Hi. My name is Wendy and I am mom to three children: Caitlyn - 9, Evan - 7, and Kristen(DS) - 8 months (born 10/2/03).
We did not know of Kristen's diagnosis until she was born. It was an unpleasant shock. However, I cannot describe the love that we all have for her. God has sent us on an unexpected path but we are choosing to follow it with joy. This certainly did not happen automatically, but we are getting there.
Kristen is doing well. She has hypothyroidism, but other than that no major medical issues. She had tubes put in her ears in February. That went very well and seemed to solve a hearing problem that she was having. I have enjoyed reading many of your posts and will try to learn how to show some pictures for you to see.

Welcome! Can't wait to see Kristen!
Jeff
Dad to Sam, 7 and Emma, 4 - see the recent post, "My Kids"

Welcome this this stie. Sounds like they put tubes in early! Which is good, because usually the doctors will wait around seeing if the ears will fix themselves or something. I am mom to Max, almost 3 years, and Sam, 9 1/2 months. I will be waiting to see Kristen.

Jenny

Congratulations! Cannot wait to see Kristen!

Welcome!! I too am a Mom of three Taylor 11, Jordan 10 and Dylan 13 months. Love your comment "God has sent us on an unexpected path but we are choosing to follow it with joy"!! Dylan has brought sooo much joy to our family and is loved to bits and pieces. I look forward to hearing more about your family and seeing those pictures of Kristen!!

HI! and Welcome! I am Elizabeth mom to 6 and youngest is Samantha 14 months almost (wow time just gets by you huh). I too have to say that I like the way you worded it. That is how I feel. Hope to hear more from you! Elizabeth

Welcome-Great to have you aboard. I am Beth, a Stay at Home Mom to Cameron 4, Kendall 2, and My Lovely Kennedy 9 months with DS. Our children are the same age basically and I hope to share many posts with you. We also did not find out until Kennedy's birth-actually 5 1/2 months after birth. Quite a shock but I digested the news immediately, got all of the info I needed and here we are. She is the love of my life!! If you need anything feel free to email me. Hope to see some photos soon!!

Welcome Wendy and family and glad you found us

I'm Naomi, mum to Callum who is now almost 15 months old and we'll be adding another baby boy to our family in Sepetmber. We also didn't find out until after Callum was born.

Hope to hear more Kristen and see some pictures.

Hi

Welcome. I'm mum to Rachael who's 2, nearly 3, and Matt who was 1 yesterday. It's not nice finding out about the DS, but 1 year on, it's not a problem at all! HE's the most gorgeous boy out!

Anywya, look forward to hearing more about little Kristen and seeing her pictures.

Helen

I definitely welcome you with open arms...this site is THE BEST!!! Anything you want to talk about everybody is here for you, whether joyous, sad, need advice, have questions, brag...ANYTHING I look forward to seeing pictures as well, that is a BIG want on this site!!! LOL We all love pics!! My little one, Brandon, is 10 months old as of tomorrow:D, and he's doing great!! We found out after the birth also and had confirmation a month later with test results that he has DS. He's had no health problems, and he's been accomplishing alot on his own--doing things that we haven't even worked on yet!! I'm very proud of him. Can't wait to hear and see more of Kristen!!

I have a question concerning Physical and Occupational therapy. Kristen has a PT come once a week and an OT once a month. They come to our home (or my mother's while I am at work and she keeps Kristen) through the program Babies can't Wait. What qualities do you look for in a good PT or OT?
Also, what do you do when the therapist is in your home? Do you sit and watch for the whole hour, part of it, ask some questions, or a lot?

You might post this question under the questions thread and get more responds. But what I do, is usually sit with them and play along with them. Max usually follows me when I leave the room for any reason. If I have questions about anything, then I ask. You will probably get to know the therapists pretty well.

As far as good quality, I look for someone who is motivated to do things and try new stuff. Also someone who follows Max's lead then try to get him to do a little more than what he really wants to do without getting him too upset!

Jenny

Abby is 11 months today and received PT and OT 1x each week. I think referals for good therapists have been a huge help to me. Also, finding someone you feel comfortable with and who shares your ideas for your child's progress. Our first PT was a jerk. I think he was a competent therapist but very negative and always telling me things Abby would likely not do or be delayed in. My approach is let's not limit her--the sky is the limit. Abby will do what she's going to do and we just have to give her the best opportunities to be her personal best. So, after a few months of agonizing over what to do I found a new PT and she is fabulous! We are on our 2nd OT. I wondered about the 1st OT. Just didn't seem like she was doing anything "extra" that I wasn't doing constantly with Abby but since this was my first experience with OT I didn't have any idea. Well, luckily for us the 1st OTs schedule changed and we have a new guy. He is amamzing! It is a night & day difference in what he works on with Abby. I guess in all of this what I am trying to share is that I have learned to follow my gut instinct and it's okay to get new therapists who mesh with your personality and attitude about your child. Goodluck!