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.
Hi! I'm a mommy to a wonderful special needs little boy in addition to be being a Christian and Network Marketer. I work for myself and control our time. And I am sharing our experiences in our everyday life.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
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....
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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....
.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
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. :)
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
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!!!!
Friday, April 5, 2013
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- AmazingB- 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.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
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.
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