tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-436664794708989702024-03-05T02:47:07.832-06:00The Hill Family of Northwest Arkansas: A Journey Into the World of Down SyndromeJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-71431561998585663562016-09-18T18:16:00.002-05:002016-09-18T18:16:51.078-05:00Is intellect a barrier to relationships?
To a lot of people and
maybe to me in some degree me before John came into our lives, John and people
like him were viewed as a burden, someone who could not contribute to society.
John will probably never be known for his intellect or will probably never be a
profound speaker.
But when I observe John
and how he interacts with people and them with him, I am humbled at his gift of
JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-78652698327040340982016-09-13T08:08:00.001-05:002016-09-13T08:11:48.770-05:00Share the LoveBefore we had John, we were not really aware of people with Down syndrome. Of course we would see them out and about in the community with their parents or see them as patients, but there was no reason for us to get to know them on a personal level. At that time in our lives, they were just kids who were to be kept at arms length mostly because of fear of people who didn't look the same as us andJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-1412496219571660502016-09-11T21:12:00.000-05:002016-09-11T21:25:25.771-05:00Teaching JohnIt has been a while since my last blog entry and we have entered into a new phase of life with Down syndrome since then. Life seems to be a continuous period of adapting to life with Down syndrome as each day brings a different set of challenges. Each parent of a special needs child has to navigate the waters of raising a child with special needs the way they see fit, and each set of parents JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-74768646755039241472014-06-25T22:23:00.002-05:002014-06-25T22:24:30.964-05:00Closing In On 6 Years OldLife has gotten busy around here with jobs and teenage children and getting ready for college that blogging has been shifted to the bottom of the list. But to give an update to all who still look at this blog - John is doing well and continues to progress in his abilities.
He will be 6 years old at the end of July and as with any child, each stage of his life presents with a different JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-37819945984667019602013-10-20T05:06:00.001-05:002013-10-20T05:19:00.733-05:00Pictures of JohnJohn is now 5 and is a very active little boy who is acting more like my other children every day. He is now 90% potty trained and loves playing with his friends at preschool and his brothers and sisters.He loves playing in the dirt and mud and also loves working puzzles and reading books. I am amazed more everyday at how he is more like my other children than he is different. JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-62744022491714131072012-10-09T10:48:00.000-05:002012-10-09T16:32:32.377-05:00Life Is a Big Classroom
John is 4 now and continues to learn so much from his family and the preschool that he attends 3 days a week. He enjoys hanging out with his brothers and sister and trying to keep up with them but he also needs the structure of being in a classroom with other children his age and learn how to follow the rules of the classroom such as staying seated, sharing, treating others nicely, etc. AlthoughJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-23399995346505951442012-08-16T20:43:00.000-05:002012-08-16T22:20:34.432-05:00Pictures of JohnHere are pictures of John enjoying his summer. This summer has been a time of learning and growing for John. His vocabulary has increased, he has developed a taste for different textures, and he is asking to go to the bathroom with succuess.
He has been working with us on learning his colors by way of puzzles, flash cards and by quizzing him about the objects that he identifies such as tractorsJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-69123904425161646182012-07-25T11:48:00.000-05:002012-07-25T12:02:59.894-05:00Self-dressingIt is a skill that we take for granted but one that doesn't come natural for our children with disabilities. With one of our goals being independence one day, my wife and I have been working with John on multiple skills and learning how to dress himself is one of those skills.
We began about 6 months ago with teaching him how to put his shirt on by putting his arms through the shirt first and JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-59236628503434409652012-07-20T16:45:00.002-05:002012-07-20T16:45:28.697-05:00John Loves LifeJohn's Pool-time (4 yrs old)
John enjoys life and laughter. We get a lot of enjoyment from seeing his enthusiasm and excitement for the simple pleasures of life. Let me encourage you to lay aside what the diagnosis, evaluations, and other people say about your son or daughter and go out and enjoy them for who they are.JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-33461897372769854632012-07-19T17:59:00.000-05:002012-07-19T18:55:47.351-05:00What's the Difference?John will be 4 at the end of this month and we grow more in love with him every year that we have him. John had taught us all so much about life and relationships that we couldn't imagine our lives without him.
John is progressing well and making friends. He attends daycare 2 days/week with non-Down syndrome children and makes friends and is learning well. He now can identify 3 primary colors JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0Rogers, AR, USA36.3320196 -94.118536636.2296856 -94.2764651 36.4343536 -93.9606081tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-10866029300038124482012-05-08T09:29:00.002-05:002012-05-08T09:29:27.198-05:00Potty TrainingWe are and have been working on potty training with John for a about 6 months now off and on. It is easy for us to loose interest when he looses interest and doesn't respond that way we think he should. It is difficult enough with a child without any delays but it is more difficult with a delayed child.
But we are learning that no matter how much we push, John has his own timetable and we are JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-53623793518899696882012-05-01T11:59:00.000-05:002012-05-01T12:11:19.929-05:00It's Been AwhileIt's been awhile since my last post and many things have happened for us that is worthy of sharing. As we continue this journey into the world of Down syndrome, we remain hopeful and optimistic for John's developement. John has continued to surpise us with his abilities but on the other hand, some things are still difficult.
John is now 45 months old and while he is growing in his abilities, itJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-71841743017335556142011-08-09T08:36:00.002-05:002011-08-09T08:41:09.249-05:00A Boy and His Dog
We don't have a dog of our own. But the dog belonging to the family who keeps John loves John and John is crazy about him. Here is a pic that Joy took yesterday of the two of them hanging out together.
JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-44862593860251504992011-08-07T12:03:00.001-05:002011-08-07T12:03:26.337-05:00John Turns 3How time flies. We as a family look back over the 3 years of caring for John and see how the Lord has used this little boy to mature us and to cause us to rethink the priorities of life, just as our other children have also come with lessons for Dad and Mom. But a child with special needs really throws everything off balance from the way the we think life should be. These past 3 years has caused JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-17778945170803397552011-06-19T22:10:00.006-05:002011-06-19T23:52:40.176-05:00John: Learning and GrowingIt has been a while since my last visit to the blogworld and much has happened. We continue to be blessed with a little Down syndrome boy who never got the memo that he was supposed to be delayed. We have also been blessed by hearing and reading about others with children with Down syndrome. There are a lot of people out there that really love their children and work to do what is best for them JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-49477094059350072962011-02-24T18:41:00.004-06:002011-02-25T21:52:31.244-06:00A Bad CombinationChildren with Down syndrome have many similarities to children without Down syndrome. But as we all know, there are many differences. A lot of the differences are not critical and do not pose a problem, while there are some differences that become very problematic for our kids trying to fight off illnesses. Earlier this week, we were reminded of the differences that work against fighting JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-28929482339279896692011-02-20T23:23:00.002-06:002011-02-20T23:57:35.234-06:00A New Chapter - DaycareSince both Joy and I work, John has always been babysat by a friend in her home. Recently though, our babysitter has started taking her son a couple of days a week to a church sponsored daycare here in town. Joy and I had expressed some interest in startin John in a daycare program but wasn't really sure if we wanted to send him to a special needs program or not. We agreed to send him to the JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-39924187986952260362011-02-01T16:52:00.003-06:002011-02-01T17:28:31.603-06:00John's Encouraging ProgressJohn is now unstoppable. He has found his legs and is constantly on the move. Just as with any 2 year old, he is into everything and thinks that he can and should be able to do everything his siblings do. His newest skill is running. He loves to run, especially when he has something that he knows he shouldn't. He has great hip rotation which is a problem with children with Down syndrome. If you JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-53017764196796004892010-11-09T22:24:00.003-06:002010-11-09T23:27:59.240-06:00An Update on Speech TherapyAs a parent, do you ever feel as though other people do not see your child as you do? That they just don't see the same potential, deficits as you. Well, that is where we are with going down this new path with Speech Therapy. Granted, we (the Therapist and wife and I) are beginning to be on the same page in our assessment of John and the direction we think we should be going. My wife and I began JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-42544197398820679742010-10-29T21:54:00.008-05:002010-10-29T23:04:35.779-05:00The Challenges of Having a 2 year-old...with Down SyndromeJohn is now 2 1/2 years old and acts more like my other children did at this age than he acts different. He throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way or when we say no to him. He has a definite opinion about what he wants and will let you know if it isn't delivered. He is walking everywhere, although a little stiff legged and unsure of himself. Still, he is determined to learn walking asJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-28364152962861638392010-06-30T00:02:00.003-05:002010-06-30T00:52:06.375-05:00Teeth and eating table foodsGetting teeth is something that has taken longer than expected for John. John began getting teeth after his first birthday, which is considered to be delayed for children getting teeth. He got his bottom front two teeth in first which is the normal progression for getting teeth. He then cut the top front two teeth which is also a pretty normal progression. After the front top and bottom, he then JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-35930776280217074932010-06-23T09:17:00.009-05:002010-06-23T11:29:29.404-05:00Hello Again!I have been away from blogging for many months but have been busy with working with John as well as being Dad to all my other children. These months of being away from blogging my thoughts about raising a child with Down syndrome may have kept me away from sharing my thoughts with those of you that read my thoughts, but my family and I have continued to grow and learn so much from our little JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-6929152376358509582009-09-12T11:46:00.005-05:002009-09-12T12:06:38.195-05:00Raising AwarenessMany of you may have noticed a new button in the left frame of my blog. Last month, I was invited to share my blog with the readers of a community of health bloggers at Wellsphere. I consider it as another avenue in which to share my knowledge with the community of Down syndrome which has been one of my purposes for writing this blog. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from another onlineJaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-482082996725242972009-09-07T17:08:00.005-05:002009-09-12T11:06:23.294-05:00The Physical Therapy FactorI wanted to write about how physical therapy was and still is used by us here at home and whether or not it has made a difference. I understand the discouragements that physical therapy treatments, evals, etc. can sometimes bring. So I wanted to share our story here. Let me preface this post by saying that John was born with no medical issues, so he was born a very healthy child with Down JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43666479470898970.post-2012985469601365122009-09-01T00:04:00.003-05:002009-09-01T00:43:18.511-05:00The Happenings of JohnJohn continues to thrive and learn new things. He is a very happy little boy who really enjoys interacting with people most of the time. However, he is developing his own likes and dislikes and he is not afraid to let them be known, but overall he is a very loving little boy.I have started back to work so John now goes to a stay at the home of a friend of ours. She is a God-send for John as she JaybirdNWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060290229870774955noreply@blogger.com5