It’s been well over a year since I last posted on here which is a new record for me! Truth be told I just haven’t felt like it. I think I became a bit disillusioned with the whole thing and I wasn’t comfortable with where it might end up if I continued writing whilst not really ‘feeling it’. Whilst I made a promise not to write unless I wanted to/felt the need I did sometimes end up putting pressure on myself to write a post as the blog became more widely read and had I carried on with this I think it would have perhaps affected the integrity and real purpose of the blog. So, there you have it and that’s enough of that – now onto the the return of Little Budlington :)Well, as you know a year is a very long time in a child’s development and Rosie is no exception to this. She has come on leaps and bounds and whilst she’s still our same little Rosie she is also so very different to a year ago and different in the most positive of ways. Hitting out and smacking has almost become a thing of the past and she communicates verbally so much better now which I think has played a big factor in this change.There have been big changes also for Rosie at school where she is now in Year 1 with a new teacher and a different ‘one-to-one’ arrangement. We are eternally grateful for everything the teaching staff have done for her in Reception – without their structured approach to working with Rosie I can confidently say that she wouldn’t be at the stage she is now. They provided Rosie with an essential base from which she is now steadily building on.We were initially concerned about how she would deal with the change as she was so settled in Reception. She was now faced with the daunting prospect of a new and bigger class, a different classroom with a new teacher and two new one-to-one’s (who all do a brilliant job). Thankfully she has (and not for the first time) surprised us by adapting really well – we haven’t had any kicking and screaming episodes with refusals to go into school, I guess that might come in her teens?!Things have been progressing so well to the point that she’s recently started to line-up with the rest of her class and walk herself into the classroom without any assistance – a clear sign of independence but also that she is happy in school which is very reassuring for us.It’s also reassuring for me to see Rosie adapting so well. Knowing she will have to face many changes to routines and situations in life moving forward – getting her used to this from an early age will do her no harm at all.As you’ll see from the images below Rosie loves bringing reading books home and learning to recognise words, she’s not at a stage of being able to read full sentences yet but that isn’t a concern, we’re pleased she is happy to sit down (relatively still!) and browse through books at all – the rest will  follow in her own time – nothing new there!I’ve also included a couple of pics from a special day for our whole family back in November when we were invited to Buckingham Palace by HRH The Countess of Wessex to celebrate Mencap’s 70th anniversary. Sadly we aren’t allowed to show the images from the Royal photographer on a public forum so I’ve included a couple from outside where we had the chance to get a couple of snaps with friends Sarah Gordy and ‘Super Seb’.

  

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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.