Down Syndrome | Mommy Head Adventures

Happy World Down Syndrome Day – Celebrating life

This little guy has taught me so much! He has brought me so much joy and excitement in life. He even saved my life.

That is my son Ryan (Lion) and he has an extra chromosome.

Ryan was born on June 26, 2010 and that day my life was forever changed. I don’t talk about it much. Not because I am ashamed or anything. I just feel like it protects him or something.

But today is a day to celebrate! Today is World Down Syndrome Day!

And I know that Ryan’s life has been such a world changer for our whole family. He has brought us joy and taught us to love in a deeper way. He has taught us that things in life can be hard but they are all worth fight for. And he is a fighter.

That is my son Ryan and he has Down syndrome. Just an extra chromosome. And I believe that means there is just more to love!

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How about you? Have a fun post about your family that you would like to share? Link it up below along with Frontline Moms and I!

Filed Under: Down syndrome, Family Friday

Lion Slides and Jumps – family Fun Friday

24 Jan By Mommy Head Leave a Comment

Two weeks ago, we had a great breakthrough with Lion. He had a sup visit during his home physical therapy and they decided to bring out the slide. They had high hopes of working on some new skills with the slide and capturing his attention.

One problem with their plan… He already knew how to do the things they wanted to teach him. And no one taught him how to do it. He did it himself.

Here is a cute video for you to enjoy.

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How about you? Have you done anything fun with your family lately?

It’s Family Fun Friday here on Mommy Head Adventures. I have teamed up with Frontline Moms to bring you this super fun link up where you can brag on the fun things your family has been up to. If it is family friendly and fun, you can share it below. Here is a few suggestions to help you out:

Fun Recipes
Fun Crafts
Fun Family Games
Fun Mommy Outings, or,
Funny Stories About Your Family

Thanks for joining us and link up below.

Filed Under: Blog HOP, development, developmental delay, developmental milestones, Down syndrome, Family Friday

And He Walks With Me #specialneeds #downsyndrome

14 Jul By Mommy Head 7 Comments

It is official! My little Lion took his first steps unprovoked tonight!

He has been taking a few steps here and there lately. We even learned a trick to get him to stand up in the middle of the room. Add to that the begging to come to us, and we were getting 2-4 steps every once in awhile.

But tonight, this boy, my Lion, walked towards me without me asking:

We had done our gummy vitamins and teeth brushing. I had enlisted Bear’s help in cleaning the living room when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and my precious boy was walking toward me!

I saw three steps before the face plant happened. At least he laughed about it.

Here is to more revelation that he can do it!

Filed Under: advocacy, developmental delay, developmental milestones, Down syndrome

Family Friday: Drinking from a Straw

14 Oct By Mommy Head 6 Comments

I am one proud mama!

Yesterday was a big day for our little family. Once a month, we travel the 2 hours and 30 minutes to St Louis for Bear and Lion to have occupational therapy. We have been doing this since last May, when the OT in our area left.

First off, Bear did great. She has a different therapist now than what she used to have because her first therapist had a baby. She loves Amy and does wonderful with her. She fed herself and graduated to a new goal: Dressing herself. This should be fun. I really am not looking forward to her learning how to take her clothes off…

And for Lion, I was worried. He has been struggling with separation anxiety pretty hard core lately so I thought for sure that it would be a disaster. We did have some success on Wednesday during PT, when he decided that pulling up to stand would be a good idea

But, Lion proved me wrong. He did great putting objects into things and using his index finger to push buttons. He graduated to some new goals as well, but nothing would prepare me for what he would decide to do in less than 24 hours.

The above picture is a picture of our new friend. I will call him Honey Bear. Honey Bear was given to us to help Lion learn to drink from a straw. We have had lots of difficulty with drinking and eating lately as we have been weaning since little baby is coming. His therapist gave us a brush to use for brushing therapy and the Honey Bear to drink from.

We spent a lot of the session time learning to use the brush and the purpose of it. We are hoping that by brushing Lion’s arms, legs, hands and feet before eating that he might not be so adverted to new things. So far, so good.

I also learned how to squeeze the Honey Bear so that enough liquid gets to the tip with the goal to be that Lion will learn to suck it up. Family and friends, Lion no longer needs me to squeeze the bottle!

That is right. In less than 12 hours, he has mastered drinking from a straw! My son is a beast!

What new things have your little ones mastered lately?

Filed Under: adventures, award, development, developmental delay, developmental milestones, Down syndrome, early intervention, family, Family Friday, feeding

Wordless Wednesday: Paper Towel Clean Up {Linky}

2 Aug By Mommy Head 12 Comments

Welcome to another week of Wordless Wednesday here at MHA. So happy to have you come and link up your favorite Wordless Wednesday pictures from the week.

This week, Lion wanted to share with you his latest fun adventure.