Bun Bun belts it out!

Play a favorite song really loud, in a room with mirrors, and give a girl a microphone, this is what you get!

Daddy

Bun Bun loves her Daddy!

Daddy loves his Snugger McSnuggums!

Tooth

A few more months until Bun Bun's sixth birthday, she has started to lose baby teeth.  The first one came out last week with another one on the way.  Two replacement teeth have already emerged.  Bun Bun wasn't quite sure how she felt at first.  I think she also thought she had done something wrong since after it was pointed out to her, she cried inconsolably for a long time.  Daddy later gave her a dollar with which she bought a hat at the Dollar Store.  It is a very cute purple hat!

After a week off from school, today is the first day back.  Lately, she hasn't really been feeling it.  Her teachers have reported that she gets really tired by the afternoon and refuses to do any more work without bribery.  She is still recovering from back-to-back lingering colds which probably has been making her feel groggy.  So, we'll see if the week-long break will push her through the next few weeks until summer vacation.  Bun Bun brings home school work every day.  I save some of the more colorful ones and take pictures of others.  Some I have taken to work to decorate my office door.  From what she brings home, I'm also sensing that she's getting bored with some of the same work they do.

We've been having a lot more "conversations" lately.  It is really cute!

First tooth in, first tooth out.

A lot of work involves cutting a pasting.  This one taught counting.

Rain-themed April

Bun Bun has been making good progress writing her name.

A conversation

Me:  Do you want to go to 婆婆's house?
Bun Bun:  No, uh-uh.
Me:  Do you want to go home?
Bun Bun:  Home.

I believe this may be the first conversation I have ever had with Bun Bun.  Speech has been and continues to be a struggle for her.  Since she started kindergarten back in September, she has been making slow and steady progress.  I think back around Christmas break, she started to watch tons of YouTube videos with children's songs.  When Bun Bun is muttering to herself and pairing hand gestures, we can clearly see that she is singing her favorite songs.  It all started with "Head and Shoulders" then she added the "Finger Family Song" and "Wheels on the Bus" to her repertoire.  Now, she sings along with gestures to many others.  It's been really encouraging to hear her use more words.  Teaching her sign language is paying off big time since she will use that to help her listeners understand what she is trying to say.

Here are some recent pictures.

We attended the Bobcat Pride Breakfast at Bun Bun's school; it was on St. Patrick's day, and we got our picture taken with the school mascot - the Bobcat.  Bun Bun wasn't quite sure what to make of the creature.  She would not have had the courage to have her picture taken with it alone.

A portrait of Daddy by Bun Bun, circa 2017

Bun Bun works really hard at school.  Here she is tracing and ordering numbers 0 through 10 all on her own, without any help!  She has learned the alphabet, capital & lower case, and numbers through at least 20, most likely more.

One perk of my job is attending fantastic scientific conferences.  The bonus is when the conference takes place in Banff, Alberta, Canada amidst the beautiful Canadian Rockies.  This was the view from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

I got to fulfill a life-long dream and ice skated on the nearby frozen and very beautiful Lake Louise.

Twinkle Stars

Bun Bun really likes music.  Through most of Christmas break, she watched YouTube videos of kids songs, compilations from Signing Time , Makin' Music, and Super Simple Songs.  Daddy and I now have all of those songs stuck in our heads and hum them throughout the day.

She's also been attending music therapy where she's exposed to all kinds of instruments.  Here's a video from last night.  She was happy as a clam, singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  Mr. Jerry is the music therapist.

Jingle Bells

Bun Bun's school held a Holiday Assembly.  The entire school put on a Christmas concert.  The kindergartners sang "Jingle Bells".  There's a lot of talent at the elementary school.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

It's been a while, Dear Readers.  I had to reset my password.  That's how long it has been!

Waiting for the school bus on the first day of school

When we last met, Bun Bun was getting ready to start kindergarten.  And, so she has and has been thriving.  It was definitely a good move even though I wasn't sure if she was ready.  She has been attending a learning support classroom and spending a little bit of time everyday with typical peers.  We've noticed that she has been talking a lot more, like a parrot, mimicking a lot of the last words she hears at the end of sentences.  She has even learned to write her name!  She loves to sing and dance!  One of her current favorites is "Head and Shoulders".  She is really loving school and is super happy to be there, working hard, and keeping up with her tasks.

Olivia wrote her name in an orange crayon.

On some more somber notes, I am quite pessimistic about the future of this country and somewhat fearful of what changes the new administration will bring about.  Here's my political view - this country has elected a narcissist who has no social skills.  I am fearful because this new administration has targeted, demeaned, and disregarded women, people who are not white, foreigners, folks with disabilities, and scientists.  Do these descriptions sound familiar?  I am fearful because supporters of the new administration have openly assaulted and bullied people who fit these and many other categories; they do so all the more when they smell dissent.  My only glimmer of hope is that God is in control.  He will be in control come January 20th.  That's hope that I am thankful to hold tightly to.

I have always dreaded fall and winter because the sun-lit days are shorter.  And, it's cold!  I think this fall has been more gloomy because of the current political climate.  Even the Christmas cheers have not helped much.  Sorry to sound so depressing...

God is in control!

Special

 I never liked that quote, "God gives special kids to special parents." for a number of reasons.  Mostly, I think it's something people say because they feel sorry for you even though it has never made me feel any better about being a mom to Olivia.  Olivia is very special, but aren't all kids special in their own ways?

I saw this quote today.  I wish I know who the author is to give proper credit.  I like it a lot more because God gets the glory.  He has always been good at giving extraordinary tasks to ordinary people.  This quote also reminds me that I can do nothing without God who gives me just what I need and helps me move forward one step at a time.  I will need to remember this as Olivia starts kindergarten soon.

Bun Bun loves her books.  She will start kindergarten in a few days!  I hope she will always love books and learn to read soon.

Selfies at Longwood Gardens in August

"Dog"

I've been on the hunt for soft and comfy bed sheets for Bun Bun's twin bed, and I can't believe how expensive they are, especially the ones that are good quality flannel or jersey knit.  Last week, while we were at Costco, we came across some relatively cheaper sheet sets, ones with flowers and wiener dogs.  After I asked, Bun Bun picked the one with the dogs even though they were somewhat masculine.  If she wasn't there, I probably would have bought the one with the flowers.

Usually, when I ask her to make a choice, I put the items in front of her and she would point to the one she wants.  Last night, when I asked her if she wanted the wiener dog or another set of sheets with monkeys on her bed, she said, "Dog".  Just in case you missed that... she SAID, "Dog"... out loud, clear as a bell.

This is the first time I have ever heard her answer me vocally without being prompted!

Now, we dance the dance of joy!

Bun Bun has been working really hard in speech therapy, both at school and at an out-patient clinic.  She has been using an iPad app, Proloquo2go, to help her talk.  She is more willing to vocalize her wants and needs.  I look forward to the day when she can come home from school and tell me how her day was.

For now, we, again, dance the dance of joy!

Curious

Bun Bun is now 5!!  It's hard to believe how tiny she was just 5 years ago and how much she has grown.  Lots have changed over the 5 years!  I am thankful how much this little girl has taught me.  Someone wrote a blog about how their Down Syndrome child has changed them (55 Ways Loving a Child With Down Syndrome Can Be Described).  It's an excellent essay I wish I had written myself.

One of the many, many things I love about Bun Bun is how curious she is.  Not much escapes her.  When she enters a room, doesn't matter if it's her bedroom or a place unfamiliar, her big eyes dart around the room and look for toys or anything worthy of an investigation.  This morning, she discovered an ant.  She followed it across the driveway, fascinated by how it moved.  She even tried to poke it with a stick.  I hope her curiosity will serve her well as she enters kindergarten.

Days-old tiny Bun Bun with Daddy.

Not-so-tiny Bun Bun loves to snuggle up to Daddy and play games on his cell phone.

Bun Bun discovered an ant on the drive way this morning.

My little curious monkey!