A night in the life of Carly

22 05 2013

Just sitting here watching Miss Carly roll around the floor and make a sock puppet out of her pj bottoms.  She is in that somewhat tired and getting loopy stage prior to falling asleep.  She has the best conversations with herself and her toys when she gets this way.  Unless, you are one of her many Barbie’s, then the conversations get very animated and loud.  We have never figured out if the Barbie’s are mad at each other or just having a great time together.

Sitting up again….but staring off into space.

And now she has pulled herself up on Brady and he is helping her walk around the house.

Now she is back in the living room, sitting down and looking for stuff to pull off the couch.

Distracted by the Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse she chews on a plastic piece of fruit from her kitchen set.

A night in the life of Carly.





Merry Christmas!!!

20 12 2012
Merry Christmas from Miss Carly!

Merry Christmas from Miss Carly!





Always happy! Really?

14 10 2012

“I love children with Down Syndrome, they are always happy!”

How many times have we all heard that?

I have some pretty good proof that children with Down Syndrome, especially ones who go by the name of Caroline Josephine, are not always happy.

Let’s take this weekend for example…. Not happy when she woke up with an empty belly and MJ carried her right past the kitchen and upstairs to the other bedroom, funny how her crying only stopped when MJ stopped in front of the fridge.

Not happy when she heard someone cooking dinner in the kitchen and then coming into the living room without food for her!

Not happy when I put her in the stroller while I was coaching Brady’s soccer team!  However, she was very happy when I held her while we practiced passing with the team.

Not very happy when she received her two drops of “pink eye” medicine into her eyes this weekend.

Not even close to being happy when she received her ear drops, for her ear infection, in her ears this weekend.

So while she may not always be happy…….

I love my child who is blessed with Down Syndrome.





Favorite things

9 10 2012

Having stern conversations with her Barbie’s.

Shoving items under the couch, just in case she needs them later.

Playing “huck and chuck” with whatever she can find.  Huck and chuck is when you grab something and for no apparent reason, you throw the item over your shoulder.

Listening to music.

Watching Pocoyo (actually the might be one of Dad’s favorite things).

Falling asleep on top of Mom or Dad.

Laughing and giggling while chasing Brady around the floor.

Playing in the park.

Playing in the sand at the beach.

Flashing a smile at whoever walks by.

Learning to walk.

Sorting the clean laundry.

Trying on shoes and putting on socks.

Reading books.

And most favorite thing of all…..

Being Carly.





Middle of the night

6 10 2012

It’s the middle of the night and Miss Carly is asleep.

I am not convinced she is sound asleep as I can hear her rolling around in her crib trying to find that perfect sleeping spot.

As I listen to her roll around, I hope that she decides to wake up so that we can spend some time together.

One of my favorite moments is when she wakes up in the middle of the night, grabs a quick bite to eat, and the falls asleep as she snuggles with me on the couch.

Unfortunately for me, she finds her comfy spot and soon the sounds of her rustling around are replaced by little Carly snores.

Today, I will stay up later so that I can spend some time together, maybe tomorrow night she will wake up for a late night feeding and fall asleep with me on the couch.

Until then, I am content to listen to her snore.





We found a cure!

2 10 2012

We have found the cure!

Cure for what?

The cure for helping little girl fall asleep each night.

Thanks to Verizon cable for helping us find the cure.

What is this miracle cure you ask?

It is the “Soundscapes” channel on Verizon music.

The soft soothing sound of spa like music puts Carly to sleep.  Though it is not always easy, it does do the trick 90% of the time.

She can tell what’s happening when the TV changes channel and the pretty music comes up.  She goes from fun loving, cheerful Carly to “what and the heck are you trying to do to me” Carly.  She will fight it for a bit but then she gives in and falls asleep.

This cure has been successful during her normal bedtime and for the late night situations when she decides to wake up and see what the rest of the world is doing.

I can’t promise this cure will be a success for you, however; it seems to do it for Miss Carly.





Applesauce and what??

16 09 2012

The five senses:                               “Taste”

 

Do you know that there are all kinds of foods that mix with different flavors of applesauce?

We had no idea until Miss Carly decided to get on an applesauce kick.

We have mixed applesauce with cottage cheese, which is normal.

And we have mixed it with Macaroni and Cheese, not so normal; along with a wide variety of foods including different types of pasta, oatmeal, and beef and veggies (that combo looks very unappealing when mixed together).

Mind you, this is not just plain applesauce; the above culinary delights have been created with cherry applesauce, mixed berry applesauce, cinnamon applesauce, and a combination of all kinds of applesauce.

Though the combination of applesauce and any type of food may not be visually appealing and smells a little bad too, it has not stopped Carly from eating all of her food and working on her chewing skills as well.

Do you know of any other types of weird combinations that you kids might currently love or have loved in the past?

And does anybody know of anything else that mixes well with applesauce?





The Five Senses: Touch

19 08 2012

Her hand reaches out slowly to touch the tree leaf.

She gets close and then pulls her hand back as she giggles.

She reaches out again and gets closer this time; she starts to pull back, and then decides to go for it and reaches out and touches the leaf.

Her giggles fill the air and she touches another leaf.

Now that the leaf has been conquered it is on to the tree bark and the bumps, dips, and the rough surface it brings along with more giggles.

As Miss Carly goes out and about exploring her world one of the things we have been working on is developing her five senses.  I have found that tree’s, leaves, and flower petals are some of her favorite things to touch.  Each has their own texture, feel, and way they dance in the breeze.

I know that someday, Miss Carly will climb trees, pick flowers, and conquer more than just tree leaves.  I look forward to hearing her giggles each and every time.





Friday night!

28 07 2012

Friday night, bubbles, and a friend to share it with.

Good times!





Now this is the life

21 07 2012

Miss Carly is having a wonderful time at the block party. A lovely 75 degrees, a nice and cool Carly sized pool, and a pretty pink bathing suit.  What more could a girl want?

Ah, perfect weather for a dip in the pool.