First Day of First Grade!!!

I know, I know - bad blogger to not keep a promise of pictures on Friday. 
Here you go!

We did our traditional front porch pictures - my parents made me do them all the way through high school!

Cate's new backpack!  I LOVE it!

daddy's girls

mommy has to tickle them to get those smiles!

Cate's school is awesome - it is an arts & music focused teaching school, for example when the kindergartners do their pre-math skills of learning patterns, in addition to doing worksheets where you have to fill in the next shape or color in the pattern, they might have a lesson in dance class where the pattern is clapping, stomping, and turning around, and a music lesson where they do patterns of loud & soft music notes.  It is an excellent environment for Cate as all kids to have multiple methods of learning a skill.  For the first day of school, the teachers & admin put on a "red carpet" extravaganza!  They actually had a red carpet from the drop off area to the door, the teachers dressed up like movie characters, and there was even a little stage with a film backdrop for all the paparazzi to take pictures.  It was so cute!  The teachers had warned us it would be a little chaotic so we had planned on walking Cate into her room that day.

red carpet entrance - Cate of course didn't care for the paparazzi

all she cared about was getting her hands on CoCo the Guinea pig!

Cate had a great first two days of the first grade. We lucked out and her new teacher, Ms. B, has a special needs background so she is not taking any of Cate's manipulative actions. When I sent an email to check on Cate the first day she told me that Cate had left the room to sit outside the door within minutes of us leaving so she gave her a stern lecture on not leaving the classroom, after that she was great in the classroom. Until the first couple transition to other rooms when she tried to tell the teacher she didn't feel good. Ms. B redirected her with some questions and eventually she stopped asking. Score major points for Ms. B - those are two of Cate's most effective manipulations! Normally she gets a new activity from leaving the room and gets a trip to the nurse for saying she doesn't feel well. A couple days of those not working and they should stop for the most part - of course she'll probably come up with something new to get out of activities she doesn't like! I don't envy any of Cate's teachers trying to figure out the manipulations from the true complaints, but they are good at it!

showing daddy the way to her new room

 

a little unsure in the new room with kids in it!

a big goodbye hug

sitting at her real desk!  wow this is big stuff

This is such a different start to the school year than last year when we had so much uncertainty and so many little behavior issues.  It really goes to show how much teacher and admin support can help when they have the right background and preparation.  Everyone is welcoming Cate with open arms and she responds accordingly.  Her teachers read her "all about me" packets and are doing everything they can to make sure she comfortable and performing her best. I hope with all my heart that this is our new normal start to a school year for Cate!  My big girl!  A first grader - I can't believe it.  I have no doubt she will do great this year - but the real question is how am I going to deal with spelling tests, math assignments and 250 sight words????

Cate's All About Me Packet

So I officially had to change my blog header because I am no longer the mom of a kindergartner.  Today was open house, tomorrow is the first day of school and Cate is officially a First Grader!  We are thrilled with her new teacher, her new classroom and her new schedule so I am hoping for a great year!

Last year prior to Cate starting Kindergarten I came across a DS message board post about someone doing an "All About Me Packet" for their child every year for school.  They had a link to a packet created by the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kanas City.  After our terrible Kindergarten Kamp experience I decided that this was a good first step to help give the teachers the information they needed to help Cate be successful.  So I modified the packet using the suggestion from the post about using lots of pictures and giving specific info both good and bad.  I took one copy to the school last year and they ended up copying it and distributing them to every teacher Cate would have that year.  The teachers loved it, I got comments and thank you's for weeks after school started.  So this year, even though Cate's main teacher and the special's teachers already know her from last year, I decided to do it again.  I figured I could add some of the motivators we learned about in Kindergarten and give them some insight into Cate's summer.  Well the teachers seen equally happy to have this years packet. 
Here is an editied version of our packet, its pretty long and had lots of info about Cate in it so if you decide to sign off now - watch for first day of school pictures tomorrow or Friday!  If you are interested in doing a packet of your own and want to start with my template, please send me an email at lugacky@gmail.com and I'll forward you one or go to All About Me Packet - KCDSG.

All About Me!

We are pleased to share our All About Me booklet with you. This booklet contains a lot of information about our child, Catherine … (Cate) and our family.

We hope that this information will help you to get to know our child and some of her interests, strengths and skills.

We have high expectations for Cate just as other parents do for their children. We hope she will follow school rules, perform to the best of her ability and be a contributing member of the class. Good teaching and positive peer role models will help Cate be successful.

If you have any questions, please call us at home, Lisa’s cell or at Lisa’s work

I also have a blog that journals Cate’s life, feel free to visit anytime: http://abrightersunshine.blogspot.com/

We look forward to working with you this year.
Please let us know how we can help make this a great school year.

Sincerely,

Lisa & Ric

My Parent’s Dreams for Me

When Cate was born we worried about:

.. pretty much everything!! Every book we read talked about all the horrible things we had in store for us as the parents of a special needs child – from health conditions to not potty training until late in childhood.  Finally we threw all the books away and just took care of our baby.  Every once and a while a fear about Cate not being accepted or being teased still sneaks in but mostly we are just amazed by Cate’s strength, will, and intelligence every day.

Cate - First Easter 2006

Our hopes for this year are:
We hope Cate is able to continue making friends this year in First Grade.  We want her to participate to the best of her ability and keep up with her peers for as long as possible.  We hope that she will make great improvements in reading and sounding out words this year and that she will be able to participate in all First Grade activities.

Here are some ways we think you can help Cate be successful:

Be strict but kind.  Cate is very sharp and knows when she is being underestimated or can get her own way.  It is important for her to follow the rules and participate but sometimes she will be very stubborn about it until she figures out she can’t get an exception for herself.  Most of all we know if you have as high of expectations for her as you do for your other students, she will respond and succeed.  Cate loves one on one attention from adults and will take advantage of any opportunity to separate herself from her peers.  Encourage participation and don’t allow her to manipulate her way into a special accommodation that isn’t necessary.

Our lifetime goals for Cate are:

We hope that Cate will be able to find a job that she is good at and that brings her satisfaction and happiness.   We want Cate to have a higher education experience if she wants to attend a special university program.   We feel sure she will want to live independently at some point after she reaches adulthood and will do everything we can to give her that option if she wants it.

Here is My Family

My name is Catherine …, my family calls me Cate.

My Mom is Lisa, she works very close to our school as an Accounts Payable & HR Manager.

My Dad is Richard, he works as a Manager in Finance in midtown.

I have one sister, Lucy, she is 3.5 years old.

We have a pet cat.

My maternal grandparents, Ruth Ann and Ray live here.  They are both retired and are very active in my life.  They travel in their RV during the winter.  I love it when Grandma picks me up from school!

Other family or friends that I want you to know about are:

·       My Great Aunt Mary, Great Aunt Wanda, and Great Uncle Pete as well as my cousin Kim all live here and are active in my life.

·       My paternal grandparents (Nana & Grandpa North) live in NY.  I also have one uncle in Texas, another in Savannah, and an aunt in KY – along with 9 cousins.

·       My Uncle Lane & Aunt Brandie (in the picture) live in FL.

Interesting Facts About Me!

My favorite activities are dancing, playing with the ipad and watching TV, especially Fresh Beat Band, Doc McStuffins, Wild Kingdom and animal or princess movies.

 My favorite color is pink (for now – it changes frequently!)

When I go outside, I swing at the playground, swim, and be creative with the things I find like mulch and leaves.

My favorite hobby and other activities are swimming, playing kitchen, reading or looking at books, playing doctor or teacher.

 Three things that really motivate me are:

1)    “Helping” – I love to be a helper.

2)    Animals – I love any type of animal so visitation or alone time with a school pet is something I will work to earn.

3)    Playtime – I love to explore and have free time, the incentive is even higher if that time includes some one-on-one play time with an older child or adult.

When I grow up I want to take care of people or animals, if you ask me I’ll tell you I want to be a zookeeper!

        Health Considerations

Here are some things you may need to know about my health:

Surgeries:

-        I had a complete AV Canal Heart defect and a VSD when I was born.  When I was 4.5 months old I had surgery to repair it at Children’s Healthcare.  The repair was completely successful and I have no current activity restrictions but you will probably notice a large scar on my chest.  We celebrate the anniversary of my surgery on May 9^th every year.

-        I had my tonsils and adenoids removed when I was two years old.

I have ear tubes in both ears to help deal with fluid build up but I rarely get ear infections.

Current Medication (s):
blood pressure medicine, I take to make sure my heart stays healthy, I have never had a heart related issue – it is just preventative.

I do not wear glasses or hearing aides.  I do not have any allergies either.

When I am not feeling well I might:

be very clingy and weepy.  I rarely tell people I am feeling sick (I have a high pain tolerance) and will often push myself until I have a fever.  But if I’m upset about something else and you ask me if something hurts, I will likely say yes even when that is not the case.  I have figured out the nurse is a great excuse for a break from work I don’t want to do.  Be wary of claims of sickness when I have been fine but am not in the middle of something difficult for me.

Other things you need to know about my health:

Cate has very small ear canals and when the tubes aren’t working correctly they will fill up with fluid very quickly.  She has had an ABR and we are confident she does not have any hearing deficiencies.   If you notice her hearing seems to be getting worse please let us know so we can have her tubes checked.  She currently sees an ENT every 4-6 months to try and make sure we keep them open.  Cate will likely need new tubes early next year.

My Feelings

Things that make me feel happy:

Animals, music & dancing, time to explore, attention, and someone who takes the time to understand my speech all make me happy.   I am pretty much happy most of the time and if I’m not I’m usually easily persuaded to change my mood unless I’m not feeling well or are very tired.

Things that might upset me:
Not getting my way most of all!  It will cause me to cry or pout but I never act out violently.  I also don’t like to lose games.  I get upset about losing a game, just remind me to say “good job” to the winner and that next time maybe I’ll win.

It’s hard for me to:

Make transitions, especially when I want to do something or have been denied something in my current location.  I also have trouble starting a new schedule or getting back into the swing of things after a vacation or break.
Communication with my peers can be hard as well – when I am playing pretend especially I let my speech turn toward babble.

Things I may be afraid of:

Loud noises
Chaotic situations like large groups of unorganized activity.
New situations
New people

Places I Like to Go

Here are some places that I like to go to with my family:
The Beach
My friends’ and families’ houses for parties
Traveling anywhere in my grandparents RV
The Zoo
Out to Eat!

My favorite places to go in my neighborhood are:

The playground, the zoo, the children’s museum
Restaurants like the Deli, Italian, Chick-Fil-A, and the Taqaria
But my most favorite things are the summer concert on the Square because I love to dance on the dance floor with my daddy!

My Summer vacation:

This summer my family went on one short trip and then I attended lots of different camps.  In June, we went to Tybee Island to spend some time with my dad’s family for a wedding.  We played at the beach and danced the night away! 

I had a lot of fun swimming at home but I also went to Vacation Bible School, C Kids Camp, church camp, and my favorite ZOO CAMP!  It was a crazy but fun summer for me, and I’m not sure I want it to end!

Communication

Here are some things you may need to know about how I communicate:
I drop certain letter sounds very consistently – especially “s”, “th”, “wa”, “f”  - once you get used to my speech I can usually be understood in context.  It is very difficult to understand me when I’m telling a story I’ve made up, am very excited, or am singing.

I will usually respond well to a single word correction but if you try to get me to repeat a whole sentence I’ll shut down.  I do private speech in addition to my school speech.  We are currently pushing corrections on the word “water”, the “S” sound in general and trying to get me to pronounce the “f” sound by biting my bottom lip.

If I am frustrated I might:
give up trying, or say “I don’t know”.  Sometimes I will completely shut down on an activity and it is very hard to change my mind at that point.  Anything you can do to break my frustrated attitude before that point will help me succeed.

My parents would prefer that you communicate with them by:

Whichever way is most convenient for you – please do not hesitate to contact us with an issue, or with suggestions for home activities to help Cate by reinforcing a concept you are working on with her.

Our home phone number is () – there is normally someone there by 5 pm.

Lisa can be reached at any time by email, at work or on her cell.
Ric can be reached at any time by email, at work, or on his cell.

Look What I Can Do!

Here are some things I do to help around the house:

-        Feed the cat and give her water

-        Set the table

-        Make my bed & clean things off the floor in my room

-        Empty the silverware from the dishwasher

Here are some things I can do by myself:

-        Potty

-        Get dressed (except for buttons & snaps)

-        Put together my breakfast

-        Write my name & all the letters

-        Recite my full name, address (including county, country, continent and planet!)

-        Read 80 sight words – 50 kindergarten words plus the first 30 First grade words

-        Identify a huge number of animals, tell you about what they eat or where they live

-        Use the ipad

-        Swim – jump from the diving board and swim 25 yards

Here are some things I can do if someone helps me:

-        Buttons and snaps

-        Fine motor skills that require finger strength

-        Open packages or bottles

Here is a list of things I do in the community on a regular basis:

-        Eat Out

-        Play on the playgrounds around town

-        Dance at the square

-        Take swimming and dance classes

 

Myths & Truths

About Down Syndrome

Myth: Down syndrome is a rare genetic disorder.
Truth: Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition.  One in every
800 births is a child with Down syndrome.  There are currently 350,000 people in the U.S. with Down syndrome, with 5,000 to 6,000 births per year.

Myth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to older parents.
Truth: Eighty percent of children born with Down syndrome are born to women younger than age 35 due to higher fertility rates.  However, research has shown a link between the incidence of Down syndrome and maternal age.

Myth: Down syndrome is hereditary and runs in families.

Truth: Most cases of Down syndrome are sporadic, chance events.   In general, Down syndrome does not run in families and a sibling or aunt has no greater chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome.

Myth: People with Down syndrome have severe cognitive delays.
Truth: Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate.  IQ is not an adequate measure of the functional status of people with Down syndrome.   People with Down syndrome have great potential if given opportunities.

Myth: The life expectancy of people with Down syndrome is 30.

Truth: Thanks to advances in medical and clinical treatment and opportunities to thrive, as many as 80 percent of adults with Down syndrome reach age 55, and many live longer.

Myth: Behavior problems and depression are just part of having Down syndrome

Truth: Often, medical or mental health problems go untreated due to the assumption that it is typical of having this genetic condition. Complete examinations by appropriate health care professionals should always be pursued.

Myth: Children with Down syndrome are placed in segregated special education programs.

Truth: Children with Down syndrome are included in regular academic classrooms across the country. Students may be integrated into specific courses or fully included in the regular classroom for all subjects.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome may be unable to work.
Truth: Businesses seek young adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions. They are employed by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. They work in the music and entertainment industry. People with Down syndrome bring to their jobs enthusiasm, reliability and dedication.

This booklet was designed by the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City

Thank God it is Monday

Not a normal post title for me at least because I love weekends especially in the summer. Lots of time outside, swimming, going out to eat - all the things I did not get to do this weekend. Even though I was able to escape for a Mothers Morning Out breakfast with my DS mom's group and a bit of unsuccessful shopping on Sat AM, I still was counting the hours until I got to leave for work this morning thats to our awesome babysitter and her mom which are not scared of germs.  Both girls are sick - and that is not a good combination. To give you a hit of my fun without grossing you out, I changed sheets between the two girls 6 times from Friday Night to Sunday Morning. The weirdest part of all this is that both girls are sick at the same time and they have been sick forever. Lucy started with a stomach virus 10 days ago. It is a weird periodic sickness - during the day she is fine except for an extra trip to the potty here and there. Then every couple nights she has an episode of one kind or another that results in me changing her sheets. Last night she had an urgent potty trip and threw up 3 times, but during the day yesterday she was perfectly happy with so much energy I couldn't even get her to take a nap. Cate started with a suspected viral cold on July 19th that has persisted through a trip to the pulmonologist, breathing treatments and steroids. It is also really weird because 85% of the time she is fine - her normal social, spunky self - then randomly she'll start coughing so hard a couple times it has made her throw up. Then of course she acquired the stomach virus symptoms on Saturday AM to add to her coughing battle. So basically we've been up with one of them every night for the last week and I'm about out of laundry detergent. I did take both girls to the doctor today and he confirms it is most likely your typical stomach virus that Lucy gave to Cate.

As for Cate's cough, it might be developing into something more in her chest so she gets to start antibiotics. Normally I would push back about antibiotics for something we can't diagnose and the fact it could make the stomach symptoms worse but at this point with Cate I'm desperate since school starts on Thursday. So cross your fingers for me that the antibiotic works and works quickly.
So given all of that we spent the weekend in the house, no trips to Target for school supplies, no eating out, no swimming.  Not fun at all and to add to that we've been on a bland diet.  Everything we ate all weekend was white or yellow - blahhhhh.  Monday seems like a good thing today since I haven't had to clean up any messes and got to eat a nice big roast beef sandwich with horseradish mayo & cheese - yummmm!!! 
The only good things about the weekend is the amount of laundry done I got done & put away and that I got my monster toy room closet renovation finished - (it only took two months):

The toys were very cooperative during their photo shoot and the printer gave up enough ink to make excellent stickers.  So far the girls are following the new rule of take it out, play, then return the box to the closet - we'll see how long that lasts. 

The girls and I did have some small sparks of fun.  We played a couple games (Cate is a champion matching game player) and did puzzles together for the first time in a while and Lucy even did one by herself - she was so proud, she made me come down from upstairs to see & take a picture.

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And yes she is still her PJs at 4:00 in the afternoon.  It was a PJ kind of weekend.

I hope things will turn around soon and that I can stop cleaning the light switches and door knobs every 5 minutes!  It is a big week - Lucy's open house at pre-school is tonight (grandma is keeping the sickys) and she should start the 3s class tomorrow, Cate's open house is Weds morning and she should start 1st grade on Thursday.  I need these girls up to it so send us some good thoughts - PLEASE! 

Annual DS Clinic Visit

Today was Cate's annual visit to see Dr. V, a pediatrician who specializes in genetic conditions, at the Down Syndrome Clinic.  There is a big debate on the DS BC message board about the value of DS Clinic or geneticist visits.  I think that just like most things in the special needs parenting world - the value of a clinic visit depends completely on the doctors and team at the clinic.  Our DS Clinic is an excellent resource for so many issues from medical to developmental or educational.   One of the reasons we never miss our annual visit (we've been taking Cate once a years since she was 3 months old.) was a situation that happened when Cate was 2 years old.  During the year Cate was two she had pneumonia three times - never bad enough to hospitalize her but enough to give me gray hair and keep her up many nights.  After the third diagnosis, when the immediate care doctors and our excellent pediatric an had no insights on how to prevent it, I emailed Dr. V.  She immediately responded that we need to take Cate to a particular pulmonologist.  I had never even heard the of a pulmonologist before that email.  So we made our appointment, saw the doctor who diagnosed RAD (Reactive Airway Disease) which is a condition that causes lungs to overreact to viruses or bacteria making it harder for the lungs to clear and results in secondary infections like pneumonia.  It is a condition that most kids grow out of and is not surprising given the small size of Cate's breathing passages.  It was such a relief to have a name to put to this issue but even better then that, he had a treatment plan that was preventative.  Cate didn't have any more cases of pneumonia or even bronchitis.  Sometimes it just takes the right person to make the difference in Cate's care.  Dr. V is one of those people, she has experience and knowledge that I cannot expect from a pediatrician who sees a handful of children with DS in his career. 

At our annual visit to the  DS Clinic we do a few different things - first they do weight, height, blood pressure and listen to the heart to check general health just like a pediatrician can do but the difference is at this clinic they only use the DS grow charts. They know what to expect the curve to look like and are more likely to see a potential nutrition or BMI issue in a child with DS just because of their experience.  Cate was following a perfect curve and Dr. V has no concerns about her weight.
After that we sit down with Dr V to discuss Cate's progress at school, what therapy visits she has, what health issues she had in the last year and any concerns we have about her health or behavior.  In the past this discussion has lead us to change our therapy structure, she was even the one who suggested aqua therapy for Cate - so we have her to thank for Cate's early start in the pool.  Dr. V was very impressed with Cate's speech, not just the general clarity but her sentence structure and vocabulary too.  Cate asked me if she could have the iPad and Dr. V told me to let her have it.  She was also impressed with Cate's ability to maneuver it and the time she focused on a single game.  Her words - "Cate is very smart".    She agreed that Cate's school situation, her social growth and developmental progress are all perfect and that opinion was with Cate being anti-social and stubborn.  She refused to talk directly to the doctor instead pointing to me when she was asked a question and when the question persisted at her turned to me to say the answer.  She never smiled or showed off her fun personality.  I asked Dr. V about some nutritional supplements that are becoming popular in the DS community with claims they help improve speech and attention span.  She is not a proponent because no studies have been done on the physiological risks and there isn't a prescribed list of lab work that can be done to monitor any possible issues like the liver enzyme test commonly done with some medications.  The only concern of mine and Ric's that we discussed is Cate compulsive like behaviors of chewing her finger nails or cuticles and its predecessor, picking at scabs.  Dr. V did a sensory evaluation and based on that review is not concerned at all at this point.  She thinks it is just a phase that she will grow out of and she probably does it out of boredom more than as a coping mechanism.  So her recommendation is tell her to stop without making a big deal out of it, then to redirect her to a new activity is she continues and we'll look at it again next year.    The only other piece of advice she had for us was to start working on Cate's self confidence.  She says this is the age when that becomes so important for children with Down Syndrome.  Dr V suggest finding an activity Cate is good at and fostering that - her example swimming and being on a team then training for the Special Olympics.  Which of course is a perfect plan for Cate.

The next phase of our visit is a consultation with the DS Clinic education specialist.  She reviews Cate's IEP prior to talking to us then discussed our concerns and questions.  Since I didn't have any, it was a short meeting.  She told me this was one of the best IEPs she had seen for Cate's age.  She thought the goals were appropriate, well written and provided excellent measurements.

Then we headed to do Cate's blood work.  Children with DS have a very high probability of having thyroid issues so we do annual blood work to watch for them.  This part of the visit was unsuccessful in that we didn't get the blood, it was emotionally trying because although Cate keep saying "I'll be brave" she also freaked out at every new action of the very nice technician, and for me it was very wet (note to self take children to potty before having them sit on your lap while getting stuck with a needle).  We now have a lab order to take somewhere else when it is better for Cate and when I have a change of clothes handy.

Except for our little accident, the visit was great.  Very reaffirming that we are on the right track.  Maybe some people don't need to drive 30 minutes to see a doctor that just tells them we are doing everything right and that Cate is awesome but I do.  I helps my self confidence and gives me security that I have a resource if anything changes.   Sometimes I just need that, so that on those days when I don't feel like I am doing anything right and that I don't have a clue how to care for Cate's needs, I can remember a very educated person told me that I was doing everything right and she was very impressed!

getting bigger!  grew almost 2 inches since the end of PreK

Wordless Wednesday - Sugar Rush

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luckily there is no dairy in a big birthday party favor sucker because I don't think she'd have accepted me taking it from her

Quotes of the summer

Driving down the road after seeing a person advertising for a yogurt store:
Lucy: "Mommy I want to be an ice cream cone when I grow up. A chocolate ice cream cone."
mmm OK??

Driving home from swimming:
Me:  "I just talked to daddy and we are going to Wendy's for dinner"
Cate:  "Yeah, are we picking him up?"
Me:  "No he is meeting us there"
Lucy:  "Is he driving in our car or his?"
Me:  "His, he is meeting us there"
Lucy:  "OK, I'm going to relax until we get there"
Me:  "Good idea Lucy"
Lucy:  "I'm going take a chill out break"  (guess I've been saying "chill out" a little too much lately-the 80s girl in me coming out)

Driving home from camp:
Cate & Lucy - mommy mommy mommy mommy - for sorts of reasons
Me: Turn on the book on CD and both kids are silent for 5 minutes
Lucy:  "Mommy?"
Me:  "WHAT"  (ok maybe a little too much frustration sneaks out)
Lucy:  "But I only said Mommy once"

Walking back to our car after the July 4th parade:
Cate:  "I want to watch TV until Uncle Lane gets here"
Lucy:  "Cate first of all, we have to get to the car"  (good point Lucy - but "first of all" from a 3 yr old?)

Getting ready to take a shower after spending the afternoon in the pool:
Lucy:  "Mom I'm hydrated"
Me:  "What honey??"
Lucy:  "I'm very hydrated and thats good"
Me:  "You are hydrated???"  (still having trouble believing my 3 year old is using that word)
Lucy:  "Yes - It was very sunny today but I spent all day in the water so I'm very hydrated"
After the fact Ric told me they had a converstation the day before on why it was important to drink water on a hot day.

A real tomato!!!

Phase 3 of our back yard redo that I talked about here a couple weeks ago is going to be a kitchen garden in the same spot our potted tomatoes are now.  Hopefully that work will begin in the fall so it is ready for my inexpert attempts at planting next spring.  I've seen it said many times in article and I tend to believe it - kids eat more when they help grow or pick out the veggies.  My girls are pretty good (well Cate is great & Lucy is coming along) veggie & fruit eaters normally but they always eat with no hesitation if they helped make the food.  Our tomato plantings from this spring are a trial run to see if they will take to the new garden idea and so far so good!  One of the pots definitely has "blossom end rot" but fingers crossed we haven't seen it on the other plants - yet.  We got our first eatable tomato & cucumber this weekend!  I made the mistake of actually picking the cucumber before I realized I needed it to be picked by little hands since we only had one good tomato to pick.  So in order to avoid the "I wanted to do it" tears, I fudged a little and "put" the cucumber back (I set it in the pot and wrapped a vine around it - viola!). 
The girls were so excited to pick their veggies and ate every bit of them fresh with no dressing!

both girls ran to the plants when I told them one was ready to pick

Cate found it first and was showing Lucy (please ignore her funny pants in 95 degrees but she was so itchy I had to put steroid cream on her legs and didn't want her getting all over)

our first little yummy tomato!

Cate does the honor of picking it

she is proud of her little tomato

Lucy "picks" the first cucumber

she is proud of her little cuc too!

running up to show daddy!

"hello - hello - this is my cucumber phone"