World Down Syndrome Day

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! A day to celebrate those who were born with an extra chromosome which makes them just that extra special.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) was first established by Down Syndrome International and Has been celebrated since 2006, being observed in over 60 countries around the world.  The aim of the Day is to raise awareness and increase the understanding about Down syndrome, to promote the inherent rights and dignity of persons with Down syndrome to enjoy full and dignified lives and  to recognize the worth and valuable contributions of people with Down syndrome (DS). The Day also works to ensure the inclusion of people with Down syndrome in every aspect of their community and society, in general.  For more information about WDSD, visit www.worlddownsyndromeday.org.

I find myself writing in many posts, Before Piper I ... And yet again here I am writing it... Before Piper I never knew that these days existed (World Down Syndrome Day, Spread the Word to End the Word Day and the whole month of October, which is Down Syndrome Awareness Month). Piper has opened up a whole new world for me. I have talked about this new journey we are on, and all the twist and turns and forks in the roads that we have come across so far in her 6 months of life. It is very comforting for me as a mother of a child with Down Syndrome, that there are these days and organizations out there. They are a great resource for mothers like me, and it is wonderful that they are fighting for the rights of not only my daughter but everyone who has Down Syndrome.

As part of World Down Syndrome Day, there is the "Building Our Future" conference at the UN today where advocates will be discussing many important issues for people with Down Syndrome.
If you are interested you can actually see the confence live. http://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/content/un-conference-live

I will be spending my day cherishing the life that Piper has brought to my family and I will also be attending "Raising Children with Special Needs in an Age of Exceptionality", an evening with Amy Julia Becker, a local author and friend. Speaking for myself I don't know how I would have been able to navigate this journey without the help and support from my local down syndrome group. I appreciate everything that Piper has shown me about this world and look forward to every step along this journey.

So to everyone out there in blog land take some time today to educate yourself or someone you know about Down Syndrome and Happy World Down Syndrome Day.

Spread the Word to End the Word

Today is Spread the Word to End the Word Day. A day where people pledge to stop using the R-word. I will admit before Piper I had thrown around the R-word, not knowing its true affects on other people. I didn't use it all the time and personally wasn't offended when I heard other people use it or see it being said on tv or in the movies. I made a conscious effort not to use the R-word, when I met Colin and Colin's family. Getting to know them I realized how hurtful the word actually is. Since having Piper, I have gained a new perspective on the word from a personal level.

I watched the movie, "My Idiot Brother" earlier this year. I rented it because I am a big fan of Paul Rudd and usually like the movies he is in. This was the first time that I was really offended by the R-word and actually couldn't watch the rest of the movie because of it. Since then I have seen many campaigns for getting rid of the r-word. I think that educating people about how the word affects other people is very important.

Please stand up with us to end this word. Check out www.r-word.org and pledge to eliminate the word. Check out this video and others like it on YouTube.

 You can also check out this clip from Good Morning America.
Good Morning America fight against the R-Word

Count Down to Day Care

The count down has begun, well actually the count down began a long time ago but now it has really hit home. Today we officially enrolled Piper into day care. I have had the papers filled out for sometime but have been pushing back the actually handing them in part. I knew it needed to be done, but felt like if I procrastinated long enough it wouldn't come time to actually drop her off. It will be a big change in our lives.

It has made me wonder how mothers, can go back to work after only 6 weeks. You have barely gotten yourself back together after having the baby. Forgetting the sleepless nights and all the hormonal changes, but you have just gotten to know your baby and now you have to leave them in day care and go back to work. I have been very lucky that my 6 weeks has actually been 6 months. I am very grateful that I got the 6 months. Mind you if I hadn't taken the 6 months it would have been really hard during Piper's surgery and recovery.

In this time, I have been able to see her grow as far as she has. I see her learning and exploring new things everyday. That is one thing I will really miss when she goes off to day care. I'm not worried about dropping her off, as I feel comfortable and confident in the staffs ability to take care of Piper. I'm worried that I will miss out on some huge milestone break throughs.

She is currently trying to crawl, she really wants to move however doesn't quite have the coordination down yet. She will lift up with her arms, push off with her arms moved her legs forward then... her arms get stuck by her side and she starts to life her body making her look like a hood ornament or one of those figureheads on the bow of a ship. It's awfully cute when she does it. We are currently working on getting those arms to do their job during PT. I am worried that she will learn how to crawl in day care and I will miss it. So when she does learn how to crawl, and I see her do it, I will just have to pretend that she is doing it for the first time.

The positive side of her going to day care is she will be learning how to be around other people. Which means hopefully she won't get too upset in the future when we leave her with a baby sitter (other than my parents). She will also learn to play with other babies. And I am most looking forward to her learning sign language, and of course I will be learning as well.

So after we dropped off the papers, I requested we visit the classroom one more time. When we did, I got to meet her teachers again, as well as her new classmates. They had already given her a cubby, and a crib and had labelled them. They were all ready for her arrival. I just need to get myself ready for the big day.