Marte Meo

I spent the day at the Competence Center here in Kristiansand listening to some very interesting lectures. By coincidence, I came over some information on the Marte Meo (click) method last week reading a forum, so to have a whole day filled with information on it today was exciting. Kari Vik and Rolf Rhode presented their findings using this method and I think it will also be very useful in the development of speech with Vincent.

As a very welcome to me bonus was the lecture given on the research of teaching children with DS multiple languages and the positive findings with that.

I am really enjoying these lectures here and the opportunity to give my opinion from the parents view. I am the only parent in the group with a child who is actually using the services they are presenting (Early Intervention/inclusion). The networking, the possibility to learn new theories, and the exchange of information is simply wonderful. Never ever in my life pre-Vince could I have dreamed I would be so thrilled to have this opportunity. I am telling you, that Vince, he made a lot of things possible. If I had just known that when he was born…

Norway

Even though I grew up about an hour from the Norwegian border, I have never been to Norway. Lie, I take that back, we went across once to Halden when I was 5 and we stayed for 20 minutes or so. But yesterday Edgar and I arrived in a very snowy Kristiansand. We are here for an international Early Intervention conference. So far we just went to a dinner at a fantastic Indian place. (Good thing Taj was closed on Sunday B;) )

Edgar has so far been a champ and just happy all along. Including falling a sleep at 6 pm, sleeping through the meal in the restaurant in his stroller (LOVE that smoking is banned in  ll public places) and continued to sleep with just a  few feedings in the night, and woke up happy at 6,30.

It turns out that the woman who is in charge of all this is from Sweden. She is going to help me to look into the school system in Sweden for kids with special needs, and help me with some important pointers. See I put it in writing, than it must be true. We are considering maybe moving to Sweden in a few years…

More of those Boys

Bookie also got pink eye. He has it pretty bad too. At least that is a 100% success rate in the family with that bacteria.
Vince has obviously been paying attention to what has been done to try to ease the itch and reduce the swelling.

One innocent boy(Edgar) and one innocent looking boy (Vince)

First a party trick, how many of these can you stack on a moving baby head?

Then onto carefully sneaking the cotton swabs to the baby’s eye

Slowly adding one more for the next eye

Correct it so it completely covers both eyes

Run off and look like you were up to nothing special at all…

The Boys

Thankfully Bs trip to Korea was cancelled in the last minute. I will forever be thankful, as after being home for TWO weeks tying to cure pink eye there has been a little too much, shall we call it, quality time. Next week Edgar and I are flying to Norway for an international Early Intervention conference, where I will represent the parents voice from the Austrian side.

One tricky thing having two bandidos kids that typically nap at home at the same time calls for way less naps and a way more tired mom and kids and hence  a lot of whining. From both sides. Who would have thought that one of Vincent’s favorite games to play is ‘going to sleep’. He will lay down, cover up, ask for water and then pretend sleep. The pretend sleeping part lasts for about one millionth of a second and then he starts the procedure over again.
One more funny (to him) thing he does is when I put Edgar to bed. In the evening Edgar usually falls asleep when I nurse him, and usually Vince is right there. So I will say:
Shhh Edgar is a sleep, and start walking down stairs with Edgar.

Vince tip toes after saying Shhhhhhhhhh, and about when I am at the bottom of the stairs Vince usually starts screaming ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLLLL like a lion VERY load, making Edgar jump out of sleep. Thankfully Edgar usually goes right back to sleep…

Edgar working out in his gym

Playing going to bed in Edgar’s bed

Vince telling Edgar to lay still in the bed

Vince

WOW!

Seriously, just when we were bored out of our minds, the mail man rang the door bell and delivered a package. My friend and former partner in crime colleague Chart sent us some awesome stuff! THANK YOU.

Mac & Cheese for lunch today!

Tools for Vince = happy kid.

Hammering with precision

Nice eye huh, we have now had that infection for 12 days…

3/4

Did I tell you we have pink eye? Bookie is the only one who has been spared. I look like crap, but that is OK. Edgar, so far only has a mild version. Dear Vincent on the other hand – poor kid. His upper eyelid is swollen and now blue. Half his face is red from secondary infection and he is running a fever. Good times. We just got back from the eye clinic and the kinder clinic. No more medicine for him, his eyes apparently gets worse from it. He will not allow any one to come remotely close to his eye, but he did wonderful at the hospital and we had great luck with the doctor and nurse. They were both really patient and played a long with him so that they were able to see right into his eye (which opens about 4 mm). Made me happy as this was actually the adult eye clinic and they were way better than the kid’s eye department.
Anyways, if he is worse off tomorrow, back we go. If not, he is off the hook til Monday.

EVERYTHING has been disinfected at home. Again. I promise, I won’t complain at all about the snow, just please take away the pink eye!

Vince will most likely be home from kindergarten next week too. Oh yeah, guess what? Bookie is flying to Korea on Monday morning.

Oh Crap

My eyes. My poor eyes. I started getting pink eye last Tuesday. and let’s just say pink eye is the understatement of the year. It is more like bloodshot very red-eye. Believe me. On Monday I got some eye drops from the doctor. Vince got some too for his relatively mild pink eye. By Wednesday morning we both looked like we had been in a boxing game gotten knocked out. Swollen, red, huge eyes. Good stuff. I went back to the pharmacy and got some other medicine but that just seemed to make it worse. It was prescription drugs, but in this country you can actually beg yourself to get some of that stuff anyways. At least if you have some good arguments.

Anyways to the eye doctor we went this morning. His reaction to my Godzilla-looking eyes was WOW. One of the worst one’s he has seen. Some other eye drops and TWO to THREE weeks before it should be better. Crap. Vince also got some eye drops, which has already proven to be pure h*ll trying to give him. He does the limp noodle and throws himself back in gymnastic exercises I never knew existed. He should be better by the end of the weekend though. At least his cold is gone.

Vincent Shoe Store Graz on FB

You do know that out of my store all T21:ers get a 21% discount of listed prices (non-sale), right?
For the ongoing specials etc, do join the Vincent Shoe Store Graz (Seiersberg)facebook fan page!

Tuesday only, I need Weekend…

The reason (again) for postponing surgery was that Vince is still very congested and that could mess up the lungs function during the anesthesia. So we are waiting for a new date, when there is significantly less snot involved. Vince also got my pink eye, and my one pink eye (read blood-shot RED eye) wondered and gave my other eye the same thing.
Thankfully Vince’s ped prescribed me some antibiotics for the eyes too as I am beyond recognition on the eye region.

Taking both kids to the ped yesterday was, lets just say NO FUN AT ALL… I am not planning to do that any time soon again. Never would also be OK. I finally went up to the wonderful nurses and asked how much longer we had to wait, when they put me right through. There was about one billion kids in there, no toys (due to infection risk) and wet spots from melted snow all over.

Today I have called in reinforcement. Bookie’s parents are coming to save the day! Vince is bored at home with me and DVDs, and he should not be playing too much in the snow (and it just  keeps snowing everyday. Snow please just go away!) due to cold/eye, so I am sure Oma and Opa will be great company.

Edgar was up half the night for the first time since he was born. Happy as a little lark, talking to himself and whoever wanted/was forced to listen i.e. me. Sometime after 5 am he fell a sleep. Less than 20 minutes later Vince woke up. Life is a joy over here!

Deja Vu #5

Guess who is not having surgery today – again…