The Joy of Vahnya: Oct 13, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Meeting some Reeces Rainbow friends

We got to meet the Hagler family tonight at play group they just moved here to portland. we get to love on sweet Sasha and Ana.They were adopted thru Reeces Rainbow just like Vahnya here is their fsp http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorhagler I had blogged about Sasha back when he was still listed on RR and needed a family so it was neat to get to see him. I am sure we will become great friends with the Haglers now that they live in Oregon. Vahnya Ana and Sasha are all about the same age look how cute they are.

Vahnya's first pumpkin patch

Vahnya's first pumpkin patch. We had so much fun at the Flower Farmer pumpkin patch. We went on a train, we got to pet farm animals, play on the hey stack and pick out our pumpkins, Vahnya had so much fun.

I remember last year standing in that same pumpkin patch dreaming of my little red haired boy running around. last year at this time we hadn't even met him yet. I can't imagine our lives without him now. GOD IS SO GOOD!

time line

found Reece's rainbow 2/24/10
first saw Josiah's picture 2/25/10
committed to Josiah 3/10/10
home study visit 4/17/10
home study complete. 6/8/10
sent I-600A to USCIS 6/10/10
got fingerprint apt from USCIS 6/23/10
fingerprint apt for USCIS is 7/16/10
got I-171H 8/4/10
Application Dossier was submitted for MOE 8/23/10
Court Dossier all done and sent to agency 8/25/10
got our date for our 1st trip 10/26/10
1st visit with our boy 11/15/10
flew home from 1st trip 11/20/10
dossier was submitted to court 1/13/11
got our court date 2/1/11
Vahnya Josiah Nine is our son 3/1/11

Myths and Truths about Down syndrome

Myth: Down syndrome is a rare genetic disorder.

Truth: Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. One in every 733 live births is a child with Down syndrome, representing approximately 5,000 births per year in the United States alone. Today, more than 400,000 people in the United States have Down syndrome.

Myth: People with Down syndrome have a short life span.

Truth: Life expectancy for individuals with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent years, with the average life expectancy approaching that of peers without Down syndrome.

Myth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to older parents.

Truth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to women younger than 35 years old simply because younger women have more children. However, the incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are severely “retarded.”

Truth: Most people with Down syndrome have IQs that fall in the mild to moderate range of intellectual disability (formerly known as “retardation”). Children with Down syndrome fully participate in public and private educational programs. Educators and researchers are still discovering the full educational potential of people with Down syndrome.

Myth: Most people with Down syndrome are institutionalized.

Truth: Today people with Down syndrome live at home with their families and are active participants in the educational, vocational, social, and recreational activities of the community. They are integrated into the regular education system and take part in sports, camping, music, art programs and all the other activities of their communities. People with Down syndrome are valued members of their families and their communities, contributing to society in a variety of ways.

Myth: Parents will not find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.

Truth: In almost every community of the United States there are parent support groups and other community organizations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Down syndrome.

Myth: Children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education programs.

Truth: Children with Down syndrome have been included in regular academic classrooms in schools across the country. In some instances they are integrated into specific courses, while in other situations students are fully included in the regular classroom for all subjects. The current trend in education is for full inclusion in the social and educational life of the community. Increasingly, individuals with Down syndrome graduate from high school with regular diplomas, participate in post-secondary academic and college experiences and, in some cases, receive college degrees.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unemployable.

Truth: Businesses are seeking young adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions. They are being employed in small- and medium-sized offices: by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. They work in the music and entertainment industry, in clerical positions, childcare, the sports field and in the computer industry. People with Down syndrome bring to their jobs enthusiasm, reliability and dedication.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are always happy.

Truth: People with Down syndrome have feelings just like everyone else in the population. They experience the full range of emotions. They respond to positive expressions of friendship and they are hurt and upset by inconsiderate behavior.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unable to form close interpersonal relationships leading to marriage.

Truth: People with Down syndrome date, socialize, form ongoing relationships and marry.

Myth: Down syndrome can never be cured.

Truth: Research on Down syndrome is making great strides in identifying the genes on chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Scientists now feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Meeting some Reeces Rainbow friends

Vahnya's first pumpkin patch

so sweet

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Myths and Truths about Down syndrome