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!