Happy 11 Months, Mark!

Happy 11 months, Mark! How this happened, I am not quite sure. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were a figment of my imagination. And now I am watching you crawl on your belly from one corner of the room to a box of toys, and pull every single thing out of the box. You are a little hurricane, my friend. Nothing stands in your way!

The past month has been a busy month for Mark. Mark has nearly perfected the army crawl. And I say nearly perfected because he does not seem to like using his left leg while he is crawling - but that does not seem to slow him down in the least. He has also taken his crawl to the next level, climbing onto one step and over couch cushions. We have also been working hard on early cruising on the couch! If you follow us on social media, you have probably seen some of our videos of Mark hard a work.

We have been busy enjoying our summer too! We took a trip to the National Zoo in D.C. sporting our Make Your MARK shirts with pride in support of Mark and other individuals living with Down syndrome and their families.

Mark and Dad at the National Zoo

We have spent time in the pool with family and friends, and it turns out that Mark is quite the water baby. It is not uncommon for children with Down syndrome to have altered sensory processing which can result in sensory disturbances to various textures that neurotypical children and those without sensory processing disorders do not experience. For a while, Mark appeared to have a dislike of water, such as being in a bath. But, with water play and finding different ways to bathe him, he now loves the bath and also the pool. Maybe one day he will even be a swimmer!

We have also spent time with friends going to the park and picking fruit at an orchard. We even got to go on a carousel and ride on a small train with our friend, Harper, and her mom, Jess.

We are also really excited that Mark is eating table food by himself! And he sure does have an appetite. Pancakes and fruit for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and fish sticks and broccoli at dinner are some of his favorites. He is also drinking from a straw now, which is an important development in his oral motor function. Mark also got his first taste of some yummy treats: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and fruit sorbet.

And those little teeth keep coming in too. Mark has two teeth, one upper central incisor and one lower central incisor. It is not uncommon for children with Down syndrome to have a delayed eruption pattern, as well as missing or malformed teeth. Dental care is also very important for individuals with Down syndrome, who are at higher risk of periodontal disease.

Phew! It has been quite a busy month. We are really excited to see what this next month holds for Mark, Rachel and our family as we look forward to Mark's FIRST birthday! What a celebration it will be.

Happy 11 months, sweet boy!

We are so grateful to everyone for reading a little bit about our sweet guy. Please check out our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram @makeyourmarkdsawareness for more about Mark, our family, and to learn more about living a life with a little extra 21st chromosome!

Love,

Mommy and Mark