Reinvent yourself

Cora continues to grow.  She crawls faster than you can catch her, and she is finger walking with the stability that comes with practice.  Her leg braces help her with keeping her ankles where they should be, but she can move just as fast with them, as without them.

Speedy seems to be Cora's new nickname lately.  That and "official greeter".  Cora has learned that if she says "Hi", it will usually inspire other people to stop what they are doing and say "Hi" back to her and have a short conversation with her.  This also means that no one is immune to the greeting of Miss Cora, where ever we may be. 

For example, Cora and I were waiting in the truck yesterday for her brother to get done in the library and an older gentlemen and his wife pulled up in a car next to us.  As the man stood up and closed his car door, Cora starting waving and saying "hi".  This man didn't hear Cora as we were inside the truck and he was outside walking into the library.  Cora looked at me and said "OH" and made the sign for crying.  Apparently, to Cora's understanding, if you don't say hello you are sad.

So right!  I totally agreed with Cora's reasoning.  If you cannot stop and say "Hi" to a happy baby, then perhaps its time to reinvent yourself, possibly time to reinvent your day.  Take a quick look at the day and how you've been greeting it, greeting others, or handling the issues that have come up.  Have you handled them as they are, or have you made them worse?  When someone greeted you, did you take the time to feel the sincerity behind their greeting, or did you brush if off with the standard "I'm fine" and keep on walking while swallowed up in your own thoughts?

Maybe Cora was right, maybe that older gentleman was sad yesterday.  If he was he probably could have used a dose of Cora's heartfelt "hi" to help him reinvent the remainder of his day.  In either case, I am proud to be a sponsor of the Miss Cora official greeting, because it often enables me to reinvent my whole day.

Cora turns TWO

That's right. Cora hit her second birthday and she did it with grace, love and smiling the whole day.  Despite a fever from teething another front tooth, she played with her knew toy and ate her cupcake like a pro.

At one point, during eating her cupcake, the frosting was stuck to all of her fingers.  She looked at her sticky hands and said "What's that?".  I told her it was yummy frosting and she just kept looking at her fingers and trying to pull cupcake pieces off of them.   She ate the whole cupcake this year and it was a beautiful sight watching her have such joy and happiness, without concern for anything.

Later she was given her birthday gift that Papa and GG found for her.  It was a sit and push toy that was actually short enough for her to sit on and reach the ground with her feet.  She absolutely loved the noises it made, and was soon trying to push it with her feet.  She only goes backwards right now, but we all know the forward motion will be soon to follow.

This morning she conquered climbing onto the couch all by herself!  And very proudly turned around, and said "Hi" with a big smile.

Yes, Cora Jean continues to grow.  Both in health and IQ.  The biggest encouragement I could give any new parent of an infant with Down syndrome, or a soon to be parent is this....don't let society dictate to you what your baby will or won't do.  Instead teach them right from the beginning.  Learn sign language and use it with your baby, pretty soon they too will be signing with you and talking with you.  Read to your baby as often as possible and point to the pictures and sign the word.

Our children have the capability of gaining a good IQ if we believe it is possible and we give them every opportunity for that growth.  While Cora faces challenges everyday, she is surrounded with love.  She didn't need or have to have two parents ( I am still a single parent) to reach her milestones, she just needed the love and support of people who are around her each and every day.

Love your child and just as Cora has done, they will mature into a wonderful, beautiful, mindful and stubborn two year old child.  Just like all the other two year olds in your neighborhood.

Remember this, god doesn't make junk!  He creates us in his image...so with that in mind, every time you look at Cora or your own child, you are looking at a part of his image.  You are only held back by your own limitations, not the belief of others!

Happy Birthday baby girl!  Mama is so proud of you....

Getting ready for birthday cupcakes

loving her cupcake and licking the frosting first

a successful couch climb

Triumphant first steps

I wanted to share a picture of Cora walking.  She still uses the assistance of someones fingers, but is getting braver by the day.  I look forward to nap times as it gives my back a break from all the walking with Cora.  I don't mind though, this is huge growth for her and I don't want to diminish that in any way.

I thought of a quote for today's blog and wanted to share it with you.  On Thursday, March 21, it will be World Down Syndrome day and with that and Cora's way of changing the lives of those she touches I wanted to close this post with a quote. 

"If I am not for others, who am I?  If not now, when?"

If people with Down syndrome

For today's post is am going ot paste an attachment.  I recently read this article and found it uplifting, thought provoking and special.

It is my hope that as you take time out of your day to read my blog, you will also take time to copy and paste this address and read the article it takes you too.

http://nads.org/pages_new/news/ruletheworld.html

Life, with Cora, continues to be interesting. She teaches me willingly and I remain her ever vigilant student.  Life is good and after reading the above article, maybe it will help you to better understand why I am honestly admitting that I continue to be Cora's student.

As always, we both wish you blessings and continued happiness as you continue this journey with us.

 Cora combing her hair after bathtime. 

Cora and toys

As always, the days fly by me and I find myself wondering where the time went.  gone are the days of nervously watching Cora for struggles with breathing or signs of heart failure.  With that, gone are the days of sitting around the house with only household chores and Cora to attend too.

In recent days we were gifted with two snow storms and lots of outside work that needed to be done.  Both for the animals in my care and the house that we live in.  Cora, stayed snugly in the house with one of her siblings, while I trudged through the daily outside work and errands/appointments that couldn't be missed.

During this time I discovered that Cora had lost interest in many of her toys.  Gathering up the ones she outgrew, or could out think, I packed them away for the grandbaby that will be born in May of this year.  I relished in the fact that toys were being outgrown as fast as her clothes are being outgrown.  I also loved the fact that it gave me opportunity for a little toy shopping.

Away my oldest daughter and I went to the store and we could be seen scouring the aisle for the right kind of toys.  Pushing buttons and listening to songs and watching the bleeps, beeps and flashing lights.  I must admit I grew frustrated at one point because I really wanted toys that would challenge Cora and not make the learning easy for her.  She needs to gain understanding and reasoning, as well as increase her eye - hand coordination.   Many of the toys we found would do the reasoning for her at the mere push of a button, with little reasoning required from Cora.

Finally , I spotted the perfect toy.  I remembered the hours of play that it offered my older kids and I was sure Cora would like it too.  We grabbed a big bag of them, walked to the register and drove the twenty two miles homes, anxious to see how Cora liked her new toys.

Cora was looking at a book when I walked into the house.  Her eyes lit up when I signed "toy" and "play" and then told her all about the new toys.  Emily took the bag and opened it and that was the end of any conversation.  I lost the both of my children in the play of the new toys.

Then Kelsey joined in and as soon as Phoenix got home from school, he too joined in with the toys.  Each one building and showing Cora how to put them together, pull them apart and play.  Before long Cora was building her own designs, and knocking them down without any help from the others.  She would watch them play with her, pick up one of her peices and hand them to a sibling for their project.  She was demonstrating sharing and participation.  I loved every minute of it!

Cora continues on with facing new challenges as if they are everyday occurrences.  She looks at a problem just as it is and doesn't make it any worse than what it is.  She bends her head this way and that, studies and watches, and then gets her hands dirty and goes to work.  I like the lesson that she continues to teach to me and her siblings.  A problem is only as difficult as we make it.But is there beauty in a problem?  Absolutely! Dont' make it worse than it truly is and learn the lesson it offers you.  A problem is merely an opportunity for growth. 

Cora continues to grow....are you?

  The new toys?  Megablocks!

Cora continues to blossom

Sickness has seemed to fill our house lately.  First one sibling, then another and finally Cora had a little bug.  Not much, just seemed to be off her feeding schedule and wanted to be snuggled more than usual.

My days have been filled with this little girl.   She has lost a little weight, but continues to grow.  She is now a whopping 31 1/2 inches long and outgrowing clothes.  I love this new development in  Cora, because it is refreshing and rewarding to have to purchase new clothes for a growing baby.

A few days ago Cora shared lunch with her Auntie Lee and her Auntie Val.  She kept us all entertained with the idea that she needed to feed Auntie Lee salad, one leaf at a time.  Laughter and tears of happiness filled my eyes as I watched Cora interacting with both of these lovely women.

Then, the little bug found our house and has been lingering its hold of upset tummies and headaches.  Kept me away from the blog, but it also offered another gift.  With the extra snuggles, came extra reading time and that gave me the opportunity to keep showing Cora the sign for "book". 

As is her usual mode of learning Cora has watched me sign this word for her for almost two years now, and then she just up and starts using it two days ago.  Simple as punch and like she has been doing the sign all along, she grabbed her book, put it down and then signed "book" "mama" to get me to read it to her.

The fear of losing this beautiful Cora eases as each day passes, and it is starting to become a lost thought in the many thoughts that fill my mind everyday.  And with each passing day, Cora continues to blow so many ideas of what she could be, or would be, out of the water. 

Forgive me, I must leave this blog posting today and be with Cora.  She has just signed "book mama" to me and I don't want to miss this beautiful moment in her signing growth.

 

As always, we cherish sharing our moments with you and continue to send you blessings as you travel this journey with us.

Yoga, Cora style

Since Cora's health has improved a great deal, and I am finally able to get back into some of the things that took a backseat to Cora's care, I started back into the power yoga and the elliptical.

This morning, heavy into the workout and concentrating on balance and the instructor, I hear this little voice penetrate my thoughts.  "Mama, mama, mama" it was saying over and over.  I looked over to see Cora in the downward facing dog position and looking at me to get my attention.  I was so shocked, I fell out of my pose which led to much laughter from Cora and me.

I sometimes forget how Cora is a great mimic of everything.  Sounds, signs and movements.  She watches us and tries to do the same things, and today she was doing advanced power yoga movements, like it was nothing.

An absolute blessing for her is the hyper-extension the third chromosome allows her.  That which Early on has been telling me will be a burden for her ankles, knees and hips was today a blessing in disguise. 

So here is my thought, if she can do yoga it will actually strengthen those tendons and ligaments that are super stretchy.  What a beautiful interaction it offered me and Cora... her in her play yard and me right next to her. 

I love the blessings in disguise that this journey continues to deliver me.  With those blessings I find that thinking out of the box is definitely the way to go, and Yoga for a almost two year old is where the journey took us today.