Prince Vince Meets the World

Yes, in just a few days the calender tells me my kid is turning 2! That can’t be, but apparently it is. It seems like he was born last year, and all these new things came crashing down into our lives. But then, when I think back to everything that we have experienced and everything we have learned. How everything seemed to be so majorly life changing, and in the end we are just the same people with a little bit more experience? Now the word Down Syndrome no longer gives me a piercing pain all through the body, instead it fills me with happiness, pride and excitement for what the future holds. Don’t get me wrong, some things still suck (like all the blood test etc) but my Vincent is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Just the way he is, extra chromosome included.

The one advice we never took to us when he was born came from almost all the specialists/doctors we met within the first few weeks. We were told not to expect to much and not expect anything too soon. I understand why they did it. They all tried to lower our expectations as for what Vincent would/could be do in the future. Everything from crawling, walking, riding bikes (that bs that kids w DS don’t ride bikes), cooking, to handling bank errands. I am glad and proud that Bookie and I managed (so far) to ignore that advice and instead we have done what WE think is the right thing. Many have been the times when we get looks like we are crazy when we tell people what therapies he is doing. Often have we been told that we are doing too much. I don’t believe it for a second. I know my child, and I know what he likes. Therapy for him an hour of playtime where he is the center of the attention. Where he gets ALL the focus and he gets to test new toys that we don’t have at home, or where he can show off what he can.

After all, we are a rather ‘normal’ family. We just spend an extra moment here and there doing some more specific things. But all in all, we are just the same as we were. Maybe we celebrate the small things a little bit more than some others. Last night Bookie was grilling as I came home from work. He had made a fab tomato/mozzarella salad and served it with fresh baguettes and spicy grilled egg plant. It was yummy. Vince ate with gusto. With his little fork. He forked most of the pieces up by pinning the food on his fork. He even forked the bread up. At the same time he was being his regular-goof-ball-self. Doing a ha-ha laugh when he succeeded in forking the food like he had been pinning his worst enemy, then clapping his hands when he had put the piece in his mouth. It was so cool to see him be his own little person and just shining like a little star. And on Monday he turns 2!

It was time for the first EI session since surgery yesterday and Vince was up to 90 min concentrated playing time. I got the luxury to take a loooong shower while he was in the living room with the EI. He is doing great! Apparently he does put things BACK for her. I have myself not managed to get him to do it, but I guess that leaves hopes. But more interestingly he really listens and does a lot of things now. Like, the kid loves shoes (no clue where he got that from). I brought some shoes with me home on Saturday and he was really excited to get 2 new pairs. Yesterday towards the end of the session I asked Vince to go and get his shoes. Off he went and came back with one shoe in his hand!
Vincent, give the shoe to S. I said, and he handed it over, then went to his room and got the other one. 
Mom (and EI) was VERY excited.
He was also signing all thorugh his session and he even signed both PLEASE and THANK YOU. He also says TAT (CAT) now.
This was the first time the EI saw how much he really can sign and she was amazed We owe it all (almost to Rachel) who Vince loves. He often asks for Signing Time and he watches the whole episode [relatvely] still.

Vince digging with Rachel
In other news, Vince loves to show off his cheese face:

He was supposed to get a hair cut yesterday, but he was not in a mood for that. So half way through mom and the hair dresser made the joint decision to do the rest on Friday.

The afternoon was spent at Krainerhof, our favorite wine yard. As Renate, the world best organizer and former work colleague had put it all together. It ended up being almost half of the Atlanta office at the wine yard today. Great fun and a perfect place for the kiddoes. I know, wine and kids? But you see, the Fam. Krainer who owns the place has fixed a big play ground for the kids and they have goats, rabbits and cats that the kids can pet and feed. They loved it. Vince lasted for 4,5 hours till he fell a sleep on the way home.

It is located in a valley south of Graz, ca 30 min from us

Part of the outside garden, in the summer the grapes grow all around where the tables are

The Plasonig Family were visiting from Saltillo, Mexico. Shaila (who lives i Graz) holds their littlest Maria.

Renate, Vince and Herr Krainer himself in Lederhoses as usual.

Part of the wine bar

Vince running off to the goats again. He loves animals. All types. He is totally facinated by them. He can now sign cat, dog, horse, duck, bird, fish, donkey, sheep etc(i.e all the animals in Leah’s Farm ST Volume 7)

My little goof ball

Vince is back too full speed, he got to come home from the hospital Friday. And he has been running around ever since. Even though his throat is still a little soar, it is already a huge difference in his breathingand snoring. From what we can tell he is no longer and snoring and has not had any sleep apnea since surgery. He still sleeps with one of us (taking turns on the guest bed) as the risk for and snoring.
I have the privilege of surfing the net on Bookie’s mega fast work computer while B and Vince are changing tires on my car. Vince loves hanging in the car. He stands in the seat and petends to drive. Every now and then he knocks on the window and wants you ta wave at him, he then waves back and continues going about his business in the driver seat. I just adore him.

.. to say the least… It started last Friday actually, when the Dr called and said that some of Vince blood tests came back not looking good. I went into total panic mood, as this was EXACTLY how Vince little friend Astrid found out she has AML (leukemia). She was going to have the same surgery, and the same test came back not looking so hot. So, 8 am Friday morning the freaking out started. Off B went with Vince to the hospital for additional blood work. I had to work. The tests should be ready by Monday morning - so the weekend sucked. 8 am Mon morning and of course the test was not ready. We were supposed to be at the hospital at 10 am to check in for the T&A surgery, but without the results of the blood work there could be no surgery. And as the blood work looked on Friday, there would be no surgery… The hospital told us to come anyways, and amazingly enough, Vince and I got our own room - unheard of unless you have the extra insurance (which is the one we can’t get). The rest of the day consisted of waiting and some other check ups. FINALLY at 6.30 pm we got the results that all was OK. Still don’t know exactly what was wrong, but all white blood cells counts etc came back fine. Major relief! THANK YOU for support calls, sms and emails.
So we (Vince) did get to have his surgery. He was a little champ. As he was falling a sleep with his falling a sleep medicine he was giggling and waving bye bye as they rolled him away to the surgery. 2 hours later he came back with a smile on his face. The first thing he did was sign MILK. Unfortunately, he could not have anything to drink, especially not milk, so he got  a bit upset, but after some painkillers he was back to being almost himself. He was already up and walking, eating and drinking on the same day as surgery. The next day it was virtually impossible to even try to keep him still. He was climbing and running around without any problems. And he was finally allowed to have milk. He loves his milk (regular milk) and is so cute when he stops in the middle of playing to search me or Bookie and to sign MILK.
Today he was in a little bit more pain, but he still ate lots in the afternoon. Bookie is staying the night with him tonight, and hopefully they get to go home tomorrow.

Eating bread and drinking tea a few hours after surgery

Napping w dad after surgery

drumroll:

Allergy; the eye doctor said after putting all kinds of drops in my eyes, telling me to shut the eyes for 1 min (great thing to do in an eye doctors office when you have a very mobile almost 2 year old with you). Vince was relatively good, I had to bribe him with cookies to stay somewhat still. He was also allowed to play with the other normally forbidden toys like my purse, lipstick and keys.
This morning when I woke up my left eye was clogged shut. But whatever, keep dropping those drops in the eye 6 times a day, and if it is not better in a WEEK come back! Guaranteed no pics of me are to follow till this thing is gone! Instead, you get to see Vince parading around in his new rain boots. He got the red DJUNGEL ones with leopards on them:

Testing them inside while wearing PJs

And outside

Checking the spiky tree out w dad

Our drive way

Easy decision, the photo session of the family scheduled for this afternoon will be cancelled. My eye issue has now become my eyes issue. Both are swollen, red, gooey, and just plain scary looking. I am going to have to flirt my way into an appointment with Vince eye doctor as I have no such myself. I guess that will have to take place after the EI (8-9,30), before the interview (11-1 pm, I will call and hopefully change it to 12-2 pm) and Vince Dr’s appointment at 3 pm (where waiting times usually are a drag so we will probably be out around 5 pm). So much for a day off.

The weather is wonderful. Bookie is back fr Korea - wonderful, Vince is getting better - wonderful. Everything is wonderful except for one tiny detail… My eye! It is  all clogged up and swollen, pink and red. Not a pretty sight. May not be so bad you think, but you see it really is… Tomorrow I am being interviewed for a piece in a rather large magazine in Austria/Germany, about running your own bsuiness and raisning a kid with a special need. AND there is a photographer coming too. So, you see, wonderful sums it all up good.
And all the Clinique Puffy Eye Cream in the world won’t reduce the size of the bags under my eye.
So this morning I had to wait for the baby sitter to come (Vince is staying out of daycare till after surgery) and then I rushed to the doctor. I got there 15 min before he opened, just to realize the waiting room was already filled with pensionistas (retired people - that were NOT in a working age group). They had brought their coffee with them. I politely asked the nurse if there was any way my eye could be prioritized as I had to be at work in 45 min.
‘No way’, she said ‘there are 13 people ahead of you’.
I again, explained that I had to be at work in 45 min, and had a 20 min drive, but to no use.

The pharmacy at the mall opens at 8 a.m. so I headed to work, and then went downstairs to find the pharmacy. You see, in this country they let you have prescription medicine without the prescription a lot of times. You just have to pay an outrageous amount, but when you bring the prescription later, you get a refund of the difference.

Of course it was the blond one working, the one who always tries to sell me the homeopathich stuff. Like when I had pneumonia. But that is a different story. Anyways, I explained my issue to the pharmasist (like she did not see it, I saw how she was trying not to stare), and she went and got some drops. I looked at the box, which has HOMEOPATHIC written in bold block letters. I asked if she did not have anything that was ‘real’ as my experience with homepathic stuff is not that great. She said she did, but that stuff was not going to help me. I said, I still prefer the other stuff. Then she got all moody and told me it was my own fault if the eye did not clean up now as she handed me the antibiotic drops… Nice service… Now, I only have to wait and see. But let’s hope for a little miracle.

We are still on for surgery on the 29th, checking in on the 28th. Vince just has to stay on antibiotics till then, and hopefully his runny nose will be gone by then. The Dr did say though that they will most likely operate anyways even if he has a cold because is oxygen levels were so low. So that is good news.
More good news: Bookie is coming back to Korea tonight.
The bad news for Vince is that he has to sleep in his own bed than as 3 is just a little bit crowded in our bed.