Tone Up

Anybody out there think it would be nice to gain a little bit more muscle tone? Maybe tone up your thighs or your glutes or your abs or your biceps? I definitely think about it. But then I go to the gym and do one workout and I'm sore for days and I have to really motivate myself to go back and do it again. And to gain muscle tone, you kinda have to be consistent. You can't do it once a month and expect results. It takes time, patience, dedication, and consistency to gain muscle tone. But if you put in the hard work, you will reap the benefits.

That brings me to my little Colton. My sweet, low-toned baby Colton. And he's not so little anymore. He's 20 months old and approximately 24 pounds. We need to tone that baby up in order for him to walk! Dude has absolutely no glutes! We need to get that baby some booty muscles. He also could use some leg muscles...and some abs. How do we build that muscle tone? Squats...lots and lots of squats. Sit to stand. Sit to stand. Sit to stand. Weight bear through his legs by practicing standing. Weight bear through his arms by practicing crawling. Bending over at the waist to pick a toy up off of the floor and return to sitting position. Requiring him to support his own body when we carry him from place to place. Colton has mastered the lean. If I lean on Mama, I don't have to support my own weight. He does not help me carry him around one bit. His legs don't even grip around my waist. He just hangs there and lets me do all of the work. Colton is always looking for someone or something else to support his weight (walker, couch, highchair, etc...). But if we want him to walk...we have to make him work. It's sad to make your baby "workout," especially when it's hard for them and usually brings them to tears. But I have to put my feelings aside and do what is best for my child. He will benefit greatly from building muscle tone. And he will thank me later. So...I'm going to push him.

Mama, Daddy, and his PT had a little meeting the other day and we shared all of Colton's tricks. He's one tricky dude. He doesn't want to do the work so he finds ways for other people to do the work for him...why? Because it's HARD! That's the same reason I don't keep torturing myself at the gym...because it's HARD! So, in order for Colton to gain muscle tone, we have to put in the time, be patient, be dedicated, and be consistent. Colton can't just get 3 hours of PT a week and gain the tone he needs in order to walk. I mean, he could, but it would probably take a LONG time. So, we came up with a few things we could do to help Colton gain tone. And it's not necessarily a "workout" session everyday. It's just about being intentional. For example, I can carry Colton a different way. Instead of him hanging on my hip, I can hold him facing out and require him to use more core strength to support his body weight. I could sit him on a backless bench to watch Mickey Mouse as opposed to leaning against my body or the couch. I just need to think about where I'm putting Colton. It's easy just to plop him down on the floor, but is he benefiting from that?

The game changer is Daddy. Daddy came to the meeting and learned about Colton's tricks. Our PT showed us things that Daddy can do with Colton at home when they're "playing." Why Daddy? Because Daddy is stronger. And to be honest, Daddy is more fun. Colton LOVES to wrestle and be rough with Daddy and Brother and some things they do can help build tone. The other night, Daddy got Colton to stand against the wall for 2 minutes straight because he was distracted and laughing as Daddy shot a Nerf gun at the wall next to him. Last night, he had Colton sitting on a bench and had him do at least 30 squats standing up to put a ball in a bucket. There were no tears. Daddy makes things more fun. And I have to say, I'm super proud of my husband! Every night since our meeting, he's made it a priority to work with Colton. He finds creative ways to "play" with him and Colton enjoys it.









If the three of us (me, daddy, and his PT) keep working at this consistently, Colton is going to TONE UP! We are going to give it our all these next 6 months! I'm so thankful for a husband that is willing to help. I'm so thankful for a PT that cares enough to show us what we can be doing at home. It takes a village! It will be SO worth it in the end. By golly, Colton is going to walk. And what a glorious day that will be!

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome

When you hear those two words, you immediately have an emotional reaction. Unless you've experienced life with a person with Down Syndrome, I would venture to guess that your first reaction would be sadness. I think that when we told our family and friends that Colton had Down Syndrome, they were sad and heartbroken for our family. That was my first reaction. I was sad. MY baby boy was born with Down Syndrome. Whether you find out your baby has Down Syndrome at birth or as a prenatal diagnosis, it still makes you sad. But I wish I could change that initial reaction. Because Down Syndrome is not sad. Down Syndrome is beautiful. I never knew how happy Colton would make our lives. He is just the sweetest, funniest, happiest most easy-going baby I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Sure, he has off days where he's fussy and doesn't feel well...but 99% of the time he's an absolute joy to be around.

I recently saw a t-shirt that said, "Dinosaurs are scary. Down Syndrome isn't." One of the many reasons I started this blog is because I want people to see what our life is like with a child with Down Syndrome. And to be honest, our life is very normal. Colton is just like any other baby. He eats, sleeps, plays, cries, laughs, and makes dirty diapers. He gets into trouble for touching the fireplace or throwing food or putting inappropriate things into his mouth. I treat him just like I treat Weston. The only difference is that he's delayed. It takes him longer to learn to walk and talk and potty train, etc... But he will get there. He does have a few more doctor's appointments than Weston did and he does have to go to therapy, but even typical kids have to go to the doctor a lot or need therapy for one reason or another. Aside from the health complications, Down Syndrome isn't scary. Down syndrome is a blessing. Colton has changed my life for the better. I've learned to slow down and enjoy milestones as they come. I've learned to accept people for who they are. I've learned to cut parents some slack...we all are just doing the best we can for our children. I've learned that I'm strong. I've learned that life isn't so bad when you're forced out of our comfort zone. I've learned to make new friends.

I'm not going to say that having a child with Down Syndrome is easy. It's not easy. But whose life is easy? In the past few years, I watched people I love go through so many different things. Losing a parent, losing a baby, losing a job, losing a home, losing a spouse for various reasons, losing their health.... Life is just hard. We all have things we struggle with. I was reading a daily inspiration the other day that said, "Glory moments in difficult times are not dependent on our circumstances, but on our focus. Focus on the difficulty and God is difficult to see. Focus on God and glory seeps through the broken places."

When I focus on milestones and the future, I can get really sad about Colton having Down Syndrome. When will he walk? When will he talk? Will he have articulation issues? Will he get bullied? Will he struggle in school? Will he have friends? Will he ever drive a car? Will he live on his own? Will he have heart surgery? Will he feel loved and accepted? Will people treat him differently? And I become overwhelmed and just plain sad. But then I tell myself that I need to shift my focus. Let's not worry about the milestones and the future. Let's focus on how far Colton has come. Colton has head control. Colton can sit up. Colton can clap. Colton can say "Bye Bye." Colton can walk with his walker. Colton can army crawl and boot scoot. Colton can self feed. Colton can drink from a straw. Colton can say "MaMa." Colton is a high-fiving champ (and can now give me Knuckles). Colton can play with toys and destroy a room. Colton has come a LONG way since the day that he was born. No, it's not as fast as a typical kid, but he's making progress. He's learning and growing. And that is what matters. Focus on the good. Focus on what we know instead of what we don't know. I wanted to share some statistics.

Termination Rates for Down Syndrome:

US- 67% (1995-2011)
France- 77% (2015)
Denmark- 98% (2015)
Iceland- nearly 100% (currently trying to eliminate DS completely)

There are a lot of people out there that are given a DS diagnosis and they terminate the pregnancy. And that is heartbreaking. Most of the world does not want a "Colton" in their life. Boy are they missing out. Life without the "Colton's" of the world would be very sad. I hope and pray that my blog has changed your view of Down Syndrome. I hope that if you know someone that is given a Down Syndrome diagnosis, you will encourage them to give that baby a chance. Because that just might be the best thing that has ever happened to them.

My little boy simply has one extra chromosome. God made him extra special. He is so wanted and so loved. Down Syndrome isn't scary. Down Syndrome is beautiful. Life is better with Colton.