Etta's Fall Party

Etta had her school Fall party on Friday, November 1st. Mel came out the hang out with Alice and Daniel (who was napping) so that I could join Etta for her class party.

I accidentally got video of her when she realized that I was there. It made me smile when I came across it, so, I'm sharing!

I also got a little video of her "pumpkin bowling"

They also played with play-doh, made a mask with glitter glue, played in Dramatic Play center, did a sensory activity with cooked spaghetti noodles, and played with the little people farm. Then, it was a fun little circle time which included some music and dancing. Then, I signed her out of school and we went and ran a few errands before heading home.

Fun at Target with mama!

Oct 2013- Random

Random October events/moments that didn't warrant their own blog post.

Ds Mom's Night Out! I enjoyed a much needed night out with other mom's who have kids with Down syndrome.

I've talked about this little head bump before. It's my favorite accidental tradition!

"nite nite, Alice"

I had a moment on the day I took this next picture. The kids were playing with this Cozy Coupe while I was prepping lunch. They were underfoot and I found myself stepping around their toys. Most days I find this frustrating and I end up strapping them into their booster seats. But this day? This day, I took it all in and I soaked it up. I thought about how there was once a time when I thought we may never be able to conceive a child. Even after three kids, I remember the pain of infertility. On this day, I felt that grateful tightening in my chest, the one that makes you feel like your heart may burst. I am so thankful for the toys that I had to step around because it means that I have a house full of kids!

The kids had been sick. The kind of sick that involves a lot of snot and mucous (aren't they the same thing?). I had noticed Daniel was doing that thing where you cough up mucous and swallow it back down instead of spitting it out. So, after we dropped Etta off at school one day, Daniel threw up all over himself and his car seat. This was from an unsettled tummy filled with mucous. He was still rear facing at this time. After we got home, I put Alice in bed and then gave Daniel a bath and put him in bed and spent the rest of Etta's time at school to take apart his car seat and wash it. Then, I installed Etta's old car seat so we could go get her from school. Because Daniel was a week away from his second birthday and because it was just easier and quicker, I installed the seat forward facing. It was a WHOLE NEW WORLD for Daniel! He kept saying "oooh!" all the way to Etta's school. 

(because I'm lazy, Daniel stayed in that pink, flower-covered car seat for about a month. Until he threw up in that one and I HAD to switch him back to his other seat)

At this point, I still had not given Alice any solid food yet. She had never had a spoon in her mouth before, but Daniel wanted to "feed" her. So he did the honors of being the first to shove a spoon into Alice's mouth. 

I had my annual follow-up with my plastic surgeon. I always love the view from his exam rooms, even on a hazy day!

I went to the Best Buddies Tennessee Luncheon. The food was good, but the reason we were there was to hear from a few Buddy Pairs. This year the buddy pairs included middle schoolers. Their testimonial was tear-jerking and inspiring! I am so thankful that a fellow Ds mom took on the ENORMOUS task of opening a Best Buddies chapter here in Tennessee. The Best Buddies organization pairs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a "typical" peer (or buddy). I hope that there is a Best Buddies program in Etta's school by the time she gets there. "Everybody deserves a Buddy"

Alice started popping up on all fours! She still wasn't sitting up yet, but she was ready to start moving!

(VIDEO)

We got a brand new Walmart here in Spring Hill. I felt like I was cheating on Target the first time I went. I have been back a couple of times for one reason or another. I still prefer Target.

That about wraps up October!

Oct 2013- Halloween

Halloween fell on a Thursday this year. It was also a rainy/stormy night. The weather peeps had been warning us for a few days that Thursday's weather would NOT make Trick-or-Treating an ideal event. Many neighborhoods, including ours, moved their ToT to the next night so families could enjoy the holiday. The problem for us was that I already had plans for Friday night. So, we tried something new this year. We went to the mall!

I got the kids dressed and we picked Keith up from work and we went right over to the mall. ToT wasn't supposed to start until 5:00, but we got in there about fifteen minutes early and many of the stores were already handing out candy. By the end of our lap around the downstairs of the mall, I was SO thankful that we got a 15 minute jump on it! It got pretty crowded, but we were out of there by about 5:45 and home in time for dinner and a decent bed time!

Daniel started walking backward because I was walking backward trying to get pictures. lol. Love that kid!

This little lamb! I was dying of cuteness overload all night! I didn't want to take her costume off!

I think Trick or Treating at the mall was a really great alternative, but if you plan on doing it one year, get there early!