NACD telephone seminars are available as podcasts!

NACD is one of several neurodevelopmental organizations.  Here is a link to their mini site on Down syndrome if you would like to learn more:

http://downsyndrome.nacd.org/index.php

I had heard that NACD was doing a series of telephone seminars a couple of months ago, but was away from home each time they were on & couldn't listen to them.  I just found out that they are available as podcasts & am thrilled to be able to listen to them now.  I downloaded them this morning &  have only had a chance to listen to about 10 minutes of the first one on Down syndrome, but so far I am really enjoying it.  I appreciate the fact that they waste no time and start talking about important concepts right away. Here is a link so you can enjoy them too:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-national-association-for/id426566512?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

The new OT

Last week, was my daughter's first visit with her new OT.  K gets PT & OT at the same time, so the PT that she has seen since she was 3 weeks old was there also.  The OT was trying to get an idea on where K was with her fine motor skills, and the PT explained that K is doing very well - actually she had always been at age level or even a little ahead in fine motor skills.  The OT produced this puzzle as her first activity: 

K not only is very adept at this type of puzzle, but she kows all of these shapes & more.  She took the first puzzle piece & clumsily tried to stuff the star in to the square shape.  Slowly with a lot of help from the PT, she managed to finish the puzzle. The PT & I watched in amazement!

Next they stacked blocks. K placed the first block, then set the 2nd block precariously to one side of the first.  She continued this for several attempts, never managing to stack more than 3 blocks at a time.  Her delight in playing with the OT became more evident to the PT & myself as time went on! I think the OT was really beginning to doubt the PT and I when suddenly K decided to do a complete 180 and show off - what a little stinker!  She then stacked all of the blocks  perfectly before crashing them down - there were more than a dozen of them!

Next it was time to cut a piece of paper.  K's ND is not recommending any cutting activities for her at this time, so we have not been practising at all.  K picked up the scissors and was easily able to cut the paper in half. The OT then got out a piece of paper with a line on it and K cut straight down the line. Even I was suprised that she could cut like that with no practice!

There's never a dull moment!

Hunting For Easter Eggs!

I've never claimed to be a photographer, so please forgive the quality of my pictures. lol!  I thought this would at least give a little peak into our Easter morning.

Mmmmmm............chocolate!

Easter Fun!

We had a  great time today dying Easter Eggs.

Careful concentration!

The finished product!

Our iPad Case

When we bought our kids an iPad for Christmas, we were concerned about keeping it safe. K is quite good with it most of the time, but she is still a 3 year old and occasionally forgets. I had bought an otterbox case for my iPhone, and have been very happy with how durable it is. My phone has survived numerous bumps, including being thrown from the upper balcony down to our hardwood living room floor. When I went looking for an iPad case I was relieved to find that they also sold iPad cases. I feel a lot more secure with it in this case.



If you are interested, here is a link to my post about our favorite apps:

http://downsyndromeupupupandaway.blogspot.com/2011/04/apps-k-loves.html

Signing Time videos are 50% off until midnight on the 20th!

Signing Time is a big part of how we taught K to sign.........and the main reason that she knows way more signs than the rest of the family. We kept up for the first couple hundred, but after that, we just couldn't do it!

Here is my previous post on our experiences with teaching our daughter to sign:

http://downsyndromeupupupandaway.blogspot.com/search/label/sign%20language


Here are the Signing Time websites:

The U.S. website:

http://www.signingtime.com/

And in Canada:

http://www.signingtime.ca/?gclid=CKbJ95zuqagCFYS8KgodR0MVHw

Why I luv Specs4Us - a picture says a thousand words!

K has worn glasses since she was 9 months old.  We had a very difficult time even finding a pair of glasses to fit a tiny 9 month old.   Her first pair were a terrible fit, but fortunately, we found out about what was at the time, a brand new company called  Specs4Us. They make glasses designed specifically for kids with Down syndrome.  I think the thing that I enjoy the most about this company is the incredible customer service. This company has always gone above and beyond the level of customer service that I have come to expect.  The first time we ordered glasses, they even sent me a few pair to try on to be sure that the fit was correct.   My daughter's glasses got broken last year after a horrific accident that I'm sure no pair of glasses could survive !  It was on Valentine's day, which was a Sunday.  I sent of an email to the owner, Maria Dellapina, certain that I was not going to receive a reply at least until Monday morning.  Within the hour, on a Sunday, I had a reply!  Now that's customer service!

The other thing I really appreciate about Specs4Us is their durability.  The bottom pair in the picture below is from about 10 months ago - my daughter isn't always easy on her glasses!  She is getting better thanks to a change in opthamologists & a more appropriate prescription, but that's a whole other story! If I remember right, this picture was from the time that K's glasses got run over by a large 4X4 truck. I really didn't expect them to be saved, but, after warning me that they likely wouldn't survive, the optometrist was able to bend them back into shape without them breaking.  We are still using these glasses. They have been bent back from similar shapes to this about ten times, but they are still going strong! I have never seen a pair of glasses as mangled as hers have been several times, that have been brought back to life!  

check out the bottom pair -10 months ago........

and tonight - still as good as new!

Here is a link to Maria Dellapina's Specs4Us site if you are interested:

http://specs4us.com/