This is the image of one very tired little man, recouperating from his very tireing weekend. Thursday night he starts screaming, wants Mama to pick him up, he wretches but doesn't actually "get sick". Later on, in bed, he manages the "deed" and gets very sick. He's weak, doesn't want to get out of bed for me to change it but I do, laying down a heavy blanket with layers of towels over it, hoping that future incidences will be caught by the easy-to-remove towels. Poor big sister Shannon, she's in the same room as him and she got enlisted to help hold Natty-boy while I clean up...many times. Well Nathanael is scared while sick so when he "got sick" he would fight not to face down, hence getting it all over himself, Mom was petrified of aspiration.
Friday was a snow day and he spent his whole "day off" being weak, unable to feed, feverish and sleepy. Mom tried to give him motrin but it'd come right back up. Mom was finally able to dropper-feed him water and pedialite. By late evening he was able to have about 1/2 a bottle of pediasure.
Saturday was much better. He smelled horribly of acetone and we just kept giving him the pedialite and he progressively got better. By Sunday he was almost his old self again and that evening, after his sweet pea scented bath, you would never know he was sick.
We have to go to school to get a reprieve from our weekend!!!!

Our lil man on the go!

On Monday, Dec 1st Mommy took Nathanael to see his orthopedist for a check-up on his SMO's (foot and ankle supports). Dr. Wilde couldn't believe how much Nathanael had changed since July. Boy has he ever! In July walking was not his main mode of transport, he still favored the commando crawl. Now he's not only walking with confidence but running, dancing and hopping! These little pieces of molded plastic have enabled Nathanael to grow and develop so well! He's getting more exercise thus is getting stronger and bigger. He is looking so much older now! School has helped too in that he has to keep up with his peers and he's doing so very well in school as well. Here's some pics of our lil man and yep, Mommy's proud:



Here's Nathanael drumming to the beat of the music of his heart:





Checking himself out in the BIG mirror:






Weeee! Look at him go!! :

Happy 8th Birthday Sissy!

Today is the day my sissy Amalie celebrates her 8th birthday! She's very good to me, loving and caring. She gets me up out of my bed in the mornings on weekends so Mummy can sleep in a little bit, makes me my bottle and everything! If I'm crying she's the first to come running and ask me what's wrong and give hugs. I'm lucky to have her as my sissy!

Missing Mom and Dad

Kitty here, taking over Nathanael's blog space...just filled with melancholy and woe, missing my parents so much this time of year. The irony of it, you have great parents, excellant upbringing, sweet sweet memories and yet SO much pain after they go. I relished getting together with the whole family on Thanksgiving, walking in the door, smelling the fresh hommemade rolls baking, turky on the stove getting ready to carve. Mom cooked on an old Home Comfort wood stove. So, it was warm, smelled of wood fire and good food. Most of all, we all caught up on what's going on with each other. I'm glad we had that but missing it sorely. It's time for ME to be the Mom, time for ME to create the memories. *sigh* Time for my siblings to do the same. I have so much love for them. I am truly truly blessed. May God bless any readers I might get on this holiday whether you're here or another continent away. Bless you. Kitty
..and I'd attach photos if my NAS drive power supply didn't fry in a recent power outage..it's wehre all the photos etc are :-( ugh..some days modern technology gets the best of ya.

kb

Brother..can you spare a dime?

or two or three? A dear friend of ours, Amy, who we met on a Trisomy 21 online forum, is very handy with her crafty beading skills and I'm now asking you to put her to work. As the Mom of a lovely child with T21 (aka Down Syndrome) I applaud those people who can decide to use their talents to advocate for those who may not necessarily be able to speak for themselves. Amy makes these lovely Down Syndrome Awareness Bracelets and is now taking orders.

Amy now needs us to advocate for family resiliency in crisis. Amy's husband just lost his job without severance pay. I didn't know they could do that in this day and age but apparently they can. I think the family would appreciate your help during this holiday season and would love to make a bracelet for you or for you to give as a gift. Thank you for your consideration and for reading my blog :)

Visit Amy and her family at The Flege Farm (see link over on the right) or email Amy:
Email Amy for more information! amymichele@southslope.net

Winter's Officially Here

We are NOT pleased with having to be bundled up:






Isn't big sister Gwen beautiful though?






Gwen braving the elements walking to the car to go to school:




bbrrrRRrrrr thanks for looking and man, do we look forward to the thermometer going above 30 farenheit! Thank you "Auntie" Amy in Iowa for the snowsuit..3rd year we can use it!!

Belated Halloween Piccies!

On Halloween night he was Tigger!


I defy you to find a cuter "Tigger":






Just you try...:



Here we are in a baseball top for school. They don't allow costumes at school (they've taken ALL the fun out of school...grrrrrrrRRrrrrRRRrrrr) so here he is in baseball attire to make his dear 1-on-1 teacher Jeannine a happy camper!!

I wanted to post a happy halloween post but this is more important.

As election day looms near, I need those who really care about the sanctity of life and the dignity of each and every individual to please to over to a friend's blog at: http://www.gabrielesheridan.blogspot.com/ and watch the youtube(c) clip that's on their blog.
This is a clip about how Mr. Obama clearly supports the practice of Induced Labor Abortions. I may have quoted the term wrong and if I do, I apologize but the point is, he and his party mates agreed unanimously to allow these sorts of abortions and if you're not clear on what this involves, it is where labor is induced in an unwanted pregnancy and once the child is delivered, they're left in the waste room or laundry room to just wait out their time and die, no life supports no nothing. Like they're common everyday unwanted trash. The law is protecting a practice that quite frankly could otherwise we prosecuted as child abuse. If a person were to take a newborn, leave it out on the street to die yet somehow get caught, they'd be put before a judge for many charges including intent to kill. They'd be mentally evaluated and scarred for life. BUT "the law", with this approved bill, has said, eh, you don't have to responsibly care for this innocent child, you can just throw it away in the trash".

I have news for you, this is THE most abhorant sin in the eyes of God. You cannot just decide to take another life. You can't! I believe that we were once in the spirit realm and we got the chance to come here for a chance to gain a mortal life, a chance to FEEL a chance to LIVE. I believe it's a gift from God, yes to prove our worthiness, but also a chance to feel and taste and experience all that there is to experience that as spirits we cannnot fully experience.

I know not everyone feels the way I do and I know that there are reasons for the actions people take BUT the law is rewording the act to make it sound OK when in fact it's murder pure and simple. I mean doesn't induced labor abortion sound better than "purposely inducing labor and leaving a baby out on a shelf with no swaddling to die" act. Shame on those in the position of power.

I wish I could save all the children hurt in this world. I wish I could hold each one and show them compassion and love. I wish I could introduce my son with down syndrome to all those people who abort such lovely people... he's the loving, caring, sweetest boy I've ever had the priviledge to meet.

All we can do is raise our voices and raise them high. No politician is perfect but when people in the place of power can determine that little premature babies are not worth caring for nor the chance for life or even the chance to be treated with one iota of respect in their dying minutes, they need to be imprisoned for murder. These children's blood is on their hands.

WE NEED TO BE THE VOICE OF THESE POOR INNOCENT LITTLE LIVES. I DON'T CARE IF PEOPLE THINK THAT WE'RE OVERPOPULATED AND THAT THIS JUST WEEDS THINGS OUT. SICK SICK SICK THOUGHTS! PERHAPS PEOPLE SHOULD ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LIFE THAT THEY THEMSELVES CREATE >>>>>NO MATTER IF THAT LIFE WILL HAVE A DISABILITY TO CONTEND WITH OR NOT<<<<< THESE ARE LIVING HUMAN BEINGS NO MATTER HOW DETACHED YOU WANT TO BECOME, THEY ARE LITTLE TINY BEAUTIFUL BEINGS WORTH LOVING AND WORTH CARING FOR AND THERE IS NO NO >>>NO<<< EXCUSE FOR THIS!

thank you.

Happy Halloween!!

There's a new friend in town...

Well, my big brother Louis has had a girlfriend for over a month and Mom's finally putting her picture up on my blog as that's what's happening in my neighborhood! I love Courtney, that's her below, so much that I scurry past Louis when he comes home from school and go right to Courtney. She's pretty and kind and takes a lot of time out just for me..even gave me backrubs while I suffered through bronchitis last week. Mum really likes her and says she has 7 kids now! The cool thing is? She's one of those people that are very pretty and don't even know it! How cool is that?

Why I Miss Home

This is Kitty, Nathanael's Mom hijacking the site again! Here is a pictoral tour of home, where I was born and raised..home being the fields, trees, everything that I loved so dearly. Proof as to why my heart continues to break on a daily basis. It was the best BEST place and I miss it every second.


Heading up the hill toward home:


Approaching the top of the hill:


Looking up Dutcher's Road toward Blue Wind Hill..this is the view we had looking out the NW windows of our livingroom:


Peering through "the common" looking at the house:


A Better View of the House (set to "secret agent man" music):


Another view of "the common" this is the central area that the 4 main houses went around and it's where many a day were spent playing, picking berries, crash landing after sliding down Dutcher's road...


Ye Olde Sugarhouse many many MANY sweet memories there!


Ryder's Field, where we picked wild asparagas, sat in the cool grass, loved life:


Last but not least, East Orange Church, no this isn't near our home but this was next to where Dad grew up, at the bottom of the hill where Mom grew up and they both rest in the graveyard behind it along with all my grandparents and other relatives. A breathtaking sight and a very very special place for me now as it's the only place where I can visit Mom and Dad :*(


Yes, melancholy, broken-hearted and having a time dealing with this great and true loss.

Miscellanea

Just a few pictures we wanted to share! Our page viewing stats are going down so..gotta get on the bandwagon here!



Here are some of my new-to-me things, a spongebob table set and a toy kitchen:



Here are Shannon and Amalie being wwaaaaay too silly!!



"Shannon Marie Harry Potter":



"Amalie Rose Katherina Potter" :




"Harry Timothy Blucher Potter:




Here I am reading on my "new" table:




Ever the resourceful boy I crawled up into the microwave cart and had me a quick cat nap:




Another shot at the new table:

Finally! First Day of School Photos

Another school year is finally here, Happy Fall!



Here goes Nathanael up the sidewalk heading to school *sniff*:



Crusing right along:



Yippee!! I'm here at preschool!! :


Lookin' sharp in me new duds!



Natty boy after school...all tuckered out:



Shannon, age 11, first day of school:


Amalie, age 7, First Day of School:



Gwen, age 13, First Day of School:



Timmy, age 5, First Day of School:

"No Fair"

My brother Timmy had this to say the other night while we were all eating dinner...

" No fair, Nathanael gets to have Down Syndrome and I don't!"

We were watching an advert on tv and there was the sweetest girl showing how competitive she is in sports, she happens to have down syndrome and her school coach said (and I paraphrase)"The thing we try to emphasize at our school is that we are all the same, just we all learn and progress at different speeds".

Amen.

Ignorance and not so much bliss in my local paper

Here's the article in my local newspaper:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080814/NEWS/80814006

Just copy and paste link into your browser :)

I hate when people act ignorant at others' expense....

Happy Birthday #3 Nathanael!!

To my precious little boy, Nathanael:

On the day that you were born
The angels they did sing
For on this day a piece of heaven
To earth your birth would bring

To others you may seem different
Your purity they would not see
For what may seem as "not quite right"
Is quiet innocent perfection... completely

I wish you love on your special day
The day heaven and earth did cheer
We were chosen by God to be blessed
A bit of Heaven will reside with us here.

God bless you Nathanael, love, Mom

Ban Tropic Thunder!

Please, if you do nothing else today, PLEASE read this article found on 5 Minutes for Mom blog and then sign the petition found at the bottom to ban Tropic Thunder.

http://www.5minutesformom.com/4010/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-retard/#comment-790938

On this page you'll read of this atrocious movie Hollywood's trying to put out that not only portrays the intellectually disabled in a horrendous light but they promote/condone the use of the term "retard" in this derogatory way that's supposed to be "funny". As the author of this blog segment wrote "my son has to fight for his life every day, he shouldn't have to fight for acceptance too".

The obstacles and challenges that those with intellectual disabilities are far-reaching and varied. We don't need the entertainment industry making things 100 times more difficult. A portion of people with these disabilities can't speak for themselves, we need to speak FOR them. Like I'm speaking for my Nathanael today.

In a society that strives for perfection, what is missed is that people like Nathanael ARE perfection. I wish I could be more like him.