Monday 30 April 2012

Felix and Friends

Snack time
What a great way to start the day. Felix and Noah were cuddled up on my bed with me while Joel and Mel got a bit more sleep...bliss! Felix is starting to get a bit braver now and will stroke Noah and put his face close to get a better look at him. He still pushes Noah away if I put him on his lap; he's not quite that brave just yet. He does have lots of beautiful big smiles for him, though. 
Climbing on the blocks

I could have stayed home and cleaned ALL day today, but I feel like Felix has missed out on so much because the last few weeks have been crazy. I decided that the housework could wait (and it did - that cleaning fairy I ordered never turned up) and Felix and I would go to playgroup instead. We were running late, in our daggiest clothes and I hadn't even had a shower, but we got there eventually.

Sophie looking after Felix
The Special Needs playgroup is set up with different activities each week depending on the skills the kids need assistance with (sensory, gross motor etc). Sometimes the local Speech Pathologists or Physiotherapists will drop by for a visit as well. It's a good environment for them to see how the children are progressing because they are in a stimulating environment and not just in an office or hospital room. Felix and his friend, Sophie, are the only two children with Down Syndrome who attend regularly. The other children who attend have different learning difficulties. It's fun to watch them all play and interact with each other. One little boy came rushing up to Felix this morning and said, "Hello Felix" even though he hasn't seen him for about a month. His speech has come such a long way since we first met him!

Enjoying their fruit
Felix crawled along the obstacle course which was set up at playgroup this morning. He is getting very good at balancing on the padded blocks, probably because climbing has become one of his most favourite things to do lately. I'm hoping he's not going to fall and split his chin or his head any time soon, although I think it's inevitable at some point. Unfortunately the things he climbs at home aren't nice and padded like playgroup. Hopefully I'll be wrong on that one.

After Felix had a bit of a play it was fruit time. Felix and the other kids sat up at their little table and ate their bananas and had a drink. It's so cute watching them chatter away to each other. Felix slipped and nearly fell off his chair just after he was finished. I grabbed him and stopped him from falling but I think it scared him because his bottom lip dropped and he started taking deep breaths (but didn't cry). He was so sad he tipped his head forward to rest it on the table, but bumped it on the edge. Again, he didn't cry but the lip dropped even more. He left his forehead on the table, and little Sophie got off her chair, put her arm around him and started stroking his back. It was SO adorable! 

All worn out
Felix didn't recover too well after that. He was a little bit sad for the rest of the time we were there. He usually sleeps at that time and was very tired so, after his fruit, he lay down on the floor and almost fell asleep. I've never seen him do that before. He will usually soldier on even if he's sleepy, but he must have been exhausted today. I decided to take him home to bed. He only managed to stay awake for about two minutes after I put him in the car and then slept for almost three hours when we got home. It's obviously very tiring being a new Uncle!

Birthday girl x x x
Before I finish I would like to say a very Happy 3rd Birthday to Felix's beautiful friend, Sophie. It has been a pleasure to watch her learn and grow since we met her just after Felix was born. She is such a sweetheart and we love her to bits! x x x

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