21 Things

OK, I totally stole this from another mom, but I loved the idea! In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, here is a list of 21 things I love about Elliot. See what she did there with the 21st chromosome? Cute idea, right? You can see her list here... she has an awesome blog!

Here it goes in no particular order:

1. His little nose! It's the same nose Adele has, their dad's nose and I love it!

2. He is such a fighter. I think back to when I was still pregnant with him and the doctors kept saying his heart rate was going to dip and it never did! And, obviously, we can't forget how he spent six long weeks in the NICU. I can't wait to see what else this kid overcomes in his lifetime!

3. I love his babbles. So flippin' cute.

4. This is a weird one - but this kid toots like a grown man. It's hilarious. Justin and I can't help but laugh when he does it!

5. He watches his sister constantly. His eyes just follow her wherever she goes.

6. He's so alert. I remember Adele would instantly fall asleep on car rides or walks at this age, but not Elliot. He loves to check out the scenery and I love watching him already starting to explore the world around him.

7. He's a show-off. He loves to show people his new tricks like rolling over or babbling. He makes me one proud mom!

8. I love his tiny little fingers and toes. His pinkies are crooked and he has larger spaces separating his big toes from the others. These are beautiful reminders of God's plan for him and I wouldn't have them another way.

9. I love how he seems to listen in church. Because of his heart condition, we aren't supposed to leave him in the nursery yet, so he sits with us every Sunday. He's usually wide-eyed through the whole service. His babbles slip sometimes, but I don't think our neighbors mind much :)

10. Have you seen his big blue eyes? Again, just like his sister's. I'm convinced the color comes from my grandmother who I miss every day. When I look in to Elliot's eyes (and Adele's for that matter) I can almost still feel her presence with me.

11. He sleeps through the night consistently. We put him down at 11 pm and he wakes up around 7 am... smiling I might add. Hallelujah. I paid my dues with Adele.

12. He's so chill and normally happy as a clam. (Side note: Why is this a saying? Are clams really that happy?) Nothing bothers this kid except being hungry... he will put his mean face on when he's hungry.

13. He's a fast learner. He still struggles eating sometimes, but he's getting better every day! He's also starting to hold his head up more and more.

14. I swear he's already puckering his lips when I go to kiss him. He just loves his mommy, I guess.

15. Every morning when he wakes up, he has completely turned himself around in his crib and in a swaddle nonetheless.... my little sleep scooter.

16. I love how when I feed him a bottle he holds my thumb. Every time. I can barely stand how cute this is!

17. He looks great in green. Sic 'em Bears!

18. It warms my heart to watch Adele be a "mother" to him. When he cries, she wants to soothe him. She runs ahead of me to pick out his clothes in the morning. What a beautiful relationship already forming between them.

19. His face when he sleeps is adorable. He smirks. He sticks his tongue out. I could stare at him forever when he sleeps!

20. His baby breath. If I could bottle up his baby breath and keep it forever, I would.

21. Elliot brings out the best in people. When we first found out Elliot had Down syndrome, we were shocked. We grieved. We needlessly fretted. We were consumed by fear for a few hours, then all of those feelings soon faded as so many reached out to us. We were loved on by friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, our medical team and even people we haven't spoken to in years. We were also welcomed in to a new community of families. I have been in awe of what this little boy has done to people's hearts in just 3.5 months.

In closing, many of you may have seen a recent article by a woman who wishes she could have aborted her son with Down syndrome. That makes my heart hurt. I want women to see how wrong that woman is... how wonderful and beautiful and "normal" (I say normal because the woman in the article longed for a "normal" family) life with a child with Down syndrome is. So please share this post! I deeply want women receiving a prenatal diagnosis to hear from moms who love their children with all of their hearts... not from Negative Nancies!

It's Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

Move over pink, October is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Just kidding, don't move over pink, but please share the aisle... there's enough love in our hearts to celebrate both! Now as a mother of a precious baby with Down syndrome, I want so badly to spread the word about Down syndrome mainly because I realize how much I didn't know about it until I became Elliot's mom.

You've got to be kidding me with these cheeks?!?! 

Before Elliot, I knew nothing about Down syndrome. All I could think of was this little girl at my elementary school that would run out of her classroom when the teachers weren't looking. As mentioned in Elliot's birth story, I was terrified. Some days I still am, but not of him. I'm more scared of Elliot growing up in a world that doesn't understand how amazing he is because trust me I can already tell he is one awesome little dude! I read stories of kids being kicked out of gymnastics because they can't keep up or adults losing their jobs because they had to have a job coach help them (I'm looking at you Papa John's). It's all so hard to hear while looking down at this little boy that I see as absolute perfection.

I want the world to see that God doesn't measure success the way we do and he does not make mistakes. Elliot is here for a purpose and I believe that purpose is to open hearts around him to help spread the word that children and adults with Down syndrome are not scary... they can do many (if not all) of the things typical people can do as long as we allow them the time and support they need to get there.

As I've already said, I'm guilty too. There are two recent encounters of children with Down syndrome that stick out boldly in my mind and neither of them put me in a good light. Last summer I was perusing the aisles in Target (shocker) and there was a mom with her two daughters in front of me. One of the girls had Down syndrome. She was just hanging out in the aisle with her mom and sister looking at earrings. I remember thinking to myself, "that poor woman." I also felt a fear creep into me. Justin and I had just started trying for another baby, and it hit me at that moment that no one is immune from having a child with Down syndrome. I bet if that woman could have read my mind she would have said, "You're the poor woman!" And she would have been right.

The next memory is we were touring day cares when we moved to Atascocita and when we visited one, there was this little boy in the two-year-old class running around throwing toys at all the other kids. He also had Down syndrome and my shameful thought this time was, "How is he allowed to be in here? Doesn't he need a more special environment?" If I could go back in time and slap myself in the face, I totally would. For one, now that Adele is a full-fledged two-year-old, I realize every kid runs around and throws toys. Also, that little boy was exactly where he needed to be... with peers his own age being challenged in his development!

Can you believe I thought these things? I'm so embarrassed to admit them, but it makes me think that as a Christian, an educator, a college degree holder, a loving wife and mother that if I can think these things, that most likely A LOT of people would have these same thoughts and we have to change that. There's no room in this world for this kind of fear. There's much bigger issues to be afraid of.

I have no idea why these instances are so vivid in my memory. Maybe God made them bright spots so that when Elliot was born I could remember how "normal" these little kids lives were hanging out with mom at Target and participating at day care, which meant their moms' lives were also "normal" shopping with her daughters and keeping a day job.

So, this month, I urge you that when you see someone with Down syndrome out and about don't be fearful. Don't feel sorry for their parents. Just smile and recognize them for who they are... a person first who God so dearly loves.