Just RK

It's absolute chaos and overscheduling around here. My sister Rachel's wedding is tomorrow afternoon, and though she is WAY organized and started planning in earnest 9 months ago, there are always the last minute things. It is going to be a very impressive couple of days and I think they will enjoy it...and that's really all that matters. Today is rehearsal and then dinner, tomorrow morning starts early with hair and pictures and ceremony, then more pictures then the reception tomorrow evening. It's going to be quite the party, let me tell ya. Braska is one of the flower girls, and she'll be walking down the aisle with the assistance of two of her aunties. She has a little mini-bride dress with a huge sash and bow that matches the bridesmaids. You KNOW there will be pictures, never fear. I'm not in the wedding, but I've been able to meet the wedding party and attend a few events, like last night's pedicure/manicure party at Rachel's favorite sa...

I found out the old quiz made you sign up to participate and that's not cool. Here is a new and improved version. Sorry, Jessie, you'll have to take it again. :) Are you an RKologist or have you dreamed of being one? Take the quiz to find out! RKology Quiz

It's 8:08 am. I got up about 6:20 am because I woke up and knew Kinlee would be up very shortly. She was stirring, but I thought I'd check my email and pump before she got up. (Since she's sleeping through the night, the morning provides help to our surplus supply.) She woke up just before 7, so I changed her, fed her, burped her, and dealt with a MAJOR blowout diaper, which brought with it a bath and clothes washing for her and for me. Then Braska woke up while I was re-dressing Kinlee, so we went to her room, put Kinlee in B's bed, then changed Braska. We all went out to the living room for Braska's medicine and water dose (little bit to help wash out that overnight goo that she's had this week, helps before her full feeding). My nose quickly told me that Braska was already in need of another diaper, so back to her room we went. Now I'm having my bowl of cereal. Braska's watching her Blues Clues (by request...love that), and Kinlee's in the...

They may drive me totally nuts some days, but these girls sure make life more joyful. And the pink...oh, the pink! Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You know all about how fun girls can be...and a couple boys too.

On Saturday, I went to a half-day conference at Children's . Feeding, Speech, and Behavior: Caring for children with Down syndrome from infancy to adolescence. If I hear of a conference, I'm interested. If it's related to DS, I'm more interested. If it's gonna talk about feeding, speech, AND behavior, I'm there. I love to hear all the new things, tips, what's worked for others, and what the pros say. This particular conference was geared toward therapists and caregivers as well as parents. I like this type of format because the information is a bit more detailed and clinical, not just anecdotal, and I enjoy that alot. I took alot of notes on the materials and outlines that were handed out, so I want to put together a few posts to document more clearly what was discussed and what I noted about things. It might be a bit choppy and random, but I'll try to be sure it makes some sense. As many of my posts are, this will be mostly for my own purposes but I...

Check this out ... like actually check it out, not skim right by. Just peek in there and see how cool a guy can be! Andrew, an 18-year-old drummer with Down syndrome, sells t-shirts with his Rock On! logo on them to make money to go to college. Here's the link to his site . It's still new and in progress, but I just love the logo, and there will be one of these in our home in some form very soon. Andrew's mom posted on the iVillage DS board, and I linked over and checked him out. I just love stories like this... and I hope that we can all Rock On!

We saw the pediatrician this morning after talking to the on-call doc last night after Braska's adventure down the stairs. She's got not one bruise, no marks from that at all. (Though she did scrape her leg with a toy later last night...but not a peep from her.) She has an almost unfathomable high tolerance for pain. It's really bizarre to watch. She can stand up under something that's shorter than she is and bonk her head only to sit down and move on. Most kids we know do the same and scream for minutes on end. As she's getting more mobile and toddler-esque, she pulls things down on her, throws books in the air only to have them land on her, and of course she falls over when working on walking and such. But never a cry at all. She often doesn't cry during blood draws or shots, when they're done right, of course. She scared herself in the action last night, but cried for less than a minute, way less. She was back up crawling and playing in no time. We decide...