Ears and Adenoids and Thyroid...Oh My!

Well, Friday we headed to outpatient surgery to have tubes put in Reid's ears...or so we thought. In the last few months Reid started to be a little wobbly in his walking and we wondered if he was having equilibrium problems because of fluid in his ears....also the fact that he called me "Bob" instead of "Mom" up until a few months ago also made me wonder if something was going on with his ears (Luke was so sad when Reid started to call me Mom, he thought Bob was the funniest thing ever!). Anyway, to make a long story short Reid ended up not needing tubes after all as there was actually hardly any fluid there...and she said his ear canals were just too teeny tiny to put the tubes in. I know children with Down syndrome tend to have small ear canals but apparently Reid takes the cake when it comes to teeny tiny. So, no tubes....but she did decide to take out his adenoids (hmmmnnn in for tubes but out with no adenoids...okay, I can handle it). Actually I was glad she took it upon herself to do this when she saw the need because that was on my "checklist" of things to discuss with her a little later down the road....but apparently I can now check that one off. Actually, I can check another thing off as well....as Reid was in having the ears taken care of a nurse called me on the phone and said, "Reid is okay, but we need to know when you last had his thyroid checked?"...This seemed like a weird question and it made me nervous so my first response was to ask if he was having a hard time with the anesthesia...the response was, "No, it is just a Down syndrome thing, and since we had to get a line in him to draw blood we might as well draw an extra vile for the thyroid since it should be checked". Wow, when I got over my initial nervousness I was actually so pleased....so pleased that this Dr. knew about Down syndrome and had the forethought to utilize this time to be as comprehensive with his care as possible. Though our time in outpatient surgery took FORRR-EVER.... I was and am so pleased with our doctor! Ears (check), Adenoids (check), Thyroid (Check)!! :)

The Love and Expectations of a Big Brother

On the way home from school the other day Luke told me, "Mom, I don't care how long it takes or how hard it is... I am going to teach Reid until he can get into the GATE class". GATE meaning Gifted And Talented Education, which Luke is currently in the cluster class for.  He totally caught me off guard. OH MY GOSH, what a sweetheart this little boy is! And with all that is in him, he means it...the love and expectations of a brother are just unmeasurable! I truly believe that if we have high expectations for our children, all our children, and give them opportunity to grow and shine, they will. Somehow Luke has learned that already.

These words came from the same little boy that I was so afraid to tell that his baby brother had Down syndrome after he was born...that his brother would be a little different, look a little different, that he

 would take a little longer to learn things...but that he would. Nope, I couldn't do it. For the first 10 months of Reid's life Luke's understanding of the word Down syndrome was that it meant he had a "bad heart". We had friends tell us we were wrong for not giving him the whole diagnosis, but I just didn't feel he was ready, I wanted him to just get to know his brother without reservation. Looking back in hindsight Luke would of handled the entire news as he does everything... contemplative, inquisitive, and lovingly. But, the truth is I don't think I was ready to share all of it yet.
When we did finally share more of the diagnosis it was on the eve of our first Buddy Walk, when Reid was 10 and 1/2 months. Quite a few of Luke's friends were going to be joining us for the walk in the morning  and I didn't want him to hear about his brother's diagnosis from his friends. So, Toby and I sat him down and told him in more scientific terms what else Down syndrome meant for Reid besides his heart complications. We shared with him in detail and then told him how lucky Reid was to have such a super big brother who could help teach him things. You could see the wheels turning in Luke's head so we asked him if he had any questions....his response was "No...but hang on a second..." and he then proceeded to pick up a book from the coffee table and went right over to Reid and said, "See this word buddy, it says sss-k-y...sky". Toby and I looked at each other and knew right then and there that Luke was indeed going to be the best big brother for Reid. 
*The picture on top was taken when Reid was about 2 1/2.... He is looking through one of Luke's anatomy books while Luke explains to him what the Dr. did to repair his heart.

A Great New DS Website...Created by a DAD

This morning I learned of a great new website created by a dad...for the Down syndrome community called Down Town- Down Syndrome News/Info. The creator, Daniel Niblock has a beautiful little boy, Ozzie, born last July, and a darling little girl. It is refreshing to me, as well as educational, to hear tales from a father's perspective when it relates to our little ones. I enjoyed reading from his blog as well, Down With Oz. While perusing his "Excellent Links"...my husband Toby came across the site Dad's Appreciating Down Syndrome  and liked what he saw. I have added both sites to my Down Syndrome Resources. 
Dan... and to all the other dads out there championing for your children with Down syndrome...THANK YOU. What a beautiful thing!

Reid loves to Read

Well it turns out we chose the right name for Reid...as his favorite pastime, next to baseball, is reading books. If he could he would pull books off his shelf in his room all day. The teacher in me is so excited...and he even babbles as he is "pretending" to read, definitely a pre-reading skill we hope for all of our children... extra chromosome or no extra chromosome. 

Just as a side note, the response we have received regarding his name amongst "little people" has been quite funny...whenever kids at Luke's school ask Reid's name they always look back at me puzzled, like, "Huh? Why did you name him Read...like you read a book?".  Quite honestly I don't really remember how we decided on his name but I remember discussing names on a plane ride back from Seattle months before we were even pregnant and debated if we ever used the name if we would spell it Reid or Reed, and for us the ei won out.  Actually, we have often joked that our poor little one will always need to spell his name for people.... Toby grew up always having to tell people to spell Foreman with an e, I grew up having to tell everyone I am Cheri with a c.....and now our poor little guy will need to say, "I am Reid with an ei...Maddux with a u...and Foreman with an e. But, somehow I think he'll be able to handle it. :)

Mother of the Year????

Sunday morning Luke was so excited to bring me the presents he had made at school for Mother's Day....so sweet! I have to share the entry he wrote as to why he thought I should win the Mother of the Year Award...Toby and I were cracking up all day about it. :) His teacher made this into a book with every child's letter.

Dear Judges,
I'm writing because I want to tell you why you should make my mom Mother of the Year. She is kind and warm hearted. My mom now does her work online just to have time to do stuff with me and my baby brother. My mom is a great cook. She makes the best mashed potatoes. My mom is the best because Cheri makes my bed and cleans my room. She is a caring person. She gives stuff to the homeless. Cheri is sweet because sometimes she lets me miss school and go do something fun so that's why you should pick my mom for Mother of the Year.
Love,Luke Foreman
....oh my gosh we were laughing so hard. 1st... why is my son now referring to me by my first name? 2nd... Wowza, I suppose I need to back off on the making his bed and cleaning his room and turn that over to my almost 8 year old (his future wife would appreciate that I'm sure). 3rd... hmnn, do you think I will now get turned into the attendance police to explain that Luke's absences were not indeed doctor appointments, but rather a much deserved visit to Disneyland and on another occasion a visit to see the play Pippi Longstocking during school hours?? Whoops! :)
Oh Luke...you make us laugh, you make us melt, you make us so, so proud! Thank you for just being the little boy you are. You and your brother mean more to your dad and I than words could ever express! XOXO Mom