Florida Beaches are Wonderful

If you ever want to find out how many swimsuits a little girl has, just take her to the beach and you will most certainly find out.  If you ever wondered how many swimsuits a little girl needs, I recently discovered that it’s about two a day.  You will notice that the pictures don't show Addison wearing the same one twice...

I can hear the sound she's making when we took this picture, a sound that is inquisitive.  However, every time I see this picture, I fast forward about 12 years and imagine her saying, "Dad, what...are...you...doing!  Hello!"

We just returned from a week in Florida, and what a wonderful week it was.  We discovered that a week on the beach with an eighteen-month old isn’t as relaxing as we thought it would be, but it’s still more relaxing than a week in Tulsa.  

Addison was a little apprehensive about the ocean when she first dipped her little piggy toes in the water, but quickly warmed up to it once she had a solid death grip around one of our necks. 

By the end of the trip, we found out a couple of new things about Addison:  1)  She has an iron gut, because she can take down about a pound of beach sand and not get ill and 2) she has no problem jumping into a pool as long as someone is there to catch her.

"Kids with Downs Just Don't Get Any Better Than This"

Those are the words we heard from the developmental pediatrician on Tuesday.  You just can’t get better feedback than that.  I’m sure there are kids out there with Downs who have done things earlier than her or faster, but what a great compliment nonetheless.  We just have to brag for a minute here.  Addison is in the 18-24 month range for her social and adaptive behaviors.  Just this week she decided to start standing on her own, using a fork, and has picked up at least 5 new signs.  This has been one of those weeks that makes it all worth it!