3-21 DAY

Today is  World Down syndrome DAY! (3-21 represents the 3rd 21st chromosome)  This day has been a big deal around our house for the past three years... we are on year three of celebrating an extra little part of Tyce.  Here is his birth story if you would like to read it or re-read it http://matchinskys.blogspot.com/2010/11/his-birth-story.html

Here is a few exciting this about Tyce this year He will be everything he will be...  He  learned to walk a couple months before he turned two!  He became a big brother. He has developed passions for shooting hoops, reading books, playing on the Ipad and telling stories.  He loves to eat, gives a wonderful kiss and is full of personality. His personality is ever evolving, he loves to be mischievous and throws a great tantrum!  He is every bit a 2 year old.   He will even sign "sorry" for you if you did something to him he didn't like :). He get's to start school this next fall and for this year he will be at Maplewood. He currently goes to group therapy one day a week and he LOVES it, he is such a rock star. He can draw a mean circle and a snazzy line, he loves puzzles and has all the ones we have at home memorized.  He has the cutest run anyone has ever seen, he can shake that little toosh... he is a persistent determined little guy! 

This morning we got up and TJ and I just showered Tyce with extra hugs and love and he just loved that!  Its funny we just couldn't help but say happy part of you day Tyce, and there was an even bigger extra glow today!  We all put on our yellow and blue and mismatched socks.  His Tata (TJ'S mom) came to watch him and Noah today and had on the perfect combination of yellow and blue with really fun mismatched socks :)  My sister sent me a pic of her kiddo in blue and yellow... love the LOVE! Connie I would like a pic of you and Nolan in your blue and yellow that would be the ultimate (they are state fans)! Just sayin another good reason to make them wear Michigan colors :)

Family if you read this please continue to send me pics through my phone :) thanks!!!

Tyce and Tata

Me at work today CTC 3-21

Tia Evie wearing Blue and Yellow and also some awesome socks!

Royce ok this is cute too!!! Look at those socks :) xoxo

Tia connie wearing her Yellow and Blue!!!

Papa a very proud papa! "Thank you God for making Tyce my grandson"- love papa

Tia Pita at Taco Fiesta wearing her Blue and yellow

Nash loves the Yellow for Ty

Showing the SOCK LOVE!  Tata and Ty

Thats right hes wearing BLUE folks :)

My God father uncle Vern!!! 

LOVE You Austen!!!

Noah says I love you so much big bro!!!

Hope all of our DS Community had a a great day celebrating there loves too!!!  

If you read my account of the Tyce birth story, you will see a slew of emotions going though my mind at that time.  Today, look at what we've created in our own family and hopefully my friends too.  We have this whole new awareness of what Down syndrome is  and how NORMAL our lives really are, and well how wonderful this life really is. This little boy made me a momma and it was quiet the first time momma experience, but really... it is awesome, it is beautiful and we will continue to spread the love of the extra little chromosome that makes our family, dude we rock with pride :)

Speech Therapy Text... updates Ty

  I am sitting here at work this morning and I get a wonderful text from my husband about Tyce and his speech therapy session.  As I left for work this morning I was once again bummed at the fact that I can't be with Tyce this morning as he has his speech therapy session. I really hate (strong word I know, but dude, its  how I feel ok) missing his speech sessions because I have so many questions, I love to watch and mostly I just dislike missing anything that has to do with my children. But, I trust my mother in law and she knows what she is doing and I know that she is going to do her best to catch every little detail in his speech development/progress (pretty much what I am saying is, make sure speech lady does work).  Fortunately it is presidents day and TJ got to be home for a few extra hours this morning and he was able to be there too.
  Tyce will have his big all around evaluation for special education services for next fall as he starts 3-school at Maplewood ECSC, he will be going to Maplewood next year for four half days of school (not sure if he will stay there long term- but for one year for sure). Anyway, I requested an all around evaluation on him to make sure they are servicing HIS needs as best as possible. Let's be honest, I know that some kids with special needs just get grouped and SOMETIMES PLANS DON'T EXACTLY GET INDIVIDUALIZED. And I know I open a can of worms when I say this, but WHATEVER, he is my kiddo and I am am learning the system... I don't want to be flagged as "that mom", and I want to play my cards right when it comes to yes, ADVOCATING for his needs (but dammit, fighting for his needs if it comes to that).  I just have felt lately that his sped needs were falling through the cracks, that his therapist didn't really know what he was capable of, so I decided to speak up this past November and requested an in-dept evaluation so they can really understand his needs and progress before he moves out of early on.  It seems like after this request I've seen major improvement in these therapists getting to know Tyce and his capabilities. (As you know we moved school districts this past May, therefore he has all new therapists) who were getting suppose to be getting to know him better.  Unfortunately, one had underestimated him and had no clue what he could do or was capable of doing, mainly because she didn't put forth enough effort to get to know him. I wanted to wait it out a bit and see if she could figure things out, then after six months of continued cluelessness and cut short therapy sessions, I began to get frustrated. Now,  finally, finally we are getting somewhere and he is being pushed to reach his full potential.  He is getting his full eval on March 4th, and today, my husband texted me that as the speech therapist was doing her pre-testing with him he got a 15 out of 16 on identification and approximation, he would have had an 100 percent on the whole speech evaluation if he could have identified where the broom was (sorry I don't freaking have a broom people, its 2013 I have the iRobot... geez, ask him where the iRobot is? he knows, he turns the dang thing on all the time and chases it around the house to scare his brother with.  Ha... anyway, this made me happy.  He is trying to talk and he is making valiant efforts, he attempts to repeat what we say, he struggles, he seeks motivation through applause, and applause we provide! A lot of his success in this area has to do with his passion for books, and that brain of his is always going, he is very inquisitive. :)

  Anyway, my point is, I don't ever want people to sell him short or group him in any category. I want him to be individualized, I want him to be strong, independent, I want him to be Tyce. And even if I had to be patient, give his therapists time and then after not seeing what I wanted, begin to advocate for him I am glad we are where we are today.  I know this won't be the first hike we go through so that he achieves and gets the services he needs, but I am glad this happened, and I am so proud of him. I love figuring out his little personality, seeing him grow into a toddler, a big brother and most of all his understanding and curiosity of the world around him continues to amaze me.  He is more then I ever could've asked for.

Baby walker, in backwards, hey... if it makes you happy! :)

Our Summer (in photos)

  Well our summer started with the birth of baby Noah who is now 9 weeks old, he is a wonderful and very happy baby who  sleeps very well!  Thank goodness.  Well two weeks after we came home with Noah, Tyce started a Therapy camp in Grand Rapids,  we would take him three days a week from 9-12 where he would get music, occupational, fine motor, and speech therapies along with a lot of fun socialization.  Our summer has been crazy busy I don't think I got much of a maternity leave but I am totally ok with that because Tyce's summer camp was soooo worth every early morning drive and money spent.  I have seen him grow so much this summer, I know he needed it and it was good time for me and him to spend some alone time on our drives up there. His speech is coming along and he understands so much, he also can stack 6 blocks up high and sings some pretty cute songs :). I will just keep going with pictures which pretty much sums  things up.  As I am currently typing Tyce has a book and is making every animal sound he see's his favorite is the Lion with a very mean 'Roarrrrr' (ok not really mean at all:)

Ready for Physical Therapy 'Michelle'  to come to my house and play football and basketball with me (an early morning in June)

At his 2 year check up he was still on all the "typical" charts for growth and doing very well health wise he has passed all his check ups, thank goodness!   While we waited he decided to sit inside the cupboards, welcome nauthy 2's....

My cousin Aryana loves me!!!

 2 week old Noah

Pipe it Noah

Out to Breakfast at The Windmill

I won't touch him, promise....

Thursday Nigh street performers downtown Holland, double strolling it :)

Yes, he goes in there all the time :( silly kid!

So busted!

My big cool cousing Royce swimming with me in my pool!!!

All I heard was a yelp... and I could see him signing "help"

I-Pad time 

At his Mickey Mouse Birthday Party

Golf seems like a very safe sport, I like it Tyce!

8 Week Bumbo shot

All Sasssss

This is Hunter, a HUGE part of why Tyce did so great at Camp this summer!!! Thank you Hunter from the bottom of my heart!!!

Holy I love these two,  Tyce with Emma :)

Happy Noah

  What a beautiful summer 2012 it has been!!!  I get the year off of paid work to spend time with my beautiful babies I am so excited for this opportunity!  I start my last two semesters of internship in just two weeks. For two whole weeks we have NO therapies, NO work for me or NO school for me or Tyce.  LET THE REAL RELAXING SUMMER BEGIN!!!

Noah's Birth story

   May 29 came and went. I long anticipated the birth of my second born. We had changed his name at least half a dozen times. As May 31 approached (Tyce's birthday) I began to get really nervous I did not want them to have the same birthday, but secretly I didn't care anymore I wanted to meet my little boy. On Tyce's birthday I had things planned just in case I went into labor, well no contractions so I last minute planned a cake and pizza family party, I wanted my boy to feel special and Mickey Mouse cake he got! And of course he will forever have his own birthday (unless baby #3? if that be the case, decides May 31 sounds fun too). Weekend came and still no baby. Saturday night TJ and I went for the longest walk, we couldn't believe that he was this late.  Not one single contraction, I had bouts of maybe.. or ohhh this could be one... and no, nothin. I went to bed at 10:30pm, I had a long conversation with God about his timing, and praying everything went as he wanted it to go. I decided finally I would just leave it up to him, as I was attempting to control the baby's timing to my liking ( I think it worked). I finally asked my mother in law to stay the night in case this was it, and someone could stay with Tyce, luckily my instinct was correct and I didn't have to drag Tyce out of bed otherwise we may have really not delivered his brother in a hospital but rather the parking lot.
  12:47 am on June 3rd I felt a very abrupt  change in how I felt, my first intense contraction. In the time it took me to find a pen to write the contractions  down I had already had two. The next contraction was 6 minutes apart followed, by 5 then 4. I called the hospital they said to head on down. We arrived at the Hospital by  1:16 am. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it up the stairs to the delivery room. I came in dilated to 7 and within half an hour I was at 9. Dr. Taylor had still not arrived until close to 2:00 am by 2:10 am he told me it was clearly too late for an epidural and he proceeded with a numbing shot assuming I would have the baby within an hour and a half (God bless medicine). The shot took its course and as Dr. Taylor was leaving the room my blood pressure shot down very low, I was told it was time and within the grace of 7 minutes we welcomed Noah Timothy Matchinsky at 8Ilbs 1oz and 21inches long. Things all went very fast, the way they were meant to go.

  It was all so different, this time we chose a different doctor, a different hospital I felt very at peace with our decisions, the whole Holland Hospital experience was not for us.  I love the Doctor that delivered Noah, he also delivered one of my nephews. Plus the pediatrician that was on the night Noah was born is Tyce's pediatrician since we left Holland and moved to Zeeland Hospitals, we completely trust Dr. Lirio.  Noah came at his own time, and now 9 weeks later he does things at his time, when he is ready he makes sure we all know it.  I love you Noah Timothy!!!

  Tyce was not the biggest fan of Noah once we brought him home, he didn't understand why we brought home this little creature, why does he cry and why are you holding him so much?!.  Today, he is totally used to him, but that doesn't mean he likes it any more or less. I know one day soon the uncertainties he is feeling will go away and they will love each other. Noah has such an easy temperament that I am sure he and his brother will get through just fine. I have already seen Ty mature into a big brother throughout the summer.

Our departure from the Hospital was a bit different then last time.

And Tyce continues to have his own day :)