August 12, 2009: Annelies Goes To Class

Very cool: Placer County offers a weekly class that is called “Wee Play”. It is facilitated by our PT

, Esther. Initially I thought this was not an option for Annelies since I work and Aaron has an irregular schedule. But I began to think about a way around it, and figured it out. The class is from 9:00 to 10:15. I will work from home early in the morning for a couple of hours, get the kids up, and take Marco to daycare. Then Annelies and I will go to the class. My Mom will meet me after the class to take Annelies, and I will go to work.
There are about 6 kids in the class, about Annelies’ age (she will probably be the youngest there). It will be a great way to meet other parents and for Annelies to have some social time around other kids. I am so excited about thi

s, as I was driving yesterday I found myself planning what outfit Annelies will wear to her first class on Wednesday.

Aug 7-9, 2009: A Nice Weekend

A Few highlights:

1) I was off on Friday, this gave me time to be at Annelies’ PT session, hold 3 horses for the farrier, ride PG and Genie, and have a massage while Aaron picked up Marco from daycare.
2) Saturday I cleaned the house, rode PG, Genie and Diabolo, de-wormed the horses, picked up supplements for myself and the horses and had a short visit with Edgar, swam with Marco (he had his arm bands on for the first time and was able to float in the water, a whole new experience for him), played with Annelies, took a nap in the afternoon.
3) Sunday I rode PG and Diabolo, did grocery shopping, cleaned house, started the laundry, had a little time to myself in the evening after Marco went to bed, had a great night sleep (this has been hard lately, so it is worth a mention when I do get it).

Health-wise I feel a lot better now that I have been taking vitamin D and Iron (among other supplements. I have more energy. I am also talking more time to workout (I use the gym at work). I lost 20+ lbs so far, have a long way to go but feel a lot better.

August 1, 2009: Down Syndrome Convention in Sacramento

1) We saw a couple who are planning their wedding. This was a very hopeful experience. They had lunch in the deli we ate at on the first day, they were holding hands and having their lunch. It was neat to see a couple in love, that they have Ds was secondary.
2) There were too many workshops to choose from, so we decided to divide and conquer in some cases where I went to one and Aaron went to another. That way we learned about Special Needs Trusts, Cognitive Development and disciplining an child (this was useful for both kids), How to still take time & communicate as a couple (we did that one together), Brain development and different studies that are being held at UC Davis (because it is so close, Annelies will be part of the research).
3) I met a Mom who had her daughter Gracie 2 months before I did at the same hospital. She and I will be taking the girls back to the NICU to visit the nurses who were so helpful during our stay there. It will be nice to get together with her and talk over our experiences, and get the girls together for playdates.
4) Aaron met a nice Dad (I met him & his wife later on) from Rocklin, with a 17 month old son. We will be inviting this family over to our house for dinner and also sharing of experiences. This way we are now starting to build up a network of support.
5) We found that we have it so easy compared to many parents whose kids have multiple surgeries. It is not unheard of for a child with Ds to have upwards of 30 surgeries! We are grateful for Annelies’ health.
6) It was so nice to have a kid-less weekend! Aaron and I enjoyed Dinner and lunch out in Old Sac, at times we did not even know what to say to each other because we are not used to being alone together. He has been working a lot (trying to get as much as possible overtime to help pay off some bills.) We now know the importance of making an effort to spend some more time together sans kids. My Mom, on the other hand, was pretty beat after 2 days of running after Marco.