Saturday 2 August 2014

I think we can say it....she's walking!!!

I cannot describe the joy it brings me to see my little girl taking steps around the house.I think she's taking enough steps for me to officially call her walking!!!

After almost 4.5 years, to now hear footsteps around, to see her standing in the doorway waving goodbye to me, to suddenly have her at my side - has to be one of the most wonderfully rewarding milestones we have reached with her. 

There are lots of aspects and challenges around her walking still - but that will not steal my excitement or make me less proud. The delight on her face in her new found freedom brings deep joy to my heart!



Friday 31 January 2014

I Love Swimming

Katelyn loves swimming. I have a water baby!



...and in a month...hopefully i'll be posting photo's of her swimming and floating on her own (with some floating assistant of course!!)...

The first school year

I better get a quick post in there before its the end of Katelyn's second school year!

For what can be a very daunting day for many, I knew inside that Katelyn would adjust to being dropped at school rather easily. She's is incredible with people and very easy and trusting of others. It helps that at school there is absolutely no shortage of love.

One on one time in action - she gets 45min a day one on one time, what a spoil!
Katelyn enjoyed school - and for the first year she progressed continually and didn't seem to hit any developmental plateau's like she had before - everything just slow and steady. She struggled with her health, and at a stage was only making it to school every odd week for a few days before she came down with something else.

Unfortunately after a bad chest infection in Autumn we knew we'd have to change our strategy - as the impact on our family having her sick every second week wasn't worth the few days she went to school.

She got healthy over the winter school holidays, and we kept her at home for most of the third term. What an impact it made having her well for 2 months. She flourished, was so happy - so it helped justify the decision! Her doctor started giving her immune boosting injections every 3 weeks, and ever since those settled in, we've had a relatively healthy ride. She was healthy for a wonderful family holiday at the beginning of spring and managed the full fourth term with only a few days off.



Happy at the Christmas concert! First time she's ever kept something on her head - amazing what school does!

Its been quite an adjustment having a girl at school 5 days a week (especially when school is not just down the road!). But the biggest adjustment was definitely for me. Learning to find our feet in amongst people who don't know us, don't know her and for many, don't know much about Down Syndrome - particularly as the year went on and the other kids developed so much around her. I feel it allowed us a process that we needed - allowing the thoughts, feelings and emotions to take us first to Christ, making us more united as parents and really just more totally in love with Katelyn than ever before.