The Pool Room

The Pool Room: where all the good stuff ends up

  • Associate Programs

    I’ve been reading a lot about associate programs lately, and decided I have to try and get me a piece of this action! So, I’ve created a web site called Home Improvement HQ. I figure I’ve been through enough home renovation upheaveal to know a little about the subject, so we’ll see how it goes.…

  • Now Supporting RSS

    I’ve added RSS feeds to all of my web sites. If you’d like to be notified of updates to any of my sites, simply click on the orange XML button beneath the menu and copy the URL to your RSS reader. If you’re curious as to what RSS is, this is a good place to…

  • Miscellaneous Books

    This page is a collection of books that didn’t really fit in with the New Parents, Kids or Medical/Developmental pages. Adult novels that involve characters with Down syndrome:

  • Medical and Developmental Books

    Here are some good educational books that specifically cater to the needs of kids with Down syndrome. They are illustrated with photos of children with DS:   This series of books from Woodbine House have been written by specialists in each field, and are fantastic for parents that want to take an active role in…

  • Books For Children And Young Adults

    The “Day With Russ” series is very popular, and really shows how kids with Down syndrome really are just like other kids. These are great books for kids with DS, or to buy for a classroom that has a class member with DS. The fact that Russ has Down syndrome is not central to the…

  • Books For New Parents

    When you first hear the news that your baby may have Down syndrome, all sorts of thoughts rush through your head. It’s a difficult experience, and it takes time to come to understand what it will mean for you and your family. It’s not all bad news, though. The outlook for people with Down syndrome…

  • Useful Spam?

    Today was the first time I’ve ever received a useful piece of spam email. To be honest, it wasn’t useful in the way the original sender intended. Some idiot snake-oil peddler wrote to tell me that my web site ‘may not be optimised for the search engines’, and offered to send me a report for…

  • Sarah Is Born!

    The newest addition to the Collins family! Our second child, Sarah Louise, was born at 5:05 pm on the 7th of July at the Illawarra Private Hospital in Figtree. She weighed 3.350 kg (7lb 6oz), and measured 50.5 cm (around 20 inches, I think). Here are the [first photos of Sarah](http://pool-room.com/dacollins/lazy-index.php?file=sarah%20birth/), maybe an hour after…

  • It’s Happening!

    Megan went to see Dr Walton today for a regular pregnancy check-up. As soon as he started examining her, he said, “Whoa, Megan! You’re going straight to the hospital!”. Megan rang me at work, and I met her at Figtree Private Hospital at about 3:00 pm. Things progressed much as they should, and at 5:05…

  • Renovation Photos

    More images are available in [the gallery](http://pool-room.com/dacollins/lazy-index.php?file=renovations%202002-2003/).