Posts Tagged ‘dancing’

21
Jan

Random…even for me….

   Posted by: Ashley Moreno    in Chaos, random funny stuff

My thought for the day:  Almost nothing is so bad that a little dancing won’t help. Unless you’re as uncoordinated as I am, in which case you could end up stepping on a stray Little People princess, causing you to almost drop the 30-pound-bag-of-water-with-a-ferret-inside that you’ve been struggling to keep on your hip during a particularly lovely little salsa number, at which point you might overcorrect by putting forth increased effort to lift the aquatic-ferret child, throwing your back out and resulting in a conversation with your children about why they are never to say certain words, even if Mommy accidentally says them in cases of extreme stress or pain. Hypothetically speaking, of course….

What’s on my to-do list: You’re probably surprised that someone like me has a to-do list. That’s okay, because I don’t. What I do have is a somewhat tenuous grasp on a vague category of events that need to take place and which will only take place if set into motion by me.

A few of these things at the moment: email Dallas Theater Center about tickets for Death of a Salesman; call propane company–again–and remind them that we’ve had this little chat about them being highway robbers many times before; quickly open washing machine full of wet towels that have been there since Monday and pour in a big slog of white vinegar and re-run the load; work on manuscript; go pick up heartworm medicine at the dog vet; call the horse vet to come check out Ri’s potentially-new horse; —you know what? As much fun as this little exercise is, you and I both know that it ain’t gonna happen. So why don’t I just quit pretending and move on….

What I’m listening to:  The Song of the Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps. Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do a little “what I’m listening to” for a while now. And in truth, I’d hoped to be listening to something more indicative of my spirit, like Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen) or Solitary Man (Neil Diamond).  Maybe some Dvorak, although I find it maddening to actually type “Dvorak” because of that whole missing “zh” thing.

But the soundtrack of my life on this day is—as is so often the case—Veggietales Ultimate Silly Songs. It’s not a total loss, though. I may not get to anything on my to-do list today, but when it’s all said and done I will be able to say that I learned to play Song of the Cebu on the piano. That, at least, is something….

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14
Dec

Life with Mason….

   Posted by: Ashley Moreno    in Adoption, Chaos, Down syndrome, Parenting

Most of you know that if there’s one thing I’m adamant about (yeah, I know–I’m adamant about lots of stuff. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times, and let’s go on a little ride, shall we?), it’s the fact that the chaos that follows Mason has very little to do with Down syndrome, and a whole lot to do with the fact that he’s just that kind of kid.

But from a practical standpoint, there are a few Down syndrome related issues that do impact our daily life. One of these is the low muscle tone/ligament laxity issue, technically termed “hypotonia.”

Often, prospective adoptive parents will ask questions about various conditions in order to be prepared with specific challenges the child might face. I realized that there are several things a parent needs to be aware of concerning the challenges posed by hypotonia. So I comprised (in no particular order) the following list:

A hypotonic child can put his leg straight up so that his foot is in his big sister’s face while riding in the car seat, and he can just leave it there with no effort on his part.

No matter where you put the box of wipies on the bed while during a diaper change, he can hike his leg up and kick them off the bed.

Carrying the hypotonic child is similar to trying to hold on to a large bag of water with a 30-pound ferret inside.

Regardless of how securely you fasten the buckle in the shopping cart, the child with hypotonia will be able to escape, usually in the check out line as you are explaining to the sacker that you would like the cold items bagged together.  (Incidentally, other shoppers find the sight of a small child riding on the checkout conveyor belt quite amusing….)

A hypotonic child can reach behind his back without any detectible upper-body rotation and grab glass bottles out of the shopping cart and hurl them onto the concrete in the parking lot, making his older brother believe that there has been a drive-by shooting, and that since he doesn’t feel any pain, the target must have been their mother whom he expects to drop to the ground at any moment.

Although no scientific studies have been conducted on the matter, anecdotal evidence would indicate that hypotoina is associated with mad dancing skills.

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