I was waiting for my baby to stop breathing, but.. he refused to die

God's mercy on this baby and showing once again that the doctors aren't always right.

It's sickening how the doctors encouraged the mother to abort her baby!!

I was waiting for my baby to stop breathing, but.. he refused to die

http://tinyurl.com/2ntphb

'Watching my newborn son's tiny chest rise and fall, I found myself breathing in sync as I waited for him to stop.

I couldn't stop crying because I had been told my time with him was limited. The moment I had dreaded was about to arrive.

My baby had a serious heart defect and doctors had warned that he would only live a short while after birth - just enough time for our family to hold him and say goodbye.

As the minutes passed, any joy at spending more time with Asher was tinged with agony. I froze at every movement from him, wondering if this was when he'd die. There was no point even hoping doctors had got it wrong.

I asked for a moment alone with him after dressing him in the blue sleep-suit I'd bought. "You don't have to keep fighting love," I whispered. I hated thinking of him in pain. But still, it felt wrong asking my baby to give up.

A scan at 34 weeks had shown the problem with Asher's heart. The doctor asked my ex-partner Rob Foley, 31, to be with me as they explained it may be Down's Syndrome.

An appointment was made for me go down to London and see a specialist the next day. That night I felt sick with panic. Rob and I had split a few weeks into my pregnancy and I'd lived alone with our daughter Jada, now five.

If my baby had Down's Syndrome, I worried how I'd cope.

Rob joined me the next day as doctors said my unborn baby had congenital heart problems.

"There's nothing we can do," the doctor explained. "We believe your baby will die shortly after birth."

Devastated, I couldn't speak. I was offered an injection to end his life but shook my head.

"I want to meet him," I said. "Even if it's only for a few minutes."

An amniocentesis later revealed my son didn't have Down's Syndrome. Having no obvious reason for his heart condition made it harder to come to terms with.

When I went into labour it was dread, not excitement, I felt. I knew I'd lose him when he was born but while he was in my womb I could keep him safe.

Before leaving for hospital, I tucked the sleep-suit in my bag. Along with some teddy bears, it was the only thing I'd bought for him.

However much it hurt, I had to be realistic. My baby didn't need a wardrobe of clothes or toys. He just needed something to be buried in.

Rob, Jada, Mum, my sister Samantha and some of Rob's family came with me to hospital.

The doctors wanted to break my waters. But my dad wasn't there as he'd been working nights. I begged them to hold off until he arrived. I couldn't bear the thought of him missing his grandson's precious few minutes. Before long Dad was by my bedside, clutching my hand. We knew then it was time.

Asher was born weighing 7lb 7oz. As the nurse placed him in my arms, I wept at the sight of his blue-tinged face. We'd been warned about that but to my surprise, after a few minutes, his cheeks turned pink.

My heart raced watching him taking one breath after another, dreading the one which would be his last. The room was frozen in silence.

I passed him over to Rob. I watched him hold the son he knew couldn't live.

As minutes ticked by, everyone took their turn to hold Asher - even Jada.

Everyone wanted to hold him but no one wanted to be cradling him when he finally stopped breathing.

While Dad was cuddling him, he started to panic. "He's stopped breathing," he gasped, thrusting him back at me. This was it. Those few precious minutes were all we'd have.

Suddenly, Asher took another breath and the relief knocked me for six. He'd started breathing again.

As minutes passed, Asher kept taking breath after miraculous breath. I was so wrapped up in him, I had no idea how much time had passed. Then Samantha said: "It's been six hours and he's still alive. Speak to the doctors."

I felt a wave of hope. Maybe they had got it wrong? After examining Asher, the doctor arranged for him to be seen by specialists that night.

But after more tests there, we were dealt another blow. He was only alive because his heart duct was abnormally large.

It would eventually close over and he would die. There was still nothing they could do for him. "But he's made it this far," I pleaded.

"He looks well, but it's only a matter of time," the doctor explained.

Devastated, we began the wait for Asher's heart to give up, too terrified to leave his side.

But after five days, he was still thriving and we were moved to a local children's hospice.

We'd been told Asher would survive minutes, maybe hours - not days.

If our baby was fighting, I had to fight too, so I grilled the doctors.

After two weeks, I demanded a second opinion. Finally, a consultant at Birmingham Children's Hospital agreed to see whether Asher was eligible for the Norwood Procedure - open-heart surgery to improve the defect.

Dad drove us but just 30 minutes into the three-hour journey from our home in Norfolk Asher started turning blue. Pulling over, I was faced with an awful decision. Turn back and risk having no one to help him or try making it to Birmingham to give him a chance.

"He's fought this far," I said. "We can't give up on him now." So Dad sped us to Birmingham as we prayed Asher would hold on.

Doctors hurried through tests then explained if Asher responded to medicine to open his heart duct then they'd operate. It was the first time since Asher was born that anyone had been positive and two days later came the news I'd prayed for.

Asher had responded well to the drugs and was ready for surgery. He was barely a month old when doctors fitted a shunt in his heart and opened up the valve on the right side. For six days we had an agonising wait as Asher lay in intensive care.

When he was moved to a normal ward, I could hardly believe it. Asher had to stay in hospital for more surgery four months later and we went through more ups and downs.

Then when Asher was seven months old, Dad drove us home.

He's not out of the woods yet. He'll need more surgery and one day will require a heart transplant.

He has now celebrated his first birthday and, looking at him, it's hard to believe he was given only hours to live.

Update on Petition

The petition can be signed by family members, friends, teachers, doctors, therapists, etc, not just parents of children with DS.

Please sign this petition and forward to family members, friends, teachers, medical professionals and therapists of children and adults with Down syndrome.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DS-advocacy

On March 21st we encourage everybody who has signed this petition to print it and take it to their OB/Gyns to encourage them to provide accurate information to their patients who receive a prenatal diagnosis, and make sure they know of the resources currently available to them.

Down Syndrome Advocacy!

This was created by one of the yahoo DS groups I am on, so I thought I'd post it here.

Please Sign and Forward the Online Petition if you are a Parent of a Child
with Down Syndrome. click this link:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DS-advocacy

The text of the Petition that will be sent to the National Down Syndrome
Society and the National Down Syndrome Congress on World Down Syndrome Day 3-21
March 21, 2008. The deadline to sign the petition is March 20, 2008.

Know that this is not about the legal right to an abortion, it is about the right for parents to have complete information in which to make a decision. That information is not currently provided for, and until our National Organizations advocate for the fetus by taking a stand with ACOG to educate their physicians on how to deliver the diagnosis with the proper BALANCED information parents will continue to be making decisions without all of the information they need.

The Petition reads:
We, parents of children with Down Syndrome are appalled and offended by the
discrimination that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG) has shown in recommending prenatal screening for Down syndrome for
all pregnant women, regardless of age.

It is very well known that Down syndrome cannot be corrected in utero, and
preparation emotionally could be a very valid reason for the prenatal
testing of all women, but in reality, it is clear that the purpose of first
trimester screening is not to provide time for parents to prepare for the
birth of a child with Down syndrome, but to enable and encourage parents
to terminate a pregnancy once a diagnosis of Down syndrome is obtained.
Research has shown that ACOG has provided no education to the physicians
on how to deliver a prenatal diagnosis, and has provided NO information on
the life realities of raising a child with Down syndrome, and, as a
result, the majority of expectant parents are being put in the position of
having to make decisions regarding their unborn child based on inaccurate
and unnecessarily negative information. This leads to the astronomical
statistic of 90% of the babies being aborted! This is, quite simply,
unacceptable.

The true purpose of ACOG's recommendation is to prejudicially eliminate
babies with Down syndrome. We parents believe that the National Down
Syndrome organizations need to take a stand on the abortion issue, not as it
relates to the laws in our country, but as it relates to Down syndrome.
Advocacy on behalf of individuals with Down syndrome needs to begin at
conception, not at birth.

Learning Deficit Blocked in Mouse Model of Down's

This is pretty promising research!! Hopefully it can be redone in persons with DS.

SMFM: Learning Deficit Blocked in Mouse Model of Down's

DALLAS, Feb. 4 -- The learning deficits of mice with trisomy 21 appear to have been prevented with a peptide combination, investigators said here.

After nine days of treatment, adult mice with the model of Down's syndrome navigated a water maze test as easily as a control group of animals and significantly better (P<0.001)>

Ten days after stopping the peptide treatment, the water maze performance of treated animals had deteriorated to the level of untreated trisomic animals, suggesting a need for ongoing therapy, she said at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting.

The results have sparked anticipation about the peptides' use in patients with Down's.

"[One of the peptides] has already gone through all the toxicology studies and is in phase II clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Spong. "The hope would be that potentially this would have application in other things as well."

Newborns with Down's syndrome have altered levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide, which releases and regulates multiple neuropeptides, including the neuroprotective peptides known as NAP and SAL, said Dr. Spong. Previous studies showed that administration of NAP and SAL to trisomic mice during pregnancy prevented developmental delay.

In the current study, investigators examined the potential for NAP plus SAL to prevent learning deficits in adult trisomic male mice given either NAP plus SAL or placebo. Their learning ability was assessed by means of a Morris water maze, which requires animals to use visual cues to locate a platform hidden in a pool of water.

Beginning on day four, the animals had four water maze trials daily for five days. The time required to locate the platform reflected spatial learning. On days nine and 10 the animals underwent a test of memory retention, determined by the amount of time a mouse stayed in the water pool quadrant where the hidden platform had been placed.

During the five days of testing, the performance of trisomic mice treated with NAP plus SAL did not differ from that of the control group (P>0.05) and was significantly better as compared with untreated trisomic animals (P<0.001).>

On treatment day nine, the treated trisomic animals averaged about 10 seconds in the correct quadrant of the water pool, which was not different from the control animals, whose time in the correct quadrant averaged about 10 seconds. In contrast, untreated animals were in the correct area for only about four seconds of the timed test.

Ten days after stopping treatment, the mice repeated the memory retention test. Control animals remained in the correct quadrant of the water maze for about 14 seconds, whereas the treated and untreated trisomic animals had almost identical times of about eight seconds.

Two other preclinical studies reported at the SMFM meeting provided insights into the underlying mechanisms involved in preventing memory deficit in the Down' syndrome model.

One study showed that treatment with NAP plus SAL significantly (P=0.02) increased expression to control levels of the N-methyl-d-aspartate subunit NR2A, which was decreased in trisomic mice compared with controls (P<0.05).>

In the second study, investigators showed that treatment with NAP plus SAL prevented dysregulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide (increased levels compared with control, P<0.05)>P<0.05)>P<0.05),>

Primary source: Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Source reference:
Toso L, et al "Prevention of learning deficit in a Down syndrome mouse model" Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007; 197(suppl): S3. Abstract 6.

Additional source: Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Source reference:
Vink J, et al "Learning deficit prevention by NAP&SAL includes NMDA receptors in Down syndrome model" Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007; 197(suppl): S129. Abstract 433.

Additional source: Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Source reference:
Vink J, et al "Prevention of Down syndrome learning deficits mediated through neuroprotective peptides, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and activity dependent neuroprotective peptide (ADNP)" Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007; 197(suppl): S174. Abstract 606.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SMFM/tb/8199

Time Flies By . . . He Struggled To Catch Up, But Has Finally Passed Her By!

My brother has just turned 3 years old. It is amazing how fast time flies by. I so vividly remember that day he and his twin sister were born . . . it forever changed our life!

He and his twin sister were born with only an ounce different in their weight. He was 5 lbs, 13 oz and she was 5 lbs, 12 oz.

That quickly changed. She would be discharged from the NICU just 6 days after their birth, but he wasn't discharged until a week after her (they were 2 weeks old). It was all because of his lack of weight gain.

Over the course of the next few months, we would take trips to the pediatricians for "weight checks" to see how much he had gained . . . or lost. We did all we could and researched all we could to find out how to help him gain weight. Some things seemed like they may have helped some, but some did not help much. The doctors always told us "it's just the Down syndrome," they had no answer. They wanted my mom to stop breastfeeding him and to put him on a "high calorie" formula to make him gain weight. Okay, so take him off of the breastmilk that is extremely beneficial for him, nutritionally & physically, and put him on something inferior to make him gain weight?! No thanks, we didn't do that. He started to slowly gain weight with the breastmilk and all the techniques we were trying.

We weighed him daily at our home and kept accurate records to see how much he'd gain. It was a triumph when he would gain a couple ounces a week! Finally the docs said he was doing okay.

By the time he was 8 months old he was still much smaller, by 4 or 5 pounds, than his twin sister. Then, we found the answer . . . it was again by lots of searching and looking for information.

Nutrivene-D was the answer. Within just a month he had noticeably gained a lot more weight than he had been gaining. It would take the time of a few more months until he started to really catch up to his twin sister. Dr. L encouraged us to start my brother on the NightTime Formula when my brother was a year old. That made a huge difference in my brother! He has grown so much since starting him on it!

I happened to be looking at the dosages on the NightTime Formula bottle the other day and I thought, "I bet he needs to take a whole capsule, instead of the half he's been taking." So, I weighed him last night and sure enough, he is in the range of where he needs to take a whole capsule instead of the half of a capsule. Tonight, my curiosity was up so I weighed his twin sister and guess what . . . my brother weighs TWO POUNDS MORE than his twin sister!!! She's 26 lbs and he's 28 lbs.

He started off just an ounce heavier than her, he struggled for a year or a year and a half to catch back up to her and now he weighs 2 pounds more than her! It is awesome. I know without Nutrivene-D my brother would not be so well off! We are forever grateful that we learned about it when we did!

Thanks for letting me share another bit of our wonderful journey :)!

About Time They Started Doing Something . . . .

NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan

The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate mental retardation and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH.

"Through the years, the NIH research effort has led to increased understanding of Down syndrome," said Elias Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health. "We are now poised to capitalize on these advances and improve the health of people with Down syndrome."

Down syndrome occurs in 1 out of every 800 births in the United States. Down syndrome most frequently results from an extra copy of chromosome 21 in the body's cells. In most cases, this extra chromosome comes from the mother. In some cases, forms of Down syndrome can result from just having an extra portion of chromosome 21. The chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome increases as women age.

Infants with Down syndrome have certain characteristic physical features, such as short stature, distinctive facial features and are more likely to have health conditions like hearing loss, heart malformations, hypertension, digestive problems, and vision disorders. Although Down syndrome is the most common cause of mild to moderate intellectual disability, the condition occasionally is severe. People with Down syndrome are also much more likely to die from infections if left untreated.

The NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development convened a working group of NIH scientists. Through a public comment process, the scientists listened to comments and suggestions from families of individuals with Down Syndrome, as well as from Down Syndrome research advocacy organizations. The NIH scientists then developed the research plan in collaboration with researchers in the national scientific community.

Among the research objectives identified as priorities over the next 10 years is the need for greater access to laboratory animals with the characteristics of Down syndrome.

The plan cites the need for increased research on the medical, cognitive, and behavioral conditions that occur in people with Down syndrome. These conditions include leukemia, heart disease, sleep apnea, seizure disorders, stomach disorders and mental health problems.

The working group also identified the need to study whether aging has a greater impact on mental processes in people with Down syndrome than in people who do not have Down syndrome. As adults, individuals with Down syndrome age prematurely and may experience dementia, memory loss or impaired judgment similar to that experienced by Alzheimer's disease patients.

The plan summarizes current research efforts by the various NIH institutes studying Down syndrome.

The National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) has supported Down syndrome research since the institute was established in the 1960s. NICHD scientists have bred mice that help researchers study the intellectual disability and dementia that occurs in Down syndrome. The NICHD is currently studying specific genes and gene groups that may play a role in developing Down syndrome. Researchers are also studying the role that the age of the mother's egg plays in developing the disorder.

An NICHD-sponsored study is examining whether individuals with an additional complete copy of chromosome 21 differ as they age from people with only a portion of the extra chromosome. Another long-term study will examine the prevalence of dementia in adults with Down syndrome and whether certain medications, like hormone replacement therapy, slow the aging process in Down syndrome.

Other NICHD-supported projects include devising a weight loss program for adults with developmental disabilities, and a computer program to help children with Down syndrome learn.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is supporting studies of the genes that contribute to heart malformations found in Down syndrome patients. The NHLBI also is supporting investigations of the causes and potential treatments for obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which throat tissue blocks the airway during sleep, temporarily shutting off air to the lungs. Obstructive sleep apnea is common in Down syndrome children.

Children with Down syndrome are 10 to 15 times more likely than other children to develop leukemia. The National Cancer Institute is investigating various types of leukemia that affect children with Down syndrome.

Other NIH institutes continue to investigate additional aspects of Down syndrome. The National Institute on Aging is conducting research on ways to treat Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is studying the significance of two genes recently found in a region of chromosome 21. These genes are involved in the development of the immune response against disease.

The National Institute of Mental Health is investigating rates and possible treatments for mental disorders found with Down syndrome. These include autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and psychosis.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is investigating how the brain is affected by Down syndrome. The intellectual disability seen in people with Down syndrome is caused when neurons die or do not function properly. One NINDS study is investigating the potential role of a specific gene called APP, for amyloid precursor protein. It is thought that disruption of the APP gene may kill neurons by interfering with a growth factor needed for neurons to survive. APP is believed to be related to Alzheimer's disease and may play a role in Down syndrome.

The research plan on Down syndrome "is intended to provide the NIH, and its member Institutes and Centers, with guidelines for prioritizing and coordinating future research related to Down syndrome," wrote the members of the NIH Down syndrome working group in the report.

The working group is moving forward to implement plan objectives. The plan's short- term objectives are expected to be accomplished within the next three years.

The report is available on the NICHD Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/NIH_Downsyndrome_plan.pdf

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Updated!

I updated the rebuttal that I wrote to Dr. Leshin's article on TNI over the past couple days. I just put it up on the site now. I changed a few things in the body of the article and I also added some new research to it that has been put out over the past year or so since I wrote the article.

Reversal Of Alzheimer's Symptoms Within Minutes In Human Study

This could be an important research finding for adults with DS!

Reversal Of Alzheimer's Symptoms Within Minutes In Human Study ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — An extraordinary new scientific study, which for the first time documents marked improvement in Alzheimer's disease within minutes of administration of a therapeutic molecule, has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. This new study highlights the importance of certain soluble proteins, called cytokines, in Alzheimer's disease. The study focuses on one of these cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha(

TNF), a critical
component of the brain's immune system. Normally, TNF finely
regulates the transmission of neural impulses in the brain. The
authors hypothesized that elevated levels of TNF in Alzheimer's
disease interfere with this regulation. To reduce elevated TNF, the
authors gave patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic called
etanercept. Excess TNF-alpha has been documented in the cerebrospinal
fluid of patients with Alzheimer's.

The new study documents a dramatic and unprecedented therapeutic
effect in an Alzheimer's patient: improvement within minutes
following delivery of perispinal etanercept, which is etanercept
given by injection in the spine. Etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds
and inactivates excess TNF. Etanercept is FDA approved to treat a
number of immune-mediated disorders and is used off label in the
study.

The use of anti-TNF therapeutics as a new treatment choice for many
diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and potentially even
Alzheimer's, was recently chosen as one of the top 10 health stories
of 2007 by the Harvard Health Letter.

Similarly, the Neurotechnology Industry Organization has recently
selected new treatment targets revealed by neuroimmunology (such as
excess TNF) as one of the top 10 Neuroscience Trends of 2007. And the
Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives has chosen the pilot study using
perispinal etanercept for Alzheimer's for inclusion and discussion in
their 2007 Progress Report on Brain Research.

The lead author of the study, Edward Tobinick M.D., is an assistant
clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, Los
Angeles and director of the Institute for Neurological Research, a
private medical group in Los Angeles. Hyman Gross, M.D., clinical
professor of neurology at the University of Southern California, was
co-author.

The study is accompanied by an extensive commentary by Sue Griffin,
Ph.D., director of research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on
Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in
Little Rock and at the Geriatric Research and Clinical Center at the
VA Hospital in Little Rock, who along with Robert Mrak, M.D.,
chairman of pathology at University of Toledo Medical School, are
editors-in-chief of the Journal of Neuroinflammation.

Griffin and Mrak are pioneers in the field of neuroinflammation.
Griffin published a landmark study in 1989 describing the association
of cytokine overexpression in the brain and Alzheimer's disease. Her
research helped pave the way for the findings of the present study.
Griffin has recently been selected for membership in the Dana
Alliance for Brain Initiatives, a nonprofit organization of more than
200 leading neuroscientists, including ten Nobel laureates.

"It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral
improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of
therapeutic intervention," said Griffin. "It is imperative that the
medical and scientific communities immediately undertake to further
investigate and characterize the physiologic mechanisms involved.
This gives all of us in Alzheimer's research a tremendous new clue
about new avenues of research, which is so exciting and so needed in
the field of Alzheimer's. Even though this report predominantly
discusses a single patient, it is of significant scientific interest
because of the potential insight it may give into the processes
involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer's."

While the article discusses one patient, many other patients with
mild to severe Alzheimer's received the treatment and all have shown
sustained and marked improvement.

The new study, entitled "Rapid cognitive improvement in Alzheimer's
disease following perispinal etanercept administration," and the
accompanying commentary, entitled "Perispinal etanercept: Potential
as an Alzheimer's therapeutic," are available on the Web site of the
Journal of Neuroinflammation
(http://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/5/1/2/abstract).

Author Hyman Gross, M.D., has no competing interests. Author Edward
Tobinick, M.D. owns stock in Amgen, the manufacturer of etanercept,
and has multiple issued and pending patents assigned to TACT IP LLC
that describe the parenteral and perispinal use of etanercept for the
treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders,
including, but not limited to, U.S. patents 6015557, 6177077,
6419934, 6419944, 6537549, 6982089, 7214658 and Australian patent
758523.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences.

Down Syndrome Center at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego, CA

Posting this with permission from the list it was posted on.

-----------
Hi everyone!

I've been too busy helping with this to post lately, but we're trying
to get the word out to everyone that the DS Center at Rady Children's
Hospital-San Diego will open on Janaury 15th! Please forward this to
anyone you know in the surrounding areas/states too.

For more info and the call in number for appointments, go to
www.dsaction.com

Thanks!
Lisa
---------------

The Changes We've Seen

The changes we've seen with my brother and Ginkgo Biloba is his attention span and being able to focus better.

His attention span is great and he is able to focus really well. His delayed response time is very minimal.

We've noticed some changes in him lately, which I don't know if they are directly to the GB or not, but nonetheless it is interesting.

He can be given two things to do and he's able to do both of them without doing only the one thing. Like after we've fed him yogurt. There's the yogurt container that has to be thrown in the trash can and there's the spoon that has to be put in the sink. We give him both of them and tell him what to do with each one and he goes and puts the one in the trash and the other in the sink. A few months ago, he would have only been able to do one or the other, not remember to keep them both separate. Now, whether this is due to the GB, or just that he is getting older (will be 3 y/o in February), I don't know.

The other day when I was doing the stacking rings with him. Normally he picks up the smallest two rings first for whatever reason, but that is what he always does. Sometimes I'll stack them up the wrong way so that as he takes the first ones off the top of the stack, he puts them on the stacking toy in the right order. But, the other day I decided to leave them all laying there and just ask him to put the right one on to see if he could do it in the right order. He went to pick up the two smallest two and I said, "no, those don't go on first, can you pick up the red one?" He put down the smallest two, looked around at the pieces and picked up the red one and put it on. He did it with all the pieces . . . orange, green, yellow, dark blue, etc. He ended up doing it two times in a row! I was so excited. Again, I don't know if this is related to the GB, or another supplement, or if he is just growing.

Nonetheless, changes similar to these are the things that we've noticed with him and the GB.