A Year with Arlynn Through Pictures...

This week's blog hop is to post some photos so I decided in honor of Arlynn's Birthday to post a photo from each month until her year old Birthday! She had her year old shots the other day and her thyroid checked and did fantastic. She now weighs 17lbs and I think she is 27in. Overall, she is doing great and ready for the beach!

Swings, Ella's Birthday Party, and BIG News!!

Arlynn took a ride on the swings for the first time on Sunday!! I have some pictures and a video for you all to watch. She LOVED it. We took her again yesterday to make her feel better because she wasn't having a very good day.

The Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjwx_vCl7H8

Arlynn also went to Miss Ella's birthday party on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Ella!

I have some exciting news! I know I posted a couple months ago that our mother is pregnant! We now know the gender; another girl!! Arlynn and I are so excited to get another sister. I can't wait to buy them matching outfits, bows, and have little dress up and tea parties with them. If anyone has any name suggestions feel free to leave them in a comment. :)

Birthday Pictures!

I thought I'd post a few Birthday pictures now that I am almost finished editing them all. I will post more soon, but thought these would tie you all over for now. ;) Arlynn's first Birthday turned out great even if we didn't have the turn out in people that we were anticipating. It was fun and Arlynn slept through most of it anyway. Thanks to everyone that came and gave Arlynn a gift. Your presence was truly appreciated. Now for a few pics:

The cake was amazing! It was strawberry flavored on top and white chocolate almond on bottom. Very moist, pretty, and tasty. It was a big hit!!

Even Arlynn had a little taste :)



One of Arlynn's gifts

We'll be back tomorrow with more pictures! I will probably just update this post with more images instead of creating a new one so be sure to check this post again tomorrow.I know I need  to work on posting things on the actual day they happen but I am so bad about that. Maybe I'll get better soon? We'll see. :)

Public Domain? I think not....

Public Domain: The state of belonging or being available to the public as a whole.

So I know I'm not the only one who gets offended and irritated when strangers touch their child or in my case sister. It makes my family and me feel torn between saying something or just grinning and bearing it because the people are usually really nice and complimentary toward Arlynn.

 I personally would never just reach out and touch someone else’s child in a supermarket or anywhere for that matter. You never know what kind of medical problem or sickness the child may have but not only that I consider it rude. There has been many a person who will just reach out and touch Arlynn which really gets under my skin. We strive hard to protect Arlynn from germs and keep her clean and it undoes everything we strive for when a random person from god knows where touches her. I have OCD, was diagnosed at age 11, so some of the germ worries probably stem from my disorder. Who knows where that person’s hand has been?

 Another thing that worries me is her safety. Of course she is too young now to discuss who is allowed to touch or hug her and what’s appropriate and inappropriate but when the time does come I don’t want her to get confused. I want her to know the only people she is allowed to let touch her is her family and only in appropriate ways. I feel like if we don’t start confronting strangers now Arlynn will think its ok which could lead to some bad things. I have read that people with Down syndrome are more likely to be abused. I have read the statistics and it scares the, for lack of a better word, hell out of me.

I don’t know why people feel like they can touch her like she is public domain or something. Is it because she is a baby, or because she has Down syndrome, or maybe both? I sometimes wonder if it is because she has Down syndrome that she gets touched so much, because other members of my family have had babies and theirs weren’t touched at all if I can remember correctly.

I am honestly not trying to make a big deal out of this or be mean. I just can't get over how a random person has the audacity to reach out and touch a baby or child that they don't know personally. Seriously?

Anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you say, if anything at all, and how does it make you feel? I know I can’t be the only one it bothers.

Just had to get this off my chest because it's been happening more frequently lately and bothers me a ton. On another note... Arlynn's party is  tomorrow so expect lots of pictures! :)

A Year Ago Today...

This was written yesterday,the 12th, as that was Arlynn’s actual birthday. I didn’t have time to post it then though because I was celebrating with my baby. So A year ago today was actually a year ago yesterday so as not to confuse anyone. heehee!

A year ago today, I ventured off to the hospital in anticipation of the arrival of my baby sister where my life would be dramatically changed no longer than it takes to say bye to the old life and old me I left behind. My life was changed in more ways than one, I would be a big sister for the first time in my life thus giving me a lot more responsibility than before, my heart would be stolen never to be returned by a small 6lbs bundle of joy, and I would be introduced to Down syndrome.

Arlynn a year ago today

A year ago today I would meet the little face that would steal my heart, change my soul, and provide me with an endless amount of happiness, joy, and love.

A year ago today, I learned that love doesn't count chromosomes.

A year ago today, I learned not to fear the unknown or what may seem different to me. I learned to educate myself on things that provided a sense of fear or discomfort.

A year ago today, I found out I wanted a sister with Down syndrome because I was blessed with one.

It's been a fun filled year filled with laughter, tears, accomplishments, frustration, achievement, surprises, excitement, and love. A year that went by faster than it takes a child to eat a candy bar. It's been one of the best years of my life and all because of one baby girl who has changed my life in ways she will never understand. Happy Birthday Arlynn! I love you!

And now for Arlynn's birthday pictures. Her actual party is this weekend but we celebrated yesterday with a small cake and let Arlynn dig in. At her OT evaluation we were asked if she could feed herself to which we replied no. I think we should add unless there's a cake in front of her. haha. She did get sick though. I think all the sugary icing didn't agree with her.

Graduation, 3-6 Months Sleeper, and Pigtails

Well, I did it. The day I had been anticipating finally came and went with the bat of an eyelash. I am officially done with school. It’s funny how I waited and waited for graduation ever since I can remember but the closer and closer the day got the more sad I became. I think it’s because, unlike most of my friends, I have no set plans like a specific college to go to or job or anything like that. I feel like it all crept up on me a bit too fast. I do know Arlynn will now be staying with me a few days out of the week and I will be cleaning around the house while watching her. Those are the plans I have at the moment and I am not in a rush to set new ones as I am very fortunate to get to spend my days with the sweetest baby girl in the world.

We found this really cute sleeper last night while straightening Arlynn’s room but discovered it was a 3-6 months while Arlynn wears 6-9. I decided to try it on anyway just to see if it would fit and it did perfectly. Who else can say their 12 month old sister can still fit a 3-6 month sleeper?

Here’s another photo of Arlynn wearing her first set of pigtails. Too cute!

Tomorrow is baby girl’s birthday as well as her speech and occupational therapy evaluations.  I know it’s cliché and everything but I honestly cannot believe Arlynn has been with us for a year. I have an entire post dedicated to my feelings on that coming up soon but for now, I am going to hit the pillow.

Short and Sweet...

Sneak peak of Arlynn's homemade birthday hat! Our mother made it out of a cereal box and hot glued fabric to it, and then tied the ribbon together while I made the bow on top. :) It isn't done yet but is looking pretty cute so far. The colors for her party are pink and green. I can’t wait to a see how all the other decorations will turn out.

Arlynn’s first birthday present was given to her by her physical therapist. She gave her some beach toys, a balloon, and a book. Thanks so much!

I would also like to thank my new followers, commenters, and many visitors to the blog. It means a lot to me, and Arlynn, that you all enjoy my posts. :)

Why Can't You Just See her as a Cute Baby Girl?

Today, I am participating in my first blog hop though I'm not quite sure I'm doing it right, haha. I saw it on http://www.withalittlemoxie.com/ and decided to partake. The prompt along with my post is below.　
                                                                                                                                                                                      Prompt:what have people said that has gotten under your skin about something that relates to your connection with disability - and what do you want them to say instead?


  Words. They never had much of an effect on me until my sister was born with Down syndrome. Now, the only words that seem to get under my skin are the incorrect terms used in reference to her or other individuals with Down syndrome.

The most recent happened the other day. A woman at the fabric store Arlynn, our mom, and I were visiting commented on how cute Arlynn is which is something we hear often. We encountered the woman a second time, she worked there, when we were having our fabric cut and she proceeded to comment again on Arlynn and mentioned another employee had twins and one of them had "Downs" but the other was “normal”. She said her friends doctor said that was a very slim chance of happening but "things happen" I know the woman was just trying to be nice and make conversation and I honestly have nothing against her for that because she was nice, but I didn't like the way she inappropriately said "Downs" and how she said the other child was "normal".  I HATE when people  say Downs and normal.Also, for me Arlynn is just a cute little baby and her bringing up a connection to Down syndrome just shows me she only saw Down syndrome instead of Arlynn. This is one of the most irritating things to me when people only see Down syndrome. I want people to see Arlynn for who she is and she is NOT Down syndrome.

This is just one of the many encounters where people have incorrectly addressed an individual with Down syndrome, but honestly I wasn't as bothered as in the beginning. In the beginning the feeling obtained from interactions with others similar to the above scenario lingered for a couple of days but now that Arlynn is almost a year it's not that bad anymore. Still annoying sometimes, still wish I would have the audacity to correct people but not bad.

What I wish people would say? To be honest, nothing at all because I am very shy and quiet myself and like to go unnoticed. Go unnoticed? With a baby as cute as Arlynn? There is about as much chance of that happening as there is me running a marathon.

 I would like people to just comment on her and her sweet smile or her clothes or how cute she is without bringing Down syndrome into it. It's not that I don't like to talk about Down syndrome or am embarrassed of it, it’s just that I don't like the idea that everyone besides me and my family see Down syndrome when they look at Arlynn instead of her. Down syndrome is only a part of her. It’s just a label, while Arlynn is a person.

Much Awaited Update...

The blog has been a bit neglected lately. I feel as the days go by the frequency of the posts decreases. A lot has been happening lately which has lead me to put the blog on hold for a while.

Our house was broken into a couple weeks ago and among one of the stolen items was my very expensive Nikon camera.I have borrowed my aunts camera to get Arlynn pictures but the quality is nowhere near mine and I can't take professional pictures until I get my new camera which, rest assured, will NOT be stolen by anyone if I can help it. My graduation is rapidly approaching, Arlynn's first birthday is coming up, and we have a vacation planned among other things. So, when I say a lot has been going on, I mean A LOT has been going on but I am here now to update you all on my almost one year old sister.

Arlynn has learned to sit independently!! She started sitting about a week ago and it's a bit rusty but she can do it. I put a boppy behind her just to make her feel a bit more secure in her sitting. I thought I would never see the day, but it's here. You can see it too in the video below:

Arlynn has also been making a new face lately we've deemed "the popeye face." I have no idea where she learned it from but it sure is funny.

Arlynn has also offically learned to cry when a toy is taken away from her in order to get it back. She earned herself 3 toys in two days using this new trick of hers which I find quite hilarious because as soon as I give her back the toy she calms down.

She is also now out of size newborn shoes as of a week ago. Her feet are not much bigger but she can now fit into a size one or two even if there is a little bit of space in them.

For the past couple weeks, Arlynn has been consistently sitting like a big girl in shopping carts when we, my parents and I, go shopping and high chairs at restaraunts. It is so neat to see her sitting like such a big girl and get a lot of attention from the people around us.

Today, we went shopping for everything Arlynn needs for her birthday party. We are making several of the decorations ourself and even attempting to make her a birthday hat. :) I can't believe she is turning one already!

Arlynn has an occupational therapy evaluation and a speech therapy evaluation soon so I will be back with details on that.