Puppy Love
After Joshua passed we got a Golden Retriever to be a therapy dog for Kate. “Maggie” also was very laid back dog and devoted to Katie. Then eight years later, Katie lost her beloved dog, Maggie. Maggie was her whole life, her everything! She slept with her in bed, went on an airplane to Phoenix, Arizona for a wedding and frequently to the grocery store and even to church. Thank you, St. Columbkill, for letting Maggie in.
Above is pictured Katie with our dog, Joshua. When Katie was 1 year old and just learning how to crawl, Joshua became her coach. She delighted in our dog and tried over and over again to crawl, but her muscle tone in her legs and core body held her back. I solved the problem by putting Katie on a large skate board laying her down on her belly. She immediately used her arms to “skate” across the floor to reach Joshua. Her ability to use her arms helped her to reach her destination while also exercising her mind to develop. Josh was the kindest and most laid back dog that he didn’t mind her attentions at all.
We surprised Katie two weeks ago with a new puppy, Cocoa, an eight week old German Shorthair Pointer, the same breed of dog as Joshua. What a great surprise.
We went out to Lancaster County to an Amish homestead who had a litter of 8 pups. Two Amish teenagers owned the parents of the pups and had one litter a year. We wanted a male dog who was solid liver similar to a chocolate lab.
This morning on January 28th, Katie wrote me a short note on a scrap of paper and left it at my placemat during breakfast. This is what she wrote: “Cocoa barking too loud. Keeps jumping on me. I really love it”! Well, what’s not to love about a puppy? These types of moments in our family life really bring us joy. We will be hard at work training this little puppy, full of energy and. . . well you know . . . making little messes on the floor.
I ask you to reflect on the fact that Katie, in spite of Down syndrome, can read on a third grade level, can write and spell correctly most of the time. She is really skilled on the computer and loves spell-check. She also loves the suggested words to type as most programs do, but often they do not represent what she wanted to say. Of course we have safety blocks on her computer for her own safety. She does text many people, but that is another story.
Katie got most of her computer skills attending John Paul II Center for learning in Shillington, Pa. Of course husband computer guru, John, helped her with the technical issues. More on that to come also. We thank everyone at John Paul II for all your efforts to help Katie become the competent and confident person that she is.
“Katie with Violin” is an image that depicts my daughter, Katie, at age four who has Down syndrome. No, she does not play the violin, she is just “playing” with the violin. I caught her doing this one day and just had to capture it. The image is a black & White print in one size small 5” x 7”. Sizes are suitable for framing in standard frames. Product DOES NOT INCLUDE MAT OR FRAME. Purchase mat separately.
MYTH: All people with Down syndrome have a severe cognitive disability.
TRUTH: Most people with Down syndrome have a mild to moderate cognitive disability, or intellectual disability. This is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses. Be considerate of the extra time it might take a person who has a disability to get things done or said.
NDSS National Down Syndrome Society:
https://ndss.org/myths-truths#myth-most-children-with-down-syndrome-are-born-to-older-parents
“Katie & Joshua” depict my daughter Katie with her dog Joshua. Katie took a long time to learn how to crawl and walk. Joshua encouraged her to “catch” him, thus her motivation was key to her crawling and walking. Print comes in one size 5” x 7”. Product DOES NOT INCLUDE MAT OR FRAME. Purchase mat separately.
Psalm 139:13 - 14. You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.
Psalm 139:14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.
Genesis 24 -31 Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened: 25 God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.[g] Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.