Summer!!

Here he is hanging out barefoot on the grass at the park while we listen to music at a summer concert.

A perfect moment.

Knowing that Max had an aversion to the feeling of grass when he was younger makes this photo even more meaningful. I used to take him to Huntington Gardens every day and slowly got him used to it.

So glad he is enjoying himself and the feeling of grass on his feet!

**

Some other news:

all I am thinking about in between diaper changes, feedings, playdates and park excursions is my next photography workshop.

I'm still processing the workshop in Oregon. So much was jam packed in the few days we had together - and I don't mean that we were so busy we were wiped out. I mean that it was layered. Every moment held an opportunity to get to know myself better - get to know the women better and to bring what I know and am passionate about to others in a way that worked for this particular group - which meant listening to what is going on underneath the surface. And I'm not talking about people gossiping - I'm talking about paying attention to the energy of the group and of myself and moving along with it, guiding it, adjusting to meet it. I faced a lot of internal dialogue that I wasn't expecting to deal with which has been the biggest gift of all I think because it showed me places I still have fear, doubt, insecurity etc.. You know those thoughts? The lies that want to hook your attention into believing them? Yep - they are still there. Luckily they didn't eat me alive! Although I think they tried to! We had an amazing healing exercise around the thoughts that no longer serve us ( those very ones I'm talking about here ) and we released them to the ocean in a powerful photo/ writing exercise. And you bet I was right there with everyone releasing those thoughts out to the sea. Adios amigos. You served me well. tried to keep me safe. But I have no use for you anymore! And now my word for the day is BRAVE.
( thank you Andrea Scher! ) There are so many ways that we all are brave every single day! I saw so much courage in the women who took the workshop and in myself. I acknowledge that we all took a risk to open ourselves up to be creative, be open and to explore our world from a new and different point of view. Thank you again for being there with me.

You can see the slideshow from the workshop here if you missed my blog post about it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6XpJ24Q68Q


And I'm happy to report that there is still space available for the next one and I'm happy about it because that means that YOU and YOU and YOU out there can grab your camera's and join us!!

Sept 29-Oct 3rd.

And YES - you can be a beginner photographer as long as you know how your camera works. Grab your camera and join us! It's going to be so great I cannot wait!!!!

Do you want to know more about it?

here is the link

Monterey Retreat

and yes - Max will be there to make brief appearances through out the workshop. He will be with his Papa while we gather and they will visit us to say hello during meal time. Jerry, my husband, will get a chance to share his expertise with the group as well - which is around the technical stuff,,,,lighting, composition etc.. He is also on stand by if you have any technical questions. Do you want to see his work?

Seiner Photo

He is SO talented...and I'm not just saying that because he is my husband...! He truly has an eye and heart that work so beautifully together to make gorgeous images.

Also:

I'll be sending out a new newsletter this week - so if you'd like to get news updates on what's happening with my photography business and links to other inspiring people, places and things - the time is now to sign up!

Go to my website and click on the newsletter link. easy!

catherinejust.com

and lastly - I'm completing a WONDERFUL e-course called Flying lessons by Kelly Rae Roberts which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone with a new creative business who wants the practical info on how to take it to the next level. GO check it out!

And I just started Dream Lab from the creators of Mondo Beyondo! THIS one is FUN!
I ADORE Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen.....all I can say is - SERIOUSLY NECESSARY......

oh and ok this is really the last little tid bit.... - please read this article by another inspiring human that I love Brene Brown.......

Ordinary Courage

xoxox
*c

Father's Day and speech therapy update

Max and I yelling for joy on the lawn at the south pasadena library with my dad laughing with us in the background.



Grandpa Rich and Max hanging out on father's day


Max teaching Grandpa what an owl says "ooo ooo ooo"!!



Papa and Max Hanging out


Grandma DeeDee and Max having a giggle



On Father's Day my parents drove up from San Diego to visit Max.
We went to Mike and Ann's for breakfast and then strolled over to the south pasadena library and hung out under a giant tree on their lawn. It was perfection.
What was interesting was to watch Max as he was hesitant around his grandparents. He hadn't seen them since the Club 21 auction which was about a month ago. He gradually warmed up to them and the photos are at the end of our visit when he decided they were ok to hold him and play.

Max is wearing a shirt that says " Dad Rules " and Jerry is wearing a shirt I got him for Fathers day that says " Dad since 2009 ". I found it on Etsy. Everyone he walked past commented on it.

here is a link to go buy one for someone you love

Branded t-shirts


*** I forgot to mention that Max saw his speech therapist on Friday morning and she is thrilled at how well he is progressing. She suggested getting start on weekly Speech therapy which means that Max has gotten to a place where he is signing on his own and understand what he is signing enough to be teachable. He isn't just signing back what we sign. he is "talking" using his hands! HOORAY!!!!!
Regional Center doesn't approve speech therapy until 18months of age ( don't get me started ) so we are going to go ahead and pay out of pocket for the next 2 months.

For those of you with younger babies with Ds..I HIGHLY recommend getting consultations with your speech therapist as soon as you can. We started at about 5 months old and went in every couple of months to get information on what new exercises to do with him to stregnthen his oral motor skills which is SO important for speech. If children with low muscle tone don't get early intervention with speech and oral motor therapy - they can tend to have a tongue that sticks out all the time, and it's harder for them to figure out where their mouth is....because it's been explained to me that it's like they have a shot of novacain in their mouths AND the low muscle tone isn't helping.
Which is why it's hard to understand kids with Ds when they speak. They sound a bit like people who are hard of hearing who are trying to speak. I've seen amazing results with children who were able to get early intervention
and worked with people who had studied with this gal here and her website Talk Tools

We've been using her talk tools since we went to Sacramento and heard her speak at the Down Syndrome Convention when Max was 8 months old.

We just purchased the sippy cups and the chew tubes as per our speech therapists request....

Max has been biting me a lot - on my shoulders, hands, fingers, and my face. He bites so hard that it feels like he is going to take skin with him. Amy ( speech therapist ) suggested I try hard to not have a reaction and just give him a chew tube. Max needs extra sensory input with his mouth so he needs to do it - just not on ME!

Oregon Coast Photography Retreat Recap!

Here is a little video I put together to share what the experience was like at my Oregon Coast Photography Retreat...

The images in the video are a small sampling of the amazing work the participants created while we were on the coast... sprinkled with images that I took of the experience I had watching them work on their work.

The retreat was so many things...magical, exciting, playful, soulful, delightful, introspective, creative, intense, stressful, joyful, loving, beautiful, energizing and wonderful.

At the end of the workshop we all recognized that we were succulent wild women. I feel so so honored to have met each of them and to have shared that time with them in the beach house. So many moments are swirling in my mind and in my heart that I couldn't possible write them all here - but I can say that I personally feel blessed from the experience and I am looking forward to getting back there next year. I hope I see familiar faces there again in that house when I return!

Much gratitude and love to you amazing, talented women.
xo
*c

**music is "sentimental journey" by Tea and Sympathy who are friends of mine from Minneapolis. you can find out more about them here.

16 months old and a lot of firsts!

A little sample of sign language from yesterday. We open the video with Max signing " all done"
I love his interpretation of that sign. Perfection.

He turned 16 months on Friday.
SIXTEEN MONTHS PEOPLE!!!

now - he is:
1. using sign language more and more. he loves it. Learning signs a LOT right now.
(Baby signing Time DVD'S are the best!!!)

2. He is trying to walk all the time - he can go about 6-7 steps 9 steps has been the longest.

3. He was just approved for "in clinic PT" so he can work on walking with more equipment.

4. we share food now
he loves sharing peaches, apricots(which he holds and eats himself )plums, apples, bananas, cherries and string cheese and when we go to the Farmer's Market we love to have him sample the fruit there with us.

5. He has 5 teeth - the two top front teeth and one next to it are in - and the two front bottom teeth.

6. He gets 3 bottles and 2 snacks per day now instead of 4 bottles per day. Makes a big difference to his parents more than to him I think. WOW it's a life changer - Thanks to Juli for suggesting it.

7. We are trying to teach him to hold his own bottle. He knows he has to at least put both hands on the bottle before we will help him with it. His new OT and feeding therapist gave us some great strategies.

8. He went to Venice Beach for the first time! And He LOVED it.


9. He took swimming lessons last month. We found out that he LOVES water. And is GREAT at kicking. We are going to start up again after Max has his eye surgery which is scheduled for July 28th. (I'm not really thinking much about that right now but will when it is JULY! )




10. I started to be involved in a photo project called 360 unravelled over on Flickr.com I'm taking a photo per day and uploading it with a bunch of other photographers. We all took an e-course called Unravelling together and wanted to keep in touch and keep on working on our image making. This has been a GREAT way to stay in touch and keep on noticing the every day moments that are sacred and amazing. you can see MANY more photos of Max on the flickr sight.


11. Max will take his first plane trip very soon as we are heading to Oregon so I can teach a photography workshop there.
We are really excited and nervous about all that involveed in taking our baby on a flight. Did I mention that I hate flying? Yep - not a great flyer. Did I mention that I don't LOVE driving in the rain? I thought I picked a safe enough date for the workshop - and guess what...it hasn't stopped raining for the past month. Yep. It's going to be an adventure for ALL of us! Please send us really good smooth and safe travel energy! I am inspired by who signed up for this workshop and cannot WAIT to meet them and get started - so once I get there - I will sigh a HUGE sigh of relief. ( and so will my husband who doesn't love being with me as I "deal" with driving in the rain.....I'm learning to "re-frame" it in my head so that I'm calm - cool - and collected.......

12. Right now I'm taking an e-course from Kelly Rae Roberts called Flying Lessons
Which is all about how to take your creative business and make it soar! Kelly Rae is unbelievable. Take this e-course the next time she offers it. You will be amazed.
Right now we are talking about blogs and how important they are to our business.
There was much discussion by the participants about whether to merge or separate family and business/ creative blogs. I thought a LOT about this. Do I give up "hang on little tomato" and go back to my catherinejust blog when I am posting about my workshops, art process, creative tips, and anything else pertaining to my art/photography/printmaking business?
I've decided to stay put - and merge it all here. I love the name of this blog. I love that Max is involved in my creative business as he is the inspiration for my photography workshops. I create them to be in places I want Max to visit and experience. I create my workshops so that like minded people can gather and be in a sacred place and have the time to create, meditate, explore, connect, and be inspired. I create them in places I can travel to with my family. I create them in places that make my heart sing. And if my heart is singing - than the people who sign up will have the experience of me being in the best place of all. I cannot really imagine a creative business where I leave him for days and days. Not right now. Of course he isn't helping me teach the workshop - he is off with his papa playing and exploring while I am at the workshop. But each night we are together. And that's the way I want and need it.

If travelling with my camera gear to meet like minded people and see amazing mouth watering sights along the way while my family comes along with me makes my heart sing
I wonder what makes YOUR heart sing????

Can you leave me a note in the comments about what it is that makes your heart sing?

is it a bowl of ice cream? A gorgeous sunset? laying in a hammock along the beach?
Watching your baby achieve a milestone? Meditation? napping? I'm so curious !


( 16 month family portrait in our backyard )

Max has a new swing!

we bought Max a swing for his birthday in February and finally put it up this weekend. This was his first ride!
It's in the tree that I documented in my series " the 20th year " and I feel very nostalgic about that tree. It's in our front yard. I took a photo of that tree every month for a year during my 20th year of sobriety. It was actually a hard time for me but the series helped. Seeing my son here in the swing being held by the tree - is significant for me. It's like that tree is an old friend who knew me in darker times. Now it celebrates with me as we watch Max enjoy life!

in other news....Max is taking up to 4 steps in a row now. And I witnessed him taking 6 steps at one time! He is still working on it but is doing SO great!

Mother's Day and a week in review

Happy Mother's Day!

I remember last Mother's Day we video taped Max in my arms listening to me sing a song to him and he smiled up at me. The song went " you are my baby boy, you are my pride and joy"

want to see it?

click here!

http://hang-on-little-tomato.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-bliss.html

This Mother's Day I watched him not only smile, but laugh out loud, giggle, walk 2-3 steps, clap and clap and clap his hands, blow like he is whistling ( and sometimes he whistles! ), watch his sign language DVD, hug me, hug papa, eat mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, formula, cut up peach slices, and Joe's O's cereal that he picks up off the table with his fingers and puts in his mouth. I watched him chase the cat, pet the cat, sit with me on the porch and watch the happenings in our neighborhood - or mainly watch the air move the trees leaves. I witnessed him take a nap holding on to his kitty cat stuft animal in the stroller while Jerry and I enjoyed a Mother's day lunch out at a favorite restaurant Mike and Anne's. I rocked him to sleep in his room while he held on to his favorite blanket - the one Aunt Lois sent to him when he was just born. So much happening! So glad to be watching him grow and learn and experience life in so many ways. Here are some photos from the past week:

My dear friend Jamie came by for a visit. We all sat on the porch and drummed on Max's drum

and Jamie held on to him while I tried to get a photo. This one above worked nicely!
here he is watching his sign language DVD - waving his arms around at his "friends" in the video.

We took a trip to the zoo this week and he saw his first seal! How cute. I cannot believe I got it in a photo! That was pure luck.
Max shared a swing with his pal Theo this week. ( max is in the red shorts ) SO CUTE!!


here they are again from another point of view. And no I won't be cutting his bangs any time soon.....his first hair cut still hurts me to think about.......
here we are celebrating Max's 15 month Birthday. A little family portrait that morning.

one of the other photos that morning.....Now THAT is really what it looks like in our house every day! yelling with joy!

Mother's day morning. At 8am. A bunch of us who took the Unravelling e-course ( see the ad on my blog for more info ) decided to keep taking photos together and we are taking a photo each day for 365 days and posting them on a Flickr site. This morning we all took a photo at the exact same time....which meant some of us had to get up at 3am in New Zealand to take one at the same time I did at 8am in LA. This is the photo I took above. The sunflowers were sent to me this week by my lovely husband and this is the scene I always see in the morning. Jerry feeding Max. Love that. Jerry took care of Max all day today so that I could go to a silkscreen studio and work on an art project, and continue prepping for my upcoming photo workshop that's in June. Felt great to get some things done and still be at home with Max and Jerry most of the day.

And yes - there is video - not of today - but of this week - need....more....time.....but soon!

Hope you all had a Lovely Mother's Day!

I feel like the luckiest mama on the planet. But I am certain you do too. And it's true. We are all Lucky!

My favorite "superhero" posted this today for Mother's Day from her friend Jena Strong:

Whether or not a baby has ever miraculously come out of your body, you are a mother. You have helped mother me, or your sister, or your girlfriend, or your cousin, or your neighbor, or a stranger. You have wiped a tear or a bottom. You have given counsel. You have talked someone you love off a ledge. You have nurtured and natured and gently nudged her to keep going when she was sure she couldn't. You have read a storybook, shoveled a walk, waved across the parking lot, not even realizing you were saving someone's life.

xoxoxox

c

Max and Brady

a cute video taken about 3 weeks ago.
You saw some of the photos from my visit to Huntington gardens with Max's friends Brady and Brandon and their mama Juli. We consider Brady to be Max's best friend. They are 3 weeks apart and both have Ds so they have a lot on common. I've said it before but I am so grateful to know Juli. Seriously not sure what I would do without her and her family. They live about 40 minutes from us so it's hard to coordinate our schedules to see each other. Brady is just starting to sit on his own and it's amazing to watch him! Here is a little video I took of the two of them. SUPER CUTE! and hilarious!!

Max is in a film!

This film was made for Club 21 where we have gone since Max was
just 7 weeks old. It's a learning and resource center in Pasadena

for children with Down syndrome and their families.
We go every Friday to first steps, open play where kids his age
can play and the parents can learn from each other and make
friends.

One of the most important things for me in the first months with
Max was to walk into Club 21 and not have to explain anything.
Everyone there understood Max and Down syndrome and had
similar experiences that I did. That was so necessary for me and
still is. the mothers who help run the open play have older children
so they could provide me with information, experiences and
resources that I wouldn't have known otherwise.

I cannot say enough about how important the women are who
put Club 21 together. Most of them are in this film. I didn't know
I was going to be interviewed that day! But I knew Max would
make an appearance or two. He is the first photo you see when
the film starts - that black and white photo of a baby is Max, and
there are MANY others of him and us throughout the film. I am
touched to have even a moment to share how amazing
Max is. And I am thrilled that this film was made to honor

what Club 21 is and has become for so many children and families.

What is amazing to me in this film is the shared story we all have of
learning that our newborn baby has Down syndrome. The thoughts
we had about what that meant and how misinformed we all were.
And how proud and honored we are to have these children in our lives.

Tracy Webb and Matt Webb ( not related ) did an incredible job putting this film
together!

If you'd like to see the movie in a larger format you can click here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84XsBrjap8c

club 21 auction..or an excuse to put Max in a bowtie!

Can you stand it? *sigh* I'm dyin over here looking at all the cuteness in that bowtie!



Thursday was the Club 21 Auction and we used it as an excuse to try him in the suit he wore back when he was 4 months old to his Aunt Mary Jo and Dave's ANniversary party. Well - the shirt and vest and bowtie fit - but the pants - little did we know that they were really shorts! So he wore jeans and his fancy red shoes instead. I'm so glad I brought my camera!


And yes - thanks for asking...Max did get TONS of attention in that little outfit. Oh my gosh you should have seen it. And - he loved it. He did great that night. kept him out much too late and he was just fine with it all. Went with the flow. Smiled and laughed and hugged and then....melted down just as we were heading out at 10pm!

here is Molly looking beautiful!
And here is Jessica who I met at the Down syndrome conference up in Sacramento. All I remember is that she was standing there with a very large pink drink from Starbucks that had a lot of whipped cream on top and she was pretty darn excited about it. And here she is surrounded by her friends having a grand time.
Christopher. He told me that day that he won THREE gold medals in the Special Olympics this past week. I already thought he was an amazing guy...but really! THREE GOLD MEDALS!
Tim with his dad. Tim is looking so handsome in his suit!
Close up!
Nancy Littekin and Jackie Page. Nancy is the executive director of Club 21 and Jackie was key to helping get the auction to where it was that night. So talented.
Nancy with Tracy who made the most incredible film about our children. I'm still speechless. We were all interviewed for the film. She had 70 hours of footage and made it into an 8 minute film - it was beautiful , touching, emotional, educational, wonderful and a great opportunity for all of us to learn about each other even more. We all shared what our first thoughts were when we found out that our children had Down syndrome. It was hard to hear but also made me feel more connected. Then it went into how we got those ideas in our minds about what Down syndrome is and how our culture doesn't really show us the truth about Ds. And so we all had an opportunity to share what it really is and how our experiences of our children have changed the way we view Down syndrome. So touching. I think I'm still processing about the film and what I said on it. But overall it showed the amazing things that Club 21 is doing and how important it is to have this place for them to learn to read, to gather as a community, to play, to learn sign language, etc etc etc.....I hope the film touched some of the people there that had never really known about Down syndrome or maybe shifted a point of view. Tracy blew me away with her film and with the way she helped run the auction. She was in charge and she did it was grace and ease! She inspired me to make my own film about Max...so stay tuned people!

here is the auction committee. and yes - Max and I were both on the committee. I really enjoyed being behind the scenes and seeing it all come together and meeting these incredible women who spent so much time and energy to make this event happen. I was so impressed! I didn't do much since I had a little one with me all the time - but it was great to witness it all.
The room just minutes before the doors opened.

The branches on the centerpieces had little twinkling lights on them - so as the day turned to night the lights twinkled and glowed through out the room. I was looking around and thinking that each light represented a person who has Down syndrome and how each of them really does light up the room.

The night was a huge success - much laughter, joy, community, and fund raising! Plus great food, good friends and lots of love in the air. And Max! and no I didn't win anything in the auction - but I did win in so many other ways - not just that night - but Max in my life is the biggest prize ever. I know - you're thinking that was a cheesy thing to say, right? Well - I don't care! It's true. People were asking why he was with us - and why we didn't get a babysitter. Well - We don't have a babysitter yet. And we LOVE having him with us!

When we were driving home I was telling Jerry that it's true - you can't pick your family... I certainly didn't know I would be joining this family when Max was born - but it's true that they are there for me and I am so grateful to know each of them.

some photography news

Just a little photography news....

Sept 29th - Oct. 3rd I'll be leading a photography retreat in the Monterey Peninsula.
I cannot WAIT!
It's such a stunning part of the world.
We will be staying at Asilomar and will have our very own private building to stay in with our own common area with a fireplace and cozy feel.

The focus of the workshop is merging spiritual practice with photography. Meditation, journaling, photo exercises, discussion and exploring the area. All levels of photography experience are welcome.

There is so much to share about this workshop - but it's all posted on the workshop website so here is the LINK for more info....COME JOIN US!!!

I'm excited to be planning these workshops with my family in mind. I only want to go to places that I can bring my husband and son Max. They will explore the area on their own during the workshop hours and I will get to be with them in the evenings. It's the best of all worlds. Family, creativity, community, travel and love. Plus the added bonus of Jerry helping with any technical issues anyone has with their cameras - as I am not always savvy in that arena. Good thing I married a photographer! We make a great team!

If you are interested - sign up soon as we are wanting to have a small group and it will fill up fast! The workshop is only $385 plus your accommodations. The accommodations include 3 meals per day. It's an amazing price for a spectacular retreat.

The other news?
I had the privilege of photographing Miguel Ruiz - Author of the Four Agreements. He was my spiritual teacher for a long time and it was so great to see him again. I of course brought my husband and baby Max with me to the photo session. It was great to have it be more than just work.

The outcome of the photo session? A photo of mine was published on Oprah.com with an article Miguel wrote.

Don't you want to see it??

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Power-of-Doubt

In Max news - yesterday I took him to his first swimming lesson. We were so late we only got 5 minutes in the pool - but it's very obvious that Max loves the water. It's hard to figure out how to take photos of him in the water - since I am in the water with him - but I plan to get some underwater disposable cameras like we had on our honeymoon in Maui - and try to get a few of these first lessons in the pool. The goal of the class is to teach him to put his face in the water - how to blow bubbles - how to kick - and just basically have fun and get used to being in the water. I don't think he is going to have a hard time - but I have been very nervous about it all.
I'll post back with photos next time and report how it goes. I plan to keep going regularly as I know repetition is key with children who have Down syndrome.

ok I'm off to go hang out with my little tomato......

xo
*c

Why I loved this week...

Here is Theo. As you can see - he is an old soul. I could look at him all day and feel as though he would at some point turn to me and give me some secrets of the world, or at least my horoscope. He seems wise beyond his years. Max loves to try to eat his face or at least lick his cheek. I love his mama Ruth and adore baby Theo. So glad we could see them this week.

There's Max thrilled to be with Ruth and Theo. And look at Theo - would ya? That face. Man is he gorgeous. ( and yes Max is too of course! )
I love how Ruth is looking at Max. I can tell she loves him. And I love that.
This week my friend Juli and I were finally able to meet with our kids at Huntington Gardens.

I met her at Club 21 when our boys were about 6 months old (?) and we hit it off instantly. Brady and Max are 3 weeks apart and both have Down syndrome. I always say that Brady is Max's best friend. But I also say that Max's favorite color is orange and that he prefers his hair long. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about all of these decisions I've made for him. But I am certain that Brady and Max will be friends for a long long time. We are bummed that we live so far away and they won't be going to school together...

We live about 40 minutes away from each other and so it's SUCH a treat that we found a day when all of the boys were well and we were able to fit it into our schedules
We introduced Brandon and Brady to the Childrens Garden. Brandon Loved the water features there and the tunnel! Brady and Max sat on the grass together and then lost it and I have it on video but - as usual - haven't carved out time to download it to the computer.....maybe this weekend??
There's Brandon on the left looking up and me and Brady is passed out!
And my gorgeous little Max passed out after a fun day with his buddies.

Such a great week!

Max started clapping with his hands together on Monday and he is taking more steps and so determined about it. the clapping happens every time I say "YAY!!!" or "ALL DONE!" or if we sing the clapping song from our Music class. It's really cool. I love it.

This weekend Jerry and Max are going to Club 21 for a conference and I am taking an art class.

we're heading to a birthday party, a softball game to cheer on a friend, and to have lunch with friends. Phew! Life is wonderful - full - and I haven't even started to fill you in on what's happening with my photography business - and a LOT is happening.

more on that soon.

I LOVE SPRING!!

xo

c

all photos were taking with my iphone with the hipstamatic application. They aren't great any larger that you see on your screen - but I do love the effect.

14 months and lots of catching up to do....

photo was taken this morning at breakfast - taken with my iphone. Love how he is looking at me. he is a few seconds away from his first nap.
Max's hand - again - another iphone photo

This was taken a few weeks ago in the morning. We love this time. When he wakes up the first thing he does before he even opens his eyes is Smile like he is having the best experience of his life. And I think he is in that moment. He basically puts his face right up close to you when you are asleep and waits for you to open your eyes and see him smiling at you. Oh I just LOVE mornings! I'm so glad we do the family bed and he is there with us every morning.
The eye doctor wants us to Patch Max's eye for 2 hours a day to help strengthen the other eye before the surgery. After meeting with 3 different eye doctor's we finally found the guy we like best. Dr. Wright! Yep that's his name. We really think he is RIGHT for Max. He just told us to patch for ONE hour instead of TWO. Max does really well with it. No complaints. Each patch has a different design on them. I had no idea they would look like this. This one has little fish on them. His surgery is July 28th. We'll keep you all updated on the details as we move along.
I took Max to the Arboretum one hot afternoon. We'd never been there before. Peacocks EVERYWHERE. I think he actually saw this one - the others were running past and he was too busy staring at his hand or at me to see them. He is so dang cute. Unless they made noise he didn't notice.

Here he is with his Speech Therapist Amy Johnson. We were told when he was just 7 weeks old to put our name on her wait list. it took until NOW to get up the list so we can finally get in to see her as a regular patient. Before this time we were seeing her every few months to check in - get some tips - and do a consultation type meeting.

This appointment was last week - she gave a very detailed written eval on his current development and gave us a lot of exercises to do with him to help support him in his speech.

Right now he is at 6-8 months development level - based on what we told her and what she observed. I think this is the very first time we really can see his delay since all of his PT and OT are on track with "typically developing children". All of his friends are starting to talk and he is saying Ba ba ba, Ga, la, Hhhh, and forming some babbling sounds together. I love listening to him babble and nothing that comes out of his mouth sounds anything like the word "NO" and I am grateful for that!

Last week we were able to see the Physical Therapist at Dynamic Therapies - instead of at our house. It's the first time Max got to work with Joe and all of that equipment they have there. here he is on the treadmill. He was all strapped in. He actually did better when Joe took the straps off and had him hold on to the handles. He worked on climbing up and down stairs, walking, trunk control, and I'm sure a lot of other things that I don't realize because I'm not a PT! We are going to talk with the Regional Center to change his PT from in our home - to at the Facility because we have much more opportunities for him to grow and learn there at this point - than in our house. For the past year it's been just fine - but Max is ready to walk and needs the extra help to gain his strength.

Right now he is standing up all the time. From a sit - to a stand - and then he takes one or two steps. If we take his hand he will walk about 4-6 steps. I videotaped it today. But it's a long video and takes so long to download that instead - for your viewing pleasure - I'm posting a video of him laughing and standing and then diving onto his mama - over and over again.

This is a daily activity at Camp Seiner! Enjoy!

never give up!

Down syndrome in the 21st century

This is a great video. Hope you enjoy it.

More to come soon on all that is MAX!

xo

*c

National Down Syndrome Day

well hi there!

Today is National Down Syndrome Day.

I figured to celebrate - we would post a zillion random photos from this past few weeks. It's his 13th month with us. It's amazing how time is flying by. So fast I cannot download the photos quick enough!

ready

set

go:

this is the view every morning when I am feeding Max at the high chair. My feet and his. I think his are much more attractive!
Both of us looking over the edge into the other's world
At Club 21 Max is being Filmed for an upcoming fundraising event. I was interviewed and filmed as well.
Standing and watching the balls pop up from this toy he loves
Looking up at the trees in March as I sip a decaf latte and sit with my husband and sleeping baby Max is in his stroller.
Huntington Gardens with both his mama and his papa. Getting ready to stand...
There it is again! These days he takes one step - and when he takes the second step he falls forward onto me usually.
happiness
more happiness
learning about flowers at huntington gardens
He LOVES water. There are water features at the huntington children's garden and he LOVES getting his hands in there.
he loves to whistle! Yes he whistles!
And he loves his "auntie" Christina! He got to see her TWICE this past week.
oh and more happiness!
last night we had dinner with Andrew and Kirsten ( we met at their wedding ) and Max got to play with Niko and Willa. Niko and Max became fast friends!

and guess where we are heading today??

Yep - more huntington gardens for us.

I think if we go every single day for a year we can see something new every time. We are going to find a shady spot under a tree and laugh and play.

OR

we might just mix it up and go to the zoo - although on the weekend? ACK - so many people!

Max is such an AWESOME guy. I'm SO glad we don't live in a world where kids with Ds are automatically sent to institutions like they were not so long ago. And I'm so glad that we didn't know he had Ds when I was pregnant. If I knew and read all the stuff out there I would have had the WRONG idea about what Max was going to be like. He is NOTHING like what they say. he is MAX.

The biggest joy of my life.