More Sweet Babies

Our little cutie-pies just keep coming!


William's mom, Tracy, isn't blogging yet but maybe we can coax her into sharing a photo with us...



Rozie is just the prettiest thing ever! I'm warning you though, don't visit if you are hungry because her mommy has some of the yummiest looking treats on her blog and you could blow your diet just coveting them.



This handsome boy made an early entrance, beating his due date by ten weeks. He is a strong fighter with great big giant blue eyes.



LC Boom Boom, or rather Princess Pudge, has an adorable new little brother. His mom, Ch, has one of the funniest blogs out here. So go check him out and enjoy.


If you would like our community to know about the arrival of a child with Down syndrome, please send an email to ds.mama with the baby's info and an email address or blog/website address of the baby's mom or dad.

Communication 101

Parents look forward to hearing that first word... “dada” or perhaps “mama”. And when it comes, we are thrilled because we know that our child has connected words to objects, and that the rest of our spoken language is just a matter of time. But it is important to remember that speech is just one component of communication, and usually the last piece to be mastered.

The first communications between mom and baby begin at birth with cries, rooting, facial expressions, and eye contact (and maybe even before birth since we know that a newborn can recognize his mother's voice). While these first methods of communication come naturally, for babies with Down syndrome the presentation might be fainter or appear later than expected. For example, the smile is one of the first communication signals a baby gives us and it is important to realize that babies with Ds might smile later, less frequently, and less boldly than other children. The difference between a parent’s expectations and a baby’s skills can disrupt the mom’s ability to interpret her baby’s signals, making it harder for a harmonious relationship to develop.

What’s a Mom To Do
Like we do with all new love relationships, spend time studying your baby’s expressions and movements. Become sensitive to whatever communiques your baby is giving and respond to them accordingly with both words and gestures. It won’t be long before your baby figures out that he is the cause of these positive results. And so begins what we call “communicative intent”, using communication with the intention of affecting the environment.

Irene Johansson, author of “Language Development in Children with Special Needs”, suggests tactile intervention in the form of newborn massage several times a day. This provides the opportunity for the caregiver to communicate with the baby while the baby is experiencing a physical stimulation that heightens his awareness.

Requesting/Protesting
It is imperative to encourage a baby’s desire to communicate. The best way to do this is to be very responsive to him when he initiates any of the natural communiques of requesting and protesting. Don’t let him cry it out or make him wait if you can help it. Reward him with a smile, caress, or song whenever he is looking at you, kicking his feet or reaching out. Don’t worry about spoiling your baby by always giving quick and direct feedback. You cannot spoil a newborn with too much responsiveness or attention. And patience is a virtue that can be practiced after your child learns that communication is power.

Gazing
Babies learn a lot about communicating by watching you do it. Research has shown that babies are predisposed to face watching. You can encourage your baby to look at you by keeping him close to eye-level in a carrier, or in a babyseat that is up on a table. If your baby doesn’t have the strength or coordination to watch you, hold her in a position that gives good support to her head and neck. While you are gazing at each other imitate any facial movements she makes, or stimulate her by making noises and expressions. Babies with Ds initiate less often, so take the lead and start a “conversation” whenever you get the chance.

Turn taking
Another important part of communicating is taking turns. You can work on this with your baby by pausing while speaking to him, as if you were listening to his response. You can also practice turn taking by shaking a rattle and then helping your baby to shake his rattle, back and forth several times. This builds the expectation of response, teaching your baby that communication results in response, or rather having your needs and wants met in some way.

Performative Communication
Performative communication is defined as the “speaker’s” deliberate, conscious, and goal-oriented use of communication (speech, signing, picture cards, body language, etc.)(Snyder 1978). Irene Johansson’s book is a week by week program for providing your baby with communication intervention that begins at birth. She makes a great case for why you would want to use her model (which incorporates massage, structured sounds, movement, and more) to help your baby develop strong communication skills.

I did not have this book when Summer was a newborn, and it wouldn’t have mattered because I do not have the discipline to follow such a structured program. However, that said, I have used some of the suggested program for the last year, and believe that for a caregiver who can do it, there would be worthwhile benefit.

Your Turn
Have you posted about a communication topic? Let me know and I will link to you.

To Love Endlessly: Communication
Face the Sunshine: Sign on...

Picture credit: Marissa from To Love Endlessly
John Michael from Monkey Musings

Toothfairy Gone Mad

Since she comes to collect precious baby teeth when they fall out, I am guessing the toothfairy has something to do with making those little tooth buds while babies are cooking in utero. Surely the fairy dust she sprinkles on the gums of babies with Down syndrome must be quite magical because it causes some interesting tooth development.

Babies with Down syndrome often have their teeth come in late (nursing mothers stand up and cheer!) You can expect your baby’s teeth to arrive in any old order they choose, including perhaps not at all for some teeth. (Uh, maybe that fairy got a little too wild with her wand...) And, some teeth may be irregular... as in extra sharp, big, small, or even funky shaped.

What does all this mean (aside from that the toothfairy needs to stop partaking of fairy dust before going to work)? Not much for the under 10 months crowd because tooth eruption tends to be delayed in children with Ds. Babies without teeth can still eat anything that can be mashed by powerful gums and that includes soft well-cooked meats. Your baby can still hurt you by biting you with her gums (nursing mothers can stop cheering now.)

Once your baby’s teeth start arriving, sometimes molars first as was the case with Summer, you should brush them after meals and bottles. (Uh huh, fun fun.) There are lots of baby toothbrushes out there to choose from. Our pediatric dentist recommends the Mam Training toothbrush ($5.99 at Amazon.com as part of a set) and I find it easy to use. It has a long handle and a rounded brush on one end, as well as a gum massager on the other. And don’t forget to floss your baby’s teeth (more fun). I prefer to use floss rather than the fancy new disposable flossers that are out there mainly because it is easier to maneuver around with it in a wriggly baby’s mouth. Good luck finding kid-friendly flavored floss at the drugstore... I score the bubble gum variety when we take the older kids to the dentist. However, since babies with Ds tend to enjoy strong flavors, cinnamon or mint probably works just as well.

There is really no pressing reason to visit a dentist prior to age three (unless some teeth do not come in) but you may want to start shopping for a pediatric dentist who has experience with children who have Ds. We visited a dentist at 15 months because there were signs that teeth might be missing. The dentist confirmed this to be true and suggested X-rays at age two. (We won’t need to do that because she got them for Christmas.) So aside from blog research, some incorrect dental conclusions, and a fancy toothbrush, I can’t think of any good reason to go back before age 3... unless of course, that the toothfairy comes back around and does something crazy with her wand.

Your Turn
While you are here, please take the tooth poll located over in the upper left column. If you leave me a comment saying that you participated in the poll (or that you would have if your baby already had that first tooth :-), you will be entered into the Winter Giveaway. The winner will receive a First Years Star Teether, a NUK straw cup, and bubblegum flavored dental floss. (You are invited to take the poll even if you aren’t interested in the giveaway.)

More 2009 Babies

I know you guys think I have been distracted by eggnog and mounds of Brie cheese... too distracted to get out the rest of the 2009 birth announcements... but I swear it isn’t so. I actually have been suffering (for the last month) through the worst computer quagmire ever. For now, everything is behaving so I will present to you a bunch of new darlings to visit and oooh & aaah over.


Prayer is Always Free


Schye Family


Living Life with E's


Cindy the Artist


The Baby Who Chose Us

If you would like our community to know about the arrival of a child with Down syndrome, please send an email to ds.mama with the baby's info and an email address or blog/website address of the baby's mom or dad.

Somewhere in Kazakhstan...

There is a little girl named Jasmina who is waiting to be adopted. She is a beautiful child who has Down syndrome, and she is the only child with Ds available for adoption through Reece’s Rainbow in Kazakhstan. More than anything I would like to be able to give this child her forever family for Christmas. But I am not God or Santa and I cannot grant her wish with just my will.

I can donate to her adoption grant and I can ask all of you to consider this gift as well. If you have anything left in your charity budget this year, please give to Reece’s Rainbow on behalf of Jasmina or any of the angels that are hoping to be saved from life in an institution.

Reece’s Rainbow accepts PayPal but prefers checks to save on processing fees. If you are going to send Jasmina a Christmas gift for her fund, please make the check out to Reece’s Rainbow and put Jasmina’s name in the memo. Mail the check to: Reece’s Rainbow, PO Box 4024, Gaithersburg, MD 20885. Thank you.

May you and yours be blessed during this wonderful holiday season.

That’s What I Like About You

Back in October I posted “The Best Part,” a few thoughts about the good stuff that comes with Down syndrome. I asked you to tell me your favorite things and what a great response you gave. It was a wonderful reminder that people with Ds are unique and fabulous in so many ways.

Things We Love
People with Ds live in the moment... they have determination and pride. And we have pride for them as we celebrate their milestones. We have the pleasure of never-ending hugs & kisses... wherever at whatever age. People with Ds express uninhibited love & joy. They have a lovely innocence about them...

“I love the innocence. The fact that my son doesn't see jealousy or envy in others, doesn't fuss when someone takes one of his toys, doesn't try to take others things - he just accepts everyone and everything at face value. I love that.”(Karen)

As parents and loved ones, we have become part of a wonderful community, we have learned through self-introspection the value of life, and have developed a great appreciation for the little things. We have learned to slow down and enjoy what is, and we have experienced personal growth... becoming advocates and cultivating an acute empathy for others...

“Having a child who is 'different' forced me to break down stereotypes and prejudices that I never knew I had. It makes me want to defend and advocate all of those in our society who are vulnerable and overlooked.” (Stephanie)

People with Ds have extraordinary physical characteristics... a chunky kissable neck, amazingly talented toes, stunningly beautiful brushfield spots in their eyes, and delicate facial features. They are sincere, caring, and non-judgemental of others. They are charitable, kind, and altruistic...

“My Favorite thing about DS is that having Ricki taught me to accept and love the positive things in everyone, and to avoid dwelling on the negative. I then applied this to my (then) teens. It was beneficial for all of us.” (Ricki’s mom)

Many babies with Ds give us the opportunity to enjoy an extended infancy, and a baby who sleeps through the night. They reward us daily with a pure, abundant, and uncomplicated love. They are easygoing...

“I love how cuddly Miss B is and how easy she is to console. When she is crying, pretty much all you have to do is pick her up and snuggle her in, and she's happy again. We've had very few of those “Is it your diaper? Are you hungry? Are you hurt? Are you sick? Is it gas? Are you hot? Are you cold? Why are you crying and why won't you stop??!!!??” moments with Miss Banana. Gotta love that too!” (Carrie)

People with Ds have the most beautiful genuine smiles that they give freely to all...and the cutest protest pouts you ever did see...

“I love Maddie's smile...she smiles with her whole body...her hugs are big, warm, and so calming...and I love how when she does not like something she lets us know with the greatest wrinkled/scrunched face...she is priceless!”(Chromosomally Enhanced)

I’ve already said that my favorite part of Ds so far is the extension of the trip through babyland but I want to also mention how much I love it that my daughter plays with her toys... really plays with them. With my typical kids, buying toys (other than Legos) was a waste of money... there was zero interest in toys geared for babies. With Summer I have the pleasure of watching her gradually figure out how each toy works and then actually playing with it over and over. She has taught me that life is not about the race to success... that instead it is the joy and peace of this moment, the only moment of our lives that is guaranteed.

Oh yeah, and the toes... did I mention the toes?

Your Turn
You guys wrote some awesome posts on this subject, and if anyone else is inspired to do so, please send me your link so that I can add it to the list.

Zip - Perdue - Dee - Dah
Mutterings & Musings
The Tao Of Tulips
Livin for the Love
SaySay’s Reality
Bradi & Madi’s Blog
Life as We Know It

Guess Who Is Getting the Goodie Box
Random.org picked Brandie and Goldie from Livin for the Love. Congratulations! Email me and I will get your package out right away :-)

Dear Santa Claus,

Once your baby can sit or has better body and head control, you can introduce stage two toys. (Not here yet? Check out the stage one toy recommendations. Or if you have already moved on to the next stage, check out these toys.) I’m going to list 10 toys you might want to put on your baby’s Christmas... Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day... list. Though this post comes too late for Eid-el-Fitr (and Black Friday), you will hopefully still get some good ideas from it.

Fisher Price—Roll-a-Rounds Swirlin Surprise Gumballs

Lights! Action! Wow! This oversized “gumball” machine releases four see-through balls that have “candies” in them. Each time your baby taps the lever, he is rewarded with lights, music, and a gumball that swirls around as it makes its way out of the dispenser. This toy teaches cause and effect, as well as the concept of in/out. The lights and sounds can be turned off and the volume has two settings. Comes with 3 AA batteries (but the ball dispensing would still work with no batteries). $22.99 Toys-R-Us
Picture credit: Sheridan from Genetically Enhanced

Fisher Price—Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage

This toy gets an A+ for entertainment value as it will keep your baby interested for long periods of time. It also gets high marks for teaching cause and effect, encouraging self-recognition and communication, and promoting sitting, reaching, and fine motor hand control. For an in-depth description of this toy, check out Ria’s review. (3 AA batteries included) Overpriced ($83) at Amazon.com. Look for it in-store at Toys-R-Us.

Slinky

Who knew a slinky could be so much fun? Put your baby’s amazing feet to work with this toy and then sit back and enjoy the show. The plastic version comes in two sizes, several bright neon colors, and is easy to untangle. This toy encourages your baby to practice gross and fine motor skills, but even if it didn’t have any therapeutic or educational value, I’d still recommend it because it is the most fun your baby can have for five dollars :-) Small plastic version, $4.99 Toys-R-Us

Fisher Price—Rainforest Jumperoo

Many babies with Down syndrome love to bounce and the Jumperoo provides the perfect opportunity for it. Once your baby has good core strength, he’ll enjoy pushing off with his feet and bouncing himself like crazy. The jumper has lights and sounds with various settings, but your baby might be too busy jumping to notice!. Babies up to 25 lbs. and 32 in. can enjoy this toy. (3 AA batteries not included) $69 at Amazon.com
Picture credit: Joey from Our Bundle of Joey

Fisher Price—Sesame Street Singing Pop-Up Pals

This pop up toy features Sesame Street figures who sing clips of their songs when they pop out. The toy teaches cause and effect and prompts your baby to practice his fine motor skills to twist, press, click, and slide the knobs. The characters’ doors close in two different ways adding to your baby’s coordination skills. The sound can be turned off and the pop ups still work (nice feature for when you run out of the 3 AA batteries that come in it). $21.99 at Toys-R-Us

Fisher Price—Moo Sounds Milk & Cookies

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Your baby will! This little jug comes with 5 cookie-shaped colored discs that your baby can put in and take out. For beginners the jug opens up completely and for those who have practiced a bit, the cover fits on with just a cookie-sized slot in it. When you dump the cookies out, the jug “moos”. This is a great way to work on the concept of in/ out, colors recognition, and beginning counting, while also working on the coordination skills of targeted placing and reaching for objects. (2 Alkaline Button Cell batteries included) $9.99 at Target

Melissa & Doug Nesting Boxes

What’s more fun than building a tall tower? Knocking it down of course! Your baby will likely master the destruction part of this game before the building part. That’s ok because she has you to stack and restack the boxes for her :-) Eventually she will learn to stack the boxes and to nest them by herself. You can work on the concepts of up/down and in/out with this toy, as well as practicing the motor skills necessary to build and knock down the boxes. These nesting boxes have the alphabet on them and lots of pictures that you can use to teach some common words to your baby. Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks are $9.99 at Amazon

Fisher Price—Stack 'n Surprise Blocks Songs 'n Smiles Sillytown

Pop up, peek-a-boo, stacking, music, lights, and a race car... there is much to do with this toy. Your baby will practice fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cause and effect. This set comes with 8 stacking blocks (one that is a car) and features a pop up section and a tumble down section, as well as a car ramp, and a stacking shelf. After seeing how much fun Summer (and her 3 yo brother :-) had with the Count and Build Snail Pail set, I knew this one would have a spot under the tree this year! (3 C batteries included) Songs ‘n Smiles Sillytown is about $40 at Walmart and the Count and Build Snail Pail is $19.97 at Amazon.com

Munchkin Mozart Music Cube

Music therapy here we come :-) This cube features 5 individual instrument buttons: harp, flute, French horn, piano and violin, and an orchestra button that plays all the instruments at once. It has 8 Mozart compositions and the lights flash in rhythm will the songs. The buttons are big and easy to push with hands or feet. The toy teaches cause and effect as well as the different sounds instruments make. (3 AA batteries not included.) $15 at Amazon.com

Discovery Toys—Go Go Caterpillar

Our PT brought this toy over one day and Summer was very interested in playing with it, though for a while she seemed a little mad that it “ran away” :-). If you are ready to urge your baby to crawl or scoot, this is a good toy to have. Your baby can make it roll away by gently pressing on its back. The wheels are filled with beads that fly around as the caterpillar zooms across the floor. The toy reinforces the concept of cause and effect, and prompts your baby to strengthen his gross-motor "Go Go Baby" muscles. $15 at Discovery Toys


And Santa, please bring shares of Fisher Price stock for mom and dad...

Your Turn
Got a favorite stage two toy recommendation for Santa? Want to tell us what gifts are you giving to your children with Ds this year? Please do, inquiring minds want to know :-)

Peek-a-Boo, I See You

A while back it was thought that object permanence—the ability to understand that objects still exist after they are no longer in sight—was an intellectual all-or-nothing milestone. New research¹ is showing that the concept of permanence is a process that begins with object identity, moves into understanding the transformational event in which it participates, and then ends with an understanding that objects themselves are permanent.

Huh? In English please...

What this really means is that babies don’t just one day “get it” that objects that have disappeared are still there. It is a long complicated process of understanding that begins around 3-5 months old (and perhaps even earlier) and continues until about 24 months old. Babies learn the concept of permanence in pieces. For example, a baby who is just beginning to understand permanence will look for a toy that has been covered by a towel by lifting the towel but this same baby will not do this if the toy was placed under the towel from a person’s hand. This is because the baby expects the toy to reappear where he last saw it, in the person’s hand. If he does not see it there, he will not yet think to look under the towel. In this case the baby thinks that the towel method makes things permanent but that the hand method does not. He does not yet understand that the property of permanence is inherent to the object not the method of disappearance.

Peek-a-boo games have always been one of the best ways to encourage an understanding of object permanence and given the recent new theories they still remain the best way to teach this concept. However, it makes sense to utilize several varieties of the peek-a-boo game to stimulate the various steps of understanding.

Peek-a-Boo Variations
If you use a particular tone and cadence when you play peek-a-boo variations, your baby will begin to anticipate that something is going to disappear/reappear. This will be helpful to your baby as the games get more complex.

1. Hands covering face or just eyes. This is the classic newborn peek-a-boo game that infants love. You can mix it up a little by asking baby while your face is covered, “Where’s (mommy, daddy, whoever)?” and then saying “Here I am” when you remove your hands, or by starting with “Peek-a” and ending with a rowdy “boo” when you uncover your face. You can also change your expression before and after you cover your face to stimulate your baby’s interest in the game.

2. Pop up person peek-a-boo... Use a hand towel or burp cloth to lift up in front of your face so that you “disappear” and then lower the cloth as you say “here I am” or “boo”. If your baby is not remaining focused on you when you play this variation, only lift the towel up over your nose so that your baby does not lose eye contact with you.

3. Peek-a-boo baby... Use a small scarf or burp cloth to gently cover your baby’s face (start by only draping the cloth over part of your baby’s face) and say, “Where’s (baby’s name)?” and then pull the cloth off and say, “There he is!” Soon your baby will pull the cloth off by himself and before you know it he may even initiate the game by pulling his bib or blankie up to his face.

4. Peek-a-boo books... Read books to your baby that have fold out pages or flaps. Use the flaps to play peek-a-boo by saying “Where’s (anything under the flap)?” and then “There it is” when you pop open the page. One of our favorite peek-a-boo books is Farm Peekaboo by DK Publishing.

5. Jack-in-the-box pop up toy... You probably shouldn't use a traditional jack-in-the-box musical toy for this game early on since the music takes a while and the “reappearance” requires the means-to-an-end motor skill of turning the knob. We have a hand-me-down pop up bunny that works perfect for playing a traditional peek-a-boo game using a pop up toy. At a later stage when your baby is able to sit and perform the fine motor skill of turning the knob, I would recommend the plastic musical jack-in-the-box available at beyondplay.com. It is very easy to manipulate the knob and does not require the fine motor skills that a traditional metal jack-in-the-box knob does.

6. Hidden toy peek-a-boo... place a small favorite toy on a highchair or swing tray, or the floor, in front of your baby. Cover it with a towel or other cloth and then ask your baby, “Where’s (the toy)?” Pull the cloth off the toy as you say “here it is” and then encourage your baby to remove the cloth by performing the action hand over hand with your baby. Keeping in mind what we now know about the early concepts of permanence, do not spice things up by placing a toy in your hand and then sliding in under the cloth or by switching the toy that is already under the cloth with a different toy.

7. Peek-a-boo picture of you... Print a 5x7 or larger photo of your face and affix it to a piece of cardboard. Raise the photo in front of your face so that you disappear behind it. Say to your baby, “Do you see (mommy, daddy, whoever)?” and then lower the picture while saying “Here’s (mommy, daddy, whoever)”. This game not only helps your child understand permanence but also helps him to understand transference between a picture of an object and the real thing.

8. Paper towel roll peek-a-boo... Take a paper towel roll and as your baby watches, stuff a small scarf or cloth into the end of it. As you ask your baby where the cloth is slowly pull it out of the other end of the roll. You can also use hand over hand to help your baby pull the cloth out of the roll himself. This is a more advanced peek-a-boo game because the object is not reappearing the same way it disappeared and so for a while your baby might think it is a different scarf coming out though it’s doubtful he’ll tell you that ;-)


(Research Credit: New Findings on object permanence: A developmental difference between two types of occlusion—M. Keith Moore and Andrew N. Meltzoff, University of Washington, USA)