sucky baby.

sucky baby.

by Joanne ♥ 4 Comments

I’ve never been this excited about a bottle, nor its contents.

Last week I popped into Staples to pick up some supplies, and picked up this water bottle on a whim. I liked the colour, size and shape; I thought it would be a nice thing to have on hand for Aisha in the future. She likes to drink water, and will take it from a cup – although she refuses to take it from one of her regular bottles.

The little spout at the top flips up and down and has a straw attached. The function is pretty much straightforward; flip up top, put spout to mouth and sip. Voila! Thirst quenched. I think we take this action for granted. I have a friend whose son is either 12 or 13 and doesn’t know how to drink from a straw due to feeding/gastro issues he had as a small infant. Aisha couldn’t figure out how to breastfeed, so I hand expressed my milk and fed it to her from a bottle; kids with Down Syndrome can sometimes have suckling issues associated with low muscle tone. There are a ton of online message boards and parent forums chock full of tips and tricks on how to get little ones with DS to drink from bottles and straws.  Read more ›

what, me worry?

what, me worry?

by Joanne ♥ 2 Comments

the-which-asian-guy-is-right-for-me-guide-for-non-asian-girlssometimes a girl could tear her hair out.

My life has been fraught with anxiety for the better part of a year, now. It’s not the bills, squabbles with the boyfriend or any of your other run-of-the-mill daily annoyances…no, it’s something much bigger than that:

It’s Aisha.

Parent-friends (and sometimes, strangers), often say to parents to be – or even the childless: wait’ll you have kids; then you’ll see how much you worry. for as many times as I’ve heard and rolled my eyes at this nugget o’ wisdom, i’m now loathe to admit that it’s true.

I worry.

Read more ›

OT: oh, so quiet.

OT: oh, so quiet.

by Joanne ♥ 2 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-06-03 at 1.54.02 AMShhh. Writering (h/t to my friend Morgan for the term) takes some work.

I know. I haven’t been posting.

At least not here, anyway.

Since discovering Instagram, I really haven’t felt the need to post long-form the way I used to. With IG it’s much easier to set up a post with pics and text all ready to go – as opposed to WP, where I obsessively format type and images for consistency. The time it takes to write, edit, backlink, tag and categorize blog posts is sometimes a deterrent.

And sometimes, the girl’s antics just don’t warrant a post of that magnitude.

That isn’t to say that she hasn’t been up to lots – but by the same token, she’s been up to nothing at all…just being a baby isn’t always that exciting, Down Syndrome or no. I do hope to blog more about what/how she’s been doing in the upcoming months (have topics lined up and everything), but for now, if you haven’t already found us on Instagram, that’s where we be. I post about her at least once or twice a week, and it’s a public account (more on that to come) for all to see.

So, swing on over and follow us. Say hi! I show Aisha every post and read the comments people leave. Sure, she’s a bit too wee to understand right now, but her enthusiasm is genuine all the same.

don’t bother trying to find her, she’s not (t)hair*.

don’t bother trying to find her, she’s not (t)hair*.

by Joanne ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

FOTF04F
The last shot of 2015; me with long hair. (*and with apologies to The Zombies…)

I’ve been contemplating doing a hair post for some time, as I’ve been getting a lot of questions and compliments over the past year about my waist-long locks – mainly about maintenance (do them myself), and how long I’ve had them (just over six years), or what I put in them (nothing). As my hair grew longer, the response was almost exclusively enthusiastic, while my own feelings about it were increasingly less-than.

And so, on Tuesday night, while I sat in front of my laptop, dreading (ha) the idea of washing 19 inches of locks (and spending the next 19 hours indoors as they dried), I decided that I’d simply had enough; I grabbed a pair of scissors and headed to the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, examining my hair and scalp beneath each lock, and asked myself if I really wanted to Read more ›

what is she?

what is she?

by Joanne ♥ 6 Comments

What is she? Cute as a button, that’s what!

When we’re oot ‘n’ aboot, my daughter’s appearance garners many inquisitive stares. Because of her fair complexion and silken hair, passersby sometimes try to discern without asking outright if there’s a  familial connection. Aisha has inherited my prominent forehead and mischievous expressions, so more often than not, they realize that she’s mine. And since it’s pretty obvious that she is of mixed race, people often really want to know which one(s).

It’s because of her eyes.

Read more ›

she’s a ten.

she’s a ten.

by Joanne ♥ 6 Comments

happy girl copyShe’s my star.

My little-big bean turned ten months about a week before Christmas and for some reason it was very emotional for me.

She is becoming very active now, rolling and army-crawling about to get to where and what she wants. I always knew she’d grow to be a stubborn little thing, and damned if the child hasn’t proved me right thus far. But she is also extremely loving and charming, ever-ready with a smile (any opportunity to show off her new teeth), and she makes me laugh-out-loud guffaw at least a couple times a day.

Parents of children with Down Syndrome are all too familiar with The List Of Things Your Child Won’t Ever Do, and for the most part, I’ve managed to ignore the naysayers and let the girl develop as she may, with a little help from her DT Patti and OT Amanda. Read more ›

hurried holiday greetings.

hurried holiday greetings.

by Joanne ♥ 4 Comments

WP_20141226_004 1These two cuties would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Hey y’all!

I know..I’ve been away from the blog for a bit – what else is new? But this time, with good reason…I’ve started freelancing full-time. So on top of being a full-time stay-at-home mummy, I’m also a full-time writer, and gat dayum if this shit doesn’t take up all my free hours…but more on that another time.

I just wanted to pop online to wish all of you a Merry – albeit belated – Christmas, or however you choose to celebrate (or not). I did not go overboard for Aisha’s first holiday ho-down…I’m just too practical for that sort of thing. What’s the point in lavishing her with tons of gifts when I know she’d much rather play with the paper (which is exactly what she did)?

(I did get her a total of three gifts, all adorable, and only because I had unused gift cards left over from my baby shower. The funny thing is, with all the bustle of the big day, I plumb forgot to give them to her until the night was almost over. Bad mommy.)

With that said, I hope to give proper updates in the coming days…I’ve a bit of time off from the drudgery working before it all starts up again in the New Year. There are only four days until 2015 (!) and if I don’t pop on before then, I hope you all have a wonderful time, wherever and however you spend it.

Kisses!