Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sharing Resources
Sharing Resources for our families of special needs children
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Support Services
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Information Support
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Educational Opportunities
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Leadership Involvement
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assistive technology
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audiology
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family training and counseling
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health services
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medical diagnostic services
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certain nursing services
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nutrition services
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occupational therapy
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physical therapy
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speech therapy
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social work
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psychological services
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vision services
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transportation to services
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special instructions
Friday, October 14, 2011
Guest Post: Meet the Smiths
A few nights ago I posted about a beautiful little almond eyed girl by the name of Renee. Tonight her parents are posting as my guests. They are not bloggers but I wanted them to have an opportunity to share about their experiences with a T21 rockin' toddler.
If you ever meet these guys in person, you can tell in an instant when their eyes fall upon Renee that they are desperately in love with her. They are proud of her; you can see it in every thing they do. She is their only child and so like all new parents, they are experiencing for the first time the unexpected joys of parenthood while also wading new waters with Down syndrome.
And now, without further adieu...Meet the Smiths.
In the words of Emily (aka mommy).....
In the words of Todge (aka daddy)...
I was a little worried at first that having a child with DS; that it would end up being an almost insurmountable obstacle. I said to myself, how can you take care of this special little girl? You don't even have an typical child that you have taken care of and have not even had a decent track record with house plants or fish. But after the first time I looked into those piercing icy blue eyes, my mind was set at ease. Don't get me wrong, I still most likely can’t keep a house plant alive, but my baby girl Renee, she has blessed my life in ways I never thought possible. It is still a challenge being a new father but I don't really fear or worry about it anymore. I revel in the fact that I have a loving, healthy, rambunctious little girl. God has blessed Emily and I with Renee. I would not change it for the world.
Make sure to come back tomorrow everyone where the linky should be up and running. I'm over the moon excited about a blog hop on the 21st to show support for all the designer gene beauties in the world...like Miss Renee.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Guest Blogger- Donna Johnson
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Happy Down syndrome Awareness Month!!
Greetings everyone. As we go into the fall season, we are celebrating many things here in Georgia. Things such as fall football being in full swing, the cooler temperatures, the gorgeous changing of the tree leaves, and many fall festivals. Did you know that this is also the month to celebrate the extra 21st chromosome? Before my child was born, I had no clue. This is just an extra way of really bringing Down syndrome into the mainstream. We have to continue to be advocates heard on every level in order to promote acceptance and understanding of what Down syndrome is.
We will be joining other teams for the annual Buddy Walk in Tallahassee, Florida next weekend (October 8th).
Pre-registration is now closed, but you can still register the day of the walk. The event takes place from 9 am-12noon. Please remember to wear sunscreen and be prepared for warm weather. The walk is a fun mile. We plan on walking together as a group. For those of you who have pre-registered, shirts will be issued the day of the walk. Please let everyone know to plan on changing into their shirts after we receive them once we check in that morning. Concessions will be on hand for food and drinks. For more information, please click here. We look forward to representing our group and collecting ideas as we move forward in hosting our own walk here in Valdosta next year.
In other news, the group had a fun outing to Leapin’ Lizards Fun Zone here in Valdosta for September. This is a great place in a safe environment to allow your children to play. For more information on Leapin’ Lizards, look for them on Facebook or here.
We are still in the process of securing a regular meeting place for our group. Please continue to follow us here or on Facebook for updated meeting information. Our next scheduled meeting will be November 12, 2011, meeting place to be announced at a later date.
We also had a chance to represent our group in our first community awareness outing. Moody Air Force Base held a grand opening for their new Child Development Center and invited us to be present at a table with our information. This was a great way for us to help get the word out in the community about our group. We networked and presented our group information to many different agencies. Please look for an updated post in the next week as we highlight what these groups have to offer the special needs community here in Valdosta and the South Georgia area. Thank you to Emily Smith and Polly Chase for going out to Moody to sit at the booth. Another great big thanks to Emily for helping to coordinate our group being at this event and thank you to Moody Air Force Base for allowing us to participate
Our table that we had set up at the event.
Emily at the booth. Her beautiful daughter Renee in the photo sitting in the chair. Maggie is another one of our beautiful kiddos. She is to the right of Renee in the photo.
Part of the playground at the Moody Child Development Center.
Emily and her brother Parker trying out the playground equipment.
As we continue to move forward with our group, please continue to spread the word that we are here for our Down syndrome community. We have many great ideas for the future of our group. Thank you for your continued support. As always, if we can do anything for you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Happy Down syndrome awareness month! Spread the Ds love!