Foot puppets for Kinderfrogs!

Good evening!

I just had an epiphany tonight. I want my son Charlie to attend Kinderfrogs. What is Kinderfrogs, you ask? Well, that's a great question. Kinderfrogs (Kinder meaning Children in German; Frogs - a little amphibian animal which is the mascot of TCU - Texas Christian University) is a school in our very own Fort Worth, just minutes away from my home, located at the TCU campus. It is DEDICATED to teaching children with Down's syndrome. Incredibly, this school is within a 5 minute drive! I absolutely want my little guy to go there one day. Actually, they start kiddoes at 18 months old through age 5. The program is a 5 day a week, Monday through Friday, full day program that helps our little ones learn everything from feeding themselves to potty training...from writing to reading...from running and jumping, to talking! I hope to start Charlie in the program at age 2. I enjoy working with him in our home until then. I teach him new things daily, from sign language to exercises that help him reach his milestones like rolling over, sitting up, feeding with a spoon, social interaction, reaching for toys, shaking, clapping, and countless other things that need extra attention when a child has a disability, like Down's syndrome.

So, here's my dilemma...the school is VERY expensive. I know that we have a little over a year to figure out how to find the funds. We could hope that it falls from the sky or that my husband creates a million dollar app idea; or that we win the lottery...or that suddenly everyone buys Legare furniture (legarefurniture.com) and the money starts to roll in.....OR I, mommy extraordinaire, ;) come up with a hot baby product that EVERYONE will want and NEED!

Ok, well, the last thought may not be so far fetched. Hear me out. Those who know me have probably heard many of my ideas/inventions... I'm always creating new things in my head. Most of the time they stay there (in my head). Other times, I share the ideas and don't do much else with them. And a very few times, I actually follow through, like writing my blogs, writing a children's book (hopefully to be published!), learning photography...ok, all that to say...I came up with a cute children's toy that my dear friend Margaret crafted for me, foot puppets!(patent pending)

The adorable, one of a kind, foot puppets are shown in my photos. We can make just about any characters you would like--except for those requiring a license, like Disney characters. But generic ideas like, frogs, dogs, cats, clowns, lions, Santa Clause...the list goes on and on! My goal is to sell enough foot puppets to pay for Charlie's tuition to Kinderfrogs! Sound like a crazy idea? Maybe, but I hope not! My husband is the nay-sayer on whether we can afford this school and doesn't quite believe I can contribute monetarily without a "full-time" job. I know we can't afford it right now (it's $14,000 a year!) but I can at least try to move the needle and get the funds rolling in. I don't care if I have to work three jobs, I want Charlie to have a good start in life. Kinderfrogs may be like college is for my older son, or it may be a stepping stone that will help Charlie attend college one day too!

I would like get orders from all over the country if I can! I might be crazy, but I'd be crazy for not trying on his behalf. Please pass on my blog, or post it to your Facebook page if you want to help and own an original "made in Fort Worth" toy that will delight any and all babies! Charlie LOVES his pair -- the crazy red-headed clown and the silly bald headed clown. :)) My son's future will be so much brighter with your help!

Foot puppets for Kinderfrogs!

Beginning again

Hello. I am writing this blog about my lovely children, Max and Charlie. I feel compelled to share our story and highlight the life and times of my two boys.

Our Story

Max was born in 2008 --he's a 2 and 1/2 year old, beautiful, sweet blond boy with a big heart. He and his doe eyes melt my heart every single day. He's my little man, my heart. I couldn't be prouder. The things he says; the stories he tells, the little comments he makes, the things he remembers is astounding. I'm convinced he's almost 5 in his development. He memorizes books and he knows so many nursery rhymes already...he sings his ABC's and is VERY polite --always says "please and thank you."

Charlie was born in 2010--6 months old. He too is my heart--each boy has one half. He is a beautiful, lively, energetic, baby boy with the most amazing smile in the whole wide world. He also melts my heart every day when I see his sweet little eyes and open mouth smile. He's very observant--he will look you in the eyes and hold a peaceful gaze; he's playful and laughing, "talkative" (almost singing!), and just so wonderfully "snuggly". Charlie is eating heartily and growing bigger every day. But there's something magical about Charlie. He has something most of us do not have. He has an extra chromosome in his number 21 set of chromosomes --giving him 47 total rather than the 46 most of us have. So in number 21 he has three instead of two. They call this "birth defect" Down's syndrome. Specifically, Down's syndrome, trisomy 21. I don't like to think of it as a birth defect at all, I like to say he was "genetically enhanced with Down's syndrome" --as another mommy of a child with Down's syndrome has put it. So, Charlie's growth and milestones will be under a microscope due to his condition. He will endure a life of testing, monitoring, coaching, therapies, and already one major surgery--fixing a hole in his tiny heart. Having been through the heart surgery already and coming out of it with flying colors, I just know he'll handle everything with stride, confidence, strength and resilience. And I will be holding his hand every step of the way.

Something tells me that Max and Charlie will be close one day. Not only are they kindred spirits, they are kin, only 2 years apart. Max is the kind of kid who seems very compassionate and loyal. To me, he lights up a room when he enters it. He has exhibited these qualities since he was very young --15 months or so. Once he took a toy ( a baby toy ) that he had in his toy box and offered it to a neighbor mommy for her new baby. He could barely talk but said, "for the baby." Max was born to be a friend and now a big brother.

Baby Charlie has very similar qualities. I can see it already. Incredibly, moms have a sense of her child, even as an infant. Heck, even before they're born, mothers have a sense of who is inside us. Charlie has a magnetic personality and absolutely beams when surrounded by others. But he and Mommy have a very, very special bond. He's survived a rather difficult pregnancy...my dear mother battled, and lost, to cancer during his entire 9 month gestation--she fought and beat Leukemia, then the doctors' discovered she had another stage 4 cancer in her body (esophageal cancer); she passed away only 2 weeks prior to Charlie's birth; in addition, I had a tear in my placenta and asked to slow down, so I rested for 2 weeks; I had a severe cold during that involved several weeks of a relentless cough....and lastly, my doctor expressed concerns about Charlie --whether he might have Down's syndrome or not, so they sent me to a high risk ob-gyn for testing. So needless to say, I was worn out and felt sorry for my unborn baby who I felt had a less than perfect situation to be born into. My heart ached that he couldn't hear his mother singing and laughing; but rather heard her crying and coughing. But that was how it was. I miss my mother and felt devastated in losing her. So, my baby experienced that with me.