Answering some questions

How do I sign up to receive books and write reviews? I have been looking around on the website bit I can't find anything about it.....

I get my free books from Blogging for Books. It is a Waterbrook Multnomah program. Just go to the Blogging for Books website and click on the "Sign up Today" tab.

As a side note, if you notice that there are words highlighted on my posts, it means it is a link, so just click on the link and it will take you directly to the site I linked to.

I liked what you wrote about advocacy and I do think I'm still too emotional though waaay better than I was. How do you get past that?


I can only speak from personal experience. For me, time has made a difference. Also, some family and friends have shared with me that they were hesitant to say anything to me about Nichole or Down syndrome because they were afraid of how I would react towards them. I don't want that. I want to be open, to be understanding, and to be gracious. One gentle step at a time, nobody likes to be pushed in the deep end without a warning.

And that said, I know I still have room to grow!

Drawing With Rich Davis

Ellie is a great little artist. I think if it was up to her, homeschooling would consist on doing crafts and painting, coloring, and playing Barbies.

If you ask her, she will tell you that when she grows up she is going to be an artist ballerina teacher. Yeah, all 3 of those, all at the same time...however that works out!

I loved art as a kid but was never great at drawing, so I focused mainly on dancing. Now that I have a little girl that loves to create, I find myself loving the times that we have to create together. However, I need help! I am not the most talented or creative.

See Ellie's pictures? Now, she really is a great little artist, but really, this is all thanks to her new art teacher, Rich Davis. We first heard of Rich when he contacted us and offered to send us his new game "Pick and Draw" and see if it is a good tool to help children with special needs learn how to draw. That post will be coming up soon!

Along with the game, we discovered his web site, and Ellie and I are loving it!

So go ahead, take a peek at Rich Davis and his drawing website. He teaches you how to draw fun characters step by step! Kids love it (and moms too!)

Night-Time Potty Training Your Child With Down Syndrome

I have posting quite a bit about potty training since this is where we are at with Nichole right now. She is getting it, and I know that eventually she will be potty trained. It might take us a couple months, or a couple of years, and that is okay.

I do know that day time potty training will be easier than night time potty training. I also know of a few parents of older children with Down syndrome that have mastered the day time but not the night time.

Since I am no expert, and it would be silly for me to give advice in an area we have not yet experienced, I will do something better. Go read my friend Leah's blog on night-time potty training and a great little tool that has helped both her children with Down syndrome.

Teacher Born With Down Syndrome

Individuals with Down syndrome are challenging the stereotypes that have held them down for many years. It is exciting and encouraging to see a story like this one. It makes me dream and think about my daughter and the stereotypes that she will tear down as she proves how much she is capable of.

Nichole sweetheart, the sky is your limit, and you have great role models to follow!

And even if you do not have a child with Down syndrome, this 2 minute video is worth watching just to be inspired and challenged. Take a look!



Yes, she was homeschooled!

He Holds My Heart

Last weekend, Andy and I went to watch "The Riverdance" as an early birthday present for me (I will be 30 in a few days...oh boy!) Since we would be spending the night away, we decided to take an extra day and also celebrate our anniversary a few days early as well. Every year we take time just to be together. It is fun that we can run to Perkins late at night, just like we used to when we were dating.

We had a wonderful time!

This man is an incredible friend. The respect and admiration I have for him increases as I watch him do life and love people. I got lucky, really lucky. And on top of it all, he is hot!

He holds my heart.

Book Review: The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari

A Waterbrook Multnomah Book

The Dragon and the Turtle

Go On Safari

by

Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark

Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

Best friends Padraig the dragon and Roger the turtle are camping out at the feet of mount Sillymanborrow. They make a fire, eat marshmallows and crunchy baked bugs. They are excited and determined to spend all night outside in the wild. Their bravery is tested as they hear the noises around them, and their imagination turns squirrels into giraffes, raccoon into elephants, or a small kitten trapped on top of a tree into a baby leopard. At the end of the night, their friendship and bravery allow them to see the beginning of the morning, and the brave explorers realize they indeed spent the night outside.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari is a fun story for children. The illustrations are beautiful.

As the mother of three girls, I thought this would be a fun story to read together. While my girls enjoy reading about princesses and girls, they also enjoy animal stories and books that encourage the imagination. And while I would have liked to give this book a high review, it is not the case for my girls. They did not think it was as fun as other books and they easily put it to the side...without finishing it. I have asked if they want to read it, and other books have gotten picked over this one.

You can find out more about the book and read a short excerpt by clicking HERE.

I received this book for free by Waterbrook Multnomah in exchage for an honest review.

And if you want to recieve books for free too, check out the Blogging for Books program from Waterbrook Multnomah!

Writing Letters!

Do you see what I see? Nina is tracing letters!

A year ago, Nina was just learning to hold a pencil or a crayon. Any marks made on paper were a big accomplishment. First, she began to make little marks here and there on her pictures, then slowly she began to make more purposeful strokes that became coloring a picture. She is still not able to stay inside the lines, but she has come a long way when it comes to coloring.

Attempts at writing letters have been a completely different story. Coloring has been hard, writing letters has been a struggle.

Back in October we began to suspect that Nina had problems with her Visual Perception Processing. The Occupational Therapist gave me many fun ways to play with Nina and help her develop this skill. We just didn't know if her problems were related to the little stimulation she received at the orphanage, or if we still had a window of opportunity to see her develop in this area.

Something we have worked on is crossing the midline. It means that we encouraged her to make crosses on paper. Starting with the vertical line, and then ONE fluid motion from left to right crossing the vertical line. Nina was not able to do this, she just could not get it, her visual processing was breaking down.

Her progress is really incredible! She asked me to write the word "cat," because she wanted to copy it. When she showed me the paper where she had copied the word I was absolutely thrilled! I couldn't believe it, and Andy was just as surprised. The bets part, she was proud of herself, and she is ready for more!