Home >> The Nathan Report
January 12, 2009
Last Wednesday, Nathan had his tonsils out, ear tubes fixed and a tune-up on the adenoids…what an ordeal! Paul and I spent the day with Nathan at the hospital taking turns holding him while he screamed. I think his pain was being managed pretty well, it was all the tubes and monitors that made him go crazy. Nathan HATES things to be stuck to him. After a fitful night’s sleep in the hospital, we came home Thursday morning and he did pretty well as long as I kept the codine coming. But again, the hardest part was the IV contraption that had to stay on his arm for a few days. A home health nurse had to come and hydrate him on Saturday and Sunday. FINALLY, all do-dads came off yesterday! Now it’s all behind us and we can check that one off our list. He’s breathing much better while sleeping which was the issue to be resolved.
In the last few weeks his speech has exploded and it’s been so much fun to listen to him chatter. He’s telling me what color things are, either with a sign or a word. “Pah-pah” is purple, “boo” is blue. He’s writing a few letters: T, O, I. When we drive around, he’s constantly identifying letters on signs. If I write, “MIIKA, DADA, MAMA” he can tell me which is which. He knows all of letters. In this Down syndrome journey, I’ve met lot’s of individuals with DS and their parents. I always wonder if development is nurture or nature…if kids and adults are not learning because they have not been taught, or if they are incapable. Did their parents just assume that they “couldn’t” so they didn’t bother? Perhaps I’ll never know the answer. All I know is that Nathan is thriving and is very smart. He’s a joy. Everyone who meets him, loves him. I can’t imagine life without him. And even bigger than all of that is that when I look at him, I don’t see Down syndrome, I see Nathan…Mr. Personality! He loves to listen to and make music. His latest request has been to see, “King” meaning Lion King…definitely his favorite movie to date.
As soon as we move into our apartment, he will start school. I expect all kinds of explosive development in this next chapter. Until then, we’re taking a little time off. Early Intervention is over now that he’s three years old. We’re taking a January vacation from structured learning, but instead he’s just taking in the routine of our days as I articulate everything that we do…from making oatmeal to cleaning and doing laundry. I give him little assignments to throw away trash or put things away. He’s learned how to play his DVDs on a little TV, which buttons to push, etc. I’m focusing on teaching him practical things, not OT per se, just the first steps of independence. I have high expectations for both of our kids, and they never disappoint me. Many people are surprised at what Nathan can do and they ask how he learned his ABCs? Well, we read every day and go over the alphabet every day in books with pictures. We draw them, we sculpt them, we write them on the bathtub tile. Basically, we use every sense to experience the alphabet every day. And I have been so rewarded!
