New in our collection are two biographical volumes by Yvonne Crabtree, about life with Pete up to 30. She describes him as 'definitely a one-off'. You can read extracts here. These are the cover extracts for each book:
For Pete’s Sake, by Yvonne Crabtree 2007
I didn’t abandon Pete at birth – mainly because the thought never occurred to me to do so – but there were times in later years when, I have to confess, I wondered what life would have been like if I had. Having got to where he is now, truly, I can say, what a lot we would have missed! Life with Pete has been a giant roller coaster of a ride; at times plumbing the depths but equally experiencing high points we might never have known without him. And boy, have we had some laughs! If you have, or know, a child with Down’s Syndrome there may be parts of this book that ring very true for you but don’t panic too much; the chances of him or her being another Pete are pretty slim. He’s definitely a ‘one-off’.
“Oh No! Not You Again!”, by Yvonne Crabtree
Thirty! Who’d have believed it? There was a time when I didn’t think he’d make double figures – or that if he did, I wouldn’t still be around to witness it. He was just like the character ‘Billy Whizz’ in the old ‘Beano’ comics – as fast as I cleared up one scene of devastation, he was creating the next!
But time has marched on and we’ve both survived – me to tell the tale and Pete to live it, in his own, inimitable fashion.
Once Pete moved into his flat, nearly eight years ago, I thought that life would quieten down, which to some extent it has, but life is never dull, even with Pete one-step removed and as ever, he presents us with challenges. In fact, life with Pete could be likened to doing a very complicated jigsaw whilst wearing a blindfold. He didn’t come with an instruction booklet, so we continue to grope our way along, trying our best to guide and support him. So from new girlfriends to new jobs, this is the story of Pete negotiating the way through his twenties – and managing to scrape out at the other end. Perhaps I should have called the book ‘Peter Crabtree: The Cappuccino Years’.
Down Syndrome NSW members can arrange to borrow from the library by email to
library@dsansw.org.au or call to speak with support and information staff, on
9841 4444
Jennifer Bekins, speech and language pathologist at the Jane and Richard Thomas Center for Down Syndrome at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, has posted her annual list of gift suggestions on her blog, Let's Talk Down Syndrome. She says:
