Kyler's Carnival

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Kyler's Carnival

I rarely (if ever) get to help out with Kyler's preschool because 1. they don't need help 2. I'm not assigned to bring snacks since it's in the school system 3. you can't bring siblings with you 4. etc. Anyways, so when I got a note saying that Kyler's class was having a "carnival" and that parents were welcome to attend if they wanted..I jumped at it.

The 8th graders at the middle school put on a carnival for all the Developmental Preschoolers. They filled out the paperwork for a grant. Planned the whole thing and pulled it off. The 8th graders ran the different "booths" and their was two preschoolers to one 8th grader. The kiddo that Kyler was paired with kept running away from their 8th grader, Eileen. So, she was chasing him a lot so me and Kyler got to be our own pair. It was fun.

They had shaving cream drawings.
Finger paints.Fish pond.Bounce House.Snacks.Try out an instrument.Ring toss.Bean bag toss.A huge parachute.
Bubbles.

It was fun. It was nice to be just one on one with Kyler. That rarely happens and we both enjoyed it.

4 years old and growing strong.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

4 years old and growing strong.

The boys' had their 4 year well check-up last week. That's always fun. They tested their eyes and ears and then the usually check-up things. The eye chart was awesome. Kyler stood their with one eye covered but he wouldn't have known what the shapes were anyways. So, that was pointless. Taegen was a little nervous with the eye chart. The ear testing went much better. Taegen didn't hear anything the first two rounds. Then we told him to give me five every time he heard a noise. Passed with flying colors. Kyler just kept giving me five regardless of hearing noises or not. They also got some shots. Taegen always makes Kyler go first for anything. So Taegen told Kyler to go first. Kyler cried a little but poor little Taegen was curled up in the corner with his hands in his mouth and tears streaming down his face. So, when it was his turn he seriously screamed and kicked and everything. It took three of us to hold him down for his shots. Then it was over and he told EVERYONE for the next 5 days that he had shots. Kyler's leg really hurt him all day after the shots. He couldn't even walk on it. He would limp for a few steps and then just cry while holding his leg. It was sad BUT...we all survived and here are their stats.

Taegen:
Weight - 40 pounds - 81%
Height - 41.5 inches - 77%
BMI - 16 - 72%
B/P - 104/70

Kyler:
Weight - 33 pounds - 24%
Height - 37 inches - 2%
BMI - 17 - 85%
B/P 78/58

So there you have it. Kyler made it on the charts for both height and weight and he has a higher BMI than Taegen...go figure. Oh how I wish my BMI was 16 or 17.

Soccer Mom

Soccer Mom

Okay so the boys are in Soccer this year. It is awesome. They had their first game last Saturday and it was freaking awesome. They play 3 on 3. Taegen actually did really well. He followed the ball. Kicked it and would chase it. Ryan told Taegen to kick the ball away from the other team. Taegen said "Dad can I tell you something? I did that 2 times." Also, every time I would cheer for Taegen he would stop, turn, smile and wave at me. It made me happy.

Kyler pretty much stayed at the center field. He would stand there, then sit down. Occasionally, he would walk over to me and sit down and say "done". It was awesome. Ryan would pick him up and move him to the ball and then...Kyler would just stand in that spot. It was funny. There was one time that he actually kicked the ball and then ran and followed it with the crowd. It lasted for about 30 seconds but...it was at least 30 seconds. It was so fun to watch them. Ryan is the assistant coach so they really enjoy that too. I love being a "soccer mom". I think it's so cute to see my little boys out there with their over sized jerseys. Kyler shin guards cover his entire leg. It's hard for him to walk in them but they are the smallest size I could find. They are just growing up so fast and as sad as it is to see them getting all old and stuff, it is really fun too.

Taegen has excellent form and look how high he can kick that leg.Trying to tell Kyler (again) to run and chase the ball.
Kyler kicking the ball in.
Getting their game faces on.
Daddy and Kyler boy heading to their first game.

Kyler Joe's turn

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Kyler Joe's turn

Alright it's Kyler turn to be embarrassed.

• Kyler is AMAZING at dribbling a ball. He dribbles ALL the time. Seriously, if their is a ball and ground he will be dribbling. We have had SO many people tell us that they are surprised at how good he can bounce a ball. I'm not talking about him being good for kids with Ds, he can out dribble other kids his same age and some that are older than him. He really LOVES to dribble. Did I say that enough?

• He is a lover. He loves physical touch. If you are sitting by Kyler he will be rubbing your hand or face or arm or whatever. He loves hugs and kisses. When Ryan leaves for work Kyler will stand with arm open and say "hug" over and over until Ryan give him a hug.
• He is doing amazing with therapy. He is making huge strides with physical therapy. He rides his tricycle like a little pro. He doesn't like to ride his bike that much because, as said above, he would much rather be dribbling.
• He loves Taegen. He imitates everything Taegen does.
• He also loves Strider. Him and Strider are about the same size so they will wrestle and play together a lot. He is very self-entertaining.
  
• He loves pre-school, especially riding the bus. Bob is his bus driver and he loves Bob.
  
• When we put him to bed he gets out of his bed anywhere from 5 to 4790 times a night. We just point back to his room. He smiles and then walks back to his bed. Then he does it again.
  
• Time-out is starting to work for him. He will sit in timeout until he is ready to do whatever he is suppose to do.
  
• He has two speeds - slow and fast. No middle pace.
  
• His PT and OT said that at school he will stop and wave to all the kids as they walk down the hall. They said the kids adore him and if they aren't paying attention to him, he will sit there and smile until somebody says something.
  
• He loves to talk on the phone.
• His smile is so sweet.
  
• When he cries he cries with his whole body and face.
• He is a cuddler. He loves to cuddle and touch especially at night.
• He can be stubborn - very much so.
  

Kyler is doing amazing. We love him to pieces.

Kyler's classmates each colored him a picture for his birthday and his teachers gave him a little goodie bag. I wish we could have gone and taken cupcakes or something to his class too but not when he is in the public school system. Darn.

Birthday Celebration #1

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Birthday Celebration #1

The boys were incredibly lucky this year and got to have many birthday celebrations. Since my mom and Hayes left on the 31st and the boys' birthday isn't until April 1st -we had to celebrate early. So, we went to Monkey Joe's. It's a big-bounce-houses-toy-jumping-thing playground. Sounds fun huh? Taegen once again LOVED it. I swear there isn't much that Taeg's doesn't love. Kyler LOVED it too. He was doing great climbing up all the ladders and such. Strider LOVED it too but couldn't do a lot of stuff on his own. I tell you what, it was a good thing Hayes' was with us. Taegen and Hayes and Kyler would race up and down the courses. Hayes' would help Kyler or Strider if they got stuck. He is a GREAT uncle. Kyler, Hayes and Taegen climbing.
Kyler climbing on up.
My Strider boo.
Hayes and Taegen "posing" for the camera. Cute boys.

After Monkey Joe's we came home and opened presents from grandma and grandpa Stapp.



Seriously, aren't they the cutest.

Birthday Celebration #3

Birthday Celebration #3

Since Nellie and Landon were here we decided to go to Texas Roadhouse (Thanks Scott and Shirley). It was technically the day after their birthday BUT we were still celebrating SO the boys got to get on the saddle and have everybody in the restaurant give them a big YEEHAW. They liked it, maybe even loved it. What 4 year old wouldn't want to get on a big horse saddle surrounded by loads of people. I mean, come on.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Birthday Celebration #2

So the boys' had their 4th birthday on April Fools day. We met some friends at the zoo and had cupcakes there. They splash park was open so the boys had to go play in the water. Good times.



Then that night we had a special birthday dinner of corn dogs (Taeg's favorite) and tater tots (Kyler's favorite). Then we opened presents. Taegen got a new big bike. Kyler got some fun therapy toys...scissors, fuzzy balls with tweezers, bendy straws. (In our defense, we had intended to paint Taegen's old bike and add a horn and stuff for Kyler BUT the physical therapist said that he really needs to master the tricycle before he rides an upright bike - so he got some fun little toys instead of a big boy bike). They both got a marble works set and they got soccer balls. They had a great day. I love them each so much. They are quite different but totally complement each other. At the end of the day they are each other's best friend.

March 21st

March 21st

Today is World Down Syndrome Day....let's celebrate!!

In case your wondering why today is World Down Syndrome Day....Down syndrome people have an extra 21st chromosome. So they have 3 21st chromosomes. March is the 3rd month of the year and it's the 21st of March. Did you follow?

Celebrate today. I think I will go give my little boy a big hug and kiss.




I found this on another fellow blogger who has a child with Down syndrome (babymatthew.wordpress.com). I thought she did a great job explaining Down syndrome. I did change the names of her son to mine.

"Down syndrome was named after Dr. John Langdon Down, who first described the condition. The correct terminology is just that: Down syndrome. Not Down’s, or Down’s Syndrome, because Dr. Down did not have the condition (so we do not use the possessive form,) and “syndrome” is not capitalized because it is not a proper noun. You may also see Down syndrome abbreviated online as DS or Ds.

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal anomaly, occurring in approximately 1 in 733 births in the US. However, as common as it is, there are less and less babies being born with the condition, because about 92-93% of mothers who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Ds choose to abort the baby. This comes to about 65,000+ babies aborted each year due to a prenatal diagnosis. I can’t tell you how much it saddens me that so many lives are lost. (I totally agree with her on this. I am amazed at how many people abort babies with Down syndrome. My life would not be fulfilled if I didn't have Kyler in it) I am sad not only for the babies, but also for the parents who are missing out on having an amazing child. And, I am sad for Kyler, who will have less friends who are like him. With fewer people having the condition, others will know less about it, there will be fewer resources for him and less research done about Ds.

When speaking about someone with Down syndrome (or really any other disability), parents and individuals with the condition prefer it if you put the person first. For example, “Kyler has Down syndrome.” We would never say, “Our Down syndrome son,” because that lets the condition define him. By now, you should know that Down syndrome definitely does not define our son, nor does it define any other person who has an extra 21st chromosome. Each individual is just that . . . an individual, which is why we also avoid making “blanket” statements about people with Down syndrome. Statements such as “They are always so happy,” are not only untrue, but offensive because they lump everyone with the condition into one category. To be safe, just avoid statements that start with “They are . . . “. I’ve come to really dislike the royal “they.” Are we too picky? Too sensitive? I don’t think so. As parents, we have to protect and stand up for our children. Words are powerful, so we need to be careful how we use them.

By the way, there are over 200 families on a waiting list, wanting to adopt a child with Down syndrome. If you think these children are not wanted, you are very, very wrong. There are families waiting to welcome and love a little one with an extra chromosome."

Well said Amy. Thanks.