Ultimate Blog Party with 5 Minutes for Mom

Joining a virtual party at 5 Minutes for Mom for the first time. I'm a little late but better late than never, I guess. This should be fun, I hope. It might be a good way to meet other bloggers and raise awareness about Down syndrome.

Let's see...

To all my awesome followers, Welcome Back! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and return for more.

To all new passers-by, Welcome! Thanks for dropping in. Please leave a comment so I know you were here and I can follow you back.

A little something about us

Bill and I met in Melbourne, Australia. I'm Filipino and he's American. We were both in the land down under pursuing Masters degrees. To learn more about how we met, please read It Had To Be You.

Matthew, meaning "Gift from God", was born in 2007 and was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. We did not know prenatally. His grandma wrote an essay about him titled "We're Keeping Him". His aunt wrote an essay about him and it was published in the book "Gifts 2: How People With Down Syndrome Enrich The World". He is my main inspiration and motivation for writing how I write and what I write about. By blogging about him, we are sharing our gift from God with you.

Elizabeth was born in 2010. Just like her big brother, she's animated and full of character. We jokingly call her Queen Elizabeth. Of course, she takes that role seriously, demanding and expecting only the best service from her loyal subjects. She wore a tiara at her first Halloween last year.



Other blog highlights include Toy Review Tuesdays, Book Reviews, and Down Syndrome Resources. I write about the kids' toys and how they've helped with their development. Most of the books are Down syndrome-related, many are highly inspiring.

I hope you will continue to follow our journey - one that I hope will inspire as well as entertain you. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Mission Accomplished: 31 for 21 Blog Challenge 2010

October is Down Syndrome Awareness month. Today is last day of the 4th year for the 31 for 21 blog challenge, which is hosted by Unringing The Bell.

It's called 31 for 21 because there are 31 days in October and the most common of the 3 types of Down syndrome is Trisomy 21. It was my first time to participate and I certainly felt the pressure, which I put upon myself. In signing up for the challenge, I committed to blog everyday in October to raise awareness about Down syndrome. At least 200 other bloggers were in this year. That's quite impressive!



It definitely wasn't easy to blog for 31 consecutive days especially with everything else I had going on this month - planned and celebrated Matthew's 3rd birthday, IEP meeting and preparing to transition him to school, and a major surgery. I did it though! And I'm glad I did.

The prize for completing the challenge? A priceless sense of fulfillment!

Thank you everyone for following us on our journey! Stick around for more.

Sharing Our Gift From God

My aunt once told me that Matthew would touch and inspire many lives in his lifetime. She said this a few days after he was born when we were trying to comprehend how Down syndrome would affect his life and ours.

A few weeks ago, the features writer of our local newspaper contacted me interested in writing about my blog and Matthew. I was nervous and excited at the same time about the idea of being featured in the paper: nervous about answering questions and not knowing how the article was going to turn out and excited about this being an opportunity to raise awareness about Down syndrome in our community.

The article Sharing Her 'Gift from God' With the World was in the August 27-29, 2010 weekend paper. I was expecting a short article but was happily surprised with a full front page article in the features section. It is such a well-written and inspiring piece of work, as many people we meet in town and online have commented.

I love her perspective of my blog. I never thought of it like the way she put it, which is 'sharing my gift from God with the world'. It is what I'm doing though, just as fellow bloggers who have kids with Down syndrome are doing. There have been many others before me and there will be many others yet to be born into this world and into blogland.

It is one of the ways to advocate for our children with Down syndrome - showing how kids with Down syndrome make us smile, worry, cry and laugh, just like any other child would and showing how kids with Down syndrome learn, grow and develop, just as uniquely as any other child would.

It's a way to connect with other parents who are on a similar lifelong journey as us. It could be the source of inspiration and strength for a mother-to-be with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or for new parents of a child with Down syndrome.

It is one of the ways that Matthew will touch and inspire many lives, just as my aunt had known all along.

Book Review List

Books I have read and blogged about. Check back often via the Book Review List photo link on the sidebar for new additions.

Clicking on a title will take you to its book review post.

Children's Books
A B C for You and Me by Meg Girnis.
Colin Gets a Chance by Brian A. Beale
Hi I'm Ben... And I've Got a Secret by Julie A. Bouwkamp
I Can, Can You? by Marjorie W. Pitzer
I Have Down Syndrome, What Does That Mean? by Sandi Graham-McWade
Meet Annie by Heather J. Scharlau-Hollis
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson
Poke-A-Dot Old MacDonald's Farm
Taking Down Syndrome to School by Jenna Glatzer

Inspirational/ Memoirs About Down Syndrome
Common Threads: Celebrating Life with Down Syndrome
Count Us In: Growing Up With Down Syndrome
Embracing God's Purpose for My Special Child by Malu Tiongson-Ortiz
Gifts compiled and edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper
Gifts 2 compiled and edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper
I Just Am by Bryan and Tom Lambke
Kellie's Book
Windows Into Heaven - Stories Celebrating Down Syndrome compiled and edited by Stacy and Michelle Tetschner

Parenting & Educational Books
Diagnosis to Delivery: A Pregnant Mother's Guide to Down Syndrome
Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome by Maryanne Bruni OTR
From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd edition: The Special Education Survival Guide by Pam Wright and Pete Wright
Gross Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Patricia C. Winders, P.T.
Homeschooling Children With Down Syndrome by Amy Dunaway
Just Take A Bite by Lori Ernsperger, Ph.D. and Tania Stegen-Hanson, OTR/L
Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by Patricia Logan Oelwein
The New Language of Toys: Teaching Communication Skills to Children with Special Needs by Sue Schwartz, PhD
Why Your Child Is Hyperactive by Ben Feingold, M.D.


MORE GOOD READING
A list of interesting articles and inspirational essays and poems.

Creed for Babies with Down Syndrome by Anonymous
Friendly Observations for People with Down Syndrome by Karen Gaffney
The Impact of Childhood Disability: The Parent's Struggle by Ken Moses, PhD
The Special Mother by Erma Bombeck
Thoughts of a Mom by Maureen K. Higgins
Welcome To Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley
Welcome to the Magic Kingdom by Jill Kocian of Rivers of Joy
What Parents Wish They'd Known - Reflections on Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome (downloadable pdf file)

DVD/Film Reviews (new as of 1/31/2010)
Discovery: Pathways to Better Speech for Children with Down Syndrome
Monica & David

Blog Awards

Thank you to Lisa at Finnian's Journey for presenting me with the Queen of All Things Award (about a month ago and I'm just now getting to it. My sincere apologies.) and Monica at Monkey Musings for presenting me with the Honest Scrap Award. I am honored and flattered to be chosen, especially by bloggers who are awesome, inspirational, and honest.

Queen of All Things Award
Accepting this award requires that I share seven things that make me awesome. Then I must pass it on to seven bloggers whom I think are awesome.

7 things that make me awesome:

1. I have the determination to move mountains in doing everything I can for my son's development and future.

2. When the going gets tough, I forge on.

3. I had the courage to move half way across the globe to live with an awesome guy in 2003. Other than my in-laws, I have no relatives in Missouri.

4. I married that awesome guy in 2005. He completes me.

5. I have an awesome son who has taught me so much more about what is truly important in life in 20 months than I had learned in 30 years. He makes me strive harder to be a better person. As I help him realize his full potential, I am achieving my own at the same time.

6. I have a loving, supportive, and awesome family: parents, in-laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces.

7. I have awesome friends all over the world.

I've been following many blogs and enjoying them all, so choosing only seven is difficult. In my mind, they are all awesome but because of the guidelines set for this award, I have to pick seven (in no particular order). Please put your hands together for these awesome bloggers:

Monica at Monkey Musings
Maggie at Take a Walk on the Happy Side
Heather at The Seal Bark
Beverly at Adventures of Home Schooling Noah
Sarah at Class of 2008
Lori at Banana Pants
Kara at The Life and Times of the McTriplets

Honest Scrap Award
Accepting this award, requires that I do the following:
1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.
2) Share "ten honest things" about myself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.

Ten honest things about myself:

1. Like Monica at Monkey Musings, I love blogging and meeting other moms and dads who have kids with Down syndrome, as well as individuals who have Down syndrome, through blogging.

2. I am very competitive, especially at word games like Scrabble and Boggle.

3. I'm Filipino but fellow Filipinos usually mistake me for being Chinese.

4. I was born in Manila, Philippines(a predominantly Catholic country), went to pre-school, kindergarten and grade school in Brunei(a predominantly Muslim country in Asia), high school and college back in the Philippines, and earned a Masters degree in Melbourne, Australia. I can still speak, read, and write in Tagalog (Filipino) albeit a little rusty. I can still understand basic Malay. And in case you are wondering, I did not develop an Aussie accent or a taste for vegemite while in Australia.

5. I only learned to speak Tagalog (official language of the Philippines) when I was in high school. I had to take special classes during my 1st and 2nd year and my grades were in the 90's. When I was required to be in the regular class in my 3rd and 4th year, I was barely passing my Filipino class.

6. I am fortunate to be able to stay home with Matthew.

7. My nickname "Ria" means "happy" in Malay.

8. I am very interested in opportunities to advocate for my son and Down syndrome.

9. I am an only child. Growing up, I'd always wished for siblings. I would like Matthew to have a brother or sister someday.

10. I am afraid of the dark.

In no particular order, I am pleased to present this award to seven (of the many) blogs that I enjoy following:

Lisa at Finnian's Journey
Stephanie at Muslim Mama
Tara at Simeon's Trail
Heidi at Henry's Mommie
Adrienne at Our Unexpected Journey
Jill at Rivers of Joy
Perplexing Situation at To Love Endlessly

A note to those I have passed these awards to: It is fun to be acknowledged, isn't it? However, I understand if you are busy or maybe just do not want to participate for whatever reason. It won't hurt my feelings if you are not able to pass on the award.

Blog Housekeeping

Welcome to the new and improved Bill and Ria blog! Being new to the blogosphere, I wanted to learn how to build a better blog. I found a wealth of information in a free e-book called Blogging in Pink: A Woman's Guide by Michelle Mitchell at Scribbit. I thought blogging would be mini get-away from household chores during the day but it turns out there is blog housekeeping to be done too. Oh well.

The most obvious change: a new header, which I custom designed myself on a website called Banner Fans. The best part: it was free! The worst part: figuring out how to edit html coding on my blog template in order to get in exactly the right spot on the page. I have a business and finance background and so to me, trying to understand the html code is akin to deciphering hieroglyphics. I didn't think it would that difficult. 3 or 4 frustrating hours later, I finally found a very helpful article simply titled Blog Banner at a website called Kenwooi. It specifically addressed the problem I was having. And here is my new header, perfectly centered at the top of the page. Ta-dah!

In case you don't remember the old header or are new to my blog, here is what it looked like:

Another improvement on my blog is the addition of a menu bar directly below the header. This did not come standard with the blog template that I chose. While it's not perfect, I'm pretty happy with how it works. Click on the "About" link and you will find more information about this blog and about our family. Click on the "Contact" link and you will be taken to a page with a form you can fill out to send a message directly to me, which will not appear anywhere on the blog. I was able to create the fancy contact form using WebFormDesigner. Click on the "Home" link and you will be taken to the latest published post.

So with my virtual housekeeping done for the day, I best direct my attention to some real housekeeping starting with the cheerios on the floor that Matthew had flung from his chair at the dining table. Or maybe we should get a yellow lab? hmmm.......NAH! (not yet).

Bill and Ria's Links to DS Resources

ORGANIZATIONS
Brighter Tomorrows - supporting families with accurate information about Down syndrome.
D.A.D.S. - Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome Achieves
Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis
Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation
International Down Syndrome Coalition For Life (IDSC)
National Association for Down Syndrome
National Down Syndrome Congress
National Down Syndrome Society
Pujols Family Foundation
Research Down Syndrome

EDUCATIONAL & HEALTH INFORMATION
Developmental Journal for Babies & Children with Down syndrome - downloadable journal to record progress
Diagnosis to Delivery: A Pregnant Mother's Guide to Down Syndrome - free e-book and interactive blog
Down Syndrome Education Enterprises - supplies specialist resources, provides expert training and consultancy services, delivering high-quality, evidence-based information and advice to families and organisations worldwide.
Down Syndrome: Health Issues - News and information for Parents and Professionals.
Down Syndrome New Mama - a blog written by a mom who has a new baby with DS for other moms who have babies with DS.
Down Syndrome online - offers comprehensive information about Down syndrome, including articles, books and scientific papers.
Down Town DS - Down syndrome news & info. This site has a cool, easy to understand video explaining the basics of Down syndrome for kids.
Homeschooling Children with Down Syndrome - e-book
How Do I Talk About Down Syndrome? A Language Guide for Friends, Family and Others
Overview of the development of infants with DS (0-5 years)
NDSC Convention Compendium Web Links - more useful educational links
Sensory Processing Disorder

SPEECH & COMMUNICATION RESOURCES
Baby Sign Language
Mommy Speech Therapy
Sara Rosenfeld Johansen's Feeding & Speech Thoughts
Signing Savvy - signing dictionary with video.

WEB COMMUNITIES & FORUMS - meet other moms and dads who have kids with Down syndrome.
Babycenter
Downsyn Forum
Down Town DS Message Board
Franklin County DS Support Group
Life's Journey with Down Syndrome
Oz Squad - an elite group of active, compassionate bloggers dedicated to educating the public about Down syndrome.
St. Charles Community Group
We Connect Now - dedicated to uniting college students with disabilities in access to higher education and employment issues.

MISSOURI RESOURCES
D.A.D.S. (Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome) - Ozarks chapter
Down Syndrome Association for Greater St. Louis
Missouri First Steps Early Intervention
Pujols Family Foundation
St. Charles Community Group

PRODUCTS AND TOYS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
Beyond Play - Early Intervention Products for Young Children with Special Needs
Special Needs Toys
Super Duper Inc. - Fun learning materials for kids with special needs
Talk Tools Therapy
Therapro - Special Needs Toys
Toys R Us

iPHONE, iPAD, iTOUCH APPS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
Matthew's List of iPhone Apps
NACD Apps blog
One Place for Special Needs - Complete guide to educational and special needs apps. Great how they've grouped the apps into categories!
Our Current List of iPad/iPhone Apps (as of 7/5/2012)
Special Needs Apps 4 Kids


List of Organizations & Businesses Owned by People with Down Syndrome

Toy Review List

A list of toys we have reviewed on our blog, alphabetically arranged.

Alphabet Beads
Alphabet Foam Floor Mat
Alphie The Learning Robot by Playskool
Animal Sounds Farm (Little People - Fisher Price)

Baby Doll
Balloons
Ball Pool
Balls
Bingo Chips in a Can
Birthday Cake (Melissa & Doug)
Blocks
Boards as Balance Beams
Bounce & Giggle Elephant
Bowling Set
Brilliant Basics Activity Walker (Fisher Price)
Bubbles
Bubble Wrap
Bucket-O-Water

Chicco Flip 'n Play Table
Clothespins in a Milk Jug & Links in a Can
Construction Site with Remote Control
Corrugated Castle

Doctor Kit
Don't Break The Ice

Easy-Grip Pegs & Pegboard

Feathers
Felt Board Stories
Fisher Price Learning Home
Fisher Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage
Foam Soap on Glass
Fridgigears

Gazillion Bubble Machine
Golf Tees

Hats
Homemade Tactile Sensory Boxes

Lacing Beads
LeapFrog Fridge DJ Magnetic Learning Radio
Little People Sweet Sounds Home (Fisher Price)
Little Tikes Push & Ride Racer

Magna Doodle
Mailbox (Little Tikes)
Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards
Melissa & Doug Sort & Stack
Memory Game
Mouth Box
MyPal Violet (Leapfrog)

Paper Weave
Play Food
Pictures on Lids of Baby Food Jars
Pom Poms
Pop-up Pirate

Rody Inflatable Hopping Horse

Sand Table by Step 2
Shape Sorters
Shopping Cart (Little Tikes)
Slide - Indoor & Convertible
Soccer Set
Spray Bottles
Step 2 Waterwheel Table

Take 'n Toss Cups
Telephone
Thomas the Train Wooden Railway
Tongs
Train Whistle & Toy Trumpet
Tunnel 6'

Watering Can
Wooden Number Puzzle

BLogging in...

Aaaahhh!! The smell of fresh new blog. My 2nd blog, since I trailed off on my 1st one a few years ago. My main motivation rght now? Spreading word of my son Matthew's fundraising page for the 2009 Buddy Walk in St. Louis. It's organized by the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis (DSAGSL) every year to raise funds for services they offer to individuals with Down syndrome and their families. So I thought, "There's no better reason to start a blog than for this cause."

So here's our shout-out: Check out Matthew's fundraising page at http://www.firstgiving.com/matthewhaag.

And check back here for more posts as I will be BLogging in.