Different Iz Good™

iPhone Speaker Accessory Tip – Jawbone

Camilla — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:30:16 +0000

Team TLC (for those that don’t know … that’s Thomas, Lillian and me – Camilla) had lunch the other day with Kathy and Caitlin Fuetsch. I met these two lovely ladies last March 2011 during our Vino for Voices fundraiser. Caitlin, who is in her 20′s, suffered a stroke a couple of years ago and uses an iPhone with Proloquo2Go to speak with. During our lunch visit at the Fuetsch Casa, Caitlin typed in something to say to me and pressed speak. I was blown away because I could hear it clearly and ALL throughout the house! Kathy had bought Jawbone JAMBOX (amazon affiliate link) for use in the house and it is AMAZING!!! She can even hear it when she’s upstairs and Caitlin is downstairs. I told Lillian we need one of these and she said “Yes. I can use it to ask you where you are and you’ll hear me!!” This child is obsessed with knowing where I am at all times! Check it out!

Just Keep Swimming

Camilla — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:08:45 +0000

Different iz Good . . . Not easy . . . But Good and Beautiful and Magical …. -Camilla Downs

Different iz Beautiful

Camilla — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:54:48 +0000

Different iz Good . . . Different iz Beautiful! We love Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposure! Celebrate the beauty of genetic differences – take a few minutes to watch this – you’ll be happy you did!

Help From Friends

Camilla — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:53:17 +0000

“To the world you may not be much, but to one person, you might just be the world.”

Friends can make all the difference in the world! -Alisha —

Open Our Hearts and Minds

Camilla — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:31:49 +0000

Be ready to open your eyes, ears, minds and hearts! You never know what kinds of doors will be opened when you do! -Alisha Marie Peters

Shining Star

Camilla — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:55:50 +0000

“Shine your light and nurture the light of those entrusted to your care.” - Camilla Downs

“You’re a Shining Star, No Matter Who You Are ….” Earth Wind & Fire

Find the Sunshine

Camilla — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:22:35 +0000

Smile

Camilla — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:51:45 +0000

Nonverbal

Camilla — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:05:12 +0000

A Glimpse at a Different Family

Alisha — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:45:19 +0000

(Guest Contributor Alisha Marie Peters – Alisha blogs at The Moments That Change Everything)

Being a parent of a special needs child, I know that people often wonder about us. I know that we are often looked at with pity, and this saddens me the most, because we are in on “the secret”…. having these special little souls we’ve been lucky enough to raise has given us an inside scoop on the meaning of what life is really all about.

Sure it’s hard sometimes, because there are certain things that definitely set us apart from “typical” families….

We spend our money on very different things- therapy, medications, medical equipment, adaptations to our homes and vehicles, special food (formula), countless medical bills!

Taking a trip anywhere is very different…. especially vacations. And I could never dream to take a vacation somewhere with my husband and leave my girl with someone. Couldn’t expect anyone to do the stuff we do…. administering her dozen or so medications everyday, including one by injection. Making her special formula and prepping it for her g-tube because she can’t eat much by mouth and is severely allergic to a lot of foods. And heaven forbid if that tube comes out of her stomach (and unfortunately it does… a lot!), her dad and I are the only ones who have ever replaced it. And then there’s the worry that something would go wrong- when she gets sick… it’s different…. a lot of the time she needs a hospital stay… But we do take vacations…. we just take our girl and half our home with us!

We see our kids get left out a lot…. but that’s why we try harder to make up for that.

But we have learned to appreciate things a lot more. Sure all parents are excited when their kids hit certain milestones, but for us, when a lot of us have been told that there’s a chance our kids might not do these things… then it’s like moving mountains to us.

We also appreciate every moment of every day, because a lot of us don’t know how much time we’ll have with these precious kids. Every day truly is a miracle.

My daughter makes life easier with her attitude. She is honestly the happiest child I have ever known, and being in the education field, that is really saying something! It is remarkable to me that despite the fact that she goes through way more than most would in a lifetime, she still has the best attitude imaginable! Makes it that much easier for me to have a good attitude too.

So, yes we are different from most families….

But, as you can see we’ve come to the conclusion that different is not so bad!

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