here's a chance to win a free membership at chickinmoms, thanks bethany @ life with bubba, chicky and nika, for the opportunity and the info on the site...it seems like a wonderful community to join.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
moms and photographer giveaway....
here's a chance to win a free membership at chickinmoms, thanks bethany @ life with bubba, chicky and nika, for the opportunity and the info on the site...it seems like a wonderful community to join.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
my inspiration this week...
i stumbled on this site via a fellow blogger, thanks, Lianna at my life with gabriel...i am totally inspired by Conny Wenk's work. it is just gorgeous. the photography is absolutely stunning and well i really do love her special subject matter. she has a calendar out and i have all intention of buying it. what i like about the blog is not that she is just showing off her photography but she is also sharing her connection to the down syndrome community.
while browsing through the blog, on page 3 and 6, i came across this entry about a young woman who is a dancer. her name is Laura Brückmann and she is absolutely amazing, oh i wish i could see her dance. just seeing the photos brings dreams and hope to my heart. yes, perhaps my daughter could be a dancer one day, perhaps she will be well composed and focused, as this young lady is. i really feel that Conny and Laura's is so important to the world...to me...and to maya. it has been my inspiration this week.
http://www.connywenk.com/blog/ (main site)
http://www.connywenk.com/alittleextra/english/index.html (calendar)
while browsing through the blog, on page 3 and 6, i came across this entry about a young woman who is a dancer. her name is Laura Brückmann and she is absolutely amazing, oh i wish i could see her dance. just seeing the photos brings dreams and hope to my heart. yes, perhaps my daughter could be a dancer one day, perhaps she will be well composed and focused, as this young lady is. i really feel that Conny and Laura's is so important to the world...to me...and to maya. it has been my inspiration this week.
http://www.connywenk.com/blog/ (main site)
http://www.connywenk.com/alittleextra/english/index.html (calendar)
Friday, January 22, 2010
haircut. success!
tuesday i finally took the plunge and took maya to get a haircut. i had been procrastinating because quite frankly maya is notorious for screaming, crying, and signing "all done" during the entire haircut. it's just so painful to see her like that!
her hair had become so long that she had to start pushing her bangs out of her face. so it was overdue to say the least. just this week my friend told me of a new place she had gone to and really liked. i think mostly because of the price but it is also closer to both of our houses. very convenient. turns out this place has been there for 7 years.
anyway, when it was maya's turn to get her haircut, i warned the hairdresser what was about to come. scotty was her name and she was different than all the other ladies who have cut maya's hair so far. she was calm and friendly, she didn't seem like she was in a hurry to get this over with.
the moment the water bottle came out, maya started to cry and growl. actual tears came out of her eyes....and i thought this was the beginning of the torture. i tried my usual distractions, snacks, singing and then i took out her ipod and started playing her signing time video. usually she just pushes it away, but this time she didn't. she actually was happy to see it. she was totally distracted and by the middle of the haircut she was even smiling at the video. scotty was able to take her time and really pay attention to details that other hairdressers have not been able to focus on.
as always it seems my daughter has surprised me again. it seems like a small thing to mention in an entire entry but sometimes it's the little things that make an ordinary day special.
her hair had become so long that she had to start pushing her bangs out of her face. so it was overdue to say the least. just this week my friend told me of a new place she had gone to and really liked. i think mostly because of the price but it is also closer to both of our houses. very convenient. turns out this place has been there for 7 years.
anyway, when it was maya's turn to get her haircut, i warned the hairdresser what was about to come. scotty was her name and she was different than all the other ladies who have cut maya's hair so far. she was calm and friendly, she didn't seem like she was in a hurry to get this over with.
the moment the water bottle came out, maya started to cry and growl. actual tears came out of her eyes....and i thought this was the beginning of the torture. i tried my usual distractions, snacks, singing and then i took out her ipod and started playing her signing time video. usually she just pushes it away, but this time she didn't. she actually was happy to see it. she was totally distracted and by the middle of the haircut she was even smiling at the video. scotty was able to take her time and really pay attention to details that other hairdressers have not been able to focus on.
as always it seems my daughter has surprised me again. it seems like a small thing to mention in an entire entry but sometimes it's the little things that make an ordinary day special.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
the specials
what a neat idea...a documentary style show about people that have down syndrome. real people living together, experiencing life with all it's ups and downs, love and losts. its so refreshing to see this.
while i watched the first episode, i couldn't help but daydream about what my daughter's life will be like. i always wonder…what will she want to do, what will she be like, where will she live. seeing this show, just made me happy. there are so many things that i don't know about my daughter...but i always wish for her attitude to take her far and hope that she has many adventures in this life.
check it out if you get a chance....
http://www.the-specials.com/home
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
guilty as charged!
ok, i'll bite. my first entry for crazy hip bloggers and parentopia. they have asked us to write about mommy guilt. the ironic part is that i was just thinking today that i am starting to feel a bit guilty about lack of time given to maya.
it's strange because i've not felt this way before but the last six months i have been lucky enough to get respite via the state. this has been so wonderful on so many levels, and now part of me is super guilty that i'm not with my daughter 24/7. during respite hours i'm usually running errands without maya (it is so much easier) and other times i try and make some time to balance my-self out. today while maya and i were having some quiet time together, i started to think that i should spend more time with her. there are so many things that i want to do with her, but it feels like time escapes me. (and i'm a stay at home mama, you'd think there would be plenty of time. not so, it seems.)
in my mind i think...i need to push her more on walking, i need to make her cruise more, stand more, i need to work more with her chewy tube, her self feeding skills, her pincer grasp, her peg board....the list goes on and on. and then there is the food. in my dream world i'd be one of those mothers that cooks homemade meals everyday, i'd mash it up for her and freeze it for later, i'd experiment with different kind of veggies and create new dishes for her. i have been trying to puree basic veggies for her, like carrots and zucchini, but otherwise than that i have been giving her the standby baby food. because she only has 6 1/2 teeth technically and is still learning how to chew and move food around in her mouth, feeding has been a challenge. still i feel as if i should make more of an effort.
maybe i'm over thinking things because i'm a first time mom, maybe it's because she has down syndrome and we have to work hard at every milestone. whatever the case, i do accept that all moms probably feel a tinge of guilt somewhere along their journey. as long as i acknowledge these feelings and then let them be, they don't seem to take over who i am.
one of my favorite mantras is "so be it". when i feel like i should do more, be more, give more, i try to chant, very slowly and softly, "so be it, so be it, so be it" ...and then let go.
it's strange because i've not felt this way before but the last six months i have been lucky enough to get respite via the state. this has been so wonderful on so many levels, and now part of me is super guilty that i'm not with my daughter 24/7. during respite hours i'm usually running errands without maya (it is so much easier) and other times i try and make some time to balance my-self out. today while maya and i were having some quiet time together, i started to think that i should spend more time with her. there are so many things that i want to do with her, but it feels like time escapes me. (and i'm a stay at home mama, you'd think there would be plenty of time. not so, it seems.)
in my mind i think...i need to push her more on walking, i need to make her cruise more, stand more, i need to work more with her chewy tube, her self feeding skills, her pincer grasp, her peg board....the list goes on and on. and then there is the food. in my dream world i'd be one of those mothers that cooks homemade meals everyday, i'd mash it up for her and freeze it for later, i'd experiment with different kind of veggies and create new dishes for her. i have been trying to puree basic veggies for her, like carrots and zucchini, but otherwise than that i have been giving her the standby baby food. because she only has 6 1/2 teeth technically and is still learning how to chew and move food around in her mouth, feeding has been a challenge. still i feel as if i should make more of an effort.
maybe i'm over thinking things because i'm a first time mom, maybe it's because she has down syndrome and we have to work hard at every milestone. whatever the case, i do accept that all moms probably feel a tinge of guilt somewhere along their journey. as long as i acknowledge these feelings and then let them be, they don't seem to take over who i am.
one of my favorite mantras is "so be it". when i feel like i should do more, be more, give more, i try to chant, very slowly and softly, "so be it, so be it, so be it" ...and then let go.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
this week...
this week we have enjoyed getting back to our routine. storytime at the library, going to the park and play dates. today as maya played with the toys at the story time session, i looked around the room and saw mothers chatting and connecting. i saw many smiles and laughter. i realized how important these 30 minute sessions are to our children and our own sanity. =)
maya at the park, she love the swing!
at a friend's house...a sea of balls, maya sat there for 15 minutes straight.
playing after story time. i was so proud because she didn't pull anyone's hair.
when we arrived home maya just stared at me with those big brown eyes. then when i got the camera out, she looked away.
napping maya....ahhhhh, it's me time!
maya at the park, she love the swing!
at a friend's house...a sea of balls, maya sat there for 15 minutes straight.
playing after story time. i was so proud because she didn't pull anyone's hair.
when we arrived home maya just stared at me with those big brown eyes. then when i got the camera out, she looked away.
napping maya....ahhhhh, it's me time!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
a new year
i've lost track of time it seems. nov and dec flew right past...and now it's 2010! happy new year everyone. i hope that all your dreams come true this year.
so far so good on our end. things are beginning to settle down now that all extended family are gone. i'm looking forward to getting our routine back in order. and for some reason i think maya is looking forward to it also. i think she has missed her story time and signing classes. in a couple of weeks we will start a new music class through the city. i'm looking forward to seeing how she interacts with all the kids in the class.
we've had a few set backs this last month since maya was sick with a cold. luckily she only had a sinus thing, no cough or ear infection. she's missed a lot of her p.t. because of it and i've noticed that she is not at all into working on walking. she is still cruising the furniture and is also doing a lot of what i call "downward dog". she basically is trying to stand up and ends up in that position until she gives up. it's kind of cute if i say so myself. unfortunately all the progress we have made with her potty training has sort of stopped. i'm a little sad that this has happened but i know that people have said that this happens when kids get sick. i'm sure it's just a minor setback.
one thing that has not stopped is maya's interest in signing time. she received many new dvd's for christmas and they are coming in handy. she enjoys watching the new dvd's and she is still picking up signs left and right. i'm very grateful for this.
it's been a fast two months and now that we are in the 2010 i'm looking forward to the new year. soon we will be celebrating our birthdays. in february i will turn 40 and in march maya will be 2. i'm so excited for us! i have a feeling that maya and i will reach many goals this year.
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