Back at Surrey Place

One thing I loved when I was on maternity leave was taking Carter and Nathaniel to Surrey Place for the weekly Music Group last fall. It was a chance for the boys to play with lots of cool toys, meet new friends, and for me to connect with other parents of kids with Down Syndrome and get some support and advice from the experts Surrey has to offer.

So I faced a real dilemma when I received an email from the program's co-ordinator, Dr. Anona Zimmerman, about bringing the boys for the spring session starting March 18. I mean, I'm back at work now, Nanny Karen doesn't drive and I couldn't expect her to schlep two toddlers all the way to College Street and University Avenue by herself. But I really think the boys enjoyed this group and I wanted them to rejoin so badly. So I decided that since I reached the 10-year mark with my company while I was on mat leave and got an extra 5 vacation days, I'd use a few to take advantage of this wonderful program. So I've submitted six half-day vacation requests (which my boss was nice enough to approve) and me, the boys and Karen headed out this morning.

There were lots of new faces at this group -- only Kyle and his mom Rachelle were familiar from the fall -- but that's OK. We made lots of new friends, most notably Zachary, who is also 15 months old, and Melinda, who decided Karen needed some hairstyling tips. We spent the first hour playing with Pilates balls, and occupational therapist Linda showed us how we could use them to speed up Nathaniels newly-emerging walking skills. Then it was song and story time with Barbara, which the boys gave their full and undivided attention to (although Carter wasn't too fond of being on the parachute).

All in all a great morning and I'm looking forward to the five more sessions we'll be able to attend. I only wish I could get to all of them!