. You know how that is, right?

What's good about that is that I have plenty of pics that are backlogged in our camera. And, because I am a giver, I shall share them.

To get started, there was this event recently called "A Day in the Sky" and the deal with that is that they offer rides in teeny, tiny planes to kids with special needs. I've heard that it's fun and anything the kids enjoy, I'm all for.

But, personally? You couldn't pay me enough to get in one of those things. It would be the opposite of fun for all involved.

So, surrounding the flights, there's a carnival type atmosphere. Food, drinks, cotton candy, petting zoo, clown, music, info booths, etc. This year, though, there were no itty-bitty plane rides. It wasn't me, I swear. I heard a rumor that hot air balloons were substituted (also not on my bucket list), but those weren't going on when we arrived.

No matter to us. It was a beautiful day out, so we let Playette roam and explore. It's always nice to be amongst peeps. Fewer stares and crazy questions and all that.

I call this one "Aww, I Think She Likes Us."


Watching the performers.



A new toy and then...a mission.









Shoes and socks are for suckas, apparently.
When we got home, it was actually nice weather-wise where we live, so I decided to offer Playette a snack on the patio. That sounds so snooty that it's comical. We rarely (as in never) use the outdoor spaces in our home and I'm starting to realize that we won't be here forever and we need to get to soaking everything up a little more.



Mission #2






I guess she was done snacking. Hmph. You would think she'd appreciate my berry cutting skills a little bit more. Shoot, I was proud of that work.

On to a game. We must have sat out there for 10 minutes, playing "Show Me..." First, it was body parts and then we moved on to sign language. Sometimes, she's not up for performing, which I totally get, but when it's just us, one-on-one, she really gives it up. Here are some of my faves:

Nose
Ears
Animals
Car
Colors
Bed

We had part one of our first IEP meeting yesterday and, in it, we discussed Playette's strengths. One of the things that was listed is that she loves to share her knowledge. She really wants people to know that she knows things. Looking back at these pictures, right now, is a huge reminder of that for me.

She's already breaking down barriers and I cannot tell you how proud that makes us. You know, it's one thing for us to tell people what she can do and to know that others are probably taking our responses to their questons with a heaping pile of salt, but when they see it for themselves? When they realize that they can't underestimate our daughter or any other child based simply on a diagnosis? You can't help but feel vindicated.

With a side of nanny nanny boo boo.

Because I'm that mature.

And, in so many ways, we've only just begun.