52: Post Summer Update

And then we went on a big family holiday to Torquay that Leo did come to.

So we go away to Torquay every year with Ben, my husband's family.

And it was really lovely.

I think because we go every year, we can see how much Leo has developed and come on in that year because we're doing the same things in the same places.

And it was actually in Torquay last August that he started to walk like properly.

And I actually caught it on video.

It's on my Instagram somewhere if you want to go back.

But he literally stood up.

He'd been taking the few, you know, odd steps here and there for about six months walking.

And then one day last year, he just stood up and was like, yep, I can walk now, which was great.

So a little bit of a special memory for us there.

But this year, he just loved being around everybody.

He'd wake up every morning and go, find everybody.

Like me and Ben were not enough for him because there were...

Much better prospects on offer.

And also, he swam in the sea.

Like, I wasn't brave enough to go in past my ankles because it's freezing.

I know we were in a heat wave, but my God, that sea was cold.

And he was in there loving life.

And it was kind of really good to see him getting stuck in and be brave.

And I love that.

And maybe...

So that is one of those things that we worry about at the beginning.

If your child is similar to mine, not necessarily with Down syndrome, but when you got a diagnosis at birth or when they were very small and you're like, oh, my God, are they going to be able to do this? What are our holidays going to look like? Are they going to be able to join in? Well, it was nice for me to be able to see that he can do all of those things on his own.

um in his own time obviously you know he's got his own timeline as all our kids have but that was a really lovely memory and coming back home he's just had his first party invite from nursery so that made me happy as well because again that's something else that you worry about isn't it are they going to be included not necessarily in school but you know those extra things like the party so that was really nice um to get that invite.