A new blog.

I started a new blog. I know what you guys are thinking... How can I have 2 blogs when I can't even keep up with one?! This one is not for posting. I now have an online gallery of my artwork. It is only a few samples, but hopefully over time it will grow. J. Tryon Gallery is located at http://jtryongallery.blogspot.com/

Thanks Justin and Becky!!

I wanted to thank Justin and Becky for letting Amelia and me stay at their place. It was wonderful!! Also, thanks for being my personal taxi everywhere. You guys are the best!! I wish we could have spent more time with you. Hopefully Jeremy and Mary can come next time and we can have a chance to visit and see more of the city. Thanks for everything!! We Love you!!

"We're More Alike Than Different"

"Imagine being among thousands who share your deepest passions and concerns. Imagine finding all the information you need on your most important challenges in a single place. Imagine it all coming amid a spirit of friendship, joy and celebration. And, imagine all that in a vital city steeped in history and offering exciting recreational opportunities." (ndsc.org)

July 11th - July 13th I had the opportunity to attend the 36th annual National Down Syndrome Congress Convention in Boston. I had the most amazing time!! Amelia and I went to Boston and stayed with Justin (Jeremy's Brother) and Becky, while Jeremy stayed home with Mary. I learned a lot and met some amazing people and self-advocates. I heard many youth and young adults share their personal stories of success. I met artists, authors, actors, chefs, musicians, college graduates, and soon to be newly-weds all with Down Syndrome. I was able to connect with a world renouned trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) research geneticist who was thrilled to meet me and eager to help Jeremy and me out in our search for answers. I was able to attend many helpful and informative workshops.

One of the best parts of the trip was being able to catch up with some of my Downsyn.com friends.

Some of the kiddos from Downsyn...







Some of the parents from Downsyn.com...






Self-Advocates (typical adults with Down syndrome, who talk of the day-to-day fabric of their lives and show the world that they are regular people leading regular and valuable lives.)...

Austin and Christi (getting married in 2009) holding Aleena (friend from Downsyn)



Ashley (lead actress in the movie Mr. Blue Sky) holding Amelia



Corbin (18 yr old artist)



Connor (Author of "America" a book on American history) and his mom.


Brad (highschool sports allstar in the highschool hall of fame)


Jessica (self-advocate) holding Amelia


One of the highlights was the Banquet on Saturday night that was followed by a dance. Chris Burke from the tv show Life Goes On was the DJ. It was a great party! I am so thrilled that I had the opportunity to attend the convention this year and can't wait until next years. Never before in my life have I been surrounded by a group of people so loving, pure, and full of joy than those who attended the convention. I am so blessed to have been introduced to this world. I have learned more about tolerance, overcoming obstacles, and love than I ever thought I would.

Happy 4th!!

Every year for many years now we have been invited to celebrate the 4th of July at my friend's parents house. They have a cookout with lots of food while the kids play in the backyard. Once the sun goes down, the fireworks show begins. The show is always amazing, but this year my friend's dad went all out! He always goes just accross the state line and this year he spent almost $1000 on fireworks. Mary was a little freaked out by the sound and spent most of the night watching from inside with the other kids her age (they were scared, too.) Amelia loved it and watched in awe. My parents were able to come and share the night with us. I saw some old friends and met some new ones. It was a great night and a great celebration.

Green Up Your Clean Up

My new favorite book! Although with an extra chromosome comes extra cuteness, unfortunately, so does an increased risk of many health problems, including autoimmune disorders, respiratory problems, and leukemia (just to name a few.) My girls already suffer from allergies (family trait, not DS) and respiratory problems. I can not do much about their predisposition, but I can try and help them be as healthy as possible. I am trying to be really good about the toxins that my family is exposed to. We eat no food containing partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat), try to stay away from all colored dyes and preservatives, and generally most processed food. Of course, the occasional McDonald's Happy Meal is a welcomed treat to Mary. I also use all-natural soaps and shampoos that contain no fragrance (a nickname for harmful toxins that have been linked to cancer.) My latest change has been cleaning products. I threw out every chemical cleaning product that I own and made my own. The book, Green Up Your Clean Up by Jill Potvin Schoff, is an amazing resource and made it super simple. It lists all of the harmful toxins that we take into our home (and intern into our bodies) and gives natural alternatives. I have been blown away at the cleaning ability of these products! Among my favorites is a mildew and germ killer made with essential oils and water. One may think that if you avoid eating or drinking chemical cleaners then you avoid taking them in your body. The truth is that you can absorb chemicals in many ways... your skin (the largest organ in the body, therefore anything that touches it can be absorbed and goes into your blood stream) and your lungs (even if you use do not use a spray, liquid chemical products release gases that can suspend in the air for long periods of time.) But the government regulates these things, right? Wrong! Currently in the U.S. there are almost no regulation of chemicals used in the home (the only exception is pesticides.) One last thought and then I will get off my soap box... A study by the Environmental Working Group tested the umbilical-cord of 10 American babies born in 2004 and found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in each baby's blood. Okay, so throwing everything away and starting over may not be what you choose, but you can be cautious about what you are buying. There are many products on the market that are "going green." Look for those. I have found, however, that although they are out there, those products are expensive. Making my own was actually quite inexpensive and because most natural ingredients are sold in bulk it will save you money in the long run (most things can be found at Wal-mart.) I have not switched to homemade dishwashing detergent (I like my phosphate-free, eco-friendly Palmolive for now) or homemade laundry detergent (mostly because Wal-mart didn't carry what I needed), but I most likely will in the future. I feel good about cleaning my home now and don't worry about the harsh chemicals that my girls are exposed to. I hope that switching will help with a lot of their respiratory problems and contribute to better health in the future.

What my cleaning products looked like before...


after...

We have a new Aunt!

As I mentioned on my last post, Uncle Justin (Jeremy's brother) was married on May 24to Becky. She is awesome and we are so glad to have her as a new sister-in-law and Aunt. Her family is amazing and loved the girls. I can always tell what people's true colors are by the way they interact with Mary and Amelia and the Smiths are definitely genuinely wonderful people. A lot of family was able to make it to the wedding, so we got to spend time with a lot of people we don't see very often. We all stayed at the same hotel and had a suite with a living room area where we could all get together and hang out. Most of Mel's (Jeremy's dad) side of the family live in the upstate NY area. It was so nice to see so many friends and family. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Jeremy was a groomsman and I did a reading in the wedding.
The reception was at the Albany Country Club. The food was amazing and the dancing was a blast! Mary was breakin' it down on the dance floor!


I won't post all of the picture of family, but here are a few from the reception...



Friends and Family included: Mom T., Dad T., Richard and Julie (Jeremy's sister), Uncle Mike, Aunt Marsha, Cousin Darlene, Aunt Maddie and Uncle Leonard, Uncle Marv and Aunt Kathy, Chip and Monica Hill, and Mr. and Mrs. Mendola. We love you all and can't wait to see you again!

Up Up And Away

Mary and Amelia went on their first airplane! Uncle Justin (Jeremy's Brother) and Aunt Becky were married in Albany, NY on May 24. Instead of driving two small children we chose to take a plane up to NY for the wedding. We had two flights going up and two flights coming back. Mary did suprisingly well and by the end of the trip was a pro at air travel.

Mary watched her new movie, Elmo in Groutchland, for a lot of the trip. She read some new books, too. She enjoyed looking out the window and signing/saying plane. Amelia slept during a lot of the travel, which worked out well. Overall everything went smoothly and we all had a lot of fun.