Happy Anniversary to Us

Easter Sunday also marked our 6th wedding anniversary. Tom took me for a yummy dinner out at Nobu at the Shore Club on South Beach Saturday night where we feasted on sushi (Tom) and 35-year-old super smooth and outrageously amazing sake (Sandy). At brunch on Sunday, Tom surprised me with cupcakes...it was a good start to a sweet year!

Happy Easter

Lucas started his Easter at school when they made floppy ears and played bunnies, followed by an egg hunt. Lucas in his giving nature, collected about 15 eggs, many of which he put into his friend's basket. Below he's pictured with one of his best friends (and crush), Cecilia.

Easter weekend got started at an egg hunt sponsored by the Gold Goast Down Syndrome Association of Broward at Tree Top Park. It was a lovely day filled with face painting, egg hunt, pizza (Lucas' new favorite food), a pony ride, and petting zoo. His big sister tagged along and nearly had as much fun watching Lucas' antics. He had a blast!

Easter Sunday included a leisurely brunch at Tom's new restaurant, Trina, in the Atlantic Hotel. I was joined by my sister, my niece, my BFF Liz, Tayler, Lucas, and my dad and his girlfriend, Beverly. While Tom ran around the kitchen and dining room ensuring the lovely brunch buffet was well stocked and everyone was enjoying themselves, we sipped on bloody marys and mimosas and indulged in the smorgasbord of seafood, including a ridiculous 8 lb. king crab that served as the center piece. Tom outdid himself. The weather was fantastic and the company was better. Lucas was sporting perhaps the cutest Easter outfit ever. Whata think?

Hope you had a great Easter too!

March Madness

March madness has little to do with basketball, and more to do with my current state of mind. Lots of activity. I'm hopeful things will settle down this fall when we sell the house and relocate based on work and school options for Lucas -- who is graduating from the Debbie School on June 11th. My baby is not a baby anymore, and it makes me a little sad, a little happy, but mostly proud of the little man he's becoming.

March was filled with ups and downs. On the 5th we lost my dear Tio Pepe who fought a courageous battle with cancer -- I was fortunate to spend some quality time with the family in the last few months of his life as I helped in whatever way I could while he received treatment at UM's Sylvester (the cancer center where I work). The photo below is of Lucas' Godfather, Armando (who is one of my best friends and like a brother to me), and Tio Pepe during a joyful Christmas Eve 2009. We love and miss you, Pepe.

After his 5-month work hiatus, on the 14th, Tom started his new job as executive chef of The Atlantic Hotel. So far, so good.

The 16th marked my 43rd birthday...am I officially middle aged? Nah! I started the day with a mani-pedi and lunch at Smith & Wollensky's (courtesy of my sister); at night, my mother-in-law, Gwen, flew in from the Seattle area and treated us to a lovely dinner at 15th Street Fisheries in the Ft. Lauderdale Marina -- I had my favorite, surf & turf! Lucas also fed the hungry tarpon and mahi-mahi which was a big treat and kept saying "more!" During Mom's visit we headed to Lion Country Safari for a day -- Lucas loved it, especially his camel ride. We also spent a little time on the beach, including an overnight stay at Tom's hotel. Not too shabby. Some photos are below...more to come.

I promise to be more active on my blog...it's been too long and let's face it, I'm not very good at cramming everything into a single post.

Spread the Word to End the Word

From an email I received today from Best Buddies:

Today Best Buddies, Special Olympics and supporters from across the world will unite in support of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign and encourage people to eliminate their use of the R-word in everyday speech.

Over the past few weeks our campaign to Spread the Word to End the Word has received significant momentum. We have received pledges from around the world, and last week alone received close to 10,000 pledges from people to end the R-word.

We cannot let this wave of momentum die; we need all of you to help us keep it going by:

1. Taking the pledge at www.r-word.org
2. Posting on Facebook:
"I took the pledge to end the R-word, have you? www.r-word.org."
3. Forwarding this message to your contacts and tell them why you want to
end the R-word and ask them to take the pledge.

The Hot Seat

Lucas had his first dentist appointment today. Tom prepped him for it all week and Lucas was actually excited about it this morning...he was showing off his teeth, his brushing skills, and opening his mouth when we told him "say ahhhh..." Little did he know what lay ahead.

According to Tom, Lucas entered the pediatric dentists' office with a lot of bounce in his step. Everything was cool until they asked him to lay back in the chair -- the picture below is the only one Tom managed to snap before he was asked to help hold Lucas down...poor beanie!

The good news is he doesn't have any cavities and his teeth look good. Kids with Down syndrome don't tend to have cavities, but are more prone to gum disease so we need to be diligent about cleanings. He will likely need to have some teeth pulled when his permanent teeth come in because he doesn't have much space up top -- I had four teeth pulled when I was a teenager so I can relate -- no fun, but it all worked out.

Anyway, seems Lucas got carried away with his clean, sparkly teeth and decided to use them on one of his schoolmates -- he left teeth mark on the poor kid's ear...the horror! Tom made Lucas apologize to Carter. When I got home and asked him what happened in school with Carter, he grabbed his ear and said "ear" and when I asked him if he bit Carter and then apologized, he answered "yes" to both. Tom was very stern with him and he's never demonstrated this type of behavior before so I certainly hope this is an isolated incident.

Enchanted Forest

Recent trip to the "Enchanted Forest" park not far from our neighborhood yielded pony rides (not as big and fancy a place as Lucas' usual hangout, but WAY closer), a playground, and some communing with nature. Here we are with this big ole banyon tree, minutes before we got kicked out because of Roscoe (apparently most Miami-Dade parks don't allow dogs).

Lucas enjoyed his first experience at Steak & Shake...where he instantly became a fan of the strawberry smoothy.

The Bigotry Behind the Word "Retard"

Tim Shriver (Chairman of Special Olympics) wrote an op-ed in today's Washington Post The bigotry behind the word "retard" -- countering this piece The case against banning the word "retard". Needless to say, the controversy over the use of the word is heated -- those who view the disability community's push for an end to the use of the word as limitations on our "freedom of speech" or even "censorship" vs. our community's strident efforts to strike the word's use because it's hurtful, offensive, and is building a dismissive attitude against those with intellectual disabilities.

On a personal note, I feel the term "mentally retarded" or any form of it, belongs to US as so eloquently pointed out by Diane Grover of the [Toronto] Canada Free Press in her essay It's personal; Grover is the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome. As painful as it sometimes is, it is something WE live with because although it does not define Lucas, it is a part of his genetic makeup. In the same way only black people are entitled (right or wrong) to use the n-word...it belongs to THEM and out of respect, those of us with no experience for the prejudice and pain it causes have no right to use it.

Here are a few excerpts from Shriver's piece:

• Seventy to 90 percent of people with intellectual disabilities in the United States are estimated to be unemployed.
• Special Olympics studies reveal that more than 60 percent of Americans don't believe that children with intellectual disabilities should be educated in their child's school.
• Investigations have revealed people with intellectual disabilities as the victims of abuse, indifference and negligent death.

But for our part, we are trying to awaken the world to the need for a new civil rights movement -- of the heart. We seek to educate people that a crushing prejudice against people with intellectual disabilities is rampant -- a prejudice that assumes that people with significant learning challenges are stupid or hapless or somehow just not worth much. They're, um, "retarded." And that attitude is not funny or nuanced or satirical. It's horrific.

In the end, all I want is for Lucas to have the same opportunities we are all entitled to as citizens of a free world. And, for that, I will fight the stigma, the hatred, the stereotypes that see him and others like him as a label, and I will speak up against the use of that ugly, ugly word.

More Pony, Please

Tom decided I had to see for myself Lucas' new obsession with horse riding. So, on this beautiful, sunny, cool South Florida winter day, we headed up to north Ft. Lauderdale to Tradewinds Park. Lucas enjoyed the playground before making a beeline for the ponies. Today, he was eager to get the helmet on as he knew it was bringing him one step closer to riding. He rode sweet Charlie for three trips around the stable. I was having technical difficulties with last weekend's video of Lucas' ride so if you didn't catch it, scroll down. We then headed to the mammoth Bass Pro Shop to check out the huge fish. We're now getting ready for the Super Bowl which is paralyzing Miami with tourists everywhere.

Getaway

Tom really has been enjoying some bonding time with Lucas lately. The silver lining in Tom's near four-month unemployment is all the time he's been able to spend with Lucas. They've been going out for day-trips the last couple of weeks. Today, they went to Morikami Museum and Garden featuring lots of bonsais, koi fish, flowers, and sculptures -- Lucas had a great time. They finished the day off with a pony ride -- Lucas' newest favorite thing to do.

Remembering Mom

Yesterday, February 5, was the fourth anniversary of my Mom's passing. In some ways it feels like yesterday and in others, like a lifetime. In the last few years of her life, she wasn't able to get around much, but she still enjoyed a good pizza. So to honor her, we had pizza for dinner.

Afterwards, we met my Dad at our favorite ice cream place growing up, Carvel in Hialeah on 49th street and 4th avenue -- the place has been there for about 50 years. My Dad and Lucas enjoyed their first Carvel soft-serve together. It was the perfect way to remember Mom.