St. Louis Buddy Walk 2009

A special message from Team Captain Matthew:

Thank you to everyone who joined Team Matthew for our first Buddy Walk in Forest Park, St. Louis today. I was happy to be surrounded by many people I love - uncles, aunties, cousins, and friends. You made my day extra special and memorable.

The weather forecast threatened scattered thunderstorms but everyone still came, looking sharp in the team shirts that my Mommy made. Thank you, Auntie Kris for suggesting the perfect caption "Powered by Smiles". I'm so glad we didn't get any thunderstorms at all.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored our walk and cheered us on. Team Matthew raised a little over $600 for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis (DSAGSL), which is an organization that provides services and support for individuals with Down syndrome like myself.

I hope everyone had fun. GO TEAM MATTHEW! Let's do this again next year!

Book Review: Hi, I'm Ben! ...And I've Got a Secret!

I never tire of inspirational books, including children's books. This book, authored by Julie A. Bouwkamp, does not disappoint. While the target readers are siblings, cousins, classmates, and young friends of the child with Down syndrome, adults will delight in reading this book too. I certainly appreciated the awesome message captured through its simplicity and colorful images.

It is written from the point of view of a young child, Ben, who has Down syndrome. He starts by introducing himself and asking if you can guess his secret. He proceeds to provide clues, talking about the highlights in his life (like celebrating his 3rd birthday and going to the beach) and lowlights (time-out in the corner for being naughty), all of which many young readers without Down syndrome can easily relate to. Ben shares his secret towards the end of the book with an explanation of what it means. I find the encouragement to be friends at the end of the book very heartwarming.

Have you read it? What do you think?

Mi Casa Es Su Casa (My Home Is Your Home)

Friends. I can't (and refuse to) imagine our lives without friends. Our friends are driving in from Illinois and arriving at our house this evening. They'll be staying with us through the weekend. Friends that we had never met before except via e-mails and facebook since 2007, the year Matthew was born.

They have a little girl, Gabbie, born 2 weeks after Matthew. She is their first and only child, just like Matthew is ours. Their experience at the hospital mirrored ours. They didn't know that their little girl had Down syndrome until after she was born. The initial feelings they had after receiving the diagnosis echoed ours. So did their resolve to be the best parents they can be in raising someone with special needs. It didn't take too many emails between us to see what wonderful, caring, loving parents they are.

Another common thread we share is a friend, Angela, who now lives in California. She is one of my close friends from high school in the Philippines. She is a good friend to Jodee & Jen and went to college with them in the Philippines. It was her brilliant idea to introduce us via e-mail. Jen and I have been trading e-mails ever since, connected by that wonderful extra 21st chromosome our kids have.

Today, we'll finally get to meet them in person. We're very excited. The guest room is ready for them to stay in until Sunday. The house looks generally presentable. Some of Matthew's toys litter the living room floor, a welcome sign for any toddler. We're ready!

Counting down the hours...

Toy Review Tuesday: Take N' Toss Cups

Sometimes the simple toys are the best toys. While these "Take n' Toss" plastic cups aren't exactly toys, they provide Matthew with just as much entertainment as any other variety of stacking and nesting cups available at most toy stores.

We discovered this game when Matthew found the plastic cups that I keep in a bottom drawer in our kitchen. Currently, Matthew is in the 'open-and-close-drawers-and-doors' stage and the 'stack-everything-and-anything' stage.

Stacking and nesting cups help develop eye-hand coordination skills, as Matthew demonstrates in this video.

Kindermusik Summer Program

After attempting a previous music and movement class and not quite succeeding, we're trying a different music class called Kindermusik. I had been eyeing it before but cost for the class during the regular schoolyear was a deterrent. In the summer though, they have a summer program that only goes for five days. This year, it's from June 8 to 12, from 10-11 am each day for kids 18 months to 3 years old.

The premise of the Kindermusik class, for those who are not familiar, is that the singing, playing, moving, and interaction in the ABC Music & Me class enhance young children's "emotional, social, physical, and cognitive growth. Inhibitions fall away, self-esteem grows, and social skills develop. Through moving, dancing, and playing instruments, children also develop muscle control and coordination. It helps children to learn how to learn and have fun while they're at it." It's really much like the goals of the other class.

Both Kindermusik and the other music class are good programs. The difference lies in structure and set-up. In Kindermusik, I stay with Matthew - sing the songs and move around with him - during the hour-long class. In the other class, he was assigned a buddy during the 30-minute class while I waited in another room. The fact that I stay with him is key for his success in the class - no melt-downs because of separation anxiety.

We've only attended one class so far but it already feels like a good fit for Matthew. He and I participated in most of the activities and it was a very positive experience for him despite being the only 20-month old toddler in the class who wasn't walking independently yet. He was also the only one in the class with special needs, ie Down syndrome. But no one seemed to know that except the instructor and a friend (and neighbor), who was in the class with her adorable little girl.

I prefer not to tell people who don't know us unless I think they should know or if I'm asked specifically. It's not because I dread any possible awkward reaction, but it's simply because I want them to get to know Matthew for who he is first, as Matthew, not "the Down syndrome kid". Many times I wonder if people who don't know us can tell at first or even second glance. Through my eyes, I think Matthew looks so much like me that the slanted eyes and flat nose bridge just seem like features he inherited from me and not from having an extra 21st chromosome.

If my eyes were a pair of eyeglasses, I'd happily lend them to everyone so they could see what I see when I look at Matthew -- a makes-me-laugh-drives-me-crazy-sometimes-heaven-sent-biter-smarter-than-he-lets-on-wonderful-wouldn't change him for the world-blessing little boy.