Asher

Asher's first school picture! (minus his adorable glasses which were being repaired)

There is one similarity between Asher and Axel. That is the fact they are both very well behaved for me, pretty well behaved for Dean, but kinda naughty for everyone else! And that, my friends, is where the similarities end.

I keep having to remind myself that no two kids are alike, and the (minor) things that cause me to be frustrated with Asher are just that: minor. I also have to remind myself that "slow and steady wins the race!" because Asher is on his own schedule when it comes to hitting developmental milestones.

It IS a lot of fun watching him go through all the developmental stages. I could put a developmental timeline in front of me and mark exactly where he's at. It's very interesting to see stages that I never knew were so critical, or that my other kids went through without my noticing or remembering.

Last week Asher learned how to get something he wants. Think of a not-quite-talking toddler who points and grunts, and that is where Asher is now. It's FUN to see because it's so new for him. Before he would just wait until someone finally gave him something, and now he can reach out in the general direction of the desired item and kind of milk the air to show us he wants it! YAY ASHER! This then turns into a game of guessing what he wants! "Is it this? or THIS? Did you want this?" to figure out what it is he wants, then we show him the sign for whatever it is. When we finally get it figured out he LAUGHS a full bellied laugh, so excited that this communication thing gets him what he wants!

Asher's sign vocabulary is increasing rapidly! He's also putting together two signs to say things like, "More please" and "Bath please". He can request a toy being turned on/off by signing "On please". Also, Asher is no longer silent! He has found his voice and is playing around with sounds all the time. He is able to verbally say "more", "mama", "dada" (sounds like nga nga) and "all done".

Asher is very shy about making new sounds. He likes to practice in private or when he thinks nobody will notice. I remember how oh-so-very difficult it was to get him to imitate sounds. Now he does, but in private. LOL Like in this video, he's sitting on the rocker with his back to me, which to him means he's alone. He's making sounds we've spent weeks trying to get him to do in therapy. LOL



Then there is the part that is frustrating to me. As much as Asher is changing and growing, (and he has grown A LOT!)  he really has no desire for knowledge. Right now we're working on matching colors - which he can consistently do - and naming them. Apparently Asher has ZERO need for this kind of information because getting him to do it is very difficult. Really, Asher doesn't want to do anything that requires any kind of thought. I honestly don't know how to get him motivated. I also don't know if this is just a developmental thing or just Asher being Asher.  When he came to us he was like a 6 or 9 month old baby who could walk. Now 11 months later he is very much 2- 2 1/2! That's a lot of development in just a few months time. I'm anxious to see what changes the next year brings, and am hoping one of those changes is a desire for knowledge.

The Caretaker

Axel is the most caring, compassionate young man I've ever known. If I bump into something and happen to say "ow!" Axel is very quick to ask. "Ok mom?"

If Asher falls down, Axel is the first one there to help him up. If Angela needs help tying her shoes or zip her jacket, Axel is quick to offer a hand. (he is especially proud of his ability to tie!)

Both Axel and Angela like to help Asher with after-meal clean up. Angela is all business and gets it done quickly, but Axel? He takes his time, is especially gentle, and doesn't miss a spot of chocolate. ;-)

Axel has also taken it upon himself to teach Asher how to sign the alphabet. 

Axel is a great role  model for Asher. When there is a new activity I want Asher to do which I know he won't particularly like, I can count on Axel to give me a hand. (I absolutely LOVE the grin Axel gives Asher, and watching Asher's TOES! He is always grabbing things - like his own feet - with his toes. LOL)

21 Things About Axel

2012-2013 school year, 5th Grade

1. Axel was born in Kragujevac, Serbia

2. Axel communicates using ASL

3. Since we got him 23 months ago he has grown 16 inches and 23 lbs!

4. Axel's favorite show is Thomas the Train.

5. On weekend mornings he talks Asher into opening their bedroom door to "go find Papa" when it's still dark outside!

6. When Axel first came to us he brought with him a toy cell phone. It's been replaced a couple of times but he ALWAYS has a toy cell phone with him and carries on lengthy conversations.

7. Axel eats anything we give him. When he first came he didn't care for meat but now he'll eat anything. Even pickled herring.

8. Axel started swimming lessons about 6 weeks ago and he's almost swimming on his own!

9. He just participated in his first Special Olympics bowling tournament. (it didn't go so well.)

10. Axel LOVES playing with his toy trucks! It's so fun watching him enjoy them.

11. He is really enjoying having a brother and sister. They all three get along very well together.

12. I don't think there was ever a kinder big brother.

13. Axel really loves school and is starting to tell me about his days. He is (sometimes) able to tell me what he had for lunch, or that he had gym class. (this is all done in ASL)

14. I'm going to guess that one of his favorite things to do with Papa is go fishing at Uncle Dave's because he asks about it all the time.

15. Axel can go to the bus stop by himself now and doesn't need me to meet the bus either.

16. He is slowly overcoming his fear of heights (as in, he doesn't like his feet to be off the ground at all!) and because of this is LOVING his new bunk bed!

17. In July Axel learned how to pump a swing. After school he likes to swing and will spend an hour swinging HARD and singing a song that we assume is about his day.

18. Axel loves to sweep the floors and dust. He's kind of a neat freak. Took me 8 kids to get one.

19. Axel thinks he's boss of the dogs but they don't listen to him at all. Probably because they don't understand Serberinglish.

20. Axel asks for chocolate milk at every meal, even though we rarely have it.

21. Axel's spoken vocabulary is growing every day, but he tends to speak on rapid-fire phrases, and not in the right context. His favorite phrase is "getouttahere" followed closely by "don'tcopyme". Yesterday morning he showed me a new sign. "Forgot". As in, he came to the breakfast table buck naked. I asked him, "Umm...where are your clothes?" and he replied with "forgot". 

The Word

Angela and the "R" word, three years ago.

Angela, her story

This is a video of a stage performance done by Angela 4 years ago.

The camera

Angela is not usually allowed to play with my iPhone because she's always messing up stuff. That and she doesn't like to give it back, so the rule is generally "no". Imagine my surprise when I was uploading pictures and found a whole bunch I didn't take!

31 for 21

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October 1st, 2012. 

October is Down syndrome awareness month, and today marks day 1 in the 6th Annual 31 for 21 challenge. Thirty one days to blog for Trisomy 21 - aka Down syndrome. 

I've recently discovered I have a lot of blog readers who don't come here because of their connection to Down syndrome. I always welcome questions about Down syndrome but this month in particular I'd like to encourage you to ask! I've also learned I have a lot of new readers, so I'd like to use this post to introduce our family to you.

Dean and I have been together since August 2003. 

Personally I love how my glasses cut off my eyes! Time for new ones!

We are both previously married and between us have 8 kids. Rob 26, Noah 25, Tyler 23, Bryon 23, Aaron 22, Angela 16, Axel 12, Asher 7. The only kids living at home are the three youngest. Well, that doesn't count the occasional big brother who crashes on the couch! 

Angela, who has Down syndrome, is a very spunky young lady. She can usually be found listening to music and wearing stripes of some sort. She talks incessantly but due to her hearing loss can be very difficult to understand. She doesn't seem to care. She is a sophomore in high school and talks about graduation and getting her own apartment pretty much every day! She is a very active young lady and participates in several sports throughout the year. She used to be very involved in theater but she hasn't had time for it the last couple of years. She's also just getting back into swimming after taking a hiatus the last two years. 

Axel is 12 and also has Down syndrome. He was adopted from Serbia in December 2010. He's a pretty quiet guy and communicates using American Sign Language. (ASL) He does have a lot of words he's able to say now but he relies on ASL as his preferred method of communication. Axel LOVES Thomas the Train and paper. Any kind of papers that he can call "his" make him happy but booklets, brochures and pamphlets are his favorite and I am constantly having to clean out the stash in his room! Axel also loves music, going places in the van and bossing his little brother around. 

 Asher is 7 and he joins the Down syndrome crowd here. He was adopted from Serbia in December 2011 and this month will celebrate his first birthday in our family! He really doesn't know what birthdays are yet so we're really excited for his big day which fall son Halloween. Asher came to us 100% silent. He had absolutely no method of communication and didn't make any sounds at all. None. Zero. It is hard to describe to people how a 7 year old boy can be completely silent.  That all ended in July when the kids and I took a road trip to Washington D.C. for the National Down Syndrome conference. Apparently spending 6 days in the van drove him crazy because it was on the road when he started babbling and making all kinds of faces! It's been so fun to watch him come out of his shell these last few months. He's now able to say "more", "mama" and we're working on "dada". He has about 60-70 signs that he uses now and we're hoping more words will be coming soon!

We also have an adoption blog where you can read the boys adoption stories along with our current adventures!  You can find it at www.myianna.blogspot.com. 

So that's us! I hope you stick around. Please don't hesitate to ask questions! If they're questions of a more personal nature please leave a way for me to respond to you privately. If you're new here, I'd love if you'd let me know how you found us!