Shopping for toys - Monday and Tuesday

I spent several hours doing  " research" for toys for our little G.

Her seventh birthday is only a month away

Then exactly a month from then is Christmas.

I can't believe what I found.

I'm hoping I can convince papa.

He is of the mindset 

 if a little girl has a few dolls 

why would we buy more?

When I was growing up 

we were given a new baby doll every Christmas.

There are some great Options for this year.

These look like she did as a baby but aren't an option really.

 They are A.Dor.Able. 

But seem more like collectors dolls 

than ones for a little girl to play with.

Wasnt she the cutest little baby!

Oh how I wish I wouldve been able to love on that lil Munchkin!

Not sure how I feel about this doll.

the two girls in the middle........

I love pita from Karito kids.

 it looks like this doll is hard to find,

 manufacturing issues.

 she is really pretty tho.

Corolle has a few options




I love this one




This one


This one

I found these dolls when searching

 "almond shaped eyes"

 at Am*erican G*rl dolls:

This is cute.

This one is pretty adorable.

Im thinking this set is my favorite.

We could always give her the girl with Birthday 

and the boy for Christmas. I love these.

the little boy makes me think of  Gs little boyfriend

at the Orphanage.

You can see he is wearing her glasses here 

and they are exchanging kisses!

He was adopted just a few months before Lil G

His older sister was volunteering at the orphanage while we were there!

and he is sporting an extra chromosome too!

This is the last one from Am*rican girls.

The only drawback is her short hair!

As well as this one

I also found a discussion of mamas 

at Baby center (didnt know about this place!)

 it seems like Im not the only one with the 

Same. Exact. Idea.~ 

mamas looking for baby dolls

 that resembled their little ones with Down Syndrome.

 Since Grace has similar colorings to other cultures

 that commonly have almond shaped eyes

 many of the babies I found look like her.

 Im sad for the blond haired blue eyed little girls

 that have Down Syndrome. 

Do you think it matters that the eyes are shaped differently? 

Does it matter to your daughter????

 I was wondering if Am*erican g*rl dolls could be made to look more like the little beauties with Down Syndrome

 without messing them up 

like another "down Syndrome baby dolls"  

 I was wondering if taking the mold to one of these dolls I have chosen with almond shaped eyes

take Ivy for instance......

 and changing the eye color

 and hair color would work?

 The moms on the board I linked to have e-mailed the company and have commented about getting a standard form letter in reply.

 I am thinking about calling them personally. 

(there is a number 1-800-360-1861)

One of the moms had the same idea I did.

seems straight forward.

I thought you could do that......

But each time I tried to design my own doll 

it showed me a list of dolls that were already made.

 I was wondering if several of us called and mentioned these ideas the company might listen?

 They do actually offer hearing aids, glasses, 

and many other devices for dolls.

 Im not seeing why they might hesitate if enough people cared.

 I truthfully dont think G will care if her baby looks "just like her". I had a baby doll that looked Asian and she was my favorite. in fact I might need to go unpack her and see what Little G thinks.

While we are on the subject of toys

I had some shopping to do after dinner last night

after all the doll searching.......

When I returned home last night I was told that her "cat piano "

Meow sic piano

Was no more.

RIP meow-sic.

Symphony in B musical toy.

I had found a perfect gift that I wanted to tuck away for Christmas by the same company.

We love their toys!

These two toys were created by B toys.

purchased at Targ*t

You can read an incredible post here 

about their philosophy and mission!

We own three soon to be four of their toys, 

plus I love to purchase them as gifts as often as possible!

Papa is of the mindset that we need to replace the piano

 with the same toy.

But after two years, Im still on the fence.

We know its durable and that she will love it.

but I dont know if I can stand more "cat music".

What about you,

have you started shopping?

Are there any toys on your list?

Toys in the toybox your child couldnt live without?

share with us.....

inquiring minds want to know.....

(sorry this post took 2 days!!!!

Lil G's -ABCs

A- Apple. Her first signed/spoken       

               word ( after Papa)

B- Book. G loves to read a story.

     Bible. Just ordered one for the  

               visually impaired. Giant 

                print.18 point font

C- central sleep apnea- Diagnosed 

             with sleep study in August

      Cookie monster- 

      Congenital cataracts- The reason  

                              she is legally blind.

D- Dance. Any shoes she has on are                                    

                  her dancing shoes!

E- Epilepsy. Lil G started having 

                   seizures in June. 

                    Diagnosed 3 days later.

F- Fresh Beat Band. Loves this show 

     Family. Lil G has a family.

G- Glasses. Come to find out, she is       

           legally blind with and without   

                   them.

H- Hug. Lil G loves a good hug.

     Heart. She was born with a heart 

                 condition. 

    Happy. 

I- Ice cream. Her favorite treat.

J- jump. Jump. Jump. She loves her trampoline!(yes, she says it 3x)

K- kick, kick kick. all things 

        swimming! (yes, she says it 3 X!)

 L- Lion. Lil G loves the Lion in the  

               wizard of Oz. 

M- Morning- she is a morning person.

     Music- she loves music ( note: see 

                   D is for dance)

     Mom- a new word. Love it! (she 

                overheard a little girl in the 

                store yelling "Mooooooom" 

N- Nemo, don't even get me started. 

                 her favorite movie.

      Nap-  (see above: Central sleep    

            apnea.) G sleeps 12 hrs at    

             night AND a 2-3 hour nap.

                 She Asks for a nap

O- OPEN! What she yells when any 

           point of entry is closed that she 

               believes needs to be OPEN!

     Olivia-  one episode a day.

P-  Purple, Lil G's favorite color.

      Para sus ninos- "for His Children"        

                         name of her first home

Q - Quilt, one of her favorite    

                 treasures from Ecuador.

 R- Rainbow, her favorite signing time

                     episode.

. 

                     Her favorite garment- 

           rainbow scarf knit by big sister

S- strabismus-  eye condition. she 

        now wears a  patch 2 hours/ day.

   Spaghetti, a favorite meal. Will   

                 ask for it by name/sign.

      Swim, loves "swimindapoo" 

T- Teeth. Lil G has two teeth fused   

           together and is actually    

             missing  two adult teeth. 

U- Up! How she asks to be held.

V- Vision Impaired,  I had no idea! 

                   20/200 with her 

                     glasses!

W- water, she loves the water. (see  

                  above s:swim)

     Whale, she actually speaks   

                 whale. see N for Nemo.

X- marks the spot she has stolen in our heart!

Y- Yogurt- eaten twice a day with her medicine sprinkled in.

Z-  make two zs in the air with your pointer and middle finger -   

     ASL for Pizza! You got it! A favorite!

Now I know my A B Cs

Next time won't you sing with me?!

A letter to my daughter- down syndrome awareness month day 3

My darling Lil G,

      Just like you have come into my life

to teach me some important things,

like reminding me how to laugh at myself-

 don't take life so seriously.

 How to never say, "I can't" but to try,

and try again.

if I hear music and feel like dancing, dance!

You are teaching me how to be brave,

when there are doctors

  nurses and needles

and things I don't quite understand,

they mean well

and are trying to help me feel better.

How there's always enough to share,
Even if it's the last Oreo, frnch fry,or chip
It can always be broken in half

 the sun doesn't always have to be orange

or yellow,

 I can paint it green or blue.

You are teaching me

every stranger isn't someone to be feared,

but can actually be a very nice person!

A cheerful smile and " hi! Howudooooin?" can really make someone's day!

( Lil G holding hands with a friend in the orphanage)

you are teaching me

 my clothes don't have to be so matchy matchy, 

its okay to wear vibrant purple, 

or a rainbow colored scarf in the middle of the summer. 

You are teaching me 

we don't have to out grow board books,

 snuggle time, naps.

I hope that when you are grown 
I will have taught you the things that are most important,

 how to say no .

How to chew with your mouth closed

 and say excuse me when you burp.

 to  brush your teeth every morning

and each night before bed.

I want you to use your manners-

 please and thank you.

I want you to have a strong faith ,

 to know you were created with a purpose

and your life has meaning.

I want you to be able to read good books

and enjoy a good story,

  I know that might not be possible with your vision impairments.

So, if we've tried and tried again,

 I hope that you can enjoy books on tape

and love being taken on an adventure through the written word read aloud.

I hope that every night when you close your eyes,

warm memories flood your mind

that you know deep in your soul that my love for you is unconditional,
 that I was not perfect but taught you how to say sorry, and really mean it. 
That you then fold your hands and
count the blessings each day,
 there is always so much to be thankful for!
 I want you to have learned 
 how we show respect.
And last but not least,
 do your best.
I dont expect anything more than that.
Love,
Mom

ASL and Down Syndrome

(day one meeting Lil G for the first time- Psychologist "this is your mama and papa")

When we arrived in Ecuador we were surprised to learn

 that our new daughter had  no spoken language.  

Throughout the adoption

 we received quarterly reports that were mailed out from the orphanage.

 Basically our orphanage allows people to sponsor the children

 and some children have many sponsors depending on their needs. 

Before the international Hague convention laws were changed, 

thus the delay in our adoption,  

we were allowed to be on the list of sponsors.

(this is a photo of Lil G being given the photo album over a year before we traveled!)

 I'm not sure if that made this harder or easier. 

Now where was I?? 

Oh, yes.
 When we arrived in Ecuador 

and met lil G we were shocked to learn she was not speaking.

 Earlier in the process there was mention of her saying 
mama and papa

 so we thought her language was progressing. 

 She understood commands and was such a sweet loving child

. We were so thankful that we had brought the first set of signing time DVDs with us. (they have a spanish option)

Once she came to stay with us on the third day in country

 we started putting them in our laptop for her to watch. 

(here she is watching a video of herself at school)

It was amazing. 

She started using the signs in appropriate context within days

 and by the time we had arrived in the states 8 weeks later

 she had mastered at least 20 signs! 

(this is Lil G signing  Papa on the album week 5. Papa had come home already.)

I can remember sitting in the big offices 

waiting for new birth certificates and visa with our adoption facilitator, she was amazed~

her showing the people that we were dealing with
 how well G was doing. 

She would say a word in Spanish and Lil G would sign it, 

cheers and clapping only reinforced her learning process.

(this is Lil G on day one playing outside with her new family)

Once home we slowly cut Spanish out

 and started communicating exclusively in English and sign language. 

(this is Lil G signing bird while playing with a set of handknit birds- a gift)

We call it ASL but I think if we were involved in the deaf community

 we are actually using signed English or SEE. 

The reason is the order of words. 

For example,

If I were saying , I'm going to the store tomorrow in ASL 

I would say , "tomorrow, store I go." 

so we are keeping the words in English spoken order to encourage Lil G to just use the signs as she would actually speak in conversation.

 I did research before we went to Ecuador

 and knew that many families did this with their children no matter what their abilities were and some individuals
 that had never had the ability to speak

were able to communicate 
once they were introduced to sign language.

 I have only met one family that had a child with Down Syndrome that actually discouraged their child from using ASL. The parents felt like their child used it as a crutch and knew now to speak yet was choosing not to.

 I believe that everyone has their own opinions

 and will say that in our family

 if we ever feel like Lil G is using ASL

 when she is perfectly capable of speaking,

  no.big.deal.

 it's a form of communication. 

I have bigger concerns than trying to

Micro manage my daughter.

     I will say that once we had her home

 we had her hearing evaluated 

to make sure there wasn't anything hindering her ability to hear

 and develop spoken language, 

but that's a topic for another day. 
Since we are only at day 2 Ive gotta spread this out some!

If you are interested feel free to ask questions.

 As I mentioned earlier, 

we had the first three DVDs from  "signing time" 

when we went to Ecuador with both an English and Spanish track. 

A few months after returning home I was able to purchase the full collection of signing time DVDs used off EBay.

You can find videos and lots of parent helps
 on the signing time website

 and lil G s oldest sister has been able to keep her busy watching the music on YouTube.

 I took a course in ASL about 20 years ago and have my book to refer to when learning new signs.

 There are many dictionaries available

 and a great program on the Internet if you would like to learn this beautiful language.

 Before I close I will warn you to be careful when signing,

 these are words ,

 and there are actually words you wouldn't want to sign unknowingly in the deaf community.

 My oldest daughter took all the courses to be an interpreter

 and giggled a few times before sharing how Lil G needed to be corrected! 

Oops! If in doubt look it up !

Of course I know you'd like to see a few photos of our Lil G while here today.

I hope you enjoyed your visit and come back!

(Lil G signing cake with papa)

(she signed crab, sand, cake, water, birds, scared .... to name a few)

one of her obsessions is going to ball games or watching on tv.

Tampa Bay Rays 

she will sign Ball game, bat," fall down" for sliding- love it!!!

"pink candy" "popcorn" and "blue"- we think she is talking about the mascot

She has mastered how to say Nemo. cute cute cute!

I caught her in her room signing and saying "sweeeeeet" with the surfer turtles.

she says/signs  "orange fish" "shark" "whale" "water"

and does a great impression of Dory talking whale

(caught red handed!)

While in Ecuador my daughter sent a care package with our missions team.
In it was a box of cheese its
she learned rather quickly how to sign
"more cracker"
Now we find her raiding the box on her own if you find it within reach!

Day 1 2012 -down syndrome awareness month

In  the Fall of 2008 the significance of this month took a deep hold of my heart.

Long story short, we were considering adoption.

We wanted to adopt a child with special needs,

 and had narrowed our search down to a few disabilities that seemed "do-able".

We had worked with our state some,

 and were told finding a child with down syndrome to adopt domestically 

was difficult and how long the waiting list was.

I felt led to put out feelers in Ecuador 

since our church had worked there in missions for several years.

(there were no little girls in Ecuador on Reeces Rainbow at that time)

I felt it was important to be surrounded by community.

A beautiful family heard of our quest and had volunteered at an orphanage. 

We were sent the photo of a darling little girl that was almost three years old.

This is the first photo we saw of our Lil G.

(what I started calling her due to international adoption privacy)

Over the next two years we worked until she was home safe and sound.

Lil G came home to America August 1,2010.

Our story is different than many other families that have a child with Down syndrome.

We chose her because she was born with a little extra.

Over the past two years of having a daughter I have learned a lot about myself.

This is our story.......

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Finding Nemo 3D

 Lil Gs favorite Movie is Finding Nemo

I dont know who was more excited....

me or her.....

 

She loves to talk whale "Dory style".

its pretty cute!

Taking Lil G to the movies proves to be 

Quite an adventure~

I really do need an extra hand or two.

The adventure gets interesting

 when it requires 3D glasses over hers!

We had the theater all to ourselves

Making sure the seat doesnt close on her

Was fun!!!

 despite her sensitivity to noise

she clapped at the end!

Brabo Brabo! (bravo for those that dont speak "lil G")

I think it was a success.

I mean,

she did thank God for Nemo at prayer time!