Jeremiah's 1st Horse Show

This past weekend Jeremiah competed in his 1st horse show. It was quite an adventure. The place he rides at had several events going on. They had a group go before his so he competed with the second group of kids. Jeremiah competed in a group of  four kids. He got forth place but it was his first horse show and his time riding Flash. Right after his event he did a course that included several task.  It was awesome. He did a great job.  At the horse show he received two ribbons.  After he completed his two events, he spent a good bit of time running around so it was time to leave.  He has a very short attention span so we enjoyed the event as long as he was able to.  It was still a enjoyable event for all.

Busy Fun Weekend or Relaxing Weeked!!!

Lets talk about weekends in my shoes.  Our weekends are actually no different than yours. So our weekends can be jammed packed with fun outings or lazy weekends in.  Weekends do have some differences, such as we try to avoid waiting by doing activities early, if the weather seems to not fit with outdoor activities we skip those, and we don't over do. On the other had, I love to feel our weekends with fun stuff to do this time of year but it is unseasonably cold here.  Its not in the 30s or anything but colder than usual and we like it to be warmer to play outside.  I am very cold natured. As I'm typing this, I am wearing pants and long selves with a light jacket and our heat is on.  This is very surprising for the beginning of May.  Last weekend, we had many options for outdoor activities such as going to the zoo, Clemmons Community Day, River Oaks Church fun day, and Kid's Fest for kids with special needs.  That was just choices for Saturday.  The temperature was nice last weekend but it was very cloudy and rain was in the forecast for Sunday.  It looked as if the yucky weather may come in early.  Jeremiah does not do well with change or waiting so instead of chancing this we decided to stay in and enjoy some peace and quiet family time.  We made cookies and watched movies.  This weekend is even colder.  On Saturday, this weekend we could of went to the Dash ball field for a kids day but instead we played with blocks, blew bubbles inside, went to lunch with my sister, went to the mall to ride the carousal, and played basketball outside for a short period of time.  Today is even colder than yesterday.  We made waffles, watched cartoons, I enjoyed apple cider, we had pie, and later we will have sloppy joe sandwiches.  Right now everyone is napping.  I love relaxing days but I ready for fun in the sun and playing outside.  Hopefully some cookouts, friends, family, and some trips. Warm weather should be just around the corner.  For now, I will settle with relaxing and enjoying today along with making plans for Summer. 

Earth Day and Special Olympics Week!

This past week Jeremiah celebrated and participated in both activities for earth day and special Olympics on top of his usual busy schedule and a few extra surprises put in there.  Can you say we had an overwhelming week and his behavior was a major issue all week sadly to say.  On Monday, Jeremiah went to school and got in trouble after a wonderful week the previous week.  Monday is our easy day and I got some new clothes for work. We have no after school activities. Than Tuesday came around and we got up and going about our busy day.  In addition to normal Tuesday activities, Jeremiah went with school to the Special Olympics.  After school we picked Jeremiah up and went to horseback riding.  There was wreck coming back so it took longer than usual to get home so we had a late dinner.  Jeremiah once again did not have a good day at school but at the Special Olympics was good.  My baby was also on Fox 8 news that night. It made Jeremiah famous.  He happened to walk in front of the camera with his class when the news was shooting a clip on the Special Olympics. Wednesday, Jeremiah went to school and rode a bus to Wake Forest for day two of the Special Olympics.  His family joined him at Wake Forest to enjoy a special day and support him in  a track event and a softball throw.  In the softball throw he got fourth place and in the track event he got sixth place but he had been running all morning.  After his events, we left and he went back to school to have a not great rest of the day.   After school we pick him and take him to therapy.  He had speech and occupational therapy after school. Three days into the week and I'm tired already.  I was suppose to start a job on Thursday but they called and said my background check has not came back yet.  Hope to start soon though. On Thursday, Jeremiah went to school and again did not have a awesome day but than we went to therapy again.  On Thursday, he had speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.  Such a busy day.  And now we are on to Friday.  Jeremiah had school and that's it.  Nothing to do after school. Yay! This school week should of been full of fun but is depressing me from hearing that my son is not having good days at school. Hopefully the next week will be better for my little ball of energy at least he had a lot going on at school and we also had a special house guest because her mom had twins.  This may have thrown his week off a bit more.  Glad it is over and now we can more on to our weekend and hopefully better weeks to come.  The school year is quickly coming to an end.

Jeremiah on the news: http://on.myfox8.com/KdAGhaZ

Prior School Week!

The other week was short and sweet :)  I would love to have more weeks like it. Monday he was not feeling well so he stayed home from school and went to the doctor.  Jeremiah was having issues with allergies.  The doctor put him on a second allergy medicine.  Both medicines have a side affect that cause sleepiness.  And boy do they make him sleepy.  After his doctor appointment, I had a email about a job that I had applied for that morning.  I emailed back and got a interview for that afternoon.  The interview went so well that I got hired on the spot. The next morning Jeremiah got up and was extremely fussy and moody.  After debating back and fourth, we got him in the car and took him to school.  We let him decide when he got to school, if he wanted to go and he got out and went in with no problems.  Much to my surprise Jeremiah had an amazing day at school and then after school he did horseback riding.  While he was at school, I got m tb test done for work.  Wednesday we were back in full swing of our week but with Jeremiah being more drowsy than I'm use to.  School went great and then we had therapy after school.  During Jeremiah's school day on Wednesday, I got my fingerprints done.  Thursday was magical also, with him having a good day at school and than going to therapy.  Wahoo, I'm one happy mama. While Jeremiah was at school on Thursday, I went to the doctor to get my tb test read and I went to turn in my paperwork for my new job.  I'm getting so excited. Just one day left of the school week.  On Friday, he was suppose to go to the Zoo with school.  The weather here was not going to be awesome.  Actually it was calling for rain and we had some tornado warnings.  Jeremiah does not do well with change so we stayed home.  It did not rain but we had a relaxing day.  This week may have been the best week of school so far.  So proud of my little mess.

In the beginning... My Pregnancy!!!!

Ok, here goes my roller coaster story of my pregnancy with Jeremiah.  In this portion I will explain me finding out I was pregnant with my son, my pregnancy, the birth of my first and only child at the present time, and my hospital stay....  In more post I will explain his hospital stay.  This is all very exciting information to share now but at the time it was all very overwhelming all while going from a teen to a new mom and all the emotions involved.  As I look back, I now realize it was all apart of God's plan. Every mother and their child's story is different just as every pregnancy and every child is different.  I hope everyone enjoys this exert from our life- from if you have a child with Down Syndrome or if you just enjoy reading.  It is an amazing story.

I was eighteen when I found out I was pregnant and was going to have a baby.  As a late teenage, I had just graduated high school, enrolled in the local community college (Forsyth Technical Community College), looking forward to starting at two year school and than transferring to a four year school (the school in particular- Liberty University), and was having lots of fun.  I was very involved in church and was very surprised.  At Forsyth Technical Community College, I was going to get my associates in Applied Science in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Special Education.  Special needs children are my passion and have been since high school.  The same month I was to start classes I found out I pregnant. To say the least 2004 was a big year in my life.  In May I graduated and in August I found out I was pregnant.  I planned my first doctor appointment. I found this to be a scary moment in my life.  Little did I know I would have many more scary moments during my pregnancy and after my child was born.  I faced things like how to tell my parents, what was going to happen next, and many other thoughts.  I had morning sickness really bad.  I will never forget the day my parents found out about my pregnancy (my buddle of joy).  I was in the shower puking my guts out and my mom was in bed with a hurt back.  She heard me getting sick and wanted to know what was going on.  That was the moment that I told my mom, my mom immediately told my dad to get a pregnancy test.  I than preceded to tell her that I had already took a pregnancy test two days before and it was positive.  My mom yelled, was mad, and began to call to tell everyone she knew.  My dad was my comforter.  He told me everything would be okay and hugged me.  A few weeks after letting my parents in on my big secret, I had my first OBGYN appointment scheduled to see how my pregnancy was going.  A couple days before the appointment, I woke up in a puddle of blood on 8/19/2004.  It was one of the scariest moments of my life.  I was deeply upset and scared I had miscarried.  My mom helped my though this tough experience by jumping into action and calling my doctors.  The doctor office got me in for an emergency appointment.  At the doctor office, the nurse checked me out, we listened to the heart beat, and did a ultrasound. The baby looked fine and I felt at ease.  At this time my mom calmed down about my pregnancy and was excited to be involved in all my appointments.  And that was my first doctor appointment.  More to come later... Keep checking back to follow this amazing but lengthy story....
.

Jeremiah's Week!

Wow!!! It’s Saturday already. This week has flown by. I guess you figured it out. It was easier to get back in the swing of things this week than I thought. We made it through our busy schedule with minor problems and lots of surprises.

This is an overview of our week. Monday, he got up and went to school with no problems. He had a great day with no timeouts. To say the least, his teachers and I was surprised. One of the teacher assistants said that no all of the kids had such a good day on the first day after Spring break. He even did well at dinner, when we ate out. Tuesday, meet us with ups and downs. He had to go to time out three times on Tuesday. I'm not surprised. We have many ups and downs. He did great when we went to ride horses despite his instructor being out and another child having a seizure. The seizure was another situation all together. The boy had a habilitation technician and his mother with him. I didn't realize that some mothers forgot their responsibility when they have someone work with their child. The mother stayed on the phone carrying on with her conversation while the person working with the child did all the work. To say the least I got ticked. The mother may be used to the child's seizures but that is still or child and you don't know how much time you will get to spend with any person. To me, God gave me Jeremiah. He gave him to me for a reason. I believe that God thought I could handle him and that I am to take care of him, not some strangers. Now family is another story. My mother does her fair share of watching and helping with Jeremiah but I don't plan to depend on others for this. I understand that you may need outside help for when you can't be there for you child but this mother was nearby and did not even seem to be one bit concerned and I understand that others will care for your child when they are school and that is different also. Jeremiah goes to school also. But please act like you care about your children especially when they need you. After horseback riding, we went to my grandmothers and spent some time with her. Jeremiah adored her neighbor’s baby and even held the little girl. We went home and had a little picnic outside to eat dinner so that Jeremiah could also play basketball while he ate. Basketball is love. That was a long Tuesday but now we made it to Wednesday. Wednesday he had a better day at school, with no timeouts. After school, Jeremiah got a smoothie for good behavior and pawpaw went to therapy with us. He had speech and occupational therapy. Can you say I'm already exhausted? Even writing this makes me exhausted. Thursday, he got up and went to school. He did go to time-out one time on Thursday but I found the reason to be humorous. My little one decided he wanted to be the teacher. He is very bossy and an only child. On Thursday, all day he wanted to be the teacher so they had to put him in time-out but he did do his school work. That’s the important thing. After school Thursday, his therapy schedule was upside down. One therapist had an emergency and another was sick. Instead of having speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, we had a little break and we just occupational therapy with a different therapist and physical therapy. Jeremiah caught a little bit of break. After therapy my mom had to get a tire replaced so we had dinner, got the tire fixed, and ice cream. On Friday, he had another good day at school so he played basketball with pawpaw and had pizza for dinner. Thank goodness for a better week than expected at school. We have extremely busy weeks.

As for me, during the day I was busy looking for a job and cleaning. In addition I did go to the doctor with my mom and a woman's get together. So I didn't do too much but enough. One of these days I will have to go back to work. Hopefully, I will find a wonderful opportunity that works in the best interest of everyone.

I have some thoughts on why we may have had a better week after Spring break. He could be finally adjusting to the routine. It takes Jeremiah a really long time to adjust to new situations and this year he is at a new school with new teachers and new kids in his class. Everyone around him is new from office people to cafeteria workers to janitors. Jeremiah was well known at his old school. Another reason that he might be improving at school is that after the holidays, his class added an additional teacher that he identifies well with. He is paired with her and his days even before Spring break were getting better. Jeremiah seems to like her best out of all his teachers. Jeremiah also started horseback riding about two months ago. It is said to be really calming and relaxing. He absolutely loves horseback riding. Jeremiah rides one day a week for an hour and it is about the longest I have ever seen him sit still with the exception to going to the movies. In addition Jeremiah also started children’s Omega-3 vitamins. We started out with dose on the bottle but after some research we increased to the dose recommended for children with ADD or ADHD. He currently is taking 600mg which is the same dose that children take with ADD and ADHD. Jeremiah's behavior seems to overall be improving. I am guessing that it is a combination of it all. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this point. I’m happy for improvements in Jeremiah’s behavior for whatever reason it may be. :)

End of Spring!

Yesterday, I was stuck on the thoughts that Spring break is almost over but today my thoughts are more on focused on preparing for the school week that is ahead of us. On top of getting back in the grove of things and dealing with Jeremiah’s busy schedule, we also have to be prepared for a week of challenging behaviors as he adjust back to his school routine.  I sometimes wish we could prove that Jeremiah loses information by not going to school year round but I can’t.  The fact of the matter we spend a lot of time with Jeremiah adjusting to going school and the routine.  This year we have dealt with lots of behavior issues and every time we get adjusted then we face another break. Wahoo, no school again. But we made it through it all.

So this week will be a busy hectic one for Jeremiah.  Not only will he go to school Monday through Friday, he will be busy after school. Tomorrow maybe we will get a treat as a reward for us making it through day one.  Dewey’s has free cake squares on Monday.  Tuesday will consist of school and horseback riding. Both Wednesday and Thursday will consist of school and therapies and after all that we make it back to Friday.  Monday and Fridays are the only days we don’t have anything scheduled.  While he is at school, I will spend my time exercising, cleaning, looking for a job, reading, looking into summer camps and some classes to improve my skills. Even though I currently do not have a job, I do find plenty of stuff to keep me busy and his school day flies by. Yay!!! Tomorrow is the beginning again of busy full days that I love and would not trade for anything in this world.

Tomorrow, I will take him to school and remind him to be good and listen to his teachers.  Although, I realize this is almost a joke.  He gives his teachers literally a run for their money.  Jeremiah is what many refer to as runner.  I can always hope that he will be good and have I hopes that he will but I will not be surprised when he is not.  This has been the story of this school.  So as many parent look forward to their kids going back to school this week, I in a way will be dreading and the fact that I will pick him up and most likely find a note about him not listening.  As the week goes on, he’s behavior may get better or than again it may take another week before he gets back in the swing of things.  Good news is that the kids only have one day of no school left before the end of school year so this last chunk of a break is the end.  We have made to the end and it is an uphill battle from here.  Hopefully the end will bring us better behavior as we do not have breaks left.  It takes all year to get through all the breaks and we have made it.  The end is near.

I will dearly miss him as he returns to school but I know it is good for him. Tomorrow we go back to the fast pace life and to behavior issues but the year is almost over.  One step at a time and one day at time till we get to the end.  Summer will be here before we know and then hopefully days filled with fun.

Spring Break, Next Summer Fun!

As Spring break comes to an end, I find myself longing for summer break and days filled with spending the day with my son.  We made many great memories this week but then I’m reminded that I am currently unemployed and hopefully well before Summer I will have a job. This is the first time since he was a baby that I had Spring break off to spend with my son.  We spent our days spending time together indoors, having Easter fun, going to a couple parks, eating out, spending time with great friends, an outing to Chuck E Cheese, getting new glasses, and just having fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed all this time with him and am finding this season of my life to be a blessing.  My son is growing up entirely too fast and I want spend more time with him.  I am hoping to somehow find the best of both worlds. Hoping for something that is flexible but a better opportunity overall. My son has therapies several times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). He receives speech, occupational, and physical therapy along with horseback riding.  As a single parent, I feel a strong need to be involved with these therapies. I am looking at my unemployment as a new opportunity that God has given me for a better life.  Not sure where He is taking me.  As I look forward to long Summer days with my son, I know that I will be searching for a job that I hope becomes a career for me or prepares me for something better. On top of searching for the perfect job that offers me many new opportunities, I will also be searching for summer camps for my son.  Summer camps are challenge to find that will meet his needs.  Our current biggest need is he is not potty trained.  This will come in time but I need a camp that will accommodate this need.  O the challenges of being a parent in general, a single parent, and a parent to a child with special needs. I love my life though and would not change anything. Following my heart and searching for what best for both of us. Hopefully we can squeeze in lots of family fun, some day trips, visit some new places, and take a trip for a week or maybe a few weekend trips.  Summer quickly approaching for everyone (kids and adults) and there is a lot to do.  And not let the searching and planning begin!!!!

Describing My Son

This is lying heavy on my heart.  Jeremiah is a person and more importantly a kid first.  Down Syndrome does define him but lots of characteristics that you see in you and I and others define him.  Yes your right, Down Syndrome is part of him but not at all who he is. You see God made him extra special by giving him an extra chromosome.  That also gives me more to love and he is not a bit shy about which he is.  He is not afraid to be himself and let all those wonderful characteristics that describe him come out like many of us are.  I thought it would be nice to use the alphabet to describe him.

A- Amazing
B- Brave
C- Cute
D- Daring
E- Energetic
F- Fighter
G- Giving
H- Happy
I- Independent
J- Jealous
K-Kissable
L- Loving
M- Memorable
N-Nosy
O- Optimistic
P- Perfect (the way God made him)
Q- Quick
R- Retentive
S- Smart
T- Touching
U- Unique
V-Vocal
W- Welcoming
X- Xenodochial
Y- Young
Z- Zesty

Not: This is not my picture but one going around facebook and the same is true for those with Down Syndrome of any disability.

The Meaning Behind A Special Kids Name: Jeremiah 29:11

Before my son was born his father and I debated on names for our angel. We had several in mind. The ones that came to mind early on included using Michael, David, and William in different combinations. They were all special to me. David came from my dad, Michael came from my cousin who had passed away in a motorcycle accident, and William came from my grandfather who passed away when I was young. These are all important men in my life and meant a lot to me. For whatever reason that only God knows Jeremiahs dad decided that we should use a biblical name for our son. At which point Jeremiah came to mind because Jeremiah 29:11 is his dad’s favorite bible verse. What a wonderful reason to name our son Jeremiah with great things in mind for him. During my pregnancy I did not know that Jeremiah would be special needs and nor did any concern cross my mind because I have always that a child is a child first and God never gives us more than we can handle. To this day, I do not if this bible verse still has lots of meaning to Jeremiah's dad or not as he is not involved with our son but I know it has special meaning to me and my son.

Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I used the New International Version to get this verse.

For this means a lot to me. It means that even though I got pregnant young, had a child out of wedlock, and struggled a lot that God still loves me. Not only does He love me but He has a plan for me. A plan that even though I look at my life and it's not where I thought it would be in any way shape or form but His plan is not to harm me. I'm still alive, happy, and working hard to get to where I need to be and I hope that I am going in the direction that God wants me to be. I am starting to feel more content and happier that I am doing His will. In saying all that the verse also tells us He gives us hope and a future and I have lots of both of these. I am truly blessed with all God has given me and trusted me with. God never gives us more than we can handle and he knows how strong we are but He sure does like to test my strength and I'm a lot stronger than I could have ever imagined. Today, I am very happy with where I am at and am thankful that God has a plan for my future.

For Jeremiah this means that his life is in God’s hands. And God is going to prosper his life and not harm. God is going to watch over him. Jeremiah's mommy can have hope that Jeremiah will have an amazing future that only God can give him. Jeremiah may not understand this verse yet but it is still important to him. His name came from this verse in particular and God gives us so much hope for his future and our future from this one verse.  I believe that God picked this name for him and put it in our hearts to name him Jeremiah.  A special kid needs a special name that gives him and his family hope a bright for future for him.

This verse is very important to my family and I hold it close to my heart. I find it not only a great verse for me and my son to live by but it is a wonderful verse for everyone to live by. God puts hope in all of our hearts. God has a plan for each of our lives and it is one to prosper each of us and not harm us. My son's name has special meaning to us and it is a daily reminder that God has a plan for me and he is taking care of us. I am thankful for so much he has done for me.

 

Hi! Welcome to my Blog :)

Hi! Welcome to my blog.  My name is Tonya Simmons.  I am 27 years old.  This blog is to honor my son's life.  His name is Jeremiah Adams.  He is a truly amazing eight year old boy with Down Syndrome. For many years, I have wanted to write a book about his story and my story but my blog is smaller scale way to write our story.  A book cannot be wrote over night to encourage others but a blog can be wrote one post at a time and with a sense of what is going on at that time with lots of feelings put into it. I know this is a short opening but I'm ready to get writing.  In the coming days, I hope to provide everyone with some history of Jeremiah's Journey and how we got  to where we are today. Before, I close I would like to say thank you to those helped or encouraged me in starting this blog. Some of those include Leslie Branch, Melva Winters, and Amber Alexander.