Peek A Boo

Since Indie is not mobile yet, I try to move her around the house so she can have different experiences and opportunities to develop. She started playing with the curtains all on her own and loved this impromptu game of Peek-a-boo!  It was one of my favorite parts of the day too :)

And then she transitioned down to the floor from sitting.  Yay Indie!  

Indie {42 Weeks}

Look who's picture was shown smack dab in the middle of Times Square!  Indie's picture was part of a slideshow kicking off the New York Buddy Walk.  My friend Sherri's daughter was also included in the slideshow so she graciously snapped a picture for us and posted this on Facebook:  

 I loved seeing Miss Indie's beautiful face gracing the big screen in Times Square this morning!!! As you can imagine this pic garnered hundreds of "aaaaawwwwws!!!"

Promoting the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

And that's not all, Indie has outgrown her dairy intolerance and is sleeping through the night most nights.  I am like a whole new rested dairy-eating person now and it feels awesome!  

Thanks Grandpa Bob

Grandpa Bob sent Eden this awesome remote control bird as a late birthday present.  This thing has been incredibly durable and so fun.  And that's not all Grandpa Bob has sent; it seems like there's a new package every couple of days.  Thanks Grandpa Bob!  

The Most Chaotic Zoo Trip Ever

No school on Friday and it was beautiful so we headed to the zoo.  We invited our friends the Udalls (with 5 kids) and Roses (with 4 kids).  Everyone had a great time and got along well, but it was pure mayhem keeping track of all the kiddos.  We ended up dividing and conquering in the buildings and I got to follow the older girls.  Milan, Kylee, and Cecilia pretended to be researchers commenting on the animals, taking pictures with their pretend cameras, and writing down notes.  I loved watching their creativity!  After a couple of buildings, we decided to keep our show out in the open, explore the 5 senses garden, feed the fishies, and visit the playground.  It was a wonderful day, I just needed a little recovery time when we got home haha.  

IRUN4

A few months ago, we saw that the IRUN4 organization had a long waiting list for buddies with special needs so we signed Indie up.  I didn't want the girls to feel left out so I signed them up for a runner in the siblings group.  They were matched with Sally and she is amazing!  Sally dedicates her workouts to the girls, posts updates, follows their progress and really cares about our family.  She just sent them engraved medals from a recent relay race along with personalized cards.  She really gets each of the girls; she told Milan that she inspires her to work hard, congratulated Eden on reading her first chapter book, and told Cora that she inspires her to have fun with her workouts.  We are very fortunate to be involved with Sally (especially since Indie's runner dropped off the face of the earth haha.)  

Indie {41 Weeks}

We have had pooping issues for a while now.  I won't go into details, but Dave has given me the nickname of "Turtle Whisperer" (What can I say, I'm a lucky gal!)  This week, I talked to Dr. Nielsen at Indie's 9 month appointment, blood was drawn, and it turns out that Indie's thyroid is off.  Our pediatrician is consulting with endocrinology and we should have a treatment plan next week (probably just a daily medicine so easy peasy.)  I am looking forward to having this issue resolved.

They also asked me to fill out a development questionnaire at Indie's appointment and I got to answer Yes to every question except 1 about getting into quadruped position.  It looks like we are still pretty much on track!  I think it's time to start working on crawling, but Indie has other ideas, like this Superman position.  Good thing this little stinker is cute.

Next up, I am going to have to find a top-notch distraction so I can tuck those knees under her body and help her start building strength.  I'm game and I know she's going to crawl when she's ready, but sometimes it is exhausting to worry about every single aspect of Indie's physical development, signing, speech, medical needs, cognition, sleeping through the night, nap schedule, all while trying to give equal time to our other girls.  We love this little lady to pieces, but man, Down Syndrome is a lot of work.

Indie {40 Weeks}

I am so proud of Miss Indie, she started self feeding this week!  She had already mastered bigger foods like rice husks and veggie straws, but now she is really getting the hang of bite size pieces.  I gave her a tray of brocolli, cauliflower, and shredded chicken and she really went to town.  Of course, lots of it didn't make it to her mouth, but some did and she filled up her little belly.  (I could tell she was full when she started throwing food haha.)  Go Indie Go!