You can find more information on his website http://www.georgeestreich.com/Home.html
I have sent him an email in hopes of interviewing him for the Confessions… blog.
Did you do it? Did you rock out with your socks out? Did you wear your crazy socks to raise awareness for World Down Syndrome Day?
I did not; I decided to wear my plain white socks, just like I do every day.
Why?
I was not thrilled with the idea of wearing such different attire that causes a person to stand out from another. I do love the idea of raising Down Syndrome Awareness but not this way. The Down syndrome community has always talked about and advocated for those blessed with Down syndrome to be treated just like everybody else, to be included rather than be excluded.
So what do we do, we have a day where we call attention to how different we are from others. How our socks make us stand out and create curious looks. Does this support the idea of inclusion or rather does it continue to show that those with Down syndrome stand out from others and deserve curious looks?
Last year we were more alike than different. We celebrated the success and belief that those with Down syndrome are just like you and me.
This year we take a huge step backwards and say….
“We are more different than alike”
Miss Carly enjoying her new gait trainer.
Yippee! Yippee! Carly’s gait trainer arrives this Friday! It is a lovely raspberry/pink color, perfect for a princess!
Therapists say that once walking kicks in all developmental milestones kick in as well.
So far Miss Carly can say “juice”, “that”, and “no”.
She is shy and does not say it around me but loves to say it around everyone else.
The Daddy in Confessions of a Down Syndrome Daddy turns 42 years old today. The best gifts I have ever gotten, I have not gotten on my birthday, they were received on March 3, 2004 (when I married the lovely Mary Jane) January 5 (when Emma was born), August 27 (when Brady was born), and July 17 (when Miss Carly was born).
Miss Carly woke up for some late night oatmeal. As she fell back to sleep, laying on my chest, she started giggling and laughing in her sleep. I love being a Dad!
Click on the word giggles…it is the sound of Carly laughing. It will need to down load and play in your media player.
The sweet sound of Miss Carly playing with her brother, Brady.
Mary Jane sent this to me while I was out of town on business last week. Made me smile from ear to ear.
We knew this day was coming.
It’s not like we hadn’t been warned.
We had been warned and had experienced it a couple times before, thanks to Emma and Brady.
Though sometimes I did wonder if this day would ever come.
That day is here…..
The day that nothing on the couch or other areas within standing/reaching distance is safe from the grabbing hands of a little Miss Carly!
She pulls herself up on the couch and reaches, grabs, and tugs at anything her hands make contact with. Most of the time it’s some type of magazine or perhaps a page or two of Brady’s school work.
Though one time it was MJ’s breakfast bowl and a spoon as well, apparently Miss Carly did not want to wait for her own breakfast, which was warming up in the kitchen.
The poor TV remote has been victimized multiple times as Miss Carly loves to grab it and then toss it behind her back.
Not only can she pull herself to grab items, she now has the ability to “walk” down the length of the couch and hunt down any and all other items she can find.
As Depeche Mode once sang “The grabbing hands grab all they can”
So while the couch is no longer a Carly free zone, you will not find a single member of the family who is disappointed by it.
Getting better at this each and every week.
Park time!
Love it!