Guess what my lil' Cutie Pie is doing?

Not only is she holding her cup...


But she is drinking from her cup...completely and utterly independently!


That's my lil' cutie pie!

Reading

I introduced Marissa to reading when she was a tiny little baby. I bought her the Hooked on Reading program for infants. All this complete with a seemingly endless supply of books and trips to the library. I have also read to her as part of her bedtime routine over the last 16 months. We would just read a couple books when she was an infant, but now we read at least 10 or more.

Side note: I'm not overly impressed with The Hooked on Reading program for infants and toddlers. It's merely a collection of board books, a music CD, and a couple other odds and ends. I purchased ours at a discount, but Marissa would have been just as happy with our library books or 5-6 board books purchased for half the selling price of HoP. Since Marissa has been exposed to this set for so long, she absolutely LOVES it, but had I known that I could have spent a lot less money I would have opted for less money.


Reading is another form of communication. Reading could be an individual affair or utilized as bonding time. For the time being, it's our special bonding time. Every night before bed we read our basket of books. No matter how hectic the day, there's always time for at least 1 story. Not only does the basket keep our books contained, but Marissa has easy access to them anytime she wants.


Reading also consists of sight words. There are 220 according to the Dolch List. These are words that are commonly used in the English language that are useful to know simply by sight. However, reading is also a skill that is acquired by sounding out words, the shapes and sounds of letters when they are all put together, the phonetics of our language.

In addition to reading every night, Marissa and I sing and sign the alphabet each morning. We look at the letters on the wall in the playroom and talk about the sounds they make. We are using the principles from Fundations by Wilson Works to approach the phonetics of language. Each letter has a corresponding sound. That sound is paired with a word. Think of Leapfrog's Song..."every letter makes a sound A says "ah".


With Fundations, you go one step further and pair that letter and sound with a word. For example, we are focusing on animals. All of Marissa letters have corresponding pictures of animals and these are the animals that we pair with the sounds. We say A, ah, Anteater. B, Buh, Bear. etc. We ALWAYS use the same word when we're in "teaching mode".



Some tips for new readers: Start with simple, colorful board books. You don't have to read every word on the page, keep it fun and fresh by changing the story periodically. Point out fun items on the pages to maintain your child's attention, sing it if you have to. Start small, just 1 or 2 books to get them excited about the new adventure and work your way up based on your child's attention span and tolerance. Don't be discouraged if they won't pay attention while you read, they eventually will. Just stick with it and before long your little one will be reading to you!

Here's Aunt Jessica and Marissa reading at bedtime.

Snow Days

Note from Marissa:
It snowed in southern N. Carolina today...



I didn't know what to do with the day, except stay inside, keep warm, and oh maybe drink from my Nuby cup by MYSELF! I only took 1 little sip, but I held the cup all by myself and everything! Before long I'll be holding my cup in the morning when I eat breakfast and even on long car rides when we go up north.


Note from Patti:
I've been working so hard to get Marissa to hold her own cup and just this morning she decided she'd give it a try without any help from me. She picked her little cup up by the handles brought it to her mouth and took a big sip. Of course I've been trying to get a picture for proof all morning, but she only did it that 1 time. Every moment she gets a little closer. I couldn't be more proud of her right now. But who knows, maybe she'll decide to crawl today too...

Happy Heart Day

Today is exactly 1 year from the date that Marissa endured open heart surgery at just 4 months old. It seems so long ago, yet when I look at the pictures post-surgery it still brings a surge of emotion to the forefront of my thoughts. A year ago today, Marissa was given the opportunity to be a strong baby: to thrive, to endure, and to live the life God blessed her to live. Marissa is doing unbelievably well. She is strong, healthy, and happy. Today, Bradley and I are thanking the Lord with all we have for everything that Marissa has accomplished in her short little life. She's a beautiful testament of God's love for His creation. She embodies a spirit of love and hope which is evident each time she shakes her little shake and smiles her warming little grin.




Marissa had open heart surgery at 4 months old. It was a day that I would never ever wish upon my worst enemy. The emotional roller coaster of that day, and those leading up to it, are more taxing than anything I have yet to experience. We had family and friends for support, but no one could provide the same comfort as giving it to God. And all in all, she survived and so did we. We left the hospital with her 5 days after her surgery with tears of happiness in our eyes.



Marissa is a blessing to our lives and to those that she comes in contact with. To those that may be reading this that are awaiting a major surgery for your little one, please know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The road isn't always easy, but it's a road that God knew you could handle. Find peace in His grace and mercy and rejoice in knowing your little one is safe in His care.

Anyone for a game of telephone?

Yep, telephone...


First I talk...


Then it's your turn...


That's telephone. :-)


Thanks for playing!

Communication

Lack of communication could be considered a leading cause of frustration for anyone who has something to express and is unable to do so.
Help Me Grow explained to Bradley and I, way back when, that the first signs of communications was Marissa mimicking our mouth movements. They suggested doing oral motor exercises such as opening and closing our mouths, blowing kisses to her, and even sticking our tongue out at her. Help Me grow explained that the goal of these different exercises was for her to mimic our actions. And she did!


Then enter sign language, an invaluable tool, in my opinion. I have worked with several non-verbal children throughout my time as a behavioral therapist. When I found out that Marissa had Down Syndrome and that many children with DS will have a delay in verbal skills, I knew that I wanted to teach her sign language.

I really felt that just the basics were necessary since the ultimate goal is for her to use spoken language, but I can't deny the fun we are having learning new words together. Way back when, we really only used mama, dada, and eat. She slowly started picking up signs and the first one that she used consistently was "all done". She very quickly realized that if she didn't want to read, play, or even eat she could sign "all done" and that would be the end of it. As a result, we have very few tantrums because she is able to express when she's had enough of this or that.

Marissa is about 16 months old and has a variety of words in her repetoire now: all done, mama, dada, eat, drink, more, bath, apple, kiss, sleep, and milk. She has also started stringing words together. For example, she will sign "more eat" and "drink milk". Pairing words is a huge accomplishment for any child at 16 mo. old, so we are very proud of her.

I started early with sign language. We have flashcards (either that I've made myself or bought) throughout the house labeling items that are common place. I use sign language when I talk to her, even if she doesn't know that particular sign yet. I've found Babies First 100 to be a great resource for me to learn new words. For Christmas, Marissa received 3 Signing Time videos that Marissa and I both enjoy watching.

Here's a picture of Marissa signing sleep when is was her nap time.

Using the "r" word

Upon reading one of the many blogs I follow last night I was reminded of how much I dislike the "r" word. I am saddened when people use it for comic relief or as simple slang. I'm sure I used this word in the past without a second thought and that saddens me more than anyone might ever understand and the fact of the matter is that words hurt. Anyway, I don't always have the best approach for talking to people about things that have hurt me but I stumbled across this letter that a blog-friend wrote to her friends and family. I liked ti so much and thought it was direct, yet kind. I asked her permission to re-post the letter to my blog to encourage my friends, family, and anyone else that might stumble here to stop using the "r" word, so here it is...

hi everyone,
i was hoping i could ask you all to try something for me. first if your not aware october is Down syndrome awareness month:) not sure if you all know but with the diagnosis of Ds the child will have mild to moderate retardation, so on behalf of that, well and the sake of my feeling and my sons,... i was hoping you all (not saying anyone does) could not use the word "retarded" or "retard" as slang.
i know that before max i wasn't really aware of what that word really means and how much it hurts loved ones and people with mental and physical retardation to hear. i don't mean to lecture or offend anyone, and i know it seems like now a days you have to be careful to say anything, but i was hoping for me (a friend) you all could just work on your awareness of how and when you use that word. and to say... please don't use that word around me and my son wouldn't have the full effect as to try to not say that word at all, to only do it half way kind of defeats the purpose, at least that's the way i look at it. i really hope people (you.. my friends) don't feel i am over doing "my child has a disability" but I really feel everything i do is for my kids, and sure i didn't plan on have a baby with Ds, but i do so that changes things for me and i guess for the people who love me (that's you) at least i feel it should. so if you all could just try this out for me i would greatly appreciate it.

oh one last thing is to not feel bad if you let the word slip at first to change a habit is hard especially one that your not fully aware of. the big thing is that you'll try, it would mean the world to me.
-your friend
Sara

Thank you for taking the time to try to change a bad habit,
Patti