Wil and I decorated the Christmas tree. It’s the first time we’ve done it just the two of us. Usually the twins are here so he’ll hang a few ornaments, but then move on to singing or other activities around us. As Wil was home sick, and we needed low-key activities to stave off boredom, … Continue reading Age is Just All Numbers
An Ornamental Moment
Wil loves putting ornaments on the Christmas tree. Using his fine motor skills has always been a challenge for him; especially pinching. As you can imagine, placing ornaments with loops on top gets tiresome quickly for Wil — but Wil always finds a way. When his pinching fingers are worn out, he puts the ornament … Continue reading An Ornamental Moment
Heavy and Light
Wil loves riding his recumbent bike around our property. The challenge is I can’t fully trust he won’t go out to the road. And it’s a busy road. I was talking to fellow mother yesterday. Her 16-year-old son, who also has Ds, is in summer speech and occupational therapy with Wil. As much as her … Continue reading Heavy and Light
For What They Do
“Wil, I miss you,” popped up in the chat box from Sarah Stommen. Virtual school started back up again a week from last Friday. Wil kicked off his virtual schedule full of steam, but by Thursday the task of getting him in front of the computer was a feat. Sarah saw the look on Wil’s … Continue reading For What They Do
A New Flight Path
On the day of Wil’s birth, the nurse said he was “floppy” which is a soft marker for Down syndrome. He melted into my chest. The soft, defined curve of his eyes warmed my heart like I’d known this love forever. At the same time, the shape of his eyes sent a hard marker of … Continue reading A New Flight Path
No Words to Describe the Words that Do
Wil was busy packing his backpack. Then he walked up to me and told me what he was doing and walked out the door. I didn’t understand fully what he said. So I watched him walk down the lane of our back field. If he turns right, that means he’s going to the river. If … Continue reading No Words to Describe the Words that Do
Remembering Leading Hands on the Journey to Acceptance
Reading a passage on a special needs social media page, I came across a sentence about our kids' first friends being their therapists. Tears immediately flowed with that sentence. Have you ever found your emotions processing words faster than your intellect? My heart felt the words before their literal meaning reached my brain. Then when … Continue reading Remembering Leading Hands on the Journey to Acceptance