Dr. John Michael...making a house call...

"Ah yes, I hear the problem..."


"I can fix that..."


And if your patient is non-compliant...

:-)

Swinging good time...

It's been over two weeks since I last posted!
Mea Culpa!!

The weather has been off and on spring-like so the boys have been getting more outside time.

These two love to swing, climb, run, slide and laugh together.

It's hard to be grumpy when you get these kind of smiles!

Happy Spring!

SPREAD THE WORD...

Look at my handsome boy! When you use the words "Retard" or "Retarded" as a means of describing someone, something or even yourself as stupid or ridiculous, please think about John Michael. It is hurtful to me, Doug, Nic, Anna, Greta and someday, Luke, too. It's not a nice word and one day John Michael will understand what you are saying and his heart will be broken. I'll do my best to lift up his spirits as best as I can, but my heart, too, will be broken. The word is offensive and it isn't fair for John Michael or his many special friends to grow up in a world where it's okay to make fun of someone (even if not intentionally) because of their differences. 

If you use the word, please stop.  I won't judge you if you say it...  but don't be surprised if I gently remind you...

John Michael is counting on you to make a difference and so am I ♥

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD http://www.r-word.org/

Fireworks at Home Depot

Today, instead of going to preschool, John Michael (and Daddy) met his class for a field trip at Home Depot. Once everyone arrived, the kids went on a treasure hunt throughout the store and had to find a ladder taller than they are, pick their favorite color paint sample, count how many saws there are... there were about a dozen activities all preschool-related.  They also planted some sweet pepper seeds in the garden area and had lunch together.



When John Michael spotted this rug, he said, "Fireworks!"

Such a cool 3D rug!  I can see why he would think that!
After his nap, I asked him about the field trip and the fireworks at Home Depot. With a worried look on his face, he covered his ears and said, "Loud. Scary."

Silly boy.

Deep in Conversation...

Every once in a while, you get a heartwarming reminder of just how cool it is to have an extra chromosome.

Tonight, John Michael and I raced to Straw Hat Pizza to catch the tailend of a DSIA Pizza Night for adults with Down syndrome and their parents.  As a board member, I'd signed up to be there the whole time, but never actually put it on my calendar! 

While it would've been nice to have been there during dinner, I think the most important thing for us happened when the evening was almost finished.

When we walked in, we met Jeremy.  I could tell he was drawn to John Michael.  It was mutual.  They said, "Hi" and made small talk.  It didn't take long for John Michael and Jeremy to find a table and chat.  I used the time to meet a few parents who have many more years of experience raising a child with Ds and learned about some of the things they are concerned with... but that's another post... 

I love how attentive Jeremy was with John Michael. 

I think that's what struck me tonight.  We are always so busy, checking our cell phones, making sure to catch every message, every text, email, call, facebook, whatever...  Heaven forbid we should unplug and be present and in the moment!

He told Jeremy all about Elmo, sang and signed the "Slippery Fish" song and the "Wheels on the Bus" song.  (I didn't hear their conversation, but asked John Michael later on in the car what he and Jeremy talked about...) 

Jeremy listened patiently while this little 4 year old shared his deepest thoughts.

I asked Jeremy and his mom, both, for permission to snap photos and to post on my blog.

The memory this left me was one of great joy and hope.  John Michael, I think, reminded some parents of their children long ago when they were little.  It was nice to see so many parents of adults with Ds be friends and chat about things relevant to them and their adult kids' needs as they get older.  I know we'll have that with the friends we've made, too.  Long-lasting friendships with people who really know what it's like.  The good and the not so good. 

What about Jeremy stood out to John Michael?  I'd love to know...

Does he somehow "know" that they have something in common?

Time will tell...

For now, this sweet image will remain with me and I will cherish the memory.

Memory.

Mea Culpa!!!

Please forgive my slacking on blogging. We have seriously been hit HARD with the nasty cold and flu viruses around here and making its way through 5 kids took a couple weeks. Then, something new pops up and we're at it again! All the kids were in school today for the first time in 2 weeks. Let's just say, I was soooooo ready!

Memory.  Cognition.

It's something that I often joke is failing (in my brain...), but it's really no joke. My grandmother in Germany had Alzheimer's Disease in her 90's and it was a very difficult time for her family. My grandmother's son also died with Alzheimer's. So... it runs in my family. 

Knowing that, I felt immense guilt when John Michael was born with Ds and I read that people with Down syndrome have a greater probability of getting Alzheimer's Disease by age 40. Yes, 40!  I know there is research being done for this very reason (Dr. William Mobley is a leader in this area) and I am hopeful that by the time they find a treatment and it is approved for people, it won't be too late for John Michael. You know how research goes...

Well, the image above made me smile, which also sparked this post.

2 years ago, when I was pregnant with Luke, and John Michael was just about 2 1/2 years old, Doug's Uncle Piet, Aunt Bettie and great grandmother "Granny" visited from Holland (I posted about it back in May 2010).

John Michael fell instantly in love with his distant relatives, but was especially drawn to Piet. Something about John Michael drew him in and they enjoyed each other's company.

Piet used to do this silly thing by pulling on his ears and sticking out his tongue (see 1st photo above). John Michael thought it was hilarious and soon copied. The relatives visited only for a few weeks and John Michael hasn't seen them or had contact with them since.

So, I recently asked John Michael, "What does Piet do?"

And he immediately gave me a big smile, tugged on his ears and stuck out his tongue and then said, "Piet does."

This is sooooo cool!

We love to play little memory games with John Michael to get him to recall the past. But 2 years is awesome!  He wasn't very verbal at that stage yet, but he understood most of what you told him.  The fact that he could recall it, do it and say it was fantastic.  Just look at how little he ws back then!

Just had to share...

Double Trouble

Oh, yes... he gets that distinction all by himself.

The Elephant Hunter

The Elephant Hunter

Don't be fooled. 

Under this cute exterior, lies a very powerful
Elephant Hunter.

He means them no harm... he only wants to find them so he can wash the elephants and make them clean.

Meet his cute sidekick, who's not very serious about helping...

Filled with special water, The Elephant Hunter straps on his powerful backpack watersprayer and sets off on the hunt.

Where could those elephants be hiding?
Not here...

He senses their presence on the other side of the fence and calls them.

His trusty, red-headed assistant spots them! 

He lifts up his powerful water sprayer.

Shhhhhhh.... Shhhhhhh...  Shhhhhh....

His sprayer reaches the elephants.  All clean!

Job well done.

 Looks like Mr. Turtle could use a wash...

The end.

Wordless Wednesday -- Telling Secrets

Boredom Buster: Do*A*Dot Art!

Need a fun, colorful boredom buster idea for indoor days?

I've had this supply of Do*A*Dot Art non-toxic bottles since 2004, and thought I'd pull it out this morning to see if John Michael and Luke were ready for it.



I had a couple sheets left from a Christmas art project I did for Greta's 1st Grade class last month, so we went to work.

Before even getting started, John Michael had fun unscrewing the cap. Good fine motor therapy, right? When he was finished, he lined all the bottles up and counted them. Good for preschool skills, too. :-)



We divided the colors and he went to work. John Michael made all of this by himself. Pretty nice, eh? I like how he filled up his page and got enough pressure to make complete circle dots in many places.

Luke tried, too. The red and green dots were mine, but otherwise, he did pretty good for his first try at 19 months old. :-)

Do*A*Dot Art isn't inexpensive, but it lasts forever and stays perfect with the lid on. This was a "shimmer" pack of 5 I purchased for $14.99 at Learning Express back in 2004. The other colors are from even before then.

But what I really love about it is that it's super easy to use and hold, non-toxic (yes, Luke decided to paint his mouth) and it's really, truly washable. I got a couple dots on my shirt and jeans and they both washed out with some dish soap. It is actually harder to get this stuff washed off your skin than your clothes, so Luke looks like he smashed blueberries all over his face. :-o

Attention Span

Welcome and Happy New Year!

Just a little update on my sweet John Michael, who turned 4 in November, happens to have Down syndrome, and is an all-around awesome kid.



I had this Fisher Price Little People Nativity Set all packed up, ready to go into storage for another year, when John Michael came home from school and asked to play with the pieces.


 

John Michael's focused attention span continues to grow. He was at this spot, playing with these figures for about 45 minutes.

I love watching him concentrate.  He knows exactly what he wants, where to put things, and plays very nicely.  Here, he put all the pieces in a circle around the Baby Jesus.  (I'll bet you didn't know Elmo came to pay homage to the Christ Child, did you?)

Quietly. Sweetly. Reverently.

No throwing pieces.  No banging the angel's head on the table, or whatever else he could do.  No trying to bite the Magi's head off.

"John Michael, where's the Baby Jesus?"


"In a row!  Same!" proudly exclaims John Michael.

He was so proud to see all his pieces lined up in a row, as if to honor the Infant Child.  Everywhere he saw a nativity scene or a manger, he would identify Mary, "Jofes", and Baby Jesus.  He proudly tells me, "Jesus love me!" while patting his chest.  He's learning the faith and knows that these figures (minus Elmo) are different... not like Legos or other play figures.  Not because we explicitly said so, but because he's observing, paying attention and learning.  While he can't say all the words, he knows the words to a number of prayers -- the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", Grace before meals and the Sign of the Cross.

Can you tell I just LOVE this boy!

May 2012 bring you abundant blessings and much joy!

Thanks for reading.  I hope to hear from you more this year  :-)

Monica

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for keeping up with us at Monkey Musings.

Christmas blessings to you and yours from John Michael and the rest of the Crumleys.

May your holidays be filled with wonder and awe, peace, joy, and love.

Monica

Ceramics Studio Painting

John Michael recently spent a super fun morning at a ceramics studio as part of a birthday celebration for two of his little girlfriends, Eva and Annelies.  We chose an ornament to adorn our Christmas tree.


I loved his concentration and willingness to paint and explore color and texture, using his fingers as well.

I tried to help him keep his colors separate so his ornament wouldn't be a big brown blob. I think we managed pretty well...

As a finishing touch, I helped him put his handprint on the ornament. He chose green.  Unfortunately, I forgot to turn it, so his hand was at the bottom of the ornament, upside down. Oh, well...

I think he was quite pleased with his creation and loved spending some time with his friends.

Today, I picked up the finished piece.

I'm thrilled with the way it came out.  Yes, lots of brown, but plenty of color showing through!

I love the colors!

And, not to be missed... the big, green handprint underneath the ornament.  LOL!

It looks AWESOME on our tree!