Beth is a mother of three, happily married, Canadian, and working for the government full time. Her youngest daughter, Precious, has a global developmental disability. The family keeps themselves busy with piano lessons, swimming, school, work, gymnastics, skating and hockey.
Written on
August 28, 2011 by
Beth
Many of us ride the roller coaster of hope. Things are easier to manage when we have hope that everything’s going to turn out all right. When we’re going down the roller coaster, everything looks dismal and bleak. I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten off of the roller coaster for the time being. Things…
Continue Reading »
Written on
August 7, 2011 by
Beth
One of the ways that Precious’ disability presents itself is through her low muscle tone, also known as hypotonia. When Precious was first born, her hypotonia showed itself through her general floppiness, and in the way she laid on her back with legs and arms akimbo, like a frog. She was really hard to pick…
Continue Reading »
Written on
July 31, 2011 by
Beth
Around here, we have 2 months off every summer. Well, the kids do, anyway. The first two weeks of summer, the girls were home with a teenager from two doors down. They went to swimming lessons everyday and got lots of attention from the babysitter. The third week of the summer, Precious went to her…
Continue Reading »
Written on
July 10, 2011 by
Beth
Other than the time I ran for a seat in the student association of my university, I’ve never been more engaged in an election before. In Ontario, Canada, there is a provincial election coming up. Since the provinces manage health, education and social services, the government that gets formed this time will more important to…
Continue Reading »
Written on
July 3, 2011 by
Beth
School’s out for the summer. Precious had her last day of kindergarten on Thursday. For the next two weeks, the girls will be babysat at home by a local teenager and will got to swimming lessons every morning. Precious will be starting at the summer ‘camp’ of her brother and sister’s daycare in the third…
Continue Reading »
Written on
June 26, 2011 by
Beth
Precious has been getting one-on-one therapy since she was very young. She’s has a lot of attention focused on her over the last 5 1/2 years. She went to a special needs’ preschool for two years where there were 4 children with two teachers. The next year, she went to a private kindergarten with one…
Continue Reading »
Written on
June 12, 2011 by
Beth
I don’t have much to say this week so I’m posting these photos of my Precious from this week. Here she is at a piano recital for her sister last week. Precious wanted to wear fairy wings and a Minnie Mouse headband and I said “why the heck not?” Our neighbours were selling their ‘tag-along’…
Continue Reading »
Written on
June 5, 2011 by
Beth
Precious was born with hypotonia, or low muscle tone. She was so floppy when she was little she laid on her back with her legs in frog position for the first several months of her life, and she couldn’t sit up until after she was one year old. She walked around 22 months. She still…
Continue Reading »
Written on
May 29, 2011 by
Beth
The first few years in Precious’ life were pretty hectic. During the first year, she sometimes had 4 appointments a week, and I had a 2 year-old and a 3 year-old at home with their own activities and appointments. Now that Precious is in the Primary Special Needs class for next year, and the other…
Continue Reading »
Written on
May 15, 2011 by
Beth
This week, I received a notice, asking me if I would participate in a research study being done by a local university on the social inclusion of children with developmental disabilities. It states that the university is: looking for participants (parents & guardians) to complete an online study about the social inclusion of preschool and…
Continue Reading »