When Dylan was a younger I was never told the importance of how great it is for kids with down syndrome to learn to drink from a straw. This helps encourage the
tongue retraction and discourage tongue protrusion. But, most of the
time, when the child learns to drink from the straw initially, they will drink
with their tongue sticking out and therefore be sucking with their tongue, not
their lips. This does the exact opposite of what you want the straw
drinking to do. This encourages tongue protrusion and completely
prohibits tongue retraction.
We had started Dylan out on a sippy cup once he turned one, but it was more of a bottle with a soft spout. We let him start with this not knowing that we should have started him on a sippy cup that had a straw. At that time I was just excited that he was drinking on his own. After awhile Dylan's OT therapist said we needed to try and get him to drink from a straw. She recommended us getting the
"Honey Bear". It is a bear cup that has a straw, but you can help squeeze it when the child is learning to drink out of it. This helps them understand that something is coming out of it. Well..Dylan wanted nothing to do with it, he just wanted his sippy cup.
So after months of trying we decided to try other things and work back words. We got rid of the soft spout sippy cup and got him onto a hard spout sippy cup that actually is better for them. It does not let their tongue just lay flat. We also started doing some more oral motor skills with him blowing and using his lips more. One of the activities that I have been working so hard on is getting him to blow at the little party windmill toys. This is a great activity because it helps him to understand the "cause" and "effect" this promotes that if they blow that the windmill will spin, so it helps to get him excited! After about 2 months Dylan finally used his lips and was blowing that little windmill. I was so excited! Dylan has been doing so awesome and we are so proud of him!
IMG 5650 from Michelle Lopez on Vimeo.
Windmills Are Fun
12/13/14 •
12/9/14 •
My baby girl is 1 month old. Where does the time go? This last month has been pretty busy in our house. Going from 1 baby to 2 babies is definitely a game changer. Trying to figure out how to split your time with both is a challenge. What I thought was going to be very hard actually has become very easy ( well not easy ) but easier then I thought. I have made it a priority to make sure Dylan is still getting all the attention as he has been the only child for the last 3 years. It won't need to happen all the time, but we wanted to make sure the transition of a new sibling in the house was a smooth as possible.
Haylee is very different from her brother as a baby, but that was expected! Not every baby is the same. She is very needy and what I mean by that is she will not let me put her down. The baby bjorn has become my best friend. She does not like her swing or her bouncy seat unless she is sleeping. We recently had to switch formulas on her. She has been very gassy and fussy for a few days. After doing some research most babies have an allergy to cows milk and it is very hard on their bellies. So we decided to switch her over to Nutramigen, it is a Lactose Free formula. If any mom's our formula feeding I would recommend this as it saved our life and really helped her. She is a total different baby then she was just 2 days ago. She sleeps pretty good at night and is only waking up once which is huge for only being 4 weeks old. She smiles a lot and just a little love bug! I am loving having a girl, but very different from a boy. We love you Haylee!
Haylee is very different from her brother as a baby, but that was expected! Not every baby is the same. She is very needy and what I mean by that is she will not let me put her down. The baby bjorn has become my best friend. She does not like her swing or her bouncy seat unless she is sleeping. We recently had to switch formulas on her. She has been very gassy and fussy for a few days. After doing some research most babies have an allergy to cows milk and it is very hard on their bellies. So we decided to switch her over to Nutramigen, it is a Lactose Free formula. If any mom's our formula feeding I would recommend this as it saved our life and really helped her. She is a total different baby then she was just 2 days ago. She sleeps pretty good at night and is only waking up once which is huge for only being 4 weeks old. She smiles a lot and just a little love bug! I am loving having a girl, but very different from a boy. We love you Haylee!
12/6/14 •
This past weekend we finally got around to putting up our Christmas decorations! This is my favorite time of the year....Can't wait for all the celebrations with the family!
Illumin Ocean
Last weekend we went down to the Harbor where they had this amazing light show all set up. It is called " Illumine Ocean" Its all Christmas lights of ocean animals all up and down the harbor. It was so magical and so awesome that they finally did something in our town that made it feel like the holidays. We went with my Dad, Step Mom and Step Sister. We went and had a wonderful dinner and then headed on for our journey to look at the lights. Dylan had so much fun and I was so happy to finally kick off our Christmas month!
12/2/14 •
This year we went to my Dad and Stepmom's house for Thanksgiving. I was so excited to be spending it with my Mom, My sister and her family, my Step Sister and Grandma. There is nothing more that I love then to be with family and have a big group for the holidays!
We started our beautiful morning off with a family walk around the trails by our house. The weather could of not had been more perfect. This was Haylee's first Thanksgiving and I loved being with my little family. Cathy my step mom did an amazing job on the food and I think I ate WAY too much! We played card games, drank wine, played in the back yard with the kids and just had an amazing "Thankful" day!! Now on to Christmas...
We started our beautiful morning off with a family walk around the trails by our house. The weather could of not had been more perfect. This was Haylee's first Thanksgiving and I loved being with my little family. Cathy my step mom did an amazing job on the food and I think I ate WAY too much! We played card games, drank wine, played in the back yard with the kids and just had an amazing "Thankful" day!! Now on to Christmas...
Walking & Milestones
In our home we have a saying with Dylan that " Dylan will do everything on his own time" We have had this since Dylan was a Little baby!
Dylan currently goes to Physical Therapy 3 days a week and we have been working very hard on his walking and his stability and strength in his legs. I was hoping that he would be walking by time his sister arrived, but that is ok. Like I said he will do it on his own time. Well a few weeks back our nanny and I were sitting in the living room and we decided to work with Dylan and sure enough he took his first steps!! I was a mess, yes crying hard and could not believe my eyes. I knew he would do it, it was just a matter of time and when he felt confident enough. I was so excited that I was home to see this moment and share it with him and our family. We are so proud of him and how hard he works. He still has a little ways to go before he is actually "running" but he is such a strong little boy!
11/29/14 •
This last week my mom turned 60 years old! Where does the time go? A few months back we celebrated a vacation for her big 60, so this last week Greg and I made a special little dinner to celebrate her real birthday. Mom we love you so much and our thankful for everything you do for this family. You are truly an amazing mom and grandma and we would not know what to do with out you!
First Kiss...
I had to post this picture. This is a moment I will never forget...This was the first time Dylan kissed his sister and was interested in seeing her. This just melts my heart!
Haylee:: Newborn Pictures
A few weeks ago my neighbor came to take newborn pictures of Haylee. I love newborn pictures so much! We did them with Dylan so of course had to do them with Haylee. Hope you like them!
Haylee Lynn Lopez
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it”. (Psalms 139:13-14 NLT)
I cannot believe I am actually sitting down to write this post. It has only taken me a month to get the time to do this. I don't even know what I was thinking in having time to myself once our little girl came into this world!
Well as most of you know Haylee Lynn Lopez was born on November 3, 2014 at 7:54am. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. She was absolutely beautiful. When they gave her to me I instantly fell in love. She looked just like her daddy. Black hair and beautiful dark eyes. I chose to have another C-section as it would be much easier since I had already had one with Dylan. We did not want to take any risks so we went ahead and had it scheduled. We checked in at 5:00am that morning and everything went great! I was a little nervous, but I knew the outcome of it and I just set my mind on meeting our baby girl and I did great! Dylan stayed with our nanny that morning till Greg came and picked him up to meet his sister. I was really sad the night before as this was going to be my first time away from Dylan over night ever, but I knew Greg would be with him so it made me feel a little more at ease. We had lots of friends and family come and visit and it was so nice. Later that day Greg brought Dylan to meet his new sister. I was not sure how this was going to go down, but it turned out very nice...even though Dylan did not really know what was going on or who she was. Later that day Greg left with Dylan and it was just me and my beautiful baby girl. It is so nice staying in the hospital for 3 days with a C-section as you really need the help, but I was ready to come home to be with my family.
Haylee is almost a month old and we have been settling very nicely with 2 babies now. If anyone ever tells you it is much easier with 2 babies they are lying to you to your face....It has definitely been an adjustment to our lives with 2 kids now. The first week Dylan was not too sure about her and really did not pay attention to her. I think after a couple of weeks he realized that, this little girl in his home was not leaving and he better give her a try. It is so cute, he loves to give her kisses and looks for her when we say "sissy"! He is slowly adapting to her. I was a little nervous on how he was going to react since he has been the baby for 2 1/2 years now. We have made sure that we still put him first for everything and we give him as much attention as we can. It's hard for me as I am feeding Haylee constantly and he sees me with her, but like I said he has warmed up to her. I cannot wait to see them 6 months from now and how they play together.
Our little girl is growing fast. She eats like it's going out of style and is sleeping anywhere from 2-3 hours. When she wakes up it is like " have the bottle ready" type of feeding. She is a little pistol! She makes the cutest little faces, but they are so serious. I think she will be just like her daddy. He is a very serious and smart man. She is about 8 pounds and 9 ounces now. She is healthy as can be.
I am so happy to be growing our family and watching my babies grow each and everyday. I love nothing more then being a mommy and a wonderful wife to my husband and kids. I dreamed of this my whole life and God has blessed us with our 2 amazing kids. I am so excited to watch Dylan and Haylee grow up together and be best friends ever! I can't wait to have one more one day, but for now I think we are enjoying our family of 4.
The Bible says you were prescribed before birth. God knew what you would be like. He chose you, and he chose your characteristics. This means you are unique. There is only one you. There is nobody else who could be you. If you don't be you, who is going to be you? You are irreplaceable. I read recently that there are 25,000 varieties of orchids in the world. If I had been God, I would have made a yellow orchid, a blue orchid, and a red orchid. Not God. The creator loves variety — 25,000 different varieties of orchids.
What's even more amazing is there are 4 billion varieties of people. And God made them all. You're unique. Nobody can be you. David says be grateful: “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:14 NLT).Be glad you're you. God didn’t make you by accident. Can you imagine an artist whose paintings all look the same? How about a guy who paints 12 pictures and puts them up in his living room, then the pictures come to life and vote to all become like one. The artist would be disappointed. God doesn't want you to be like anybody else. He wants you to be you.
I cannot believe I am actually sitting down to write this post. It has only taken me a month to get the time to do this. I don't even know what I was thinking in having time to myself once our little girl came into this world!
Well as most of you know Haylee Lynn Lopez was born on November 3, 2014 at 7:54am. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. She was absolutely beautiful. When they gave her to me I instantly fell in love. She looked just like her daddy. Black hair and beautiful dark eyes. I chose to have another C-section as it would be much easier since I had already had one with Dylan. We did not want to take any risks so we went ahead and had it scheduled. We checked in at 5:00am that morning and everything went great! I was a little nervous, but I knew the outcome of it and I just set my mind on meeting our baby girl and I did great! Dylan stayed with our nanny that morning till Greg came and picked him up to meet his sister. I was really sad the night before as this was going to be my first time away from Dylan over night ever, but I knew Greg would be with him so it made me feel a little more at ease. We had lots of friends and family come and visit and it was so nice. Later that day Greg brought Dylan to meet his new sister. I was not sure how this was going to go down, but it turned out very nice...even though Dylan did not really know what was going on or who she was. Later that day Greg left with Dylan and it was just me and my beautiful baby girl. It is so nice staying in the hospital for 3 days with a C-section as you really need the help, but I was ready to come home to be with my family.
Haylee is almost a month old and we have been settling very nicely with 2 babies now. If anyone ever tells you it is much easier with 2 babies they are lying to you to your face....It has definitely been an adjustment to our lives with 2 kids now. The first week Dylan was not too sure about her and really did not pay attention to her. I think after a couple of weeks he realized that, this little girl in his home was not leaving and he better give her a try. It is so cute, he loves to give her kisses and looks for her when we say "sissy"! He is slowly adapting to her. I was a little nervous on how he was going to react since he has been the baby for 2 1/2 years now. We have made sure that we still put him first for everything and we give him as much attention as we can. It's hard for me as I am feeding Haylee constantly and he sees me with her, but like I said he has warmed up to her. I cannot wait to see them 6 months from now and how they play together.
Our little girl is growing fast. She eats like it's going out of style and is sleeping anywhere from 2-3 hours. When she wakes up it is like " have the bottle ready" type of feeding. She is a little pistol! She makes the cutest little faces, but they are so serious. I think she will be just like her daddy. He is a very serious and smart man. She is about 8 pounds and 9 ounces now. She is healthy as can be.
I am so happy to be growing our family and watching my babies grow each and everyday. I love nothing more then being a mommy and a wonderful wife to my husband and kids. I dreamed of this my whole life and God has blessed us with our 2 amazing kids. I am so excited to watch Dylan and Haylee grow up together and be best friends ever! I can't wait to have one more one day, but for now I think we are enjoying our family of 4.
11/15/14 •
This Halloween we decided to stay in our neighborhood and do some trick or treating. With me almost ready to pop with our beautiful baby girl I just wanted to take it easy and relax. Both the Grandma's came over and we had a very nice dinner and enjoyed the company. Greg took Dylan to a few houses to let him get some candy or should we say Greg wanted the candy, but it was still fun for Dylan. Our neighborhood is filled with so many kids and we will defiantly be having Halloween in our community for many more years!
10/30/14 •
As we come to the last days of Down Syndrome Awareness month and us getting closer to having our baby girl, I want to reflect on this amazing little boy and how lucky we are and how lucky his sister will be to have him in her life! Having a child with Down Syndrome softens my heart, and allows me to accept people as they are, regardless of their abilities. Raising a child with Down Syndrome is wonderful and amazing! It makes you realize that a mothers love is not based on a child's ability, but on your own ability to accept and give. Having a child with special needs can sometimes be hard, but sometimes it's not. And after you realize this, then you realize this is true for all children. You realize that children with special needs are not beings that walk around suffering from illness, but special people that learn and do things differently, just like all of usI love celebrating differences and my amazing little boy who will soon be the BEST BIG brother ever!!
Dylan Update:: 2 1/2 Years Old
Well its been awhile since I have given a little update on our little man. I thought I should get it out of the way before our new little princess gets here and our worlds become much busier with a family of 4!
Dylan is now 2 1/2 and so full of energy! He is in therapy 5 days a week and one of those days he is still in his special ED program on Tuesday mornings for a mommy and me class. This program is so amazing and we love every single one of his teachers. This school is so awesome and will help to prepare Dylan for preschool next year. He is receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at an amazing facility near our home. Dylan is working so hard on his walking and he is getting close. I for sure thought he would be walking by time his sister came, but now we have set a goal for Christmas time, and if not that is ok. Dylan will do things on his own time. He is doing great in speech. He still few little words, but is slowly starting to learn them and say them. He is great with his body parts and his eating. He loves all sorts of foods, but is still a little picky at trying new things. It's a texture thing, but we are working on that.
Last week we also took Dylan for his yearly check up for his heart and he passed with flying colors! The surgery was a great success with minor leakage from the holes they closed and that is what we want to hear!
Dylan loves playing with his toys, going on walks with daddy and playing with his sister (Baily the dog) they have such a great relationship and Bailey is so sweet with him and we love watching them play together. Dylan LOVES music so much he actually will sit and watch a whole episode of the voice with us. He has always loved music from the time he was a little baby. Maybe he will be a musician one day. Greg and I love watching Dylan grow everyday and seeing him learn new things gives us such joy. I have been home now for the past 3 weeks and I am loving every moment of it. I love being able to be with Dylan everyday and be apart of all of his daily routines. We are so proud of him and we will continue to help Dylan each and everyday with his goals and needs. Here are some pictures from the past few months....
Dylan is now 2 1/2 and so full of energy! He is in therapy 5 days a week and one of those days he is still in his special ED program on Tuesday mornings for a mommy and me class. This program is so amazing and we love every single one of his teachers. This school is so awesome and will help to prepare Dylan for preschool next year. He is receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at an amazing facility near our home. Dylan is working so hard on his walking and he is getting close. I for sure thought he would be walking by time his sister came, but now we have set a goal for Christmas time, and if not that is ok. Dylan will do things on his own time. He is doing great in speech. He still few little words, but is slowly starting to learn them and say them. He is great with his body parts and his eating. He loves all sorts of foods, but is still a little picky at trying new things. It's a texture thing, but we are working on that.
Last week we also took Dylan for his yearly check up for his heart and he passed with flying colors! The surgery was a great success with minor leakage from the holes they closed and that is what we want to hear!
Dylan loves playing with his toys, going on walks with daddy and playing with his sister (Baily the dog) they have such a great relationship and Bailey is so sweet with him and we love watching them play together. Dylan LOVES music so much he actually will sit and watch a whole episode of the voice with us. He has always loved music from the time he was a little baby. Maybe he will be a musician one day. Greg and I love watching Dylan grow everyday and seeing him learn new things gives us such joy. I have been home now for the past 3 weeks and I am loving every moment of it. I love being able to be with Dylan everyday and be apart of all of his daily routines. We are so proud of him and we will continue to help Dylan each and everyday with his goals and needs. Here are some pictures from the past few months....