Influenced

Playette has been in a typical daycare or preschool environment for nearly four years now.

Our purpose in going that route was to expose her to other children, since she had no siblings at home, and get some positive influences from her typically developing peers.

For the most part, we've been pleased. She's great at playing and learning amongst other children and has plenty of friends that she asks for by name. She also has friends with varying unique needs. We're all about equal opportunity over here. One of her buddies in her class last year in CA uses a wheelchair and I loved that, to Playette, she was just one of the gang. Which is as it should be.

Many adults could stand to learn a lot from these kiddos.

Along with the great stuff, we get some gems that we know can only have come from being in school.

The latest is the evolution from "uh-oh" to "OOOOOHHHHHHH!"

It cracks me up. Let's say you drop something. She is quick to point and yell, "OOOOOHHHHHHH!"

Like she caught you do something wrong and she's about to tell or as a warning that you're about to get in big trouble.

It's funny because, really...how much trouble am I apt to be in for dropping my keys? And who is going to punish me for that offense, exactly?

I love that little nut.

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We just got in from vacation last night, so we're buried in washing tons of warm-weather gear while also trying to put together something that resembles Christmas morning for the kidlet.

Sure it's two days later and after 6pm.

How much you wanna bet she won't care?

More later...

From: Us, To: You

Date Night? Meet Murphy's Law.

I know this wasn't an option to select yesterday, but I just felt like sharing this story.

First of all, BD is a great husband, y'all.

I won't say that he doesn't get on my nerves and that I don't make him cringe sometimes, because...well, that would be a lie. We're human and, I guess, a pretty typical married couple. We laugh, we fuss, we work as a team. All that good stuff.

So, last Friday, I was wayyy tired. It had been a rough week at work and when I got home, all I wanted to do was crash.

But, here's some relevant history. There's this restaurant I've been wanting to try for a while and then POW! -- there was a 50% Groupon-type deal offered on Thursday so I bought two. I knew I'd want to go back because it's supposed to be that good. I was excited so I asked BD if he thought that maybe we could go over the weekend since, remarkably, we had nothing planned for once. He grumbled something-or-other and we went about our lives.

Well, apparently, he had been planning a night out for us, to this very place, for a while. On Friday night, after Playette finished her dinner, he got her into her pajamas and shoes...wait. Pajamas and shoes? Where were they going? Did that mean I'd get the TV and couch all to myself? WOOHOO!

Obviously, I'm easy to please.

I helped them out the door, totally fine with whatever was going on.

And then he came back. Alone.

Crap. Where'd he leave the kid? And was it on purpose?

He then told me that he had signed up for Parents' Night Out at her school and that we were going on a date.

How sweet, right?

As we drove, I realized that I could think of nothing in this part of town aside from the restaurant of my dreams and I started getting excited.

Right around this exact moment, my phone rang.

I answered.

It was the school.

Apparently, the kid that just was at home playing dress-up and dancing, got there and decided that she's start "throwing up everywhere."

The lady said it just like that: everywhere.

Poor BD. He tried so hard.

He busted a u-turn and ten minutes later, we pulled up at the school.

Playette was inside the room, on a cot, looking pitiful.

I thought about asking for our money back, but it seemed in poor taste since they had just cleaned up my child's puke and all.

I know. I need help.

So, back home we went. Playette seemed ok for the most part. A little tired, maybe.

Perhaps they exaggerated. She couldn't have possibly just been throwing up everywhere. She was fiiiine.

BD and I agreed to a place for takeout, put Playette to sleep on the floor in the office, and I relaxed to read a few more pages of PNT article comments.

It was making out to be one rocking Friday night, y'all.

And then I heard it.

A cough?

Another one?

Let me go check.

You know what I found, right?

Puke. Everywhere.

My poor baby.

That went on for a while.

Her eyes kept rolling back in her head and she would slip in and out of sleep. It was a mess.

BD finally came back with the food.

I had lost my appetite by then.

And, inside my head, I was freaking out about how I would have handled this sitch with another little one also needing me. EEK!

BD let me pull the pregnant lady card and I went up to bed while he stayed downstairs and woke up every hour or so with El Sicko.

It was pretty gross.

But he tried to give me the night out I wanted.

And I love him for it.

Potpourri

My brain is a hodge-podge spiral of everything lately.

I create posts in my head that never get written.

And, seriously, what else is new?

I want to talk about pre-natal testing (PNT). Whew, that's a biggie. I've been reading an article lately. In itself, it's not long. It's the 190 comments that are taking time to rifle through. And there are some doozies in there. Some make me gag because they're just so over-the-top syrupy and others make me fear for my life in this country and wonder if the author is my neighbor or co-worker. You can read for yourself here.

The article was published back in September, but I only just now learned about it for a reason that I will discuss sooner than later. I just need time to get my long list of thoughts together. I figure that people have wondered about my position on PNT, especially now that my pregnancy is common knowledge, but they're too polite to ask. Which is cool. So I'll just tell.

In a similar vein, I had an appointment with, as my friend likes to call it, my "nurse collective" last week. I am officially 3/5 of the way through my pregnancy and the baby appears to be doing well. He moves a lot and he has a great sounding heartbeat. I feel pretty good for the most part and if I could just get motivated to find a support group like "Pregnancy after Weight Loss" I might be able to wrap my brain around this whole upward motion of the scale thing. Trust me, I know it's a necessary part of the process, but I still sigh at every weigh-in. I need to get over it.

At my appointment, unfortunately, I also had to deal with a question about Playette that made me think. It brought up the whole "educate or get pissed or both?" feelings again. I swear, as more time goes by, this isn't as clear cut as it used to be. At least I'm not so quick to cry anymore.

There's also work stuff that is out of control. Like, really. They have gone straight nutty on me. I know I mentioned it briefly back in August/September, but because I wasn't ready to talk about the babe yet, I didn't get into details about why what happened really sucked as much as it did. Suffice it to say that coming back was not what I anticipated.

I've got reserve duty coming up (which caused more drama at work) and I am already thinking of how much I'm going to miss Playette and vice versa. My girl really tugs at my heartstrings lately and every choice I make seems to impact her to the core. I hope she doesn't hate me when I get back. The one good thing that will come of this is my getting to wear what I fondly refer to as "The Khaki Tent" again. Not only will I get more of my money's worth out of this rarely-worn gem, but it's super-comfy. So, yay for that.

Also, I want to touch on infertility. That's not something I've ever talked about openly. But it's real. And that makes me even more grateful for what's currently going on with my body.

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful holiday season. If you have any specific questions, please either post here or email me and I'll add it to the lot.

We'll be celebrating in a unique way this year and I look forward to telling you more about that, too.

Soon...very soon.

Anything in particular that you want to hear about first? Majority rules.

Bandwagoner

Yesterday, we cut through a market on our way to meet some friends for breakfast.

Playette stopped as we were passing a booth where two ladies were selling fancy, assorted nuts.

She signed "football."

I was confused and turned to BD for help. To what could she possibly be referring?

I looked back at her expectantly.

Again, she signed and said "football."

And then I saw it.

The ladies were obviously fans of the currently undefeated Green Bay Packers.

How could I tell?

This was displayed on the side wall of their booth:


It wasn't even very big. Like, really, it took us a while to notice.

So I guess Playette's a fan?

I guess the real question is: Was she a fan before they were playing so well?

It's totally possible that she got sucked in while we were in Wisconsin last year. The Packers are serious business there.

In all seriousness, this kid continues to amaze me, y'all. The connections she makes...it just lets me know that there's so much potential in that brain of hers. We just have to tap into it.

Outtakes

If you liked the shots taken by Pretend Jen for our participation in the NDSS Signature Tee fundraiser, perhaps you'll enjoy these as well. If that link doesn't work for you, try this one.

Again, we had a ball and are so grateful for having had the opportunity to play for a great cause.

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I feel like I have so much to say in order to fill you in on what I've been so quiet about these last few many months.

I will!

But first, there is a party with free food calling my name.

I'm a sucker for free food, yo.

And, of course, the kid should have fun.

Maybe I should have written that first? That's what a better mom would have done, right?

HAHAHAHAHA! And now I'm gonna have two! Watch out, fellow MotY nominees.

It's Time!

What time is it, you ask?

It's t-shirt time!

You've been waiting so patiently for me to dish on what we were up to at the beach and this is it:

NDSS Signature T-shirts Are Here!

We are proud to unveil a collection of men’s, women’s and kids’ t-shirts featuring 3:21 on the front and the NDSS logo on the back.

Adult shirts are $25 each and kids’ shirts are $15 each. For each signature shirt purchased, $5 will be donated to NDSS.

Men:
Guys will love the fit and feel of this t-shirt, made from 100% cotton with anti-pilling finish. It is so comfortable it will become an instant favorite, and its subtle message will make you feel good about wearing it as often as you wear your favorite jeans (okay, maybe not that often).

Women:
The quality and fit of this t-shirt will make it the one that spends more time outside your drawer than in it, and will help you spread the word that people with Down syndrome are valued and loved members of our society. This flattering style and color options suit all sizes and skin tones and is made from 95% cotton, 5% lycra with an anti-pilling finish.

Kids:
Whether they're learning to tell time or setting their own alarm clocks, kids will love knowing the 'secret' meaning behind 3:21 and will enjoy being the one to share this info with their friends. It's always the right time to learn to accept and include someone with Down syndrome. These t-shirts are made from 100% cotton with anti-pilling finish.

Rhyme & Reason clothing can only be purchased online. Standard shipping time is 3-5 business days. Customers can use the code NDSS25 to receive 25% off their purchase and free shipping from now until the end of the year and 10% of the purchase will be donated to NDSS – this applies to any item other than NDSS signature t-shirts.

Click here to visit the Rhyme & Reason website (and see the cutest little model EVAH).

Click here to view photos of the NDSS Signature t-shirts on Facebook (if you can't see them, "like" the National Down Syndrome Society page).

And here's the newsletter, featuring another little surprise quite prominently.

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It's been super fun participating in this project and I'm so proud that we were able to help NDSS, in our small way, to raise awareness.

Plus, I got to tell you something awesome in a really unique manner.

If you missed it, GO CLICKY-CLICKY THE LINKS!

And, please, if you like the shirts, buy them! I absolutely love ours.

Thanks for playing, y'all. :)