Happy Birthday, Dane!

It always amazes me how time flies. I can't believe my littlest guy is two years old today! It just seems like yesterday that we met that sweet face...all 8lb. 12oz. of him! Dane continues to provide us with many laughs and smiles, as well as challenging situations. He is on the move constantly (proven by bumps, bruises and currently a black eye) and really prefers his way, or no way. The brotherly loves continues each day and is a joy to watch. We are now in the midst of constant talking - and repeating! - and the excitement of Dane wanting to do EVERYTHING by himself. He is such a blessing to us, and we can't wait for new skills and interests to emerge. I see karate or gymnastics in his near future...

7 Years...

Today Matt and I celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. We spent a little time looking through our wedding album, and talking about all of the hills and valleys we have traveled. I don't have to mention all we have been through since walking down the aisle, but most seemed like enormous challenges at the time...all have turned out to be positive influences and blessings in our lives. Matt and I look forward to the many chapters left to be written, and are grateful for all of the love and support that has surrounded us by family and friends over the years.

Buddy Walk 2009

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Well, one of the things I have always worried about happening just happened to me. As I was uploading many pictures to this slideshow - many GREAT pictures - my camera shut down. When I turned it back on I found the scandisk card to be...empty. *sigh* I am just bummed. Luckily, a few uploaded, but none of the actual walk or of Chris Burke (Corky from Life Goes On) or of the boys on the firetruck or of the boys and me. Ugh. Not only did I lose the pictures from the Buddy Walk, but over 200 from the past few months. And, of course, none had been put on a disk or hard drive.

Let me move on. One a happy note, the walk was fantastic! Matt was on call and unable to go, but the boys and I had a great time. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the setting at Furman University was just breathtaking. Pictures couldn't even capture the tree colors and landscape of that area in Greenville. Before the walk the boys enjoyed exploring and playing various games. The walk was so peaceful through campus, and we were honored with Chris Burke from Life Goes On singing with his band following the walk! The pictures that did not upload also showed the boys dancing, clapping and smiling ear to ear listening to the music. Again...ugh.

Enjoy what pictures were uploaded, and know that we had a great time celebrating Blake today and all individuals with Down syndrome! I just wish Matt and our cheering crowd that was at the walks in Kansas City could have been a part of it all.

Niven's Farm...Round 2

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We made our second trip to Niven's Apple Farm today! It is such a nice place with pumpkins, hayrides, an apple orchard, animals and great things to entertain little ones. We had a great time with our friends and enjoyed the playgroup field trip. Enjoy the slideshow and please know it won't be the last from our fall outings to orchards...we will be heading to Sky Top Orchard in the NC mountains next Friday! Wishing all of you a great weekend!

OTR/L...finally

I am happy to say I am officially a licensed occupational therapist again. After 8 long weeks of hearing "did you get this...can you send that...notarize this...fax this"...I FINALLY have both my national certification and South Carolina state license reinstated. And a very good lesson learned. NEVER let your license lapse or become inactive. No matter what.

So, I will begin my new job next Monday for a morning of orientation. Then my regular schedule of working Tuesday and Thursday will begin! I am truly excited and ready to start...ready to use my brain and do what I can to help children and their families. I am not thrilled to return to all of the paperwork, but at least I can sign my name Beth R. Hollenbeck, OTR/L without any question. Maybe I will send Ms. Williams at the SC Board of Occupational Therapy office a little note and sign my name and credentials in bright red ink just to show her how I much I appreciated her expediting my application for license reinstatement. *sarcasm*

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

October is a special month for our family for a lot of reasons. Our wedding anniversary is in the month of October, as well as Dane's birthday. Several family members and friends celebrate their birthdays during the month. It is hands down my favorite month because the weather begins to change, the leaves turn and the crispness, sights and smells of fall is upon us. Hence the reason I got married in October! Another very special reason I love October is that the entire month is set aside to celebrate Blake and Down syndrome! There are several ways to support Blake and individuals with Down syndrome in your community. Virtually every town has their own alliance that sponsors various events to benefit the Ds community. This time of year the Buddy Walk takes place on various dates nationwide. It is a great venue to show your support and raise money for education, research and awareness of Down Syndrome. It is so important to educate others about Down syndrome and the wonderful contributions those with Down syndrome have in our communities. We need to educate neighbors, co-workers, church members, and yes, even teachers. Individuals with Down syndrome have SO much to offer, and should be celebrated not just in the month of October, but everyday! I have listed some factoids below about Down Syndrome. All were taken from the National Down Syndrome Society website (http://www.ndss.org/)...

• One in every 733 live births is a child with Down syndrome resulting in approximately 5,000 births each year in the United States alone.
• The majority of children with Down syndrome (80%) are born to mothers UNDER the age of 35 because younger women have more children. They are not always born to "older" mothers.
• Children with Down syndrome have been included in regular academic classrooms in schools across the country. Increasingly, individuals with Down syndrome graduate from high school with regular diplomas, participate in post-secondary academic and college experience, and are employed at a variety of places in the community.
• Researchers are making great strides in identifying the genes on Chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Many feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future.
• Most individuals with Down syndrome have an IQ that falls in the mild to moderate range of intellectual disability, not the severe range as often assumed.

In the final bullet above NDSS uses the wording "intellectual disability." This is fairly new terminology that is replacing the horrific word, "retarded." The NDSS, local Down syndrome organizations, professionals working with people with Down syndrome, parents of children with Down syndrome, and those who have Down syndrome are working VERY hard to remove the word "retarded" from everyday language. Also know to us as the "R" word. I personally feel it is important for all of us to draw attention to those who use it, adults and children alike, and make them aware of it's hurtful, inappropriate nature. We can use those opportunities to educate those individuals and introduce the terminology "intellectual disability." Nothing is worse than having your child be called "retarded," but it also horrible to hear it used in slang.

And my favorite statement from NDSS..."Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives."

Thanks to all of you for supporting Blake and us in this journey. It has been a rollercoaster ride so far, which I am sure will not change. I have had to fight and advocate like crazy sometimes, but I have also had opportunities to sit back and smile and just enjoy watching him grow and learn like any other child. Isn't it unbelievable to think he will be 4 years old in four short months!

Duck, Duck, Toot!

Our little comedian, Dane, figured out a new game with the duck in the bathtub. You have to listen really close to hear the sound he is making. He thinks it is hysterical. Somehow he figured out how to push the base of the duck up against his tummy to make this noise. You will probably have to scroll down to the very bottom of the page to press pause on the music in order to hear the video.

Back in the Public Eye

My apologies for any confusion regarding our blog. Some situations arose that concerned me and pushed me to make our blog private. After discussing this with Matt and reevaluating, I have decided to make it public in order to not alienate any of our family and friends (which is the LAST thing we want to do!). The blog is so important to me and is my creative outlet that allows me to communicate information to all of you with ease...from fun things we discover and do to serious news that we want to share. Not to mention the pictures, slideshows and hopefully one day videos. That is if I can pull myself a little further out of the dark ages! In short, the blog makes me happy. And why would I not want to share that with all of you? So, thank you for your patience with my changes and for reading and enjoying our blog!

Our visit to Nivens Apple Farm

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We made our first visit to an apple farm and pumpkin patch this weekend. We went to Nivens Apple Farm in Moore, SC...just down the road from where my parents used to live. We enjoyed the farm, the animals, a hayride and a lot exploring. Our next stop will be at Sky Top Orchards in the North Carolina mountains. Probably two stops since I can't resist. Enjoy the pictures.