More popsicle, please!

In general, my son has good oral motor skills. He had good suck while bottle feeding when he was a newborn, he didn't spill any milk on the side of his mouth. He used to take all the milk until the last drop. He has never had feeding problem. He started to eat baby food when he was 4 month old, which it is the earliest age a baby can star eating baby food. We introduced solid food to him when he was about 10 month and he was completely eating table food when he was 12 month. He eats all kind of food with different textures, such as: asparagus, green beens, beet roots, mangos, prunes, red beens, black beens, lentils, dry meet, sausage, seafood, fish, pork and so on. We introduced the straw training cup when he was about 8-9 month and he took it right away without training, so we use straws since then. He is able to drink from different types of straw cups, zippy cups and small open cups. He blows whistles, bubbles, horns and kazoos. His first bubble was when he was 16 month old. But we did an evaluation when he was 8 month and it shows he has tongue trust, which seems to be mild.

Even although, my son has shown to have good oral motor strength I still feel the need to help him with the tongue trust. Therefore, we keep using the the lipbloks from every drink; while, we are slowly working on the talk tools straw program to help him with the tongue trust. We also gives massages and exercises in and out of his mouth (jaw, tongues, lips and neck to improve sallow pattern). But the most fun of the oral motor therapy are the popsicles. I have bought a new 6-popsicle maker with a longer and narrower shape than the popsicle maker I had first. The long and narrow popsicles work to strength Tommy's lips because the circular shape force the lips get rounded while he sucks the popsicle and retract his tongue. Tommy eats up to two popsicles during snack time. He signs more after he finish and I have lately asked him: "Do you want more popsicle?" and he has verbally responded: "Yeah." They are so easy to make and without thinking of them as a therapy.

Related articles: Eating popsicles is fun

Just like Grandpa

My father-in-law loved bagels, so does Tommy.

He ate a whole bagel with a lot of cream cheese on it

for breakfast without taking a brake.

Tommy would die for a bagel, just like grandpa.

The best father I have met

I couldn't chose a better person to share my life and be the father of my son. He is one of the amazing dads a have met. He has loved Tommy since he knew I was pregnant. That love got even stronger when we knew about our unborn baby had a genetic disorder. During our pregnancy, the three of us were always together because we were already a family, even when Tommy was still in the womb. The concept "the Fetus are not babies" doesn't work in our family. Tommy as an unborn baby, his daddy and I were together in most of the weekly appointments at our OB office and all the trips to the hospital. When we had the amniocentesis, I remember my husband beside me holding my hand and looking at the monitor watching his unborn baby. He was there supporting us! Even although, we had a stressful time during our pregnancy, daddy had good moments when Tommy used to kick like a little wild bull. Daddy always said: "It is his way to tell us he is alright."

I remember when Tommy was born and he had to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). My husband was so anxious to bring his son home, but we had to wait for Tommy to heal on his own. One day, we were talking to one of the nurses who was taking care of Tommy and she said to my husband: 'There are a lot of dads, but a few fathers and you are one of them." He is always beside his son not matter what.

Tommy is daddy's boy since I remember. When Tommy was a new born, as soon as, he heard daddy's voice he was looking around for daddy and smiling at him. He knew that daddy was around. I think this connection began since Tommy was in the womb because my husband used to talk to Tommy as an unborn baby. He always told Tommy how much he loved him and Tommy used to kick when he felt daddy's presence.

There are many things daddy has done for Tommy just like me. He has changed dirty diapers, took his temperature, took Tommy to his medical appointments by himself, washed Tommy's cloth, gotten involved in Tommy's therapies, cried with me when Tommy had his first fever and so on. Tommy participated in his first fashion show last year. Before the event started, Tommy and I had to get ready to walk on the main stage. I was changing my cloth while daddy was changing Tommy's. When I met my husband to take Tommy, I realized my husband was the only dad involved back stage. He works hard to provide everything that Tommy needs and more. He is an amazing dad!

He accepted his son for who he is and not for what he has. When my husband and Tommy go out by themselves, it is a moment I truly enjoy because their faces light up; my husband walks holding his son very proud expecting that an stranger will say that his son is cute and Tommy is very happy that is spending time with his hero, his daddy.

I didn't have the opportunity to have a close relationship with my dad. So, it makes me extremely happy that my son and his dad are so close; even although, Tommy ignores me when daddy is around. I just enjoy the connection between them because it is unique. I know when Tommy gets older, he will have a lot of questions or doubts about men's stuffs and I won't be able to answered them. So, who better to answer those questions than his daddy.

I pray for the unborn babies diagnosed with a genetic disorder that they can also have a daddy who love and protect them for what they are and not judge them for what they have. I am blessed to be married with a wonderful man and amazing father.

Happy Father's Day!

Mr. Independent

From not where, Tommy started to wear his hat backward and I fixed it for him, but he protested. He put his hat backward again and point with both hands to the hat. It was like telling me "this is how I want to wear it." He knows what he wants and when he wants it. So, Mr. Independent wears his hat backward, it is his new fashion style.

I do laundry all by my-self

During the early years, it is when the kids enjoy doing chores rather than dreaded because it is fun. When kids are helping with daily chores, they feel that they are important members of the family because they also have responsibilities to help with the household task. Therefore, we are giving to our son the opportunity to experience to do routinely chores that he can do regardless he is not walking fully independent yet.

List of Chores assigned to Tommy

- Put his cloth in the hamper every day

- Put trash in the trash can when it is necessary

- Help dust the furniture every Saturday

- Do laundry every Saturday

Watch how Tommy seriously

takes his chore.

Research by Marty Rossmann, emeritus associate professor of family education, shows that involving children in household tasks at an early age can have a positive impact later in life. By involving children in tasks, parents teach their children a sense of responsibility, competence, self-reliance, and self-worth that stays with them throughout their lives.

The Color of Hope

One of my favorite song is "Color Esperanza" by Diego Torres (The color of hope).

This song means a lot to me because I came to the USA in pursuing

my master's degree with the hope for a better future. Six years later,

I am living in this wonderful country with my husband and my

child who is the color of hope, for every milestones he accomplishes

and for every challenge he surpasses.

Color Esperanza by Diego Torres

"In 2003, the song was performed specially by Torres for the

Pope John Paul II in Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid, Spain

by the festival of the Youth, for to welcome the Pope."~Wikipedia.com

Colors means a lot in my life because the graphic art is one of my best skills since I remember. Now, I welcome my son to my world by teaching him about colors. I introduced colors to Tommy when he was about 15-month old for strengthening Tommy's attention span. Tommy and I used to drop stacking cups and foam letters grouped by color in the bathtub (A color per week). While we dropped the cups, I labeled the color in English and Spanish.

I bought a set of flash cards and it comes with color cards. Then, I started to show the cards to Tommy and telling him: pick the green, pick the yellow. He did pick the correct color every time I asked. It made realize how capable my son is, but Tommy was 16.5 month old; so, I decided to work on this activity when he was older. Our Speech therapist, at that time, was witness of this and she was very impressed.

According to the article 'Why Colors and Shapes Matter' by Ellen Booth Church, Color is one of the first ways your preschooler makes distinctions among things she sees; color words are some of the first words she uses to describe these things. You have probably heard the pride in your child's voice as she names the colors of the balloons at the store checkout, or her delight when she realizes that a banana and pear are different shades of yellow... But there is much more to your child's understanding of color than "knowing his colors." While it is important for him to know the names of the colors, it is just as important for him to know what to do with them. You can help by inviting him to notice many shades, hues, and tints. Make up names for these colors together, such as lemon yellow or apple red. You will be helping him use color as a means for creative thinking and language.

Tommy is in the age appropriate to work on sorting, matching and recognition of colors. As a mommy-teacher, I have found easier to teach the primary colors first in the following order: yellow, green, red and blue. Now that my son is older, I am introducing two colors at a time, but they should contrast because it is easier for the child to notice the deference between them. For example: I am teaching the colors black and white to Tommy, the contrast between those two colors is very noticeable. If we are going to use the primary colors, I always use yellow as the contrasting color of the color I am working on.

His developmental Therapist introduced sorting by color to Tommy when he was about 23 month. He began to sort by color with me when he turned 24 month. We have toys we use for sorting by color, which also are for developing eye-hand coordination. And, we recently retake the activity of colors with flash cards and Tommy likes to match by color with the flash cards.

Tommy seems to have aptitude of graphic artist (ha, ha, ha, like mommy). I think is a great skill to develop in any child because it is a long lasting skill that can be pursued any where in the world and they can do it for leaving.

Enjoy the video of Tommy working with colors.

A Fragment of the song "Color Esperanza"

Translation:

“...Knowing that is possible, desiring that can be

Removing the fears, taking them off

Painting the face with the color of hope

Tempting to the future with the heart

It's better to be lost than never to embark

It's better to attempt to stop trying

Even although, you see that the beginning is not easy

The impossible can be achieved

The sadness will go on some day

and thus will be, life changes and will change

You'll feel that your soul flies

for singing one more time..."

I do it my-self!

Learning to take care of herself or himself is an important part of a child's personal and social development. Our son it is very observant, which I think it is what helps him with self-care skills. Tommy keeps learning and exploring by himself because he is in the stage "I do it my-self," which is age appropriate. The best way to help my son is to closely watch his development, which allows me to identify when he is ready for a new chore.

At this age, everything that toddlers do it is triumph for them and it is also the age where their personalities are forming; therefore, the feeling of accomplishment is important for any toddler with or without the syndrome. This helps to develop confidence in themselves. Expanding Tommy's chores helps to realize the frustration of the skills he is taking longer to master because of the hypotonia and it keeps boosting his brain by introducing novelty in his daily routine.

Tommy's hints for introducing new chores during bath time

One day, I saw him with his towel rubbing on side of his head. The light bulb turns on! He was trying to dry his hair. To confirm it, I took the towel and I gave it back to him saying: Take it and dry your hair. Surprisedly, he did. I allow him to help with drying his hair since then. Now, his rub both sides of his head and put the towel over his head. After he is done he has a big smile of accomplishment.

Tommy drying his hair for the first time.

During bath time on June 1st, he took a soup bottle that was open. He started to pour the soup on his head and body. The light bulb turns on! he was trying to wash his body and head. Since then, I allowed him to squeeze the soup bottle on a washcloth. To give him a better idea of taking a bath, Tommy and I play giving a bath to the baby boy doll.

The moment Tommy tried to take a bath

on his own was captured in video.

(I am glad I had the video camera upstairs).

Tommy washing his hair by himself

for the first time on June 4th, 2010

He turned the shower on and enjoyed the water falling on his head.

Unfortunately, I stopped filming because he was standing

on his own and I was afraid he could lose his balance.

Sorry that the video is in the wrong way.

As a mother, I want the best for my son. As parents, we want our son becomes an skilled independent person regardless the syndrome. Strengthening his self-care skills is to support him in his way toward independence.