Wordless Wednesday

Seeing Ability in DisAbility

I would like to share a video with you all.I'd like the whole world to see it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROWbyKVLYr8 This is a young man with Down Syndrome who started a charity benefiting people with Disabilities. It is only about 9 minutes long and I promise it is worth watching. He challenges people to see him first then his disability, or better yet, just see him. It is the way I hope people look at my Riley. Yes, she may do things in her own time and in her own way, but she WILL do many great things in her life. I can't wait to see all the things she accomplishes.

Squeaky Shoes

I have done it, I have found the greatest invention for kids(and parents). They are called Squeak Me Shoes, and they are wonderful. I got Riley a LSU pair for her birthday and yesterday we put em to work. Not only are these shoes absolutely adorable,(they match her LSU tutu!!)but they work wonderful at burning off some of that unbridled childhood energy. Oh, If only I had her energy! During the game, I let Riley wear her new LSU tutu and her new shoes. They squeak when your child steps. Once on, Riley figured out that they shoes made noise and she was off. She squeaked up, she squeaked down, she ran in circles. It was a little annoying after awhile, I must admit, and her daddy was looking for earplugs but it wore her little but out! I sent her to her playroom, closed the door and let her squeak away. She was exhausted before long and we put the shoes away. The squeakers can easily be removed from the shoes, which I'm sure we will do, but today, they were magic for my little Tiger, and seeing her joy and hearing her laughter lifted my spirit and made me smile more than the squeaks irritated me.I tried to add a video but can't get it to work, so a picture will have to do. You can see the pure joy on her face. You can find the shoes in many styles and colors and even other teams(although LSU is the greatest, even if they didn't play so hot Sat. They did win!)at squeakmeshoes.com

So I forgot to take my camera to Spaghetti Supper, but never fear, I have equally if not more cute pictures. After a her birthday party, we cleaned out and redid Riley's playroom so we could add all the new toys. I wanted it to be more functional and educational, as well as fun. I labeled everything so she could begin to learn to read words and so she would learn where everything goes. We revealed the newly redesigned room tonight. Punky loved it! Here are the pics of the room! And Here are pics of her playing with some of her birthday gifts!

Sorry I missed Wordless Wednesday. Both Gerard and I had the stomach bug yesterday and felt miserable. Tonight is Back to School Nite/Spagetti Super at Riley's school. I will post pics I promise. Thanks for all the comments. Keep em coming.

Birthday Extravaganza

We had a fun filled birthday weekend(and I'm exhasuted). It begin on Thursday with a school party, followed by a big night out Friday with Momma and Daddy, and wrapped up Sunday with a party at Sciport. I've already posted slideshows from the other events. Here is the Birthday Blast at Sciport. It was awesome. Riley had such a good time. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

More Birthday fun!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Birthday Girl

Tomorrow my baby will be 4 years old. It's hard to believe how fast the years have gone by. And it is amazing to see how far we've come since her birth. On her birthday I always think about how shocked we were when she was born and the Dr. said she had Down Syndrome. Its funny to look back now and wonder why we were sad and scared and upset. We morned the child we did not have and had so many fears and concerns about the baby we did have.How would she grow and learn and do? All the unknowns felt like a heavy burden. Then, it seemed so tragic. Now, I Thank GOD everyday that he blessed us with such a special child. Riley is an active, kind, funny, sassy, and smart preschooler and in many ways is no different from any kid her age. She does learn a little slower, but she lives life fully and sees the world with through the eyes of love. She has no fear or judgements and never meets a stranger, everyone is her friend. In her 4 short years she has already made such a huge impact not only in our lives but in the life of everyone she knows. Riley has made this world such a wonderful place.I wish that every person in the world could be blessed to know a child like Riley and to see the world through her eyes. I made a slideshow from her birthday party at school("cool", as she says) I hope it brings a smile to your face!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

This says it all

I love poetry, I think it is genetic. My Nonna(Grandma) was a poet and her book of poems is one of my most cherished possessions. I even have a book of poems that I keep and write whenever I'm inspired. I recently found a poem that could be my favorite of all time. It explains exactly how I feel about Riley. I wanted to share this poem with all of you. It truly says it all.

Two Words
by Cheryl Ward

Your birth brought us closer
As death lingered near
Your strength as you struggled
Gave flight to our fear
Down Syndrome they whispered
days after your birth
Two words that portrayed
A false image of your worth
Those words did not tell us
Of the love you would bring
Or the power your smile has
To make our hearts sing
Down Syndrome didn't tell us
What kind of child you would be
Filled with amazing surprises
Shared with your father and me
Hard work, determination,
Teaching and learning, it's true
Down Syndrome means much of this
For each of us, not just you
Wonder child, spirited child
You've grown and you've thrived
Your every achievement
Still fills us with pride
No matter the voice used
Two words can't describe
The fullness you've added
To so many lives
Down Syndrome, those frightening words
Whispered so long ago
Never did they prepare me
For the person I now know.

Wordless Wednesday

SOMETHING NEW

Hey everyone, I'm starting something new tomorrow. Taking the idea from several of the wonderful blogs I follow, tomorrow will be my first Wordless Wednesday. Every Wednesday I will create a blog post with pictures from the day, no words. So check back each week to see new pics of Riley. I hope everyone enjoys these pics of everyday life with our incredible little girl.

My little gymnast

I was thinking today about this summer. Reminiscing on some of my favorite Riley moments from the past few months. I thought about Field day. This year, field day at daycare was Pirate themed. The playground was set up with all sorts of Pirate activities, they even gave her a skull and crossbones bandanna and tattoo. . My dad and stepdad(Riley's granddaddy and Papaw) came to see her participate in all the events and we all had a great time. I must admit when we saw the "Walk the Plank" game I was a little nervous. Riley is a bit clumsy(she gets it honestly from me, this has absolutely nothing to do with DS)so I was worried she'd fall, or need help. To my surprise, she walked the plank as if she was an Olympic gymnast. Check out the video. My favorite is at the end she acts like she's gonna jump off then casually steps, its hilarious. I hope this video reminds me never to underestimate Riley and her abilities.

Game time

Football season is upon us. Tomorrow night is the first game of the season. For those of you lucky enough to live in the great state of Louisiana, you know I'm talking about the LSU TIGERS. To say that we are passionate about LSU is a bit of an understatement. Riley could say "Geaux Tigers" before she could say her name. So as we prepare for another season of Tiger football, I thought I'd share some of my favorite LSU photos. !!!GEAUX TIGERS!!!!

Tender moments with Riley are my favorite. Last night, after bath time, Riley and I sat in the living room together. We watched Wonder Pets while I braided her hair.(Sometimes she sleeps in braids so her hair will be wavy the next day). She hates when I do her hair for school in the morning, but sat perfectly still watching the Wonder Pets save a baby sea lion. We snuggled together singing the Wonder Pets song. "whats gonna work,..TEAMWORK, whats gonna work...TEAMWORK. And when I finished her hair she hugged me and said, "Thank you mama, I look cute!" And she did!