5 years old

Well, well, well it appears that the shamptons is 5 years old this month. The only reason I noticed this was because I decided to go back to my first year of posts and reread them - it was such a wonderful stroll down memory lane. I really must try and keep a copy of these posts for the twins to read one day. Sometimes I feel so silly - the things I write I wouldn't necessarily ever say in real life... then if a family member or someone I know in real life reads my blog I feel like an embarassed teenager who foolishly published her personal journal and was then surprised to see that someone she knows read it...at other times the vanity that is me wonders why this isn't the most popular blog in the blogosphere - after all - how exciting is my life??? and aren't my twins just adorable!!

For a while the shams felt the blow that is fb. No fun memes anymore either... when I started there were a whole group of fantastic blogs - all of us with young kids with ds. There weren't many with older kids. Now I know a few with older kids with ds and some teens with ds with their own blogs - it is a more diverse collection of reading. It still has an important place. In the busy day to day the shams is a place I can come to and relax, and try and organise my thoughts, maybe do a little advocating on the side and overall gain a whole lot of worthwhile advice and share an awesome amount of joy with other people. I wonder what the place of the shamptons will be in another 5 years?

So - happy blogiversary to us and thank you to those kind enough to read sometimes too. Here's to the next 5 years....

Easter celebrations

Hannah got new glasses - 2 for 1 - so it seems a good time tot ry and get her to look after them more carefully - and put them away in a Little Miss case each night - so far so good!

Not all of Phils family will be here at easter so we all caught up yesterday for an easter lunch. It was lovely. Here are some pics:

Can Do!

It's autumn and holidays have just begun. I love the 'can do' feel - like we are going out for lunch today and I have made the rainbow jellies and am planning on making a persimmon pudding too. Last night we had 2 curries complete with Naan (Hannah's favourite bread). I have 2 quilts to get done by Wed, some school work due then too, a bunch of other stuff booked in - like getting new tyres for the car, lunch with friends, dinner with other friends, ST for Hannah, a playdate for Kit while Hannah is at ST...and yet I still have that 'can do' feel.
Dads and daughters went to Hi5 yesterday - cos my girlfriend and I didn't want to go. They had a blast. Phil says Hannah was a bit overwhelmed at first (it has been a while since she has been to a concert) but then settled quickly. I asked if she and her friend did much dancing (cos they did heaps at the Wiggles last year) but he said mostly they sat transfixed by it all. tHere had been some gags about the dads popping into the pub before the show for a beer and one of them (not Phil!lol) ogling the young blondes in the band but in the end it seems no beer was drunk and the only ogling was Hannah announcing loudly that Tim was "My boyfriend'. She was obviously very tired from all the excitement though. She also brought home a heap of Hi5 paraphenalia some of which will be going up on the walls of the twins' newly clean room.

Friends

I sent an email to the partygirl's mum - just thanking her for a great afternoon. I mentioned how great it was to just drop Hannah off and not have to let the staff etc know that she had Down Syndrome - for the first time! Here is her reply:

Thank you so much for your beautiful email Shelley. Since the start of
Kindergarten Axxx has always said that Hannah is her best friend.

Just between you and I, when Axxxx was putting together her party bags
she made sure to gave Hannah and Kit the best gifts. If you still have the
silver boxes, you will see the no. 2 and no. 3 sticker underneath, the no.
1 sticker went to Axxx (of course) for her own party bag. As for
everybody else it was random.

How sweet is that? Axxx Mum is lovely too... I am sure it helps cos the parents of Hannah's friends really support their children in including Hannah in their lives.

Hannah's family - and her glasses

After the visit to the opthamologist last week I called in at the shops. Hannah really didn't want to go but I had to get a couple of things. We were at a toy shop looking for a gift to take to the Fairy party when Hannah spied the DOrothy the dinosaur costume. She wanted it. I gave in - and then of course she wanted to wear it right away. 'Now Mummy' so we got the the car and given the synthetic material and her long sleeve top and the heat I took her glasses off, placed them on the roof and took her top off before helping her to put the costume on. Then I drove off to get Kit from his friend's house. I was just about to pull up outside the local butcher to grab something for dinner - wut to no avail. Then I looked around and saw that Hannah did not have her glasses on and then I remembered. Well the air turned blue and round we went back to retrace our steps from the shopping centre car park. No luck. I was buggered. You wouldn't think that waiting around all day at the eye doctor would do that but Hannah and I were both tired. And I was stressed - those glasses aren't cheap. I got the specsrus from the US that are meant to be designed with the facial shapes of down syndrome in mind. Other parents swore by them and we had found them to be great too.

I got home and rang all the optomertirists in the centre as well as centre management but to no avail. Specsavers were the most helpful taking my details and promising to ring if anyone did hand them in.

The next day I was driving to work and realised half way there that I still had the kids spare car seats in the back as well as their change of clothes for after school soccer training and dance - which I was meant to drop off at my inlaws in the morning. Yet another crap day I figured. Lucky for me my HOD generously offered to take one of my classes so I wouldn't have to rush so much to take the seats to the twin's grandparents. That night when I got home I saw that Hannah wasn't wearing the spare pair of glasses that i had sent her to school in. She had lost them at school - so then we had no glasses left for her.

She is so good about wearing them so I am guessing it was related tot he fact that I had lost a pair yesterday...Her teacher had written me a note to say that they had gone missing int eh infants classroom and that they hadn't been able to find them but would look again the next day. Phil and I both nagged the little brat so that when we asked what she was going to bring home from school the next day she'd say 'my glasses'. And bring them home she did. When I asked her if her teacher had found them she said no 'all my friends'. In fact the little girl we drove to the fairy party on the weekend told us she had found them buried under a tree. She said that Hannah hadn't done that. Still I took the little brat to specsavers and got her 2 for the price of 1 new glasses - just to be sure. {Edited to add: Today another mother spoke to me about the glasses - her son told her that another little boy D was responsible for burying Hannah's glasses. Now I know this little boy and he has a bit of a rep for being 'lightfingered' shall we say? Anyway I felt bad cos I blamed Hannah when it clearly was not all her fault. The teacher hasn't mentioned anything beyond that they were found. I might have a word to her - only because I don't want her to think of it as being Hannah's fault in losing them...she probably knows already with kids being kids - if they told their parents one of them probably told the teacher}

At the year 1 mum's lunch I was chatting to the mother of one of Hannah's friends. Kit and I talk about being on Hannah's team. Well this Mum said her son and another little girl talk about who in their school is part of Hannah's family. The same principle I gather as Hannah's team. This mum also said that her son reports one little boy being quite mean to Hannah. She didn't name names but did say that she had given her son permission to 'push back' if he came picking on Hannah again. There is a part of me that is unhappy that someone is being mean to her - they are such a great bunch of kids and so supportive of Hannah that you'd have to be crazy to do it really - but there is another part of me that is so proud of her friends because I know they would stick up for her, and of Hannah too because I think she has some good protective behaviours to help her manage the small stuff. I will ask my friend again next term if her son reports anymore incidents.

Fairies and Parties and Living Easy

I love this photo of Kit. He looks more like an angel than a space ranger!
Hannah loves craft. She is always making 'presents' for me or her father. Yesterday I was chatting to one of her friends from school. Claudia tells me that she sometimes helps Hannah make a cake on her ipad (cakedoodle) but that Hannah says they have to wait for me [so I am assuming it is a birthday cake for Mummy]. It sounds like after a bit the girls are allowed to 'eat' the cake regardless.
Sleeping twins
Hannah is really enjoying Dancing Hearts - her dance class for children with special needs. I can't go unfortunately but am lucky that her teacher is a mum at the twins school so I check in that way. For some children she prefers their parent or a volunteer to help out but luckily for me and Hannah Hannah is pretty self sufficient and needs little 'extra' support in this way. Lucky for us because I would hate for her to miss out on this opportunity. She goes to a regular dance school on Saturday but I can't see it lasting her that long - she won't be able to do what they want kids her age to do in a year or so at most. So this little class run by the goodwill of people like Hannah's teacher is very much appreciated. I am hoping it will allow her to pursue her passions and have a fun activity for years to come.
We took Hannah and Kit over the bridge to the more posh side of town for a Fairyland party yesterday. They and all the other kids there had a blast. In fact Kit told me when we got home that he'd like a Fairyland party for Hannah and his birthday this year. It is a place with rules that runs on a schedule. They start in the fairy garden where parents and photoes are allowed and then go upstairs to a fairy room for party games etc where parents and photoes are not allowed. Do you know how nice it was to just leave the twins (and one of their friends that we took with us)? I knew that Hannah would be fine. She would and could follow the other kids and enjoy herself - I didn't even do the 'she has DS, call me if you need to' talk. I am not sure if the party girl's Mum had or not - what I do know is that no 'extra' help was needed, beyond what you would do for any child to make them feel comfortable and part of the event. Lovely!
In the fairy garden
Hannah with her balloon puppy.
Only one week until the school holidays...when we'll be living it easy...

Good news

With a friend
Pass the parcel
THings have returned to a semblance of equilibrium here in the Dock. Our great friends from around the corner have signed on a property about 4 blocks away - so not as close as before but thankfully still in area!!! Yay!!!! My dad has finally sold his place in brisbane and is glad to have a bit of freedom I think.

Hannah's opthamologist was happy with her today - so no going back there for 12 months. Things at school have settled down a bit and I am feeling a whole heap better about the way things are going - of course I want more but I think genuine stpes have taken place in the right direction.

One of the boys the twins have known since childcare had a party at a park near school last Friday - and cos I work I couldn't take them (they go to after school care usually) but Ss Mum offered tot take them - she has 4 of her own and while you might think that means she has enough on her plate - to me it meant she had the big car to cope and she is one Mum who has offered to take Hannah in the past - she isn't particularly worried about having her and how 'different' it might be - so I took advantage - and the twins went.

By the time I arrived the party was in full swing and not that far off being over. My friend was a bit put out cos she barely got a chance to 'mother' Hannah - her friends from Year 1 took over! Indeed when I got there I had at least 4 little kids eager to tell me every mishap that had befallen her - from her best friend accidentally spilling his chocolate milk all over her at school, another little boy getting juice on her skirt at the park and someone else had knocked her over on some piece of play equipment - all these messages delivered whilst I was looking at one very happy little girl totally at home in her surrounds and with her peers - it was a magical moment.

A couple fo the mums know how hard I have found things recently - they wanted to know how things were progressing - and a coupe offered to write letters to relevant authorities if I wanted - if I thought it would help. Have I mentioned that one of the lessons I have learnt these couple of years - is how Hannah is my gift to our community. People are looking for opportunities t help, to connect, to care - and Hannah gives them that in spades - with a very sweet return in her love and friendship.

Tomorrow is her special needs dance class which she is so excited about, chess club in the am and soccer in the afternoon for Kit. Life sure gets busy - I can't wait for the holidays. Also today I rang the pool about classes for Hannah next term. I'd love her to be int he special needs class (1 on 1) but there never seems to be a vacancy. Still - the coordinator swapped instructors and capped the class - just because I rang to draw her attention to the fact that Hannah had a different teacher next term when I think the one she had this term was great.
Sorry for the lack of photoes - the brats have a fairy party on the weekend - I'll see what i can do to improve the situation.

Carrington

I don't know what to say on this one but prayers from the heart seem the best thing to offer this little one at the moment. I occasionally look at Reeces Rainbow - its pretty confronting. I don't really feel comfortable with the whole prayer warrior thing or the missionary zeal but I am a believe in God, pacifist and power of prayer sort of gal and this little one needs some prayers at the moment. It's funny cos I saw another video clip just this morning - and I was hesitant about putting it on my fb page - it's got that missionary zeal stamped all over it - but it also has a beauty and dignity that I wanted to share - so I got over my squeamishness to share the message within - one that is very close to my heart - one of virtue and grace and earthliness too - and Trisomy 21 or mosaicism or translocation...Down Syndrome.

Remember to B-R-E-A-T-H-E

A few years ago, things were pretty bad. My blood pressure was high, I was having panic attacks as I drove about my usual business, I was having trouble sleeping and DH and I weren't our usual 'in sync' either - everything seemed out of kilter. It was funny because that year that was so stressful for me was actually a stunner for the the twins. They were 3 and we had so much fun watching them blossom. Looking back I am still surprised at how much pressure trying to afford a house in an area we wanted put us under. Plus I started studying part time, I was working and still desperately trying to have my 'ideal' family life of clean house, happy stimulated children (well therapied in Hannah's case) and an extended family dinner each week - with no dishwasher!! On one afternoon when I was feeling particularly low, I spied this printblock (pic above). It says "Feeling a little wobbly", I had to buy it and it hangs on our picture wall reminding me that I will continue to have those days but that I hopefully will manage them better each time. Yes I now see myself as clearly insane. My GP recommended a well known antidepressant - I took one but no more - I deferred Uni and held on...

FFWD a year and we are under a ridiculous amount of pressure in finding a school to meet the needs of the twins - especially Hannah - it was a stressful and confronting time but I managed to mostly keep the anxiety at bay. Then the last couple of weeks blindsided me. I don't see Year 1 as being a stellar year for Hannah. Nothing in particular wrong with her teacher - I just don't know that she has what it takes... she is lovely and a good performer in the classroom but she is set in her ways and doesn't seem to be very able to differentiate within her lessons. So I have reached a point where I am going to just put my head down and roll with it. DO what I can to improve the situation for Hannah but expect no shining lights. My anxiety was back in full force. Then work had some sage - basically my exams were today and I have to have them all marked by Monday - an enormous feat and a lot or pressure....I was chatting to my Head of Dept about the time I was having and we were commiserating on the workload - I made a comment to one of our colleagues that we just had to remember to 'breathe'. This colleague was one I had sat with and talked through some of the problems I was having at school for Hannah.
The first lot of marking came in on Wed - not my day for working My Hod rang and said not to come in especially - he knew I had a meeting at Hannah's school in the morning that I was worried about. My colleague dropped over with my first round of marking that afternoon and brought this wonderful gift with her. It made me smile: Together these candles from Oxfam spell - you guessed it - B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

Something I need to remind myself to do for a bit longer I suspect.