What am I Celebrating this week?

What am I celebrating this week?

Peeing on the potty.
Snuggling on the couch while reading books and drinking milk.
Climbing up and down the stairs independently.
Learning the new routine at play gym.
Giving hugs and kisses.
Identifying the word "best" on the book "Red is Best".
Counting to 8 in order on her own.
Eating a whole hamburger.
Attempting to say her name.
Starting to regularly attempt sentences. They are not always intelligible, but it is the attempting of them that I am most proud of.

That's what I am celebrating. What about you?

Photo bomb

 Here's some photos from the last few months that I hadn't downloaded yet. And if anyone can tell me how to get the time stamp off of each picture on my lumix camera I'd be thrilled if you told me.

This is from Christmas time when my mom was visiting from Toronto. We made gingerbread cookies and decorated them together.

 Surprisingly, the icing was not done by Phoenix. 

An artist I am not.

And a few from Gymboree

Potty Training - Day 1

I'd say that the first day of potty training was a total success! We got 5 pees on the potty and Phoenix knows what we want her to do when we sit her on the toilet. The time where she sits and fiddles around before peeing has dramatically reduced from about 15 minutes to 1-2 minutes. This tells me that 1. She has figured out that she is supposed to pee when she sits on the potty and that 2. She is gaining better control of using her muscles. Both of these accomplishments are really good news in the potty training process!

I have read a lot the the low muscle tone can really delay potty training in kids with DS. Having low tone can mean that the way that our kids feel their muscles can be reduced. Phoenix is now at the upper end of the age range for potty training of typical kids. So the fact that she is showing interest and some level of control is very, very good news.

Will she be potty trained for when she goes to preschool in the fall? Who knows? But 5 pees in the potty is something to celebrate!