Bud Bites Back…

14 Jan 2014


Thanks to our very generous family and friends Rosie has been well and truly spoiled again this Christmas time. She has plenty of new books and a whole array of new toys to help her move on with her development. Karen reminded me that last year Rosie’s favourite present was a silver scouring pad!  The sensory engagement was great as it glistened and it’s rough prickly texture kept her fascinated for weeks. It shows how far she’s come in a year though as her play is so much more advanced. Bud now enjoys the challenge of shape sorting, basic jigsaws and even mothering her new baby. To be honest she hasn’t quite grasped the shapes and jigsaws yet but she’s having great fun trying – As long as we keep heaping the praise on when she’s successful I’m confident she won’t give up trying.

In less positive news Rosie’s behaviour has taken a sharp turn and not for the better! The clue lies in the title of this post – ‘Bud Bites Back’…shoulders, arms whatever’s in reach! Over the past three to four weeks Karen has been left black and blue from Bud bites and all of us at some point this weekend felt the swipe of Rosie’s right hook as she attacked our faces grabbing and smacking. It’s as if she gets overcome with excitement that she channels her energies into lashing out as a means for release. At one point she brought Joe to tears after throwing a toy train which struck him on the lip – rather than showing her usual remorse (like crying herself) she tried her hardest to charm her way out of trouble by giggling and laughing (see last photo below to get a feel for what we’re dealing with here), very cute yes, however we are determined not to cave into her ‘butter wouldn’t melt ways’ as they will only make her more and more mischievous and I guess (as with any child) all the harder to control her behaviour later on in life. Is it frustration perhaps? Is she suddenly struggling with communication? We are not sure but obviously hope it subsides soon.

Karen has been busy the last few days teaching Rosie a very basic but important skill for someone who cannot walk or fully support herself unaided – how to safely get down from the couch! She is slowly mastering it but we still need to be on guard as there are moments where she’ll forget and will quite happily attempt to shuffle off the edge face first!

  

The Future's Rosie

I'm Tom, a thirty something father to three beautiful children and husband to my soulmate Karen. I started this blog as a means to talk about stuff, get things out in the open, a bit like an online therapy I guess and to celebrate the progress of my beautiful daughter Rosie who was born in March 2011 with Down's Syndrome (DS) and a Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD). Maybe the experiences shared on here will help others too, hopefully help illustrate the bright futures our children with DS will have if we can break down common misconceptions. When I first found out Rosie would be born with DS I found reading literature with open and honest feelings on the subject, extremely helpful. This is not intended to be a written masterpiece and I can promise you it won’t be. I don’t pretend to have a large vocabulary and to be honest the further behind me my school days become the more my grammar has deteriorated!... however, you will find what is written on these pages comes from the heart.