Music baby!

       As Mason is getting older we have noticed he is very sensitive to sound. If someone laughs loud, or hollers to get someones attention Mason will cry. Mike and I would take Mason to restaurants, malls, or busy places to see his reaction. If it was noisy or a lot of commotion Mason would scream uncontrollably. Mike and I were discussing his behavior because this little guy hardly ever cries, and we came to the conclusion to buy earplugs. Mason was perfectly fine in public places if he had his ear plugs in. Now I carry a little container in my purse and we put them in when we plan to be somewhere busy, and loud. We feel we shouldn't keep him from places because he is uncomfortable but instead try to help him adjust and get used to  this crazy world. I haven't spoken to his doctor about this just yet but I plan to at our appointment next week, but for now it is ear plug time! 
     Music! Mason LOVES his music. I love to sing, dance, and jam out to music. Mason is familiar with music probably from when he was in my tummy. Music is one of my favorite things in the world so its safe to say there is music playing all day everyday and outburst of me singing no matter where we are.
       Riding in my aunts car Mason started crying, I asked my aunt "hey, will you turn up the music?" then he was silent. I also sing to Mason... ALOT. He was playing on my grandmas floor, and I was singing quietly, Mason stopped what he was doing, turned to face me. So I sang louder, then he smiled and started dancing. My grandma said "Do you know your mommies voice or what?"  His big brother did the SAME thing. He could be crying, I would sing and he would smile. 
      His dancing is something new so of course when the therapist was here the other day I had to show them his moves. I started singing and Mason started dancing. The ladies thought it was the cutest thing. I asked them how old Mason has to be to start music therapy, and I was told he can start after one. His caretaker said " I think this would be a great therapy for Mason, We have a child in our program who is older and wont listen to his mom but he reacts to music. So his music therapist suggested for the mother to sing what she wants him to do, and he found it fun and responds to her with no problem." she also told me "there was also this little boy who wouldnt walk, he had a walker but refused to use it. He started music therapy, and his therapist brought a drum and would hit the drum every time he would take a step, this worked very well for him and was walking with no walker on his own." 
      As we continued to talk about music therapy it sounded better and better to me. My reasons of wanting to do music therapy... 1. We love music  2. Mason is very happy when music is playing and I feel this would be a way he can express himself. 
       Mason is VERY shy especially in public. He has to be held and he will lay his head on me for comfort. Tonight we went to a concert, of course it was very loud, very crowded. He had his earplugs, his blankie and was held through the concert. As long as he had his earplugs the screaming didn't bother him. Of course being in a crowded area people notice Mason and say how cute he is and talks to him. Hes less then impressed by strangers, and he has to stare at everyone to make sure they don't touch him. The music started playing then he could careless about all the people and before we knew it he started dancing. He enjoyed the concert. Tonight was his second concert and he loved every minute of it! 
      My song I sing to Mason daily is "I'll be" by Reba McEntire. I love her and most importantly love the message. : )  
                                              When darkness falls upon your heart and soul.

I'll be the light that shines for you.
When you forget how beautiful you are
I'll be there to remind you.
When you can't find your way,
I'll find my way to you.
When troubles come around,
I will come to you.


I'll be your shoulder when you need someone to lean on.
Be your shelter.
When you need someone to see you through.
I'll be there to carry you.
I'll be there.
I'll be the rock that will be strong for you.
The one that will hold on to you.
When you feel that rain falling down.
When there's nobody else around.
I'll be.


And when you're there with no one there to hold.
I'll be the arms that reach for you.
And when you feel your faith is running low.
I'll be there to believe in you.
When all you find are lies.
I'll be the truth you need.
When you need someone to run to .
You can run to me


I'll be your shoulder when you need someone to lean on.
Be your shelter.
When you need someone to see you through.
I'll be there to carry you.
I'll be there.
I'll be the rock that will be strong for you.
The one that will hold on to you.
When you feel that rain falling down.
When there's nobody else around.
I'll be.


I'll be the sun.
When your heart's filled with rain.
I'll be the one.
To chase the rain away.


I'll be your shoulder when you need someone to lean on.
Be your shelter.
When you need someone to see you through.
I'll be there to carry you.
I'll be there.
I'll be the rock that will be strong for you.
The one that will hold on to you.
When you feel that rain falling down.
When there's nobody else around.
I'll be.

Sensory disorder?

      As Mason is getting older we are noticing change. He is old enough to let us know what he likes, what he dislikes and what he wants. Not by speaking but through other ways. Our family will be sitting at the dinner table and if Mason watches someone take a drink and if his drink is not right in front of him he will spit out the food in his mouth, look at what he wants and make this particular annoying sound. Sounds like he is clearing his throat. My family thinks it is so cute but Mike and I hear it daily, several times a day so we find it less cute. My uncle was eating ice cream, gave Mason a bite I told my uncle to wait a second, then came the sound from Mason letting my uncle know he was ready for another bite. ha ha 
      We were home visiting family and my cousin was sitting on the couch, took a drink of her soda. Mason then started crying, I knew he was looking at her but didn't know she took a drink, so I said "did you just take a drink?" she replied "yes" he was expressing he to wanted a drink. I got him a drink and he was fine. My cousin felt bad and also thought it was funny at the same time.
      Mason isn't vocal just yet but he will find a way to let us know what he wants. During meals if he doesn't like something he will spit it out. If I try to give him another bite of the same food he will whine to let me know, So I try something else and he is fine.
      Ever since Mason was little little, he would be very sensitive to touch. If I put something in his hands he will instantly pull away not wanting that object. Now that he is older this has become more of an issue and he is making it more noticeable.  My aunt took Masons hand and placed it on a milk jug while we were watering flowers, he pulled away. She put his hand on a tree trunk and he wasn't impressed with that either. He pulls away quickly as if he is scared. If you continue to put things in his hands or have him touch things he will cry. 
      I decided to research if this is common or needs to be looked at. As I was researching these kind of behaviors I became concern. There was a list that said the following...

• Excessive mouthing of objects,
• Decreased or no purposeful play with toys,
• Staring directly into lights,
• Abnormal hand movement (such as flicking fingers in front of eyes or waving hands away from body),
• Refusal to hold objects (such as clothing or a spoon to self-feed),
• Self stimulatory behaviors (such as rocking, banging head, humming or screaming), and
• Decreased interaction with people

As I read these I realized Mason does each one of these. The rocking has been his newest we have noticed. He will bang his head on things. I mentioned these things to his occupational therapist, she wanted me to talk to Masons doctor and we decided to set up an evaluation to start a sensory therapy. This kind of disorder is often found in children with autism.

      Mike and I decided to buy each one of the boys a puppy. They are 8 weeks old now. Pets are a good way to establish responsibility for a child Dylan's age (6) and we thought Mason would chase the puppies around and would be a motivator. Also bought the puppies because dad is getting ready for hard core training, and deployment. Need to keep the boys busy. 

      When Mason first met the puppies he was less then impressed. We would sit him on the floor and the puppies would come to him. He would instantly put his hands on his face, then turn away and crawl (his worm crawl) as fast as he could to get away from the puppies. He wouldn't cry but he didn't think twice about what his next move was going to be. He doesn't want to touch the puppies and he absolutely doesn't want them touching him. We have had them about a week now and when they come up to Mason he has learned to push them away. Not aggressively but defending himself. Im trying to teach him to say "no puppies no no!" 

      Our next step is talking to Masons doctor and doing an evaluation to see if Mason has a sensory disorder. I will keep updated. :)

Fun being one!

       I can't believe this sweet boy is one. When I walk into his room there is a big smile with 2 hands reaching up. Everyday he seems to be growing in some way.



      Mason got a ball pit for his birthday from friends, we bought another 100 balls and he LOVES his ball pit. I will walk to the ball pit holding Mason and he lunges towards the ball pit. He likes to move around not sure if it is the feeling or the sound. He also will grab a ball, hold it to his mouth and make a "ba ba ba ba" sound.



Sunglasses 101:
So I had this grand idea to teach Mason to keep his sunglasses on because I wanted to switch from the sunglasses with a strap and the regular sunglasses. So I had a little talk to him, it went something like this "okay bud...see these...these are COOL, it is important to accessorize soooo it is important for you to keep these on your cute little face.
As you can see that left hand headed towards his glasses to remove them my sunglasses 101 was a fail. It turned into a game. I put them on... he took them off...then giggled at me.

Shoes...For some reason he doesnt want to wear both of his shoes...one is plenty in the world of Mason. He has more shoes then I do but he is barefoot often. We play a constant game of "nooo Mason keep your shoe on." or walking into a store and a lady runs up behind us and says "excuse me? Is this your sons shoe?" and it always is. just one...not two.

Water Water Water!!!! Mason LOVES water. He loves his baths, to swim, loves sprinklers, and the other night we took him to an aquarium in Denver Colorado and he was excited to HEAR water.

     Everyday Mason is learning something new and turning into this sweet little man! : )

"EEEK What did he just say?"

      When I first became pregnant Mike and I talked about the first time Mason would crawl, walk, and his first words.With Dylan his first word was da da, then ball, THEN momma. So I would joke around that Masons first word would be momma.
       Mike and I were sitting on the couch and Mason was pouting on the floor and in between crying he said "momma" Mike grabbed my leg, I was surprised and looked at Mike then cheered Mason on, and picked him up! I wasn't sure if he Knew what he said had a meaning until the next day sitting in his high chair. He ran out of food and said "momma" granted I was beginning to see a pattern when he needed something he said momma but I didnt care.
      If your a parent you KNOW its go time. Battle of the words. So from then on Mike would hold Mason and say "Mason say DA DA." haha A couple weeks later Mike woke me up and said " I went to pick Mason up out of bed and he said "dada" I said "yeaaaah right" then rolled over and went back to sleep.But did I know when I woke up I would be swollowing my words.He was indeed saying "dada" 
      We waited longer to hear those sweet words but believe me he is making up for lost time.When he wants something or is sad he says "momma" and everytime he sees his dad he says "dada" hmmm not sure what I think of this pattern. ha ha 

Abortion

      When I found out Down syndrome was a possibility the things I was worried about was my child. What my little one would go through, the health issues my child will have to suffer through, will my child be happy?Will my child live a long life? Will I be able to provide my child with everything he or she needs?

      One thing I haven't stopped doing since I was pregnant is reading what others write about down syndrome if it is on Facebook, blogs, the news, or mom circles online. I came across something I most definitely shouldn't of read. It was a mom reaching out when she was pregnant she was at high risk for Downs and wanted to know everyone's opinion on abortion. As I continued to read one lady said "We would have 100% aborted as we have 3 healthy children and it would have been unfair to them as well as we are older and if this child is severe then it would have to live the majority of its life in a home somewhere. Really not fair to him either." 

      I understand everyone is different and abortion wasn't an option for my husband and I. When I read something like this it makes me think about life without Mason. I cant imagine my life without him. And as far as the "It would be unfair to their other kids" I think about Dylan and how he adores Mason. Dylan and Mason have such a bond to each other. We know Dylan will teach Mason and help him as well as Dylan will learn so much being a big brother to a precious boy with special needs.People say to Mike and I "Mason is lucky to have you two as parents" but the truth is we are the lucky ones. 

      I have a friend who isn't a mother yet and she would say "I could never be a mom, kids are needy and disgusting" but I have to say it is different when it is your baby. Your kids are not friends children but a piece of you. When I read stories about all the moms who did have an abortion because of down syndrome there is a sadness, tears fill my eyes. All babies are a gift from the lord and no one absolutely no one is perfect. 

      "The people who have the answers about kids are the ones who don't have any." This is SO true. There was this guy I met who didn't have kids and he was so quick to give advice on how to parent Dylan and raise him. Karma smacked him in the face when he became a dad himself and he was clueless. He told my husband being a dad was the hardest job and has changed his life. He also told me Dylan had turned into a polite sweet boy. But a year before that those were not his words, as Dylan was a 4 year old being a 4 year old. 

      As I read about people giving their opinions about what they would do if they had a child with special needs it makes me think of this guy. Bottom line is you don't know what you would do until you had to cross that bridge, I think it is important to not give advice unless you have walked in their shoes. 

Fact for ya: an estimated 1.2 million children are aborted each year.