real quick - steps

Just wanted to document that Owen took 2 steps yesterday. He has a kamikaze style of walking he literally throws himself at me and mostly his legs stay on the ground but occassionally he has gotten a step in but yesterday he got 2 in and it looked a little less accidental. SO EXCITING

the Ambassador

Today is World Down Syndrome Day.

It is also Owens birthday.

After we were told Owen had a strong likelyhood of having Down Syndrome I tried to look up DS using my browser on our mobile phone. I typed the words Down Syndrome into the browser window and hit enter and the first hit to come up said "Today is World Down Syndrome Day". I remember smiling, a dry, sad kinda smile and I knew immediately we didn't need the blood test to confirm it I knew that "an ambassador had been born".

Letting go a little at a time

The backstory is that I tried to start Cy at preschool at the beginning of the term ...it was a disaster. This poor kid is just not ready.

I feel that he has had to hang on to me during these last 2 years instead of, as it shoud be, me holding, cradling him. So he has become very attached to me, fragile and sensitive, to the point where he will cry for me even if he is at home with his Dad (which drives Col nuts).

So it has made me realise that what this one needs most is more time, not less with me.

So as of next week Owen will start at family day care one day a week with a beautiful carer who just happens to know a whole lot of sign language (BONUS!!). The last 2 weeks we have spent a morning with his carer getting to know her, the routine, the other kids - all the other children are the same age (about to turn 2), it all seems to look okay, well better than okay it looks perfect for Owen.

So Thursdays will become Cydays.

I am thinking visits to the art gallery, coffee shops, library, cake baking and walks to the park to feed the ducks. Long (uninterrupted) conversations and holding hands without having to perch 12 kgs on my opposite hip. So looking forward to it !!

Of course there is the other side to this coin which is I am leaving my baby, my most vunerable one. I feel that he will take it all in stride, he has an easygoing nature like his older brother, but it will be the strangest thing to leave Owey with someone else - it is a huge milestone but one I think he is ready to met (not so sure about ME)

Photos from our visits

we started out with some morning tea - mmmmm

Cy cooked up some pizza (I dont think I have ever seen this expression on Cys face before - must have been one-of-those inbetween faces the camera captures~ weird.)

Owen loves to do these handstands and drive a truck, ball, playing cards - anything between his legs like tunnel ball we played at school

Little Picaso

the tramp

Owen has also been loving the trampoline, but it is horrible getting him off the thing, this kid builds up mega amounts of static and we always get the biggest zaps off of it, with some zaps you even see a spark and it does nothing for his hair.

That old bike

Our sweet friends bought around an old bike the other day to hand down to our boys and Owen LOVES the old thing, whenever he sees it he signs "more, bike, yes". Col and I are just about crippled by pushing both boys, Cy and Owen round on it.



I love that they love that old bike.

They don't care that it's rusty or that the paint is faded and peeling or that it has lost its bell, they see that bike for what-it-is, not what it isn't. (~something in that for me)
And that old bike is capital F - Fun.